Meet LJ and Natasha | Owners of Piper & Buster’s Kitchen

We had the good fortune of connecting with LJ and Natasha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LJ and Natasha, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
First and foremost our thought process behind starting our own fresh dog food business was based on our own dogs’ experiences with commercialized dog food. As dog mamas, we always want our dogs to have the best possible health and that starts with proper nutrition. One half of Piper and Buster’s Kitchen is the best boy Buster. He struggled with allergies due to certain foods he was eating. Switching to a fresh food diet allowed us to manage his allergies and know exactly what he was consuming. Once we were able to monitor his food intake his allergies were almost nonexistent. The other half of Piper and Buster’s Kitchen is the good girl Piper. She is a senior pup but you wouldn’t believe it with your own eyes. She is a retired service dog and was diagnosed with heart disease in 2021. Feeding fresh has allowed us to monitor her sodium intake and she has had vast improvement over the last couple of years. Even at 11 years old she can hang with young pups. She has been asymptomatic and thriving since being on fresh dog food and veterinary supervision. From two dog moms to other dog guardians we want to provide real dog food options that are easily accessible!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
LJ Thornsburry has been in the pet industry since 2009. She has always been dedicated to helping dog parents like you understand health, wellness & nutrition. As a Certified Pet Nutrition Specialist through the DNMU program & a Fear Free Certified Professional Groomer she has a vast amount of knowledge in the pet care space. Piper & Buster’s Kitchen is a project that she is beyond proud of. Knowing that home cooking for one’s pets can be a rather difficult process she knows that providing a service that has complete & balanced meals is needed in the Phoenix Metro area.

Natasha Vidrine adopted Buster, her first dog, in April 2020. Since then she has been learning about pet nutrition and wanting to spread the news to other pet parents. She currently works in pet friendly apartment communities and loves discussing different options with all the pet parents. Piper & Buster’s Kitchen is near and dear to her heart as it wasn’t until she started Buster on fresh dog food that his allergies were reduced and made him a thriving 4ish year old pup. She is so thankful to be on this adventure with LJ, Piper and Buster and to bring all the fresh dog food to dog parents all over the valley.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A day with Natasha & LJ would be filled with dog friendly adventures. First we would stop by Dutch Bros to for coffee & the best pup cups in town. Then head out to SoxyDog in Rio Verde for the dogs to swim to their heart is content! Such a great way to exercise the pups & stay cool at the same time in the Arizona heat. Follow up our swimming adventures with happy hour at OHSO because it so dog friendly. We would love for Piper & Buster’s Kitchen to end up on the dog friendly menu there someday.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to Dog Mom’s of Phoenix for introducing LJ & Natasha. Without this group they may have never crossed paths & found common interest in dog health & wellness.

Website: piperandbusterskitchen.com

Instagram: @piperandbusterskitchen

Facebook: Piper & Buster’s Kitchen

Image Credits
Image Credits: LJ Thornsburry & Natasha Vidrine