S1:E25 Sam Polk & Chef Bryce Fluellen I Food for Change

For there to be a well-balanced society, how important is access to affordable, nutritious, and convenient food? This week's guests, Sam Polk, Founder & CEO, and Chef Bryce Fluellen, Executive Director, Social Equity Franchise Program, of the ground-breaking company, Everytable, say it's a human right and they're on a mission to help transform the food system. Founded in 2016, Everytable is a multi-channel, fresh-prepared food business blending grab-and-go storefronts, a subscription delivery service, SmartFridges, and institutional food service, all supplied by a central kitchen with meals priced according to neighborhood income.

A former hedge fund trader, Sam left a successful career on Wall Street to follow his heart to fight food injustice and inequality in America. He wrote a book titled For the Love of Money described as "part coming-of-age, part recovery memoir, and part expose of a rotten, money drenched Wall Street culture" (Salon). In 2013, he founded a non-profit called FEAST (formerly Groceryships) to address food-related problems in South LA by helping family food providers make choices through nutrition education, cooking classes, free produce, and support groups. A few years later, Sam founded Everytable, a social enterprise, with the help and the backing of food-forward investors like Kimbal Musk, Maria Shriver, Gwyneth Paltrow, TOMS Social Enterprise Fund, W.K Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation.

Chef Bryce has fought for food justice and social equity for more than 20 years developing and implementing strategic programs at Starbucks, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the American Heart Association to drive systemic change to benefit underserved populations and communities. In his current role with Everytable, he is responsible for a franchise model that invests directly into marginalized entrepreneurs of color by providing the opportunity to open Everytable stores with zero upfront capital or net worth.

In this episode, host Brad Johnson and the Everytable execs discuss their personal journey and passion for helping other people, the designation "food desert" and its impact on communities, and the origins of the current food system in the U.S. including its debilitating health consequences. Working towards solutions, Sam and Chef Bryce explain the opportunities they have created for people in the community to achieve the American Dream with Everytable's Social Equity Franchise Program, and the hope behind Everytable's mission for everyone, everywhere to have access to nutritious, fresh food at affordable prices.

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