Ruby Sparks & Rob Griset like food, flavor, and they super love CRISPY CRUNCHY MAGIC!! This has always been the case... Coming from a multi-cultural family, being half African American and Japanese and half Irish Italian, there was always a variety of amazing foods in Ruby’s house - her favorite and crunchiest were her papa’s tempura and fried fish. Rob discovered the magic of the crunch when he learned the secrets behind his Grandma Muriel’s buttery crispy breakfast potatoes (soft on the inside and oh so crispy on the outside) – ever since then, he has been obsessed with flavor and texture, building his career in the food industry since he was a teenager.

As luck would have it, the universe decided these two should meet. There was always something afoot in the kitchen in their tiny Capitol Hill apartment – things simmering, braising, and boiling over; Roasty toasty smells and dishes piling up. Chili Crisp, being one of their all-time favorite condiments, was something they would always pick up at the store. In 2019, the kitchen tinkerers within became curious and started to create an at-home version. They wanted to make a chili crisp that had all of their favorite flavor elements and a CRAZY CRUNCH. Using both of their super skills…for almost 2 years, they tested, fiddled, experimented, shared, tracked, tinkered, toiled …. And then BOOM…in 2020 KariKari was born!!

KariKari, which means crispy in Japanese, is a blending of many things, and an ode to all that came before. To grandmothers and grandfathers, parents, chefs, mentors – to the memories of Calabrian chili paste on pasta in Italy, salsa macha in the southern regions of Mexico, Lao Gan Ma slicked noodles in Xiamen, tương ớt sa tế on a glistening bowl of bún bò Huế in Seattle’s International District, and S&B Crunchy Garlic on chilled tofu. KariKari was created with respect for the past and honor for the future.