109. Best of Series- How a Baked Goods Business Blossomed Thanks to Tenacity, Vogue, Oprah and Shark Tank: Loria Stern
interview by Nada Jones
Eat Your Flowers started out of Loria Stern's tiny kitchen located on a 1890's built Montecito, California estate. In 2016, while renting one of the cottages on the property, Loria began experimenting with the edible bounty that grew freely on the grounds. Loria studied medicinal and edible plants all through her years of culinary training. She didn’t attend culinary school, instead, she received her professional training by working long hours in dozens of kitchens and bakeries.
Loria’s vibrant edible botanical creations have been celebrated in Vogue, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Oprah among others. The Los Angeles-based chef, baker, botanist, gardener, and artist first gained fame as the originator of the botanical pressed cookie and has created many other unique creations along the way. Loria’s EAT YOUR FLOWERS brand values local community, sustainability and inclusivity. She harvests from her own abundant flower garden, works alongside local farmers to source seasonal and organic produce, and implements creative waste reduction and water conservation practices whenever possible.
In this episode, Nada sits down with Loria to discuss the edible and medicinal plant class she took in 2012 while working as a pastry chef. Her curiosity led to combining her two interests and launching a business. Loria shares how she went from making cookies in her kitchen to growing an expanding bakery and catering brand. They discuss the opportunities created by having a niche business, and the national publications that took note early on and her recent experience on Shark Tank.
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Be sure to check out EAT YOUR FLOWERS website. And, Loria’s new cookbook, Eat Your Flowers: A Cookbook. If you are shopping in Los Angeles, you can pick the cookbook up at Now Serving. To see what happened on ABC’s Shark Tank, be sure to watch season 14 episode 16 available streaming on Hulu and ABC. Loria recommends adding, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki to your bookshelf. EAT YOUR FLOWERS also supports several non-profit organizations that we want to encourage you to check out including Too Young To Wed, This is About Humanity, and The Loveland Foundation. Follow on Instagram: @loriastern
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