Nick Nanakos is the founder and CEO of a food company built around the idea that much of the modern food system needs to be rearchitected from the ground up. He joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour to talk about that mission and the restaurant concepts behind it.
The conversation centers on Ziki, Nick Nanakos's Greek Mexican fusion restaurant built around avoiding seed oils and soy, along with a second fast-casual concept in development and his broader plans for the future of how food gets grown and sold.
About Nick Nanakos
Nick Nanakos founded a food company with the goal of moving people away from ingredients he considers harmful, starting with seed oils and soy. That mission shows up first in Ziki, his Greek Mexican fusion restaurant built around using higher-quality ingredients.
Nanakos is also developing a second, fast-casual restaurant concept and describes plans that extend further into agriculture itself, including farmer's market-style pods and eventually owning farms directly. He frames all of this as part of his long-term vision for reshaping the food industry, including an account he shares of meeting entrepreneur Elon Musk.
What Nick Nanakos and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Nick Nanakos's mission to rearchitect the food system, starting with cutting out seed oils and soy
- How that philosophy shows up in Ziki, his Greek Mexican fusion restaurant
- His plans for a second, fast-casual restaurant concept focused on higher-quality ingredients
- His views on seed oils and their effects on health, offered as his own position
- His long-term plans to move into farmer's market-style pods and eventually own farms directly
- The scale of the long-term vision he describes for his company's future
- His account of a memorable encounter with entrepreneur Elon Musk
- Why he sees ingredient sourcing as the starting point for fixing the broader food system
Why This Conversation Matters
Nick Nanakos's conversation gives a founder's-eye view of what it takes to build a food company around ingredient philosophy rather than convenience, from a single restaurant concept to plans that reach back into agriculture itself. For anyone interested in the food industry, it's a look at how far one entrepreneur is willing to take that idea.
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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