In 1986, Occasions Caterers started in a tiny apartment kitchen with just a few printed business cards and a small van. They gradually built a team of executives, chefs, captains and waiters who were also committed to the Co-Founders’ vision (fun fact: the Co-Founders are also twin brothers!). Fast forward thirty years later and Occasions has indeed grown but the focus remains the same: a boutique approach to full-service catering with a focus on custom menus, creative décor, expert planning and gracious service. We sit down with Co-Founder and Creative Director, Eric Michael, and VP of Business Development, Matt Sipala to ask the questions: from a catering/event perspective, what does the "everything local" movement mean in terms of new business opportunities for local small businesses? How can small businesses ensure they’re on the radar of companies like Occasions? ...and much more! Tune in to find out their tidbits of knowledge on running a business for over 30 years.

Food is a multi-sensory experience, but typically served in a semi-standard setting - or at least in a setting one is used to experiencing food. What if you took a part each piece of that sensory experience and created a new way of consuming, a new way of looking at food or beverage by getting hyper-focused on one of your senses? We're joined today by Kelly Bryden, Art Director for the Rosé Mansion in New York City and the upcoming Museum of Pizza. As you to listen to our conversation, think: how can I be intentional and thoughtful with the ways in which I am creating my brand’s food or beverage experience AND are there ways we can focus on an aspect of our product to create a memory beyond just taste, convenience, and price point. Holiday season is right around the corner - and it’s the time when people have disposable income to spend and are looking for experiential gifts. Turn your creativity into a profit.

Over the past two seasons of The Tidbit we’ve discussed the foundations of starting a business, tactics to grow one’s business, and we’ve featured some amazing small business owners and their entrepreneurial journeys. As we head into our third season, we are going to take those topics and add another key voice to the conversation. Who are the businesses that are putting their money where their mouth is to buy from local businesses? Who are the organizations breaking down barriers to entry for entrepreneurship? This episode of The Tidbit is a minisode, a teaser, to explore that demand generation and how, as Buyers committed to the local economy, you can save when sourcing from small business.

The Homegrown by Heroes program provides consumers a tangible way to support veterans. We're joined in-studio with Gary Matteson from the Farm Credit Council (the trade association for the nationwide Farm Credit System) and Calvin Riggleman, the owner of Big Riggs farm - an idea that was born in the sandy deserts of Iraq in 2003. Cal shares his story from military to civilian life, and finding a newfound comraderie in the Homegrown by Heroes program for his West Virginia farm and distillery operation.

Entrepreneurship meets food science on this episode of The Tidbit with Dr. Eric Schulze — VP of Product and Regulation at one of the leading cell-based meat companies, Memphis Meats. We talk manufacturing of cell-based meat and its impact on our future. Plus his tips on building a business without a predetermined roadmap, and how to make the world more creatively nerdy.

Drink Local. Live Wild. This is the motto of Wild Kombucha. Over the past 3 years, they've has seen a 200 percent increase in sales with zero dollars of outside investment. We sit down with Sid Sharma, Co-Owner of Wild Kombucha to talk about starting a food manufacturing business in the Mid-Atlantic, where that motto comes from, and their journey from starting in a garage to growing into a 4,000 sq. ft. brewery in Timonium — where they now produce 4,000 bottles a week for stores such as Whole Foods and MOM’s Organic, as well as hundreds of boutiques, bars, and cafes through the Mid-Atlantic region.

It takes a special team to take a classic food item and bring a new vibe to its creation. The nostalgia of a menu you fondly recognize and love, but with a unique spin. This is what our guest today has a special knack for crafting. On this episode, we sit down with Andrew Dana, the owner of the acclaimed Timber Pizza Company (a featured 2017 Best New Restaurant in Bon Appétit) and Call Your Mother Deli to chat product development, iterating with customer feedback in mind, and best practices for scaling up from farmers market to brick-and-mortar.

Arabbing is a long-standing, locally-specific African American tradition out of Baltimore. An Arabber is a street vendor selling fruits and vegetables from a colorful, horse-drawn cart. Once a common sight in American East Coast cities, only a handful of Arabbers still walk the streets of Baltimore. On this episode, we sit down with James Chase, President of the Arabbers Preservation Society and an Arabber himself; and Holden Warren, filmmaker and producer of John & James - a documentary short about James’ work and his relationship with the Amish.

Entrepreneur Spotlight: we welcome another incredible mission-driven entrepreneur on The Tidbit that is tackling a huge problem at the intersection of nutrition, dietetics and agriculture. Tambra Raye Stevenson is the founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture, an organization inspiring a new generation of women and girls to become ‘food sheroes’ in Africa and Diaspora.

Our brains process not only stories, but the human emotions behind them. In this episode, we discuss with expert storyteller Nate Mook the importance of aligning your product, your business with a compelling brand narrative. Nate has worked with Senators, CEOs, and Entrepreneurs on crafting their stories on and offline through digital media, documentary film, and public speaking forums like TED.