The Spoon Podcast

This episode's guest is Eva Goulbourne, founder of Littlefoot Ventures and one of the most insightful voices at the intersection of food, climate, and finance. Eva’s career has taken her from the halls of the World Economic Forum to the launch of ReFED, where she helped build one of the most influential organizations in food waste reduction. Through her work at Littlefoot, she advises brands, foundations, and startups on how to drive meaningful change across our global food system. She’s also the host of the new podcast Everything but the Carbon Sink, where she dives deep into the tough, often-overlooked challenges facing the future of food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We catch up with Andrew Simmons to chat about his new pizza subscription platform and to hear what his thoughts are after a year of change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Spoon Podcast, host Michael Wolf sits down with food futurist and innovator Mike Lee to talk about the launch of The Tomorrow Today Show, his new long-form podcast exploring the future of food. The two Mikes trace Lee’s journey from corporate innovation at American Express to building immersive concept experiences like The Future Market and launching the storytelling-driven magazine Mise. Mike shares how improv, design, and dinner parties shaped his unique lens on the food system, and why he believes corporate boardrooms need more narrative thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Mike chats with George Peppou, founder and CEO of Vow, the Australian startup pushing the boundaries of cultured meat. George shares how his background in science, food, and invention led to building a company that creates entirely new types of meat, like quail foie gras and even a woolly mammoth meatball. George dives into Vow’s bold approach to scaling production, including the in-house design of the world’s largest food-grade bioreactor, and how they’re defying industry trends by continuously selling cultivated meat in Singapore. George also discusses regulatory progress in Australia and New Zealand, what it takes to bring cultured meat to grocery shelves, and why others are now approaching Vow in the space for manufacturing support.Check out our big virtual event in July, the Smart Kitchen Summit! www.smartkitchensummit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cole Ashman, Founder and CEO of Pila Energy and former Tesla Powerwall project member, shares his vision for revolutionizing home energy with a distributed, plug-and-play battery system. He discusses the advantages of placing smaller batteries throughout the home, making backup power more flexible and affordable. The conversation also highlights Utah's new legislation fostering DIY balcony solar solutions, enhancing energy accessibility for renters and homeowners. Ashman explores the integration of battery technology in appliances, promoting energy efficiency and resilience.

Our guest for this episode of The Spoon Podcast is Dana McCauley, CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN). Dana joins Mike to discuss the impact of recent US trade policies under the Trump administration on the Canadian food industry, highlighting the challenges and uncertainties faced by Canadian food businesses. McCauley also describes CFIN's role in supporting Canadian food companies through innovation and collaboration, and touches upon the strengths and emerging trends within Canada's food tech sector. The Spoon is bringing back the Smart Kitchen Summit this year July 21-31st. Make sure to check out our website and get your ticket ASAP! https://www.smartkitchensummit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's guest is Dan Gertsacov, CEO of Big Green Egg, who shares his journey of transitioning from leading digital strategies at global giants like Google and McDonald's to steering an iconic, community-driven cooking brand. Dan talks about his approach to taking over a brand that's only had two CEOs before him (and working with the company's founder, Ed Fisher), and how he envisions taking the company into the future (hint: it doesn't include AI-powered grills). If you haven't checked out our growing family of podcasts, head over to The Spoon's podcast page and check them out and give them a listen!https://thespoon.tech/podcasts/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike sits down with Eric Schulze, scientist, former regulator, startup veteran, and now the host of Food Truths, a new show on The Spoon Podcast Network. Eric and Mike discuss the vision behind Food Truths and Eric's mission to cut through the misinformation swirling around food, nutrition, and policy.They also dive into the current turbulence in the U.S. food system, the shifting political landscape around food additives and cultivated meat, and the regulatory headwinds facing food innovation. With his experience spanning government, academia, and industry, Eric brings a unique and pragmatic perspective to complex issues, aiming to make science accessible without the usual hype or partisanship.During the pod, Eric also reflects on his journey—from working at the FDA to joining Upside Foods as one of its first senior hires—and how he honed his ability to communicate science clearly.Whether you’re a food industry professional, a science enthusiast, or just someone who wants to know which banana to buy, this episode is packed with insight, candid conversation, and a glimpse into the kind of deep-dive discussions Food Truths will bring to the table.You can subscribe to Food Truths on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Visit the show page here for more info: https://thespoon.tech/food-truths/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Oakley, a writer and producer for shows like The Simpsons, discusses his unexpected career shift into becoming a food influencer and reviewer. He recounts his childhood fascination with fast food, which led to a lifelong fascination with the latest offerings at the drive-thru and grocery store. Mike and Bill discuss trends in the fast-food industry, Bill's shift towards reviewing a broader range of American foods and packaged goods, and his excitement for innovative condiments. They also talk about Bill's move into hosting ticketed dinners featuring regional cuisine, and how he beat Disney to the punch in trademarking the name "Steamed Hams" (his membership club is the Steamed Ham Society), a long-time Internet meme that originated from a script he wrote for the Simpsons.You can find more about Bill at his website, billoakley.com and on Instagram at ThatBillOakley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Mike is joined by Eric Dawson of the Yellow Farmhouse and Rich Shih, author of "Koji Alchemy". They discuss their online event, Kojicon, and the rich history and global use of koji and fermentation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices