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Amanda Hesser
Building a Digital Hearth
After following her sense of adventure and love of food to a chateau in Burgundy where she wrote about seasonal cooking, she went on to unexpectedly land a job writing for the food section of the New York Times, where she ultimately rose to food editor of the Times Magazine, and authored The Essential New York Times cookbook. Then in 2009, when internet media and food media were becoming intertwined, she co-founded Food52 as a website and marketplace for people who put food at the center of their life.
In this conversation, Amanda talks about the interconnected ecosystem of Food52’s business model, including its strong community, advertising model, marketplace, and recent acquisitions for vertical integration with heritage brands. She’ll share stories of partnering with private equity investors, the importance of delighting customers in inefficient yet effective ways, and operating in “founder mode.” Prepare to be very hungry (and itching to make chocolate cake) by the end of this episode.
Listen : Spotify | Apple | YouTube
“In so many ‘consumer’ business, the consumer gets forgotten and treated like some sort of widget”
Show Index
05:53 From Cookbook Author to New York Times Journalist14:41 The Birth of Food52
20:13 Food52’s Business Models and Strategies
37:36 The Journey of Dansk
46:37 Private Equity Partnership
54:26 Reflections on Hiring and Leadership
57:22 At Large & Off The Cuff
01:01:30 Chocolate Dump It Cake Recipe
Show Notes
- Food52
- The Essential New York Times Cookbook
- Paul Graham’s Founder Mode Essay
- Paul Graham’s Do Things that Don’t Scale Essay
- The Chernin Group (TCG)
- Dansk Købenstyle
- Uunifetapasta
- A2 Milk
- Puck News
- Amanda’s Chocolate Dump It Cake
- Amanda’s Instagram
- Food52’s Instagram
Internet Funnyman
Building a Digital Hearth
No Mud, No Lotus
You Can’t Just Switch It Off
Purpose & Play
Creative Courage and Talking Stuffed Animals
Silencing the Discursive Mind
Striking Internet Gold
Givers Are Getters
Hosting a Rave for the Intellect
The Hunt for Big Ideas
Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal
Not investment advice. Read important disclosures.