Why Food?

After working for several years in classical music, Julian decided to enroll in culinary school to pursue a lifelong passion for pastry and baking. He worked in some of NYC's best kitchens, eventually becoming Pastry Chef at the Crosby Street Hotel. In 2010, he decided to make another career change and become an entrepreneur, and leaving his full time job to launch Melt Bakery, making and selling ice cream sandwiches at outdoor markets in NYC. Since then, he and his partner have built Melt Bakery into an ice cream sandwich empire with outlets around NYC. Join us for a conversation about creativity, entrepreneurship and ice cream!

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Yuan Ji is a former anti-trust attorney whose love for Oaxaca (and its mezcal!) inspired her to launch Erstwhile Mezcal. She's partnering with master mezcaleros in Oaxaca whose families have been making mezcal for generations, and importing the results of their expertise to the US. Join us for a deep dive into the how mezcal is made, the differences between agave varietals and Yuan's personal story of exploration and entrepreneurship.

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So far on Why Food?, we've talked to many food entrepreneurs about taking the leap from their former careers into food and beverage -- but what if you’ve already launched a successful, growing food business when another steals your heart? In this episode, Big Mozz founder Matt Gallira tells us about when (and why) he decided to pivot from his tomato sauce business, Atlantic Ave Company, to focus on taking his hand-stretched mozzarella and deep-fried mozzarella stick tent at Smorgasburg into the big leagues of outdoor festivals. Big Mozz’s Executive Chef, Jimmy Warren, also joins us in the studio with tales of how he went from majoring in finance to cooking for multiple sorority houses to Del Posto and finally as the first hire for the Big Mozz team. Please join us as we discuss the balance of creativity and scale, good questions to ask a founding partner and how Big Mozz is taking festival fare to the next level.

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50 Meals in 50 States. To most people, this seems a crazy idea; to Yana Gilbuena, a passionate Filipino chef who had just been laid off from her full-time furniture design job, it was just the kick she needed to start her new life in food. She packed up all her things and went on an epic road trip across the United States, cooking traditional kamayan feasts - hands-only Filipino dinners - for communities from small towns in North Dakota to metropolitan cities in California, and even to our non-continguous states Hawaii and Alaska. Now, not only has she trekked across the U.S., Yana has also criss-crossed through Canada, Mexico and South America, bringing her love for the Philippine heritage and local cuisine wherever she goes. Join us as we sit down with Yana to talk the realities of long-term travel, maintaining authenticity in the face of scarcity, the regional differences of Filipino cuisine and her upcoming cookbook “No Forks Given”.

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In the summer of 2005, Dario Wolos joked to his friends he would start a taco shop inside a Volkswagen, or "combi" as the locals called it. The name "Tacombi" was dreamt up, then promptly forgotten after several rounds of mezcal. He was still working in the finance department of an internet startup in London at the time, but something clicked after that night and shortly afterwards Dario quit his job and found himself back in Mexico, dipping into his life savings to buy a 1963 VW Kombi. He drove the bus with his girlfriend through the volcanoes of the Yucatan and landed at Playa de Carmen, a popular beachside destination for national and international tourists. Dario had no training in food, so he convinced a friend's father to come for a week and teach him how to make barbacoa lengua before he officially opened the first Tacombi next to a local nightclub. 4 years later, low tourism in Playa de Carmen pushed Dario to move back stateside, where he eventually found the perfect spot on Elizabeth Street to open New York City's Tacombi. Join us as Dario takes us through the weaving journey of an entrepreneur, the interpretations of Mexican cuisine in the U.S. versus Mexico and the spirit of Mexico he's working hard to showcase at Tacombi.

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Carolina Santos-Neves started in data entry at epicurious.com but found herself spending more and more time thinking about the elaborate meals she was cooking for her friends. After several years, she decided to take the leap and go to culinary school, and went on to help open two critically acclaimed restaurants. Join us for a conversation about her career and the evolution of her culinary philosophy emphasizing ingredient-forward cooking that considers health, seasonality, and social impact.

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Chi Bui led many lives before her current one in chocolate. Her well-to-do Vietnamese family fled their home city of Hue after the war; her parents lost everything immigrating to the U.S., but ultimately resettled her and her five siblings in Philadelphia. Chi's mother ran a food truck for 20 years, a feat of labor and love from where Chi learned preserverance and leading by example. She went on to major in literature at the New School while fixing computers part-time -- which serendipitously led her to working at the United Nations, leading efforts to install the first WiFi ports in countries like Pakistan and Bolivia. After 10 years, she decided to take time off to raise her two children; just like her own mother, she learned to cook as a requirement to feed her family. Her interest was piqued and Chi decided to go back to school in Pastry Arts as a way to challenge herself. There, she fell in love with chocolate. Now, she's combined her past experience in global development with her relentlessly curious, research-oriented mindset to deconstruct the chocolate-making process, starting with its supply chain. Join us as we talk through Chi's inspiring journey, why chocolate finished with extra-virgin olive oil is the perfect match and what changes she hopes to see in the international cacao trade.

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When Kristin Canty's young son developed severe allergies, she found relief by feeding him raw milk. She couldn't have known that would start a lifelong mission of advocacy and activism through filmmaking and food. Her feature film, Farmaggedon, exposed the hypocrisy of the FDA and USDA's regulation of small farms and was distributed widely to great critical acclaim. She went on to become a farmer herself, raising livestock and growing produce to supply her restaurants Wood's Hill Table and Adelita. Join us for a fascinating conversation about her career trajectory from speech pathologist to filmmaker, farmer and restauranteur.

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This episode, we're taking a fun approach to (re) introduce ourselves - by each taking half an hour to interview the other host! First up is Ethan Frisch, Founder of Burlap and Barrel. Ethan started in the food world as a pastry chef and activist ice cream maker before moving into humanitarian work overseas. In Kabul, he discovered he discovered fragrant fields of cumin and it planted a seed for his future. Now, he runs a single-origin spice company sourcing exceptional varieties from all over the world.

Jenny Dorsey started her career in management consulting and was gearing up for an MBA when she had an existential calling to become a chef. After enrolling in culinary school and working at various fine dining restaurants, she began hosting her own popup dinners, titled Wednesdays, and growing her consulting practice. Now, she’s also exploring the intersection of food and technology as part of her non-profit Studio ATAO.

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Scott Norton began making ketchup in his college apartment almost 10 years ago. It was 4 years after Malcolm Gladwell wrote that Heinz could never be overthrown - but Scott didn’t buy it. So he and his Co-Founder, Mark, set out to disprove this theory with a product that was the complete opposite of any available on the market and Sir Kensington’s was born. Mark went on to work in finance, joining Lehman Brothers a month before the historic crash, and travel across Asia for a series on folding bikes but his love for condiments never ceased. Upon moving back to NYC, he and Mark rejoined to turn Sir Kensington’s into a full-time endeavor. Join us as we sit down with Scott to talk about creating a brand personality for a food product, leading a business with strong enough values to establish culture yet enough flexibility for change, growing into a brand big enough for Walmart and marketing a food brand in the new age.

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