When Ariel Pasternak moved back home to Washington, D.C. after a couple of years spent in New York City, she realized how strong of a pull NYC's food community had on her.
See, in D.C., she didn't see a cohesive food community. When Pasternak was helping to launch then-pop-up taco stand Chaia’s brick-and-mortar space in the District, she was meeting a slew of amazing women who worked with food or had an interest in food in one way or the other. Some were "foodies," or people who might have a blog or social media presence about food. Others worked at places like the U.S. Department of Agriculture or as chefs in local restaurants.
But Pasternak was struggling to find any community groups or hangouts that focused on women in food. So, like any entrepreneur, she found her own solution.
Founded in 2015, pineapple started as a simple 30-women meet-and-greet in Pasternak's parents' living room. Now, two years later, events range from fireside chats to hands-on instructional food sessions. Attendance ranges from the intimate 30-person gathering to a 150-person speaker event. The team now has another co-founder, Atara Bernstein, and includes four other team members. Pineapple generates revenue through ticket sales, which range from $15-$100, depending on the event.
DC Inno caught up with Pasternak to chat about what the growth and success of the group has been like, how Pasternak balances the workload of being a full-time entrepreneur and about her team's plans to take pineapple to other cities, like New York City and San Francisco.
Editor's Note: The below transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
How has pineapple grown and changed from that one event in your parents' living room? What does it look like now?
It's changed a lot since then. Over two years later, we're a community of over 10,000 women.
Our focus has really grown to include not just industry women but also women who are incredibly passionate about food — from the foodie side of things to the Good Food movement. While it's necessary to have a platform and a network for industry women to connect, we know that women are also very interested in where their food comes from. They love going to their favorite restaurants and want to know more about their favorite chefs or the owners of those restaurants. They're avid followers of food bloggers on Instagram and buy the cookbooks like they're their favorite books these days.
There's a whole culture and lifestyle around food that's being underserved, so right now, pineapple is both serving the non-industry women who are passionate about food and the work of industry women in new ways.
"Food is a great activator for women to connect and share with each other, and also to develop and hone a voice."
What have you learned from serving D.C.'s community of women in the food industry?
These women want to connect with each other. Food is a great activator for women to connect and share with each other, and also to develop and hone a voice — Women express their identity and passion for food in many ways, from creating their own food businesses to sharing photos of their favorite foods, restaurants or products on social media.
I think what we're learning is that women want to have a relationship with their favorite businesses and their favorite women they admire. It's not just about passively consuming or interacting or following, but really, they want to have the choice to connect in person or have a more meaningful conversation about a business or about a product.
Can you tell me about that moment when you realized that you had to do this full-time? What went into that decision?
I think, like many decisions, it's a lot of different moments that lead up to a feeling of "OK, there's something here, and it's up to me to explore its full potential."
I would say that it came down to a few things. One, it's the thing that I live and breathe everyday. For me, my passion in life is this intersection of women in food and how we're changing things for the better and how we're connecting around it and expressing our identities. I'm just so excited about the potential of activating women and creating a community around our shared passions and professions.
On top of that, it just came to a point where there was so much potential from a business perspective — whether that was working with companies or individuals we really wanted to work with — and, also, in meeting the demand for pineapple in D.C. and in other cities. I was sitting at my desk one day, and I was like "It doesn't matter how many nights and weekends I work on this, the full potential of pineapple will never be realized if I don't put all of my focus and energy toward it."
What are some of your plans and dreams for pineapple in the coming years?
We have lots of plans and dreams, but really what's been core to our business so far is building a brand and community that's built on relationships with our D.C. audience. As we grow to San Francisco and New York, we want to establish relationships there, too.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a food lifestyle brand for all women. We want to pursue that through events, online content and, one day, we might get into the business of building products that help reinforce what we think is missing from this food world.
What have you seen in the D.C. entrepreneurship hub that makes it unique?
D.C.'s been really amazing from where we sit. It's an incredibly collaborative community of women and men in the food and creative space. People see each other's individual success as collective success, and folks are very willing to share their time, share their practical tips and recommendations and resources. They go out of their way to support you and promote you.
I think that "collaboration over competition" feeling is core to D.C., and it's a huge part of our philosophy. When we spread, and as we grow as a company, we hope to not only take that "collaboration over competition" with us in spirit, but also truly exemplify it in how we collaborate in new cities.
"There is no such thing as perfect when you’re trying to build a plane while you fly it."
What are some things you do to practice self-care and relax?
I've always considered myself entrepreneurial, but until two months ago when I decided to pursue this full-time, I don't think I quite knew what it felt like to actually be at the helm of an organization. Calling the shots with my co-founder and my team is very different than having it as a side hustle or working for someone else.
It's certainly been an adjustment, and there are a few things I do to take care of myself. One, I try to cut myself some slack. I'm very much a Type A, perfectionist, and there is absolutely no way that I could do everything that I want to do with my business or do everything perfectly. There is no such thing as perfect when you're trying to build a plane while you fly it.
Long-time friends, catching up with them and hanging out with them when I can is super meaningful. Spending time with my family and my boyfriend makes me a more sane person. It sounds cliche, but treating myself well and eating right and getting the exercise I want sets me up for success.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs out there?
Build your network. Having meaningful relationships with individuals across industries and different expertise seriously helps you when it's game time and you have questions about how you do something. When you have people who you have a strong relationship with, that ask is so much easier.
I've been so grateful to my network. People I've known for a month or people who I've known for five years or more who have said to me that they want to help, when I reach out to seek their help, they not only follow through but they really go above and beyond, and that means so much to me as a human and as an entrepreneur.
