In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Beth Le Manach, creator of Entertaining with Beth and author of Entertaining 101. Beth shares how she turned her love of home cooking and hosting into a thriving digital media brand — from her early days at Scripps and Food Network to building a YouTube channel with over 600,000 subscribers. 

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!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Catherine De Orio — food & lifestyle media personality, former host of “Check, Please!” Chicago, executive director of the Foundation for Culinary Arts, and founder of Casa De Orio, a new media brand celebrating la dolce vita.

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!

What if restaurants could understand every guest and their personal preferences across reservations, private dining, e-commerce, and events — all in one place? That’s the vision behind Panso, the 360 degree hospitality CRM platform founded by Britney Ziegler.

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.

What does it really take to get a cookbook published today? I sat down with Sally Ekus, lead of and senior literary agent at The Ekus Group (now a division of JVNLA), to explore the intersection of food, publishing, and entrepreneurship.

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.

• 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

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.

From a five-time James Beard Award nominee to a tech co-founder reshaping hospitality, Matt Jennings has worn many hats — chef, restaurateur, author, and now tech entrepreneur with MAJC.ai.

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.

“Honest cuisine”: That’s probably my favorite phrase now for seasonal or farm-to-table cooking. Thanks to Chef Chaz Lindsay, you can have the most honest, delicious Italian-Mississippi cuisine at Pulito Osteria. Chef Chaz Lindsay went from the high-pressure kitchens of Eleven Madison Park and Colicchio & Sons/Craft to building a soulful, seasonal osteria in Jackson, Mississippi. In this episode, Chaz shares how Italian simplicity, Mississippi produce, and a “people-first” culture shaped Pulito Osteria—where 90% of the vegetables come from local farms and pasta is made by hand daily.

• 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

• 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.

You’ve had cold brew coffee, but have you heard of cold brew chai? Sinwise Farms founder Joshua Chemparathy has created the first canned cold brew chai and gorgeous canned coffee, all with single origin tea, coffee, and spices from his family’s farm in Kerala, South India. 

It’s hard to believe Josh and I have known each other for about 15 years now, thanks to being in the same co-ed business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, at Santa Clara University. He’s always been so cool, calm, and collected, and now he has the coolest chai around! We chat through how AKPsi shaped us as we entered the real world for our careers, Josh’s family history on the farm, and how he’s reshaping a tradition to share it with a broader Western audience. In a lot of ways, Josh has gone back to his roots—honoring Indian flavors and shaping how they’re served on a more scalable level with his engineer’s brain. 

• From Kerala roots to Bay Area founder: farm memories, flavor, and first omelet
• Why cold-brew chai (and how it’s different from “chai tea”)
• Building farm-to-can supply chains: cardamom, coconut, coffee & tea
• The canning breakthrough, shelf stability, and doing R&D solo
• Rebranding Sinwise Farms → Kathas and moving from oat to coconut milk
• Wholesale growth, pricing realities, and the long game vs. “overnight success”

• Geography: Kerala 🇮🇳 → Bay Area, CA
• Retail: Specialty grocers + Whole Foods NorCal
• Product: RTD cold-brew chai & coffee, single-origin spices, small-batch

You can find Sinwise Farms products in Whole Foods stores across Northern California, Berkeley Bowl, Gus’s Market in San Francisco, and other specialty grocers across the Bay Area. 

You also can purchase Sinwise Farms and learn more about the brand’s story at www.sinwisefarms.com. 

You can follow Sinwise Farms on Instagram @sinwisefarms. 

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 sign up for our newsletter on Substack.

On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Belinda Kelly and Venice Cunningham, the sister duo behind the Simple Goodness Sisters, authors of the new cocktail recipe book Drink Your Garden.

Belinda and Venice share how they went from corporate jobs in tech to creating the world’s first cocktail farm, launching a mobile bar business, and building a thriving CPG brand around their seasonal, farm-to-glass cocktail syrups. They discuss the inspiration behind Drink Your Garden, tips for growing your own cocktail-friendly herbs and edible flowers, and how to make elevated drinks at home without wasting ingredients.

This episode is packed with insights for food & beverage entrepreneurs, cocktail enthusiasts, and anyone curious about scaling a business that blends farming, flavor, and community.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How the Simple Goodness Sisters turned a farm and a mobile bar into a full-fledged CPG brand.
• The role of edible flowers and herbs in making cocktails truly special.
• The business challenges of launching in food & beverage—and how they navigated licensing, scaling, and distribution.
• Why Drink Your Garden is more than just a recipe book—it’s a guide to making the most of every ingredient.
• Lessons on resilience, community, and asking for help when growing a business.

About the Simple Goodness Sisters:

Belinda Kelly and Venice Cunningham founded Simple Goodness Sisters in Wilkeson, Washington, where they grow herbs and edible flowers for cocktails and produce their own line of syrups. Their Soda Shop tasting room and CPG mixers bring farm-fresh flavors to bar carts nationwide. Their book, Drink Your Garden, teaches home bartenders how to grow, mix, and sip seasonally. 

To purchase Simple Goodness Sisters syrups, join the Cocktail Farm Club, or order your own copy of Drink Your Garden, visit www.simplegoodnesssisters.com. You can also purchase Drink Your Garden at any major book retailers. 

You can visit the Simple Goodness Soda Shop in Wilkeson, Washington. 

You can follow the Simple Goodness Sisters on Instagram @simplegoodnesssisters. 

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 the newsletter on Substack.

What do you get when you mix Michelin-starred training with playful storytelling, rubber duckies, and dry ice? For Chef Donald Young, the answer is Duck Sel—Chicago’s most whimsical private dining and popup experience.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins dives into Don’s journey: from growing up with a plain palate in the Midwest to training under iconic French chefs (like Roland Liccioni), cooking in France, earning a Michelin star at an incredibly young age, and ultimately creating Duck Sel, his passion project blending high-end cuisine with a sense of fun.

Don shares the challenges of building a business out of private dinners, why resilience (and a few setbacks) shaped his career, and what it really takes to stand out as a chef in today’s food culture.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Chef Donald Young went from Culver’s to Michelin-starred kitchens
• The pivotal role mentors and French culinary training played in his career
• What it was like to earn a Michelin star as one of the youngest chefs in Chicago
• The origin of Duck Sel and how private dining experiences became his focus
• Lessons on resilience, entrepreneurship, and staying true to your culinary voice

To learn more about Duck Sel and to book tickets to the private dining experience in Chicago, you can visit www.ducksel.com. You also can book your spot at Duck Sel on Tock.

You can follow Duck Sel on Instagram @duck_sel and Donald at @donaldduckconfit.

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 the newsletter on Substack.

On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chef D’Andre Carter and Heather Bublick, the duo behind Soul & Smoke, one of Chicago’s most beloved barbecue brands.

From staging at Moto under Chef Homaro Cantu to running underground dinners, private catering, and eventually pivoting during the pandemic to launch Soul & Smoke, D’Andre and Heather share their remarkable journey. Today, their soulful barbecue can be found across Chicagoland, from Evanston to Soldier Field, alongside their signature sauces and rubs in stores.

They open up about the realities of building a business, growing a team of 50+, parenting while running multiple concepts, and why resilience, flexibility, and heart are key to entrepreneurial success.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How D’Andre & Heather met at Moto and trained under Chef Homaro Cantu
• The early days of underground dining and Feast & Imbibe catering
• Pivoting during the pandemic and working with World Central Kitchen
• Building Soul & Smoke into a multi-location barbecue brand
• The evolution of their menu and upcoming Evanston flagship restaurant
• Balancing family, entrepreneurship, and community impact

You can visit Soul & Smoke’s outposts throughout Chicagoland in Evanston; the Avondale neighborhood; Accenture Tower; and at Soldier Field. 

To learn more about Soul & Smoke or to purchase their sauces and rubs, head to www.soulandsmoke.com or www.hereheremarket.com.

You can follow Soul & Smoke on Instagram @soulandsmoke, along with Heather at @heatherbublick and D’Andre at @chefdandrecarter.

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 the newsletter on Substack.

Calling all wine lovers! 

This is our first episode with a winemaker extraordinaire. On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Janie Brooks Heuck, Managing Director of Brooks Wine, located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and named one of the Top 50 Wineries in the World.

Janie shares how she unexpectedly stepped into the wine industry after her brother Jimmy’s passing and how she has carried forward his vision of biodynamic farming, authentic winemaking, and a relentless focus on Riesling. Over two decades later, Brooks has become one of the most respected wineries in the world, celebrated for its farming practices, B Corp certification, and dedication to community impact.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The legacy of Jimmy Brooks and the founding philosophy of Brooks Wine
• What makes Oregon's Willamette Valley unique for world-class wine production
• How biodynamic farming impacts flavor, farming practices, and sustainability
• Why Brooks produces up to 17 different Rieslings each year
• The winery’s recognition as one of the Top 50 Wineries in the World
• The importance of B Corp certification and giving back to nonprofits
• The launch of the Wine Atlas Collective, a new wine club model
• Janie’s advice for entrepreneurs: why relationships matter most

You can visit Brooks Wine in Amity, Oregon. To learn more about Brooks Wine, and to sign up for their wine club and the nationwide Wine Atlas Collective, head to www.brookswine.com.

You can follow Brooks Wine on Instagram @brookswinery and Janie @janiebrooksheuck. 

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 the newsletter on Substack.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Paula Haines, CEO of Freedom a la Cart, a Columbus-based café, catering business, and nonprofit that helps survivors of human trafficking rebuild their lives through food and workforce development.

Paula shares how her journey from entrepreneurship and marketing led her to lead an organization that blends purpose and business through a unique social enterprise model. Freedom a la Cart offers survivors a pathway to employment, housing, and long-term stability — showing how food can be a catalyst for both healing and empowerment.

They discuss how the organization was built, the challenges of combining a business with a mission, and the incredible outcomes of their work, including a 7-to-1 social return on investment validated by Stanford Business School researchers.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How food became the foundation for healing and rebuilding lives
• The power of pairing entrepreneurship with social impact
• The impact of Freedom a la Cart’s workforce and housing programs
• How the organization built a sustainable model for long-term success
• The story behind Eat Up Columbus, their signature fundraising event
• Paula’s lessons in leadership, compassion, and resilience

To learn more about Freedom a la Cart, head to www.freedomalacart.org. You can visit Freedom’s cafe in Columbus at 123 E. Spring St. 

You can follow Freedom a la Cart on Instagram @freedomalacart. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chef Logan Neisel, the creative force behind North Coast Culinary Group — known for his innovative Prologue Dinner Series pop-ups and private dining experiences in Cleveland.

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!

Have you ever tried Nam Prik Pao?

It’s maybe one of the greatest condiments EVER! In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins talks with Palita Sriratana, the founder of Pink Salt Kitchens and the creator behind the cult-favorite Thai chili jam Nam Prik Pao.

Palita’s journey is anything but ordinary. From growing up in Bloomington, Illinois, learning family recipes alongside her grandmother, to walking away from a pre-med path to follow her passion for food, she’s turned creativity, culture, and persistence into one of the most exciting new brands in the Asian CPG category.

Palita shares how her pop-up dinners evolved into a thriving consumer brand, how she built Nam Prik Pao into a nationwide favorite featured on Chopped and at retailers like Fresh Thyme and Here Here Market, and why she believes in doing things slowly, authentically, and with intention.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Palita turned a small pop-up kitchen into a CPG success story
• The origin story of Nam Prik Pao and how it became a pantry essential
• Why balancing tradition and innovation is key to modern Thai cooking
• How Palita bootstrapped her brand while staying true to her heritage
• The power of storytelling, culture, and design in building a food brand
• What it means to grow a business with intention during challenging times

To learn more about Pink Salt Kitchens and Nam Prik Pao, head to www.pinksaltkitchens.com.

You can buy Nam Prik Pao and have it shipped nationwide on www.hereheremarket.com. 

You can follow Palita at @hi.palita and Pink Salt Kitchens @pinksaltkitchens on Instagram. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chef BJ Lieberman, the award-winning restaurateur behind Chapman’s Eat Market, Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge, and Metsi’s Wood-Fired Italian — three of Columbus’s most beloved culinary concepts.

BJ shares how he transitioned from graphic design to culinary arts, his time earning Michelin stars at Rose’s Luxury and Little Pearl in Washington DC, and the decision that brought him to Ohio to build restaurants that feel as timeless as they are innovative. From neighborhood dining to jazz lounges and wood-fired Italian concepts, BJ’s vision is rooted in community, culture, and craft.

He also discusses his deep involvement with Freedom a la Cart, a non-profit helping survivors of human trafficking through culinary training and job placement — and how purpose and hospitality intersect in his work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How BJ shifted from marketing to Michelin-starred chef and restaurant owner
• What it takes to open and sustain multiple venues in a competitive food scene
• How to build a team-driven culture in the restaurant industry
• Why storytelling and history are essential ingredients in his food
• The importance of mentorship and purpose-driven leadership in hospitality
• His work with Freedom a la Cart and the upcoming Eat Up benefit event

You can visit Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge and Metsi’s Wood-Fired Italian in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus. 

You can follow BJ Lieberman on Instagram @bjlieberman; Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge @gingerrabbitjazz; and Metsi’s Wood-Fired Italian @eatmetsis.

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Franco Fubini, founder and CEO of Natoora, the global produce company redefining how we grow, source, and eat food.

For over 20 years, Franco has been leading a quiet food revolution — rebuilding supply chains to prioritize flavor, transparency, and seasonality. His new book, In Search of the Perfect Peach, is both a memoir and manifesto for how we can reconnect with nature through food.

Franco shares his journey from growing up between Argentina and Europe to working in finance in New York, and the pivotal moment that inspired him to leave banking to build Natoora, a mission-driven company that now spans London, New York, and Melbourne.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How flavor can guide more sustainable food choices
• Why our food system lost its connection to nature and how to fix it
• How Franco built Natoora from a scrappy startup to a global force for good
• The story behind In Search of the Perfect Peach and why peaches symbolize more than just fruit
• Why eating seasonally and locally matters for your health and the planet
• What Franco believes we can all do, as consumers, to create change through food

To learn more about Natoora and sign up for its services, visit www.natoora.com/en-US.

You can follow Natoora on Instagram @natoora and Franco Fubini @franconatoora. 

You can buy “In Search of The Perfect Peach” online and at major bookstores. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

 In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Lauren Culley, cofounder and owner of Fox in the Snow Café, one of Columbus, Ohio’s most beloved third-space gathering spots. Known for its overflowing pastry cases, warm hospitality, and that legendary egg sandwich, Fox in the Snow has grown from a converted garage into a citywide institution with four (and counting) locations.

Lauren shares her unexpected journey from book publishing in New York to the kitchen at Blue Bottle Coffee, where she met her husband and co-founder Jeff. Together, they moved back to Ohio to build something authentic, handmade, and community-driven. She opens up about the leap of faith it took to start a business, the power of instincts, and why she still doesn’t offer Wi-Fi at her cafés a decade later.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Lauren transitioned from publishing to pastry without formal culinary training
• The founding story behind Fox in the Snow and its iconic logo
• How Columbus helped shape the brand and its growth
• Why she believes community and connection are the secret ingredients to success
• How she balances quality and scale as Fox in the Snow expands across Ohio
• Her advice for entrepreneurs on trusting your gut and evolving with your business

You can visit Fox in the Snow at its locations throughout Columbus, including: Dublin, German Village, Italian Village, and New Albany. Visit www.foxinthesnow.com to learn more and pre-order a large order. 

You can follow Fox in the Snow on Instagram at @foxinthesnowcafe. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Christine Cikowski, co-founder and co-owner of Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Sunday Dinner Club, two Chicago dining institutions rooted in comfort, community, and care.

Christine shares her unexpected journey from music business graduate to culinary entrepreneur, and how she built one of Chicago’s most iconic neighborhood restaurants. She opens up about the early days of Sunday Dinner Club, the magical accident that led to Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s signature dish, and how she and her partner Josh Kulp turned a humble idea into a phenomenon.

From navigating expansion and closing a suburban location, to cultivating a workplace where mistakes are part of growth, Christine’s story is a masterclass in leadership, humility, and hospitality.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Honey Butter Fried Chicken was born from an accidental recipe twist
• What it takes to build a restaurant brand with purpose and personality
• How to lead with empathy — and learn to be “really good at being wrong”
• The lessons of failure, resilience, and community through COVID and beyond
• How mentorship, creativity, and Zingerman’s philosophy shaped her approach to business

Make sure to visit Honey Butter Fried Chicken and TriBecca’s Sandwich Shop in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago. You can sign up for the Sunday Dinner Club tasting series at www.sundaydinnerclub.com. 

You can follow Honey Butter Fried chicken on Instagram at @honeybutterchi; Sunday Dinner Club @sundaydinnerchi; TriBecca’s Sandwich Shop @tribeccassandwichshop; and Christine @christinecikowski.

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins chats with Brett Brohl, Managing Partner of Bread & Butter Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund based in Minnesota investing in the future of food, agriculture, and health tech.

Brett’s story is one of transformation—from serial entrepreneur and startup founder to one of the most active early-stage investors in the Midwest. He shares how he built his first e-commerce company from scratch, learned from failure, and eventually turned those lessons into a fund that supports founders reimagining the global food system.

From robotics and AI to sustainable supply chains, Brett explains how Bread & Butter Ventures helps founders tackling massive problems—and what he looks for in the next great food entrepreneur.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Brett went from selling cookies as a kid to investing in the next generation of food tech founders
• What it really takes to raise and scale a venture fund
• Why Bread & Butter Ventures focuses on food, ag tech, and health innovation
• The traits investors look for when backing early-stage startups
• Why Brett says to “get really good at being wrong” and “just start doing something”
• How robotics, AI, and supply chain innovation are shaping the future of food

To learn more about Bread & Butter Ventures, an early stage investment firm in the food and ag tech space, visit www.breadandbutterventures.com. You can even sign up for office hours with Brett and his team on the site! 

You can connect with Brett and learn more about Bread & Butter Ventures on LinkedIn. 

Want some entrepreneurial tips? Check out Brett’s YouTube channel, Brett’s Brain! 

I also promised in the episode I’d include these really soothing videos of pizzas getting topped by a robot by XRobotics here. Enjoy!

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins talks with Alana Bralsford and Eve Williamson, the London-based co-founders of Served App, an innovative platform helping restaurants become more transparent about food allergens and dietary information.

What started as an engineering project at Imperial College London quickly became a mission to make dining safer, easier, and more inclusive for people with food allergies. Eve, who has lived with severe peanut and tree nut allergies, and Alana, who brings empathy from the hospitality side, have built a platform that bridges communication between restaurants and guests.

Now partnered with major restaurant brands like Dishoom, and backed by Techstars’ Future of Food program, Served App is helping both diners and restaurant teams communicate better, build trust, and create a new global standard for allergen transparency.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How food allergies inspired the creation of Served App
• What makes Served App different from other restaurant tech tools
• How the founders went from Imperial College students to Techstars alumni
• The lessons they learned about building trust between diners and restaurants
• Why they believe transparency can be both ethical and profitable for the industry
• What’s next for Served App as they expand beyond the UK

To learn more about the Served App, visit www.served-app.com.

You can follow Served on Instagram and TikTok at @served.app and on LinkedIn. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins reconnects with childhood friend turned Michelin-starred chef, Henry Hill, founder of Hill’s Research Kitchen.

Henry’s story spans continents and kitchens — from legendary restaurants like Eleven Madison Park and Dusek’s in Chicago, to his current work driving food innovation and product development at his consultancy, Hill’s Research Kitchen.

He shares his early culinary inspirations, his time under some of the industry’s most demanding mentors, and how those experiences shaped his leadership philosophy and passion for innovation. Henry reflects on the reality of the restaurant industry, the burnout that often accompanies perfection, and the transition from service to science — bringing chef-driven creativity into the world of packaged foods and consumer products.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Henry’s first Michelin Star came from redefining leadership and kitchen culture
• What he learned working under Chef Daniel Humm and James Kent at Eleven Madison Park
• Why he left fine dining to found Hill’s Research Kitchen, merging culinary artistry with innovation
• His approach to food science, product development, and flavor creation
• Why variety and balance are the future of sustainable food innovation
• How his “perfect bite” philosophy blends taste, art, and science

To learn more about Hill’s Research Kitchen, head to www.researchkitchen.com. 

You can follow Henry on social media @chefhenryhill.

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 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 Jake Simon, Co-Founder and CEO of ConnectedFresh, a company using IoT sensors and predictive analytics to help restaurants protect their food, save money, and operate more sustainably.

Jake shares how a friend’s spoiled produce sparked the idea for ConnectedFresh and how his background at Deloitte’s smart sensor division inspired him to create a scalable, affordable solution for restaurant operators. From real-time temperature monitoring to predictive maintenance and food waste reduction, ConnectedFresh gives kitchens a smarter, safer way to manage their operations.

He also dives into the human side of hospitality — why tech should serve people, not replace them — and how automation helps chefs and teams focus more on great food and guest experience, not manual tasks.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How ConnectedFresh is redefining food safety for restaurants and QSRs
• What makes IoT sensors so valuable in kitchen operations
• How automation can save restaurants thousands of dollars in lost inventory
• Why building trust is the hardest (and most rewarding) part of food tech
• How ConnectedFresh helps reduce food waste and improve sustainability
• The balance between data, hospitality, and the human touch in restaurant innovation

To learn more about ConnectedFresh, head to www.connectedfresh.com. 

You can follow ConnectedFresh and Jake Simon on LinkedIn. 

Heading to the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago May 17-20, 2025? Make sure to find ConnectedFresh’s booth! 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Disha Gulati, the visionary founder and CEO of Here Here Market, a Chicago-based online marketplace that helps chefs, artisans, and emerging CPG brands launch products and build profitable businesses.

After a decade in corporate roles at Deloitte and Mondelez International, Disha took the leap into entrepreneurship and built a platform that bridges hospitality and consumer goods—giving restaurant creators and food innovators a direct path to market.

She shares how a pandemic-era pivot transformed Here Here Market from a group-dining app into a thriving two-sided marketplace supporting over 300 brands and more than 900 SKUs. From James Beard Award-winning chef partnerships to data-driven insights for emerging brands, Disha and her team are building the next generation of food entrepreneurship.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Here Here Market empowers chefs and CPG brands to sell directly to fans and shoppers
• What Disha learned from her years at Deloitte and Mondelez about data and brand building
• Why food tech and hospitality need each other to thrive
• How the James Beard Foundation partnership became a pivotal moment for Here Here Market
• Her advice for founders navigating pivots, fundraising, and entrepreneurial resilience

To shop Here Here Market, head to hereheremarket.com. 

You can follow Here Here Market on social media @hereheremkt and Disha Gulati on LinkedIn, as well as her Instagram @chitown_disha. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chef Zubair Mohajir, the creative force behind Lilac Tiger, Coach House, Mirra, and Sarima Café—four of Chicago’s most inventive and culture-forward restaurants.

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 episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Xavier Rocabado, CEO and co-founder of Bairu, a fast-growing food tech startup from Bolivia helping restaurants across Latin America manage sales, communication, and payments through WhatsApp commerce.

What started as a simple digital kiosk idea for a friend’s restaurant has evolved into a full-scale platform streamlining restaurant operations in Mexico, Ecuador, and Bolivia — and it’s only getting started.

Xavier shares how his team pivoted from hardware to software, integrating AI chatbots, payments (Stripe, Linxer, MercadoPago), and automation into an intuitive tool that helps restaurants connect with customers, reduce errors, and scale sales directly through WhatsApp.

He also discusses his experience going through Techstars’ Future of Food accelerator, being the first Bolivian founder to enter the program, and how he’s combining technology and humanity to improve the restaurant experience in emerging markets.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Bairu is transforming food tech in Latin America
• Why WhatsApp is the most powerful restaurant commerce tool in emerging markets
• What Xavier learned from the Techstars accelerator in the U.S.
• How food tech can preserve hospitality’s human touch
• The power of perseverance, pivots, and passion in entrepreneurship

To learn more about Bairu and download the app, please visit www.bairu.io.

You can connect with Xavier and the Bairu team on LinkedIn, Instagram at @bairu.io, and TikTok @bairu.io.

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Today's guest has paved the way for new world cuisine and modern cooking as we know it. In fact, you wouldn't have the word 'fusion' in the lexicon of cooking without him.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, I sit down with legendary chef, restaurateur, and James Beard Award winner Norman Van Aken. Known as the “Godfather of Fusion Cuisine,” Norman shares the extraordinary journey that took him from humble Midwest beginnings to Key West kitchens, Miami fine dining, and ultimately creating what we now know as New World Cuisine.

Norman opens up about:

• His unexpected path to the kitchen (including a near-death experience at a carnival)
• The moment he fell in love with Key West and Caribbean flavors
• Why James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking changed his life
• How he coined the word “fusion” and redefined modern American dining
• Building Norman’s into one of Florida’s most iconic restaurants
• The importance of resilience, storytelling, and living a creative, full life
• His advice for young chefs and entrepreneurs finding their voice

Norman discusses his culinary journey with us, the beautiful friendships he has made along the way (such as his late ‘brother’ Charlie Trotter and honoring the great Jacques Pépin for his 90th birthday), along with the prolific books that made an impact on his life philosophies and menus. This episode is packed with stories of food, history, and wisdom from one of America’s most influential culinary figures.

You can visit Norman’s in Orlando, Florida. 

Make sure to follow Chef Norman on Instagram (@normanvanaken), Facebook, and his Substack—he’s a captivating writer!

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Meet Luisa Castellanos and Andy Freivogel, co-founders of Science On Call — the startup that helps restaurants manage everything from point-of-sale crashes to online ordering breakdowns, all while keeping humanity at the heart of hospitality tech.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins talks with Luisa and Andy about:

• Their entrepreneurial journeys from ice cream shops, coffee houses, and IT consulting to launching Science On Call
• How they support restaurants through tech failures with empathy and AI-driven solutions
• Their experience launching in 2020 — right as the pandemic hit — and how it shaped their mission
• The future of restaurant tech, AI, and why empathy is as important as efficiency
• Their advice for entrepreneurs building in food, tech, and beyond

Whether you’re a restaurant operator, a food tech founder, or just curious about the hidden systems that power hospitality, this episode pulls back the curtain on the tech that makes your dining experience seamless.

I’m so happy I got to chat with my Science On Call friends, co-founders Luisa Castellanos and Andy Freivogel. They really are a dream team, 10 years of work together in the making. Both bring backgrounds not only in technology, but also the hospitality industry, making sure to infuse their software with the same empathy you get with someone face-to-face at your favorite restaurants. Each of them has their strengths, and they recognize this in their team of now over 30 employees. It may sound counterintuitive, but the Science On Call team is happiest when you can’t recognize their technology hard at work—only the smooth interactions between restaurants and guests. 

Learn more about Science On Call at www.scienceoncall.com.

You can follow Science On Call on Instagram @scienceoncall or on LinkedIn. 

You also can find Luisa and Andy on LinkedIn.  

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Have you ever heard of a Chicago style bagel? Thanks to Tilly Bagel, now you have — and they might just rival New York’s bagel crown.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with founders Hannah Tillet-Banaszak (pastry chef alum of Top Chef Stephanie Izard's Girl & The Goat and Michelin-starred BOKA) and Mike Banaszak (acclaimed architect turned entrepreneur) to talk about how they turned a pandemic project into one of Chicago’s most buzzed-about food businesses.

Hannah & Mike share:

• How Hannah’s culinary career at Chicago’s top restaurants shaped Tilly Bagel
• The leap from farmer’s markets and bike deliveries to a sold-out South Loop storefront
• What makes a “Chicago-style bagel” different from New York’s
• The challenges of scaling from a side hustle to a growing team of 20+
• Why employee benefits, pay equity, and hospitality culture are core to their mission
• How they prepared to open their second shop in Fulton Market in 2025

This is a story of entrepreneurship, innovation, and love for food — and how a couple with very different career paths built something uniquely Chicago.

Learn more about why Tilly Bagel became such a viral hit after their early days at the farmer’s market and how to sustainably grow a business in this space! 

You can visit Tilly Bagel in Chicago, Illinois in the South Loop and Fulton Market neighborhoods. Beat the rush by ordering ahead online!

You can follow Tilly Bagel on social media @tillybagel. 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

What does it mean to farm with chefs, sustainability, and flavor in mind?

This episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, I'm speaking with one of the hardest working entrepreneurs you'll ever meet. And no, he's not building the next tech unicorn. He's nourishing people around the world with his nutrient rich bites from The Chef's Garden and his infectious personality—it’s Farmer Lee Jones!

The iconic Farmer Lee Jones, founder of The Chef’s Garden, talks about his lifelong mission to grow vegetables responsibly and partner with some of the world’s best chefs.

Lee shares:

• The story of building The Chef’s Garden after losing his family farm
• How regenerative farming practices heal the soil and grow better flavor
• Why chefs from Thomas Keller to José Andrés trust his vegetables
• His thoughts on food waste, consumer education, and the future of farming
• The entrepreneurial lessons of resilience, creativity, and staying true to values

Farmer Lee heads up The Chef’s Garden, the Jones family-owned farm in Huron, Ohio, known for the last 40 years as the top source of the most flavorful and nutritious produce for renowned chefs around the world. Lee and his brother Bob Jr. took over the farm from dad Bob Sr., with regenerative farming practices resulting in produce with up to 300% the recommended nutrient levels by the USDA—they even have a lab onsite to test the biochemistry of the soil! Chefs from all over visit The Chef’s Garden’s Culinary Vegetable Institute to test new dishes and work with the most delicious produce you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. 

Farmer Lee has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, written The Chef’s Garden cookbook with his team, and now stars in The Chef’s Garden show on HOME.MADE.NATION—produced by the one and only Rachael Ray! 

You can visit The Chef’s Garden, the Culinary Vegetable Institute, and the Farm Market in Huron, Ohio. You also can order your own produce boxes from The Chef’s Garden, shipping nationwide, along with your own copy of “The Chef’s Garden” cookbook. 

You can watch The Chef’s Garden on HOME.MADE.NATION or Hulu. 

Follow Farmer Lee Jones on social media @farmerleejones and The Chef’s Garden at @thechefsgarden_ohio.

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Chef, musician, and entrepreneur — Chef Ed Porter has lived many lives through food. Our guest this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast is a renaissance person of all kinds, from the plate, to the studio, to your screens. Chef Ed Porter is a fine-dining-trained chef who also is an accomplished hip hop artist, and now, a documentary film director with his newest film, “The Food That Fuels”. I sit down with Chef Ed to talk about his culinary journey, his appearance on Netflix’s Pressure Cooker, and how music and entrepreneurship have shaped his life.

Ed shares:

• How he went from working in fine dining restaurants with Marcus Samuelsson to competing on Netflix’s Pressure Cooker
• The parallels between food and music — and why creativity connects both worlds
• Lessons from leading kitchens and building businesses in the restaurant industry
• The importance of mentorship, discipline, and resilience in hospitality
• Why food entrepreneurship is about more than cooking — it’s about storytelling and connection

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Chef Ed infuses culture and intention into everything he does. We talk about his days at the famed, Michelin-starred Aquavit, and how he found his way to something that was completely his own, coining the term “bicoastal cuisine” when he moved out to the Bay Area. From there, Chef Ed’s passion for storytelling and finding the “why” at the heart of everything grew, and his two sides—chef and creative—finally combined into the work he does today. Whether you know him from Pressure Cooker, his work in kitchens, or his music, Chef Ed Porter’s story is one of grit, creativity, and vision.

Follow Chef Ed on social media @officialedporter. You can visit his website, officialedporter.com, to learn more about his many projects. Be sure to view the trailer for his documentary, “The Food That Fuels,” here! 

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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Welcome to the FIRST episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, your fusion of food and entrepreneurship! We’re beyond excited to chat with this episode’s guest, Maneet Chauhan. She’s a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, from chef, to restaurateur, cookbook writer, television personality, James Beard Award winner, and so much more. Anytime you turn on the Food Network, there’s a good chance you’ll see Maneet’s smiling face and winning dishes, from “Chopped” to “Tournament of Champions,” to “Guy’s Grocery Games”. 

Maneet opens up about:

• Her early love of food and how Indian regional cuisines shaped her career
• Moving to the U.S. for the Culinary Institute of America and the challenges of breaking into the industry
• Redefining Indian food in America and making it approachable for all audiences
• Building restaurants in Nashville, including Chauhan Ale & Masala House and The Mockingbird and partnerships like Eet at Disney Springs
• Her philosophy of gratitude, resilience, and balancing family with entrepreneurship

Despite her fame and accomplishments, Maneet is one of the most humble people you’ll meet, sharing her secrets for an “attitude of gratitude” and how Saturday snuggles with her family keep her balanced. Learn how Maneet juggles it all—and what her perfect bite is. 

Follow Maneet on social media @maneetchauhan and be sure to visit her restaurants Chauhan Ale & Masala House and The Mockingbird in Nashville, and Eet at Disney Springs! 

You can learn more about The Trotter Project, a non-profit Maneet is a board member of, here.

Want to watch the entire interview? 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 visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Welcome to The Perfect Bite podcast, your fusion of food and entrepreneurship. I'm your host, Sarah Perkins.

The Perfect Bite isn’t just a bite of my career to date, from lifestyle journalist, to founder, to food & bev marketing enthusiast. It’s also a perfect bite of the different types of folks who bring you the food you love. You’ll hear stories from chefs, restaurateurs, CPG brands and more from the food and bev industry. All of them are at different points in their journeys, talking about their experiences, and how they've cooked up something new.

And everyone has a perfect bite. A recipe, a moment, a special time when they ate something so perfect, they’ll remember it forever, totally unique to their tastes. Make sure to rate, review and subscribe to The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. Now tell me … what’s your perfect bite?

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When Mark and Gail Elvidge’s son Tanner had a life-threatening reaction to peanuts, they knew they had to make a change. What started as a way to keep their family safe became Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, a pioneering allergen-friendly confectionery brand founded in 1998.

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!

What if dinner could be fresh, delicious, and stress-free—without hours in the kitchen?

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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What happens when you mix hometown pride, bold flavors, and decades of CPG experience? You get Local Style Potato Chips, Chicago’s favorite foods reimagined in snackable form.

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!

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Food is heritage, healing, and storytelling — and in her new cookbook Dal Chawal, Sapna Punjabi brings all of that to life.

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.

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I was so honored to join Colleen Silk on Hospitality Bites! You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Captivate. Read more about our chat below:

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

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

What do food, sports, and determination have in common? For Chef Dan Jacobs (DanDan, EsterEv, James Beard-recognized Top Chef alum) and Chicago pizza and media entrepreneur Billy Zureikat (Tripping Billy), they’re the foundation of friendship, creativity, and their new podcast Over the Line.

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.

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

Some guests walk into a conversation and immediately make you feel like you've known them forever. Emery Whalen is one of those people.

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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Eric Skae is the CEO and co-founder of Carbone Fine Food, the fastest growing pasta sauce brand in America. In just five years, Carbone Fine Food has gone from zero to over $130 million through the register, adding an average of 156,000 new households every single month. And before that, Eric ran Rao's, where he took it from the number six pasta sauce brand in America and set the foundation that would eventually make it the number one premium sauce in the country.

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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This week’s episode is our first ever MINI BITE! You get to learn so much in a shorter episode length. Enjoy!

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!

Thanks for being a supporter of The Perfect Bite! I’m gathering info about what you love about the show on this quick survey—I’m picking 5 random recipients for a $10 Starbucks gift card through Tuesday, January 20, 2026! You can fill it out here. Thanks! 

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!

What if non-alcoholic drinks were just as complex, cultural, and satisfying as craft cocktails?

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!

What makes a restaurant, winery, or culinary space truly memorable? It’s not just the food — it’s the experience.

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!

On this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Emily Groden, founder and CEO of Evergreen waffles, the better-for-you frozen waffle brand now sold in more than 8,500 grocery stores nationwide.



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!

On today’s episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with globally renowned chef Paul Liebrandt — the boundary-breaking culinary artist known for plates that blend British punk attitude with Michelin-level precision.

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!

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with pastry chef, food writer, and cookbook author Justin Burke, whose debut cookbook Potluck Desserts is redefining what comfort baking — and queer food — really mean.

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!

In this very special LIVE episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Kathleen “Katalina” Day, founder of Katalina’s Café, Columbus’s iconic brunch spot known for its Latin-leaning, Southern-slanted comfort food and 3 million-plus famous Pancake Balls™.

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!

In this special Podcasthon episode of The Perfect Bite, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Jake Tepperman, founder of Chicago Food Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues fresh, perishable food — produce, baked goods, prepared meals — from grocery stores, corporate offices, restaurants, and events, and delivers it directly to community organizations that feed people in need. No physical location. No warehouse. Just a network of volunteers, a powerful app, and a mission that is quietly changing how Chicago thinks about food waste and food access.

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!

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

What if instead of waiting for a big brand to buy you out, you just built something bigger on your own terms?

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!

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