She started a business that became a colossal success, followed by another venture in which competition was stiff, so it’s fitting she named her latest endeavor BeBOLD. “Change requires being bold,” says Stacy Madison, a name you may recall because she’s the woman behind Stacy’s Pita Chips, which she launched with her then-husband Mark Andrus nearly 25 years ago. Their brand was born out of a food cart at Boston’s Downtown Crossing in 1996 that sold pita sandwiches. PepsiCo bought the pita chip business in 2006. Eight years later, Madison opened Stacy’s Juice Bar in Needham with a partner conveniently named Stacy, Stacy Kennedy. The juice bar closed during the pandemic, but Madison’s latest business, BeBOLD Energy Bar, developed from the popular snack bars she whipped up there. “Like the pita chips, we created the bars to have a balance of flavor, taste, and health, but taste is first,” says Madison. Blended with nut butter, the ample-sized rectangles are deliciously chewy and moist and don’t crumble. They are dairy and gluten free and have 6 grams of protein. There are four kinds: Cashew Sea Salt Cashew Butter, Macadamia Nut Almond Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip Almond Butter. Their dense texture comes from rolled oats and chia seeds; wildflower honey and maple syrup boost the sweetness. You can add the bars to smoothies, or yogurt, or crumble them onto sliced apples and bake. The website has nearly two dozen recipes. Since they’re made with fresh ingredients, you find them in stores’ refrigerator cases (about $3.50 each). Available at Stop & Shop and Wegmans locations, or at beboldbars.com.
ANN TRIEGER KURLAND