A Personal Note: The Future of Maison XO

Dear Friends,

Before Maison XO had a name, it existed as a simple idea: 

Giving as a means of connection.

Ten years ago, fresh out of college and scattered across the Bay Area, I desperately wanted to keep my friends close. I’d always loved cooking, and I dreamed of making something special—yet scalable—for each of them. Enter XO sauce, a warming, umami-rich condiment deeply tied to my Hong Kong heritage.

XO sauce holds a special place in Hong Kong culture, symbolizing celebration, abundance, and warmth. At my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, servers discreetly slip dishes of XO sauce to VIP guests, subtly elevating the meal with that extra chef’s kiss. I wanted to capture that magic—the power to enhance flavors and bring joy. So, I crafted my first batches in my parents’ kitchen, carefully jarred them, and personally delivered them across the city, using the sauce as a heartfelt excuse to reconnect.

Something surprising quickly became clear: I enjoyed giving away these jars as much as my friends enjoyed receiving them. Generosity, I discovered, holds remarkable hidden power—call it karma, goodwill, or alpha—it felt extraordinary. XO sauce became my form of self-expression, a tangible reminder of who I was at my core. My deeper hope was always that these acts of giving might inspire others not only to enjoy my creation, but also to discover their own unique creativity—their personal “sauce”—and to share it generously with others.

In a twist of fate, this humble sauce project opened doors for me, becoming an integral part of my journey to Harvard Business School. At Harvard, classmates affectionately knew me as “The Sauce Guy,” and the foundations of Maison XO began to solidify. The sauce became more than a gift—it was now a symbol of creativity, generosity, and connection.

Fast forward to early 2024: I had just left a spiritually exhausting job, desperate for clarity, purpose, and inspiration. Launching Maison XO felt like the perfect next step. I had the privilege of collaborating with the talented artist Kai Wen Lee to craft our brand ethos, partnering with honest, hardworking food producers in America’s heartland, and diving headfirst into e-commerce, logistics, and building with AI. The journey was thrilling, enlightening, and deeply humbling.

Yet dreams inevitably collide with reality. As I leaped wholeheartedly into entrepreneurship, hoping faith alone would carry me, I quickly learned how harsh—and bitter—the ground can feel when I stumbled.

For several months, Maison XO grew quiet. I felt stuck and frustrated. Entrepreneurship can be incredibly isolating, and the endless decisions overwhelming. It was a dark period—until my mother gently reminded me: “Follow the light.” Slowly, I loosened my grip on rigid identities like “Ryan XO,” “the sauce entrepreneur,” or “the savior of flavor.” Instead, I turned inward, began practicing simple daily rituals, reconnecting with my source (and sauce!), and gradually rebuilt my spirit from the ground up.

Today, I’m genuinely excited to share that I’m beginning a new professional chapter — one aligned with my original passion for connection, shared experiences, and the joy of feeding others. It feels like I’ve found my tribe—a group of people filled with optimism, determination, and a profound appreciation for the personal and economic power of connection.

Maison XO isn’t going away, but it is evolving into something new. Its essence—connection, generosity, creativity—remains unchanged. In the spirit of generosity that sparked this journey, I’m releasing the last batch of our 2024 vintage Vegan XO Sauce through a special Pay-as-You-Like initiative. Please feel free to send a set to someone you care about—or better yet, create something special yourself and share it freely.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the sauce—in our jars and within each of us.

Warmly,

Ryan
Founder & CEO