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Business Life360 with Kristy Kay is made possible by Promedica, a locally owned, nationally recognized, not for profit health care network that has a strong commitment to clinical excellence, providing safe, high quality patient care, and addressing social issues that impact health.

The John B and Lillian E Neff, College of Business and Innovation at the University of Toledo, developing lifelong Leaders for the World of Business and by KeyBank, also by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Kristi K.: Hello, and welcome back to Business Life, 360.

I'm Kristi Kay from the nationally known America's Test Kitchen chefs to a top greenhouse grower to the innovation of urban farming in our inner cities.

On this episode, we'll meet incredible food industry influencers, disruptors and innovators.

And now we'll head out on location with two of my favorite nationally renowned and adored chefs.

You know them?

We love them.

From America's Test Kitchen.

Julia, Colin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.

Greetings, I'm Kristie Kay on location.

I'm talking with America's Test Kitchen chefs today, Julia Colin Davidson and Bridget Lancaster.

Great to be here with them and what a treat.

Thanks for being here.

Julia: Thank you for having us.

Kristi K.: So you help cooks become much more confident in the kitchen.

I have to know more about how many years the two of you together collectively have been cooking in this business Of cooking.

Bridget: Oh, boy.

Well, together we've known each other for a decade and up to 30 years.

Kristi K.: No kidding.

Julia: Yeah.

Yeah.

Getting close.

We are getting close over specials.

And we're 40 years old, right?

So where did you meet?

Actually, at work.

Yeah, I was a test cook.

Joy came in just a couple months behind me, and this was back in 1998, 99.

This is when we started.

So we've been there for a while, and we.

We climbed the ladder together.

Yeah.

It was a very small company at the beginning.

And so Bridget and I did the shopping.

We washed the dishes, we helped the other test cooks and editors prep their food, but not necessarily cook the food.

We were pretty much, you know, the lowest person on the masthead.

And then as it was just a magazine that came out bi monthly, and then there was a TV show, and then there was a second magazine and a second TV show.

In the middle of all that, a cookbook division came about.

And so, you know, the staff just got bigger, the projects got more interesting and more varied.

And we were there from the beginning and kind of knew all of the jobs because we had done them all.

And so we just kind of, you know, moved up to the top as people came in.

Kristi K.: I love this dinner, just sort of sit back and go, look at me now.

Bridget: A little bit like you say, What is my life?

Quite a bit, because it is still surreal.

Yeah.

And you realize how hard you've worked to get where you are as well.

You really have.

And the brand of America's Test Kitchen is incredible, as you pointed out with the apps, all the different things.

When you have done each of those jobs, each of you, do you have a favorite kind of step along the way or one of those areas that you just mentioned that you say, you know what, this is one of my favorites or this was the best building block of all.

Julia: My favorite step of the process and the process is really similar no matter if you're working on the TV show, a cookbook or a magazine.

There's that step when you're just you have a blank page and you're saying, okay, what's this episode going to be?

What's this issue going to be?

What's this cookbook going to be?

And you have a general idea, but you start to put the framework in.

And that's when I do research.

I see what's out there, what I try to get my finger on, the pulse of what people are interested in and what's current, and then do research and figure out where it's been.

You know, this topic.

What is the history, and then come up with an outline.

And that is my all time favorite part.

I really like doing the background, seeing a bigger picture and figure out what slice of it is right for this project.

Kristi K.: You were both in charge of the editorial, kind of the editorial direction of the show.

How do you decide and determine the prioritization on your topics, on your recipes, on the foods?

What what is it that kind of drives those decisions?

Julia: Yeah, a lot of it is how the business is set up that the magazine ins don't have any advertisements.

So how we keep track of making sure we're putting out recipes that readers really want.

We survey readers all the time.

What are you interested in?

What's on your radar?

What do you want to know about?

What are your issues in the kitchen?

What are your problems?

What can we help you solve?

And so we we learn from our readers, first and foremost.

What what do you want to know?

And then when we develop a recipe, you know, it's a long process.

We make each recipe 30 to 50 times, changing one variable, and then at the end, before we publish a recipe, much less put it on television, we send it out to cooks across America.

I think we think we have, I think, 60 or 70,000 cooks will make the recipe for us on their own time, on their own dime, and fill out a survey about how the recipe worked.

Did you instructions make sense?

Could they've used a photo to help them along the way.

And the most important question on the survey is would you make that recipe again?

Every recipe needs to get an 80%.

Yes, I would make this recipe again.

If it doesn't, it goes back into the test kitchen to figure out the problem.

Kristi K.: Was there ever a recipe where you're just like, we cannot make this work in a test kitchen?

Like this is it's come back, you've gotten the feedback and you're like.

Julia: No, it's out of here.

Really good.

But there's been only a handful, I think, in all these years.

Yeah, some of the harder ones deal with seasonal fruit because and the only reason is they're very juicy and the juice amount and apples alone.

So we have a tart tatin recipe.

It works really well in the fall, but if you try to make it in the spring or summer when the juice, the apples aren't as juicy, it's very dry and vice versa.

So we've had to go back and tweak that recipe to make sure to iron out the dismount so that also the limit sometimes what we shoot because peaches for years we weren't able to shoot anything with peaches because of our shooting schedule by February, March.

And, you know, peaches are going to be like a rock at that, right?

But like most things, I think the hardest recipes are the simple ones because there's no bells and whistles, there's no garnishes and fancy sauces to cover up anything.

Kristi K.: Now, another topic that comes to my mind that is kind of near and dear to my my heart because it affects millions of Americans.

And I have some loved ones who are dealing with this as food allergies and severe food allergies.

How does that impact what you do in the kitchen?

And have you really seen a shift to those who have food allergies and how you make your recipes or sort of, you know, sort of come up with alternative recipes perhaps?

Bridget: Yeah, I think that there's been a natural progression towards that.

And as we've been able to build on the recipes that we already have, variations will come up kind of naturally.

So we'll have gluten free things.

We'll have instead of we'll have vegan.

So if you're allergic to or you have a dairy, an issue with dairy or eggs, you might want to go with one of our vegan.

And people are are great because as Julia said, we talk to our readers and we talk to our viewers and they let us know as our cookbooks take a look at that and then use the America's Test Kitchen process for developing a recipe.

But one of the overarching ideas is it has to be gluten free.

It has to be gluten free.

With a dairy free option.

It has to be keto has to be paleo, it has to be low sugar or no sugar.

And so the cookbooks is where we can really take recipes that we have in the archives and make them in this style that take that into account.

Kristi K.: Now, when you were in business life, 360, we do something called Quick Hits, our rapid fire questions is where our viewers get to know a little bit more about you in a very casual story here.

So my horse is stuck here.

Are we ready?

Bridget: I think so.

Kristi K.: Okay.

What is And you can take whoever wants to go first.

What is your go to healthy snack?

Julia: Almonds.

Bridget: Oh, cheese.

Kristi K.: Go to unhealthy late night snack.

Bridget: Pringles.

Julia: Cheese.

Kristi K.: But last time you got takeout.

Two nights ago.

Two nights ago.

Can we say together.

Kristi K.: What kind of food?

Bridget: Korean fried chicken wings.

Yeah.

Julia: Oh, we had Middle Eastern take up.

Kristi K.: Oh, very nice.

Okay.

Salty or sweet?

Bridget: Salty.

100% salty.

Oh, especially if it's cheese.

Kristi K.: Oh, maybe a little trendier.

I've got.

Something here.

Kristi K.: Okay.

Which one of you is most likely to start work at the crack of dawn?

Bridget: Me.

Kristi K.: Yeah.

Night owl.

Bridget: Me?

Oh, well, I don't sleep.

I don't.

Kristi K.: Know.

Bridget: I haven't slept in 23 years.

Oh, I. Kristi K.: One trait that is absolutely necessary to succeed in your business.

Julia: Know when to back your head down to just work.

Ignore the noise.

Just put your head down.

Do your job.

Bridget: Yeah.

Let's go.

Curiosity.

I would say it's the other one.

Yeah.

Kristi K.: Where do you go?

For peace and quiet when you are not working?

Bridget: I go for a drive, which in the Boston area isn't always peaceful or quiet.

But up in the north shore where I live, I can go for a nice drive and go to one of the beaches up there.

Yeah.

Kristi K.: What about you?

Julia: Outside I garden.

Kristi K.: Take a very nice.

That's great.

One tip for novice cooks who are watching and may be interested in getting a little more serious about starting to cook.

Julia: By an instant read thermometer.

And you can download a chart of knowing when things are done.

And once you temp your meat temp your chicken, nothing will be dry, nothing be overdone and nothing will be underdone.

You won't be eating raw and your food will go from 0 to 60 overnight.

Lover Yeah, I'd say two things.

Read the recipe a few times.

Make sure that you have everything before you get started.

And the other thing.

Don't tell people what you're cooking until you're done cooking it.

And you can name it anything you want, even if you've messed up.

For example, if you burn it, it's blackened.

Oh, if it doesn't have salt, it's Tuscan.

Yes, exactly.

And if it's a series of it's.

If it's what?

If it's like you've messed up and it doesn't look great, it's stick out.

Kristi K.: Thanks for joining us on Business Life, 360.

What a blast to have you here and what an honor.

Thank you for having us.

Kristi K.: Thank you.

I'm here on location at Nature Fresh Farms in Delta, Ohio.

We're talking with Matt quIrIng.

He's a senior vice president of sales and marketing for the company.

So excited, Matt, to be here with you today.

Thanks for coming by.

Kristi K.: Yes, indeed.

We want to hear all about this business.

It's a real growth industry, this greenhouse vegetable growing that you have.

Tell us more about the greenhouse, the location and some of the products.

Let's start with the greenhouse itself.

Matt Quiring: Sure.

Well, this is a greenhouse that was built in multiple stages.

We started here in 2015.

The first build was 15 acres to 45 acres.

So adding another 30 acres currently here, we're growing tomato on the vine, beefsteak tomatoes and a wealth of snacking tomatoes.

So grapes, cherries, cocktails, so on and so forth.

Kristi K.: Everything healthy.

Matt Quiring: All things healthy.

We believe we sell health in a greenhouse.

You know, we we we're passion about the business.

We're passionate about, you know, creating a better world, growing for a kinder future.

And, you know, we believe that we can do a world of good with good food.

Kristi K.: I love the notion and the mission that you have in terms of vision and looking to really sell health and make this world a healthier place.

So tell us about some of the products that you have launched.

I know you have this greenhouse here.

The one in Canada has different products.

So let's hear a little bit more about some of those.

Matt Quiring: So between all of our categories, I think we have close to 15 different SKUs.

Recently, we just just launched a conventional strawberry program that got on the market last year.

That was at the time it was ten acres.

Now we've scaled that up to 25 acres.

And again, with with this new build in Ohio here, we'll be at 45 acres of organic.

On top of that 25 acres with conventional.

So we are doing a number of different other things within our R&D greenhouses as well.

We're trialing papayas in a greenhouse.

We're trialing melons in a greenhouse, things like zucchini beans, squash, lettuces, all kinds of different things.

So what we're really doing is trying to find that next level of food security.

Kristi K.: Yes.

And we talk about food security and food security, assuring that through the greenhouses you can grow year round.

And some of those things, those niches that farmers who are growing outside can't do.

So tell us more about the way you're farming in terms of sustainability and renewable energy.

I know that is huge for you in terms of your mission.

Matt Quiring: Or sustainability story.

We use good bugs to fight bad bugs.

We eliminate the need for pesticides because of that which when we look at what's on the dirty dozen list tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, I think strawberry is number one on that dirty dozen list.

Kristi K.: Tell us more.

About Dirty Dozen.

Matt Quiring: It's basically a list of the most pesticide ridden fruits and vegetables in the retailers.

And when people talk about that dirty dozen list, it's driven on field grown products because they don't have the control that we do indoors.

So once again, we use good bugs to fight bad bugs we don't need to spray a pesticide on because we have that natural balance of life in our greenhouse between good bugs fighting bad bugs.

And they kind of keep that circle of life balance within their.

So anything grown indoors at nature, fresh at any greenhouse across North America that is not on the Dirty dozen list, it's actually field grown products.

So all the weather challenges and water concerns that say California's having right now, that's not us.

We're surrounded by some of the biggest bodies of fresh water in the world.

Having us being able to reduce, reuse and recycle our water is is a big win for the environment.

It is a huge sustainability play.

And, you know, we're really proud that a lot of the things we do in a greenhouse.

Kristi K.: That's really impressive and that is so on point with what we need more of today in terms of our climate.

I know something that is also really important to you and your father as he started this this company years ago is a kinder, more healthy environment and teaching kids and our youth a little bit more about what it means to eat healthy, to grow healthy.

Tell us more about the initiatives that you've had there.

Matt Quiring: So we created since my my father's got a building company, we actually put a greenhouse on the back of a tractor trailer and we decided sometimes it's not easy to bring the population into your greenhouse, but maybe you can bring the greenhouse to the population.

So we worked with retail partners across North America, some of our strongest national retailers.

We bring our greenhouse right directly in front of the in front of the stores.

And what we're doing is really trying to engage not only children but also their parents to try and help inspire them to want to eat healthier.

One thing we've also learned is that people are really hungry for information on how their food is grown, who's producing their food?

Is it safe for my kids?

All these things really we're able to answer with that vehicle of having that greenhouse in front of them.

Kristi K.: And you talked about bugs, good bugs.

What's an example of a good bug that you use to really kind of prevent you from having to ever use a pesticide?

Matt Quiring: So ladybugs are one of kind of like our our top good bugs in the greenhouse.

They take care of a number of different bad bugs.

Much of which I don't even know the scientific name for.

It's really about the healthy balance and using good bugs to fight bad bugs.

But I believe there's around 21 different species of good bugs that we put into the greenhouse and we buy those in.

Believe it or not, our bug bill is over $2.5 million per year.

Really?

That's.

That's bringing good bugs into our greenhouse to help combat bad bugs.

Kristi K.: As you looked at diversification.

How did you come up with strawberries?

How was that at the top of the list?

And you said, this is where we're headed next.

This is where we're going to put our our whole operation are 50% of the new operation here in Delta will be strawberries.

Organic strawberries.

Yeah, to determine that.

Matt Quiring: Well, we are we move quick.

We're private company.

When we get indications of something, we validate that through our partners.

And if that validation is there, we move actually four, I guess four months ago, that was intended to be 15 acres.

Peppers Organics, 15 acres, Tomatoes, Organics, and then 15 acres, Strawberries, Organics.

We had a number of meetings with some key retail partners of ours, and we found out very rapidly that that there was a huge, huge void in supply on organic strawberries throughout the winter period and even fall and even spring period.

So they said basically whatever you can produce, we can we can sell.

Our goal again is to try and find what our pain points are for, for our retailers out there.

And essentially that's the consumer.

And if we can solve that, that concern or that challenge for them, we're going to move on it.

So we we've seen there is a massive void in supply.

We felt that we could help the consumer out with an organic greenhouse grown strawberry throughout the months that they can't necessarily get it.

So we felt, you know, this is the right direction and we move quickly.

Kristi K.: So, personally speaking, are you a healthy eater?

Matt Quiring: I am, yeah, of course.

Kristi K.: Have you been known to just grab a tomato off the vine and.

Matt Quiring: All the time?

Yeah, all the time.

I love.

Matt Quiring: This.

And you?

Definitely.

I want my fair share of tomatoes.

That's.

That's for.

Sure.

Here we are back in studio on the set of Business Life 360.

And we've heard from a hugely successful 24 seven greenhouse business, two top chefs in the country discussing farm to table cooking.

And now we're going to meet a game changer in urban farming, particularly within the inner city signing founder McNair.

Welcome to Business Life 360.

Sonjia: Thank you so much.

I'm so glad to be here.

It is so great to have you here.

And you truly are what I'm going to call a disruptor in how we're looking at food and urban farming.

So tell us a little bit more about what you're doing in terms of urban farming and exactly what that is.

Sonjia: Urban farming is taking spaces within a community or a space, usually within a city that needs help with beautification, local food, creating small scale food systems where you can come out and shop and reduce your footprint with shopping all over and leave your money right in the community.

You live to make sure that we're creating sustainable, sustainable communities.

I love that.

And I also love this mission that you have with your company, Urban Holistic, that is all about healthy lifestyle and teaching kids and adults what that means to not only use that land sort of in a very healthy way, but also to grow the food, how to grow the food, turn it more maybe into some herbal kinds of things are the kinds of things.

Tell us more about that and what you're doing with urban, holistic.

Sonjia: Urban, holistic.

As a501 seed, three nonprofit organization that is located within the Junction community in Toledo, Ohio, that serves a community that is deserved.

We are rampant in the community trying to make sure that spaces that have been historically excluded from looking beautiful has that opportunity.

I grew up running to Metro Parks.

I grew up running through beautiful spaces and I remember going home and feeling the sense of demise because I'm going into spaces that didn't look like the rest of the city.

How can we all be on the same playing ground?

You know, we we can no longer feel that we are outdoing a certain community or a different class of people if we're not all on equal playing grounds, we all will suffer.

Violence is rampant in communities that doesn't look well, and it's trickling off into communities that are beautiful.

You know, and you and I have had that conversation, too, about when you take some of this urban blight and turn some of these lands and these properties, if you will, that are just not beautified and you turn those into something more beautiful, there's a sense of pride in the community.

There's a sense of perhaps even less.

Sonjia: Less crime that is.

That is occurring because of the beautification.

How have you found that to be true in your area, or have you started to see that?

Sonjia: We have started to witness that we are living it?

You will see neighbors come out to welcome you and you'll see children.

You'll see beautiful space, You'll see redevelopment by hand, you'll see sweat equity, you'll see social cohesion again.

And one thing that's really encouraging is they make sure that they are keeping everyone in the community accountable for that space.

So if you see children walking from the corner store, eating bags of chips and throwing the bags of chips over their head, we have people now that says, hey, this space is you have to keep it pretty, because if you don't have, we could go around and we can ask our children what we need.

What do you need in your community to live, to thrive?

How would they know to answer that question if they've never been exposed to anything other than what they're living around?

And it's incredible what you're doing.

And as you said, you're exposing them to something that they hadn't been exposed to before.

Yes.

And to that point, you're also teaching classes.

You've introduced a curriculum, as I understand it.

Yes.

For kids as well as adults.

Yes.

To live healthier lifestyles.

Sonjia: So the curriculum is the School of Sonya Organics, which is an intro to herbalism and organic raw material product formulation.

So what I pride myself in is teaching the methods of product formulation.

I've had the opportunity to partner with the University of Toledo and offer internships to the cosmetic scientists.

There.

So the curriculum will teach you not only how to farm or to take care of your home base pharmacy.

It will also teach you about plants.

It will teach you the classification of plants.

It will also teach you of methods of extraction.

So if we're taught how to formulate with plants will live better.

We're creating a healthier environment.

And we can also start a business, a thriving business.

You're going to see more organic product formulators.

You're going to see more youth farmers, because in the beginning, everybody thought I was crazy.

I'm on the corner digging by hand, no tools, no equipment, and just trying to show that we are able we need trees there.

We need beautification there because if not there, they'll end up being dump sites on safe spaces.

And it's our job to uplift where we live.

This is phenomenal.

You are such an innovator.

You are doing things that are really pushing limits and leading the way in urban farming like no one else is.

So thank you so much for being with us on Business Life 360.

Sonjia: Thank you so much for having me, Kristie.

Kristi K.: And now you've met game changers in the food industry.

From cooking, testing and making the food in the kitchen to growing farm to table the healthiest of fruits and vegetables year round to those changing urban blight.

All are true investments in the next generation of the food industry.

That's a wrap on this episode of Business Life 360.

Thanks for joining us.

As we learn, lead and grow together.

I'm Kristie Kaye and I'll see you on the next Business Life 360.

Announcer: Connect with Kristie Kaye on LinkedIn at Kristie Kay Hoffman.

And here the business Life360 conversation on FM 91 on Thursday mornings to watch previous episodes and more.

Visit our website at Wwt Morgan B3 60.

And join Kristy for her new podcast, Business Life After Hours Business Life 360 with Kristie Kay is made possible by Promedica, a locally owned, nationally recognized, not for profit health care network that has a strong commitment to clinical excellence, providing safe, high quality patient care and addressing social issues that impact health.

The John B and Lillian E Neff, College of Business and Innovation at the University of Toledo.

Developing lifelong Leaders for the World of Business and by KeyBank, also by viewers like you.

Thank you.