The Microwave's Return: Steph Chen, Founder of Anyday

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

Our guest this week for Second Life is betting big on the microwave. 

Steph Chen is the founder of Anyday, a modern cookware brand making dishes just for cooking in the microwave. Anyday dishes are geared toward teaching home chefs that they can blanch, toast, simmer, cook full meals in the microwave. 

 Chen has founded a brand that helps home cooks make efficient, more sophisticated, and more nutritious meals at the mere press of a button while using 100% plastic-free cookware. Through Anyday, Chen’s goal is to make at-home cooking less stressful in order to free time for the moments in life that truly matter. 

Since its launch in 2021, the brand has garnered the attention of culinary notables like Momofuku founder David Chang, has expanded into international markets including Canada and Australia, and has launched new, innovative products. And, Anyday is just getting started with exciting retail partnerships, new product lines, and limited editions on the horizon. Yet, before Chen was dominating the at-home cooking scene, she actually began her career holding positions at the iconic Saveur magazine and even assisted Alice Waters’ at the legendary Chez Panisse. She then went on to join the plant-based company, Eat Just, where she played an integral role as Chief of Staff for five years.

Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear the story behind how Chen became inspired to start Anyday, and how she plans to continue evolving microwave cooking.

Next: How Author and Entrepreneur Kimberly Snyder Empowers Through Holistic Wellness.