About this episode

Shannon Martinez discusses the evolution of her businesses and the challenges of plant-based cooking.

I first spoke to Shannon Martinez almost a decade ago, when Smith & Daughters was already changing the way Melbourne thought about vegan food. A lot has happened since. Smith & Deli has grown, Degraves Street has opened, Made by Smith is beginning to supply chefs with high-quality plant-based products, and deliveries are heading interstate. But what I loved about this conversation is that Shannon doesn’t smooth over any of it. She talks openly about how close the business came to falling over, the brutal maths of hospitality, and the challenge that has kept her in plant-based cooking for 20 years: making food people want to eat, not because it is vegan, but because it is good.

People in this episode

Host: Jo Rittey

Guest: Shannon Martinez

Topics covered

• vegan food
• hospitality
• business challenges
• plant-based cooking
• entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Smith & Daughters, Smith & Deli, Made by Smith

Places: Melbourne, Degraves Street

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