Are pop-ups here to stay? According to our guests today, YES! They are doing just that with their Eastern European cuisine, and building their pop-up and frozen Pelmeni business, Dacha 46, from the ground up after a successful run of pop-ups, including a term at our previous guest, Libby Lark’s community space, KIT. Excited to welcome chefs Jessica and Trina Quinn to the show.
 

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Our restaurant delivery system is broken. Can we all just agree on this? Restaurants are getting hammered with percent-of-sales fees, delivery drivers are hurting for fair pay, stability, and safety, and customers have been trained to expect faster delivery times and wider accessibility. 

We are excited to welcome back to the show Josh Morgan, operating partner of Melt Shop and CEO/Co-Founder of Sesame, a new delivery platform for restaurants by restaurateurs, that is fighting back against the established aggregators. Sesame just launched its beta in NYC this past week.

Photo Courtesy of Josh Morgan and Sesame.

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We’ve tried this once before - booking a guest the day before they opened that is. And last time? Well, we had a quiet line… Today, though, our guest has made the time to chat with us on how he, along with his partner plan to open their doors to their new concept housed in a 150-plus-year-old iron foundry outside Philadelphia. 

We are happy to have Nicholas Elmi, former Top Chef winner and James Beard Finalist, joining us on the show today in light of I’m sure a very busy last-minute schedule. Nick along with his partner Fia Berisha will be opening Lark, a coastal Mediterranean restaurant, housed atop Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing.

Photo Courtesy of Nicholas Elmi and Lark.

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2 years ago, a restaurateur building out his outdoor patio before investing in his interior dining room would have sounded like some sort of farce to be balked at by the likes of Mr. Wonderful on the latest episode of Shark Tank. But today, it just sounds downright smart. Unless you're part of the lucky few with endless streams of cash, most folks, in getting their new venture off the ground have to prioritize how and where their funding goes. And in today’s dining world that can mean building from the outside - in.

Tarik Fallous is the chef and owner of East Village Lebanese hot spot Au Za’atar, home of the table side shwarma, now with its second location in Manhattan's midtown east.

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Daily Provisions from USHG is the kind of neighborhood spot everyone welcomes. It is true all-day dining, from the classic Bacon Egg and Cheese in the morning to the Roasted Chicken in the afternoon. Don’t pass on the addicting sweets like cookies and crullers. But even with the muscle from a seasoned team at USHG there can be unforeseen start-up challenges. 

Welcoming executive Chef and friend of Tilit Amanda Wilson and Jessamyn Waldman Rodriquez, managing director to the show.

Photo Courtesy of Evan Sung.

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The last year and a half has, amongst a few other things, upended the way we eat. We’ve embraced eating at home, whether it be cooking for ourselves or feasting on a bevy of elevated takeout menus. Giant grocery stores still exist, but many of us are ordering our staples online and turning to local specialty stores: specialty grocers, butchers, delis, and cafes that hark back to the early 1900s. That’s before the likes of King Kullen, Publics, and WalMart discounted our food system. I like this resurgence: Small businesses raising the bar of food sourcing, and bringing it into the community.

Myles and Rachael spent their careers in some of NYCs fine-dining temples; Myles cooking at EMP, Blue Hill Stone Barns, and Aska, and Rachael as Somm at the Beatrice Inn and Aska. Now they are taking their hospitality chops to a whole animal butchery and market called Kinship in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood of Atlanta, GA.

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We first planned to chat with James and Jessica on August 3rd, the day before they opened. Note to self, while it’s enticing to get a first-hand account of the finish line, we shouldn’t schedule a podcast the day before the restaurant opens. They may have other things to wrap up! Luckily we’re able to get another go at hearing your opening story.

After nearly a year of looking for spaces, Chef James Martin and his wife Jessica Neal opened their dream restaurant, Bocadillo Market, on August 4th in Lincoln Park Chicago. James has been a chef for over 10 years working in fine dining from Washington DC to Chicago, and Jessica will lend her decade-plus of experience in communications and marketing to the project.

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Quit your day job and open up a NY-style pizza shop. That’s the American dream, right? Since we can never get enough pizza, we’re talking slice shops with another growing food entrepreneur: this time we're South of the Mason Dixon in Atlanta, GA.

Today we talk to Rob Birdsong, owner and pizzaiolo in residence at Glide Pizza in Atlanta GA. This one is special to us for a couple of reasons. Jenny grew up in Atlanta and ran in the same circles as Rob, who got back in touch after listening to the show. Rob is a career changer and listened to the Pod to help launch and expand his business.
 

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Now more than ever chefs and entrepreneurs are finding new ways to get their business off the ground, being immensely creative to minimize their risk while generating a name for themselves. Working together and collaborating has been a way, in recent years, for the culinary world to grow and share audiences. A more permanent collaboration can be a way to share the burden of overhead costs associated with business operations. 

One such business or collective is doing just that. KIT, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, is bringing together food businesses in one space to share their communities and further their concept. Our guest today is Libby Willis, who you probably know as the co-founder of the beloved restaurant and queer community space, Meme’s Diner. Libby introduced KIT in the former Meme’s space this past June.

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Over the past year, we saw a lot of pivots from full-service restaurants to delivery-only, meal kits, and nationwide shipping. Now that things are opening up again, what about the reverse? Food businesses that have been operating in a digital space are going brick and mortar. 

Our guest today is doing just that. With two decades of professional culinary experience, chef Surbhi Sahni brings home cooking traditions to modern Indian cuisine and confections with TAGMO. Before launching TAGMO, Surbhi served as the creative force behind Michelin-starred New York City restaurants, Devi and Tulsi, and Saar Bistro in Midtown. 

Photo Courtesy of Brittainy Newman.

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