Let's Talk The Future of Food is You
YFIF #12: January 23 2024
Hi friends! Happy Tuesday. I hope the winter blues haven’t gotten to you (or the summer slump if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). This week, I’ve been leaning into deep green veggies sauteed with a pat of butter and some spices. I got ambitious on a grocery run, had too many greens, and made a quick blender sauce that I added to pasta. I hope you’re having some lovely comforting meals, whether homemade or in a cosy restaurant.
Thank you to the 23 new subscribers who joined this week! So excited to have you here!
This week’s issue is all about another one of my food-related projects. Since November 2022, I’ve been the host of The Future of Food is You, a podcast on Cherry Bombe’s Podcast Network. I sit down with emerging talents in the food world and they share their journeys, dreams, and aspirations. I want to talk about how the show started, some personal reflections after recording 44 episodes, and some favourite episodes from the archives.
We took a long break but I’m so excited to announce that we are back with new episodes starting this Thursday, January 25th. Our first episode is with food scientist Laura Katz, founder and CEO of Helaina. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, , or wherever you listen to podcasts!
If you’re not familiar with Cherry Bombe, it is a media company dedicated to celebrating women in and around the world of food and drink. It was started about 11 years ago by my boss and mentor, Kerry Diamond, as a response to the broey culture in food media and to create a space supporting women navigating the industry. Each year, Cherry Bombe publishes four beautiful print magazines, has three podcasts in their network, hosts over 20 community events, and has Jubilbee, a food conference celebrating incredible women. Check out the website for more info!
I often get asked, “How did you get to work on this podcast?” During the pandemic, I attended almost all of Cherry Bombe’s Bombesquad (the member community) meetups and events as a way to find community. At the end of each event, there was an audience Q&A and I made it my goal to ask a thoughtful question when the time came. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask legends like Madhur Jaffrey or moguls like Ellen Marie Bennett how they knew a career in food was the right choice or advice they would give to a founder. Kerry and the Cherry Bombe team noticed and jokingly mentioned that someone should give me a show.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021. Kerry and I meet up for a sweet treat at Malai, an ice cream shop in Cobble Hill. She had mentioned that she was thinking of expanding Radio Cherry Bombe into a podcast network and wanted me to host a show To quote the great Nene Leakes, I was in shock, in tears almost. I couldn’t believe that I was getting this opportunity and kept wondering “Why me?”. I don’t remember the exact words but Kerry mentioned how she loved the way I asked questions and I seemed to have a good pulse on what was happening in the food world as evident from what I was sharing on Instagram. “You seem to be at every pop-up and trying every food brand.”
Kerry wanted the show to focus on the rising stars in and around food. Who were the people who are working on exciting projects and will be the face of food in the next few decades? Where is the next Ina Garten? She gave me some time to think it over and figure out the format.
With limited podcast interviewing experience, I reached out to a few industry pals to see if they would be trial guests. Working on those first few episodes taught me how to research effectively to prepare questions, how to work with a production team to bring each episode to life, and most importantly how to create a safe space where guests can feel comfortable talking about their ambitions, their vulnerabilities, and what they think they can do to make food a better place.
Recording in a studio is an experience! I feel like NPR legend Terry Gross each time I don the headphones over my ears. For many of our guests, it's their first time being on a podcast and it feels more special doing it in such a legit environment. In November 2022, we recorded our first four episodes and published them on Radio Cherry Bombe’s podcast feed. I think it was a great way to preview the podcast and also gauge interest. Those episodes were well-loved and we even made the Apple Podcast Charts for a few weeks.
This was great preparation to start recording in 2023. It was an incredible year and what a joy it was to work with an incredible team (thank you, Catherine, Jenna, Londyn, Katherine, Londyn, Donna, and KMS, our fearless CEO!) to produce 40 episodes and host 3 community events in Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia. Within 6 months of the show going live, I won a James Beard Award for Emerging Voice in Broadcast Journalism! What an award to receive so early into this project.
In anticipation of a new year of episodes, I’ve spent the last few weeks relistening to our archive, reflecting on how the year went, and manifesting what the future can be. Listening back to these episodes has been so soothing and has been an exercise in getting over hating the sound of my voice.
I learn so much from our guests and as someone figuring out how to make their mark in the food world, it’s empowering to know there are others out there who are in a similar boat to me and doing great things. Our guests are building companies, creating CPG products, opening up shops, writing cookbooks and articles, and working on projects that will make us appreciate food in such a beautiful way. Life is not linear and each guest has figured out what they are doing through rejection, redirection, grit and hustle. I especially get emotional listening to the voicemails that our guests leave at the end of the show. You can hear the positive affirmations, the words of encouragement, and the friendly reminders to embrace the journey. The future of food is in great hands. I can’t wait till we play it back for them in 10 years :)
The show has also been a huge contributor to my personal growth. It has deepened my appreciation for food, made me more particular about the food experiences I’m seeking out, and made me a better storyteller. It’s also given me a chance to work on being more consistent with my creative projects. Having this many reps under my belt has been pivotal in identifying the things I enjoy doing, the things I’m good at, and the things I need to improve on. The confidence I’m building on is inspiring me to figure out what other ways I can share stories in food. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I’m excited to see all the other things it brings me.
To give you a sense of the show, I wanted to share some episodes that sparked joy for me. Whether you want to understand a facet of the food industry or need some inspiration for your 2024 goals. There are so many other episodes I didn’t include so check out all 44 episodes here and please let me know which ones sparked joy!
WRITING A COOKBOOK
Sarah and Kaitlin Leung of Woks of Life
The sisters started a blog with their parents chronilcing their lives, their love of food, Chinese-American cuisine and the intricacies between two distinct cultures. I loved chatting with them about the decision to write a cookbook while having decades worth of recipes, the ins and outs of blog writing, and what authenticity means for Chinese-American cuisine. So much advice for those who want to write consistently.
Roya worked on a beautiful cookbook with her incredible mom chronicling their Iranian-American heritage. She did this while running social impact and partnership at Glossier and it’s chock full of information on navigating the cookbook writing process without an agent.
WORK IN FOOD MEDIA
Lyndsay Green of Detroit Free Press
Lyndsay’s work is a testament to the impact of local journalism, especially for cultural topics like food. As the Restaurant and Dining Critic for the Detriot Free Press, I really enjoyed learning more about her approach to food writing and the importance of representation as one of the only Black female critics in the United States. Also, Lynsday is a James-Beard award-winning journalist and one of the few food writers nominated for a Pulitzer in Criticism.
Aliza Abarbanel and Tanya Bush of Cake Zine
I’m a sucker for a well-published indie print magazine and Cake Zine is one of my favourites! Aliza and Tanya are darlings of the New York food media scene and it was awesome to hear about the friendship that sparked this much-loved zine and how they think about each issue. They also have such refreshing takes on the food media industry and Aliza gives great advice on how to pitch to big publications. Tanya is also the pastry chef at Brooklyn restaurant Little Egg and is working on her debut cookbook set to come out in 2025.
UNDERSTAND CPG BRANDS
As a child who grew up loving sardines, it was great to see tinned fish have a moment in the limelight. Becca is an exceptional founder and a dear friend and you can feel her enthusiasm when she talks about approaching the seafood industry with little knowledge, the state of raising capital, and what the future holds for food brands. If you’re thinking about starting a CPG brand or want to understand the process, I cannot recommend this episode enough.
START YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Step into Big Night and you enter a food lover’s paradise. The shelves are filled with a solid curation of products, decor goods that will brighten up any home, and a fridge full of delicious beverages. Katherine brings her experience from Teen Vogue, J Crew, and The Infatuation and we had a great conversation about how these jobs were instrumental in building the speciality store. I learned so much about what goes into building a space, the current state of lifestyle businesses, and what goes into a fun partnership. Big NIght has two stores in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and West Village, Manhattan. They also ship nationwide (website here) so you can join in on the fun!
Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport of BEM
I love bookstores and can spend hours just perusing through the stacks leaving with more finds for my collection. I especially love mission-driven bookstores like BEM. Gabrielle and Danielle are the sisters behind the bookstore dedicated to Black literature and food. Each book they carry in their store must be written by a Black author and there must be some reference to food in their work. The Davenport sisters give great insights into the world of publishing, why we need more diverse bookstores and the importance of community spaces. They’re hoping to open a physical location soon but in the meantime, check out their website and look out for their popups.
Odette Olavarri of Odette Bakery
Odette’s episode was our most listened to in 2023. She has a beautiful story of not pandering to convention and following her dreams, how her time at Le Cordon Bleu shaped her relationship with food, and how she operates one of the buzziest bakeries in Mexico City.
Aimee France of YungKombucha420
Aimee taught herself how to bake throughout the pandemic and decided to take the leap and become a full-time cake artist post-grad. Aimee and I had a really honest conversation about the realities of running a food business primarily on Instagram and the systems and boundaries she has created to support her. A great episode if you’re thinking of growing your online business.
BECOME A RECIPE DEVELOPER
I admire Ifrah’s approach to connecting to her Somali culture through food. From making anjero burritos, hosting pop-ups, and writing recipes for publications like the New York Times, she is a great inspiration for anyone eager to improve their recipe development skills. Ifrah also just announced her cookbook deal and I can’t wait to snag a copy in 2025!
BUILD A COMMUNITY
I love how intentionally Kate has built her business, Create Dinners, around community and creating comforting dinners. Kate has great insights on how to build a community-forward business, what goes into a perfect dinner party, and how to secure brand partnerships.
If you’re into podcasts or are looking for more food content to fill you up, I hope you listen to The Future of Food is You. I know this is a huge ask but if you love the show, please leave us a rating and a review on your favourite platform! The feedback is helpful in improving the show and also ratings help us gain relevancy! Thank you in advance :)
Also, if you’re in Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, we’re bringing the show to you! Stay tuned for more dates and info!!
Eat well and be well!
Your friend in food
Cheers,
Abena
This is such a good lesson in the value of showing up and staying curious. Can’t wait to keep listening in this year and to see the show come to Chicago!