Chimene Mayne-Ross is the CEO of Killer Brownie, a gourmet brownie brand born out of Dorothy Lane Market, the legendary Dayton, Ohio specialty grocer her father built, that has grown over 500% since 2019 and is now coast to coast in Target, Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and more. But Chimene didn't come into the business straight from the family table. She spent 25 years as a nurse first, building the people skills, the regulatory knowledge, and the leadership foundation that would make her the right person to take Killer Brownie national.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chimene for a conversation that is warm, wise, and full of the kind of generational founder insights you rarely hear in one place. From a childhood of carob instead of chocolate (her mom was a health nut ahead of her time) and Oreos snuck by her dad (who always said "sometimes you gotta live a little"), to writing a proposal for her dad at 45 years old, hiring her husband as COO, growing from 300 Instagram followers to 135,000, going through two rebrands, and landing a partnership with Irresistible Foods Group, the family behind Kings Hawaiian, that has accelerated growth without ever touching the product.

This is a story about slow, steady, intentional growth. About knowing who you are and refusing to be diluted by trends. About the tagline that made Chimene cry because it was her dad's phrase all along. And about what it really means to be a third generation founder who takes something beloved and makes it her own.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up with a health nut mom who served liver and onions as an afterschool snack and a dad who snuck them Oreos
• The family legacy: Dorothy Lane Market, Dayton's beloved specialty grocer since the 1940s
• Why she chose nursing over the family business at 22 and what 25 years taught her
• Joining Killer Brownie in 2013 and writing a proposal to her dad for the chance to grow it
• What makes the original Killer Brownie so special: caramel, layers, and a gooey texture unlike anything else
• Current flavors: cookie dough, caramel macchiato, Mexican hot chocolate, the Brookie, the Kitchen Sink
• Growing 500%+ since 2019 and the three hires that made it possible
• The rebrand journey: two rebrands, and how the latest finally felt like coming home
• The "Live a Little" tagline that made Chimene cry because it was her dad's phrase all along
• Why she's unapologetically a dessert brand in a world of protein bars and fiber snacks
• Quietly cleaning up the ingredient list since 2013 without ever making it the brand message
• The Irresistible Foods Group acquisition and why the Kings Hawaiian family was the right partner
• Why "distraction leads to dilution" is her north star
• Taking Killer Brownie to Antarctica and feeding the expedition team
• Reading 20 books a year and why lifelong learning is her most important leadership tool
• Her goal: advising female founders and third generation family business owners
• Advice for founders: start with your purpose, know your why, and be prepared to work



Find Killer Brownie:

• Website: www.killerbrownie.com (with store locator and direct to consumer ordering)
• Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @killerbrownie
• Available at Target, Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Mariano's, and select retailers coast to coast

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Joe Sasto is the founder of Tantos pasta chips, co-founder of Ripi Foods frozen pasta, author of “Breaking The Rules,” and a familiar face across Food Network, Top Chef, and Netflix competitions. But what makes Joe's story genuinely compelling isn't the resume: it's the mustache, the energy, the happy accident that turned a forgotten tray of dried pasta in a Beverly Hills walk-in into a snack brand heading to Targets nationwide.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Joe for a conversation that covers the full arc, from growing up in the Midwest with a mom who served pasta with sauce on top (never married into the noodle), to landing on the pasta station at Quince because a cook was "unwillfully ejected,” to the moment he realized that cooking competitions aren't about ego, they're a sport. From building Tantos out of an accidental kitchen discovery, to getting Ripi Foods into Whole Foods nationwide with an exclusive Cacio e Pepe flavor, to teasing a potential pizza restaurant in New York, Joe is always moving, always building, always with a sauce splatter video ready to go on Instagram.

This episode is packed with genuinely useful CPG insights, including a helpful retail tip about exclusives that could change how you approach your next buyer meeting. And plenty of pasta puns. Because that's just who Joe is.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up hating pasta and how he ended up on the pasta station at Quince
• California farming, Lazy Bear, and why he still thinks California has the world's best produce
• How Top Chef changed everything and why he'd never go back (but also maybe would)
• The evolution from ego-driven competition cooking to approaching it like a sport
• The happy accident: finding dried-out pasta in a Beverly Hills walk-in and inventing Tantos
• Meeting co-founder Sean through Instagram DMs and building the brand together
• Breaking The Rules: years of cookbook doubt, writing it anyway, and the black garlic Caesar that everyone makes
• Ripi Foods: fresh frozen pasta, Whole Foods nationwide, and an exclusive Target launch
• The retail exclusives tip: why pitching exclusive SKUs to big box retailers gets you in the door
• Dream collaborations: Matty Matheson for Ripi, and the search for the perfect "pasta chip girl"
• Why surrounding yourself with smart, powerful women is the key to everything
• Treadmill running, cop dramas, and THC beverages as the perfect wind-down combo
• What he's most proud of: the headspace shift and the people around him now
• A potential pizza restaurant in New York City, details coming soon
• Advice for founders: find a co-founder who fills your voids, not one who mirrors them

Find Joe and his work:

• Instagram: @chef.joe.sasto
• Check out Joe’s new YouTube channel: Make Mama Proud
• Breaking The Rules: available on Amazon or signed copy via link in bio
• Ripi Foods: Whole Foods nationwide | www.ripifoods.com
• Tantos: Amazon and grocery stores nationwide | www.tantossnacks.com

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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Alyse Whitney is a food journalist, cookbook author, Netflix judge, and certified Dip Queen who has spent nearly 15 years building one of the most distinctive voices in food media. Over 1,000 bylines. Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Rachael Ray Every Day. Managing editor of Chrissy Teigan's Cravings. Ina Garten's cell phone number on hand. And a cookbook, Big Dip Energy, that she wrote, art directed, propped, and styled in nine months while convincing her publisher to let her include a "compundium" of puns at the back.

Oh, and she's launching a new podcast and YouTube show called Dippin' In! And she announced it here first!

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Alyse for a conversation that is unlike any other on The Perfect Bite. It covers the Korean American adoptee who started cooking for her family at 12 because she thought their Shake 'n Bake pork chops were boring, the entertainment journalist who burned out writing 15 articles a day recapping Scandal, the food writer who got Ina Garten's cell phone number after a day of cooking together, and the Netflix judge who filmed her first ever TV appearance in Spanx while on her period in Albuquerque.

Alyse is maximalist in every sense, from her food, to her style, her personality, and her puns, and this conversation is a masterclass in what happens when you finally stop trying to make yourself smaller and just show up as the fullest possible version of yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up as a Korean adoptee with non-cooking parents and becoming the family chef at 12
• The gateway food memory: making kimbap with her Korean Big Sib mentor program
• Why she got into dips (Hint: she almost choked as a baby because she hated chewing)
• Subscribing to Bon Appétit alongside J14 at age 12
• Burning out as an entertainment journalist writing 15 articles a day
• Getting a job at Cooking Channel because she was nice to someone at her Bon Appétit internship
• Getting Ina Garten to be Bon Appétit's first ever guest editor and cooking together in the Hamptons
• Being laid off from Rachael Ray Every Day and landing the Chrissy Teigan Cravings job
• Her first TV appearance on Easy Bake Battle with Antoni Porowski: in Spanx, on her period, in Albuquerque
• Getting called at 9:30am to replace a COVID-positive judge on Nailed It! by 11am
• Becoming a recurring judge on Chopped
• Big Dip Energy: Writing the manuscript in three weeks and art directing every page
• Her ADHD diagnosis and why she chose a 9-month book deadline over 18 months
• Being unapologetically maximalist after years of trying to hide herself
• Her Cherry Bombe Jubilee talk "Good Fat" on loving people the way we love butter
• Why she's finally treating herself like a brand
• EXCLUSIVE: Her new podcast and YouTube show Dippin' In!, announced here first!
• Advice for founders: Be authentic, show up, and stop making yourself smaller

Find Alyse:

• Website: www.alysewhitney.com
• Instagram: @alysewhitney
• YouTube: @alyse.whitney
• Substack: Dippin' In! (Launching soon! Linked in her Instagram)
• Big Dip Energy: Available wherever books are sold
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Chef Monica Glass spent years working in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the country, including Gotham Bar and Grill, Le Bernadin, and the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia, mastering the art and science of pastry. And then she was diagnosed with Celiac disease. The flour she had been breathing in and baking with every day was the very thing destroying her health.

She could have walked away. Instead she did something much harder: She stayed, and she figured out how to do it differently.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Monica for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring and deeply personal. Monica shares the journey from a childhood garden in Maryland where her grandparents grew rhubarb and tomatoes, to moonlighting in Deborah Racicot's pastry kitchen at Gotham Bar and Grill after her PR job, to passing out at Union Square Farmers Market from the lowest iron levels her doctors had ever seen, to opening Verveine Cafe and Bakery, a fully gluten-free, dedicated safe space in Philadelphia, alongside her co-founder and mentor Chef Ken Oringer.

And that's before you get to WLDFLR, her gluten-free flour and baking mix line that she's been quietly building from her basement (yes, literally, 14,000 pounds of flour was delivered to her driveway in the snow). Or the 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef that found her in a Costa Rican rainforest trying very hard to be phone-free.

Monica's story is about inclusion. About food as medicine and joy simultaneously. About building a space where nobody has to feel like a burden at the table. And about the remarkable things that can happen when you refuse to let a diagnosis define the ceiling of what's possible.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up in Maryland with grandparents who grew rhubarb, tomatoes, and berries in their garden
• Her dad's crockpot meals, Sunday dinners, and the through line of food as family
• From Penn State to New York City PR and gravitating toward the food clients
• Making a list of top 10 chefs she wanted to learn from and knocking on doors
• Moonlighting at Gotham Bar and Grill under Deborah Racicot, turning it down twice before finally saying yes
• What Eric Ripert taught her about knowing every person's name on day one at Le Bernadin
• The Celiac diagnosis: years of being dismissed by doctors, passing out in Union Square, and finally getting answers
• Losing her mother to ovarian cancer and how the stress may have triggered the Celiac gene
• Learning to recreate gluten-free versions of everything she loved, without telling anyone they were gluten-free
• Opening Verveine Cafe and Bakery with Chef Ken Oringer
• The Picknic allergen software on their site that lets guests filter the menu by their specific needs
• WLDFLR: the gluten-free flour and baking mix line born in her home kitchen
• Getting 14,000 pounds of flour delivered to her driveway in the snow and carrying it to her basement
• The 2026 James Beard semifinalist nomination that found her in a Costa Rican rainforest
• Why she never advertised Verveine as gluten-free and why that was the right call
• Hustle culture, burnout, and why she finally blocked off Mondays for herself
• Her two adopted tiny Chihuahuas Quill and Stewie
• Advice for founders: build the thing that solves your own problem, and standards are your superpower

Find Monica and her work:

• Website: www.chefmonicaglass.com
• Instagram: @chefmoni
• Verveine Cafe: @verveinecafe | www.verveinecafe.com
• WLDFLR: @wldflr_glutenfree

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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Emery is the CEO and co-founder of QED Hospitality, a nine-restaurant group with locations across New Orleans, Nashville, and Kentucky that is doing something increasingly rare in the hospitality industry: Putting people first, actually meaning it, and building a business around that belief that has lasted a decade.

QED stands for "quod erat demonstrandum,” Latin for "Thus it has been proven." It's a punctuation mark at the end of a mathematical theorem, and for Emery and her co-founder Chef Brian Landry, it was a declaration: They weren't going to talk about doing things differently. They were going to prove it.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Emery for a conversation that covers the full arc of a remarkable life in food, hospitality, and community. From growing up in New Orleans with a mother who accidentally served potpourri-garnished fish, watching Hurricane Katrina reshape her entire future, teaching French and Spanish in New Orleans public schools through food, and co-creating a culinary scholarship program and micro-loan fund for Louisiana farmers, Emery arrived at restaurant ownership not because she wanted to, but because she realized it was the only way to do things the way she believed they should be done.

QED’s first restaurant Jack Rose is a love letter to New Orleans—maximalist, warm, full of sequins on a Saturday night. And when COVID hit, instead of closing the doors on their team, Emery spun up a telehealth customer service operation in less than a week to keep every single employee working. The image of a sous chef navigating electronic medical records, and a grandmother in New Jersey sending cookies to a Nashville bartender who helped her reset her iPhone, says everything about the kind of organization QED is.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up in New Orleans with a grandmother whose house always turned into a party
• What makes New Orleans cuisine unlike any other regional food in America
• Hurricane Katrina, Princeton, and the city that shaped everything
• Teaching French and Spanish through food and why leaving teaching was one of the hardest decisions she's ever made
• MINO (Made in New Orleans): the culinary scholarship program she co-created
• Micro-loans for Louisiana farmers and the milk farmer who started it all
• Meeting co-founder Chef Brian Landry and being wooed into entrepreneurship she didn't want
• What QED stands for and why they chose the nerdiest name possible
• Spinning up a telehealth customer service company in less than a week during COVID
• The "be nice or leave" policy and how she enforces it gracefully
• Nine restaurants in ten years and what comes next
• Brian Landry's upcoming cookbook: Recipes paired with profiles of Bayou Bar musicians
• What people get wrong about Southern food and why it deserves more respect
• Her advice for women and minority founders being underestimated: take great pleasure in it
• The best advice she's ever gotten: Ask people outside your industry

Find Emery and QED Hospitality:

• Instagram: @emerywhalen, @qedhospitality
• Website: www.qedhg.com
• Venues throughout New Orleans, Nashville, and Kentucky

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Eric for one of the most candid, educational, and genuinely fun conversations The Perfect Bite has ever had. Eric doesn't sugarcoat anything— not the $3.2 million personal loss he absorbed when his first brand, New Leaf Iced Tea, went through hard times, not the shareholder battle that forced the sale of Rao's, and not the very specific competitive mindset he brings to a category he has now shaped twice.

What makes Carbone Fine Food special isn't just the branding. It's all about the product. Open kettle cooking. Italian tomatoes from southern Italy. Monthly taste sessions with chef Rich Torrisi. Eric personally tasted every single batch in year one, logging 100,000 miles on United without leaving the country. That obsession with quality is the moat and he knows it!

This conversation covers the full picture: The origin story of building Carbone Fine Food from a handshake deal with Chef Mario Carbone to shelves in five months, why the brand's marketing flywheel is PR, event, and social rather than TV spend, how Costco became their biggest trial driver, what he thinks about the premiumization of pantry staples, and what's coming next, including a brand new Italian chili crunch launching in July that he previewed for the first time right here on The Perfect Bite!

There's also a conversation about tariffs, board dynamics, founder lessons, and what it actually means to stay unapologetically true to your brand in a world where every trend is trying to pull you somewhere new.

If you love Carbone Fine Food, the Carbone brand, work in CPG, or are building anything of your own, this one is unmissable.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up in a big Irish family where food meant togetherness
• 20+ years in beverage and how the fundamentals of CPG are simpler than people think
• Founding New Leaf Iced Tea, losing $3.2 million in 2008, and rebuilding in his forties
• The call that led to meeting Mario Carbone—and saying yes immediately
• Building the brand from scratch: recipes, branding, co-packing, and shelves in five months
• Tasting every single batch in year one and logging 100,000 miles domestically
• Monthly taste sessions with Rich Torrisi and why consistency is the real product
• The marketing flywheel: PR, events, and social over TV spend
• Carbone Beach, Post Malone, Alex Cooper, Jimmy Fallon and pop culture authenticity
• Why Mario Carbone is a superpower advantage
• 6,000 Costco demos planned for this year and why trial is everything
• Household penetration growing from 0.08% to 4% in two years
• The premiumization of pantry staples and how generational shifts are driving it
• Why he refuses to add fiber or protein to the sauce ("Add a piece of steak")
• EXCLUSIVE: Italian chili crunch launching July 2025! Look for the green and red flavors
• His take on tariffs, Italian tomatoes, and solving for quality no matter what
• Picking the right board and why smart advisors beat cheerleaders every time
• Staying frugal on someone else's money: flying coach and staying at Fairfield Inns
• His advice for new founders
• What's next, including a potential return to his original brand, New Leaf

Find Carbone Fine Food:

• Website: carbonefinefood.com
• Available at most major retailers nationwide
• Instagram: @carbonefinefood

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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Podcasthon is the world’s largest annual charity podcast event in mid-March. Podcasters around the globe are releasing episodes to support non-profits and causes they believe in. 

Jake and Sarah discuss how a Shabbat dinner tradition and seven years working at 412 Food Rescue in Pittsburgh led him to bring this food rescue model to Chicago — and what it took to build it from scratch in just a year and a half.

Jake is one of those founders who isn't doing this for the glory. He's doing it because he saw a disconnect — a city full of food and people going hungry — and realized his background in supply chain and logistics was exactly what was needed to bridge it. 

In 2025 alone, Chicago Food Rescue completed over 1,100 rescues, moving more than 250,000 pounds of food and providing the equivalent of 208,000 meals across 44 nonprofit community partners.

This conversation covers the mechanics of how food rescue actually works, the difference between food rescue and food banking, what it has looked like on the ground in Chicago as SNAP access was threatened, and why Jake believes hunger is not a supply problem — it's a logistics problem.

It's also just a really lovely conversation about what it means to show up for your community, build something from nothing, and let the work speak for itself.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up with Shabbat dinners and the family table that shaped his relationship with food
• His corporate career, early volunteering in Pittsburgh, and finding 412 Food Rescue
• Building emergency food response infrastructure during COVID
• What makes food rescue different from food banks and food pantries
• How the three-way coordination between food donors, volunteers, and nonprofit recipients actually works
• The Chicago Food Rescue app — and how it removes every barrier to volunteering
• 2025 by the numbers: 250,000+ pounds of food, 208,000 meals, 1,100+ rescues
• What happened in Chicago as SNAP restrictions tightened — and why food rescue is only part of the solution
• How one organization saved $40,000 in food costs and hired a caseworker because of food rescue
• His advice for anyone starting something new: just start, even before you have it all figured out

How to get involved:

• Download the Chicago Food Rescue app (Google Play or App Store) to volunteer or set up a food rescue
• For more information and to donate: chicagofoodrescue.org
• Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn: @chicagofoodrescue_
• Want to become involved with Podcasthon? Head to podcasthon.org

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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That's exactly what Stefanie Garcia Turner, Regina Trillo, and Jocelyn Ramirez did when they merged their three beloved brands - Tuyyo Foods, Nemi Snacks, and Todo Verde - into one powerhouse under the Tuyyo Foods umbrella. And the food industry is paying attention.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with the full executive team behind Tuyyo Foods 2.0 for a conversation that covers everything: Growing up with food as an act of love, building brands that push back against tired stereotypes of Latino culture, and why three solo founders decided that coming together was the boldest move they could make.

Stefanie spent nearly a decade at Whole Foods before launching Tuyyo's original agua fresca mixes, a better-for-you answer to Kool-Aid, inspired by her grandmother's grapefruit tree and her love for the powdered drink format. 

Regina left a legal career in human rights to found Nemi Snacks after being struck by how underrepresented and stereotyped Latino food was on American grocery shelves — and how a nopal cactus chip could change that. 

And Jocelyn launched Todo Verde in LA after years as a social justice professor and chef, bringing taco seasonings inspired by real Mexican flavors to a market that had settled for cornstarch and mild spice packets for way too long.

They met through trade shows, DMs, and a shared fellowship. The merger idea was planted on an airport ride back from Texas, and within months it was a reality. No big buyout. No waiting around. Just three women who decided to grow better together.

This one covers the exciting stuff and the real stuff — what it actually takes to merge three companies, how to communicate with co-founders when things get hard, what it means to keep showing up for your community in a moment when so much feels scary, and the single Mexican tablescape vision that has retailers buzzing.

In this episode, we cover:

• How food showed up as love in each of their families growing up
• Stefanie's journey from Whole Foods and The Honest Company to founding Tuyyo Foods
• Regina leaving law to create Nemi Snacks and finding nopal farmers in Mexico
• Jocelyn's pivot from social justice professor to chef, cookbook author, and Todo Verde founder
• How they each met and what planted the seed for the merger
• The nitty gritty of merging three CPG brands — attorneys, operations, finance, branding
• Why they landed on Tuyyo (spoiler: "tú y yo" means you and me)
• The Mexican tablescape vision: chips, agua fresca, taco seasoning, and a new mole paste coming soon
• How they're showing up for their communities right now
• What fills each of their cups — and how they've built a culture of vulnerability together

Connect with Tuyyo Foods:

• Website: tuyyofoods.com (launching soon with all products + store locator!)
• Instagram: @tuyyofoods
• Nemi Snacks: @nemisnacks
• Todo Verde: @todoverdela

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

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In this episode, Rachel gets real with host Sarah Perkins about the winding, messy, beautiful road that got her here — from baking box-mix birthday cakes in high school, to getting fired (her word, not ours) from a PR job at 25 with 10K Instagram followers and a big dream, to building a brand that now reaches millions of people who just want to eat well without it feeling like a chore.

We talked about it all: the moment Jordan convinced her to start a recipe blog instead of selling overnight oats on the streets of Manhattan (truly iconic), what she's learned as an investor in 25+ CPG brands through grt sht Ventures, and why she is not launching new cadootz! flavors quite yet—even though everyone keeps asking.

Rachel also gets candid about navigating fertility challenges in public, the pressure of running a platform where it always looks like you have it together (she does not, and she'd like you to know that), and why she thinks "balance" is kind of a myth—but also why that's okay.

This one is for the founders, the creators, the parents trying to figure out how to feed their families something better, and honestly anyone who's ever been told no and had to figure out what comes next.

In this episode, we cover:

• How getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to Rachel's career
• Building a food and lifestyle brand from scratch in the early days of Instagram + influencers
• What she learned about brand partnerships — then vs. now
• Launching cadootz! and her cookbook More, Please! in the same week (accidentally)
• Working with your spouse: the real talk on what it's like and how they make it work
• Investing in 25+ CPG companies through grt sht Ventures and what she's seen go wrong
• Why she's going slow and steady with cadootz!'s retail strategy
• On sharing the hard stuff online: fertility, overwhelm, and keeping it real
• What fills her cup: heated sculpt classes and a really good Sancerre
• Her closing advice for anyone thinking about putting themselves out there

Connect with Rachel:

• Instagram: @rachlmansfield (no "e" in Rachl!)
• Website: rachlmansfield.com
• Substack: @rachlmansfield
• cadootz!: @cadootzsnacks | cadootz.com
• Pre-order More, Please! at rachlmansfield.com



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In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Liz Mendez, founder of Aldea Hospitality, to talk about building sustainable careers in the restaurant industry, the rise of non-alcoholic beverage programs, and what it really takes to open — and close — a restaurant.

Liz shares her journey from Chicago wine professional to opening the beloved Spanish wine bar Vera, the lessons learned from entrepreneurship, and how she now helps hospitality professionals design more balanced careers through consulting, education, and her concept of the “hospitality hyphenate.”

This conversation covers:

• Becoming a sommelier and working in Chicago restaurants
• Opening and running a Spanish wine bar focused on sherry
• The realities of restaurant ownership and closing a business
• Transitioning into consulting and hospitality tech
• Building Aldea Hospitality and coaching industry professionals
• The rise of non-alcoholic and dealcoholized wine and Liz’s refocus on these products
• Creating sustainable careers in hospitality
• Why community and mentorship matter in entrepreneurship

Whether you’re a restaurant owner, beverage professional, or founder in food & beverage, Liz shares practical advice on building a creative career that evolves over time.

To learn more about Aldea Hospitality, visit www.aldeahospitality.com. You can follow Liz on social media @mendezmusings. Subscribe to Liz’s Substack The Luncheonette!

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!



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In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with chef and entrepreneur Amelia Eudailey, founder of the cult-favorite pop-up concept Hej Hej (pronounced “hey hey”!). Known for its Scandinavian-inspired hot dogs, Swedish candy, and playful menu, Hej Hej has built a loyal following through pop-ups, catering, and creative storytelling—all before opening a traditional restaurant.

Amelia didn’t follow a typical culinary path. After working in tech and startups, she pivoted into food, working as a line cook at the famed Octavia, and began testing her concept through pop-ups while still working full-time. Today, she’s growing Hej Hej into a recognizable food brand while exploring the future of brick-and-mortar, merchandising, and community-driven hospitality.

This episode is a candid look at building a food business from scratch and learning through experimentation.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Launching a Swedish hot dog pop-up
• What makes Swedish hot dogs and food so special
• Transitioning careers into food entrepreneurship
• Testing a concept before opening a brick-and-mortar space
• Building a brand through pop-ups and community
• Revenue streams beyond a brick-and-mortar
• Using Substack and social media to grow an audience
• Deciding when (or if) to open a permanent space
• Staying creative while building a sustainable business

Amelia’s story is a reminder that there’s no single path into the food industry — and that entrepreneurship often starts with simply trying.

TPB listeners, we have a special code for you to grab Hej Hej merch or Swedish candy mixes on Hej Hej’s site! Use code ‘PERFECTBITE’ on www.chefhejhej.com for 15% off your order of $25 or more through March 15, 2026.

To learn more about Hej Hej and find out about future pop-up dates, visit www.chefhejhej.com. You can follow Hej Hej on social media @chefhejhej. Subscribe to Amelia’s Substack Hotdog Hustle!

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!



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In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with food writer, editor, cookbook author, and media entrepreneur Chandra Ram to talk about building a career that evolves with the industry instead of resisting it.

From restaurant PR to leading Plate Magazine for over a decade, working at Food & Wine, and now running her own independent publishing and consulting work, Chandra shares what it takes to stay adaptable in ever-changing food media.

This conversation explores:

• How to build a career in food media today
• Why there’s no single path into the industry
• Transitioning from traditional media to independent work
• Cookbook writing and editorial strategy
• Building a portfolio career across platforms
• Why showing your work matters more than waiting for permission

Chandra’s story is a reminder that sustainable careers are built through experimentation, adaptability, and consistently putting your work into the world.

Whether you’re a writer, chef, founder, or creative entrepreneur, this episode offers practical insight into building a career that evolves with you.

Subscribe to Chandra’s Substack Another Bite with Chandra Ram! You can learn more about her past work and purchase any of her cookbooks at www.chandraram.net. You can follow Chandra on Instagram @chandrasplate. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Susannah Schoolman, founder of Tourlami, to unpack how deep culinary experience can become a real competitive advantage in entrepreneurship.

Susannah shares how her background as a classically trained pastry chef revealed a major gap in the plant-based market: vegan butters that simply didn’t work in professional baking and kitchen environments. Instead of settling for “good enough,” she spent years testing, iterating, and engineering two plant-based butters designed specifically for lamination, pastry, and high-heat applications in professional kitchens.

This conversation explores:

• How lived kitchen experience can uncover real product-market fit
• Why Tourlami offers multiple functional butters, not a single catch-all solution
• The five-year R&D journey behind building a credible food ingredient
• The mindset shift from chef to founder
• Why early-stage founders should prioritize performance over branding

This episode is a must-listen for food founders, chefs considering entrepreneurship, and anyone building a product meant to perform under real-world conditions.

You can learn more about Tourlami at www.tourlami.com. You can purchase Tourlami for your own kitchen at Chef’s Warehouse locations across the U.S and Canada and on Webstaurant Store.

You can follow Tourlami on social media @tourlami and Susannah at @itsschool_man. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Mindy Crosato, founder of Decadent Creations, Collective Kitchen, and Collective Market in Hillsboro, Oregon. Mindy shares her raw, honest entrepreneurial journey — from a personal rock-bottom moment at age 20 to becoming a “Chopped” champion, bakery owner, and the largest private employer in downtown Hillsboro.

Mindy opens up about:

• Why getting fired, failing out of school, and a breakup pushed her to trust herself
• Starting a bakery business at farmers markets with just $500
• How winning Chopped accelerated her growth overnight
• The realities of scaling a handmade food business
• Why she built a commissary kitchen to help other food entrepreneurs succeed
• How community, mentorship, and persistence matter more than perfection

This conversation is a masterclass in food entrepreneurship, creative risk-taking, and building businesses that serve both people and place.

If you’re a baker, chef, maker, or aspiring founder — this episode will leave you inspired to start before you feel ready.

You can learn more about Decadent Creations at www.decadentcreations.com and visit the bakery and the Collective Market in Hillsboro, Oregon. 

You can follow Decadent Creations @decadentcreationspdx, Collective Market @collectivemarketpdx, and Mindy @mindcrosato.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Building a food or CPG company is never easy—and finding the right investors can be just as challenging. On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Nate Cooper, founder and managing partner of Barrel Ventures, to talk about what it really takes to build, fund, and scale successful food and beverage businesses.

Nate shares his journey from growing up in a food-industry family to helping launch LYFE Kitchen, co-founding Wise Apple, and eventually becoming an early investor in brands like Olipop. Along the way, he breaks down how founders should think about fundraising, why not everyone needs to love your product, and how venture capital actually works behind the scenes in food and CPG.

This conversation covers:

• How Nate transitioned from operator to food-focused venture capitalist
• Lessons learned from building and shutting down a startup
• What makes a food or CPG brand investable
• Why niche audiences matter more than mass appeal
• The future of functional beverages, CPG consolidation, and emerging categories
• How founders should approach investors—and what not to do
• Why resilience, network, and long-term vision matter more than perfection

Whether you’re building a food brand, exploring venture capital, or just curious how investment decisions are made in CPG, this episode offers a candid, insider look at the business of food.

You can connect with Nate on LinkedIn or email him at nate@barrelvc.com. You can learn more about Barrel Ventures and its portfolio companies at www.barrelvc.com. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Now back to the episode! Setting a table is about more than plateware and linens—it’s about intention, connection, and creating a sense of place.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Kira Corbin, founder of Standard Affair, to explore how a lifelong love of food, prop styling, and visual storytelling evolved into a modern homewares brand rooted in sustainability and timeless design.

Kira shares her journey from working on food and lifestyle shoots for major publications to launching Standard Affair, a line of ceramic dinnerware and linens designed to elevate everyday meals while reducing waste. The conversation covers everything from the emotional power of the table to the realities of entrepreneurship, creative pivots, and why persistence matters more than perfection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Kira transitioned from prop styling and magazine shoots to founding Standard Affair
• Why table settings play a powerful role in hospitality and connection
• How sustainability and recycled materials shape Standard Affair’s production process
• What it takes to pivot careers and “kill your darling” to make space for growth
• Tips for creating meaningful, intentional dinner parties at home
• Why persistence—not talent—is often the key to entrepreneurial success

Whether you’re a creative founder, food-media professional, or someone who loves gathering around the table, this episode offers inspiration for building something beautiful and meaningful.

You can purchase Standard Affair and learn more at www.standardaffair.com. TPB listeners can get 10% off your purchase with code ‘PERFECTBITE10’! You can see more of Kira’s work at www.kiracorbin.com. 

You can follow Standard Affair on Instagram @standardaffair and Kira @kiracorbin. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

On this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Benno Nelson, co-founder of Five Corners Beverage Company, a Chicago-based brand crafting deeply flavored, globally inspired non-alcoholic canned drinks for adults.

Benno shares how his journey into sobriety — paired with a lifelong love of food, beverage, and global storytelling — sparked the idea for Five Corners. Rather than creating sugary substitutes or imitation cocktails, Five Corners honors traditional non-alcoholic drinks from around the world, focusing on the five foundational tastes: salty, sour, bitter, savory, and sweet.

This episode explores the evolution of the non-alcoholic beverage movement, why Chicago is the perfect testing ground for innovative drinks, and how intentional flavor design can create true alternatives—not compromises.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why non-alcoholic drinks deserve depth, culture, and story
• Benno’s sobriety journey and how it shaped Five Corners
• The inspiration behind flavors like Salted Lemonade and Sangrita
• How global beverage traditions influenced Five Corners’ recipes
• Building a beverage startup intentionally and locally in Chicago
• Why non-alcoholic menus are additive — not cannibalistic — for restaurants
• Lessons in entrepreneurship, patience, and community-driven growth

To learn more about Five Corners or order your own packs around the country, head to www.fivecornersbev.com. Get 10% off your online order with code ‘BITE’!

You can purchase and experience Five Corners Beverage at retailers, restaurants and venues throughout the Chicago area. 

You can follow Five Corners on Instagram @fivecornersbev.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Maryam Ahmed, founder of Maryam + Company and partner at PLAYTE Kitchen, to explore how experience design, community, and equity intersect across the food and beverage industry.

Maryam shares her journey from hospitality operations and wine education to founding a consulting firm focused on inclusive, impactful experiences. From her work at the Culinary Institute of America’s Copia campus to launching hands-on culinary programming in Napa at PLAYTE Kitchen, Maryam breaks down how thoughtful design can foster connection, belonging, and long-term sustainability in hospitality.

This conversation dives into food as a unifying force, the future of experiential hospitality, and what it truly takes to build spaces where everyone feels welcome.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How experience design shapes guest connection in food and beverage
• Why community and equity must be embedded into hospitality systems
• The role of education in creating meaningful culinary experiences
• How PLAYTE Kitchen is reimagining hands-on cooking classes
• Why authentic and diverse leadership matters in food, wine, and hospitality

You can visit PLAYTE Kitchen in Napa, California and sign up for classes at www.playtekitchen.com. You can follow PLAYTE Kitchen on Instagram at @playtekitchen.

You can learn more about Maryam + Company at www.maryamandcompany.com. You can follow Maryam + Company on Instagram @maryamandcompany and Maryam @goodfriendsgoodfood.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!



Emily’s story is anything but traditional. After graduating from Yale and Harvard Law School, she became General Counsel for The Alinea Group—one of the most innovative and prestigious restaurant groups in the world. But it was pregnancy, motherhood, and a podcast on frozen waffles that sparked an idea that would change her career — and the breakfast aisle — forever.

In this episode, Emily shares how she built Evergreen waffles from her home kitchen into a nationally distributed CPG brand, all while staying true to real ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, and steadfast business and nutrition values.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Evergreen waffles was born from motherhood and necessity

• The leap from corporate law to food entrepreneurship

• Lessons Emily learned working at The Alinea Group and Tock

• Building a frozen CPG brand with real, whole-food ingredients

• Scaling manufacturing, retail distribution, and supply chain

• Why shooting your shot — even with a cold email — matters

• The challenges and rewards of building a Midwest-based CPG brand

Perfect Bite listeners—get 15% off your Evergreen order on eatevergreen.com with code ‘TPB15’! 

Visit www.eatevergreen.com to shop, learn more, and find store locations with product near you. 

You can follow Evergreen on Instagram at @eatevergreen. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Liebrandt became a media and industry legend early — earning three stars from The New York Times at age 24, starring in an Emmy-winning HBO documentary, and redefining fine dining with an unmistakable creative identity.

In this deep and unfiltered conversation, Paul opens up about:

🍽 How English boarding school, Chinatown markets, and early memories shaped his palette

🔥 Why chefs must protect creativity in the age of social media & AI

🤖 His stance on technology vs. the irreplaceable “human intuition” of culinary craft

📈 What most restaurant operators misunderstand about marketing today

🧠 The psychology of taste and why diners are really coming to fine dining restaurants

🌍 His experience working across London, Paris, New York and Asia — and where the industry is heading next

Whether you’re a chef, founder, hospitality professional, or creative of any kind, this episode is a masterclass in artistry, excellence, resilience, and staying true to your voice — even in a noisy world.

You can learn more about Crumpet Management and Paul’s work at www.paulliebrandt.com. 

You can follow Paul on Instagram at @paulliebrandt. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Justin shares their remarkable journey from self-taught baker and restaurant pastry chef to becoming a nationally recognized voice in food storytelling, and how writing about food through a queer lens unlocked a mission of community, identity, and chosen family.

From pop-ups that unexpectedly went viral, to the emotional process of bringing a cookbook in the queer food space to life over 10 years, to building a platform rooted in authenticity rather than algorithm-chasing, Justin offers wisdom for creatives and entrepreneurs across every field.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What queer food really is — and why it has nothing to do with ingredients

• The cultural history of queer potlucks and how they shaped Justin’s cookbook

• How to build a creative career without “staying in one lane”

• Why authors and creators should focus on community over competition

• Advice for anyone writing a book or building a brand from scratch

You can purchase “Potluck Desserts” at your favorite local book stores or any national bookstore chains. 

You can follow Justin on Instagram @justintsburke and subscribe to his Substack “Taste This.”

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Recorded in front of a live audience tasting Katalina’s delicious menu, Sarah and Kathleen talk about how a tiny corner café turned into a three-location local empire, the story behind her signature dishes, and what it really takes to run a restaurant for 15 years through recessions, pandemics, and changing dining trends.

From Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives to community-driven growth, Kathleen shares her journey of creativity, grit, and heart — all while serving a multi-course tasting menu inspired by her roots in the South, travels in France, and love of Latin flavors. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The real story behind the famous Pancake Balls™
• How Katalina’s built a cult following in Columbus
• What it’s like to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
• How Kathleen blends Latin and Southern influences into one brand
• The hardest lessons from 15 years in hospitality — and how she keeps going

You can visit Katalina’s locations throughout Columbus in the Harrison West, Clintonville, and Bexley neighborhoods. You can learn more at www.katalinas.com. 

You can follow Katalina’s on Instagram at @katalinascafe and Kathleen at @katalinaday. 

Thank you to the event’s beneficiary Freedom a la Cart for teaming up with us and to our sponsors for the evening, including Middle West Spirits, Rose Bredel, Milligan’s maple syrup and Premiere ProduceOne. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

They explore the journey behind Entertaining 101, the art of making guests feel at home, and Beth’s lessons from 13+ years in the creator economy. From surviving long days as a mompreneur to creating content that feels elevated yet accessible, Beth reveals what it really takes to build a sustainable media brand around food, joy, and storytelling.

You’ll learn:

• How Beth transitioned from corporate media to food creator entrepreneurship
• What makes content relatable and evergreen
• The secret to building loyal communities online
• How to monetize across YouTube, Substack, and books
• Beth’s tips for stress-free entertaining and creating your “perfect bite”

Grab Beth’s new book, Entertaining 101, now available at Anthropologie, Amazon, and anywhere books are sold.

You can follow Beth on YouTube, Instagram, Substack and more @entertainingwithbeth. You can buy Entertaining 101 and learn more from Beth at www.entertainingwithbeth.com.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Catherine’s journey is one of reinvention, resilience, and creativity. From her early years in an Italian-American family where food focused on connection and nourishment, to her transition from litigator to culinary school graduate to national TV host, she shares how she’s turned every chapter into an opportunity to grow, serve, and create.



We dive into how she built a career at the intersection of culinary arts, media, nonprofits and entrepreneurship, how she’s shaping the future of culinary education through the Foundation for Culinary Arts, and what inspired her newest venture — Casa De Orio, a digital platform and lifestyle brand focused on food, design, travel, and finding beauty in everyday life.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Catherine transitioned from law to food & lifestyle media
• The origin story behind Check, Please! and how it shaped her career
• How food, family, and heritage shaped her creative voice
• The mission of the Foundation for Culinary Arts & the “Yes, Chef!” culinary camp program
• What inspired Casa De Orio & the future of digital lifestyle brands
• Advice for creatives on trusting your path and finding alignment

To learn more about the Foundation for Culinary Arts and support its mission, you can visit www.foundationforculinaryarts.org. You can follow FFCA on Instagram at @f4cachi.

You can learn more about Casa De Orio at www.casadeorio.com and follow on Instagram @casadeorio. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Logan’s approach to food blends fine-dining precision with personal storytelling, drawing on history, culture, and art to craft meals that are as thought-provoking as they are delicious. From his culinary beginnings to curating one-of-a-kind experiences, Logan shares what inspires his menus, how he brings a sense of art and history to every dish, and why he believes food should make you feel something.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Chef Logan Neisel approaches pop-ups and private dining as immersive art forms
• The stories and history behind his most memorable dishes
• How artistry, intention, and emotion guide his creative process
• Why intimacy and storytelling matter more than ever in modern dining
• The evolution of Midwest food culture through a fine-dining lens

Want to join Logan for one of his Prologue Dinner Series events? Get 10% off your tickets with code PERFECTBITE here. 

You can follow Logan on Instagram @chef_lone, @northcoastculinarygroup, and @prologuedinner_cle. 

Head to this link to see where Logan will be serving his next dinner in Cleveland.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

Zubair’s journey is anything but traditional. Born in Chennai, India, and raised in the Chicago suburbs, he went from a career in finance to the kitchens of Jean-Georges, Bouchon, and even Gaggan in Bangkok. His story spans immigration, resilience, mentorship, and the reinvention of Indian cuisine paired with other cultures for a new generation.

He shares how his South Indian roots shaped his culinary identity, how he built community-driven restaurants rooted in collaboration and culture, and how he’s using food to challenge stereotypes about Indian cuisine.

You’ll Learn:

• How Zubair transitioned from finance to fine dining
• Lessons from working at Jean-Georges and staging at Gaggan in Bangkok
• The origins of Wazwan, Lilac Tiger, Coach House, Mirra, and Sarima Café to James Beard nominations
• How Top Chef changed his perspective as a creative entrepreneur
• Why collaboration is key in the restaurant industry
• His reflections on culture, immigrant identity, and culinary reinvention

You can visit all of Zubair’s venues throughout Chicago. To learn more, visit www.chefzubair.com. 

You can follow Zubair on Instagram @zubairmohajir. You can follow his restaurants @lilactigerchi, @mirrachicago, @coachhousechi, and @sarimacafe. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

In this inspiring episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Mark Elvidge, co-founder of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, to talk about building a beloved brand for families with food allergies — and why safe, great chocolate is for everyone.

Mark shares:

• The origin story of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates (and how early online sales helped them grow)
• What it means to create allergen-friendly sweets without sacrificing taste
• How they grew from their home kitchen to nationwide distribution
• Challenges of cocoa pricing, tariffs, and scaling artisanal production today
• Trends in allergy-friendly CPG and where the market is heading
• His advice for entrepreneurs about resilience, “gettoitiveness,” and listening to your customers

If you or your loved ones have ever struggled with food allergies, work in the CPG or chocolate space, or just love entrepreneurial stories (and chocolate!), you won’t want to miss this conversation.

Want 15% off your Vermont Nut Free order? Use code PERFECTBITE at checkout or follow this link: https://www.vermontnutfree.com/discount/PERFECTBITE

You can purchase Vermont Nut Free Chocolates at www.vermontnutfree.com or use the website's Store Locator to find a retailer near you.

You can follow Vermont Nut Free Chocolates on social media at @vermontnutfree.

Learn more about the FARE PACT Alliance here.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter on Substack!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with David Rabie, co-founder and CEO of Tovala, the smart steam-powered countertop oven and meal service that reimagined home cooking. From humble prototypes to being named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things, Tovala has grown into a national brand that’s changing the way people cook at home.

David shares the full journey:

• Growing up with home-cooked meals and discovering the power of food
• Early career lessons at Veggie Grill and running a frozen yogurt chain
• The “aha moment” that sparked Tovala’s smart oven technology
• Navigating Y Combinator as a food + hardware startup
• Landing on Oprah’s Favorite Things list and scaling nationally
• Balancing fundraising challenges, consumer trust, and profitability
• His best advice for entrepreneurs in food tech and beyond

Whether you’re a foodie, a startup founder, or someone looking for smarter ways to cook at home, this episode is packed with insights on innovation, perseverance, and building a consumer brand that lasts.

You can order a Tovala oven and sign up for the meal service at www.tovala.com.

Follow Tovala on Instagram at @tovalafood and your other favorite social media platforms. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for the newsletter on Substack!

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This week on The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Laura Gardner, founder of Local Style, to talk about her journey from Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo to launching a startup that has Chicago buzzing.

Laura shares how memories of eating Better Made chips with her grandmother and a honeymoon in Japan enjoying unique chip flavors sparked the idea for Local Style, how she brought iconic flavors like Italian Beef, Chicago Hot Dog, Deep Dish Pizza, and Hot Giardiniera to life, and why entrepreneurship in her 40s was the right move.

We also dive into:

• How Local Style exploded from 12 to 140+ retailers in just four months
• What it’s like to build a business with your spouse
• Laura’s viral Local Style packaging dress at the James Beard Awards
• The power of Chicago pride in food entrepreneurship
• Her advice for anyone ready to finally take the leap into building their dream

If you love snacks, debating Chicago foods, or entrepreneurial stories full of resilience and creativity, you won’t want to miss this episode.

To learn more and order Local Style nationwide, head to www.localstylechips.com. You also can order Local Style on Here Here Market nationwide at www.hereheremarket.com. 

Follow Local Style on Instagram and Tiktok @localstylechips.

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for the newsletter on Substack!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Sapna Punjabi — registered dietitian, culinary educator, and founder of beSPICED— to talk about her journey from Mumbai to Texas, how Ayurveda shapes her philosophy of food, and the inspiration behind her debut cookbook Dal Chawal.

Sapna shares:

• Why she wrote Dal Chawal and how it celebrates Indian food traditions
• Everyday ways to bring Ayurveda practices into your kitchen
• The importance of rituals, family, and storytelling in food
• How she built a business rooted in heritage and wellness

This episode is a beautiful reminder that food is more than fuel — it’s connection, culture, and healing.

👉 Dal Chawal is available now wherever books are sold.

You can learn more about beSPICED, Sapna’s products, Dal Chawal, and her courses at www.bespiced.com. 

You can follow Sapna on Instagram @be.spiced and her YouTube channel. In California? View Sapna’s upcoming book tour dates and locations here! 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hospitality Bites, host Colleen Silk sits down with Sarah Perkins, Cherry Bombe member, founder of Perkins Creative Consulting, and host of The Perfect Bite podcast.

Sarah shares her journey from working as the “phone girl” at a pizzeria to building a career rooted in storytelling, creativity, and entrepreneurship. From being ahead of her time in the fashion swap era as a younger, successful startup founder, navigating the tech space, to now finding happiness and success in sharing conversations with strangers turned friends.

Together, Colleen and Sarah explore the heart of the food and beverage industry: connection, storytelling, and the power of personal journeys.

What We Discussed

• Sarah’s first job in hospitality (and what being a pizzeria “phone girl” taught her).
• How childhood storytelling and writing shaped her career.
• The role of food media and consulting in amplifying voices in hospitality.
• Why human connection is the heartbeat of hospitality.
• Colleen’s own shift from the front-of-house to food media.
• The shared values that make the hospitality industry unique.

Episode Takeaways

• Hospitality is about more than food—it’s about caring for people and creating connection.
• Storytelling is a powerful tool for elevating food and beverage businesses.
• Everyone takes a different path into hospitality, and each story has value.
• Transitioning from hands-on roles to media or consulting can open new creative doors.
• Passion and community fuel the food and beverage industry.

Chapters

1. 01:35 Introduction and Background 
2. 02:12 Early Career and Education
3. 05:40 Founding the Fashion Rental Startup 
4. 08:29 Transition to Food and Beverage 
5. 09:24 Becoming a Marketing Consultant 
6. 13:32 Podcasting and Storytelling 
7. 16:46 Challenges and Lessons Learned 
8. 27:29 Future Goals and Aspirations 

 #HospitalityBitesPodcast #HospitalityEntrepreneur #WomenInHospitality #HospitalityLeadership #FemaleFounders #FoodAndBeverageIndustry #CherryBombe #PerfectBitePodcast #BusinessOfFood #FoodStorytelling  

About Hospitality Bites:

Hosted by Colleen Silk, Hospitality Bites is an honest and restorative space for voices within the hospitality industry. More than just a podcast, it serves as a storytelling platform for changemakers, risk-takers, and hospitality professionals who are approaching their work in innovative ways. Each episode features guests ranging from chefs to advocates and media personalities, focusing on mental and physical health, personal experiences, and the realities of thriving in the hospitality industry and beyond.

New episodes of Hospitality Bites drop every Monday, now proudly under the Walk-In Talk Media umbrella.

Watch the full episode on YouTube the following week.

Want to get involved or learn more? Visit HospitalityBites.com

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In this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins dives into Dan and Billy’s incredible stories:

• Dan’s journey from Door County line cook to co-owner of Milwaukee’s acclaimed restaurants DanDan and EsterEv
• Billy’s path from ESPN Radio producer to pizza entrepreneur and ambassador raising $75,000+ for the Muscular Dystrophy Association
• How both navigate life and entrepreneurship while living with chronic illnesses (Kennedy’s Disease and Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy)
• Why they launched Over the Line, blending food and sports conversations
• Their thoughts on media, community, resilience, and what it really means to pivot in life and business

This conversation is about more than food — it’s about finding purpose, reinventing yourself, and building community.

You can follow Dan Jacobs on social media @chefdanjacobs and learn more at www.chefdanjacobs.com. 

You can follow Billy Zureikat on social media @therealbillyz and learn more at www.trippingbillyz.com. 

Listen and subscribe to Over The Line on any of your favorite podcast platforms. You can follow the podcast on social media @otlwithdanandbilly. 

If you’d like to learn more and support the causes discussed today, visit www.mda.org (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and www.kennedysdisease.org (Kennedy’s Disease). 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

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On this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, I sit down with Britney to talk about her journey from working alongside celebrity chefs and food icons like David Burke, Carla Hall, and Molly Baz, to launching a startup that’s reshaping how restaurants build customer loyalty and future-proof their business.

Britney shares:

• How her early experiences in restaurants inspired her path into food and hospitality tech
• Lessons learned from working with celebrity chefs and food entrepreneurs
• Why she built Panso, a hospitality CRM that gives restaurants a true 360° view of their guests
• The challenges (and wins) of being a woman founder in the restaurant tech space
• How restaurants can boost customer retention, loyalty, and growth through smarter data and personalized experiences

Whether you’re a restaurant operator, food tech entrepreneur, or hospitality professional, you’ll walk away with insights on customer experience, innovation, and building a mission-driven business.

✨ Listen now to learn how Panso is helping restaurants thrive in 2025 and beyond.

You can learn more about Panso at www.hellopanso.com. 

You can follow Panso at @hellopanso on Instagram. 

You can follow Britney Ziegler on LinkedIn. 

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally has spent over 16 years representing cookbook authors, chefs, food writers, and culinary thought leaders, helping them bring their unique stories and recipes to print. She shares how publishing has evolved from the days of Julia Child and Emeril Lagasse to the era of TikTok food creators, Substack writers, and BookTok trends.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How cookbook publishing really works today—pitching, proposals, and what agents look for
• Why an author’s platform and audience matter as much as their expertise
• The role of Instagram, TikTok, newsletters, and Substack in discovering new food writers
• The shift from big book tours to digital discoverability
• Advice for chefs, restaurateurs, and food entrepreneurs who want to publish their first cookbook
• Why repurposing content (from newsletters to older podcast episodes) is key for longevity
• The importance of mentorship, patience, and persistence in publishing and entrepreneurship

About Sally Ekus

Sally leads The Ekus Group, a boutique literary agency specializing in cookbooks and culinary talent. With a background in sociology, she brings a unique perspective to agenting—blending negotiation skills with deep care for authors’ stories. She also writes the popular Substack “Not So Secret Agent,” where she offers transparent insights into the publishing world.

• Follow Sally on Instagram: @sallyekus
• The Ekus Group / JVNLA: @ekusgroup, @jvnla
• Subscribe to Sally’s Substack: Not So Secret Agent

Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Matt to trace his journey from his early days in New England kitchens to running celebrated restaurants like Farmstead and Townsman, and to now co-founding MAJC.ai — a platform designed to help restaurants recruit, retain, and develop top talent.

Matt shares:

• His path from culinary school to opening acclaimed restaurants
• Lessons learned from scaling teams and building hospitality culture
• Why the industry needs people-first technology now more than ever
• How MAJC.ai is creating a community and academy for restaurant leaders worldwide
• His advice for entrepreneurs about mentorship, failure, and staying mission-driven

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to transition from chef whites to startup life — and how hospitality can thrive with tech done right — this episode is for you.

To join the MAJC community (for free!) and learn more, head to www.majc.ai. 

You can follow MAJC on social media @majc.ai and Matt on Instagram @matthewjennings. 

Listen to MAJC’s podcasts Restaurant Ready or Serving Success anywhere you listen to podcasts, or watch the episodes on YouTube!

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and subscribe to our newsletter here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What you’ll learn

• How a Mississippi kid fell in love with food—and why gumbo, jambalaya, and cornbread still guide his palate
• Lessons from CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and NYC fine dining: precision, sourcing, and standards
• Bringing Italy home: seasonality, transparency, and honest cuisine (North Atlantic scallops, Alabama tuna, Two Dog Farm veg)
• Opening Pulito Osteria in Bellhaven: educating guests on osteria-style menus & family-style sharing
• Building community: sourcing locally, taking care of staff, and giving back
• Aiming high: the Michelin Guide American South and what star-level focus looks like in Jackson

Episode highlights

• Tomato season, passata & basil: why less is more
• Why guest experience starts with staff lineup & family meal
• Owning the neighborhood: Pulito, Rowan’s (Chaz’s bar), and a restored 1928 gas-station event space

You can visit Pulito Osteria and Rowan’s (Chaz’s dive bar) in Jackson, Mississippi in the Bellhaven Town Center. 

To learn more about Pulito Osteria, visit www.pulitojackson.com.

You can follow Pulito Osteria on Instagram @pulito_osteria; Chaz Lindsay at @chazzyl; and Rowan’s at @rowansjeffersonst. 

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack.