Spill & Dish: An SFA Podcast

What makes a specialty food special? At the Specialty Food Association, we like to say that every member has a story. Spill & Dish brings you the stories of the entrepreneurs, makers, and sellers who are shaping the future of food. Listen and discover the inspiration, recipe, craft, culture, ingredients, and production methods that make a true specialty food and get a deeper understanding of the people and motivation behind the products—beyond what you’ll read on a label. If you have a recipe you’ve thought about bringing to market or a brand you are launching, if you are a buyer in the trade, or simply a food lover, this podcast is for you.
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    Episode 53
    24:02
    Apr 11, 2024

    Staying True to Culture with Todo Verde's Jocelyn Ramirez

    Chef Joceyln Ramirez is a best-selling cookbook author, New York Times cooking contributor, and founder of Todo Verde, a plant-forward maker of true-to-culture, non-GMO, Mexican seasonings. In this episode of Spill & Dish, Ramirez discusses how she’s bringing authenticity to American taco night, the advantages of becoming women and minority-owned certified, and winning SFA’s Fancy Face-Off pitch competition.
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  • Episode 52
    35:38
    Mar 28, 2024

    Crafting Celebration: A Dive into Non-Alcoholic Beverages with Mariah Hilton Wood, Tilden

    Join Megan Rooney, Program Development Manager at SFA, in an insightful conversation with Mariah Hilton Wood, Co-Founder of Tilden. Together with her classmate Vanessa Royle, Mariah embarked on a journey to redefine the essence of celebration through non-alcoholic beverages. In this episode, Mariah delves into the challenges of co-packing, unexpected consumer demographics, and the pivotal role of intuition in entrepreneurship. Tune in to discover how Tilden is reshaping the way we toast to life's moments, one refreshing sip at a time.
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  • Episode 51
    23:31
    Mar 14, 2024

    Third Culture Cuisine With Jen Liao of MìLà

    On this Spill & Dish episode, Jen Liao, co-founder of MìLà (formerly Xiao Chi Jie), takes listeners along her entrepreneurial journey from co-founding a Chinese street food restaurant with her husband in 2018, to pivoting during the pandemic and making local deliveries of frozen xiao long bao (soup dumplings), to shipping them nationally, direct-to-consumer, to gaining placement in major retailers.
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  • Episode 50
    24:39
    Feb 29, 2024

    Community Building With Pete Marczyk of Marczyk Fine Foods

    Developed from a dream to build a specialty market that offers all the products one would need under one roof, Pete Marczyk, founder of Marczyk Fine Foods, left his job in business to create the community-focused market. In this episode of Spill & Dish recorded at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas, Marczyk speaks with George Hajjar, associate editor at the SFA, about providing for a local community. He discusses growing the market, and gives advice to specialty makers and retailers looking to grow their business.
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  • Episode 49
    35:27
    Feb 15, 2024

    Mixing it Up With Uncle Waithley’s Karl Franz Williams

    Karl Franz Williams is a mixologist, restaurateur, CPG veteran, and founder of Uncle Waithley’s Beverage Co., maker of ginger beer with a Scotch Bonnet bite that’s based on a family recipe. On this episode of Spill & Dish, which was recorded at the Winter Fancy Food Show, Williams talks about his product’s namesake, what’s special about Scotch Bonnet Peppers, and how he endeavors to get his ginger beer on shelves and menus.
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  • Episode 48
    22:36
    Feb 01, 2024

    Nourishing People and the Planet With Cathy Strange, Whole Foods

    At the Specialty Food Association's recent Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas, George Hajjar, associate editor at the SFA, spoke with Cathy Strange, ambassador of food culture at Whole Foods Market. In this episode, they discussed how to teach others to taste with their five senses, what grocery buyers look for in specialty products, and standout trends for the year.
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  • Episode 47
    29:13
    Jan 18, 2024

    Naturally Fresh Flavor with Juan Stewart, Frescos Naturales

    Denver-based beverage brand Frescos Naturales fills their beautiful cans with traditional aguas frescas with a twist, featuring classic flavors like tamarind, hibiscus, and mango. In this episode, Gretchen VanEsselstyn, SFA’s director of education, speaks with Juan Stewart about his journey to taste success, including his Shark Tank appearance!
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  • Episode 46
    25:37
    Dec 14, 2023

    Starting a Butter Revolution with Steve Muir and Lynette Maan of Lewis Road Creamery

    Lewis Road Creamery is a New Zealand-based maker of the 10 Star Certified Salted Butter that was named Specialty Food Association’s 2023 sofi Product of the Year at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. In this episode, Julie Gallagher, director of content development for SFA, speaks with Lewis Road Creamery’s co-founder and director of marketing and communications, Lynette Maan, and vice president of sales and operations, Steve Muir, about the premium butter space, their product’s sofi win, and how Lewis Road Creamery does right by farmers, animals, and the Earth.
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  • Episode 45
    28:07
    Nov 30, 2023

    Out-of-This-World Snacking With Marilyn Yang, Michael Casali, Popadelics

    New York-based shiitake mushroom chip company Popadelics is on a mission to bring attention to under-loved vegetables. In this episode, George Hajjar, associate editor at the SFA, speaks with co-founders and life partners Marilyn Yang and Michael Casali about transitioning to the food world from a finance background, the origins of the pandemic-born snack, and their recent success, particularly in alternate channels including Urban Outfitters...
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  • Episode 44
    23:11
    Nov 16, 2023

    From Harvard to Home Cocktails with Alison Evans and Chloe Bergson, SAYSO

    In this episode, Megan Rooney, Program Development Manager, sits down with the dynamic duo behind SAYSO, a New York-based premium cocktail company founded by two Harvard Business School graduates. Alison Evans and Chloe Bergson take us on a journey from their humble beginnings crafting cocktails in mason jars to their innovative transition to tea bags for a convenient 3-minute cocktail experience. They share their insights on reinventing classic cocktails, and emphasize the value of taking the plunge before you feel fully prepared.
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