From Selling Shaved Ice to Scaling a National Food Empire

In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Gaston Becherano Cohen, CEO of Smorgasburg—the largest weekly open-air food market in the U.S. Gaston shares how a solo trip to Japan reignited his entrepreneurial drive and ultimately led him from shaved ice vendor to acquiring the entire Smorgasburg brand. His journey includes launching, and losing, a café during COVID, starting over in Miami, and building markets that now draw millions of visitors.

He speaks candidly about scaling with lean teams, trusting his instincts, and launching his Japanese tea brand, Motorcycle Matcha. This conversation dives deep into the mindset, resilience, and strategic pivots behind building a cultural institution rooted in food, community, and creativity. Subscribe, share with a fellow founder, and leave a review if this episode resonated with you!

Chapters:
02:56 – Leaving IBM: Realizing He Wasn’t Built for Corporate Life|
03:54 – A Solo Trip to Japan That Changed His Trajectory
04:26 – Discovering Hospitality as His Lane
08:58 – Getting Accepted as a Shaved Ice Vendor in Brooklyn
09:49 – Launching Bonsai Café and Learning the Business
11:24 – COVID Hits: Closing the Café and Moving Back to Miami
14:00 – Starting Over with a Farmers Market in Aventura
18:48 – Seeing the Vision for Smorgasburg Miami
20:05 – Convincing the Landlords and Licensing the Brand
22:25 – The Grueling Process of Getting Permits Approved
24:56 – Opening Day in Wynwood: 15,000 Attendees and Flying Tents
27:38 – Sustaining Demand Week After Week
28:20 – Acquiring the Entire Smorgasburg Brand
30:51 – Reframing Entrepreneurship as a “Grand Adventure”
32:01 – Building Motorcycle Matcha in the Japanese Countryside
34:00 – Sourcing, Storytelling, and Building a Passion-Driven Brand
36:17 – Growing Up in a Tight-Knit, Entrepreneurial Community
38:40 – “Entrepreneurship Is Like Riding a Motorcycle”
41:15 – Gaston’s Vision for Smorgasburg as a National Incubator
43:58 – The Emotional Cost of Growth and Staying Positive
45:57 – Detaching From the Rollercoaster of Business
48:30 – Running Lean: 16 Full-Time Staff, Millions of Visitors
49:51 – Leadership Through Empowerment and Humility
51:50 – Advice to Younger Gaston: Enjoy the Ride
58:45 – The Magic of Type 2 Fun in Entrepreneurship
1:00:09 – Final Words: Start Young, Start Naive, Start Now

Guest Links:
Website: Smorgasburg.com
Instagram: @gastonbecherano
@​​smorgasburgmiami

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