Drew Stevens 🤠

Drew is the founder of Margin, a contemporary care brand creating performance products for your face and body. When he’s not shipping your orders (he’s personally touched over 30,000 of them), he’s an amateur (in all aspects, his words) athlete, cook, and reader. He currently lives in Toronto with his standard poodle Naomi. Drew is the best - you’ll see…

What is your fridge philosophy? 

90% flexible staples + 10% fun stuff.

This is the first time I’ve ever thought hard about it, but I’m realizing now that I essentially follow that same model across my fridge, my wardrobe, and my vanity. Basically if it has doors, I’m filling it with classics that work well in multiple contexts (like a great white tee or a refreshing white Monster) with some unexpected indulgences or of-the-moment items peppered in that make me… ME.

As a recovering snacker-but-then-I-eat-a-full-meal-after person, having a fridge stocked with the flexible building blocks of a meal also helps keep me on the rails when I’m hungry. The days of standing in front of the fridge snacking before I figure out dinner are mostly behind me.

Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.

A bunch of greens that span cuisines. I grew up in a family that believed in “you must eat something green with every meal,” and it stuck with me… almost to a fault. Whether I’m craving pasta, pizza, pad thai, or just a protein-forward smoothie, I keep greens in the fridge that’ll check that mental box. You’ll never find me without broccoli, rapini, green onions, kale, arugula, spinach, bok choy, and my newest discovery: yu choy.

Outside of the boring green bits, I’m lucky that I live in a walkable area of Toronto with a ton of great butchers and small markets, so you’ll also always find 24 fresh eggs (I eat 4/morning), a rotating cast of seasonal produce and a butcher papered-package of fresh protein. All spring I’ve been loving boneless skin-on chicken thighs, but now that barbecue season has arrived, I’m looking forward to a lot of grilled fish.

You’ll also find a BUNCH of beverages. My hottest fridge take is probably that White Monster Energy Sugar Free is the chicest and best tasting energy drink. I don’t understand why anyone drinks Celsius when White Monster exists. Same caffeine content, double the liquid, triple the fun. I also love coconut water post workouts, a can of sparkling water in the afternoon while I work, and Dr. Pepper for when I just need to feel something (admittedly a recent re-inspiration while watching Land Man).

Top 5 condiment picks, go.

1. Toum - A Lebanese garlic sauce my girlfriend introduced me to, and sources for me. Not all Toum is created equal, and having a good local spot to get it is heavily gatekept info.

2. Tamari - I’m a Celiac (took me 350+ words to bring it up… that’s what I call GROWTH), so a good Tamari is a staple for cooking, and so important given I live around the corner from an incredible sushi supplier.

3. Adam’s Dark Roast Crunchy Peanut Butter - To me this is both a condiment and a life force. Definitely a desert island staple.

4. Sriracha - I grew up a ketchup kid, but have matured into a Sriracha person because it feels much more universal when I think about what I eat day to day. But make no mistake, anything that ketchup primarily belongs on is getting Heinz’d.

5. Kewpie Mayo - I know, second white sauce on the list. But who can blame me?

Fine, I’ll open it up to pantry too. Let’s hear your favorite snacks / pantry staples: 

In order of most consumed to (thankfully) least consumed:

• Sushi rice

• Gluten free bread

• Rice cakes

• Mary’s Gone Black Pepper Crackers

• Covered Bridge Dill Pickle Potato Chips (capped at 1 bag per month)

• Tate’s Gluten Free Ginger Cookies (capped at 1 bag per month)

A meal that’s on heavy rotation these days:

Once every 2-3 weeks I get this insatiable craving for pasta. Don’t know why, don’t care to know why either. I just act on it.

You know that local place that always has the same thing on “special”? That’s me with the pasta I make — it’s the same one 99% of the time — a take on Orecchiette con Salsiccia e Cime di Rapa (pasta with hot sausage & rapini). Since I’m *~gluten free~* I swap out the Orecchiette for 100% brown rice fusilli (I have tried all the g-free varieties, and 100% rice is the best), and typically use a hot chicken or turkey sausage that I crumble in with rapini, shallots, green peas, and spinach. It makes me happy and somehow I never get bored of it.

Let’s go a little deeper… 

What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?

It changes day to day but it’s some version of “I’m lucky to be doing this” or “this is fun.” No matter how stressed I get, these little reminders are the perfect reset & reframing exercise for me, and I find the impact is immediate.

Related, I recently stumbled across this Cormac McCarthy quote, which again is a fun “reframer” for the mind: You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.

What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits? 

From a practice perspective:

• I log 60 minutes of intense exercise every weekday morning before I’ve done anything else, and do two long workouts on the weekend. The weekday sessions keep my mind clear, my attitude positive, and my stress managed. The weekend sessions let my mind wander and give me the chance to get into a prolonged “smooth brain state” which recharges me mentally.

• I aim for 7+ hours of sleep per night, I find it makes a huge difference in my creativity and general outlook.

• I speak with one close friend on the phone everyday, even if only for a few minutes. As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed how good an active (and deepening) friendship makes me feel. I like being part of a tribe.

From a product perspective, there’s really only one regular contributor to my mental wellness… my 1.5 year old Standard Poodle, Naomi. She’s my sidekick, office mate, warehouse manager, etc. and has this incredible ability to melt away any stress with a 30 second tug of war or pat on the head. Obviously its a significant amount of responsibility, but its the best-least-rational decision I’ve ever made.

And your physical?

• I’ve told you I’m gluten free, now it’s time to tell you I do CROSSFIT. I picked it up in the early 2010s when I cared less about safety & mobility and more about PRs and naturally injured myself, leading to a lost decade in the gym trying to find a program I liked. I picked it back up again in 2024 with an “old man” approach to longevity and my body immediately reacted positively. I’m now leaner and stronger than I’ve ever been, and am looking forward to competing throughout the summer.

• On active recovery or endurance days, I love to squeeze into some lycra and get on my road bike for 80-120km of smooth brained saddle time.

• Finally, like everyone else, I also dusted off the tennis racquet during COVID, and try and get out 1-2 times a week for some friendly competition with some buddies.

• Outside of exercise you can find me, and Margin’s product line, at Formula Fig. I get there monthly for a little face tune up - the time in chair is just long enough for me to not get antsy, and I love how I look after.

What do you think is the most underrated part of wellness? 

• Number one and its not even close close - a daily psyllium husk fibre supplement. Take it however is most convenient to you, but I find best bang for your buck is the powdered drink mix (ideally sugar free or unflavoured). Great for heart health and *~regularity~*.

• Healthy Competition - I’m not saying you shouldn’t do things for you at your own pace, but we all perform a little bit better when there’s someone pushing us or there’s something small on the line, and the benefits of that extra performance compounds over time. You don’t even need to tell the person you’re competing with - some of my greatest efforts have been “competed” in my own head. Push yourself a little bit harder and watch the benefits stack.

• Close Shaving - Millennials & Gen Z’ers have lost touch with their razors and it doesn’t make sense. Shaving makes you look younger, it physically exfoliates, and it can stimulate collagen production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. You have the rest your life to look older, why start now?

And overrated?

“Better For You” Treats. Protein-enhanced chocolate bars, reduced sugar gummies, cans of pop with supplements in them, etc… they’re all marginal improvements on the original treat, marketed as if they’re a beneficial supplement to your diet, lulling the average consumer into this false sense of satisfaction that they did something for themselves by consuming the item. But a protein cookie is still a cookie. If you want a treat, have one, but why not just have the thing you REALLY want? Neither are particularly good for you anyways.

Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move: 

I am sure there’s a “right answer” to this question involving drinking water, waiting 30 minutes before caffeine, etc. But the reality is I am dragging myself out of bed, making a double espresso, downing a liter of water (in that order) and heading straight to the gym with something loud and fast in my AirPods.

Give us your ride or die wellness products:

• Our new DHK Defence Serum makes you look like you slept way better than you actually did, even after the first use. I know I’m not supposed to have a favourite child but if I could only keep one Margin product, it’d be this serum - there’s a ton of novel biotech packed into the bottle and you aren’t going to get the clinical results we’ve seen from anything else. I use it morning and night, but if you’re only going to use it once a day, do AM.

• Vitamin D - this was my hardest winter ever. I can’t even explain why - I’ve been through colder ones, and probably been through longer ones, but I really felt this one. I started taking vitamin D religiously halfway through, keeping a bottle at my desk and of course a bottle at home. Total game changer – the difference in my will to live after taking a few little gel caps shocked me

  

• Magnesium & a Foam Roller - I’m pretty hard on myself physically, but have found the combination of a magnesium supplement every night, along with some light foam rolling wherever I’m tight noticeably improves my recovery and lets me do more of what I want to do. I’m no saint – this isn’t some lengthy proactive stretching session, but while I’m reading or watching something I’ll get down on the floor and get it in before bed and I’m better for it in the morning.

• An unscented, glycerin-heavy gel face cleanser. I’m partial to our Essential Cleanser (it’s our best selling product), but I’m writing this to promote gentle cleansing. Barrier maintenance begins with the cleanser you choose, and a gentle gel option loaded with humectants like glycerin is going to get the job done without ravaging your skin. Why unscented? It’s a wash off product - the scent is doing nothing for you! Save scent for your body wash or better yet, just spritz your favourite perfume.

One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself: 

Every day since 2013 (and I mean every day, no matter where I am), I make my morning “gloop’ before I go to the gym or start my day. It’s a full Nalgene bottle of water, plus 2 tbsp of psyllium, 12g of creatine, 1tsp of BCAAs, and about 6 tbsp of unflavoured whey isolate protein powder. Once I’ve choked that down, I refill the Nalgene with water (so I get any powder that didn’t dissolve), and chug that with any pill based supplements I’m taking (typically vitamin D + a few others). It starts my day off with a lot of water and a bunch of goodness, and a decade + into doing it, I can’t stop now.

Whose taste inspires you?! 

I had to really think about this. I’m a sponge, constantly trying to absorb the world around me (much to the chagrin of friends & loved ones who are out with me), so individuals don’t really come to mind, but as a class of person, I’d say I’m most inspired by friends who are obsessively & doggedly interested/passionate about something. Whether it’s fashion, technology, furniture, art, stocks, food, or fitness, I find I’m inspired most by people who are focused - maybe because I find it hard to do it myself ha.

Big, big thank you to Drew for sharing this taste of his (pretty awesome, might I add) life with us. If you weren’t already familiar with him and his skincare line, Margin, check out their site and follow them on Instagram. Drew’s fridge favorites and more are here.

Feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. Don’t be shy, I love hearing from you.

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