Episodes
Meet the Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink class of 2024. The annual list identifies and applauds young innovators and entrepreneurs who are redefining the way we eat, drink, and think about food. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Forbes Under 30 editors Chloe Sorvino and Kristin Stoller abut the trends and companies on this year's list. Joining the conversation are two of this year’s winners: Blodin Ukella, founder and CEO of Ryl Iced Tea, and Angel Zheng,...
Published 02/07/24
Published 02/07/24
Following Tech Bites tradition, the last show of the year is a look forward into the next year. What are the trends we’re predicting for 2024? Podcasting and anniversaries. On this episode, Tech Bites host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with RJ Bee, the new Executive Director at Heritage Radio Network about plans for celebrating HRN’s 15th anniversary and Tech Bites 300th show with live events across the country, video upgrades, and musical guests.
Published 12/19/23
Following Tech Bites tradition, the penultimate episode of the year is always a look back. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks about the new minimum wage law for app-based delivery drivers and the recent court victory for drivers with returning guests Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Worker’s Justice Project (WJP) and Josh Wood, delivery driver and one of the leaders of Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU), the workers collective driving the change.
Published 12/12/23
We first met Farm.One founder Rob Laing in 2016 on episode 145. Farm.One opened in Tribeca growing rare herbs, edible flowers, micro greens, and other exotic produce year-round for chefs and restaurants, using hydroponics and LED lighting. Episode 240 covers 2020, the global pandemic, and Farm.One’s pivot into delivering freshly-harvested greens to New York subscribers by bike and their move to a larger farm in Brooklyn. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks to Rob Laing,...
Published 07/12/23
Robots, automation and AI are here. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with former Space-X engineer Benson Tsai, CEO and co-founder of Stellar Pizza (robot-powered pizza trucks), and Stephan von Muehlen CEO and co-founder of Poursteady (automated pour-over coffee machines).
Published 07/05/23
On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with fellow Heritage Radio Network host Shari Bayer of All in the Industry, about her recently published book CHEFWISE: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon Press). It is a book of inspiration, advice, and life lessons from 117 leading chefs around the world. Many have been on Heritage Radio Network, a member-supported radio station with more than one million monthly listeners worldwide.
Published 06/14/23
I scream, you scream, we all scream to help solve the world's massive food waste problem with ice cream. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Tyler Malek, Co-Founder and Head Ice Cream Maker for Salt & Straw Ice Cream and Jeremy Kaye, Co-Founder of The Spare Food Co about Salt & Straw’s Upcycled Food Series featuring the Lemon Curd & Whey flavor, a tangy gelato infused with The Spare Food Co's Lemon & Ginger Spare Tonic.
Published 06/08/23
I scream, you scream, we all scream for lowering CO2 emissions by 1-billion pounds. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Justin LeVrier, VP of Sales of Joule Case, and Eric Murphy, CEO and founder of Scream Truck, the on-demand ice cream trucks powered by Joule Case batteries.
Published 05/17/23
Go behind-the-scenes of the Modernist Cuisine series with Nathan Myhrvold and his latest book Food & Drink: Modernist Cuisine Photography. Food & Drink looks at the technical aspects of the equipment and process, and the art of portraiture as applied to food. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Nathan about the cutting-edge techniques, custom-built cameras, robotics, and digitizers that were used to create the photographs in the series. Hungry for more?...
Published 05/10/23
Hi Tech Bites. My name is Mae and I have a career in the creative agency space but am now looking to pivot into the food industry. I'm intrigued by the intersection of food, community, media, and entrepreneurship. Would you have any interest in a virtual ‘coffee chat’ with me? I would absolutely love to pick your brain about your amazing career in food & food media, and absorb as much as I possibly can to figure out what’s next for me. On this unique episode of Tech Bites, guest Mae...
Published 04/12/23
How do you build a better burger? At SciFi Foods, they do it in the laboratory, using cutting-edge biology and bioengineering technology, like CRISPR, to cultivate beef cells, then add them to plant-based ingredients. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Dr. Kasia Gora, PhD, co-founder ,and CTO of SCiFi Foods about the race to be first to market in cultivated beef with the launch of the SCiFi burger.
Published 04/05/23
Mushrooms are suddenly everywhere. Products ranging from functional beverages to mood-changing supplements have popped up in media, online, and in-market. What’s the difference between functional mushrooms and adaptogens? Do they really work? On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Charlotte Cruze, Co-Founder and COO of Alice Mushrooms, a functional mushroom chocolate, and Ben LeVine, Co-Founder and Chief Herbalist of Rasa, an adaptogen coffee alternative, about how...
Published 03/14/23
Mushrooms are suddenly everywhere. Products ranging from functional beverages to mood-changing supplements have popped up in media, online, and in-market. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Tyler Huggins, CEO and Co-Founder of Meati Foods, about their debut product line of cutlets and steaks made from mycelium mushroom root. The whole-food protein meat is cultivated using a modernized version of ancient and natural processes, with thew intention of helped preserve...
Published 03/08/23
Are you a content creator looking to impact change and support Black owned businesses? There’s an app for that. Spicy Green Book. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with returning guest Danilo Batson, about the success and growth of Spicy Green Book, a directory of Black-owned food and hospitality businesses. The non-profit organization uses volunteers, like photographers and designers, to work with business to create the content and listings. Currently Spicy Green Book...
Published 02/21/23
It has been said on this podcast that we are in an unprecedented time of investment in the food tech space. Companies that get funding today make the products you will see in stores tomorrow. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talk with Fazeela Abdul Rashid of Revolution Growth about how she evaluates companies for investments. Revolution Growth, a venture capital fund investing in growth-stage companies around the country that are leading disruption within their industry...
Published 01/31/23
We care deeply about where our food comes from, scrutinizing how it’s grown to who prepares it and the values of the companies along the supply chain. Do we care about the person who takes it the last mile, delivering it to your door? In 2020 delivery workers in NYC created Los Deliveristas Unidos demanding five essential rights: a living wage, essential protection from theft, violence, wage theft, and safety hazards. They are still essential and unprotected. On this episode, host Jenifer...
Published 01/25/23
Meet the Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink class of 2023. The annual list identifies and applauds young innovators and entrepreneurs who are redefining the way we eat, drink, and think about food. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Forbes Under 30 editors Chloe Sorvino and Kristin Stoller about the trends and companies on this year's list. One of this year’s winners, Téa Ivanovic, talks about her company Immigrant Food, gastroadvocacy, and the impact of being on...
Published 01/17/23
Following Tech Bites tradition, the last show of the year is a look forward into the next year. What’s the trend we’re predicting for 2023? Food tech for mindfulness. On this episode, Tech Bites host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Bryan Litman, co-founder of Hasu Flower, a 3D-printed micro-meditation tablet that engages your senses to “pause, smell and (mouth) feel.” During the pandemic he developed Hasu, a dissolvable meditation tablet to center your mind and cultivate a moment of mindfulness.
Published 12/16/22
Following Tech Bites tradition, the penultimate episode of the year is always a look back. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks about 2022 with returning guest Krystle Mobayeni, founder and CEO of BentoBox. She brings a first look at the just released BentoBox 2022 Restaurant Trends Report, an analysis of critical data from more than 14,000+ restaurants worldwide. Spoiler alert: the big five includes restaurant tech, search engines, and online ordering.
Published 12/07/22
Virtual reality engages our senses of sight and sound. But what about taste and smell? If you could eat art and music… what would it taste like? On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with artist Mattia Casalegno and Kathleen Forde, senior curator of Superblue, about Aerobanquets RMX, the world’s first mixed reality, immersive gastronomy experience. Inspired by the Futurist Cookbook, the (in)famous Italian compendium of surreal recipes and fantastical dinners published in...
Published 11/30/22
Where’s my cheese? The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium is currently testing food-safe, digital labels on its cheese wheels. The p-Chip micro transponders deliver previously unseen levels of traceability, inventory tracking and control, product authentication, quality-assurance testing, product serialization, and consumer safety. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Riccardo Deserti, Director of The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, and Massimo Baio, Director of Business...
Published 11/18/22
The rate of restaurant tech evolution seems to get faster and faster, with consumers adopting new behaviors and desires with every new app they download. How can restaurants keep up with market demands and use tech to make their business more efficient and profitable? On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks to Meredith Sandland and Carl Orsbourn, the authors of Delivering the Digital Restaurant. Using first- hand accounts of food industry veterans and start-up entrepreneurs...
Published 11/02/22
Thinking about getting one of those magical microwaves that can also air fry, bake, and broil, but you’re not sure which one is worth the investment? The staff at the Good Housekeeping Institute just tested more the 200 products for their annual Kitchen Gear Awards, so you don’t have to. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Nicole Papantoniou, Director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab, about this year’s winners and the new coffee awards.
Published 10/25/22
Fish and seafood are the only kind of commonly consumed animal protein that are still caught in the wild. When we think about plant-based or lab-grown substitutes for animal products, most of the conversation focuses on the environment. For fish, there’s also consideration for the environment impacting the quality of the natural product, with increasing levels of heavy metals and micro plastics. Overfishing and endangered aquatic-populations are also a concern. An ocean without fish, is not...
Published 10/18/22