This summer, we launched our Sustainable Earth Small Business Awards (SESBA) and selected 15 winners who showcased outstanding sustainability commitments. Our new podcast, The Green Scene, dives into conversations with SESBA winners about their journey as sustainable business owners.
In our tenth episode of the Green Scene, Bites. Eat With Your Tribe | Connecting Students through Cultural Cuisine, we interviewed our next SESBA winner, Roza Ferdowsmakan, founder of Bites. Bites is a mobile app that promotes connecting with members of your community through sharing food.
Her experience working on her uncle’s farm and greenhouse taught her about the symbiotic relationship between humans and their natural environment. It inspired her interest in the intersection between community and culinary experiences. In an effort to create a sense of meaning and purpose in her life, she launched Warehouse Apps and Bites Philanthropy to create a culture of healing through sustainable food systems.
Roza’s mission is to normalize farm-to-table relationships for everyone, everywhere. Her vision is to transform colleges, universities, and K-12 schools into sustainable food environments that provide students with nutritious food and educational opportunities. The nonprofit arm of Bites provides funding for edible food gardens on campus that allows students to have access to free, fresh produce.
The Bites app allows home cooks and professional chefs to cook delicious and meaningful food for others. Cooks can create drop-off meals, meal-prep services, in-home dining, or classroom experiences based on the food they’re interested in creating. Meals can be plant-based, representative of the chefs’ background and culture, or any type of specialty that the chef desires. Eaters can select the dining date that works best for them, collaborate with the cook about what kind of meal will be made, and enjoy the food once it has been delivered!
Especially in a world where students may be feeling isolated, anxious, or just hungry for a home-cooked meal, this app allows people to connect in a unique way. If you’re interested in downloading the app, check out Bites | Eat With Your Tribe available on the Apple app store for iPhones and iPad. For more information, check out the Bites website or their Instagram @bites.app.
