Smart Kitchen Show from The Spoon

In this episode we sit down with Mesh Gelman, the founder and CEO of Cumulus Coffee, to talk about reinventing the cold brew experience. A former Starbucks innovation executive, Gelman shares how his journey from coffee burnout to cold brew evangelist led him to build a sleek countertop system that delivers barista-quality nitro cold brew and cold espresso in under 60 seconds, without the need for nitrogen tanks. The two dive into the challenges of building a hardware startup, the evolution of consumer coffee habits, why cold is the future, and how Cumulus is positioning itself as both a coffee company and a tech innovator. Check out our upcoming virtual event, Smart Kitchen Summit 2025 at www.smartkitchensummit.com. Podcast listeners can use the discount SPOONPOD for 20% off of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode's guest is Brian Canlis, a third-generation co-owner of the famed Canlis restaurant in Seattle. Brian's last day at Canlis was last week as he looks to launch a new adventure with his college roommate Will Guidara, owner of Eleven Madison Park and author of Unreasonable Hospitality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, host Michael Wolf sits down with Carl-Emil Grøn, CEO and co-founder of Reshape Biotech, a Copenhagen-based company transforming the world of biotech research. While much of the tech industry has embraced automation and AI, Carl-Emil realized that biotech labs were still operating like it was the 1990s. Reshape is changing that by bringing robotics, machine learning, and a vast proprietary dataset to the lab bench—helping major companies like Unilever and Nestlé run millions of experiments and drastically accelerate the development of safe, natural ingredients. This conversation explores how AI is being used to reengineer food, personal care, and health products—and what it means for the future of the global food system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode's guest is Eva Goulbourne, founder of Littlefoot Ventures and one of the most insightful voices at the intersection of food, climate, and finance. Eva's career has taken her from the halls of the World Economic Forum to the launch of ReFED, where she helped build one of the most influential organizations in food waste reduction. Through her work at Littlefoot, she advises brands, foundations, and startups on how to drive meaningful change across our global food system. She's also the host of the new podcast Everything but the Carbon Sink, where she dives deep into the tough, often-overlooked challenges facing the future of food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We catch up with Andrew Simmons to chat about his new pizza subscription platform and to hear what his thoughts are after a year of change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Spoon Podcast, host Michael Wolf sits down with food futurist and innovator Mike Lee to talk about the launch of The Tomorrow Today Show, his new long-form podcast exploring the future of food. The two Mikes trace Lee's journey from corporate innovation at American Express to building immersive concept experiences like The Future Market and launching the storytelling-driven magazine Mise. Mike shares how improv, design, and dinner parties shaped his unique lens on the food system, and why he believes corporate boardrooms need more narrative thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Mike chats with George Peppou, founder and CEO of Vow, the Australian startup pushing the boundaries of cultured meat. George shares how his background in science, food, and invention led to building a company that creates entirely new types of meat, like quail foie gras and even a woolly mammoth meatball. George dives into Vow's bold approach to scaling production, including the in-house design of the world's largest food-grade bioreactor, and how they're defying industry trends by continuously selling cultivated meat in Singapore. George also discusses regulatory progress in Australia and New Zealand, what it takes to bring cultured meat to grocery shelves, and why others are now approaching Vow in the space for manufacturing support. Check out our big virtual event in July, the Smart Kitchen Summit! www.smartkitchensummit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mike talks with Cole Ashman, founder and CEO of Pila Energy, about how his company is rethinking home energy with a distributed, plug-and-play battery system. Instead of a single powerwall in the garage, Pila's mesh battery network allows users to place smaller batteries throughout the home, appliance by appliance, to back up critical devices like refrigerators and sump pumps. Cole shares how his experience with Tesla and Span shaped the vision for Pila, explains why whole-home battery backups are out of reach for most people, and explores how Pila is making backup power more affordable and flexible. They also dive into how upcoming policy changes—like Utah's new legislation supporting plug-in solar and storage—could open up a new era of DIY, portable energy for renters and homeowners alike. Cole will be joining us at the Smart Kitchen Summit, so make sure to get your ticket today at www.smartkitchensummit.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest for this episode of The Spoon Podcast is Dana McCauley, CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN). Dana joins Mike to discuss the impact of recent US trade policies under the Trump administration on the Canadian food industry, highlighting the challenges and uncertainties faced by Canadian food businesses. McCauley also describes CFIN's role in supporting Canadian food companies through innovation and collaboration, and touches upon the strengths and emerging trends within Canada's food tech sector. The Spoon is bringing back the Smart Kitchen Summit this year July 21-31st. Make sure to check out our website and get your ticket ASAP! https://www.smartkitchensummit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's guest is Dan Gertsacov, CEO of Big Green Egg, who shares his journey of transitioning from leading digital strategies at global giants like Google and McDonald's to steering an iconic, community-driven cooking brand. Dan talks about his approach to taking over a brand that's only had two CEOs before him (and working with the company's founder, Ed Fisher), and how he envisions taking the company into the future (hint: it doesn't include AI-powered grills). If you haven't checked out our growing family of podcasts, head over to The Spoon's podcast page and check them out and give them a listen! https://thespoon.tech/podcasts/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike sits down with Eric Schulze, scientist, former regulator, startup veteran, and now the host of Food Truths, a new show on The Spoon Podcast Network. Eric and Mike discuss the vision behind Food Truths and Eric's mission to cut through the misinformation swirling around food, nutrition, and policy. They also dive into the current turbulence in the U.S. food system, the shifting political landscape around food additives and cultivated meat, and the regulatory headwinds facing food innovation. With his experience spanning government, academia, and industry, Eric brings a unique and pragmatic perspective to complex issues, aiming to make science accessible without the usual hype or partisanship. During the pod, Eric also reflects on his journey—from working at the FDA to joining Upside Foods as one of its first senior hires—and how he honed his ability to communicate science clearly. Whether you're a food industry professional, a science enthusiast, or just someone who wants to know which banana to buy, this episode is packed with insight, candid conversation, and a glimpse into the kind of deep-dive discussions Food Truths will bring to the table. You can subscribe to Food Truths on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Visit the show page here for more info: https://thespoon.tech/food-truths/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Oakley, a writer and producer for shows like The Simpsons, discusses his unexpected career shift into becoming a food influencer and reviewer. He recounts his childhood fascination with fast food, which led to a lifelong fascination with the latest offerings at the drive-thru and grocery store. Mike and Bill discuss trends in the fast-food industry, Bill's shift towards reviewing a broader range of American foods and packaged goods, and his excitement for innovative condiments. They also talk about Bill's move into hosting ticketed dinners featuring regional cuisine, and how he beat Disney to the punch in trademarking the name "Steamed Hams" (his membership club is the Steamed Ham Society), a long-time Internet meme that originated from a script he wrote for the Simpsons. You can find more about Bill at his website, billoakley.com and on Instagram at ThatBillOakley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Mike is joined by Eric Dawson of the Yellow Farmhouse and Rich Shih, author of "Koji Alchemy". They discuss their online event, Kojicon, and the rich history and global use of koji and fermentation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an episode of The Reimagining Restaurants Podcast, a podcast focused on the future of restaurants by The Spoon Podcast's Michael Wolf. You can find out where to subscribe here. Episode Summary: In this episode of Reimagining Restaurants, host Michael Wolf sits down with Kevin Jeung, Chef of Research and Production at the legendary restaurant Noma. Kevin shares his journey from washing dishes in Toronto to helping innovate at what many consider the world's greatest restaurant. They discuss his early culinary experiences, his time in San Sebastian, his role in Noma's evolution, and the restaurant's transition towards product development and global pop-ups. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Kevin's unconventional path from university dropout to fine dining innovator. His experiences working in renowned kitchens around the world, including Noma, Mugaritz, and Gramercy Tavern. Why Noma is shifting from a full-time restaurant to a product and research-driven food lab. The philosophy behind Noma's pop-ups and how they approach new culinary landscapes. How Noma is using fermentation and product development to bring its flavors to a broader audience. The role of AI and technology in culinary innovation and research. Kevin's personal cooking habits, favorite kitchen tools, and his newfound appreciation for Cantonese cuisine. Resources & Links: Noma Projects Taste Buds Membership – Join to get exclusive early-access products. The Spoon Podcast Network – Explore other great food tech and restaurant innovation podcasts. Subscribe & Follow: Love this episode? Make sure to subscribe to Reimagining Restaurants on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And if you enjoyed it, leave a review—it really helps! Join the Conversation: Join our Spoon Slack to let us know what you think about this episode and get early peaks at other episodes. Thanks for listening—stay tuned for more conversations with industry pioneers shaping the future of restaurants! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mike welcomes Adam Yee to discuss his journey in food tech, his extensive experience as a podcaster, and his evolving role in the industry. The conversation covers Adam's first-time experience at CES, the origins of his My Food Job Rocks podcast, and how podcasting has shaped his career—from networking opportunities to job offers. Adam shares insights from his time as a food scientist, his role in various startups, and the founding of Sobo Foods, a company focused on innovative dumplings. Show Outline: IntroductionMike and Ada catch up on CES experience Adam's Podcasting Journey How My Food Job Rocks started 10 years ago The podcast's mission: Making food jobs as exciting as tech jobs Growth through interviews with food scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders Memorable moments, including an interview with Harold McGee Career Journey in Food Science Early days at a granola bar factory in Phoenix Transition to Isagenix to develop protein bars Founding Sobo Foods and launching dumplings Lessons from working at Motif FoodWorks and observing the food tech boom Podcasting as a Career Catalyst How My Food Job Rocks led to a role at Better Meat Co. Influence on Paul Shapiro starting his podcast Podcasting as a powerful networking tool The Evolution of My Food Job Rocks Relaunching the podcast: Season 2 with a focus on deeper industry insights Exploring underrepresented food careers (e.g., farmers, venture capitalists) Introduction of a new segment: Dig In, focusing on specific food industry trends Maybe Food, Maybe Tech Podcast How it started as Crisis Meets Opportunity Analyzing food trends through the lens of global events and technology Example: Understanding the impact of avian flu on egg prices Discussing alternative proteins and food system innovations The Future of Food Media & Podcasting The growing influence of podcasts vs. books The potential of video content for food tech discussions Challenges of reaching frontline workers for interviews Where to Find Adam YeeBest way to connect: LinkedIn Here is the story of The Spoon Podcast Network. Find Adam's podcast and more great shows at The Spoon Podcast Network page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mike Wolf (The Spoon) sits down with Tim Bucher, CEO of Agtonomy, to discuss the intersection of agriculture, AI, and automation. Bucher shares his unique journey from growing up on a dairy farm to working at Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Next, WebTV, and Dell, before merging his two passions—farming and technology—to start Agtonomy. The conversation explores: How Bucher's farming roots influenced his path into tech His work with Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, and other Silicon Valley pioneers The challenges facing modern farmers and how automation can help What physical AI means for the future of agriculture How Agtonomy partners with farm equipment manufacturers to accelerate autonomous solutions We also just launched The Spoon Podcast Network! You can read about the reason behind our new network and see links to the shows here. (https://thespoon.tech/meet-the-spoon-podcast-network/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mike sits down with Raj Singh, a seasoned entrepreneur and product developer, to discuss the latest trends in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies showcased at CES. Raj shares his firsthand observations from the event, offering insights into how AI, robotics, and smart devices are shaping the future. The Podcast Breakdown: AI Innovations in Consumer Apps: Raj discusses his development of GPT Food Cam, an app that simplifies food calorie tracking with AI, emphasizing usability and consumer behavior. The Role of Smart Glasses and AR: Raj highlights the evolving role of augmented reality glasses and how AR technology is positioned to revolutionize professional and consumer applications. Physical AI and Robotics: Autonomous devices, from garbage bins to plant-watering systems, caught Raj's attention as examples of how AI is entering everyday life. The Next Wave of AI: Raj explains concepts like language action models (LAMs), multimodal outputs, and the path toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). He also discusses the importance of high-quality data for training AI and the role of synthetic datasets. The Evolution of SaaS and No-Code Development: Raj delves into the debate between building custom tools internally versus using traditional SaaS products, reflecting on how no-code platforms are reshaping software development. Whether you went to CES or not, you won't want to miss this episode to hear how AI showed up at the big tech show and to hear Raj's insights on what it all means and where he sees AI going. Where to Find Raj Singh: LinkedIn, Linktree, and @mobileRaj on Threads, BlueSky, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, we sit down with Sam Calisch, founder and CEO of Copper, to explore how his company is trying to upend and catalyze the induction stove market by building an appliance with built-in batteries. Sam shares his journey from climate tech lobbyist and ecosystem builder to launching Copper, the challenges of breaking into the appliance industry, and how Copper's products could eliminate the need for costly rewiring while also delivering a better cooking experience. We also dive into the future of energy-efficient homes, smart appliances, and the role of batteries in transforming our kitchens—and our power grids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are joined by Akshita Iyer, CEO and co-founder of Ome, a smart kitchen startup that's revolutionizing home safety with its second-generation smart stove knob. Originally launched under the name Inirv, the company's journey began with a simple idea born from a personal experience—retrofitting stoves to prevent kitchen fires and help those aging in place. From a 3D-printed prototype in 2016 to delivering their first product through Kickstarter, Iyer shares the highs and challenges of bringing a hardware product to life, including turning down a Shark Tank deal and navigating complex safety standards. Here's what we discuss in this week's podcast: Iyer shares how her mother's experience with Parkinson's and a kitchen fire inspired her to start the company. The challenges of developing the product, from idea to fully functional smart knob. Iyer's Shark Tank experience, including an offer from Robert Herjavec that they chose to decline. How Ome Smart Knob prevents fires by automatically shutting off burners, with a focus on helping older adults and those with cognitive decline. The UL 858 safety certification and the company's role in updating industry standards. How insurance companies may someday incentivize the adoption of smart safety devices. How Ome is working with senior living communities to gather data on reducing cooking-related risks. You can find out more at Ome Kitchen (www.omekitchen.com). Join The Spoon this week for a live conversation with two scientists from NotCo on how they are using AI to create new flavors and fragrances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ali Bouzari, a culinary scientist and co-founder of Pilot R&D, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of food and technology. Bouzari shares his insights on the potential and limitations of AI and robotics in the culinary world, emphasizing the importance of approaching these tools with a critical eye. He also highlights the significant impact of climate change on the food industry, specifically citing the challenges facing chocolate production. Bouzari discusses his work at Pilot R&D, where his team assists food entrepreneurs in developing and scaling up new products. He describes their process, which includes ingredient sourcing, extensive trials, and sensory evaluations like the "smellathon." The episode concludes with Bouzari's reflections on the evolving food landscape, emphasizing the need for adaptability and a sense of culinary adventure in the face of global challenges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's conversation is with Sam Rose, who has spent her entire career unraveling the complexities of bringing consumer products—often kitchen-related—to life. I first met Sam about eight years ago, introduced through our mutual friend, Scott Heimendinger, who was collaborating with Sam on developing a next-generation coffee grinder. But this wasn't just any coffee grinder. It was a cutting-edge, tech-forward device that could sense the freshness of the beans, use burr grinders to achieve perfect consistency, and more. In other words, it was exactly the kind of innovative kitchen gadget that intrigued me, especially as someone who organized the Smart Kitchen Summit. However, Sam's journey didn't begin with coffee grinders. Her first product was much simpler—at least from a technology standpoint—and was inspired by a personal frustration. Disgusted with a cheap silicone spatula, Sam thought, "Why don't I just make my own?" And that's exactly what she did. Throughout her entrepreneurial journey, Sam has not only mastered the art of creating and selling her own consumer products to hundreds of thousands of customers but has also developed a comprehensive set of business processes and technologies to help others do the same. To top it off, she's now investing in companies she believes she can help succeed—focusing on physical consumer products, a category that many investors shy away from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lab-grown or cultivated meat companies have struggled lately as they try to figure out how to do something that's never been done before: grow meat in large quantities in big metal vats known as bioreactors. Part of the challenge is figuring out how to get the meat cells to grow. The technology to do this has been borrowed from the world of pharma, an industry where you can charge thousands of dollars for drugs. Denis Kent thinks he has the answer. His company, Prolific Machines, is replacing these expensive growth medium with the cheapest source of energy in the world: light. Link: Prolific Machines Website Make sure to subscribe to our weekly Food Tech News Show podcast where we talk about some of the top stories of the week in the world of food tech.

This week's episode features a conversation with Paul Shapiro, who went from being a lobbyist who advocated for better animal treatment to building a future food company that leverages technology to reduce our reliance on animal agriculture. Links: Paul's website: https://www.paul-shapiro.com/ Paul's company: The Better Meat Co. Paul's book: Clean Meat, on Amazon. Also, make sure to subscribe to our weekly Food Tech News Show podcast where we talk about some of the top stories of the week in the world of food tech.

The episode's guest is Robby Earl, president of Virtual Dining Concepts (the company behind Beastburger). Robby is also president of Linked Eats, a new technology company that makes software for virtual restaurant brand operators. I caught up with Robbie last week to talk about his new company and its technology and to get an update on what is going on in the virtual restaurant space, an industry that has seen some challenges in recent years. We also talk about the reshuffling of the VDC brand portfolio and get an update on the lawsuit between VDC and BeastBurger. Enjoy the conversation! Remember to subscribe to our new show, The Food Tech News Show. Our latest guest is Molly Wood, longtime podcaster and host of Everbody in The Pool.

This interview is with Rajat Bhageria, an investor and technology founder who debuted his food robot after working stealthily for five years. Bhageria, a master's graduate of Penn's Robotics and Machine Learning Lab, started his first company in high school, a social network for young writers. During college and grad school, he founded Third Eye, a company using computer vision to assist the visually impaired. I got to know Rajat in 2019 when he spoke at our food robotics conference called ArticulaTE. At the time, he was just getting started exploring the idea of food robotics while also running his venture capital firm Prototype Capital. He took this knowledge and what he learned as an investor and started Chef, a company that makes a food robot that assembles cooked and ready-to-eat food in high-volume environments. This focus, says Bhageria, is much different from the bulk of robots in the market, most of which focus primarily on prep and cooking in restaurants and food service. In this conversation, we talk about: Why it's important to have great data when building vertical-specific robot like Chef Why Rajat felt that restaurants is the wrong part of the value chain to start building food robot How early founders should focus on understanding the pain points of their future clients before building their product Why Rajat believes that home food robots will never be a big market Where he sees this space going over the next decade and much more! If you'd like to explore how AI and automation will change food, you won't want to miss our upcoming Food AI Summit on September 25th. Visit the website and use the coupon code PODCAST to get 15% off tickets.

The Spoon is launching a dedicated Food Tech News Show podcast. which you can find here on Overcast, on Pandora (and here on our podcast host) and Apple Podcasts. And, of course, you can listen to this episode on The Spoon feed. In the future, we will focus on interviews and deep dives here on The Spoon Podcast, so make sure to subscribe to FTNS for your weekly shot of food tech news. On this episode, Michael Wolf and Carlos Rodela welcome Peter Bodenheimer, a longtime food tech investor and operator, to discuss the current state of food and ag tech funding. In this episode, they delve into: The decline in agrifoodtech investments in the first half of 2024, with startups raising $7 billion across 427 deals, a significant drop from H1 2023. Upside Foods' recent layoffs and industry challenges due to legislative bans and decreased venture capital funding. SharkNinja's latest innovation, the Ninja SLUSHi™ Professional Frozen Drink Maker, which brings commercial-grade slushies to home kitchens. Chef Robotics emerging from stealth mode to showcase its new robot and announce early customer partnerships. Thimus' groundbreaking technology, the T-Box, which reads brainwaves to assess consumer reactions to food products. Tune in to The Spoon's new dedicated weekly food tech news show!

For most Americans, the Kraft and Heinz brands have been ever-present in our cupboards and fridges for our entire lives. Products like Oscar Meyer hot dogs, Kraft cheese, Velveeta, and Jello. Household names all. The company resulted from the 2015 merger between Kraft Foods and Heinz. Now the third biggest food brand in North America, we thought it would be interesting to hear how they think about innovation and reinventing their product lineup. To do that, we sit down with Kraft Heinz's President of R&D for North America, Robert Scott. As a part of this conversation, we talk with Robert about: The company's partnership with NotCo and how they are using the Guiseppe AI to develop new plant-based products. How he sees AI becoming interwoven into the company's product development cycles Why they created a Freestyle-like machine for custom condiments called the Heinz ReMix The idea behind the 360Crisp and innovating our food products and how they cook in our kitchens How Robert would advise aspiring food scientist to pursue a career path in food research and development And much more! At the Food AI Summit in September in Berkeley, we will explore how big CPGs can interweave AI into their product development and discuss lessons from the front lines. You can learn more about the Food AI Summit at our website, and make sure to use the coupon code PODCAST for 15% off tickets.

This episode is the audio from the very first session at SKS 2024, Lessons From the First Wave (And How to Prepare for The Next One). The session included Chris Young (Combustion, ChefSteps, Modernist Cuisine), Scott Heimendinger (Sansaire, Modernist Cuisine and Cuisonic), and Kai Schaffner (Thermomix). The session was moderated by The Spoon's Michael Wolf. It was a lively conversation about how we are seeing patterns of behavior reminiscent of the last wave, as well as what each of the speakers is excited about for the future. We'll be talking about some of these same topics at our next event, the Food AI Summit. Use discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets. 

SKS 2024 is in the books, so Carlos Rodela and Mike sit down and talk about the craziness of the past week, some of the products they checked out at the show, and some of the talks by our great lineup of speakers. If you'd like to see a video version of this conversation with interspered photos from SKS, check it out on the Spoon later this week.  

What would happen if you put a big battery in your induction stove? For one thing, you could cook at a much higher temperature because the power the battery brings to each cooking session is much higher than a traditional outlet. You also have the start of a fractionalized power wall, creating a foundation for what could be your electrified home. We talk about these and other implications of electrification in this conversation with Sam D'Amico, the CEO of Impulse Labs. Sam will be at Smart Kitchen Summit this week talking about kitchen electrification and the Impulse Labs story. If you'd like to see Sam in person, get your ticket for the Smart Kitchen Summit at www.smartkitchensummit.com. Use code PODCAST for 15% off tickets. 

If you follow food Instagram or TikTok, chances are over the past couple of years you've seen a touchscreen toaster from Revolution Cooking.   Revolution's toaster went viral during the pandemic, in part because it has a touchscreen, but also because of a price tag north of $250.    But Revolution CEO Tom Klaff said the toaster was just the beginning, and the fuller vision for the company started to come into focus this past CES when they introduced the Macrowave, a device that combines microwave cooking, infrared heating, air frying and more.    In this podcast, we talk to Tom about why he decided to enter the kitchen technology space, how he and his partner came up with the idea to create a touchscreen toaster, launching during a pandemic, becoming Oprah's favorite toaster, and much more.    If you want to meet Tom in person and hear about his heating technology, he'll be at the Smart Kitchen Summit on June 4-5th. Just head to www.smartkitchensummit.com and use the coupon code PODCAST for 15% off tickets.  

This episode's guest is Assaf Pashut, the founder of Chefee, a company that makes home cooking robots.   If there's a category in kitchen technology where there have been lots of startups over the past few years, it's food robotics. Zume, Flippy, Remy Robotics, BurgetBot, and Picnic to name a few. Even Travis Kalanick is getting into the act.   However, most food robots are made for commercial kitchens and that's for good reason. As consumers tend to like appliances we're familiar with, so the idea of having a robot to make our food seems like something out of a science fiction future.   But Assaf Pashut had a vision for using robotics to help us make better food and so he built Chefee, a home food robotic system that is different than anything out there. It's not a countertop appliance that has automated things within a box, or a system that has big robotic arms attached to the wall. With Chefee, the robotics recede into the background.   In this conversation, we discuss how Assaf came up with the idea for Chefee, how he got to where he is today, and his vision of the future. He also tells the story of pitching Chefee on Shark Tank.   If you'd like to see Assaf in person you can do so at the Smart Kitchen Summit. Just use coupon code PODCAST at smartkitchensummit.com for 15% off.

Nick Holzherr is well-known in the smart kitchen space. With the rapid growth of his startup Whisk and the acquisition of the company by Samsung, it's one of the true success stories in this market.   Whisk was the first recipe startup to explore early on how to use AI and apply it to recipes. As we find out in this interview, Nick and his team were building everything from the ground up, including buying computer chips to run his AI models a decade ago.   Nick also tells the story of going on the British version of The Apprentice and appearing before Lord Sugar (the British version of Donald Trump) to pitch the company.    Over the years, Nick's company started working with grocers in Europe and eventually appliance brands, and it wasn't long before he started getting calls about acquiring the company. Nick talks about those heady days in which he got three companies all making bids to buy the company.   Nick also discusses what he is excited about and where he sees the use of AI in the kitchen going.    If you'd like to see Nick and hear his story in person, I'd encourage you to head to Smart Kitchen Summit. You can use the discount code PODCAST to get 15% off tickets at smartkitchensummit.com.

This week Mike and Carlos be joined by Future Market's Mike Lee to talk over some of the most interesting stories of the week. Mike Lee also tells us about his new book Mise,  which paints four different scenarios depicting the potential direction of our future food system. Here are all the stories we'll be talking about. Bored & Hungry Closes – Food & Web3: A check in on where things are In March 2022, NFT and crypto investor Andy Nguyen purchased Bored Ape #6184 along with three Mutant Apes and soon decided to establish a Bored Ape-themed restaurant named Bored & Hungry. The restaurant opened its doors on April 9, and by the end of its first day, it had served 1,500 burgers and had lines stretching around the block. Two years later, Bored & Hungry has closed. Last week, Nguyen announced on Instagram that the restaurant's original location in Long Beach, California, was closing. He shared that they had sold the concept to a franchising company from Asia known as HUNGRY Dao. Is AI-Powered Customer Interaction at Fast Food & Retail Giving Up too Much Privacy? A Fast Company article titled “How fast food is becoming a new surveillance ground” looks at how new customer interaction layers using things like bio-authentication, cameras, profile information, and more are a new risk for gathering information about the public.  And earlier this week, we saw Steak n Shake launch facial recognition nationwide for check-in. Are we going through an airport or going to buy a surf and turf? Vow Thinks Imitating Meat We Eat is Bad Approach. Enter the Quail Parfait.  Green Queen: The Syndey-based startup is today launching its cultivated Japanese quail in Singapore's Mandala Club, after the country's regulator gave it the go-ahead to sell the product. But unlike other rollouts of cultivated meat, where chefs are supplied with the meat itself (which they then incorporate into dishes), Vow is taking a novel approach. What restaurant kitchens get is a parfait containing its cultivated quail. Mike's Book about The Future of Food The four future visions in Mise (pronounced “meez”), which range from the year 2033 to 2067, are created to help people understand the potential long-term impact of things that are happening today in the world on our food system. The book identifies 5 major happenings in society, technology, the economy, the environment, and politics (abbreviated and referred to as the STEEP factors) that will have a profound impact on the way the world produces and consumes food. We'll be talking about some of these food futures and how it will shape our lives at the Smart Kitchen Summit on June 4-5th in Seattle. If you'd like to join us, you can use the discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets at checkout. 

This week on the Food Tech News Show we are joined by Scott Heimendinger, one of the inventors of the home sous vide circulator and a long-time kitchen tech inventor.  Here are the stories we talk about: Apple is working on robots for the home! – From Bloomberg: “The original concept for the robot was a device that could navigate entirely on its own without human intervention — like the car — and serve as a videoconferencing tool. One pie-in-the-sky idea within Apple was having it be able to handle chores, like cleaning dishes in a sink. Google has used its latest AI to create a new tool that creates a fusion recipe between two culinary cultures. Lifehacker: “According to Google,  Food Mood can provide creative inspiration for your next meal. Select two countries and this fusion recipe generator will create one for you. You can choose whether you would like to cook a starter, a soup, a main course or a dessert. For example, why not try a unique blend of flavors from Sri Lanka and Uganda or mixing influences from Oman and Belgium? This experiment was created by artists Emmanuel Durgoni and Gaël Hugo, and uses Gemini 1.0 Pro via Vertex AI.” Whirlpool has let the entire Yummly team go. Appliance giant Whirlpool has laid off its entire Yummly team. According to industry sources, the company recently laid off all the employees for the recipe and cooking app and website. These sources tell the Spoon that it's unclear what the company plans to do with the property it acquired in 2017. Amazon Pulling ‘Just Walk Out' from Amazon Fresh Grocery Stores – According to a story published in The Information, Amazon is planning to pull its Just Walk Out cashierless technology from its large-format grocery store, Amazon Fresh. One Robot Pizza Chain Operator Breaks Down the Cost Each Part of the Pizza-Making Process – For small operators (and big ones as well) in the pizza business, Andrew Simmons's posts on Linkedin have become must-read material. Scott will be at the Smart Kitchen Summit, talking about some of the lessons he's learned building the kitchen of the future. If you are interested in seeing Scott at SKS, you can use the discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets. 

On this week's Food Tech News Show, Mike and Carlos welcome Rachel Konrad, former head of communications for The Production Board, Impossible Foods and Tesla. The stories we catch up on include: People are Scared Sh**tless: It gets real on stage from pessimistic VCs Startup Polopo shows off tech to create egg-derived proteins in potatoes using molecular farming techniques Is the Keto Cereal Craze over? Trader Joe's opens new small-format store Robot of the week: The Chefee robot You can find the video version of this Weekly Food Tech News show at The Spoon and you can find the audio-only podcast on Apple Podcasts.   A reminder: It's the last two days to get early bird pricing for the Smart Kitchen Summit. Use discount code PODCAST at checkout for 15% off of tickets.       

If you follow the world of kitchen and consumer food tech startups, you know there hasn't been much in the way of venture funded startups targeting food waste in the home. That changed last year when Mill lifted the veil on the company and its first product, the Mill Bin, a smart food recycler. The company had a unique approach, offering a subscription-based home food waste recycler and an accompanying service that would turn the food grounds into chicken feed.  We decided to catch up with the company's CEO, Matt Rogers, to hear about the journey to making Mill. During our conversation, we also talk about: The early lessons in building a tech-powered food recycling appliance and service Why Matt decided to target food waste after building a smart home company in Nest The challenges in getting consumers to think about wasting less food How better data could help us change consumer behavior  The future of food waste reduction technology in the consumer kitchen If you want to learn more about Mill, you can head to their website or join us at the Smart Kitchen Summit where we will be hearing from company cofounder Harry Tannenbaum. Use discount code podcast for 15% off tickets.

This week, the Spoon crew got together to discuss some of the big stories of the week on a new weekly video news show we're launching called The Food Tech News Show. The stories Carlos Rodela and I discuss include: Keurig Unveils Plastic-Free Coffee Pods, Developed With A Little Help From The Maker of CoffeeB Keurig Takes Another Swing at Cold Beverages With the Launch of QuickChill Cold Coffee Technology Not Surprisingly, Starbucks Is Shutting Down Its NFT Program Watch The Figure 01 Robot Feed A Human, Sort The Dishes, And Stammer Like Us Meatbags Why a Small Startup in the Middle of Valencia May Be Leading the Wireless Energy & Invisible Cooktop Trend Bellwether Debuts Small-Format, Countertop Electric Coffee Roaster for $15 Thousand   You can watch the full show on YouTube, or listen to it on the Spoon podcast. And, if you'd like to watch next week's Food Tech News Show, join us on March 22nd at 1 PM Pacific on Streamyard, Twitter, or on our YouTube channel. Music from #Uppbeat  License code: HKXBEQJCPWPRMN7H    

Over the past decade, Fresco has been building technology that helps appliance and housewares brands to create smart kitchen products. The journey for Fresco started when the company - then known as Drop - created a connected kitchen scale. After finding success selling its scale in the Apple store and other locations, the company started working with other brands to help provide enabling technology to power their smart kitchen solutions.  Fast-forward to today, and Fresco is now working with some of the world's biggest kitchen brands, including Panasonic and Viking, to help them build out their smart kitchen solutions. To hear about this journey, we welcome Anthony Sullivan, the Chief Product Officer for Fresco, to the podcast.  On the podcast, host Michael Wolf talks with Anthony about: The journey from a consumer product company to a platform company Building software for appliance brands The evolution of the mindset of appliance companies around creating solutions that enable cross-brand connectivity The challenges of getting consumers to adopt more tech-forward solutions in the kitchen And lots more! You can learn more about Fresco at www.frescocooks.com  If you are interested connecting with Fresco and other kitchen tech companies, you'll want to be at the Smart Kitchen Summit on June 4-5th in Seattle. Use the discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets at checkout.

Around 2009, Ralph Newhouse's company hunted down excess inventory of small electrics and would re-sell them into the secondary market. However, it wasn't long before Newhouse realized he wanted to make his own appliances, and that's when the Chefman we know today was born. Newhouse wasn't done. As he and Chefman started to see how new connected products made their way into the market over the past decade, he realized he wanted to create a brand around more tech-forward connected products, and that thinking led to the creation of ChefIQ, a startup within a startup focused on the smart kitchen. In this conversation, Newhouse talks about this journey, why he decided to create a separate company for his connected products, and where he sees the future of the connected kitchen going.  And...for those interested new products, we have a couple reveals by Ralph in this podcast that are heard for the first time.  Have a listen! For those interested in checking out where the future kitchen is going, you'll want to be at the Smart Kitchen Summit on June 4-5th in Seattle. Use discount PODCAST at checkout for 15% off tickets.

Ty Thompson and the rest of the Ovie team recently passed a major milestone: They shipped their first piece of hardware. The product, a consumer food waste management system, was over half a decade in the making. Along the way to market, the founding team faced numerous challenges around funding, finalizing the product concept and design, building prototypes for manufacturing, and finding the right manufacturer to work with. Ty talks about all of these challenges and the lessons learned, including: -Battling mission creep around the product's vision -How to find the right minimum viable product to get it into production -What you need to do (and what you shouldn't do) when looking to find the right manufacturing partner -How to balance your life and your day job while hustling to build a startup And much more.  Ovie will be at Smart Kitchen Summit, so if you like what you hear and want to connect with the team in person, get your ticket at www.smartkitchensummit.com.

Chris Young is one of the most provocative and interesting thinkers in the future of food and cooking, so any time he visits The Spoon podcast we learn a lot. This time was no exception.  In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, we talk about: How he has put AI compute into something as small as a thermometer  Where he thinks generative AI and other AI is going in the food and cooking space How he thinks big companies should approach the AI era  Why he's back creating content for Youtube and other channels again And much more! Chris will be back at Smart Kitchen Summit this summer in Seattle, so if you're interested in seeing him there or learning more, head to www.smartkitchensummit.com.  

Food delivery through underground tubes? Sounds crazy, but it's already happening today, and Pipedream's Garrett McCurrach thinks it just may be the future of delivery. We catch up with Garrett just a week after they announced their first pilot in the Atlanta suburbs, where they have built a system that delivers food and other items underground for nearly a mile. During this podcast we talk about how Garrett came up with the idea, what it was like to showcase the system to Jeff Bezos, how the company is working with fast food restaurants to rethink drive-thru pickup and what he sees for the future of underground delivery.  As always, like or subscribe if you haven't already. 

This week SuperGut CEO Marc Washington joins the podcast to talk about why new GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are keeping CPG brand CEOs up at night. These new drugs, which got their start as a new class of pharmaceuticals that help contol type 2 diabetes, have become very popular in recent years as weight loss drug. They are hugely effective in suppressing appetites and reducing the overall calorie intake of those taking them, so much so that some speculate that they could have a significant impact on overall demand for food if, as predicted, tens of millions begin to take them in coming years as the price comes down and more accessible formats (i.e. not shots) become available.   Marc thinks a lot about these drugs because his company, SuperGut, creates a natural alternative to GLP-1 drugs in the form of supplements, snacks and bars. His journey to leading the company was born out of both a personal loss as well as a chance meeting with Dave Friedberg, the CEO of The Production Board.  You can learn more about Super Gut on their website. And a quick plug before we go: The Spoon is heading up the food tech conference at CES, the world's biggest technology expo. If you'd like to become involved as a sponsor, just fill out this form and we'll be in touch!

In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, we welcome Ari Tulla, CEO of Elo Health. Ari got his start in tech working for mobile giant Nokia, where he helped lead the company's mobile app studio.  However, after his wife experienced a health scare in the late 2000s, Ari decided to turn his attention to the broken health system and built what he describes as a "search engine for doctors." After he sold that company, he began to think about how the explosion in personal data using wearables and other inputs could help pave a way for food as medicine and personalized nutrition. That journey eventually led to the creation of Elo Health, a company that uses AI to power a personalized nutrition and supplement platform.  Ari will be joining The Spoon and others at the Food AI Summit on October 25th to discuss his journey. If you want to connect with Ari personally (and try an Elo Health personalized supplement!), join us in Alameda. Use the discount code PODCAST for 25% off tickets. 

We're back after a couple weeks off to wrap up some of the top stories of the week.  Mike and Allen talk about these stories: Wonder acquires Blue Apron Scentian wants to replicate insect smell capability using AI and sensors Video from Serve Robotics leads to arrest and conviction  Tesla has broken ground on  its Drive In Theater and Diner  Our Food AI Summit is in just three and a half weeks. Use discount code PODCAST to get 25% off of tickets!  

The Spoon is back for another week of food tech news, and this week Michael Wolf and Allen Weiner talk about what's going on in the smart kitchen, alt protein, CRISPR and more. Here are the stories we talk about: Samsung and LG play nice in the kitchen, and Samsung launches food app.  MOTO Pizza, where you wait a month for your pizza order, is crazy about Picnic's pizza robot Pairwise reups partnership with Bayer for CRISPR-based innovation GFI says plant-based meat sales were up in 2022 DoorDash is bringing AI to their apps and call centers As mentioned in the show, the Spoon is once again leading the charge for food tech at CES, the world's biggest tech show. If you are interested in showcasing your future food or food tech innovation, head over to The Spoon's CES page for more info. Also, on October 25th, we'll be bringing leaders at the intersection of food and AI together for a day of conversation. Please use the discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets to the Food AI Summit.

We're back after a summer hiatus and are back this week with a food tech news wrap-up. This week Michael Wolf and Allen Weiner talk about: Trader Joe's says no to self check out The continuing decline of plant-based meat sales Academics are worried about implications for AI and automation on family meal A 20 year success story: Mini Melts selling 30 million ice creams a year through its kiosks Starship continues to grow, deploying sidewalk robots to 50 universities The Spoon is once again leading the charge for food tech at CES, the world's biggest tech show. If you are interested in showcasing your future food or food tech innovation, head over to The Spoon's CES page for more info. Also, on October 25th, we'll be bringing leaders at the intersection of food and AI together for a day of conversation. Please use the discount code PODCAST for 15% off tickets to the Food AI Summit.

Andrew Simmons is an open book. When the long-time entrepreneur decided to buy a restaurant in 2020, little did he know that in just a few months he would be forced to close his doors due to COVID.  But instead of giving up, he had to get creative and, after surviving the pandemic, he kept on tinkering, trying to figure out how new technology could make his restaurant more efficient.  During this whole experience, Andrew has been documenting his journey via posts on Linkedin and on a blog. As he reinvents his restaurant through technology, he talks about what works and what doesn't, providing a potential blueprint for other operators who are thinking about how technology could change their business.  During this podcast, Andrew and Mike talk about: How the installation of a pizza robot from Picnic completely changed how he does business How one piece of game-changing technology, like a pizza robot, forces other changes and adoption of new technology throughout the restaurant's work flow The impact of new technology on his unit price for pizzas  How analytics software helped him realize his dine-in business was not profitable and how it changed his thinking about how he ran his restaurant How he was forced to rethink how he used employees through the use of technology and how the employees (and former employees) have reacted His pizza subscription concept and how he believes it can help him pay for opening new restaurants Andrew's plans to launch a 100 unit restaurant chain built using off-the-shelf restaurant technology If you are considering using technology such as robotics for your restaurant, this episode is a must-listen!    

In this week's podcast, we talk food and AI with Google's Evan Rapoport. Over the past decade, Evan has led teams for Google Research looking at how AI could impact biodiversity and change. During our conversation, we talk about a project called Tidal, in which he and Google used AI technology like computer vision and applied it to aquaculture. We also discuss the impact of AI more broadly on the food system and how Evan thinks newer technology like generative AI might have an impact sooner than we think on the world of food.

When you think of the kitchen of the future, do you envision a 3D food printer instantly whipping up a dinner or a snack? While the crazy idea might not happen tomorrow, if life follows the path of science fiction (as it often does), there's a good chance a food printer will be sitting on our kitchen counter in 10 or 20 years. If we're going to get there, this week's guest Jonathan Blutinger might have something to do with it. Jonathan is a 3D food and software-defined cooking researcher who is trying to envision what this future world of cooking looks like. In the podcast, we talk about How Jonathan got started exploring future cooking technologies What is laser-cooking and how does it pair with 3D food printing How the current state of the 3D food printing ecosystem compares to other industries like digital music The difference between printing sweet vs savory products Will consumers ever accept the idea of 3D printed food? And lots more! Enjoy this week's podcast and we'll see you next week!