The Food Magic Podcast

Healthy, delicious, convenient, and sustainable. This week we had a chat with Jared Cannon, the founder and CEO of Simply Good Jars, a company that sells jarred salads in reusable plastic jars.

Imagine biting into a big, sizzling burger, topped with crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes. Now imagine that burger being completely plant-based.

Our guest this week is Nicole Marquis, Founder and CEO of Hip City Veg, a completely vegan fast-casual restaurant, most known for their plant-based burgers. Their first location opened in April 2012 in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and it was a hit right from the start. The restaurant opened at 10 am and in just three hours, they sold out of food. Marquis found it remarkable that even in the “cheesesteak capital of the world”, so many people came out to eat veggie burgers, proving that plant-based restaurants can achieve success all over the world. Since then, Marquis has opened seven Hip City Veg locations in Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

For this episode Mishka sat down with the Founder and CEO of Saxbys, Nick Bayer. He shared strategies and tips to succeed as a business owner, as well as stories of individuals that helped him along the way.

Nick discussed that it was a lifelong venture to succeed in the coffee business. Ever since he was a kid, Nick’s parents impressed upon him the importance of getting an education. After being steered “the right way” growing up by his parents, coaches, and teachers, Nick was fortunate enough to get a great education at Cornell and be the first person in his family to graduate from college.

This week, our faba-lous guest is the founder and chef at Fabalish. Jessica Gebel shared with us the story of her culinary journey, how food changed her life, and how her unique chickpea brand came into existence.

Even though fast-food was typically the go-to for her and her brother growing up, Jessica is from a Polish family, where they all love “real, good food” and it was during her childhood that she began to develop a love for quality food.

In this week episode, the Chief Cookie Office of Snackadabra - Michelle Silberman shared her amazing experience in Latvia. 

This week, our featured guest is Lauren Westerman, the current CEO of Classic Events by Lauren, a wedding planning company. Lauren started her career in working in Papasito restaurant in Houston then she decided to become a wedding planner and started her company, Classic Events by Lauren in Philadelphia. Through her company and continuous industry exposure, Lauren is always learning innovative techniques for the events and hospitality industry.

In this episode, our featured guests are the Soom sisters: Amy, Shelby and Jackie who are the founders of Soom Foods. The company’s mission is to provide delicious tahini with high quality ingredients in every product. Their product, tahini, is uniquely produced from Humera sesame seeds, which come from a region located in Northwestern Ethiopia. One of the the Soom sisters' goals is to have tahini become a pantry staple in kitchens across America. Soom Foods exemplifies that family and business can make a successful combination together.

Our featured guest for this  episode is Parul Agarwal, an experienced and certified executive coach with many tricks up her sleeve. Parul is currently managing her business Scope Communications which she began after many years working with a number of global companies including Subway, McDonalds and Morgan Lewis. Working in those fast-growing corporations helped Parul shape her perspective of the food and beverage industry and helped her gain the right attitude toward potential challenges.

Meryl Levtiz is the CEO and founder of Visit Philly and was the mastermind behind many iconic Visit Philly campaigns including “This is Philadelphia.” “Philadelphia Loves You Back”, “With Love, Philadelphia XOXO” and “Philly Is More Fun When You Sleep Over”.

Jeff Benjamin and Marc Vetri of the Vetri Foundation sit down with Mishka on today's episode to talk about how the began their Empire and how trusting their instincts led them to where they are today. 

Every 10 episodes we are going to give you a little peek into the magical world of Snackadabra. Here’s an inside scoop on what’s happening in the office and what’s being whipped up in the kitchen. It’s go time - ’tis the season as they say! We’re growing, we’re hiring and Mishka, the Chief Cookie Officer, wants to take you along for the ride.

Creating memorable and innovative events is our guest's specialty! In this episode, Fred Stein of the Creative Group, Inc., shares his secrets to executing exciting events for even the most discerning customers. You’ll hear about Fred’s career path (spoiler alert: it was a windy path that leads him to events), the innovative techniques he’s applied to make his events stand out, and even what former President Bill Clinton orders from Chick-Fil-A.

This week, our featured guest is Adam Schmidt, is the founder and Drinker in Chief of Drink Nation, or more widely known as Drink Philly. Drink Philly is a free online publication promoting happy hours, drink specials, and other drinking-related events in select cities. Adam indulges us with how he’s developed Drink Nation, his growing knowledge about the liquor industry, and guerilla marketing techniques he uses to attract consumers.

In this episode, Michelle had the pleasure to speak with Drexel University Culinary Arts and Science Professor and Director/Founder of the Drexel Food Lab, Jonathan Deutsch. He shares his knowledge about food innovation, his experiences as an educator, and his current research with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH)

In this episode, Beth shares her involvement in events through her company, her various self care techniques for work/life balance, and even dips a toe on her exposure to events in the cannabis industry.

Within the episode, Sheetal spills the tea about finding balance with yourself and your coworkers, recommends for different types of packaging for food and beverage products, and shares the value in having support through your mentors and peers to run your company.

Our guest Mr. Anthony Wark is the city manager of PA, NJ, and DE for Match Marketing Group where he specifically promotes Diageo, a leading alcoholic supply company with brands such as Guinness, Don Julio, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Ketel, Baileys and etc. He also shares the tales and advice he’s gathered from his career in the restaurant, hospitality, and events space. While working for STARR Restaurants, Anthony contributed to opening notable restaurants such as Steak954, Makoto, and Dandelion. Anthony highlights the changes in consumer behavior as new generations arise, the influence experiential marketing and events has on products, and his process to establish and execute his goals. 

We’re excited to share Evan Ehlers' empowering story about founding a non-profit to lessen food waste, the importance of connecting with and/or researching your competitors, and how food can help bring communities together for the better. 

Some food for thought from the episode: “Really having the right mindset is super important It’s almost like you need to have a belief in yourself that is beyond the work that you’re doing. It’s something that really comes from an inner vision that this is not only a business that I’m working on but this is my life put into a business.” 

In this episode of The Food Magic Podcast, Nick Nanakos serves us with his own Magic Moment with food with him and his family, the entrepreneurial side of seeking out investors and becoming an investor in the future, and the best business team to surround yourself with. 

In this episode of the Food Magic Podcast, Mishka introduces the podcast’s scope and purpose, describes her Magic Moment with food, and advises listeners on how to express and execute their business ideas so they can be heard.