What We Eat is Who We Are: An Homage to Food Heritage

IT'S OUR LAST EPISODE OF OUR FIRST SEASON! * * * * * * Most everyone can think of one person that had the most influence over the way we eat. Of all Hope & Main members, more than 20% are named after a family member (or pet) or pay homage to a certain culture or ethnicity. Everyone does it their own way and it’s not always obvious, but how we interact with others through food is often telling of our culture and family dynamics. We are fascinated by this, and thankfully are in a unique position to ask “why?” and “how?” to two entrepreneurs who’ve done it tastefully and successfully. In this episode we had a conversation with Schantel Maxine Neal (Maxine Baked) and Michelle Cheng (Ceremony Tea House, Leafy Green) about their upbringing, inspiration and outlooks - all as related to food. We wanted to know more about the people and places behind the inspiration for their brands, and what it took to translate those ideas into profitable businesses. Creating a business inspired by heritage foods requires bold moves on the part of the creator (and customers) - but our world is better off with a diversity of choices.