"I was not put on earth to work in some giant grocery store and make money for billionaires."

This is Episode 02 of At the Table, a short-run podcast mini series from Dairy Fuels Network featuring honest conversations with the people doing real work at the intersection of food, culture, and community.

Steven Cota Robles is the founder of the Tucson Family Food Project, a nonprofit that delivers weekly meal kits to food-insecure families in Tucson alongside a YouTube cooking channel to teach the skills to go with them. He didn't come from a nonprofit background. He came from 15 years in grocery and restaurants, a COVID-era news report, and the question he couldn't stop asking himself: what am I actually here to do?

In this episode: what "social wellness entrepreneurism" actually means, why one meal a week is more than you think, the moment a mom stopped him in a grocery store and changed everything, and why he believes we're just getting started.

— CHAPTERS —

0:00 Cold Open — "I was not put on earth for this."

0:45 Welcome & Series Intro

2:35 Who Steven Is — Social Wellness Entrepreneurism

4:42 The Mission — Tucson Family Food Project & Meal Kits

7:33 The Origin — COVID, a News Report, and the Decision

11:06 The Hard Truth — The Problem Is Worse Than You Think

16:49 The Mom Story — The Moment That Grounds the Work

19:49 Dairy in His Life — Broccoli Mac, Arizona Butter & Ice Cream

22:00 The Vision — "This Is Going to Happen"

25:00 Fireside Questions

— ABOUT TUCSON FAMILY FOOD PROJECT —

tffptucson.org | @tffptucson on Instagram

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