Snack Startup S’NOODS Explores the Possibilities of Pasta
A snack brand featured on a Netflix cooking competition is hitting retail shelves this week.
“Snack vs. Chef” winner Lauryn Bodden launched S’NOODS, a brand of crunchy, noodle-inspired snacks with global flavors. The products are gluten-free and air-popped or baked. The base is made with a proprietary blend of rice, potato, tapioca and chickpea flours, plus chickpea protein concentrate and sunflower oil.
Offerings include Cavatappi Carbonara, coated in parmesan flavor with smoky “pancetta undertones;” Rigatoni Basil Pomodoro, with notes of roasted tomato, caramelized garlic, red pepper flake, basil and parmesan cheese; and Spicy Miso Ramen, tossed in miso, ginger, porcini mushrooms and togarashi. The New York-based startup uses upcycled ingredients including potato flour and seasonings in its recipes when possible.
“There’s all these different noodle shapes and sauces and flavors out there that I want to showcase to the world but also selfishly be able to eat at any moment’s notice, myself,” Bodden said.
Bodden, previously a private chef, assistant to Top Chef judge Gail Simmons and food editor for Martha Stewart’s meal delivery business Marley Spoon, raised more than $30,000 on Kickstarter to commercialize the concept.
“We have this machine that is calibrated specifically for us… I like to describe it as like a noodle 3D printer in how it extrudes the dough,” she said.
“Snack vs. Chef,” which debuted in 2022, challenges a group of culinary professionals to recreate Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Pringles, Oreo and more, then invent new takes inspired by the iconic brands. During the final episode, two finalists were tasked with creating “the ultimate snack of the future” in four hours. Bodden is seen roasting bacon, red onion and tomatoes to make a sauce-based seasoning for crispy cavatappi noodles.
She won the $50,000 prize, and the panel of judges described her concoction as portable comfort food.
“I am still very friendly with the show creators and all of the producers, and by no means did any of them think that the winner would go on and make something of it,” she said.
S’NOODS is rolling out to Foxtrot, Pop Up Grocer and New York specialty food stores priced at $6.99 per 3 oz. bag. Bodden noted these “trendier” retail partners are especially supportive of early-stage brands and more forgiving of possible hiccups.
Longer term, she sees the brand merchandised in the deli section of supermarkets, noting the snacks can be used as crunchy toppings on salads or other dishes. Bodden believes S’NOODS can also play outside of retail and is eyeing foodservice, college dining programs, festivals and airline partnerships.
Following the taping of the show, Bodden said recipes for air-fryer pasta chips began trending on TikTok, amassing hundreds of millions of views. While S’NOODS is not the only snackable pasta brand on the market, she noted “how we make our seasonings … is our trade secret.”
“We learned a lot on the show in terms of how to make seasonings from scratch,” she said. “Not just dehydrating a tomato and making a powder from it, but making these more in-depth flavors.”
