Courtney E. Smith on Ravenous and the Future of Independent Food Media

Courtney E. Smith joins Catherine Smart to talk about Ravenous, the new worker-owned food and culture publication founded by former Eater writers after a layoff.Courtney shares how the team built an independent media company from scratch, why they’re choosing subscriber support over VC money and branded content, and what it means to cover food, labor, restaurants, and culture with stronger ethics and sharper opinions.She and Catherine also talk about what’s missing from today’s food media landscape, the challenge of writing about local restaurants for a national audience, the business learning curve for creatives, and why shared values matter when you’re building something with other people.For listeners interested in ADHD creativity, this conversation digs into the messy, energizing process of making something new with limited resources, strong opinions, and a lot of moving parts. And because Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains, Catherine and Courtney also explore how food media shapes the way we think about restaurants, cooking, labor, and culture.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 Substack