Food Empires

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff: https://grocerslist.comIn this episode, the host sits down with Maria Koutsogiannis, founder of @foodbymaria, to explore how she built a global food brand from personal struggle to multi-million follower platform.Maria shares her journey from accounting to content creation, detailing how a health diagnosis led her to rediscover food, and ultimately launch Food by Maria. She discusses the evolution of Instagram, the importance of audience alignment, and how she scaled from 1,000 followers to over 2.5 million.The conversation also dives into her transition into products, including the launch of her premium olive oil brand and expansion into Greek honey, all without outside investment.Key topics include:Building a food brand from personal experienceScaling an audience in a changing social media landscapeTransitioning from creator to product entrepreneurLaunching CPG products without external fundingStorytelling and brand authenticity in foodMonetization through partnerships and owned products@Foodbymaria

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff: https://grocerslist.comIn this episode, Ben Jabbawy sits down with Sarah Bond, founder of Live Eat Learn, to explore how she built a food media brand reaching over 1 million monthly visitors.Starting as an SEO driven blog, Sarah scaled her business through keyword strategy before transitioning to a social-first approach driven by short-form video and high volume content systems.They discuss how to build and scale a recipe brand in today’s algorithm-driven landscape, including content production, repurposing strategies, and monetization through traffic and email.Key topics include:SEO growth strategies for food blogsSocial media and short-form videoContent systems and consistencyRepurposing content at scaleMonetization through traffic and emailSarah Bond is the founder of Live Eat Learn, a vegetarian recipe platform reaching millions through blog and social channels.@liveeatlearnhttps://www.liveeatlearn.com/

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff: https://grocerslist.com In this episode, Ben sits down with Lexi Harrison, co-founder of Crowded Kitchen, to break down how she and her mom built one of the most recognizable food creator brands online.Lexi shares how Crowded Kitchen evolved from a college-era Instagram account into a multi-platform business with millions of followers, and how her time at The Feedfeed shaped her understanding of the creator economy. The conversation dives into what it really takes to scale a food media company—from producing high volumes of content and repurposing top-performing posts to balancing Instagram growth with Facebook monetization and leveraging storytelling, seasonality, and experimentation to stand out.Lexi Harrison is the co-founder of Crowded Kitchen, a food media brand known for vibrant seasonal recipes, viral short-form content, and a highly engaged audience across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and beyond. @crowded_kitchen https://www.crowdedkitchen.com/about/If you’re building a recipe brand, creator business, or food media company, this episode is packed with practical lessons on growth, content strategy, monetization, and scaling with a small team.

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff:https://grocerslist.comIn this episode of Food Empire, I sit down with MacKenzie Smith, the creator behind Grilled Cheese Social, to break down how she turned a simple grilled cheese blog into a full-fledged food creator business.McKenzie shares the story behind starting her blog while studying counseling psychology at Columbia, when she realized the career path she was on didn’t feel right. What began as a creative outlet built around grilled cheese recipes eventually evolved into a thriving brand powered by SEO, social media, brand partnerships, ad revenue, and Food Network appearances.We also dive into the pivotal moments that shaped her journey — from losing her uncle, who first inspired her love for cooking, to unexpectedly landing on Guy’s Grocery Games and beating Michelin-trained chefs in a competition that completely changed how she saw herself as a chef.Today, Grilled Cheese Social has grown into a multi-platform food brand with thousands of recipes, major brand collaborations, cookbooks, and a highly engaged audience across social media and her website.In this episode, we break down:How McKenzie turned a niche grilled cheese blog into a real businessWhat winning Guy’s Grocery Games did for her confidence as a creatorHow food bloggers actually monetize their audienceMcKenzie Smith is a cookbook author, Food Network champion, food stylist, and the founder of Grilled Cheese Social, a platform dedicated to approachable comfort food and creative recipes that anyone can cook at home.If you're building a food brand, recipe platform, or creator business, this episode is packed with lessons on turning content into a sustainable career.McKenzie Smithhttps://www.instagram.com/grilledcheesesocial/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-smith-38285832/

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff: grocerslist.comIn this episode, Ben Jabbawy sits down with Erica Eckman, founder and CEO of Ecko, one of the leading creator marketing agencies in food and CPG, and co-founder of FlavCity, the fast-growing wellness brand now sold nationwide at Target.Erica shares how she went from food creator to agency founder to CPG operator, and breaks down what actually makes creator marketing work today. From story-view benchmarks and pricing frameworks to retail awareness and DTC performance, this episode is a masterclass in how modern food brands can use creators to drive measurable growth.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why story views matter more than follower count when evaluating creator influenceThe benchmark Erica uses for creators, and why 10% story reach is her minimum thresholdHow brands should think about ROAS, CPM, CAC, and LTV across DTC and retail campaignsA practical way creators can price partnerships based on performanceHow Flavor City launched from creator demand and scaled into national retail at TargetWhy the most effective creators are often the most raw, real, and impossible to replicateHow Echo balances brand KPIs with securing top rates for creator talentGuest:Erica Eckman — Founder & CEO of Echo, Co-Founder of Flavor CityInstagram: @everythingericaLinkedIn: Erica EckmanIf you’re building a food brand, scaling a creator business, or trying to understand how influencer marketing really converts, this episode offers a clear framework for creator-led growth in modern CPG.

Grow Traffic, Capture Emails + Sell More Stuff, visit grocerslist.comIn Episode 2 of Food Empire, Ben Jabbawy sits down with chef and creator Josh to explore how he transitioned from award-winning restaurants and celebrity private chef work (including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt) into a full-time content business.Josh shares what it takes to win online in food content: consistency, speed, and making recipes feel familiar, plus how he built a real business model behind the views.In this episode, they discuss:The reality of cooking for celebrities (high volume, high demand, zero “no”)The 90-day content commitment that led to back-to-back viral videosHow simple, familiar ingredients can outperform “complex chef food” onlineMonetization strategy: brand partnerships, Substack memberships, and platform payoutsJosh Gale https://www.thechefoutwest.com/Connect with us:Ben Jabbawyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminjabbawy/https://benjabbawy.com/about

This episode is presented by grocerslist.com, the growth platform for the top content creators and brands in food.In the debut episode of Food Empire, Ben sits down with Gaby Dalkin, founder of What’s Gaby Cooking, to explore the entrepreneurial journey behind her multi-platform food brand.From private-chef work to New York Times bestselling cookbooks, CPG expansion, and restaurant ownership, Gaby shares how she scaled strategically while maintaining deep audience connection.In this episode, they discuss:Leveraging unconventional early opportunitiesBuilding brand equity through content and communityLaunching and scaling Dalkin & Co. in retail and DTCEntering the restaurant industry with experienced partnersGaby Dalkin is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of What’s Gaby Cooking, Dalkin & Co., and Gaby’s restaurant.Gaby Dalkinhttps://www.youtube.com/@WhatsGabyCookingSubscribe to Food Empire for conversations with founders building scalable food businesses.

A behind-the-scenes interview series that breaks down how creators build their audience and business, beyond the highlight reel. Each guest shares the real playbook: the experiments, routines, mindset shifts, and monetization choices that got them from “a few steps behind” to massive reach.