Tech Bites

On this holiday episode of Tech Bites, we’ll look at paying it forward to building better communities with Studio ATAO ’s The Neighborhood’s Table. Host Jenifer Leuzzi talks with Edric Huang, Head of Programming at Studio ATAO, about combating gentrification through intentional hospitality and their current fundraising project. Make it a real black Friday this year and keep your favorite non-profi...

Can you imagine a future where people don’t eat food produced from live animals? How many generations would it take for dairy-based ice cream to exist only in historical cookbooks as a taste of the past? On Episode 249 of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Matias Muchnick, the CEO and founder of NotCo , the five-year-old international plant-based food tech company founded in Chile that is...

What is the current state of growth and investment in food tech? The industry is coming out of the vacuum of 2020, with flush stock market gains and a sense of urgency about fixing the planet’s vital issues. This all lines up for an unprecedented investment period for food tech. On this episode of Tech Bites, Host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Rachel Konrad about this very unique moment of opportunit...

How many empty restaurant spaces are in your neighborhood? Do you know someone who is trying to turn their favorite recipe into a business, but can’t figure out how to get out of their home kitchen? Kitch is a marketplace that connects those with available commercial kitchen space with those who need it. It’s an easy turn-key solution to rent a professional space for an hour, a day, or a year. On...

Food delivery has never been more popular, nor more essential to people’s daily lives. Third-party delivery apps have dominated the space, dictating policies and payments for both home consumers and restaurants. Companies looking to take back control are creating their own platforms and systems. On this episode, Tech Bites host Jenifer Leuzzi talks with Brian Howenstein , Chief Operating Officer o...

Launched in 2021, Forge Project is an initiative to support leaders in culture, education, food security, and land justice. Forge exists as a platform for people and organizations whose crucial work serves the social and cultural landscape of our shared communities through a fellowship program, a teaching farm developed in partnership with Sky High Farm, community support, and a lending art collec...

In 2021, a year-and-a-half into the global Covid-19 pandemic, restaurant, food, and grocery delivery has never been more popular, nor more essential to people’s daily lives and the survival of the restaurant industry. Third-party delivery apps have dominated the space, dictating policies and payments for both home consumers and restaurants. Companies looking to take back control of their delivery...

In 2021, a year and a half into the global Covid-19 pandemic, restaurant, food, and grocery delivery has never been more popular, nor more essential to people’s daily lives and the survival of the restaurant industry. Third-party delivery apps have dominated the space, dictating policies and payments for both home consumers and restaurants. Delivery workers created Los Deliveristas Unidos in 2020,...

In 2021, a year and a half into the global Covid-19 pandemic, restaurant, food, and grocery delivery has never been more popular, nor more essential to people’s daily lives and the survival of the restaurant industry. Third-party delivery apps have dominated the space, dictating policies and payments for both home consumers and restaurants. On this episode, host Jenifer Leuzzi talks with Claire Br...

What’s the most important thing to teach kids about food? Maybe it’s not just flavors and cooking, but using food as a passport to learning about the world and the people in it. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Sarah Thomas , co-founder and chief imaginator of Kalamata’s Kitchen , the children’s digital platform that chronicles the food adventures of young Kalamata an...

If you live in New York City, how far would you have to go to get to a neighborhood farm selling freshly harvested greens? Turns out, you just need to get to Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. On this episode of Tech Bites , host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with returning guest Rob Laing, CEO and Founder of Farm. One . Started in 2016, Farm. One grows rare herbs, edible flowers, microgreens, and other exotic...

Would you guess that the Brooklyn navy yard is the location of the world’s first commercially viable urban rooftop vineyard? With the help of Finger Lakes industry leaders and Cornell University, Rooftop Reds has developed a custom urban planter system. 42 of these planters cover the 14,800 square-foot rooftop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks wit...

We have never been more focused on our health and bodies than we are now. Prior to the global pandemic, the US weight loss industry was poised to peak at $78 billion dollars. Searching for a way to bio-hack our physical performance and appearance, we look to a range of sources from celebrities, to trainers, to diet experts and doctors. Maybe we should be looking at our own DNA. On this episode of...

Although it has been growing in popularity since its launch in 2017, Substack’s eNewsetter paid-subscription platform really took off during the pandemic. There are currently 500,000 paid subscribers generating some $17 million in revenue that goes directly to the editors/writers/journalists who produce the content and manage their own subscription lists and payments. Marquee names in tech, politi...

Can we use technology to build a healthier food system? And what exactly do we mean by healthier? Is that defined by environmental issues, fair and legal labor practices, or wholesome foods that are good for human bodies? The FoodNiche® Tech Summit this May brings together thought leaders, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, and scientists to try and answer these questions. On this episode of Tech Bites...

The Barrio Fridge in East Harlem, New York, was started during the pandemic summer of 2020 by best friends Darrielle Carter and Seantell Campbell , who wanted to serve their community with free food during a time of crisis. Today there are two fridges, and two brand new apps: one for Apple and one for Android. On this episode of Tech BItes, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Darrielle Carter about ho...

Consumer demands are redefining what we expect from grocery delivery services. Ghost grocery, ultra-fast delivery and grocery tech are trying to answer those demands. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Elaine Russel, who manages the grocery-tech focused Albertsons fund at Greycroft , and Oleg Shevlyagin, the founder of the ultra-fast grocery delivery company FifteenTwen...

In 2019 Americans consumed 31.4 pounds of tomatoes per person, with sales topping $3 billion, and imports accounting for more than $2 billion. That’s why new ag-tech company AppHarvest is growing tomatoes in a 30-acre indoor facility in Appalachia. By targeting the popular vegetable and producing it at scale, the company hopes to change not only how, but where things are grown. On this episode, ho...

With Warm Welcome started in 2019 as a podcast with the intention to bring together the Asian American restaurant community. Today it is a digital media platform with a magazine, pop-ups, merchandise, and events on Clubhouse. On this episode, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Arnold Byun , founder of With Warm Welcome, about how the mission and community of WWW have evolved to meet the challenges of...

For the past year, we’ve produced more than thirty episodes of Tech Bites remotely, focusing on the innovations of the food, tech, and restaurant communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. On this episode, host Jennifer Leuzzi connects remotely via Zencastr with past guests to look back at the year that changed our lives. Deepti Sharma, Founder and CEO of Food to Eat and Bikky , shares how her b...

In today’s pandemic marketplace, restaurants have to create new revenue streams outside of an in-person dining experience in order to survive. How does a restaurant translate its real-life hospitality into something online and virtual? On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with video designer and director of photography, David Bengali , sommelier, Belinda Chang , and Kristin Ma...

In 1902 the first US automat restaurant opened in Philadelphia. It took nickels and dispensed classics like pie and sandwiches. Fast-forward to Jersey City in 2021 for the next-gen Automat Kitchen. This one still serves American classics like chicken pot pie, but has been upgraded with made-to-order food and completely contactless service. On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks...

Taste the future of food today! On this episode of Tech Bites, host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with a panel of people innovating food products, like sausage, bread, and eggs, for a healthier and more equitable table. Joining the discussion: Cara Nicoletti, Founder and CEO of Seemore Meats & Veggies , William Schumacher, Founder of Uprising Foods , and Nate Park, Director of Product Development at J...

In March 2020 when Los Angles closed as a result of COVID-19, the Geffen Playhouse launched the Geffen Stayhouse . Bollywood Kitchen is the latest show in a new lineup of live, virtual, and interactive productions. The production is a live version of Sri Rao’s cookbook of the same name that shares the story of his parents immigrating to America, their culinary traditions, and the joy that Bollywoo...

Can you successfully translate an in-person wine tasting to online? How many people would log-on to a live Twitter feed on Wine Tasting 101? Answer: 1.4-million people. On this episode of Tech Bites , host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Chicago-based sommelier Belinda Chang about how she built a successful, global business producing virtual wine and hospitality experiences. She shares her pro tips on...