Feed Me’s Emily Sundberg has launched her first foray into podcasting with Expense Account.
The first episode, out today, features chef and author Alison Roman in conversation with host Jason Lee (formerly Semi Anonymous Restaurant Critic J Lee)’s, revealing her secret order at Keens, her new tomato sauce business, and the importance of keeping fresh flowers at home.
“Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food,” the show’s description reads. “It’s even for people who hate food.”
The podcast marks Sundberg’s first step in turning Feed Me from a popular Substack newsletter into a multi-format media brand. Since launching Feed Me in 2022, Sundberg has grown it into one of Substack’s most popular business publications, recently bringing on a managing editor and associate editor to expand coverage.
Podcasting is a logical next step. The global podcast industry generated $7.3 billion in sales last year, more than double most estimates, with celebrities, influencers, small businesses, and random dudes with mics launching podcasts daily.
With Substack’s new tools for video and podcasting, writers like Sundberg are evolving and embracing the “studio model” to reach new audiences and position themselves as thought leaders in their industries.
In spite of a highly saturated market, Sundberg believes she has spotted a gap. “There’s a white space in food media that Feed Me plans to fill: a good podcast about food,” Sundberg wrote back in September, announcing the podcast venture.
“Something focused on the fast-paced news cycle of New York’s hospitality world—the gossip, secret doors, and personalities that make this the best food city in the world. We hope to build a hub where every lover of food can converge and converse.”
While newsletters remain Feed Me’s bread and butter, Sundberg has made clear her plans to transition to a “studio mindset.” Expense Account is born from Lee’s restaurant column of the same name.
“A few months ago, while editing one of Jason’s pieces, I paused on a line that read, ‘I’ll save that for the pod,’” wrote Sundberg in her daily newsletter. “He didn’t have a podcast, but the phrase felt like a manifestation. I texted him: Do you want one? He said yes, so we made one.”
For Expense Account, Feed Me is partnering with Public Sound, a New York-based production company that has worked with brands like Nike and Supreme. Substack serves as the presenting sponsor.
What’s next for Feed Me studio? “Maybe next year we’ll make a movie, or open a bar,” Sundberg wrote. Watch this space.