Brunch & Learn Podcast

About Maura:
Maura Duggan is the founder and CEO of Fancypants, a delicious crispy cookie brand using high-quality ingredients with an elevated twist. She originally started Fancypants as a decorative cookie company in Massachusetts in 2004, along with creating her own manufacturing facility to ensure quality control and scale the business. Maura ​​evolved the company with her husband and COO Justin Housman into a premium CPG cookie brand in December 2023. Maura was inspired by the homemade cookies she made with her grandmother after school, creating a range of classic, approachable, and innovative flavors with a special fancy touch. With sustainability top of mind for Maura, she’s proud that Fancypants is a zero-waste, upcycled cookie brand.

Before becoming a full-time baking entrepreneur, Maura had a career in neuropsychology education including working at The Perkins School for the Blind. She valued her time at the school teaching students with varying degrees of vision and hearing and other health and cognitive issues, as she learned to see the world differently and gain perspective on what is truly important in life. When she wasn’t with students, she was tied to a desk and daydreaming of baking, which led her to pursue an entrepreneurship path. She earned a Masters from Harvard University in Mind, Brain, and Education and a Bachelors in Neuroscience from Northeastern University. Maura currently lives in the Boston area with her husband, two young children, and puppy Hazel, working at the Fancypants facility and offices in Walpole, Massachusetts.

Fancypants Website
Instagram

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About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Valentina:

Valentina Mussi is a cookbook author, pastry chef, and lifelong foodie who has turned her passion for the culinary arts into her social media platform, @sweetportfolio. Valentina's love for food and its ability to create community has become an essential part of her content. Her Italian-Colombian roots help guide her videos, through their ability to share special moments with her family and about her ancestry.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetportfolio
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweetportfolio

What You'll Learn in Today's Episode:

• What did pastry school teach her and what made her want to pursue pastry
• Valentina's favorite things to bake
• How has she viewed community when it comes to content and how she continues to nurture her community.
• How she approaches content creation when it comes to creativity and trying new ideas or videos.
• Current social media trends she's loving.
• How she has handled burnout as a content creator.

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Lauryn Bodden:
Lauryn is a freelance recipe developer, private chef, culinary producer, and food editor. She won Netflix’s newest cooking competition Snack vs Chef, which pushed her to launch her very own snack brand: S’NOODS.

Instagram
LinkedIn
Website

What You'll Learn in Today's Episode:

• What Lauryn has enjoyed most in her culinary career so far. What advice she would give to someone starting out in food media.
• What made her want to get into the CPG world with the launch of S'NOODS.
• A day in the life as a private chef at sea.
• Favorite local bites and spots in NYC.
• Changes she's made to S'NOODS since her initial launch and new launches.

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Gabrielle Chappel:
Gabrielle is a seasonal chef and educator currently based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a graduate from the Institute of Culinary Education's Health Supportive Culinary Arts program. She works in culinary education, recipe development, catering, and private cheffing. She is a guest on hit Epicurious’s YouTube series “4 Levels” and “Pro vs. Novice.” Her goal is to provide practical, engaging, and nourishing cooking tips that focus on utilizing what produce is available to us year round. She was just announced as the Season 3 Winner of Next Level Chef and will continue her story on Bite’s new series-Gab’s Next Course.

Instagram
Youtube Series

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• Summer seasonal produce. What's in season and what she's cooking up now. 
• Favorite local farms and what are some key components of a farm-to-table system.
• Gardening tips and what she's growing right now.
• Experience in winning Season 3 of Next Level Chef. What has she learned so far when it comes to mentorship. 
• Gabrielle's new Bite Originals series on Youtube.

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Lauren Chew:
Lauren Chew dubs herself an 'accidental entrepreneur'. In 2018, she went completely vegan and had to rethink her whole diet - including her beloved sweet treats. In 2019, Lauren turned her side hustle into a full-fledged business when she crafted the first iteration of Love+Chew cookies in her tiny San Francisco apartment. The result: a delicious plant-based treat using minimal, wholesome ingredients. Today, Love+Chew cookies are on the shelves of over 2,000 stores, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, select Costco locations, and Amazon.

What's most remarkable about Love+Chew is that since day one, Lauren has bootstrapped her business with zero outside funding or VC help. Coming from a business development and tech background working at companies like Tesla and Stem, Lauren manages all aspects of the Love+Chew business — from product development and marketing to sales and operations. In 2023, she managed to scale her business from 1M to 3M and is on track to bring in 5-6M this year.

Website
Instagram

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Alexis deBoschnek:

Alexis deBoschnek is a cookbook author, recipe developer, and food writer based in the Catskills. Her second cookbook, Nights & Weekends, will be published in August 2025.

Alexis' Website
Instagram
Newsletter: Side Dish
Cookbook: To The Last Bite

In this week's episode you'll learn:

• The state of Food Media & what she has enjoyed most in her culinary career so far 
• The Catskills - What are Alexis' favorite restaurants/chefs and local businesses
• Oona Wines and becoming a Founding Partner there
• Cookbook writing process and her upcoming second cookbook, coming out in 2025

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🏆 WE WON! And THANK YOU to 100 episodes!

Hudson Valley Magazine - Best Local Podcast Winner!
Read the article here

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

Meet Priyanka Naik:
Priyanka Naik is a self-taught Indian vegan award-winning chef, Food Network champion, TV Host, Author of THE MODERN TIFFIN, columnist of "Ecokitchen" for The Washington Post, pop-up restaurateur and a TEDx Speaker! An avid traveler who’s been to 43 countries, her globally inspired original recipes, with a focus on sustainability, have been featured on her blog Chef Priyanka, her domestic and global pop-ups, on TODAY Table - an NBC Peacock TV Show she co-hosts, are incorporated into her regular speaking appearances. She has garnered attention from 300,000+ followers and has been featured on ABC News Live, Business Insider, VICE, twice on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Forbes, GLAMOUR, one of America's 20 best chef's according to TODAY Show alongside Bobby Flay, Marcus Samuelson, Martha Stuart and more, 6X TODAY Show featured chef in Studio 1A, Bon Appétit Mini Series, CNN, GQ, The Beet, Well + Good, Medium, and more.

Priyanka was the only vegan & South Asian chef among the 15 best creators in the food industry for FoodieCon at SOBE WFF! She is the first vegan & sustainable guest chef for the W Maldives in a one-of-a-kind "Go W-egan" activation. Priyanka has partnered with hundreds of brands globally, including TOYOTA, JUST Egg, Planet Oat, Coca-Cola, Amazon, Walmart and Spotify for brand campaigns. She is first-generation, Indian American, raised on Staten Island, New York, and has two elder sisters.

Her Indian heritage is very important to her cooking style and lifestyle, so much so that she even learned her native language of Kannada before English and weaves in Indian elements throughout all of her original vegan cooking. She attributes her devotion to her Indian roots and passion for Indian food to her loving and supportive parents.

Website
Instagram
TikTok
The Modern Tiffin Cookbook
Youtube

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Jennie Lennick & Jenny Lemons:

Jennie Lennick is the founder and creative director of Jenny Lemons, a vibrant San Francisco-based accessories and lifestyle brand. After earning her BFA in Studio Art and an MFA in painting, Jennie launched Jenny Lemons in 2014, featuring food-themed and nostalgia-inducing products like hair accessories and craft kits. Her work has been recognized in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, and Architectural Digest.In 2017, Jennie opened a brick-and-mortar store in San Francisco's Mission District, hosting DIY workshops and supporting local artists for over six years. Jennie continues to carve her mark in the creative landscape, blending her artistic prowess with entrepreneurial spirit. She has collaborated with prominent brands like Ban.do, Urban Outfitters, and Aerie, and is thrilled to have her products available in over 450 retailers worldwide.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How Jennie's art background lead to product design especially food themed products and starting her own business
• What does her creative process look like when it comes to design and testing new ideas.
• What has been some of the best entrepreneurship advice she's received.
• What has been her approach to marketing for her business.
• Brand collaborations and what makes for a great collaboration.
• What are some of their best selling products.
• Balancing motherhood and running a business.

Links:
Jenny Lemons Website
Instagram
TikTok
Pinterest

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

About Junea Rocha & Brazi Bites:

Junea Rocha is the Co-Founder and CMO of Brazi Bites, a leader in the frozen better-for-you, Latin-inspired food category. Rocha co-founded the brand in 2010, along with her husband, Cameron MacMullin. In a few short years Brazi Bites grew into a nationally distributed brand with a cult-like following after appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank and being included twice on the Inc. 5000 list of “America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies.” Bringing a cherished Brazilian household staple, “Pão de Queijo,” AKA cheese bread, to the U.S. market without any experience in the food industry, Rocha grew Brazi Bites’ annual revenue from zero to millions with distribution in over 17,000+ stores. Today, Rocha remains just as passionate and more excited than ever to continue Brazi Bites’ growth, making its products a household staple in North America. She hopes to continue creating joyful moments for families everywhere by producing delicious, easy-to-make, naturally gluten-free foods that also guarantee to spread smiles.

In this episode we cover:

• What's the origin of cheese bread in Brazil? 
• Thoughts on the emerging CPG brand categories - the wave of cultural cuisine/products and the better-for-you category. Where is the category heading.
• The challenges with scaling, growing a company, and creating a category from scratch.
• Brand's desire to listen to its community in order to help guide innovation and inspire change. 
• The Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, and Junea's  dedication to supporting minority entrepreneurs through the LEAP program.

Links:
Brazi Bites Website
Brazi Bites Instagram
Brazi Bites TikTok
LEAP Program

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com

Bringing you a solo episode today, why? Here's my background.

I'm the founder of Women Who Brunch and Host of the Brunch & Learn Podcast, but have also spent the past 13 years of my career in event management, marketing, sponsorships/partnerships, and lead management. The past 7 years of my career were specifically in trade show management. 

I'm combining my experience of both understanding from an exhibitor side to my press/content creator side in covering food events and trade shows such as ExpoEast, Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show, New York City Wine Food Festival, and Hudson Valley Restaurant Week to many food tours, pop-ups, and experiential food events. 

In this Episode We'll Cover: 

• Why you shouldn't sleep on a Press Release or your Event Announcements.
• Offering Press, Buyers, Retailers, Inventors & High Quality Leads a special gift or offer
• Understanding how you're going to qualify leads 
• Post-Show Follow Up Strategy 
• Tapping into your membership, awards, accolades, pitch contents, webinars for further reach, education, and exposure

Link to FULL Blog Post - This is updated yearly to include a Show Calendar of food events for the year + new tips and exhibit samples I come across.

Support the show

About Us - Women Who Brunch:

Women Who Brunch is a food community and event series for women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!

We're solving the problem of making adult friendships while doing cool stuff in the Hudson Vally, NY.

Visit our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews, and more or say hi on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunch
Website: https://womenwhobrunch.com