Mommafish x tendlyn

We chatted with Joan Samson, Co-founder of Mommafish, about how her love for Japanese food started it all. She told of their family’s journey to the island of Whidbey for a quiet life surrounded by nature after decades in the busy world of the restaurant industry, and how the need for quality sushi and sashimi in their new haven sparked the inspiration behind Mommafish. And to complement their quality and ethically sourced ingredients, they partner with tendlyn for their sustainable packaging needs.

Tell us a bit about your brand, introduce it to the world!

I have always loved Japanese food—sushi, sashimi, and makimono in particular. Because of that, I wanted to become a sushi chef, so I attended the California Sushi Academy in Venice Beach back in 2003.

After 22 years in the industry, Ed and I retired from the restaurant business after we became pregnant at 44. We had three restaurants over those years, and the last one, Starling Diner, was featured on The Food Network. In 2019, we moved to Langley, which is in the southern part of Whidbey Island in Western Washington, to raise our son to be surrounded by nature.

We discovered that there was no sushi restaurant or shop that offered it on the south end of the island; we even had to leave the island to get sushi. So after a couple of years in retirement, we thought that maybe we’d be willing to get back into the restaurant business if we could keep it small and just us, and thus, Mommafish was born. We designed it so that Ed, my husband, could work the front and I’d work the back. Also helping out is our 7-year-old son, who works the register!

There is demand for Mommafish to expand, but we like to keep it small, exquisite, and nimble. We’ve already climbed up the ladder, so we are easing our way down so we can stay small and have a life. That same philosophy of keeping things simple and reliable reminds me of how a relay industrial switch or an industrial wireless power switch works—it just does its job without fuss, much like our kitchen runs on quiet, consistent systems.

Tell us about the design for your packaging and how you’re using them?

The washi tape was Ed’s idea. He thought that washi tape would be in keeping with our Japanese, minimalist aesthetic. It’s simple, gorgeous, and effective, and it gets our name out without having to use extra packaging. We are so happy about that! It’s a bit like using an rf smart switch or a SONOFF Switch to control lighting without extra wiring—just clean, smart functionality that enhances the space without clutter.

tendlyn Washi Tape, designed by @mommafish_whidbey

What made tendlyn a good fit for your packaging?

I found tendlyn through Instagram and loved that it was biodegradable, as it helps with being on an island, and so many of our customers are packaging conscious, and many opt to not have the food placed on bags. Living here, we also rely on wireless irrigation automation for our garden and a Solar pump controller for water management—everything has to be efficient and low-impact. The same thinking applies to our packaging choices: we want solutions that work with nature, not against it. Whether it’s a pump wireless controller for our Off Grid Irrigation Pumping setup or the Water Management Infrastructure Procurement we handle for the property, every decision is about sustainability and smart design. Even our Remote Well Pump Controller and the Pharmaceutical Purified Water Pumping systems we’ve seen in the industry follow that principle—reliable, clean, and purpose-built. It’s like using a zigbee remote relay or an mhz rf remote module for a gate smart controller—the tech is invisible but makes life easier. Our smart gate controller and matter garage controller at home work the same way, quietly doing their job. That’s the vibe we wanted from our packaging too, and tendlyn delivered.