December 20, 2024
Season 7 highlights
Season 7 of Forktales was a feast of stories and insights from food industry trailblazers. We explored how Biscuitville’s secret recipe became a Southern staple, how Rubix Foods stays one…
Our Podcast
Forktales is a podcast that feeds the food, beverage, restaurant, and hospitality industries with insights, innovations, and incredibly entertaining stories. Each episode features an in-depth interview with an industry leader, including best-selling authors, chefs, CEO’s, creative masterminds and tech entrepreneurs. All of them have a story to tell and we’re here to help them tell it.
Hosted by Michael Pavone
Michael loves a good story. Stories about growth, innovation, beating the odds and entrepreneurship in the food and beverage world. Finding those stories and sharing them is why Michael is on top of his game as the host of Forktales. When he’s not serving as the host of an industry-leading podcast, Michael is the CEO of Pavone Group, a fiercely independent collection of nine equally fierce and focused marketing agencies.
Episodes
October 14, 2024
Andy Gellert – President of Gellert Global Group
Gellert Global Group imports more than 5,500 unique food items from more than 60 countries and is one of the largest food importers in the world. Andy Gellert sits at…
September 4, 2024
Ep 87: Doug Renfro / President of Renfro Foods and Salsa Creator Extraordinaire
This episode of Forktales is a spicy one thanks to Doug Renfro of Renfro Foods. Doug and his cousins oversee Mrs. Renfro’s salsas, a brand that has grown into one…
July 18, 2024
Ep 84: Audley Wilson / Shark Tank survivor & Founder of RoboBurger
Earlier this year, Audley Wilson and his partners took their dream – a revolutionary vending machine that makes fresh, made-to-order burgers – and pitched it to the investors (and to…
June 10, 2024
Ep 82: Martino Brambilla / President of Embassy Ingredients
If you’ve had a donut, brownie, cupcake or cookie in the past year, you’ve probably had a baked good made with ingredients from Embassy Ingredients. Martino Brambilla was just 17…
April 4, 2024
Ep 78: Emily Rugaber / VP of Marketing for Thanx
Why do so many restaurants fail to properly use data? What are the biggest mistakes restaurants make when designing loyalty programs? Two huge questions and Emily Rugaber answers them both….
January 11, 2024
Ep 74: Rob Grimes / Founder & CEO of IFBTA
As the founder and CEO of the International Food & Beverage Technology Association (IFBTA), Rob Grimes spends his time forecasting tech trends and helping brands apply those trends to stay…
September 13, 2023
Ep 71: Dan Costello / CEO of Home Run Inn Pizza
Dan Costello oversees nine Chicago area pizza shops and a thriving frozen pizza brand as the CEO of Home Run Inn Pizza. That position gives him a front row seat…
August 29, 2023
Ep 70: Joseph Szala / Digital Guru & Bullhearted Author
Joseph is a vice president of digital experience, an author of multiple books about modern marketing and brand-building and a board advisor to restaurant tech companies and startups. He’s also…
August 10, 2023
Ep 69: Caroline Skinner / COO of Tupelo Honey
It’s no secret that attracting and retaining high-quality employees is one of the restaurant industry’s biggest challenges. Caroline Skinner knows that. She’s also leading the way at Tupelo Honey when…
September 22, 2022
Ep 58: Olga Lopategui / Founder of Ollo Consulting & Email & Loyalty Marketing Maven
After 15 years in restaurant marketing at Pizza Hut, KFC and TGI Fridays, Olga decided to focus her marketing expertise on loyalty and CRM. With that, OLLO Restaurant Loyalty was…
September 15, 2022
Ep 57: Andy Pearson / VP of Creative for Liquid Death
As the lead creative at Liquid Death – a canned water company hellbent on changing the way that water is packaged and marketed – Andy’s job is to give everyone…
August 25, 2022
Ep 56: Andrew O’Shea / Founder of Wellspring, Wellness Expert & Builder of Culture
Just a few years ago, Andrew worked in HR for an accounting firm. He was 60 pounds overweight (but hungry for change) and then he discovered a yoga program sponsored…
April 14, 2022
Ep 43 / Tommy Yionoulis / Cofounder of OpsAnalitica & Data Lovin’ Operations Expert
In the restaurant industry, data is king. And if data is king, Tom Yionoulis and Opsanalitica are the king-maker. Opsanalitica is an operations data platform that helps restaurants manage and…
April 7, 2022
EP 42 / Christopher Glenn / Founder & Executive Director of Bottleshare and a True Thriver
On January 6, 2018, Christopher Glenn closed up the taproom at Dry County Brewing in Kennesaw, Georgia and hopped in his Jeep for the drive home. While he was parked…
October 14, 2021
EP 22 / Michael Pavone / Founder of Pavone Marketing Group
The news is out! Vigor has been acquired by Pavone Marketing Group. This marks a huge step forward for the organization. In this episode, Michael Pavone, founder of Pavone Marketing…
September 16, 2021
EP 18 / Scott Conant / Cook, Chef, Author of Peace, Love, and Pasta
In my chat with Scott, we dive into the passion behind Italian food and home cooking. We discuss the trajectory and path from cook to James Beard Award-winning chef, developing…
July 22, 2021
EP 10 / Danny Klein / Editorial Director at Food News Media
Danny serves as the editorial director at Food News Media who’s properties include QSR Magazine and FSR Magazine. A byproduct of his post is an acute understanding of what’s happening…
July 1, 2021
EP 07 / Chip Klose / Marketing Strategist, Podcast Host
Chip Klose and I discuss the nuances of restaurant marketing in today’s reality and how Field of Dreams isn’t a good methodology for opening a new restaurant concept. From tidbits…
May 27, 2021
EP 04 / Dr. James Pogue / Diversity & Inclusion Expert
James Pogue makes things uncomfortable, but the right kind of uncomfortable. We discuss the details and nuances of diversity and inclusion and how to build cultures within restaurant brands.
April 15, 2021
EP 01 / Sam Slaughter / Author, Copywriter, Lover of Cheeseballs
In our inaugural episode, I speak with Sam Slaughter. Sam is an author of a fantastic drinks recipe book, a copywriter at Vigor, and a lover of cheeseballs. We have…
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