Close Ad

The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

podcasts

The Food Tech Show: Fake Nuggets & Real Goodbyes

It was a sad week at The Spoon as we said goodbye to Catherine Lamb.

Catherine is heading off to Chicago to get her MBA at Kellogg University. After that she’ll take over the world, or at least the world of food tech.

I met Catherine for the first time when she volunteered at the Smart Kitchen Summit in 2017. More than one person came up to me during the conference and told me I really needed to hire this person. I interviewed her a couple weeks later and did just that.

If you want to hear the audio version of me getting sappy, you’ll have to listen to the podcast. In addition to saying goodbye to Catherine, we also discuss the following stories:

To listen, just click play below, download the podcast direct to your device, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Food Tech Show: How Coronavirus is Accelerating Certain Food Tech Sectors

It’s a scary and confusing time, so I hope getting together with some familiar food tech friends will give you a 30 or so minute respite from the madness.

One warning in advance though: we do talk a little coronavirus, but we do look at the possible bright side for some of those sectors in the food tech space where the outbreak could accelerate adoption.

Other stories we discuss in today’s pod include:

As always, you can find The Food Tech Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. You can also download it direct to your device or just click play below.

The Food Tech Show: Editor Roundtable, Thanksgiving Edition

Like most Americans, the Spoon crew is busy preparing for Thanksgiving, but before we headed off our separate ways to overdose on home made cranberry sauce and tryptophan, we decided to get together to catch up on some of the news of the week.

Here’s the stories we discussed on this week’s show:

That’s it. Time to go make some Instant Pot cranberry sauce (here’s the recipe, btw).

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

As always, you can listen to the Food Tech Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download it directly to your device or just hit play below.

Podcast: The AI Powered Sommelier With Amy Gross

A decade ago, Amy Gross was enjoying a glass of wine with her husband when she noticed how the same wine tasted different to different people. From there she began to think about how technology could be used to make personalized wine recommendations, and it wasn’t long before IBM and others wanted to learn more about her tech-powered wine recommendation platform, VineSleuth.

In this podcast, Mike and Amy talk about mapping the flavors of wine using technology, how AI could start to provide really contextual and personalized recommendations for wine, and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below, download it here or subscribe in Apple podcasts or your favorite podcast player.

You can also see Amy Gross talk about the power of AI, data and more at Smart Kitchen Summit in less than two months. Get your tickets today with 25% discount code PODCAST.

Trader Joe’s Podcast is a Hit, Please Don’t Try to Copy It

People get pretty fanatical about Trader Joe’s, and evidently, that rabid fan base goes beyond their grocery baskets and into their ears — the Trader Joe’s podcast has become a hit. (Hat tip to Fast Company.)

As of this writing, Inside Trader Joe’s, which launched its first full episode on May 1, is ranked number 5 on the iTunes “Top Podcast” charts. For some context, that’s right below The New York Times’ The Daily podcast, which gets more than one million listeners a day.

Inside Trader Joe’s is a five-part audio series that delves into how TJ’s products come to be, how the company works, and some of the company history. Though they explicitly say they don’t want this show to be a commercial, it’s totally a commercial. And while I could only make it through half an episode, the production value is high, and I could understand why someone who loves shopping there might be interested to learn more about the store… kinda.

It’s easy to see why Trader Joe’s has dipped its toe into podcasting. According to numbers from Edison Research, an estimated 73 million Americans over the age of 12 report that they’ve listened to a podcast in the last month. Podcasts are a great way to connect with audiences in a one-on-one experience, and often, thanks to headphones, to the exclusion of everything else. People listen in their cars, while they’re working out or just put them on to have in the background at home.

It might not be for me, but I’m all for Trader Joe’s trying this experiment. My bigger problem is the inevitable copycats that will follow. Just as Serial spawned a host of other true crime podcasts, it’s inevitable that Trader Joe’s will strike envy in its competitors, and it won’t be long before we see The Safeway Show, or Kroger’s Korner.

So I’m writing this post to ask — no, to beg — eager marketers out there. Don’t. Just… don’t.

Trader Joe’s is sui generis, and it can’t be replicated with a new marketing channel. The store itself is quirky and its products are interesting, with random bells ringing and teddy bears hidden amongst the merchandise. And it already inspires legions of cult-like fans. Creating a fun podcast revealing some of its secrets is actually on-brand for the company.

Anyone else trying to copy the success of this podcast will just be trying too hard, and it will inevitably not work.

FUN FACT: Trader Joe’s is owned by the Albrecht family, to which, sadly, I have no relation.

Food for Your Ears: Podcasts Worth a Listen

I listen to food podcasts to help me fall asleep. That’s not a dig at their quality or content — quite the opposite. Food podcasts are typically a calm audio oasis at the end of a busy day in a chaotic world. Gentle discussions about recipes or food facts is a great way to drift off to sleep.

If you are looking for a little slumber-inducing relaxation of your own, or something to help make the weekend jog go faster, here are a few of food-related podcasts we enjoy here at The Spoon:

The Sporkful: From WNYC, the show proudly proclaims “It’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters,” and it’s true. Host Dan Pashman’s down to earth approach and curious mindset means you’ll always get a unique perspective on food and food culture. Good place to start: The Search for the Aleppo Sandwich.

The Splendid Table: It’s all in the title. This show is… splendid. Refined. Francis Lam recently took over hosting duties and helped make the show a “modern, multicultural weekly snapshot of the food world.” Good place to start: Eating in the Instagram Era.

Tech Bites: This show from hipster Brooklyn food-focused Heritage Radio Network covers all things food tech. Each week, Jennifer Leuzzi interviews founders on how they’re using tech to shake up the food system. Good place to start: 2018 Trends: Seaweed.

Milk Street Radio: Christopher Kimball’s new show is more global than his previous work on America’s Test Kitchen, but that just gives him a broader canvas from which to pull fascinating stories and interviews from interesting people. Good place to start: Nathan Myhrvold on Bread Science.

Healthy or Hoax: Is plant-based milk a fad or the real deal? Is your smoothie hiding things from you? New Zealand broadcaster Carol Hirschfeld ponders these questions and more on NZ Radio’s Healthy or Hoax podcast—a straightforward-yet-funny, evidence-based look at what’s behind all those food trends. Good place to start: Getting Milk Out of an Almond.

Of course, you can also listen to our podcasts for entertaining and insightful discussions about the future of food. Check out Mike Wolf’s recent chat with The Future Market’s Mike Lee about Reimagining The Grocery Store.

Do you have a favorite food podcast that you love to listen to? Leave a link in the comments below.

Special thanks to Catherine Lamb and Jenn Marston for contributing to this list.