Tublin started testing his meals at farmers’ markets. He later joined forces with Jeff Nobbs, now CEO of Zero Acre Farms, who at the time had a meal-delivery company for customers on restrictive diets, to found Kitava. Nobbs remains a strategic partner and Tublin serves as CEO.

The brand’s philosophy is based on the Kitava study, Tublin said, which was conducted by a dermatologist in the Pacific islands off Papua New Guinea.

“What he found was that not only did they not have signs of acne or skin disorders, which was his purview as a dermatologist, but he also noticed that they didn't suffer from chronic illnesses and diseases like we do in the West,” Tublin said.

Tublin said the company has streamlined the menu a bit as it expands to other regions, targeting about 80% of the Bay Area menu.

“We're being careful about what we roll out,” he said, “because we really want to have the quality there first. We're starting with the best-sellers. We're starting with the proteins that are most appealing to folks.”