Handling the Heat

Stefano Marzano, co-founder of Mighty Meals, shares his journey growing up in a multi-generation restaurant family and building a meal prep business from the ground up. The conversation covers the early grind, scaling challenges, product-first thinking, and how Mighty Meals evolved into a national brand with an increasing focus on purpose and impact. Chapters (00:00:12) - Handling The Heat (00:01:...

Graham and Ali Greene join Zach for a conversation about their path from meeting at the CIA to working inside some of the most respected restaurants in San Francisco. They talk about what originally drew them to cooking, the realities of learning in high end kitchens, and how those early experiences shaped the way they think about craft, creativity, and building a life around food. Along the way,...

From growing up in an Armenian household surrounded by food to working in some of New York’s most respected kitchens, Ararat El-Rawi’s journey to opening Café Little Armenia is a story of culture, grit, and craft. We talk about how a small COVID pop-up outside his Brooklyn apartment evolved into one of Greenpoint’s most soulful neighborhood restaurants, driven by a deep respect for hospitality and...

From sweeping factory floors as a sixth grader to leading product innovation, finance, and marketing, Doug Renfro’s story with Renfro Foods and Mrs. Renfro’s Salsa is one of heritage, reinvention, and scale. After years in corporate finance, Doug returned to the family business - founded by his grandparents in Fort Worth over 85 years ago - and helped guide it into a new era of flavor development...

From a childhood “baking cabinet” and self-taught experiments to fashion-week brand moments, Amanda’s path with Tipsy and Baked is equal parts hustle and design. After starting an Instagram during COVID to document bakes, a nudge from friends turned into her first paid private-chef gig. The real ignition came with Everything But The Dress, a West Village bridal pop-up where she showcased sculptura...

Joseph Lapi’s path to the glass runs through family, hustle, and hospitality. Raised in a tight-knit Sicilian household outside Buffalo, Joseph grew up around nightly dinners, clinking glasses, and stories that made food and wine feel like home. A chance correction over Chianti sent him down the rabbit hole, trading a planned legal career for the sommelier track. In Chicago he joined Lettuce Enter...

Dannah Strauss, Partnership Lead at Table 22, joins us to share her winding path through the food world - from consulting in Washington, D.C. and writing for a local food blog, to staging at Michelin-starred restaurants, attending culinary school, and building innovative ready-to-eat meals at Territory Foods. Along the way, she’s navigated the realities of startups, the intersection of food and te...

Neal Sherman, Founder and President of TAGeX Brands, joins us to share his journey from frozen yogurt machines in supermarkets to building one of the nation’s most trusted marketplaces for surplus and pre-owned restaurant equipment - a business that has thrived for nearly four decades through relentless adaptability and focus. We talk about how a side service of removing displaced equipment grew i...

Maya Geschwind, Brand Director at TSC Hospitality, joins us to share her journey from back-of-house prep kitchens in LA to steering one of London’s most respected hospitality groups - all with a hands-on approach that spans culinary execution, strategy, and leadership.   We talk about growing up in the kitchen, working every restaurant role from lobster prep to high-volume host, and how she earned...

Abe Ng, founder and CEO of Sushi Maki, joins us to share how he turned a neighborhood sushi bar into a multi-channel powerhouse with restaurants, university locations, luxury hotel accounts, and over 15 Whole Foods installations — all while keeping quality, approachability, and family values at the core.   We talk about growing up in the family restaurant business, leaving a stable finance job to...

Kat Romneos, the creator behind @eatingallofny, joins us to share why she walked away from nearly 70,000 followers and a growing career in food content — and what she learned along the way.   We talk about the early days of pandemic-era dining, the shift from hobby to side hustle, and how partnerships, platform pressure, and nonstop posting turned something joyful into something draining. Kat refl...

John Hamburger, President of the Franchise Times , joins us to share what he’s seeing across the restaurant industry as both operators and investors face a shifting economic landscape in 2025.   With decades of experience covering restaurant finance and franchising, John breaks down the core challenges brands are facing right now — from declining traffic and rising prices to off-premise dynamics,...

Ray Biebuyck, founder of Hurray and the bold, satirical Girl Beer line, joins us to share how she left investment banking to build a beverage brand that challenges the male-dominated beer industry. After starting her beverage journey at Shacksbury Cider in Vermont, Ray saw a major gap in the market: beer products that actually resonated with women. She dug into consumer data, ran blind taste tests...

Mike Tougas, front-of-house lead at Denver’s acclaimed Tavernetta, joins us to share how he made the leap from civil engineering into the world of fine dining — and what it took to earn his place in one of the city’s most respected restaurants. After joining Tavernetta with no prior restaurant experience, Mike leaned into the discipline of service, mentorship, and consistent growth. We talk about...

Nick McMillan, co-owner of the iconic Golden Steer Steakhouse in Las Vegas, joins us to share how he and his wife Amanda stepped in to carry forward one of the city’s most historic restaurants. After taking over the Golden Steer in 2019, they brought a fresh perspective to a legacy brand — modernizing operations, investing in digital storytelling, and launching a thriving line of consumer products...

Logan and Taylor Amstey, founders of Love Lamp Matcha in Austin, Texas, join us to share how they turned a simple dream into a thriving business. After a two-year permitting journey, they opened their unique pottery studio and matcha shop in early 2025 — and within just six weeks, launched a second location. We talk about overcoming red tape, building an authentic community without paid ads, and p...