I grew up in a household where junk food was strictly off-limits. My mother, well ahead of her time, kept a carefully curated pantry full of relatively “healthy” snack options. Going to friends’ houses I’d marvel at the sugar-fueled shelves full of Little Debbie snacks, chips that unerringly left a light dusty residue on your fingers, and many more verboten options. Even when my mom might budge on her principles, frozen snacks like pizza bites were out of the question. So it wasn’t until well into my adolescent years that I managed to get a taste of those cheesy, piping hot treats like Totino’s or Hot Pockets. And, frankly, I never developed a taste for them.
Fast forward several years and I’m joyfully chowing down on Snow Days’ delicious pizza bites, which are available in a variety of flavors. Not only do they manage to capture the allure of those junk food frozen snacks from my childhood, they happen to be gluten-free and made from organic ingredients! Mom would be proud.
Snow Days manages to find that balance between indulgent and health-conscious while tapping into the nostalgia (whether real or imagined) of the frozen pizza bites of our childhood.
I sat down with Brian Evangelista, Snow Days’ General Manager, to chat about how the brand has managed to strike that balance and why it’s kind of a no-brainer that high-quality, organic ingredients would make such a great tasting product.
Snow Days: A Nostalgic Snack with High-End Ingredients
Snow Days launched in March of 2021 and has been developing its products and audience ever since. In the past year and a half, the brand has earned a significant and passionate online consumer base and expanded its distribution footprint to reach over 2000 retail stores. While the flavors have changed and the brand has evolved, the mission has been clear since day one. Snow Days makes a natural, healthier frozen treat reminiscent of the pizza bites of childhood.
The culinary world has almost universally prioritized organic ingredients with “better-for-you” products popping up across a variety of packaged food, beverages, and more. But the frozen aisle has lagged behind. Sure, we’ve seen alternative and healthier options in the ice cream section but there hasn’t been as much movement in the frozen snacks/appetizers category. So, Snow Days seized the opportunity.
The desire to launch Snow Days wasn’t only borne out of trend-spotting – it also tapped into founder Jason H. Karp’s personal health journey. Karp was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases and decided to pursue a healthier, more conscious lifestyle. Karp launched HumanCo, a family of packaged food brands that use organic ingredients without sacrificing taste and fun. As Karp’s latest brand, Snow Days fits squarely into that mold by recreating a frozen treat he enjoyed in his childhood with the mindfulness and health-consciousness that fuels his present life.
“I spent some time at big food [companies] and once you get behind that curtain, you kind of understand how these big public companies work and how we created this food system, especially in the last 50 years,” shares Brian Evangelista, Snow Days’ General Manager. “But, being part of HumanCo and, more specifically, Snow Days, is a great example of unwinding that and making positive contributions to the food system and getting great food in people's houses.”
Snow Days captures that feeling of childhood junk food but the product itself couldn’t be further from those pizza bites of your youth. All of Snow Days’ offerings are made from organic veggies and/or grass-fed, free range beef, pork, and chicken. They’re also gluten-free and do not contain any preservatives or artificial flavors. The current lineup includes Cheese, Veggie White, and Sausage with limited edition flavors like Buffalo Chicken and Tex-Mex Chicken. Plus, if you’re interested in sampling a bunch, you can get the Variety Pack ($70).
“I think Snow Days is a testament to if you're using great organic ingredients, people are like, How does it taste so amazing? I'm like, well, yeah, I mean, it's real food,” Evangelista says with a laugh. “That's what organic ingredients bring forward, it's a very culinary forward product. Even though we don't spend a lot of time talking about that. We let the taste do the talking.”
Snow Days’ Pizza Bites Taste Better Than You Remember
I alluded to it earlier, but I don’t actually have that authentic nostalgia for frozen pizza bites. So it’s fairly impressive that Snow Days is still able to stir up those reminiscences of youthful junk food anyway.
The playful branding and tone of Snow Days establishes that feeling of being a kid and enjoying a frozen snack. But, the product itself is a significant upgrade.
“We designed Snow Days for the kid inside,” Evangelista explains. “It's almost like 10 out of 10 people when you're like, Do you like pizza bites? People are like: Yes. But, do you eat 'em now? No. Bringing back or reintroducing pizza bites into consumer lives is actually just a total pleasure, super fun. If you have a great tasting product and you get in people's hands, good things happen.”
The Best Ways to Enjoy Snow Days
The beauty of a product like Snow Days is that it’s meant to be indulged. Have some pizza bites to cure your hangover. Have some Snow Days after smoking some Dad Grass. Embrace the junk food mentality but with an organic, healthier product. And, more importantly, embrace the fun of Snow Days.
I sampled my way through the Variety Pack as well as the newly released Tex-Mex Chicken. Although Snow Days recommends popping them in the air fryer, baking them in the oven works just fine. For an even more indulgent experience, pair Snow Days with some dipping sauces. You can make your own at home but Evangelista explained that Snow Days teamed up with Chicago tomato sauce brand Carbone and found that the pizza rolls and sauce go perfectly together, particularly the core lineup of Cheese, White Veggie, and Sausage.
Either way, simply pop them in the oven at around 425° for 8 to 10 minutes and then start checking on them to make sure they’re properly crispy. As tempting as they are, I recommend letting them cool for a minute or two. Before you know it, a whole bag will be gone.
5 More Reasons to Love Snow Days
- While Snow Days has a robust online store, you can also add them to your weekly grocery list if you’d prefer to shop IRL. Click here to see if they’re available in your area.
- Looking to save on your next Snow Days order? The brand has a referral program where you and a friend can save 20% on any order.
- Snow Days regularly tests new flavors and products - the brand recently released a limited Tex-Mex Chicken variety! So follow along on social media to stay up to date on the latest offerings.
- All of Snow Days products are certified gluten-free and, as mentioned, contain all-natural, organic ingredients.
- If you’re looking to save on all future Snow Days orders, you can subscribe to receive regular shipments at a 10% discount.
