The Spoon Podcast

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 find the right business model, why calling onigiri a “sushi sandwich” helped win over American retailers, and how frozen onigiri could help the company expand beyond Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 communications hire, Konrad argues that Impossible’s biggest mistake wasn’t market headwinds but a strategic shift away from its original biotech ambition toward a conventional CPG playbook. Mike and Rachel discuss founder vision, venture capital incentives, and the missed opportunity to license core technology to major food brands. They also discuss what a real turnaround would require if Impossible hopes to reclaim its original mission and relevance in the future of food Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 biological signal and how decades of food processing have stripped those signals. They talk about why most fiber on the market today either doesn’t work or creates trade-offs consumers won’t tolerate. Barnard and Amicucci explain their new consumer line, GoodVice, which they view as a reference product, why GLP-1 drugs have accelerated awareness of fiber deficiency, and how restoring whole-food signals to everyday products could change the future of metabolic and gut health without requiring discipline, restriction, or sacrifice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, improving yields. Both Tim and Charlie will be at CES in January, so make sure to check the CES Ag Tech conference (produced by The Spoon and MIke!) out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 are suddenly everywhere. She also breaks down how fiber actually works in the body, why most people get only half the recommended amount, and how social media, CPG innovation, and even CGMs are reshaping consumer nutrition habits. If you haven't subscribed to Carolyn's podcast, you can find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 from museums and art publishing to building a triple-bottom-line food startup tackling food waste at industrial scale. Mike and Anna discuss her career path, the economics of upcycling, and how food waste is quickly becoming a real business opportunity. Enjoy the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 what she's excited about in terms of kitchen innovation. Enjoy the podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices