Michael Spinelli is well-known for his work in the plant-based protein segment in the food industry.

After 2 decades in the industry working for big names like Ben & Jerry's and Sabra, Michael took the knowledge and skills he developed and started his own company, Nutriati. He spent 8+ years building this company into a leader in innovation for plant-based proteins.

Michael's new venture is NewEpoch which is committed to helping new alternative technology start ups.

He is a great ambassador for the vegetarian and vegan customers.

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John Patterson is one of the founders and owners of Pittsburgh Pickle.

John and his two brothers accidentally fell into the pickle business. They just wanted to make high-quality food for their bar & restaurant and started making pickles just for themselves.  

Like many smart business owners, they saw an opening in the market and turned their basement pickle operation into a brand you can find all across the country.  

John is as honest and authentic as they come and he walks us through all the ups and downs of building this company.  

If you are in the Pittsburgh Area, be sure to go visit their bar & restaurant the BeerHive in the Strip District.  

If you want to buy their pickles, check their website for local and online retailers.

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Davis Jaeger is the Vice President of Product Innovation for MrBeast's Feastables.

Davis had a unique start to his career. Out of high school, he worked in restaurants as a chef until his mid-20s when he decided to go to college for Food Science.

He has a passion for those new to the industry and wants to help the next generation in their careers. 

Just like the way that Davis got into the industry, his career path hasn't quite been typical. He's worked in many different segments and niches in the industry.

With his current role, we of course talk all about chocolate and how his team is striving to make the best products possible. 

Davis and I have become fast friends and we both love the food industry.

I hope you have as much fun listening to this as we had recording it.

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Check out the Massive Announcement Video and learn how you can win $10K!

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Chef Mike Haracz has been a corporate chef for 18 years and has worked for a variety of companies both large and small. 

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to get a new menu item at McDonalds, Chef Mike walks us through the not so simple process and gives us all the behind the scenes details.   

Chef Mike has also built a following on social media and most recently was the host of a Dungeons & Dragons themed cooking show on Amazon Prime’s Freevee called Heroes’ Feast.  

We have a ton of fun swapping stories and we didn’t even get through them all. We will definitely have Chef Mike back on in the future!  

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Scott Baker is the Founder and President of 5 Generation Bakers. Scott is both a baker by name and a baker by trade. His flagship product, Jenny Lee Swirl Bread, has been a staple in the Pittsburgh, PA area for decades.  

As the name says, there are 5 generations of baking history behind Scott’s company. I don’t want to spoil any part of his amazing story, but let’s just say I have a lot of respect for Scott and his family and how they have worked so hard for the people in their community.  

We had the opportunity to do his interview in person at this facility in McKees Rocks, just north of Downtown Pittsburgh. 

On this episode, we have David "Guilley" Guilfoyle. Guilley is the North America Design Manager for Bakery, Fats, and Oils.

Guilley has had a long and unique career. He's worked for many companies in many different roles. He even took several years off. Many would consider him a "job hopper". He's taken what others might see as a negative and turned it into a positive.

Maureen and Guilley have a fun conversation full of laughter as they walk down memory lane through Guilley's career.

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Today's guest is Abbey Thiel. She runs the YouTube channel: Abbey The Food Scientist.

With her PhD in Food Science and her love of teaching, she creates videos explaining complex food science topics to average consumers. Things like why does bread get stale or what is pasteurization?

Abbey loves the science behind how food and cooking works and wants to share that passion with the world. 

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Renee Evans is our first guest with experience in one of the biggest segments in the food industry, alcoholic beverages.

She's worked with many brands both big and small and has helped develop whole new categories of drinks like prepackaged mix drinks and malt beverages.  

Though we talk a lot about the alcohol industry, she's got tons of experience in many facets of the food industry. She's using all this experience in her most recent venture, consulting.  

Renee and I had a great time sharing stories and she taught me a lot about alcohol and what happens behind the scenes for some of these iconic brands. 

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Marisa Teiner is the inventor of Feel Better Pops, a frozen fruit pop made with wholesome super fruits, probiotics, a hint of herbs, and coconut water.

What started as a home remedy for her sick son, turned into a real product available at grocery stores and pharmacies.

She walks us through the whole journey of how to turn your idea into a reality.

She's currently looking for investors to take this product to the next level. 

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Dave Lazear has nearly 30 years of experience in food distribution, mainly focused on food service. He has a passion both for the food service industry and for sales development.

Food Distribution takes the products that food manufacturers produce and gets them into the hands of the people who use those products.

Up til now, our guests have been involved in the manufacturing of food with disciplines like food science, R&D, quality assurance, and management.

Dave offers a great perspective on what goes on after food products leave the manufacturers and head out into the world.

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