Some of the hardest brands to grow are the ones consumers already think they know. Amit Pandhi has spent his career taking on that challenge, building, fixing and scaling food businesses across categories. Now President and CEO of Westminster Cracker Company, Amit brings experience as a founder, operator and turnaround leader to a heritage brand with roots dating back to 1828.
In this episode of Forktales, Amit shares why he believes the right people are the key to transforming a business, how leaders can identify the overlooked “culture carriers” who influence an organization and why established brands can be harder to reinvigorate than new ones.
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Forktales is a podcast and video series that feeds the food, beverage, restaurant, and hospitality industries with insights, innovations, and incredibly entertaining stories. Each episode we interview the industry's leaders from veterans to the up and comers, to get a glimpse of trends, trials, tribulations, and more.
Amit Pandhi – Food industry veteran and expert in building, fixing and scaling brands
Some of the hardest brands to grow are the ones consumers already think they know. Amit Pandhi has spent his career taking on that challenge, building, fixing and scaling food businesses across categories. Now President and CEO of Westminster Cracker Company, Amit brings experience as a founder, operator and turnaround leader to a heritage brand with roots dating back to 1828.
In this episode of Forktales, Amit shares why he believes the right people are the key to transforming a business, how leaders can identify the overlooked “culture carriers” who influence an organization and why established brands can be harder to reinvigorate than new ones.
Paul Hemingway – CPG marketing leader and food innovation strategist
The grocery store may still be where the purchase happens, but the decision increasingly starts somewhere else. Paul Hemingway, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Litehouse Foods, brings 25 years of CPG experience to marketing and innovation for the employee-owned company behind the nation’s leading refrigerated salad dressing brand.
In this episode of Forktales, Paul discusses how social media and AI are changing food discovery, the impact of GLP-1s on food trends and how economic pressures are reshaping value. He also shares how employee ownership shapes Litehouse’s culture and why strong retailer relationships are built on true partnership.
Jim Herr – Third-generation snack industry leader and champion of flavor innovation
For nearly 80 years, Herr’s has remained a family-owned snack company by staying rooted in its values while continuing to evolve. Jim Herr, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and R&D, represents the third generation of the Herr family and oversees the consumer-facing side of the business, helping guide everything from product innovation to marketing and growth.
In this episode of Forktales, Jim discusses the opportunities and challenges of leading a multigenerational family business, building brand loyalty through authenticity and maintaining Herr’s deep connection to Philadelphia. He also shares how consumer feedback influences flavor innovation, why accepting occasional failures encourages bolder ideas and how Herr’s balances research and data with entrepreneurial instinct when developing new products.
Amir Yazdi – Restaurant investor, operator and growth strategist
Great restaurants don’t automatically become great businesses. Scaling takes the right systems, people and strategy. Amir Yazdi, founder and managing partner of Bastian Capital, has spent more than 20 years building, operating and investing in restaurant brands, giving him a unique perspective on what separates concepts that grow from those that stall.
In this episode of Forktales, Amir shares what makes a restaurant concept investable, the biggest mistakes operators make when scaling, how rising labor costs and GLP-1s are reshaping the industry, and why restaurants continue to thrive as places that bring communities together.
Season 10 highlights
Season 10 of Forktales explored what it takes to build brands that last in a rapidly evolving food and beverage industry. From functional wellness drinks and dairy marketing to restaurant leadership, bold rebranding and Super Bowl creativity, this season’s guests shared lessons on innovation, resilience and the power of understanding consumers.
Pete Olander opened the season with a look at the booming functional beverage space and the rise of sober-curious consumers. Jenny Mehlman explored dairy’s resurgence and why authenticity and everyday moments drive lasting brand connections. Mike DiBeneditto shared the thinking behind Golden Waffles’ bold rebrand and the importance of clarity over tradition.
Madelyn Alfano reflected on five decades of restaurant leadership, servant leadership and hospitality rooted in respect, while Chuck Meehan closed the season with a behind-the-scenes look at Super Bowl advertising, big creative ideas and the relentless pursuit of breakthrough work.
Pete Olander – Founder of Happie and innovator in cannabis and functional wellness beverages
From J.P. Morgan to mushroom and cannabis beverages, Pete Olander has taken an unconventional path into one of the fastest-growing spaces in food and beverage. As founder of Happie, Olander has built a vertically integrated wellness beverage company focused on hemp-derived THC drinks and functional mushroom products designed to offer consumers approachable alternatives to alcohol and traditional energy drinks.
In this episode of Forktales, Pete discusses the realities of bootstrapping a cannabis brand, the growing sober-curious movement among younger consumers, and why functional ingredients like lion’s mane and cordyceps are reshaping the beverage industry. He also shares insights on branding, consumer trust and navigating the complex regulations surrounding cannabis beverages.
