Aaron Cohen of Gracie's Ice Cream: Community, Creativity & Small Business Marketing

Building a community starts with being willing to make the ask.On this episode of Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart sits down with Aaron Cohen, owner of Gracie’s Ice Cream, musician, event organizer, and longtime community builder, to talk about creativity, entrepreneurship, and why the strongest communities are built by people who show up.Aaron shares lessons from launching businesses, organizing events, and creating opportunities for others, along with practical advice for anyone who struggles with self-promotion, networking, or asking for help. They also talk about small business marketing, building authentic relationships, and, of course, making really great ice cream.For listeners interested in ADHD creativity, this conversation is a reminder that creative work often grows through connection, momentum, experimentation, and asking before you feel fully ready. And because this is a food podcast for busy brains, Catherine and Aaron also dig into how food businesses become places where people gather, return, and feel part of something.Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD.Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on SubstackCatherine Smart, Host/Executive ProducerKevin O’Connell, Audio and Video ProductionAllie Miller, Associate Producer