A celebrity chef launching a cat food is exactly the kind of thing that deserves suspicion. Bobby Flay’s face on a bag does not make the contents better.
So the interesting detail is the co-founder list. Alongside Flay and his cat Nacho sits Dr Katja Lang, Nacho’s own veterinarian, who acts as the brand’s veterinary consultant.
That does not automatically make the food good either. But it does mean somebody with relevant training was in the room, which is more than several boutique brands can say. Here is what is actually in it.
Can size changes the price more than the recipe does. The 5.5-ounce Chicken & Herring cans work out to about 45 cents an ounce on Chewy, while the 3-ounce Salmon & Sole cans are about 70 cents and the 3-ounce Cuts in Gravy pouches about 65 cents. If your cat finishes a big can within a day, buy the big cans.
The listings for the cans and pouches all say made in the USA. And if you only want to know whether your cat likes the bone broth idea, the 11-ounce Turkey Bone Broth carton is $6.99. It is a topper rather than a meal, and the cheapest way in.
Made by Nacho, by format and price
| Product | Format | Price | Per oz | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken & Herring Pate | 24 x 5.5-oz cans | $59.38 | $0.45 | Your cat finishes a big can within a day. The cheapest per ounce. |
| Cage Free Chicken Cuts in Gravy | 24 x 3-oz pouches | $47.12 | $0.65 | Your cat refuses pate and wants visible pieces. |
| Salmon & Sole Pate | 24 x 3-oz cans | $50.16 | $0.70 | You want a fish recipe for rotation. |
| Turkey Bone Broth | 11-oz carton | $6.99 | $0.64 | You want to test the brand for under $7. A topper, not a meal. |
What does bone broth actually do?
Bone broth appears in almost every Made by Nacho recipe, including the kibble, and it is the brand’s signature. It is worth separating what it genuinely does from what gets claimed for it generally.
What it does: adds moisture and palatability. Broth-based food carries more water, and cats are famously bad at drinking. It also smells strongly, which matters enormously for a cat who has gone off food or whose sense of smell is fading with age.
What is less established: bone broth is often credited with joint benefits through collagen and glucosamine. The amounts in a commercial recipe are modest, and evidence in cats specifically is thin. Treat joint claims as a possible bonus rather than a reason to buy.
So the honest version is that bone broth is a good ingredient for ordinary reasons rather than a functional wonder. Moisture and palatability are genuinely valuable in cat food, and that is enough. The Cornell Feline Health Center covers feline hydration and nutrition.
Does the celebrity name mean anything?
Not by itself, and it would be silly to pretend otherwise. Chef credentials have no bearing on feline nutrition, which is a veterinary discipline rather than a culinary one.
What does carry weight is that Dr Katja Lang, a practising veterinarian, co-founded the brand and consults on the recipes. That is a meaningful difference from a brand assembled by a marketing team around a famous face.
The formulation supports it. Recipes meet AAFCO profiles, by-products and fillers are genuinely absent rather than merely unmentioned, and the protein sources are named. Judged on the label alone and with the celebrity stripped out, it holds up against other premium brands. The AAFCO nutrient profiles are the standard worth checking any brand against.
The honest drawbacks
- Short track record. The brand launched in April 2021. That is not a criticism of the food, but a long clean recall history is a genuine quality signal and this brand simply has not existed long enough to have one.
- Premium pricing. You are paying premium rates for a newer brand without the manufacturing history of an established competitor.
- Some products are toppers. The bone broths and functional purees are complements rather than complete meals. Read the panel.
- Limited range. Fewer recipes than established premium brands, which matters if your cat is fussy or needs rotation.
Is Made by Nacho worth trying?
Buy it if you want a clean premium food with high moisture and you like the idea of bone broth built in rather than water added. The cheap bone broth topper is a genuinely low-risk way to find out whether your cat cares.
Skip it if you prefer a brand with a decade of recall-free history behind it, or if you need a wide recipe range for a fussy cat. Compare against our best wet cat food picks and the main cat food guide. If moisture is your goal, a fountain is the cheaper route to the same end.
This is a better food than the celebrity branding suggests, which is not something you can say about most famous-name pet products. Bone broth throughout, no by-products or fillers, named proteins, AAFCO formulated, and a real veterinarian involved in the recipes.
The reservations are about age rather than quality: a brand founded in 2021 has not had time to build the track record that justifies premium confidence. If you want to test it cheaply, the $6.99 Turkey Bone Broth carton is the sensible first purchase. Move to a case of the Chicken & Herring pate once your cat is keen. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice.
Made by Nacho questions
Q: Is Made by Nacho a good cat food?
Yes. Made by Nacho contains no by-products, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial additives, includes bone broth in almost every recipe for extra moisture, and is formulated to AAFCO standards. Its main limitation is a short track record, having launched in April 2021.
Q: Who makes Made by Nacho cat food?
Made by Nacho was co-founded by chef Bobby Flay, his cat Nacho, Stella Flay, and Dr Katja Lang, a practising veterinarian who serves as the brand’s veterinary consultant. It launched in April 2021.
Q: What does bone broth do in cat food?
Bone broth adds moisture and makes food more aromatic and palatable, which helps cats who drink too little or have lost interest in eating. Claims about joint support through collagen are less well established in cats, so treat those as a possible bonus.
Q: Is Made by Nacho complete and balanced?
Made by Nacho’s food recipes are formulated to AAFCO standards for growth or maintenance depending on the product. Some items in the range, including the bone broths and functional purees, are toppers rather than complete meals, so check each label.
Q: Has Made by Nacho been recalled?
There is no widely reported recall of Made by Nacho. The brand launched in April 2021, so it has a much shorter history than most competitors at this price. Check the FDA recall database for current status.
Q: Is Made by Nacho worth the price?
It is priced with other premium brands and the formulation justifies that on ingredients. Whether it beats an established premium brand with a longer clean record is a judgement call. The inexpensive bone broth topper is a low-risk way to test it first.
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