Latest / The Keri Croft Show / How Audrey Plant Built Winn Winn From Scratch

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How Audrey Plant Built Winn Winn From Scratch · The Keri Croft Show

• 0:00
  Keri Croft: Donato's has officially entered game day mode.
• 0:02
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• 0:07
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• 0:09
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• 0:19
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• 0:22
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• 0:29
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• 0:31
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• 0:36
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• 0:38
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• 0:44
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• 0:46
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• 1:19
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• 1:24
  Keri Croft: Hey there, you beautiful badass.
• 1:26
  Keri Croft: Badass.
• 1:29
  Keri Croft: Welcome to the Carrie Croft Show.
• 1:32
  Keri Croft: Audrey Plant.
• 1:34
  Keri Croft: Welcome to the Carrie Croft Show.
• 1:35
  Keri Croft: Thank you.
• 1:36
  Keri Croft: Thanks for being here.
• 1:37
  Keri Croft: I appreciate it.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like this has been a long time coming.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I've known you for a long time.
• 1:41
  Keri Croft: So you were working downstairs and then you left to do this passion project that has now turned into quite the thing.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:49
  Keri Croft: How long were you downstairs?
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was working at Seraph with Doug for about three years.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, maybe almost four.
• 1:56
  Keri Croft: Doug, don't worry.
• 1:57
  Keri Croft: We won't, we're not gonna have lots of questions about Doug, but we're not gonna do that.
• 2:01
  Keri Croft: That's for another segment.
• 2:02
  Keri Croft: Lots of curious like curious questions about Doug.
• 2:04
  Keri Croft: But today we're not here to talk about that.
• 2:06
  Keri Croft: We're talking about win-win.
• 2:07
  Keri Croft: But let's talk about you first.
• 2:09
  Keri Croft: Let's peel back some layers.
• 2:11
  Keri Croft: So wait, I didn't realize what an athlete you were.
• 2:14
  Keri Croft: Yeah, I mean, I'm very much retired.
• 2:16
  Keri Croft: Let's do a little glory days here for a second.
• 2:18
  Keri Croft: So you were a pitcher, softball, like total beast.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I played at Ohio State for four years.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was probably the best time of my life.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Played softball for about 16 years competitively.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: My pitching style was definitely, I wasn't like be demon type of stuff.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like I wasn't throwing like high 70s, I was all movement.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of my little like niche that I was able to throw like a really good changeup, really good drop curve, curve ball.
• 2:40
  Keri Croft: And that's kind of when you say all movement, that sounds so like uh, I don't know, professional.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like pitchers are like very like position specific.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: So like I'm not I always like joke with my friends because they're like, You're so athletic.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, yeah, but I'm like a pitcher, it's like very different.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And they like call us like divas, basically.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so like I would just I do one thing really well, and that's what I did.
• 3:01
  Keri Croft: So how did you like first figure out like I want to pitch?
• 3:04
  Keri Croft: Like I'm good at this.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so my sister played AAU basketball, and I hated watching her play.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was like playing dolls, and I was like super girly growing up, and my dad was like, Well, if you want to get out of the gym, like go find a different sport and we'll you know support you and watch you go play a sport.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so I picked softball.
• 3:20
  Keri Croft: And you just were really good at it.
• 3:22
  Keri Croft: You're in the hall of fame at UA.
• 3:23
  Keri Croft: Yeah, I am girl, come on now.
• 3:26
  Keri Croft: I don't know.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: I've how you like I went to the high school because now it's like the Taj Mahal there.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's so nice, like so, so nice.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that's not the school that I went to, obviously, but they have like the plaque and stuff up, and I went this past year and saw it for the first time.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: So that was really cool.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's so it's so cool.
• 3:41
  Keri Croft: So, what else were you into athletically?
• 3:43
  Keri Croft: So you're pitching and you're standing there and you're working on your craft, but how were you training like to make sure you were like D1?
• 3:50
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 3:50
  Keri Croft: How does that work in softball?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, for softball, it's really just like position coaches, like you have like one pitching coach, and then my parents are really great as far as like just saying, like, if you want to do this, like we'll support you 100%.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so I told him I wanted to go D1 and I wanted to play against all these, you know, the best people that ended up honestly being like some of my teammates at Ohio State.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: And my dad's like, okay, we'll put you on these two club teams or two travel ball teams.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: One was in New Jersey and then one was in northeast Ohio.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just gone every weekend.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
• 4:19
  Keri Croft: Yeah, I love that.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like when you're younger, you like are like, I'm missing prom, I'm missing, you know, whatever.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: But now I'm like, I don't care.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: No, like it was the best thing.
• 4:26
  Keri Croft: No, girl, you're in the you in the UA Hall of Fame.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: You Golden Bear Hall of Fame.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like, there's so many different athletes in UA that are like elite.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think in my class there was like an Olympian.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's like really I mean, athletics at UA is obviously like top tier.
• 4:40
  Keri Croft: Golden Bears don't they'll mess around.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:42
  Keri Croft: So where did you get into cooking with your mom?
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, my mom's I'm first generation Filipino American.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so my mom is like the crazy tiger mom and like incredible, incredible cook, great host.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like we would grow up and have massive, massive parties.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's just like if you know any Filipinos, like that's just like in their blood.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's what they do.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, she threw me in the kitchen and I didn't really have a choice.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Is your dad Filipino too?
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, he's American.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's from Northeast Ohio.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, nice.
• 5:06
  Keri Croft: Okay, so how is how is that integration with him with your mom?
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like he's like ultra-American.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like they actually met in Saudi Arabia, which is like wild.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my dad was working and building the Riyadh airport, and my mom was there waiting for her US citizenship.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: Stop it.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they met and they fell in love.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: So wait.
• 5:24
  Keri Croft: So was she like literally sitting there?
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like in the lobby?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Ironically, they met at a softball game.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And my mom's half of my mom's family was already in the United States, but she was waiting for her uh green card and she was she met my dad.
• 5:37
  Keri Croft: Does she wear the pants?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she drives the show.
• 5:39
  Keri Croft: She does, doesn't she?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she she calls all the shots.
• 5:42
  Keri Croft: When you say tiger mom, is she like overt and like kind of like loud, or is she more like stealthy, kind of quiet, but yet you know you know what's up.
• 5:50
  Keri Croft: Like those are the ones you really gotta work.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: She's very opinionated, um, which we all love.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and she's hilarious.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: But like even at Win Win, like she'll come in and like people like be eating, like we don't know these people, right?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're completely like just random kind people that have come to our store and she'll look at them and be like, it's so good, isn't it?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: And they'll be like, Oh yeah.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, they probably are like, Who is this woman?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, Oh, this is my own.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: It must be someone's mom.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and she's like taking photos of that.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, mom, like we can't do that.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: But she's so proud.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, she's very proud.
• 6:17
  Keri Croft: What is your first memory of cooking with your mom?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: Probably making egg rolls or lumpia is like the Filipino word for egg rolls, just because like that's what we grew up on eating.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: She did a really good job of like we ate a ton of Filipino food, but we also she cooks incredible American food.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: So like it didn't matter.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like we had a good mix of both.
• 6:34
  Keri Croft: And then do you when you cook, like, do you go way back like in nostalgia?
• 6:38
  Keri Croft: And like, is it just this comforting therapeutic feeling?
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, oh, for sure.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think cooking for me was a definitely a way to decompress.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: It was a time for like my mom and I just to talk and bond in that way.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I mean, I think cooking is definitely like a tether, and like for our family, like that's how we show love is definitely through food.
• 6:55
  Keri Croft: But you didn't go straight from D1 to win-win.
• 6:59
  Keri Croft: You had some stuff in between.
• 7:00
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 7:00
  Keri Croft: You were you were modeling, yeah.
• 7:02
  Keri Croft: You were married.
• 7:03
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 7:03
  Keri Croft: You've lived, you lived some lives.
• 7:05
  Keri Croft: I lived a lot of life.
• 7:06
  Keri Croft: You lived some lives.
• 7:07
  Keri Croft: Like, when did you how old were you when you got married?
• 7:09
  Keri Croft: I was 26, 27.
• 7:11
  Keri Croft: And then you got divorced soon after that, yeah.
• 7:14
  Keri Croft: Okay, so you've been divorced for a while.
• 7:16
  Keri Croft: Okay.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: I would say like that period of my life, like uh learned so much.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say like now, like I made all the recipes that I have at Win Win predominantly during that period of my life because I had the time to really I live in New York City, I was deep into the food scene, I was testing and trying different things, and like kind of silver lining now is like I sell these recipes at Win Wynn that I created, and we serve thousands of people with them.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:38
  Keri Croft: So and not to go too deep into the divorce.
• 7:40
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 7:40
  Keri Croft: But if someone's going through that right now, I mean, you're so young.
• 7:43
  Keri Croft: You're what?
• 7:43
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 7:43
  Keri Croft: What are you now?
• 7:44
  Keri Croft: 30 I'm 34.
• 7:45
  Keri Croft: 34.
• 7:46
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 7:46
  Keri Croft: What is your I'm sure you went through a really dark questioning, all your decisions, questioning how long did that last for you?
• 7:52
  Keri Croft: Like when you were real low and you were like, what the hell am I doing?
• 7:56
  Keri Croft: What happened?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: I would say it took me about a full year to kind of just get out of that.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: But my family and friends, I mean, they're incredible.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: I would say like, I think for me, I finally, you know, there was a moment in time, like after my divorce, I flew to Turks and Caicos.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: I like wrote on a piece of paper that I wanted to start a concept within three years.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have a I think I just started at Seraph.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was like really, like, I didn't really know what I wanted to do yet.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I just had this like, I don't know, feeling of like a news lease on life.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know, my word or encouragement, encouragement to anybody is just like allow time to happen, I guess, and allow life to like flush itself out because I thought, you know, my life was like over.
• 8:29
  Keri Croft: I mean, oh yeah.
• 8:30
  Keri Croft: I think you're in the moment and you don't know.
• 8:32
  Keri Croft: You don't know what you don't know, right?
• 8:33
  Keri Croft: Well, I think when you go through something as traumatizing as that, when you get married, you think it's forever.
• 8:39
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 8:39
  Keri Croft: And you trust that person implicitly.
• 8:41
  Keri Croft: And then if something happens where you're like, okay, wait, it makes you, I I think makes you question everything you've ever thought to be true.
• 8:48
  Keri Croft: Especially at such a young age.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's that was a pivotal point of my life.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think I had envisioned my life to be one way and then learning how to deal with disappointment and you know, unmet expectations, all those types of things at such a young age.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: But now I look at my life and I'm like, I wouldn't, I don't know who I would be now, you know, if I didn't have that.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think it also reinforced like there's certain things in me.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like I am very ambitious.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was before I got married, I am after that I got married.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like I realized I had a lot of qualities that like I still love and care about and that I want to continue to foster.
• 9:17
  Keri Croft: So do you feel like, do you trust your intuition too?
• 9:20
  Keri Croft: Like when you're in situations like that and you're like things aren't right or whatever, it's like you always need to listen to that little voice.
• 9:27
  Keri Croft: And sometimes we don't.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 9:29
  Keri Croft: That's what I would tell people.
• 9:30
  Keri Croft: It's like if you're feeling off, or if there's something not thing inside is gonna just keep talking to you.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: I also think too, like when you're so young, like it's easy to be like so black and white, right?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: I think like now I have so much grace.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's like and try and try to understand at least.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's not always gonna be perfect, but I think that's definitely like a mature thing.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And like I've done tons of therapy.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like a ton, a ton of therapy.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of, you know, my faith is extremely important to me.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, you know, those types of things like I have done and invested in.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: But like without that, I'm not here today.
• 10:00
  Keri Croft: Oh, for sure.
• 10:00
  Keri Croft: And I I'm a huge fan of therapy too.
• 10:02
  Keri Croft: I in fact, like there have been times where I'll go to my lady, like, well, I don't have like a ton right now, but I like the rhythm.
• 10:09
  Keri Croft: Like you like to you always walk away with something.
• 10:11
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 10:12
  Keri Croft: And it's like someone who isn't a friend.
• 10:14
  Keri Croft: Because you know, like when you're talking to your friends and your family and stuff, they're like, Yeah, girl, yeah.
• 10:17
  Keri Croft: Like they can't be totally, they love you so much.
• 10:21
  Keri Croft: They can't be totally objective.
• 10:22
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 10:23
  Keri Croft: So I do think the therapy thing is like.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I always joke that like I would try to be my therapist's like favorite client, or like because I was like, I make her laugh.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think sometimes she's like, that didn't really happen.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, no, that didn't.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: But no, I therapy is a beautiful, beautiful tool.
• 10:41
  Keri Croft: Yeah, no, I totally agree with you.
• 10:42
  Keri Croft: So, okay, so you go through this time, you end up making great use of it, you leave Seraph.
• 10:47
  Keri Croft: You also are a model though.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: So when I lived in New York City, actually I signed with my agency while I was still a senior at Ohio State.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I knew I wanted to go there to New York at some point.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: And then after graduation, I moved there and we actually moved to Bergen County, so New Jersey.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: And then I worked in the city and it was literally the best time of my life.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can like being young, learning the city, modeling taught me because like castings are everywhere.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter, you know, it could be William Williamsburg or it can be, you know, Coney Island.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like it's so random because you're just trying to get started, you know?
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I at first I was like, I'm not booking a single job.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't know if I want to do this.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like the first month.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: And my aunt, who was a model in the 90s, she was like, just keep going.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're gonna find, like, you're gonna find your client.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: And once you do, like you'll be locked in.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I did.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I found Coles and Target and Sephora, and like I just started working nonstop after that.
• 11:39
  Keri Croft: What was the worst part of that?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: E-com, so e-commerce when you're like constantly changing all the like.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I probably went target.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: I probably did like 50 outfits in a day.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, that's just exhausting, but it's not like hard, it's just exhausting.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's yeah, yeah.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or like, I think the other hard part is like when you go into a casting, like they're judging you, obviously.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like they are full on, like you know that they're looking at every part of you and they're like picking you apart, but it's not personal.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: But the first couple, you know, years you think it's personal because you're like, why aren't you picking me?
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: But it's what the client wants, but you don't know that, you know what I mean?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's just the only like interesting thing.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Why'd you stop?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: I moved away.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: My boyfriend at the time, he got he signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if I would ever go back, but it was just a great time in that period that I was like, I captured everything that I wanted to do.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: I always wanted to work for these certain clients and be on these commercials.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: And then once I did that, I was kind of like, it's okay.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:29
  Keri Croft: Okay, so you were married to a an NFL player.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah.
• 12:32
  Keri Croft: In that adds, I I look at that lifestyle and I think, you know, there's so much romanticism around it and glamour.
• 12:39
  Keri Croft: What's it like there's gotta be a lot of negatives in terms of like just him not being around?
• 12:45
  Keri Croft: Aren't they married to the game or am I Yeah?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, I think I come from a pretty different like standpoint because like I was an athlete, and so like I understand like this to me, I always looked at it as like a J-O-B.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like, this is a job.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm you might be passionate about it, but like it's your job.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And they treat you like it's a job too.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like people, you know, they'll like to think that, but like you are an employee.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know, like I was okay because I was like super independent, so like I didn't need him around all the time.
• 13:10
  Keri Croft: Like, like I'm in this, I'm happy.
• 13:12
  Keri Croft: I'm fine.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I was like Union Square Market buying produce, I was taking cooking classes.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I was definitely like deep into learning about food and the food scene.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: So like I was fine.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 13:23
  Keri Croft: Okay, so but when you started win-win, you started doing catering and you didn't have a spot, like a brick and mortar.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: No, so yeah, we were baking out of our kitchens, a cottage baking license.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then I was just catering for friends ad hoc.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like basically, you know, if they asked me to, I would, and just trying to get our name out there.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then we used my Instagram, my food Instagram, The Odd Way, which was my like very, very small food blog that I had.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I just used that to try to like connect with anyone in the area that loved food and wanted to make my recipes.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: So right now you guys do a ton of catering.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's that's a big business for you.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a huge arm of our business.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's what's kept us afloat, to be very honest.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think even when I worked at Seraph, when we were doing craft for shoots, and you know, you're working with higher end clients, like they don't want nothing against you know, Jimmy Johns or anything like that, but they don't want that if they are spending X amount of dollars, which makes total sense.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Or they don't want it for five days in a row, right?
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we can only do so much Panera.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, I get it.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: I've been there, I've done that, and I've ordered that for clients.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: But when they specifically say, like, don't bring this, it's like, okay.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then Doug's like, okay, uh, you want to cook?
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, sure, I'll cook.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like that was such a gap that I felt in Columbus because I couldn't find anything to purchase.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because like, I'm like, I have no problem spending money when when I'm like trying to figure out and help a client.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: And then when we opened up Win-Win, I was like, we need to fill that white space because we can there's an opportunity for us for sure.
• 14:43
  Keri Croft: And your place is so cute.
• 14:45
  Keri Croft: Thank you.
• 14:46
  Keri Croft: For those who have not made it there yet, it's so cute.
• 14:49
  Keri Croft: And you have the little window, it's very quaint, yeah, light, like nothing's like real pretentious about it.
• 14:55
  Keri Croft: It's just very cottage-y and cute.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I like to think we have a lot of good natural light on that corner of Doten and Third.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: That helps a lot.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I think when we opened it, when we opened our or when we started Win Win, like our brand, Natalie and I like I wanted something that had a lot of texture and color.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like in Columbus at the time, there was a lot of like same.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: I call it same, same.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like everything kind of looked the same, and it didn't have like, I don't know, like I call it texture.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just something that gives a little bit more character.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: And like our brand is definitely super feminine and has you know floral patterns and color, and I love that.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's really cute.
• 15:27
  Keri Croft: Yeah, and the food is delish.
• 15:29
  Keri Croft: Thank you.
• 15:29
  Keri Croft: The coffee is delish because you can tell that you guys put a lot of heart and love and detail into what you're doing.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's my hope.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's my hope.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the menus is created by Natalie and I.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's a direct reflection of how we eat and how what we want to serve our friends and family.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: When we opened up, you know, and particularly picked that area on Doton and Third.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think we wanted to see like, could we do coffee really well?
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: Could we make all our pastries in-house?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then could we serve good savory food?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: And like those three things, I think we've done.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about Natalie.
• 15:57
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 15:57
  Keri Croft: Where'd you find where'd you find Natalie?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: She's my bulldog.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: No, we're family friends.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: So my sister worked for a firm called Taylor Strategy Partners, and Natalie's husband worked there for 10 years together.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: And they became like brother and sister, basically, like great, great colleagues and great friends.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then I've always kind of been in tandem, like seeing Natalie in passing at Whole Foods, at North Star.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then finally in 2020, she's like, we need to get together and like sit down because I want to talk about trying to open up something.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And she also loved to cook.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, she's a great home cook.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like, fabulous.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I love when she cooks for me.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'll never turn it down.
• 16:32
  Keri Croft: So and she's a de saboteau.
• 16:33
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 16:34
  Keri Croft: I mean, anybody in Columbus knows somebody who knows a De Saboteau.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and she's a great athlete too.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: So she's a former Division I athlete as well.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's kind of our we're able to grind.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: What was her sport?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, she played field hockey.
• 16:46
  Keri Croft: Oh, that's cool.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she played field hockey at Boston University.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Where do we figure out Adam De Sabado fits in?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: I believe it's her dad's cousin.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: I could be wrong.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like when I say cousin, it's kind of hard because I feel like there's so many cousins.
• 16:57
  Keri Croft: I have such memories with Adam DeSabato.
• 16:59
  Keri Croft: I mean, the family, it's just in their DNA.
• 17:02
  Keri Croft: They're wild.
• 17:02
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 17:03
  Keri Croft: They're wild.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but she's a workhorse.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like her, like her dad and my dad, they both come in to win-win.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: They're both like very established entrepreneurs, but they're like so proud and like what they've seen us build and stuff.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: And they're just like rooting us on.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: And what a great family.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, her family's awesome.
• 17:17
  Keri Croft: Yeah, and Adam was a wrestler.
• 17:19
  Keri Croft: And that's, I mean, obviously, they're they just breed these insane athletes.
• 17:23
  Keri Croft: Oh, yeah.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Natalie's like, when we do like workout classes together or like a lotis, I'm like, she's, I mean, she was a very, very strong competitive gymnast prior to field hockey, but she's like flipping.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I'm not paying.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I'm not.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I'm the only one like sweating here.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, you're just like making this look so easy.
• 17:41
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• 17:58
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• 18:05
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• 19:15
  Keri Croft: So how do you guys handle inevitable conflict that comes with running a business together?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and we communicate.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: I would say with us, we're pretty direct.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's been the healthiest thing for us.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: She like gave birth right before we opened up win-win.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like we've gone through a lot together.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think this business is really hard because of like the immediacy of everything.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like for you to have like chives on your sandwich, there's like seven steps to get chives on your sandwich, you know what I mean?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: And her and I have like definitely weathered a lot of storms, just me.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I think being able to communicate is the biggest thing.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: But we don't always get along.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: You can't.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that we know that too.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I also think it's healthy too.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: We're in different phases of our life.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: She has a family.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: I have two dogs, but it's nice and healthy in that way, if that makes sense.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, people do they do business therapy too.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: I believe that.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like we typically do that with food.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: We just sit down and cook and talk.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:06
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 20:06
  Keri Croft: No, it's hard.
• 20:07
  Keri Croft: I mean, it's you're definitely you're in a marriage when you have a partner.
• 20:10
  Keri Croft: I think people underestimate that until they're in the thick of it.
• 20:13
  Keri Croft: And you're like, wait, this feels very much like an actual complicated relationship.
• 20:19
  Keri Croft: And so if you can't, you know, if you start to shut down or handle, you're you're gonna handle it in weird ways too, like you would uh a romantic relationship.
• 20:27
  Keri Croft: So it's always so important have those conversations.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think too, like when we before we open up Win Win, I don't think we thought this would be easy.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: We knew it would be difficult, but then when we got into like the thick of it, we were like, oh yeah, shit.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like, okay, like we gotta muscle through and figure out how to make this work for all of us.
• 20:43
  Keri Croft: So what is, and it's probably a you know, it's too simplified of a question, but you look at the cafe, it's like, oh, this is so cute, and they're serving coffee.
• 20:51
  Keri Croft: And it's so, you know, but it's a grind, I'm sure, on so many levels.
• 20:56
  Keri Croft: But like, what is the hardest part?
• 20:59
  Keri Croft: Is it more worrying about, you know, the kitchen and having some kind of outbreak?
• 21:03
  Keri Croft: Is it logistics?
• 21:05
  Keri Croft: Is it a combination?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: Probably a combination to be fair.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think logistics is the hardest part, like sourcing, making sure product gets there, then training on the recipes.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: We have a really great team right now, like really, really great team that I'm very proud of.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: And like they're able to handle a lot of that.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean, I'm the one and Natalie's the one that makes sure things are not in tied, you know.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's just keeping an eye on everything.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Cause like the details, I mean, the details are everything.
• 21:30
  Keri Croft: What's the latest like headache or Rubik's Cube you're trying to figure out?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, a funny one is just like tomatoes right now.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I we sell a BLT, it does very, very well.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: But having like really soft tomatoes is not a good thing.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we sell a BLT with yellow tomatoes and they're really soft this season.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just like really, you know, it's like it's quirky stuff that I'm like, why do am I dealing with this at 10 PM at night?
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: But that's kind of the deal.
• 21:57
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 21:57
  Keri Croft: But and you can't abort mission with yellow and do a different It's good, but like I like the yellow.
• 22:01
  Keri Croft: But it's a yellow.
• 22:02
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've obviously I I've flexed a couple of times and been like, okay, like we'll do, you know, something else, like a beefsteak tomato, but I I don't know, I like the yellow.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: I do too.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:12
  Keri Croft: No, the yellow is really good.
• 22:13
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 22:13
  Keri Croft: And then do you you probably have like a specific group of people that you like the the produce and all that.
• 22:19
  Keri Croft: It's like the same people that you're working with.
• 22:21
  Keri Croft: And then just constantly looking for like the best of the best.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's finding stuff that makes sense for us.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: I never claim to be all or nothing, like all organic or you know, seed oil free.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's not true.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love, you know, Cape Cod chips and I love you know sesame seed oil.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Asian.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like I can't find a replacement for that.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: But we do use, you know, really high quality avocado oil in all our baked goods.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: So just like finding things that work best for us.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess back to like when I say like how I cook for myself, like that's that's the muffin recipe that I serve my friends.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: And that's you know, how we make it is how I would make it.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: But the cafe is doing really well, right?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it is.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: I would say in the beginning of the year, we kind of made a switch and said, like, I'm going to try to be more of the face of the brand.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: And we like to think of win-win more as a brand because I want you to really not, you know, enjoy our food in the cafe.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to take it home and serve it to your family or you know, be out there and claim that you made it.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like I'm fine with that.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we kind of made that decision to do that, and it's definitely transformed our business.
• 23:17
  Keri Croft: So, what's the what are your big visions for this?
• 23:21
  Keri Croft: Like, do what do you want to grow?
• 23:22
  Keri Croft: What does it look like down the road?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think, you know, right now the retail space will stay the way it is.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: There's always room to grow.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: We do have a middle space, and everyone keeps asking about the middle space.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: But I think, you know, for the other products that we have, we have a pantry line, you know, our cookies do really well.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Expanding that into more of like a consumer package good space is definitely on the radar.
• 23:41
  Keri Croft: And when you say mid space a middle space, it's in your like, so you have the front and then you have like this space in the middle, and then you have the kitchen, right?
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's our middle space is basically our office right now and our storage.
• 23:53
  Keri Croft: So what what do you would you think you would expand the cafe with it, the middle space?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: So when we actually built out the space initially, that was built out in the architect plans and zoned, and everything was ready to rock, but we just didn't have the money, frankly.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we love our idea and our brand and all that stuff, like I've talked about, but we wanted to be responsible as well.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to make sure people would show up.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I know that sounds silly.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think I talked about that to you the first time we were discussing win-win and like, but you know, that's why we started off with a to-go window.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: Cause I'm like, this is phase one.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see if people can come.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's see if we can create a line.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, phase two is that front space that now that we have on Third Avenue.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: And like we do have a line and people are coming, but I want to make sure that that can be, you know, sustained and healthy.
• 24:35
  Keri Croft: So you there's a vision where you could have just like more, more space.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, more like coffee bar space, more pastry counter space, and kind of make it more of an environment and less of a grab and go, if that makes sense.
• 24:47
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 24:47
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 24:47
  Keri Croft: Any sites to open a second one?
• 24:49
  Keri Croft: Or you just more let's do the catering and like Yeah.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people have asked us.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know right now.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm open to anything.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think Natalie is as well.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: We have a pretty large kitchen in the back.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of where, you know, we've invested all that space on our own.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that whole warehouse, well, I mean, that whole building was a warehouse, what, maybe three and a half years ago, it was a raw space.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: There was like no HVAC, no plumbing, no electrical.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we did all of that ourselves.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know what I mean?
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like not ourselves, but and I think we just want to really juice as much as we can out of that or squeeze as much as we can out of that kitchen.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: To answer your question, I don't know about a second location.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's a lot, right?
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a lot.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think I don't know if more is better.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think a lot of people in Columbus, particularly in the food scene, they like to think because they think corporate and you know, large chains that like more is better.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: But for us, I don't know if it is.
• 25:36
  Keri Croft: Oh, and there's just other ways for you to expand, as opposed to just like opening another cafe.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think, you know, like you mentioned, the catering again, catering wholesale, that type of stuff is definitely um, we're already built for it.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: Are you dating?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I am.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Are we private about that?
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sorry, I'm very private about that.
• 25:53
  Keri Croft: Yes, I am, but we don't want to talk about that anymore.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm very private about my personal life.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's good.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: I just think like, you know, when I get online and I talk a lot about like I talk about like my dogs, I show my mom and I show win-win, and that's about it.
• 26:06
  Keri Croft: Well, you have to have something for yourself.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think for me, it's not that's not important to me to share.
• 26:10
  Keri Croft: No.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: Agreed.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: Although I did see it's really cool.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's all I'm gonna say about that.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: What kind of dogs do you have?
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have a bully, an English bulldog, Pit Mix.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: His name is Boss, and he's incredible.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then I have a full-bred golden retriever named Walter, and he's just like my free spirit animal that I love.
• 26:27
  Keri Croft: And those two just get along most days.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like if people see me, like I our walking route is by Littletons.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes they like to like fight and like spar.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: I don't like you know, it's they're 13 years old and they still do it.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Or like boss doesn't like to walk sometimes, most of the time, but doesn't like to walk.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: And usually by Littletons, he'll like plop down.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm carrying this like 65-pound dog back to my house.
• 26:50
  Keri Croft: Stop.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, people usually see me like struggling.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like they come into the store and they're like, I saw you on your walk, and you were like pulling your dog.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, Yeah, that's me.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's me.
• 26:58
  Keri Croft: I'm surprised I haven't seen this yet.
• 27:00
  Keri Croft: Yeah, oh yeah, you'll see me.
• 27:01
  Keri Croft: That's me.
• 27:02
  Keri Croft: Do you do frequent Littletons?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love their stuff.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think their meat department is incredible.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like their burger, I use our assault blend that we make in-house.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's called Oddway Salt Blend.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very biased I made it, but I think it's absolutely delicious.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have it at my house.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, very good.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: With beef, I think it's really good on their burgers, and I serve that all the time.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for Christmas, we bought some hanger steak from Littletons and used that, and that was delicious as well.
• 27:27
  Keri Croft: They should put your their your salt in their store.
• 27:30
  Keri Croft: They should.
• 27:30
  Keri Croft: They should.
• 27:31
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they have a lot of their own great products too.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I think their meat counter is excellent.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: I even had their, I went on their patio the other night and had like their frozen drinks.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you those are.
• 27:42
  Keri Croft: They are delicious.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: I highly recommend.
• 27:44
  Keri Croft: You know what I love at Littletons?
• 27:46
  Keri Croft: It's a jar of goat cheese.
• 27:48
  Keri Croft: Have you ever tried it?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I think I've seen that.
• 27:49
  Keri Croft: It's in a glass jar and they're like cubes.
• 27:52
  Keri Croft: Yes.
• 27:52
  Keri Croft: Okay.
• 27:53
  Keri Croft: In like this olive oil type thing.
• 27:54
  Keri Croft: You can put it on anything.
• 27:56
  Keri Croft: I go there just for that.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: They used to have these, it's from the brand called Mitka.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if Whole Foods carries it anymore, but they were like chocolate dipped dried oranges.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I could only find them at Littletons.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, like I'm the only one buying that.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like I could just keep going like every week.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: And like I would just like, oh, I need meat, but I also need this, like, it's candy basically.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: I need this too.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 28:16
  Keri Croft: They have a good selection.
• 28:17
  Keri Croft: Have you tried Cleveland Kitchen?
• 28:18
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 28:18
  Keri Croft: So like I'm onto that right now.
• 28:19
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 28:20
  Keri Croft: I have four.
• 28:21
  Keri Croft: I actually have, oh my God.
• 28:22
  Keri Croft: I have five different like little things of their stuff in my refrigerator.
• 28:26
  Keri Croft: So the kimchi pickles, the pickled onion.
• 28:29
  Keri Croft: I like the pickled onion.
• 28:30
  Keri Croft: And the honey jalapenos are so good.
• 28:32
  Keri Croft: Oh, I've never had those.
• 28:34
  Keri Croft: You have to, like, they're so damn good.
• 28:36
  Keri Croft: Okay.
• 28:36
  Keri Croft: And I eat them on everything eggs, salad, like just on the side of something.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because for me, like I love spicy, but usually I just am like looking for heat.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's in like my food, right?
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_01: So like I want to make sure like I have like acid and something, like some sort of heat element.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: So like that sounds good.
• 28:51
  Keri Croft: So you now are you is your favorite food to eat?
• 28:53
  Keri Croft: Is it Asian food?
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, maybe, I don't know.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: I guess like I love Italian food too.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, living in Jersey, kind of Italian American food, I kind of fell in love with.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: And my neighbors were all Italian.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: So like I learned how to cook that pretty well.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I mean, yeah, I do love Asian.
• 29:08
  Keri Croft: Like, what would be your go if you were having like a small dinner party at your house and this is the time of year it is.
• 29:13
  Keri Croft: So it's it's September and you're having a little soiree.
• 29:17
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 29:17
  Keri Croft: What are you leaning towards cooking for people?
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: Well, first I always serve family style.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: I never do per plate.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not trying to be fancy.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I want stuff to be relaxed at my house.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I want you to feel like you can like drink some wine and take off your shoes and relax.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: I would say now it's getting to the fall, I make this Bologna's lasagna that's really good.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's very time consuming.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: I have to like love you to make it, but like it's very, very good.
• 29:40
  Keri Croft: And then what else with it?
• 29:41
  Keri Croft: I want all the details.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'll probably do just like an arugula or like end dive salad, keep it light since the pasta is so heavy.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm making the pasta too, which is a whole nother animal.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I said.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like I have to like really love you to make a lot of fun.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, you're like homemade pasta.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then it's uh with like a bashmel, so it's not overly cheesy, it's more creamy.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then for dessert, I don't know.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like sometimes I just get win-win cookies.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes I make just like ice cream sandwiches, and we actually sell them at the store too, but I make them with our cookies, and then I just cut those up and like serve them again, family style, and people go crazy over them.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna try one of these cookies right now.
• 30:14
  Keri Croft: Yeah, speaking of win-win cookies.
• 30:16
  Keri Croft: Are you gonna have a bite of one?
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm sure.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean I eat them all the time.
• 30:19
  Keri Croft: I know, but I bought them for you, so I don't want to like you to have one too, so we can't.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so these two recipes I made in college.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know how they do this on the talk.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: So that's an American style buttercream.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's like definitely sweet.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: When people are like, I don't want the sweet, I tell them, like, don't get that.
• 30:39
  Keri Croft: Oh my god.
• 30:44
  Keri Croft: Frosting.
• 30:46
  Keri Croft: No, but it is so damn good.
• 30:48
  Keri Croft: Like I have to give some of these away.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: Or you can keep them.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: They freeze really well.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh we make these both gluten-free as well.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: So and honestly, the gluten-free.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know I mean I'm all gluten too, but the gluten-free ones, like they really because of the fat content, you can't tell.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's so good.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like what is going on with that frosting?
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a lot of butter.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's Snowville whole milk in that.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then we use a natural food dye, but the pink is I mean, people think it's like flavor.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, it's just I like pink, so it's like so good.
• 31:19
  Keri Croft: Yeah, but thank you.
• 31:20
  Keri Croft: It has such like a distinct flavor to it.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and the cookie has a little bit of a chew, so it's not like too crispy.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Chocolate chip's good.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: This is yeah, yeah, the chip and the the wafer.
• 31:32
  Keri Croft: I couldn't have these around me.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny because when we do like the costing for stuff, like the most expensive thing is the wafer.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: And Natalie's like, get rid of the wafer.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, we can't.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: We can't get rid of the wafer.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: The thing in the middle?
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, it's like our signature, so it's good, right?
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I always say this, like, I'm you know, everyone likes to put salt on top of their cookie, and I'm not against that, but for this cookie in particular, you don't need it.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need it because the batter is well salted.
• 31:57
  Keri Croft: But it's like so perfectly chewy, but then soft.
• 32:01
  Keri Croft: What the hell?
• 32:02
  Keri Croft: It's good.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm really proud of these because I made these recipes in college and I was just like screwing around in the kitchen, not thinking that anything would come from it.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then prior to us opening up win-win, like I think anyone that would try my cookies, like I'm not selling them by any means.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: I was just like giving them away.
• 32:18
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like UPS Man, I would drop them off at the post office in Grandview or like anybody would take them, I would give them.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: And just to see it, I'm like, are these good?
• 32:26
  Keri Croft: And I think people Do you know what I love so much about them too?
• 32:29
  Keri Croft: Is they're big.
• 32:30
  unknown: Yeah.
• 32:30
  Keri Croft: Like fuck a little no, you know what I mean?
• 32:33
  Keri Croft: Like, this is like a tr like you're like, here's my cookie, and I'm giving you a cookie as big as your face.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like I think when we talk about purchasing, like, you know, psychology, just like particularly in the hospitality space, like feeling validated in your purchase is key.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: A top aside from it being like handmade and you know, made from scratch, but like the size matters.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: And like for this, I mean you can definitely split it.
• 32:54
  Keri Croft: Oh, for sure.
• 32:54
  Keri Croft: I'll keep that whole damn thing in my so good.
• 32:57
  Keri Croft: Thank you for bringing these.
• 32:58
  Keri Croft: Yeah, of course.
• 32:59
  Keri Croft: I won't ever come empty-handed.
• 33:00
  Keri Croft: So well, I wish you all the luck in the world.
• 33:04
  Keri Croft: Thank you.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 33:05
  Keri Croft: And if there's anything I can ever do to help, we're doing a coffee.
• 33:08
  Keri Croft: We're doing a little um build, the build group is coming, it's like the end of September.
• 33:12
  Keri Croft: So I'm having a little, and I I didn't want to like, I don't want to bring like 20 people at one time.
• 33:16
  Keri Croft: Because it's like it's so, you know, yeah, but um we're having a little thing there in the morning.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you.
• 33:21
  Keri Croft: Like on a Wednesday or Thursday, it's it's on our calendar.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, you guys, if you haven't checked out win-win, you need to, like, you need to come.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Lisa's one of our most loyal guests.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we see her all of a sudden.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: Lisa is one of our most loyal guests.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Nice, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: She loves the um cookie milk ice latte.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's so good.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: Amongst other things, but she definitely loves that.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's so good.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:40
  Keri Croft: Oh, it's it's delicious.
• 33:42
  Keri Croft: I love it.
• 33:43
  Keri Croft: Anything else for the good of the order that you want to make sure you get out there and you'd get in your car and be like, I can't believe I didn't say this.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think for Columbus, like continue to like support independent small businesses is vital.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think the food scene is growing so much here.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: When you want to see more and more of that, you have to support it.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, really uplift those people because they don't just affect, you know, the people in that corner of that block.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's everyone, it's a ripple effect across the board.
• 34:08
  Keri Croft: Support small business.
• 34:10
  Keri Croft: Amen to that.
• 34:10
  Keri Croft: Yeah.
• 34:11
  Keri Croft: Well, thank you so much for stopping by.
• 34:12
  Keri Croft: Yeah, thank you.
• 34:13
  Keri Croft: You know, you're a woman about town.
• 34:15
  Keri Croft: Yeah, people are calling me you.
• 34:16
  Keri Croft: I mean, you got shit going on.
• 34:17
  Keri Croft: So thank you for carving out a little time for us.
• 34:19
  Keri Croft: Yeah, thank you.
• 34:20
  Keri Croft: We appreciate it.
• 34:21
  Keri Croft: If you're still out there following your girl, follow me on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.
• 34:25
  Keri Croft: And until next time, go check out Win Win, grab a cookie, grab a coffee, and keep moving, baby.