9 Great Podcasts for Food Grads

This week we wanted to give you a round up of podcasts that deliver food industry trends and useful career advice. Currently there is no single podcast (other than FoodGrads very own My Food Job Rocks) which focuses on job searching or career building just for the food industry. Most podcasts cover food OR job searching and career advice, so I’ve included a mix of both. In order to help you sort through the ones of interest to you, I’ve included a little blurb about each. Some are as short as 5 or 6 minutes, others up to one hour long. So the time commitment isn’t huge and you can listen on the go.

Food – Podcasts

The Splendid Table – NPR

This podcast from America’s wonderful National Public Radio is focused on food from the culinary and lifestyle perspective. Through weekly interviews with writers and personalities including Marisa Huff, Paul Greenberg, and Robert Sietsema, it “celebrates food and it’s ability to touch the lives and feed the souls of everyone”.

FoodCraftsmen – Ryan Parker

Hosted by veteran chef, Ryan Parker, this wonderful podcast is a mix of “how to”, cooking gear reviews and interviews with a wealth of food lovers from well established restaurant owners, to brand new start-ups. Well worth the listen.

Go Fork Yourself – Andrew Zimmern

Although this podcast is currently in a hiatus (the last episode is from April 2015), it is an entertaining listen from the ebullient Andrew Zimmern; chef, TV personality and creator of the Bizarre Foods Franchise on the Travel Channel. An irreverent look at life, food and the world of cooking through conversations with his co-host Molly Mogren and the occasional interview with culinary luminaries.

Food Start-Ups podcast – Matt Aaron

Now past it’s 100th episode, Matt Aaron has hit his stride delivering interviews with food business entrepreneurs on topics as wide ranging as import/export issues, packaging design and social entrepreneurship in the food industry. Short, bit-size recordings of wisdom for those wanting to do a peel back the layers on what it takes to run a food business.

Food Industry Entrepreneur – Enterprise Radio

Offered through a channel of the Entrepreneur Podcast Radio network, this podcast features interviews with movers and shakers in the food industry in Canada, the US and beyond. The weekly coverage with host, Eric Dye, has more recently focused on food service organizations, but also features stories on distribution, sustainable sourcing, branding and industry trends.

The Food Chain – BBC

Being British, we had to include something from the Beeb in the UK. This podcast with a global focus reports on the economics, science and culture of what we eat. They do a deep dive in to what it takes to put the food we eat on our tables. This covers subjects from traditional cheese making in Albania to the science of nutricosmetics (foods that make you beautiful – apparently)

Career Related Podcasts

How to be Awesome at Your Job – Pete Mockaitis

I’ve been listening to Pete’s one on one interviews with thought leaders and high achievers regularly. He truly does deliver on his promise of delivering “specific, actionable insights that boost work performance”. If you don’t have a job yet, this podcast is still for you. The concepts he presents can be applied as much to the process of studying, graduating and looking for a job, as they can to being effective at your job. Highly recommended.

College Central Podcasts – Career and Job Search Advice

A collection of short, information packed podcasts with general advice for entry level job seekers. These cover a broad range of relevant topics from Online portfolios, Interviewing, Resumes, Cover Letters, Workplace Etiquette, Internships and personal Branding.

Ted Podcast – Ideas Worth Spreading

OK, so I know you will more than likely have heard of TED Talks (unless you’ve been living on Mars for the last ten years).  But I’ve added this to our list as a reminder that learning comes in many forms. The experts that speak at TED can provide inspiration to you if you are in the doldrums about your perceived lack of success when studying, job hunting or succeeding at your current job. Never stop learning!!

So now we’ve shared with you – why don’t you let us know what we’ve missed. Where do you go for information and inspiration on your journey in to food?

Author: Juliette Prouse