Liz Uy Knows Good Taste—Now She’s Feeding It to the Next Generation
From fashion to food, Liz Uy brings her signature curation to healthy snacking with mood food: clean, nourishing, and made for the next generation.
Liz Uy was not just part of the zeitgeist—she helped write it. First, as a celebrity stylist defining the silhouettes of the 2000s, then as the founder of StyLIZed Studio, and later as a fixture on the global fashion week circuit. When social media arrived, she adapted again, this time as one of the country’s original influencers. Now, she’s taking her legacy of influence beyond image.
Shaira Luna
She’s adding another title to her resumé: co-founder of the health-forward snack brand, Mood Food, alongside her tech businessman husband, Raymond Racaza. Uy’s journey from runways to the kitchen may seem unexpected, but to her, it’s part of the same instinct: curation. “It wasn’t a creative stretch. It felt like curating a timeless wardrobe,” she says. “With food, just like with fashion, I wanted something classic and pure, guided not by trends but by quality and intention.” Mood Food was born out of a very personal gap. “We couldn’t find anythingin the market that suited our needs,” Uy explains.
“We needed something wholesome, affordable, and accessible. Most of the products we would buy were imported, and that’s why we made it ourselves.”
“A lot of the time, what’s available isn’t even good for you. It’s just what’s there,” Uy continues, sharing that in Mood Food’s product development process, convenience was just as important as nutrition. “[That’s why] we made it into a [granola] bar so you can put it in your pocket,” she explains. “When you’re on the go, you just grab and go.”
Shaira Luna
Her starting point was the lived reality of a busy day, especially for working parents. “Sometimes when you’re at work and you can’t eat, this is a better alternative than eating crackers or other junk,” she says. It’s this perspective as a parent—sharp, deliberate, and deeply grounded in care—that became the foundation of the brand’s ethos. “Becoming a mother made me even more intentional about what I feed my kids,” she says.
“Mood Food Kids is our way of creating snacks that are both wholesome and exciting, while helping them build healthy habits from the start.” Uy’s sons, Xavi and Mati, were also the first and most honest product testers. “It all started in our home kitchen, which was a lot of fun,” she recalls, “but it took some time to get the taste and nutritional value right.”
In a market saturated with “healthy” granola bars loaded with sugar and fillers, Uy and her team set out to offer a transparent, nourishing alternative: “Our granola bars are made with only six ingredients—no refined sugar, no fillers. Just 100 percent whole grain oats, dates, honey, and real fruit.”
And in addition to curating the ingredient list, Uy also set out to strengthen Mood Food’s accessibility and taste. “It has to be yummy, nutritious, accessible and affordable. We priced our products very competitively, so that a broader market will be able to afford and enjoy it.”
Currently, there’s nothing in Mood Food’s lineup of snacks that’s priced above PHP 369. Access, after all, is where real wellness begins. Not in exclusivity, but in equity. And that’s where Mood Food diverges from the influencer wellness brands that populate our feeds: It isn’t selling aspiration. It’s building something far more important: habit, routine, and nourishment that works for Filipino families.
Shaira Luna
Mood Food, Uy hopes, is more than a brand, it’s a message. “Our goal is to enrich people’s lives, one bite at a time. We want to provide a better snack option, and hopefully, someday, it will be the top-of-mind snack option among consumers.”
Because she isn’t just rethinking what’s desirable, she’s challenging what’s been normalized. Liz Uy is redefining what’s possible when nutrition, access, and care become the baseline—not the exception.
Makeup and grooming: Emman Magpantay. Hair: JA Feliciano. Styling: Joy Bernardo and Jolo Bayoneta of StyLIZed Studio. Nail artist: Hey Poly Nail Studio. Clothing: Max Mara Beige Armida Top. Rajo Laurel Barong Top. Max Mara Aeroso1234 Skirt Jersey Skirt. Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti® Small Bone Cuff In 18k Gold, 43mm Wide, Elsa Peretti® Small Bone Cuff In Sterling Silver, 43 Mm Wide, And Elsa Peretti® High Tide Earrings In Sterling Silver, Small.
