Introducing Our New CEO

Dear Food52 Community,

Today is a Big Day at Food52. We have news, friends.

Watch the TLDR version here.

But read on, as well, because I’m incredibly excited to introduce you to Erika Ayers Badan, our new CEO. Erika has been an advisor, board member, and friend of the company for the past 5 years, and we couldn’t be luckier to have her going all-in as our CEO, running Food52, Schoolhouse, and Dansk and finding ways to better serve all of you. Erika has spent her career growing great companies, most recently as Barstool Sports’s CEO. She’s led large content teams, developed talent into stars, built passionate communities, and inspired millions of followers.

Erika, as you will soon see, is a force of nature. She plays ice hockey and field hockey. During the pandemic, she got thousands of women running 2+ miles a day. If you haven’t seen her daily “1:1 with Erika” Instagram videos on career tips or listened to her podcast, Token CEO, check them out! Then pre-order her book, Nobody Cares About Your Career, which comes out this June. Erika was on the Board of Torchy’s Tacos, one of my favorite places in Austin. She’s also a cat lady, so she’ll fit right into the Food52 community.

Erika is going to infuse Food52, Schoolhouse, and Dansk with her unstoppable energy, and we’re going to turn her into a great cook with an even more stylish home, starting with our Teig Lamp.

You’ll be getting dispatches from Erika on the regular, and she’s really looking forward to hearing from you. Please give her a warm, Food52-community-style welcome—[email protected]!

Amanda

P.S. Did I mention that she’s the daughter of a quilter and a crafter?

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I’ve written several books, including “Cooking for Mr. Latte” and “The Essential New York Times Cookbook.” I played myself in “Julie & Julia” — hope you didn’t blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.