Victoria Pardo is a Columbia educated historic preservationist.  Her expertise and her passion for her work take her to many places on the map.  She is exploring entrepreneurship with ‘Food & Architecture’, a travel and folkways blog and set of services for the public. 

In this episode we spoke about the importance of food and architecture in connecting us with our past.  It is also important in describing who we are and what is important to us as a society.  Our folkways connect us to family.  In Victoria’s own words: 

‘My most vivid childhood memories center around the kitchen: smells of tender pork shoulder simmering for hours in a savory tomato sauce, and most notably, shoving out my tiny fingers to retrieve a piece of Wonder Bread my mother had dipped into it. My mother made meals from a wide array of cultures. She centers her life around food, and as a result, so do I. She not only instilled in me a passion for food and family, but also a tireless work ethic.’ 

Victoria learned first-hand growing up the difference between ‘slow’ food and the corporate fast-food system.  ‘As I grew older and started learning about the clash of fast-food corporations and traditional food supply methods, I questioned this dilemma more often. I had even seen my mother suffer first hand under their employ. These experiences led me to value and learn more about cultures that prioritize sustainable, locally, grown produce.’

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Our discussion also touched upon the social and economic ramifications currently in play and shown in our food sector.

As an entrepreneur, we appreciate the work Victoria is doing to bring together her experience across disciplines to further knowledge of ‘the integration between food and sustainable development in order to find attainable solutions to mitigate hunger.’

Welcome to the home of SMG’s ‘Are We Here Yet?’ Podcast.  We seek to produce vibrant storytelling from the entrepreneurs, creative-class warriors and dynamic citizens that collectively tell the story of modern-day America.

Add to that special tidbits like our Essays, The JazzRoom, Special Features and more.  We hope you find enlightenment and entertainment in each episode we present.

About our Hosts:

Scott M. Graves is the founder of SMGraves Creative Enterprises.  Most recently he was executive director of the Wachusett Business Incubator where the SMG team experimented with various programming to overcome the meaningless ‘ribbon cutting’ experiences so synonymous with much of our nation’s  well-intentioned economic development.   He is known for a steadfast resolve for intellectual rigor and business strategy.  Nothing makes Scott feel more fulfilled than to help other develop their own unique creativity which leads to fulfillment in work and life.  His team is currently partnering with The Worcshop, the east coasts largest industrial makerspace to develop the Worc-It Business Lab for incubating new business.  

An entrepreneur in his own right, Scott previously operated the former Smash Music. Along with ImageIdentity’s David Lubelczyk their team developed Leadership Candidates Program for immersive support of new enterprise and Business Triage, a direct response to the issues now exacerbated for small businesses since the spread of Covid-19.