We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with the founders of not one but two of America’s most exciting independent media brands, each working deeply in and around food. In 2013, former media and beauty executive Kerry Diamond founded Cherry Bombe as a response to the overwhelmingly male-dominated chef and restaurant world. The publication has grown into a serious player, launching podcasts and events that rival major glossies.

Kyle Tibbs Jones is a cofounder and director of media at The Bitter Southerner, an iconoclastic magazine and media brand that was founded as a response to the caricatured portrayals of Southern life in mainstream media. The Bitter Southerner has won multiple James Beard Awards and, like Cherry Bombe, is a favorite read for many—including the editors of TASTE.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google

More from Cherry Bombe and The Bitter Southerner:

• Happy Birthday, Cherry Bombe [Forbes]

• The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network [official]

• The Global Love of Boiled Peanuts [official]

• Blood, Sweat, and Tears [official]