What are the common ingredients for high-functioning organizations? Lovin’ Spoonfuls founder and Executive Director Ashley Stanley and distinguished Boston chef and restaurateur Colin Lynch (Bar Mezzana and Shore Leave) join host Billy Shore to discuss their philosophies on building successful organizations and strong communities. Stanley recounts why she started Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a Boston nonprofit organization that rescues and distributes healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded. “When you’re there with folks who have the same goals as you… you hear people talking about it in the office. ‘How do we make this better not just for our team, but ultimately for our end-users,’” she explains. Lynch, who was struck by the camaraderie of the kitchen at a very young age, believes his success derives from putting his employees in a position to succeed. “Our business is 100% about people, and the only way we can continue to grow and thrive and take care of our guests is if we continue to take care of the people that work for us,” he says.
Both guests talk about drawing strength from their communities. “Lovin’ Spoonfuls wouldn’t be here without it – fundraising for a non-profit is a challenging endeavor and in the beginning it really was anything we could do,” says Stanley about when Lovin’ Spoonfuls was getting off the ground. The organization now rescues about 70K pounds of fresh healthy food that feeds about 30K to 35K people each week. Lynch tells the story about a restaurant worker who was seriously injured in an assault and the response from the Boston culinary community to help him recover. “It’s a very comforting feeling to know if something happens to you, everyone will be there to support you in this community,” he maintains.
Join us for a conversation that gets to the heart of how to build successful organizations and the importance of teamwork and community.
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