Courtney E. Smith on Ravenous and the Future of Independent Food Media

Courtney E. Smith joins Catherine Smart to talk about Ravenous, the new worker-owned food and culture publication founded by former Eater writers after a layoff. Courtney shares how the team built an independent media company from scratch, why they’re prioritizing subscriber support over VC money and branded content, and what it means to cover food, labor, restaurants, and culture with stronger ethics and sharper opinions.They also talk about what’s missing from today’s food media landscape, the challenge of writing about local restaurants for a national audience, the business learning curve for creatives, and why alignment around values matters when you’re building something with other people.