Like many parents, Westporters Sarit and Michael Lewis struggled when, at around age two, their oldest child became a picky eater. “He was slowly dropping foods—fruits, vegetables, everything,” Sarit tells Westport Lifestyle. Sarit had learned to cook from her husband Michael—a graduate of The French Culinary Institute who had worked at restaurants in New York—and she started experimenting with ways to get more nutrients into her son’s diet, hiding veggies in muffins, pancakes, and smoothies. But when they were shopping for pre-made items that fit the same criteria they were using at home, there was nothing on the shelves. The couple knew they weren’t the only parents who needed school-safe, portable, nutritious snacks, and that’s where the idea for House of Yes first started to take shape.
The snack foods brand, which currently offers chocolate chip and maple cinnamon “protein super bars,” was named for the idea that parents are usually saying “no” to their children’s constant snack and dessert requests. “The whole concept was in this house, you can say yes,” explains Sarit. To that end, Sarit wanted to ensure that the bars had the same hidden veggies she’d workshopped in her own kitchen, be free of food dyes and preservatives, seed-oil free, and nut-free. The Lewises surveyed families across the country about what was most important for a packaged snack to have, and after sifting through the results, teamed up with food scientists to create something that reflected what most parents and kids wanted. “Protein is at the very top of the list of things that parents care about,” explains Sarit. Parents also said their kids would most want a chocolate chip flavor.
Michael and Sarit then flew out to California and tried more than 60 different recipes and five flavor options. “We kept going back and forth, bringing them to kids and getting feedback on the texture, the consistency, the flavor,” Sarit says. Eventually, they landed on a recipe that made parents and kids happy. The bars officially rolled out in November of last year, and the final recipe hit all their specs: they have six grams of protein—more than any other kids’ protein bar on the market— and six grams of fiber—two to three times as much as the average kids’ bar.
The ingredients are as simple and veggie-forward as they were hoping for: vital wheat gluten for protein, plus carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, organic whole wheat flour, and coconut oil. The bars have only seven grams of sugar, and they’re also filling: at 40 grams, they’re almost twice the size of other health-conscious kids’ snack bars, which usually top out at 25.
Sarit is a Westport native, and she and Michael both credit the community here for supporting them on the journey toward launching House of Yes. “We’ve met wonderful people here, and they were some of our first and largest orders,” says Michael. “I think that’s partially because their kids genuinely loved the bars, and because so many of the parents didn’t love the current selection in supermarkets either. Not to mention they struggled with getting their kids to eat veggies. And that’s the whole reason we developed them – with children’s nutritional needs, as well as taste buds, in mind.”
The duo hopes to launch another flavor this year and plans to continue developing additional snacks in the future. For now, their sales model is direct-to-consumer with hopes to sell them locally in smaller groceries and specialty markets, gyms, play places, and sports complexes soon, as well as larger retailers in the coming years.
Near the end of this interview, their son who inspired it all, now six-and-a-half, entered the kitchen. “Mom?” he asked. “Can I have another bar?” It would be his second of the day, but true to the brand’s name, Sarit said yes. It was the perfect proof of a mission well accomplished.
House of Yes bars are available on the brand’s website: $15.99 for a trial pack of six bars or $22.49 for a carton of 12 at houseofyesfoods.com Follow them @eathouseofyes.
“The whole concept was in this house, you can say yes."
"The whole reason we developed them [was] with children’s nutritional needs, as well as taste buds, in mind,” says Michael.