Happy food dances will always ensue when Mexican vegan food is involved and it’s common for Melbourne’s vegans to head to restaurants and bars around town to get their fix. But what happens when Melbourne vegans want to emulate authentic vegan Mexican flavours at home?
Melbourne vegans can now rejoice because Top Hat Salsa Co. is creating vegan salsas and dips that will bring these flavours to any vegan kitchen. Creator and Founder Max Jared Einsohn spoke about his culinary journey and how he started Top Hat Salsa Co.
Max, a Jewish Texan expat, developed his flavours in Israel and has now settled in Victoria on the Mornington Peninsula with his wife Shannyn. His story is a whirlwind journey that has navigated half the globe to express his lifelong passion for Mexican flavours and a love of food, family and culture. Max was keen to answer a few questions about his bold vegan Mexican voyage so far.
All of your products are 100% plant-based and vegan-friendly. Are you vegan yourself? If so, how long have you been vegan for? Also, where did the business name come from?
“Yes! I am vegan and have been since January 2020. My wife has been vegan for three years. We cooked and ate about 95% vegan anyway, so I just decided to fully commit to making conscious decisions about where my money is going and how I can support my body, and our earth’s health by living a plant-based lifestyle. The Top Hat Salsa Co. name came because when I wear a top hat I feel fancy and we want to convey that our products are gourmet, high class and made from the highest quality ingredients available.”
Max, you’re originally from Texas, U.S.A yet you started making your products while you were living in Jerusalem. Tell me about how a Texan arrives in Jerusalem and then decides to make salsa?
“Honestly, I started making salsa because I missed the flavours from my hometown in Texas. I lived in Jerusalem for two years while I was getting a master’s degree in education and the Mexican food in Israel just didn’t hit the spot for me. I was able to find all of the ingredients to make tacos but there just wasn’t a plethora of different flavourful salsas to add to my dishes (like there is in Texas). In Texas when you go to a Mexican food restaurant you immediately get tortilla chips and salsa and it stays on the table throughout your meal so you can use the salsa on every bite of your food. There’s a massive condiment culture in Texas because of all the yummy salsas and hot sauces available. Eventually, I just started to play around with some recipes I got from my mom and eventually came up with The O.G. which ended up becoming Top Hat Salsa Co.’s first product to launch. Texas is known for its love of Mexican food.”
Tell me about the vegan Mexican food scene there, and what dish is the one vegan dish you truly miss?
“Austin, Texas is the place to be for authentic vegan versions of all types of cuisines. But because Mexican culture is so embedded into Texas culture, you can find amazing tacos practically everywhere. My favourite place for vegan tacos is a place called Taco Deli, and I really, really, miss the Space Cowboy taco (without queso blanco) which is a vegan version of their signature Cowboy taco. It’s probably my favourite taco on earth. I also miss their mole (pronounced mo-ley) taco but I’m not sure if they make a vegan version yet.”
From what I understand, your background is Jewish. Did your family emigrate to the U.S.A from Israel?
“I am actually a fourth generation Texan, but before that my great-great grandparents came to the States from Germany in the late 1800s. As Texas Jews we actually had Shabbat dinner on Friday night and then rushed to catch the second half of the football (Gridiron) game of our high school. You may know that food is an important part of Jewish culture, and combining it with Texas culture meant that we all cooked from a very early age. So, I’ve felt comfortable creating and playing with different cuisines for practically my entire life.”
Family has played a big part in your food journey and you learned how to cook from an early age from the matriarchs in your family. How important is family when it comes to food? Is anyone else in your family vegan? If not, has it been hard to be vegan in a non-vegan family?
“My parents are just the best. They have always supported healthy food practices and respect my wife and me for the choices we make to be vegan. I remember going back to visit and my mom was so excited to show us all of the vegan food she discovered at Whole Foods (an epic, vegan-friendly supermarket; like the IGA in Dromana but bigger!). And because she’s a Texas-Jewish mom she had like three versions of vegan cream cheese and five different kinds of vegan desserts. My parents don’t want us to just have one dish we can eat at family meals; they want us to experience the abundance that comes with having choice. So, there’s always multiple options for us and everyone enjoys the vegan versions of the classics we all love. Food has continually brought our family together and created a sense of bonding and love, from the prepping and cooking to the clean-up – we all enjoy being together and sharing super tasty meals!”
Travel is another crucial element of your culinary journey. You’re now in Australia (on the Mornington Peninsula) and you moved here to be with your partner who is Australian. How important is travel to you and what role does travel play when it comes to creating your products?
“This is a really interesting question to be asked during a pandemic where we are mostly bound to the places we live in, unable to travel long distances. I’d say that prior to 2020 and the COVID-19 shutdowns travel was a key value of my wife and mine. Before starting the salsa business we both traveled multiple times a year to the states, to New Zealand and to Europe for gigs and we loved living life out of a suitcase, getting to explore different places and different cultures. But the last year has changed us in many ways. We definitely want to get back to our family and friends in the states but are also grateful for the things we are able to build now that we have planted roots in the Mornington Peninsula.
When I think back though, I can definitely say that travel has helped me create the products I make today. Because I’ve traveled to different places I am able to decipher what types of food and flavours are missing from the options available locally. This helps me understand what ‘niche’ I can fit in with my products, and I can safely say that high quality, fresh salsa is lacking in Australia – but I’m excited to be there to help provide it!”
Has it been hard to make your products kosher? Do your products have a Jewish following here in Victoria, as well?
“In order to be kosher certified you have to pay the Rabbinate to come check your kitchen, ingredients and materials and essentially be tested to make sure they follow halacha (Jewish law). The great thing about being vegan and making vegan products is that all of my ingredients are plant-based and therefore don’t break any rules regarding kashrut (plural of ‘kosher’), but I don’t have the official stamp of approval from Kosher Australia (the governing body for kosher products in Australia) yet. I’m not sure if my products are big in the Jewish community because I am lucky enough to have customers from all over Victoria and I don’t really know if they are Jewish or not, but my Jewish friends are amazing supporters and definitely buy and share our salsas with friends and family. I’m eternally grateful for every person who has chosen to invite our products onto their plates!”
Where else in the world have you travelled to, and what has been your favourite journey to date?
“I’ve been blessed to be able to travel to many places in my life. My great grandparents and grandparents enjoyed traveling, and I caught the travel bug early on, too! One experience that stands out for me was in 2008 when I had the opportunity to study abroad and live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was so inspired by the complex culture and beautiful land, and loved the passionate people I encountered. And the food was incredible!
One of my favourite memories from my Argentina trip was hitchhiking in Patagonia, getting picked up by a 65 year old woman who brought us to her village at the foothill of the Andes mountains, hiking up a mountain, losing the trail on our way back and having to scale down the mountain. We ended up seeing gorgeous wild horses and eagles along the way and eventually found our way back to her home, which she later told us was hand-built by her father. I remember she had a freshwater pool that was fed from the melting ice off the peaks of the Andes Mountains. We sat for hours listening to her stories while she fed us soup and after sunset she brought us back to the nearest bus station. It was one of the best adventures of my life. It’s amazing what can happen if you trust others, and the path you’re on, even if it’s unclear which is the next step.”
Your product range includes salsas, dairy-free dips and sauces. What would you recommend to someone who wants to try the essence of Top Hat Salsa Co.?
“The essence of Top Hat Salsa Co. will always be The O.G. – an authentic Mexican restaurant style tomato salsa with lime, salt, cumin and coriander. It’s refreshing and addictive and bursting with flavour. [It] was the first salsa we developed that people loved so much they kept asking where to get more. The O.G launched our business and is the center spoke of the Top Hat Salsa Co. bike wheel of products. Other than The O.G., people are completely loving our It’s FKN Nuts cashew-queso (vegan cheese) dip. Somebody even told me they make tiger toast by putting It’s FNK Nuts on toast with vegemite and margarine. I love that Aussies are finding ways to make salsa their own.”
Do you have any parting thoughts to share?
“Thanks for asking these wonderful questions and inviting us to tell our story! We are grateful to people like you who are helping to grow the vegan community by sharing resources, recipes and recommendations with people looking to live high vibe, plant-based lives. We welcome anybody to get in touch with us via Instagram (@thetophatsalsaco) if they’d like to try our products or go to our website and order today! We are currently looking for guidance on where to stock our products in independent groceries that are located near our customers. If you or your friends shop at any place you’d like to find our products, please private message us the name of the grocery, cafe or store and we will give you a discount on your next order! Wishing happy food dances and an abundance of health and joy to you all!”
