Marcia Bunda is a wandering soul. She grew up in the Southwest, spent eight years in the Midwest and then moved on up to NYC where she's remained for the last three. Hopefully, this will be her last stop. 'Cause we'd all be a little worse off without her incredible Kitchen 125 concotions. Selfish? Yes. But if you're judging us, then you obviously haven't tasted one of her meal-changing dips, salsas or sauces, which she'll hand deliver right to your door. And if you're craving something she hasn't quite come up with yet, she'll work with you to develop it. And then hand deliver it right to your door. See? Now, isn't Marcia a sweetheart? We thought so, too. So, we snatched up a few minutes of her time to get the skinny on what makes her vegan and organic dips so gosh-darn popular:

SCOUT: How did Kitchen 125 come about?
MARCIA: I’ve always wanted to have a food business, but I was scared to take the leap. When I entered [Nachos NY's] Guactacular, my husband made me promise that if I won, I would start my own food business. Very much to my surprise, I won the People’s Choice Award, as well as 3rd Place from the judges, and spent the next three months playing around with business ideas and products. In August, I quit my job to pursue this full time.

SCOUT: That's quite a leap. How do you come up with all your blends?
MARCIA: I grew up in Colorado, but since 1999 I have lived in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and NYC. I have been the expert on truly good Southwestern guacamole since my days in St. Louis (I wasn’t allowed in the front door of parties without it). I was bringing the guac everywhere, so I developed more salsas to accompany it.

SCOUT: Like what kinds of salsas?
MARCIA: The classic Pico de Gallo I prepare came from this era. Then, my Corn Salsa with roasted poblano peppers was developed in response to my friend's absolute obsession with corn salsa. Acknowledging my love for the classic dried french onion soup and sour cream mix, I developed my own best-seller: Caramelized Onion Dip made with goat cheese.

SCOUT: Wow. Those all sound amazing. Now, you'll customize dips for customers, too...
MARCIA: While I do have a set list of items I like to make, I am willing to make anything that my customers would like. Often, this starts with the customers looking at the list of dips I make for my Everything-But-the-Beer boxes (dips with accompanying store-bought dippers); the name [of one of my dips] makes them think of a dip they have previously had or would like to have. From that idea, we make something special. [Sometimes customers] come to me directly with an idea via email. I’m adventurous—anything that is possible, I’m willing to make.

SCOUT: Awesome. So, what’s a day in the life of a dip-making fiend like?
MARCIA: I spend several hours a day talking to customers online, dealing with orders and doing general accounting. I go to multiple grocery stores every day, from Trader Joe’s to local grocers to the Union Square Greenmarket, trying to find the freshest products for the lowest prices. My early evening and late afternoon is devoted to deliveries, as all my products are hand-delivered by me to any subway- or PATH-accessible location.

SCOUT: Has living in NY had any bearing on the blends you come up with?
MARCIA: I feel that customers here care more about both health and flavor profiles than most people. For example, my guacamole has roasted garlic, cumin, sweet onion, red bell pepper and as much spice as the customer wants. This results in a highly flavorful guac that wouldn’t be as easily received in my native Colorado. All of my salsas are vegan, which, while I wouldn’t change that in other areas, I also wouldn’t mention it. But people care about that here. And I use organic whenever possible; organic products are easy and affordable in NY. Also, living here, I feel compelled to stretch my culinary brain and come up with new and unique things.

SCOUT: Where in NY do you go when you want to escape from concoction-making?
MARCIA: I’m obsessed with Washington Square Park. Not only does my puppy love it, but I love how it’s both bustling with activity and quiet at all hours of the day. And the street cart selling Indian Dosas is one of my favorites.

SCOUT: How about when you have out-of-town friends visiting who’ve never seen the city—where do you take them?
MARCIA: I always make out-of-town guests both walk and take the subway. You can’t see the real NY from a cab! Walking down the street, you'll see a Korean bodega next to a four star French restaurant, when just three blocks away you’re surrounded by Latin American stores or an enclave of Indian restaurants. I’m excited to show off the diversity and the good food.

SCOUT: So true. But back to you: What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
MARCIA: I’m incredibly clumsy. I’m more likely to walk into a table than around it. Even a table that’s been in the same place in my house for two years.

SCOUT: Describe New York in three words.
MARCIA: Unique exciting chaos!

SCOUT: Finally, a shameless plug for Kitchen 125 and what you have going on right now:
MARCIA: Everyone who’s throwing a New Year's Eve party: Wouldn’t it be more fun to just pick up Champangne and have me do the rest?