In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Edouardo Jordan, founder of Food with Roots—an ethnic food brand based in Seattle, Washington, celebrating Black food ways through products like their award-winning pimento cheese and Southern cornbread mixes.

Edouardo shares how a love of cooking with his mom and grandmother in St. Petersburg, Florida led him through an unlikely path: a college degree in sports management, a stint with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, culinary school against his mother's wishes, and eventually a career cooking at some of the world's most celebrated restaurants—including the French Laundry and Per Se. He went on to open his own restaurants in Seattle, becoming the first African American to win two James Beard Awards in a single night.

When the pandemic shuttered his restaurants, Edouardo saw an opportunity. Customers who loved his pimento cheese—a staple on his restaurant menu—wanted to keep getting it at home. That question sparked the launch of Food with Roots, which quickly landed on shelves at Whole Foods and local Pacific Northwest markets.

Caitlin and Edouardo dig into why he put chitlins on his fine dining menu as a deliberate act of reclamation, how he's building a brand around the motto "sharing soulful stories through food," and why he intentionally resists making Food with Roots a "Black-owned brand" first—and a quality product second. They also cover his nonprofit Soul of Seattle, which has raised over $1 million for youth of color in the greater Seattle area, and his long-term vision to take his pimento cheese from the Pacific Northwest to coast-to-coast distribution.

Listen in as they cover:

How a childhood show-and-tell moment involving chitlins shaped Edouardo's identity as a chef and storyteller
Why foods like oxtail and pimento cheese were "poverty food" to his grandparents—and how he's working to reclaim and celebrate them
The tension between leading with Black identity versus leading with product quality in CPG retail
How Food with Roots got its start during the pandemic and landed in Whole Foods and Metropolitan Market
His expansion targets: California and Texas, markets already familiar with pimento cheese
The story behind Soul of Seattle and why he pays vendors to participate rather than charging booth fees
Why Food with Roots' pimento cheese retails at $9.99—and why it's worth every penny

Episode Links:

Instagram: @thefoodwithroots

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/edouardojordan

Website: thefoodwithroots.com

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
Episode music by Super Fantastics