Originally Printed in The Source Weekly
Have you ever been in a restaurant and overheard a really interesting conversation? The new Tough Cookie podcast feels like just that. Darlene Veenhuizen of Pickle Jar Studios interviews women in all areas of the food industry, from product makers to chefs, and all the lady bosses in between, about what it’s like to be in business. Her conversational style makes you feel like a fly on the wall, privy to an intimate conversation.
In Tough Cookie’s second episode, Veenhuizen interviews Michelle Mitchell from Humm Kombucha. We learn how Humm started out selling door to door to their neighbors, like a modern milkman. Neighbors would leave empty glass containers on their front porches, sometimes with a payment of cash or check underneath the bottle. It’s refreshing to discover these humble beginnings, because now we see the grown-up Humm selling nationwide.
Listeners will find the podcast inspiring, even if they aren’t in the food industry. And full disclosure: I was interviewed on the first episode, talking with Darlene about building cooking and drinking game mobile apps, the myth of the overnight success and taking risks. I even shared this motivational nugget: “It’s good to remember not to be afraid to try. Our careers are really long, something like over 40 years. That’s a long time to be in the business world… try something.”
“It’s good to remember not to be afraid to try. Our careers are really long, something like over 40 years. That’s a long time to be in the business world… try something.” – Lisa Sipe, FoodFu
Darlene was inspired to create the Tough Cookie podcast after the election. She felt a need for women’s voices to be heard and thought the best way to do this would be to share women’s stories. New episodes of Tough Cookie come out every Wednesday and you can find the podcast online in iTunes and Sound Cloud.
Tough Cookie Episodes here and on iTunes.
Lisa Sipe, right, sits with Tough Cookie’s host, Darlene Veenhuizen, who wants to inspire women to start their own food ventures by sharing the stories of badass women in food.
