PODCAST · technology
The Spoon Podcast
by The Spoon
A podcast about foodtech and the future of food brought to you by The Spoon. Formerly known as the SmartKitchen Show.
Episodes
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How One Japanese Entrepreneur Built a Food Business in America
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike talks with Yuta Katsuyama, co-founder of Chicago-based Onigiri Kororin, about his journey from Japan to building an onigiri business in the U.S. They discuss how a graduate school project turned into a startup, the years of experimentation it took to…
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Building an AI from Scratch for Taste and Smell
In this episode, Mike sits down with Kai Schaeffner and Andreas Nicklas, who have been spending the last couple of years building an AI to better understand and predict individual taste and smell preferences. Kai and Andreas talk about how they've built their platform using scientific cohort and...
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Reimagining The Future of Farming With Neal Carter
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike talks with Neal Carter, founder and CEO of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, about buying back the company he and his wife Louisa founded nearly 30 years ago. Carter reflects on the long journey behind the Arctic apple, the company’s nonbrowning apple created…
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The Rise and Fall of Brava
This week's guest is former Brava executive Travis Rea, who reflects on building one of the more interesting kitchen startups over the past decade. Rea shares the story behind Brava's light-based cooking technology, the challenges of creating an entirely new appliance category, and the lessons...
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Can Fermentation Help Save Coffee & Cocoa?
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Michael Wolf talks with Jake Berber, the cofounder and CEO of Prefer, a Singapore-based startup that uses fermentation to create coffee and cocoa extenders from ingredients like rice and chickpeas. Berber explains why rising coffee and cocoa prices, climate...
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Creating the Open AI of Food Robotics With Rajat Bhageria
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike sits down with Chef Robotics CEO Rajat Bhageria to unpack how the company quietly went from years in stealth to assembling more than 100 million meals. Bhageria explains why assembly, not cooking, is the real bottleneck in food production, how Chef is...
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Is Brain Health Optimization The Next Big Wave in Wellness?
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike catches up with Mo Abouelsoud, CEO of U The Mind Company, about the emerging intersection of brain health, wellness, and consumer technology. Abouelsoud explains how his company’s non-invasive brain stimulation devices are designed to help treat...
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Is AI an Enemy or Ally for Recipe Creators?
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike catches up with Will Templeton, co-founder and CTO of Allspice, about how the traditional recipe blog model, laden with ads, pop-ups, and static content, is breaking down as users increasingly “lift” recipes into apps, screenshots, or AI tools. The...
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Talking About Nature's Trickster Protein With Ali Wing
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike catches up with Oobli CEO Ali Wing to discuss what Wing calls "nature's trickster protein", the sweet proteins they develop for products like ice teas and chocolate bars. Wing talks about how the company is positioning its sweet protein technology at the...
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Where Are Grocery Stores With AI Adoption in 2026?
Mike is joined by Matthew Schwarz, CEO of Afresh, who discusses the company’s expansion from fresh produce to an all-in-one AI solution for the entire grocery store. Matt explains how the company's AI tech has prevented 200 million pounds of food waste annually and explores the rise of agentic…
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Why The Future of Food Testing May Be in Your Brainwaves
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Michael Wolf talks with Mario Ubiali, founder and CEO of neuroscience company THIMUS, about how brainwave data and AI could reshape how food companies develop new products. Ubiali explains how his company uses wearable EEG technology to measure consumers’...
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Are Home Kitchen Marketplaces the Future or a Risk to Consumers?
In this episode, Mike sits down with friend, food systems thinker and The Food Corridor founder Ashley Colpaart to talk about the rise of Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) and what they mean for the future of food entrepreneurship. Ashley shares why she believes lawmakers are…
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From Wallaby Milk to AI: Nora Khaldi on Decoding Nature’s Molecular Code
In this episode, Mike sits down with Dr. Nora Khaldi, founder and CEO of Nuritas, to explore how a postdoctoral epiphany about wallaby milk led her to build one of the first AI-powered molecular discovery platforms in food. They discuss how Nuritas uses AI to uncover, validate, and scale…
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So You Wanna Know When You're Going to Die? Download This App
In this conversation, Mike interviews Brent Franson, CEO of Death Clock, a company that uses AI to predict when you're going to die (aka life expectancy) based on health data. Brent and Mike discuss the origins of Death Clock, the importance of preventative health, and the role of consumer...
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What Should Impossible Foods Do Now?
In this episode, Mike sits down with Rachel Konrad, former head of communications at Impossible Foods and now a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, to talk about the state of alternative protein and where Impossible lost its way. Drawing on her experience as the company's first...
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Writing The Cookbook for Cultivated Meat With Alex Shirazi
In this episode, Mike sits down with Alex Shirazi, a food technologist, conference organizer, and longtime observer of the cultivated meat industry, to talk about his latest project, A Scientist’s Cookbook. Shirazi explains why he chose to launch a cookbook via Kickstarter as cultivated meat...
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Restoring Fiber's Lost Signal in Modern Food
Michael Wolf sits down with Matt Barnard and Matt Amicucci, PhD, the cofounders behind one.bio and its newly launched consumer brand GoodVice, to discuss why they believe the modern food system is broken and why it starts with fiber. The conversation examines the science of dietary fiber as a...
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Chef vs Robot: A Conversation at CES about Who Will Cook Our Food in the Future
At CES 2026, the future of cooking took center stage in a conversation about whether robots will replace chefs or simply become their collaborators. The Spoon Podcast host Michael Wolf moderated a discussion with Tyler Florence, celebrity chef and longtime Food Network host; Nicole Maffeo…
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How AI is Changing Agriculture
In this episode, Mike is joined by Tim Beissinger (CTO of Heritable) and Charlie Andersen (CEO of Burro) to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping agriculture. The conversation explores everything from AI-driven plant breeding to how autonomous robots are tackling labor shortages,...
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Reinventing the Egg With The EVERY Company's Arturo Elizondo
In this episode, Michael talks with Arturo Elizondo, founder and CEO of The EVERY Company, about the company’s nationwide rollout inside Walmart products, its $55 million Series D fundraise, and the strategic shift toward becoming a “boring but sexy” B2B ingredient supplier powering baked goods...
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Traversing the Fiberverse With Carolyn O'Neil
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, registered dietitian and longtime CNN food journalist Carolyn O’Neil joins Mike to traverse the fiberverse and discuss the growing trend of fibermaxxing. Carolyn discusses the science behind different types of fiber, and why Gen Z’s favorite prebiotic sodas…
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Eliot Horowitz Wants to Reinvent Robotics Like He Did Big Data
In this episode, Michael talks with Eliot Horowitz, founder of MongoDB and now CEO of Viam, about why the physical world is lagging behind the AI revolution and how Viam is building the foundational platform robotics has been missing. Eliot shares why robotics needs its “AWS moment,” how better...
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Building a Social Impact Food Company With Anna Hammond
In this episode, Mike is joined by Anna Hammond, founder of Matriarch Foods, a social-impact food company that turns farm surplus and manufacturing byproducts into shelf-ready ingredients and meals for food banks, disaster relief, and food service. Anna has an interesting career journey, going…
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The State of All Things AI in 2025 (Part 1)
This episode features a wide-ranging conversation between The Spoon's Michael Wolf and his old friend, long-time veteran tech journalist Derrick Harris, about the state of AI in 2025. Topics discussed include: The evolution from the early cloud and big-data era to today’s generative-AI boom How...
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Behind The Scenes at the Good Housekeeping Appliance Lab
This week, we catch up with Nicole Papantoniou, the Director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. We hear from Nicole about what it's like running one of the preeminent testing labs for kitchen appliances in the world, her personal journey to her current position and…
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Are Food Companies Really Embracing AI?
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike welcomes Shiru CEO Jasmin Hume to the podcast to catch up on where things sit within the AI and food space in the context of Shiru's own evolution over the past couple of years. The highlights include: Talking about how VCs and entrepreneurs talk...
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The Good (and Bad) of AI-Powered Food Tracking Systems
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike talks with Steve Statler, CEO and co-founder of AMB.AI, about the rise of ambient AI and energy-harvesting Bluetooth beacons could transform the supply chain. Steve shares his journey from pioneering Bluetooth beacons at Qualcomm to envisioning a future...
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A Conversation With Mark Cuban
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Michael Wolf sits down with Mark Cuban for a wide-ranging conversation recorded live at the SKS 2025. Mark and Mike discuss the transformative power of AI, exploring why Cuban believes it's more disruptive than the internet, mobile, or streaming, and how it's...
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From Reality TV Producer to Recipe AI Entrepreneur with Babette Pepaj
In this episode, Mike catches up with Babette Pepaj, founder of Bakespace and the new AI-powered platform BakeBot. Babette shares her journey from reality TV producer to social media pioneer, launching one of the first food-focused social networks in 2006. She reflects on the rise of food…
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From Surfer to Robot Delivery CEO With Coco's Zach Rash
This episode's guest is Zach Rash, the co-founder and CEO of Coco Robotics. Mike talks to Zach about his journey from aspiring professional surfer to becoming of a robot delivery company backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman. Zach shares how he and his co-founder started building robots out of their UCLA...
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Why It's So Hard to Build Hardware in America
On this episode of The Spoon podcast, catches up with with longtime food tech innovator and friend of The Spoon Scott Heimendinger about the hidden challenges of U.S. manufacturing, the future of kitchen robotics, and why tooling expertise has all but disappeared in America. Scott shares insights...
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Leading a Better for You Brand in 2025 With Zevia's Amy Taylor
In this episode, Michael Wolf chats with Zevia CEO Amy Taylor about her journey from helping to shape Red Bull into a cultural force to leading Zevia, a mission-driven brand making zero-sugar, clean-label sodas. They explore Zevia's evolution as one of the better-for-you sodas, its strategy for...
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Live From ReFED 2025: Leanpath's Andrew Shakman on Food Waste's Second Act
We were live this week at ReFED's Food Waste Solutions Summit in Seattle. We had an interview stage on the show floor, where we caught up with a number of great folks to hear their thoughts on innovation in food waste and beyond. This conversation is with Andrew Shakman, the CEO of Leanpath. You...
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Building a Home Cold Brew Coffee System with Mesh Gelman
In this episode we sit down with Mesh Gelman, the founder and CEO of Cumulus Coffee, to talk about reinventing the cold brew experience. A former Starbucks innovation executive, Gelman shares how his journey from coffee burnout to cold brew evangelist led him to build a sleek countertop system…
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Leaving an Iconic Restaurant & Reimagining a Career With Brian Canlis
This episode's guest is Brian Canlis, a third-generation co-owner of the famed Canlis restaurant in Seattle. Brian's last day at Canlis was last week as he looks to launch a new adventure with his college roommate Will Guidara, owner of Eleven Madison Park and author of Unreasonable Hospitality....
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The Future of Biotech Discovery With Reshape's Carl-Emil Grøn
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, host Michael Wolf sits down with Carl-Emil Grøn, CEO and co-founder of Reshape Biotech, a Copenhagen-based company transforming the world of biotech research. While much of the tech industry has embraced automation and AI, Carl-Emil realized that biotech labs...
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Blended Capital, Big Impact: Funding the Food System Change With Eva Goulbourne
This episode's guest is Eva Goulbourne, founder of Littlefoot Ventures and one of the most insightful voices at the intersection of food, climate, and finance. Eva’s career has taken her from the halls of the World Economic Forum to the launch of ReFED, where she helped build one of the most...
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Andrew Simmons Shares Lessons Learned from Pioneering Pizza Subscriptions
We catch up with Andrew Simmons to chat about his new pizza subscription platform and to hear what his thoughts are after a year of change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Predicting the Future of Food with Mike Lee
On this episode of The Spoon Podcast, host Michael Wolf sits down with food futurist and innovator Mike Lee to talk about the launch of The Tomorrow Today Show, his new long-form podcast exploring the future of food. The two Mikes trace Lee’s journey from corporate innovation at American Express…
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From Mammoth Meatballs to Scaling Cultivated Meat With Vow's George Peppou
In this week's episode, Mike chats with George Peppou, founder and CEO of Vow, the Australian startup pushing the boundaries of cultured meat. George shares how his background in science, food, and invention led to building a company that creates entirely new types of meat, like quail foie gras…
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DIY Solar, Backup Power, and the New Home Energy Stack with Pila's Cole Ashman
In this episode, Mike talks with Cole Ashman, founder and CEO of Pila Energy, about how his company is rethinking home energy with a distributed, plug-and-play battery system. Instead of a single powerwall in the garage, Pila’s mesh battery network allows users to place smaller batteries…
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How Canadian Food Brands are Dealing With the Chaos from the South
Our guest for this episode of The Spoon Podcast is Dana McCauley, CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN). Dana joins Mike to discuss the impact of recent US trade policies under the Trump administration on the Canadian food industry, highlighting the challenges and uncertainties faced...
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How to Lead a Cult Brand Into the Future With Big Green Egg's Dan Gertsacov
This week's guest is Dan Gertsacov, CEO of Big Green Egg, who shares his journey of transitioning from leading digital strategies at global giants like Google and McDonald's to steering an iconic, community-driven cooking brand. Dan talks about his approach to taking over a brand that's only had...
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Uncovering Food Truths With Eric Schulze
In this episode of The Spoon Podcast, Mike sits down with Eric Schulze, scientist, former regulator, startup veteran, and now the host of Food Truths, a new show on The Spoon Podcast Network. Eric and Mike discuss the vision behind Food Truths and Eric's mission to cut through the misinformation...
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From Simpsons Writer to Food Influencer With Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley, a writer and producer for shows like The Simpsons, discusses his unexpected career shift into becoming a food influencer and reviewer. He recounts his childhood fascination with fast food, which led to a lifelong fascination with the latest offerings at the drive-thru and grocery...
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The Story Behind Kojicon, a Global Online Event About Fermentation
In this week's episode, Mike is joined by Eric Dawson of the Yellow Farmhouse and Rich Shih, author of "Koji Alchemy". They discuss their online event, Kojicon, and the rich history and global use of koji and fermentation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bringing The World's Best Restaurant into the Future with Noma's Kevin Jeung
This is an episode of The Reimagining Restaurants Podcast, a podcast focused on the future of restaurants by The Spoon Podcast's Michael Wolf. You can find out where to subscribe here. Episode Summary: In this episode of Reimagining Restaurants, host Michael Wolf sits down with Kevin Jeung, Chef…
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Food Scientist Adam Yee on How Podcasting Has Changed His Career
In this episode, Mike welcomes Adam Yee to discuss his journey in food tech, his extensive experience as a podcaster, and his evolving role in the industry. The conversation covers Adam’s first-time experience at CES, the origins of his My Food Job Rocks podcast, and how podcasting has shaped his...
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The Future of Farming With Agtonomy's Tim Bucher
In this episode, Mike Wolf (The Spoon) sits down with Tim Bucher, CEO of Agtonomy, to discuss the intersection of agriculture, AI, and automation. Bucher shares his unique journey from growing up on a dairy farm to working at Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Next, WebTV, and Dell, before merging...
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An AI Tidal Wave at CES 2025
In this episode, Mike sits down with Raj Singh, a seasoned entrepreneur and product developer, to discuss the latest trends in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies showcased at CES. Raj shares his firsthand observations from the event, offering insights into how AI, robotics, and…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Spoon Podcast have?
The Spoon Podcast currently has 174 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Spoon Podcast about?
A podcast about foodtech and the future of food brought to you by The Spoon. Formerly known as the SmartKitchen Show.
How often does The Spoon Podcast release new episodes?
The Spoon Podcast publishes regularly with 174 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Spoon Podcast?
You can listen to The Spoon Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Spoon Podcast?
The Spoon Podcast is created and hosted by The Spoon.
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