My Food Job Rocks!

Pete Brennan is the Co-Founder of Soñar! Foods. A mission-driven company that sells plant powered tortilla chips. Pete might have started his own food business, but he is a veteran in the food industry. With experience from E&J Gallo Winery, Kelloggs, Foster Farms, and Zola, Pete’s specialty is marketing big brands. He teamed up with the best person he knew to start Soñar! Foods, his wife, Maria. Pete and I met at the Fancy Food Show, and again at the Alt Protein show. Pete’s a go-getter and cares about his community and every time I’m on LinkedIn, I see pallets of his chips get delivered to the nearest community market. The best part about this family business is that they really do care about doing good in the world, as 1% of their annual sales goes to helping the Latino community. Learn more about the amazing origin of this on-fire startup, its mission, and the shoulders it stood on, to be successful, and perhaps the content of this interview allows you to explore what good you can do in your world Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Fancy Food Show Lauren Joyner Alt Protein Show Will Holsworth What do you tell people?: I’m a food entrepreneur who wants to make a better world What do you make?: We’re on a mission to feed a nation of dreamers 1% of annual sales is to advance the mission Latino Community Foundation Gary Hirshberg Stonyfield farms -1% for the planet What was your first food job?: Sales and management trainee at E&J Gallo Maria and I met at E&J Gallo Kelloggs How did Gallo help you with Sonar?: Their training program is phenomenal Gallo Wine Jug: Our best marketing campaign was shifting consumer perceptions on drinking wine from a jug. Branding has the ability to persuade What is the difference between launching a Sonar campaign vs a big brand campaign?: Scale. Hershberg Institute June 2018 Gary Hirshberg book The power of one Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: I get to make an impact with the people I love and the community I love What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face right now?: There’s a lot. Each of us can and should use our brands to build a more socially and environmentally powered society What is the one thing in the food industry you’d like to know about?: Everything. Since launching the startup, that one thing is just everything Did you originally want to go into the food industry?: I definitively wanted to go into food because I wanted to work for a great brand. Most great brands came from food. Do you have any advice for people who want to just into entrepreneurship?: DO it with a commitment of doing good. Reach out at Pete@sonarorganics.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Crowell has had quite an amazing culinary journey with a lot of risks and a lot of reward. First he tells me how he found out about cooking, by staging at a restaurant in Europe, and brought that love back to the United States and worked hard enough to open his own restaurant. But opening up a restaurant was really hard, and he struggled. Eventually, he became an R+D Director at both Olive Garden and Starbucks. Eventually, Mark threw it all away and started consulting. He again struggled at first but then he started to build. Now CuliNex is a thriving clean label consulting company in Washington. He has a dozen members on his team, people with whom I’ve met personally! I think the best part of the episode is the stories Mark gives about the struggles of creating businesses. But there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as you have some faith. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: We’re in the clean label development business What does CuliNex stand for: My wife made the name 15 years ago, it’s Culinary and Next It wasn’t until 2011 that clean label started to buble up Clean Label definitons: Length of the label, complex wording, nutrition label Lo Han -Monkfruit for bakery application. A client came to us right after it was approved Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: Talked my way into a national hotel kitchen, practiced for a year, then worked 5 years as a line cook. Applied to the Culinary Institute of America Took 2 years to get accepted. At the time, it was a while before I heard back Continental Cuisine: Not a specific type of cuisine Florida International University: Hotel Management I was in the restaurant business: manager, district manager, coffee shops, dinner houses, discotheques Why did you decide to start your business Other example: Kenny Lao Made a Mediterranean restaurant. Huge restaurant Didn’t go so well, got a job referral for Olive Garden TUFTS Analysis Darden Restaurants Season 52 Howard Schultz running for president Howard Schultz’ book Pumpkin Scone Pumpkin Spice Latte NRA Show Consulting was hard the 1st year, but I ended up building it until 6 years later, had a sustainable business but then I got bored and started to build up a company Emily Munday was my first employee The E-myth Revisited What is some advice for things that are hard?: You gotta do what you are passionate about. It will see you through the tough times. You also gotta have faith. I’ve learned the word over the past 25 years. You’re up on the high wire, but you gotta trust your people My Food Job Rocks: I get to work on amazing projects with amazing people Phil Saneski Food Trends and Technology: Upcycling movement, Cultured Meat The biggest challenge the food industry has to face: diet misinformation Favorite Kitchen Item: Stainless Steel Bowls Advice for starting something scary: Entrepreneurs are weird. They are different. Are you different? Research Chef Association; Why Donate?: Education is really important and community is really important Where can we find you?: mark@culinex.biz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Smith, founder of LaunchPad has impacted iconic brands such as Apple, Chobani, Bob’s Red Mills, Urban Remedy and Kumana. This episode has prime examples on how Jeremy has worked with these company's and how these companies went to the next level. A lot of great takeaways for food entrepreneurs and marketers including how to recognize superflourous trends versus trends that stick, with also amazing advice on how to make your brand everlasting. You’ll get so many great examples from iconic brands in this episode that will blow you away. Jeremy is not shy to say what’s on his mind, but he backs it up with some pretty compelling feats. If you’re a starting brand or even an experienced product developer, you’ll learn something from this episode that might help you on your next project. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Food Startups Podcast What do you do for a living?: We turn an entrepreneur’s visions into reality. How did you start launchpad?: I started in the brokerage business. I used to work with Steve Jobs in designing projects with him. Level 1 Marketing Chobani Kumana Food Brokers: Either strategic people or powerpoint pushers. A Brokerage’s job is supposed to be to set up a movement Expo West CBD Presence Marketing Urban Remedy Bitcoin Tommy Burgers Mattson Eric Ree at Market Brand and DAB Albertsons-Safeway Steve Jobs: He looked at every experience and improved on it Bullet Cans Air Pods How do you get people to take you seriously?: You have to develop a sense of fearlessness (it took me 30 years). It’s a two-way street though. Companies must also accept negative feedback well Popchips Good Crisps Paul Clement at Urban Remedy Ultra Fresh – 3 to 5 day shelf-life How do you convince grocery stores to take a risk on you?: We would find a region that has a heavy concentration of buyers. You have to convince them that you have to be crazy enough to believe in them. What helps is to convince the grocer that people are not going to X store because they re buying the product from Y store. John Wisgran Some groceries have different ways of buying Do you have any advice on starting a food business?: Lots of people are going to tell you no. But you have to believe more than anyone. Ray Kroc: His determination outweighed the doubt from everyone. Great ideas fail, bad ideas succeed and visa versa LinkedIn: Jeremy Smith Jeremy@launchpadgroupusa.com Cell: 650-576-8803 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sally Squires is a food communicator who works with really cool companies crafting messages. She spent her early years at the Washington Post, and now works for Weber Shadwick, as their SVP-Management Supervisor & Director, Food, Nutrition and Wellness Communications A funny story about this interview is that you might recall I had the opportunity to go to The Ohio State University to talk about podcasting and they dropped me off in a room with Sally Squires. After a brief talk about some interesting topics, I took out my podcasting gear and did an interview there on the spot! During Sally’s 24 years at the Washington Post, she built out the nutrition section of the organization. She started with small column where people would send her questions and this launched her career from working with the USDA, to collaborate with cool food tech startups to improve their messaging. So get ready to learn about how to be a critical thinker, to have the ability to sort fact from fiction as you’ll look into the mind a trained journalist, an expert at critical thinking. Or rather, be like a scientist when it comes to reading the news. About Sally Sally Squires, MS, MS, wears many professional hats. She is a senior vice president at Powell Tate, the Washington, DC division of Weber Shandwick, a weekly contributor to the leading all-news radio station in Washington, DC and an adjunct professor at the Tufts Friedman School. She spent 24 years as an award-winning health writer at the Washington Post, where she also created the Lean Plate Club, a nationally syndicated nutrition column and online community that now resides at her website, www.leanplateclub.com. Ms. Squires is an author, keynote speaker, documentary filmmaker and has written for a wide range of publications, including Parade and Reader’s Digest.  She holds two master’s degrees from Columbia University; one in nutrition, the other in journalism. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the American Public Health Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Institute of Food Technologists, among others, and serves on the editorial boards of Nutrition Today and the Nation’s Health, published by the American Public Health Association Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Citation Needed American Society for Nutrition Graduate Degree Columbia University Powell Tate – public affairs Weber Shadwick Nutrition 2018 Glassdoor Clean Plate Club Lean Plate Club Senator Ted Kennedy How do you network in Washington DC?: Our office has tons of interns who ask this question. You have to get yourself out there and meet people. You’d be surprised who you can meet by just reaching out and talking Washington Post Malcolm Gladwell Michael Spector What did you find valuable about the column?: The digital age allowed people to participate in more real time and builds community faster USDA Food Database Supertracker – case study curriculum for low income students Slaughter-Free meat Sustainably Grown How do companies talk about innovative technologies?: Transparency is key Good Food Institute Botulism Refrigeration Clean Meat – Paul Shapiro Artificial Ice The Lean Plate Club Adjunct Professor at Tufts Society of children’s book writers Youtube Knitting Cook’s Illustrated Vertical Farming Ring Nest What advice would you give for communicating science?: Be a good writer. Convey what you’re trying to get across in clear language Potpourri Grammarly How do you write better?: reading aloud. Does what you read make sense? Curiousity. Keep asking questions. Be curious. A good book: A more Beautiful Question Julie Yip-Williams – Unwinding the Miracle Favorite kitchen item: Deyhydrator. I’m trying to make dog treats Favorite cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten Where can we find you?: Sallysquires.com; sally@sallysquires.com LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met Darryl at an NCIFT event about a year ago and we talked, and after the event, he invited me to drink with him and I got a free beer out of the deal. I talked his ear off about podcasting and he wanted to start one. Every month, when I saw him at an IFT event, I asked him if he started. 8 months later, this podcast came to life and I’ve been giving Darryl pointers ever since. What’s great is that in almost every IFT event where Darryl and I are there, we gather a group of friends to go and drink at a local craft beer afterwards and it’s always a blast. If you’re in California, you’re welcomed to join us! Just a disclaimer, this is a very long episode! If you want some good career advice, the first 45 minutes are full of that. The rest, we talk about random stuff and as I keep on drinking some really good beer. This includes topics such as marketing craft beers, describing beer in specific detail, slurring my words, and sprinkled in there are bits of wisdom, from all of the knowledge. So the first half, the standard fun stuff about my life. The second half, is a bit more chaotic and sporadic, but I found it pretty fun. You aren’t obliged to listen to the whole episode. Jump around a bit! This is a fun episode. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Alcohol I talk about Boxed Wine Keystone Coors Light 805 Beer Four Peaks Moose Drool Left Hand Milk Stout Kentucky Bourbon Lemon Drop Cleophus Quealyhttps://www.beertalknow.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus episode with Rachelle Boucher (episode 46) as she talks about her experience working as a private chef for the Lucas family and her experience working with the Lucas family including interacting with the kids, Lucas himself, and the actor of Jar Jar Binks. We do this live in Tinker Kitchen!  About Rachelle Culinary Program Developer, Private Chef and Appliance Whisperer  Chef Rachelle knew early on that food would be her medium. With the power to nourish, entertain, unite and delight humans she began to use it as the ultimate outlet for her boundless energy and creativity. As an adventurer and environmentalist, she creates immersive culinary programs, classes and content promoting sustainable food and wellness. She is also the "appliance whisperer", training individuals, architects and designers on how to choose and use modern cooking appliances and technology. She cooks regularly for secret celebrity clients. When not cooking, she and her husband Rob hike and picnic in their glorious new hometown of Pacifica, California watching whales, seals, sea lions, birds and sunsets in a live nature show that renews their mutual commitment protecting the land and sea.  Show Notes DEMA Flavoragentcooks.com @Flavoragent - Instagram LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This interview is with Andy Dratt, Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, a Beverage Innovation Company and has had past experiences building flavor divisions in Griffith, FONA, and Sensient. If you want to know all about what it takes to develop an innovative new beverage, this podcast episode is for you! Andy and his team at Imbibe are experts in developing beverages because it’s not just formulating and pay up, but it’s much more than that. It’s a whole system. Learn about the fine line between the possible and the impossible, and new beverage trends in this episode. You’ll also learn about the amazing career path Andy’s went through, and learn how even after some detours out of the food industry, he always ends up back into food. I was fortunate enough to listen to Andy’s talk at the RCA conference and it was really fun seeing him in person. Andy definitively knows his stuff about Beverages About Andy As Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, Andy Dratt leads a team with a cutting-edge approach to beverage development for a wide range of customers - from small startups to billion-dollar brands. During the past decade at Imbibe, he’s helped redefine the company’s business model and implemented a strategic vision that has guided the company’s compounding growth in the marketplace. He leverages over 20 years of experience guiding CPG and foodservice operators to conceptualize, develop and launch new products to market in the US, Latin America and Europe. Dratt has a passion for helping customers identify and exploit the “sweet spot” between consumer needs, business wants and product realities. He communicates that passion while speaking at industry events and in articles for industry publications. *NEW* Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I run a beverage development company. What is a beverage?: We work with all forms including alcohol, shakes, etc What’s your favorite product to work on?: We do 300 projects a year. I’m most intrigued on projects that are technically challenging and new to the industry. Operational challenges too (such as alternative dairy) What does it mean by Experience?: Not just product experience, but connections, mindset, locations, etc. What do you do when a customer gives you an impossible task?: You need to be confident enough to say “no”. If you say yes, you might be wasting your time. Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: I was getting an MBA in France and ended up working in Slim Fast. Moved to Griffith Laboratories and started a flavor division. After a stint in MBA management, I had a lot of flavor stints. Even ran an R+D division. Blow mold garbage Cans Sensient How do you guys grow?: Speaking at conferences is very useful How do you reduce/remove office politics?: You have to cut it out from the leadership level What type of food trends and technologies are exciting for you?: We want to reduce sugar and we work a lot on sugar reduction. CBD is trending, but it’s still illegal Full spectrum hemp extract Nootropics Protein NextGen Stevia and Monkfruit Mouthfeel innovation What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: How chemicals like sucralose are made Who inspired you to get into food?: A bunch. Jackie Levin at Griffith, or even functional cool things in the industry What is your thought about job hopping?: If you set some kind of plan for yourself, it helps. Favorite Food in Chicago: Del Seoul Korean Taco Place Any advice about the food industry?: Look at the back of food labels and google the ingredients. The food industry always needs talented people. You’ll find your niche. There’s so much to look into Where can we find you for advice?: Here’s my LinkedIn. My Email: Andy.dratt@imbibe.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Joyner used to be a designer for many tech startups and a year ago, dropped all of that to pursue food and is now the founder of LOCA Foods, which is a plant-based cheese dip company. I met Lauren at the Cultured Meat Symposium and our companies were boothed together at the Fancy Food Show and Alternative Protein show. So of course, we chatted and our discussions were so good, I wanted to capture it on a podcast. A big portion of this interview is about year one of building a food company. Being in the thick of it, things can be difficult, but this is why I love talking about these stories not only does it helps Lauren and I to talk it out, but it gives a lens of the hard parts on creating a business from scratch Another cool topic we go over is the concept of Design Thinking, in which Lauren did a presentation about it at the Alternative Protein Show. Lauren explains it in great detail and perhaps you can use these concepts in your next project. *NEW* Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Kitchentown Clean Meat Symposium – Nov 2018 Good Food Institute Monthly Entrepreneur call Fancy Food Show Alternative Protein Show What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: Designer turned foodprenuer Print design UX-Design Loca Food – plant-based queso dip Memphis Meats JUST Food Startups Podcast Effective Altruism EA Global How long were you in the design industry?: 10 years When did you change to plant-based?: I ate meat all my life until I moved to New Orleans and became a pescatarian. 2 years ago, I decided to give up cheese and made my own cheese dip What has changed since less than a year ago? Since you started: Whatever seems like a giant mountain today, it’s going to be a small dot eventually. No business plan survives the first impact Design Thinking: Human Centered Design focused on three buckets 1st Bucket: Empathy - Give consumers what they want. Get to know your customer Forced Rank List – a Priority list 2nd Bucket: Ideation phase – let’s find a way to solve these problems Cyclic process: you need to reiterate again and again How are you using design thinking for Loca food?: Mainly the marketing side Vegan vs Plant-based Instagram Ads – for @eatlocafood, we test ads all the time Facebook also does a great job doing this because it targets really specific Instagram How do you make bright Instagram photo’s?: Buy photo papers Why does your food job rock?: Every little step gets you closer to a bigger step What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Plant-based meat and cell-based meat What part of the food industry would you like to know more about?: Copacking and R+D Kitchentown Was there a specific person who got you into food?: The animals got me into the plant-based space Food Deserts Favorite Kitchen Item: Gus Modern Simple Fruit Tray Favorite Quote: In a short time, this moment will feel like a long time Any advice for people in the food industry: If you’re not scared of the worst situation, then you should do it Find us on: @eatlocafood or eatlocafood.com. You can go to lhcreativespace.com to see my creative work Send me a message on twitter or LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Simony wrote a compelling post at his time at the American Food Innovation Summit. I found it pretty cool, so I asked him to be on the show. What I didn’t know until I did my reach is that Marc is one of the important people in TraceGains, one of the fastest growing supply chain management software programs in the food industry. And that he live din Phoenix, neat! Marc lays on a ton of advice on his experience working for TraceGains such as times pivoting the business and times where taking risks benefitted them. Marc specifically goes into the idea of recognizing weak signals and capitalizing on them I was happy to meet Marc live at the Cactus IFT Supplier’s Night in Phoenix. We talked for a bit, and I picked his brain on some potential new projects I’m working on for My Food Job Rocks. You can see a really cool picture of him on the show notes. VP of TraceGains Network Marc is a holistic brand thinker. He joined TraceGains in the spring of 2008 as head of marketing, where he continuously searched out best practices, stayed atop new market and marketing developments, and relished in devising corporate and competitive strategies that negate competition. That expertise led him to the position of VP of TraceGains Network, where he drives the transition to providing a collaborative industry platform. Marc graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Communication from the University of New Hampshire, and has earned an MBA with distinction in Global Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management. He occasionally writes on LinkedIn, still listens to vinyl, and cooks Southeast Asian dishes on weekends. Shownote The LinkedIn Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/overheard-american-food-innovate-summit-marc-simony/ TraceGains – Supplier Relationship Management What do you tell people who just meet you?: We make sure that the food you eat doesn’t kill you. Those who kinda know what we're about: We make sure the food you consume to make the quality and regulatory requirements I was one of TraceGain's first employees and it’s been active for 11 years Supposed to be a tracking software but people thought it wasn’t worth it. Recall Insurance We noticed that people wanted document management so we pivoted to that Now we truly serve the entire business innovating every day For example, our program: Post Once – A supplier has to just post once and things happen The article talks about that people want small wins, but we also need to keep in mind that the consumer needs to trust the food Barb Stuckey – To the consumer, clean label/front of pack is more important than nutrition label New trends: protein and fiber Mergers and Acquisitions Anthropologists What is supply chain for you?: logistics moves from point to point but there’s so much going on. It’s actually called a supply web Food is the largest portion of the CPG supply chain Can you describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: When I was 16, I went to the United States from Germany. Then I started my own radio company and then I interviewed for TraceGains as head of marketing. I liked the description that combined technology and things that were important to me. Mitsua or Yaohan Marketplace What was interesting about growing TraceGains?: I loved to stick my nose into things. I read weak signals and go from there Inbound Marketing – Hubspot What is the most exciting thing in the food industry?: Food startups, also big companys are struggling to innovate What does innovation mean to you?: Finding weak signals and bringing them to life Kimchi smoothie Bimbo Bakery Home delivery kits Smart Fridge What is one thing you’d like to know more about food?: The science Apple Airpods Mitch Stoltz Electronic Frontiers Profile Favorite Food: Dad’s Cardamom from Three Twins Ice Cream Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream from Trader Joes What do you think are some opportunities in the food industry?: There is a talent shortage. In supply chain, I would focus on data and data science with logistics Where can we find you for advice?: LinkedIn. Send me a question or connection. Let me know that you found me through My Food job Rocks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Kenny Lao, who worked with the masterminds behind Nobu, created his own restaurant empire Rickshaw Dumplings, and now brings it all together in his new project, Culinary Task Force, a consulting service to help bring new restaurant concepts to life. We have a couple of episodes on My Food Job Rocks that deal with building restaurants so I asked Kenny advice on how to build one. Especially in the New York scene. Kenny did not disappoint telling me the intricate and honest details on creating a restaurant in the city. We go over a lot of things in what you might not actually realize goes into a successful restaurant including the importance of foot traffic, to finding an architecture, to having (what Kenny calls) a full bench. Kenny and I also talk about some soft skills like how to improve your stress levels, or how to persistent in getting a call with someone important. We also, of course, talk about Chinese food in great detail, especially how to make a good dumpling. About Kenny As the Principal of Culinary Task Force Kenny’s culinary insights work is informed by his active involvement in creating forward thinking, sustainable F+B Concepts. Prior to Culinary Task Force, Kenny was the Founder and Managing Operator of New York based Rickshaw Dumplings, an Asian fast-casual restaurant group with 3 stores, one shipping container in Times Square, a fleet of 4 mobile trucks and a retail grocery product range for over a decade winning awards and recognitions in publications such as Nations Restaurant News, New York Magazine, New York Times, Monocle and Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. Before opening Rickshaw, Kenny gained vast restaurant industry experience providing consulting services to various well-known clients first as Special Projects Director for Drew Nieporent’s Myriad Restaurant Group as well as through independent consulting.   At Myriad, Kenny oversaw the opening of multiple new restaurant establishments for clients such as Starwood’s W Hotel Brand, Marriott, Sports Club/LA and Neiman Marcus.   Additionally, he has worked with store designers, brand consultants and chefs, as well as with opening teams of management and with managers and staff on day-to-day operations pre and post-opening.  Kenny has taught at the Brooklyn Kitchen and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Fast Company Summit, Inc. Magazine, French Culinary, ICE, Johnson + Wales Culinary, Brown University and NYU Stern School of Business.  Honors include: UBS Clinton Foundation Fellow, Crain’s 40 Under 40, Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30.  Kenny holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA in International Relations from Brown University.  He loves riding his bike, mangoes, watermelon, bacon and seltzer. Shownotes Did you know: Kenny Lao is Google-able Did you also know: Food Network actually helps only retail or consumer-facing brands Foot Traffic for restaurants: sitting at your potential restaurant and count people going in and all ALL DAY. This indicates traffic is good. What do you do now?: I’m a hospitality consultant, The principal of Culinary Taskforce Culinary Taskforce is a collection of all of the services and skills to run a new concept and grow a successful one The landscape today is now about the client’s concept and finds the chef that fits that concept. In the past, that wasn’t the case How did you start in the restaurant business?: My parents loved dining out. My father used to ask me to order from the adult’s menu. I studied international relations. After a few non-restaurant stints, I found out about this new restaurant group at Nobu and I was very very aggressive trying to get Drew (the owner) to call. 411: ask for people’s numbers. I got Drew’s mother instead. Drew’s mother told Kenny that her mother wanted to him, and that’s how the relationship started Became their pro-bono project manager I was doing 3 unique concepts every year Starwood During that time, I got an MBA (you can work while getting your MBA by the way) I was priced out after getting an MBA. So I started Rickshaw Dumplings, a fast-casual dumpling place We grew the brand to 4 locations and 4 food trucks in a decade Anita Lo Any advice from starting a restaurant?: Get referrals, get referrals, get referrals. Get an architect and engineer who is on board with this. You never want to pay rent on a property you’re not opened on yet Would you pay for a premium price to build a restaurant?: I wouldn’t hire the same architect twice. You need to figure out what’s a good fit with your architecture What’s the indicator of starting another restaurant?: Has to be profitable. I mean really has money. You also need a deep bench. It’s ok to have one restaurant, but people are super important. People are very hard to scale and you need to scale things before you start another restaurant Deep bench: a foundational leadership team How much is a restaurant in New York?: I’ve seen $90k restaurant and I;ve seen $5 million restaurants. Typical buildout: $400-$500 square foot Why did you decide to go into consulting?: My husband forced me to. The restaurant industry was taking a toll of my personal life. What’s an important skillset that you need in the restaurant business?: You need to improve your stress tolerance. What do you find unique about New York’s food scene?: I’m excited to see a lot of new ethnic foods. I think it will be a marketplace for experimentation. I’m excited to see what’s coming in from out of the country. I think large conglomerates, families, and entrepreneurs are starting things. Los Angeles is actually is a really exciting a food city. LA and New York is different because LA takes time to plan, New York is easy access so the reward is greater than LA. Omakase What’s one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: I want to see what Gen Z is eating. What do you know now about it?: Gen Z grew up snacking. I predict that Bodegas will expand Spiderman Homecoming Bodega Vending machines Café X What’s your favorite quote?: There’s no good decisions, there’s only ways to make decisions good Favorite Kitchen Item: Fish Spatula. I use it for everything. Fried dumplings, omelets, pancakes My Book: Hey There Dumplings. Has Anita’s dumpling recipe Dumpling tips: Ratio of dough to meat filling. Some people like thin skins and thick skins. You need a very well-feel dumpling. It’s the balance of flavor from the dipping sauce to the filling. It’s a balance between those two flavors. There’s nothing as good as a home made handwrapped dumpling Dim Sum is southern Northern Chinese is steamed, bready and wheaty Southern: more egg yolks, spices, gravy sauces (Cantonese) Hand pulled noodle: You don’t add anything, but you need the right temperature Any advice for anyone who wants to start a restaurant?: Work at a restaurant. The more you work at a restaurant, the more you’re familiar about it. I think it should be a year. It’s not hard because of what you have to do, but it’s hard because the repetition. I can wash dishes, but can you wash for 4 years straight? Where can we find you for advice?: Culinary Task Force.com kenny@culinarytaskforce.com. I like to talk to people. Even if they’re not ready Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices