In this episode, the co-founders of Tootsie Lou&apos;s Tacos, a pop-up in Nashville, Tennessee join  the show to share their story. Coming from Austin, Texas, the team has a high baseline for what makes a good taco, but their tacos are anything but ordinary. Drew and Jeremy have backgrounds in fine dining and put unique twists to their food. Megan is using her FOH experience and art background to build a powerhouse taco brand in Music City.We run the gamut in this one, talking everything from business to best BBQ regions across America. Enjoy the episode!

Wicked Tasty Podcast

Tootsie Lou's Tacos - Megan Valigura, Drew Dunston and Jeremy Young

What is a Potako? Well, you&apos;re going to have to listen to the episode to find out! Sarah Dixon from Nashville&apos;s Potako Pop-up joins the show to share the story behind her wild and crazy delicious food idea. Sarah shares what it has been like to leave a well paying corporate consulting job to pursue her dreams of becoming a business owner and chef, how she came up with her innovative idea and her plans for making the potako a product everyone knows.

Potako - Sarah Dixon

Gianna Valone, owner and creator of Kneadle + Thredd in Nashville, TN joins the show to discuss her bagel bombe business. Gianna is a master baker, with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and experience as a pastry chef for the Ritz Carlton hotel brand across the United States. In this episode we dig into what a bagel bombe is (trust me they are as delicious as they sound), how she came up with the idea for the company and her plans to scale and grow in Music City.

Kneadle + Thredd - Gianna Valone

Chef Sarah Liu and Chakkra Rath from Kapu Haole in Nashville join the show to share their story. Kapu Haole serves the best Hawaiian food in Nashville (verified by the team @wickedtasty) and is just getting started on their journey.Kapu Haole translates to "forbidden outsider" in Hawaiian, which the team embraces as non-natives to Nashville.In this episode we hear the story of how Sarah & Chakkra got started building the brand, their attempt to make Spam cool again and what the future holds for the booming brand.Make sure to check out Kapu Haole at Bar Sovereign in Nashville, Wednesday -  Sundays starting at 5PM, and scan the QR code on their menu to see pictures of their food!

Kapu Haole - Sarah Liu and Chakkra Rath

In this episode, Rita Martinez, owner of The Salty Cubana joins the show to share the story behind her Cuban food pop-up in Nashville, TN.Rita started her business during the pandemic to help bring authentic Cuban food & pastries to Music City. Rita shares what it&apos;s been like to use her background in food production operations to launch a business. We chat about what makes Nashville a great city to live in and start a business and how the diverse city is quickly becoming a foodie destination for various global cuisines.

The Salty Cubana - Rita Martinez

Andy Atkins and Cody Driggers from the Bad Luck Burger Club super secret pop-up in Nashville join the show to share more about their burger business with YOU!Both Andy and Cody are griddle masters, slinging the best smash patty burgers in Music City. The duo has a fun story and let&apos;s us peek behind the curtain of their super secret club (it&apos;s actually not a secret and you should be a part of it if you live in Central Tennessee)We talk about how they got their start cooking on flat top griddles, how the curated a brand that has just exploded in Nashville and what their future plans are for Bad Luck Burgers.This was a fun one... enjoy!

Bad Luck Burger Club - Andy Atkins and Cody Driggers

Javier Salado of Soy Cubano joins the show. Javier started cooking Cuban food during the early days of COVID-19 while he was furloughed from his job at a local Nashville restaurant. The pop-up exploded in popularity and now Javier and the Soy Cubano team are opening a permanent location at Nashville&apos;s "The Wash", set to open in November 2021. In this episode Javier shares his story of how he built his brand and why he has fallen in love with sharing his food with the people in Nashville.

Soy Cubano - Javier Salado

In this episode, Will and Rebekah Hobbs, the owners of Kolacho in Nashville, Tennessee, join the show to share the story behind their Texas inspired breakfast company. Kolacho sells kolache, which is a sweet bread stuffed with savory meats & fillings typically enjoyed during breakfast in Texas. Kolache is a Czech pastry that was originally brought to Texas by Czech immigrants in the 1800s.Will and Rebekah tell us how their passion for cooking together lead them to start their own kolache business during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as some fun stories about their journey along the way plus what is next for the booming brand!

Kolacho - Will and Rebekah Hobbs

Derek Shampine, owner of UpState Pierogi Co joins the podcast to kick off Season 4! UpState Pierogi is Nashville&apos;s first pierogi company, but is so much more than Mrs. T&apos;s pierogis you may have found in the freezer section of your grocery store.Chef Derek makes 100% authentic hand pinched traditional pierogi&apos;s and fills them with creative new pierogi flavors like Philly Cheesesteak, Nashville Hot Chicken and Loaded Baked Potato.In this episode we talk about how Chef Derek got his start making the Polish dumplings and his plans for growing the business to make him Nashville&apos;s undisputed Pierogi King!With Derek&apos;s background in the music industry, we also take some time to chat about that & the Nashville music scene!

UpState Pierogi - Derek Shampine

Brandon Styll, hot Nashville Restaurant Radio joins the show. Brandon is a 25 year veteran of the Nashville restaurant community and we cover all the bases with this wide-ranging interview. From the importance of creating a strong culture at your restaurant to Brandon&apos;s new book club, this episode hits it all!

Nashville Restaurant Radio joins the show!

Anas Saba, creator of the Nashville Hidden Gems Instagram page & ethnic food tour experience joins the podcast to share his experiences with Nashville&apos;s diverse & rich community of immigrant owned & operated restaurants. This episode will leave you hungry and ready to explore the hidden gems in Music City!

The diverse immigrant owned & operated restaurant community of Nashville

Sarah Williams, Founder of Sparkle Social Media and Creative, joins the show to share what it takes for a restaurant to thrive in today&apos;s digital world. With every single brand trying to grab consumers&apos; attention across different platforms like Instagram and TikTok, restaurants need a plan to stand out.There is no "one size fits all" model for reaching guests&apos; in a digital world. Sarah, a branding & digital marketing guru, shares how brands can develop a plan and get creative on social media to reach their target audience.

Creative branding, marketing and social media strategies for restaurants

Sam Ullrich Marketing Director of Emmy Squared, Pizza Loves Emily and Red Pebbles Management (404 Kitchen, Gertie&apos;s Bar, Shepp&apos;s Deli and Blue Stripes) joins the show to discuss how to find growth in your existing restaurants&apos; brand and operations.Emmy Squared found creative ways to pivot during the COVID-19 crisis and is planning to open new locations during a pandemic. Red Pebbles Management also recently opened Shepp&apos;s Deli and Blue Stripes in Nashville in early 2021. Sam shares the secrets behind their brand&apos;s success.

Unlocking growth in your restaurant's brand & operations during a pandemic

Michelin rated restaurateur, Josh Kopel of Preux & Proper in Los Angeles and host of the FULL COMP podcast, recently joined the Wicked Tasty Podcast for a wide-ranging interview centered around lessons he has learned from the industries brightest minds like Jon Taffer, Andrew Zimmern & Jet Tila, pandemic pivots that have worked, and the importance of running a culture first, data driven restaurant. 

Pandemic lessons, pivots & running a culture first, data driven restaurant

Co-owers of The Mockingbird and life partners, Brian Riggenbach and Mikey Corona join the Wicked Tasty Podcast to share the story behind how the Chicago couple ended up in Nashville, what it has been like to build a restaurant in Music City share their fun perspectives on life!

The Mockingbird - Brian Riggenbach & Mikey Corona

The Wicked Tasty Podcast brings you interviews with Nashville's restaurant, food, drink and hospitality industry entrepreneurs. This show shares the inspiring story behind our guests' businesses. We discuss everything from starting a business, the challenges of entrepreneurship and cooking tasty food. The Wicked Tasty Podcast serves you practical business advice with a side of fun and flair!

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Wicked Tasty Podcast

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