Food Stories: The Podcast

In this special episode of Food Stories: The Podcast , we sit down with Paula Ray, the soon-to-be-retired Operations Manager of the Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen (NOCK), to reflect on nearly two decades of dedicated service. Paula shares the history of the NOCK, its transformative impact on the local and regional food industry, and the lessons learned from helping countless food entrepreneurs...

In this episode of Food Stories , we sit down with Anna Shields, the dynamic CEO of Snowville Creamery, to delve into her inspiring journey from a teenage farmhand to leading one of Ohio's most innovative dairy companies. Anna shares her personal story of starting in the dairy industry at just 16 and rising through the ranks to become CEO in November 2022. We'll explore Snowville Creamery&...

Today we get a chance to sit down with one of our keynotes of our 2024 Ohio Food Industry Summit - Jacob Hall also known as the Manufacturing Millennial. With an an audience of 75,000+ followers with over 100 million views on social media Jacob is a strong advocate for innovation and more for manufacturers. We talk about his background, how he has grown such a massive online following, and what he...

For our first episode of Food Stories: Season 3,  we are joined by Maddie Coppel , the Food Editor of The Toledo Blade. Maddie is from Chillicothe, OH, and graduated from The Ohio State University in May of 2023 with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural communication. She joined The Blade in June 2023 and covers all things food for Northwest Ohio. You can find her column weekly in the Sund...

Go into any grocery store and you can’t help but be amazed by the amount of options for craft beer. Travel across the state through towns small, medium, or large, and you will come across tap rooms and breweries featuring local and unique craft beers. With over 400 breweries operating in Ohio last year and close to a hundred more in the planning stages, this mature market is fueled by passionate c...

From trying to feed astronauts on space missions to catering pizza parties, to now potentially being used in your local bakery 3D food printing is here. In our second episode of season 2 of Food Stories, we sit down with Anjan Contractor, founder and CEO of Beehex Inc, the company pioneering 3D food printing right here in Ohio. We talk about how he got started, how Beehex had grown so quickly and...

If you have ever bought guacamole at the grocery store you have most likely been exposed to HPP technology. But what is this technology, and why is it essential to how we will consume food in the future? In today's episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Professor V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam who has been at the forefront of reintroducing this technology in new ways to keep food fresh...

On today's podcast, we are joined by Teryn Marie Wolfe, CEO of Martix Food Technologies Inc., based in Dublin Ohio. Matrix is a cutting-edge manufacturer of fibrous, edible, animal component-free, plant-based, customizable nanofiber scaffolds and microcarriers used in growing and creating alternative proteins. We discuss this emerging technology and the impact it will have in creating a sustai...

Ohio is home to many iconic food and food companies. But very few foods are as original, and perhaps controversial, than Cincinnati chili. In today's episode we are joined by Dann Woellert, who literally the book on the subject. We discuss the unique Ohio history of the dish its impact and spread outside of Ohio, as well as it moving into grocery stores across the nation and world. You can find Da...

The backbone of any industry growth and innovation is anchored with entrepreneurs and people willing to start their own business. in this episode we talk about what makes Ohio a good an unique place to start a food company,  what challenges are faced, and what advice can help get people started. Today's guests are Ashley McDonald, Marketing Specialist at Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohi...