Taste of Stern 2024
This October, the Stern Food & Wine Alumni Group gathered for its highly-anticipated event, Taste of Stern! Stern food-and-beverage industry alumni were eager to showcase their products and businesses to fellow members of the Stern community. Eleven businesses participated in Taste of Stern, drawing a crowd excited to taste sweet treats, savory bites, tea, coffee, beer, and spirits.
Check out the alumni that participated:
Jeremy Cowan (EMBA ’24, right) | President
Jeremy is a craft beer founder, brand creator, and brand operator. Born on a stovetop in the East Village, Alphabet City Brewing Company cooks up creative craft beers using New York State specialty malts and hops for taste buds from the Village to across the City.
Ken Huang (BS ’15) | Founder
Originally from Hershey, PA, Ken spent years tasting chocolate before starting his own bean-to-bar coffee company. Bingo! uses chocolate to craft innovative coffee confections using 100% specialty Arabica beans to create a unique flavor with notes of coffee. Bingo! is devoted to sourcing ingredients ethically and sustainably and works directly with farmers and growers.
Shaina Himelstein (MBA ’22, right) | Head of Operations Excellence & Technology
Shaina is responsible for driving exceptional guest experiences and streamlined operations. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop was born of the idea that "everything's better in a dumpling." Founded by restaurateur Stratis Morfogen, their fast-casual concept serves fusion dumplings, bowls, and more in a tech-forward environment that utilizes self-service lockers.
Rowena Scherer (EMBA ’02) | Founder and CEO
As a financial executive at J.P. Morgan and a parent of two, Rowena decided to combine the things she treasured most—family, food, travel, and education—and created an opportunity for families like hers to discover cuisines and cultures from around the world while enjoying a shared meal together. Rowena founded eat2explore in 2018, an award-winning company that offers food and cultural experiential cooking kits designed to unite families through the joy of culinary adventures. Eat2explore has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, and The Today Show and is the recipient of the Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award.
Dan Amatuzzi (MBA ’13, right) | Co-Founder and CEO
Having been attracted to hospitality from a young age, Dan launched Grove and Vine to share high-quality olive oils with consumers with limited access and knowledge about the category. Grove and Vine strives to champion only the world’s finest olive oil producers by chasing the harvest through both hemispheres to curate a collection of the freshest and highest quality.
Levent Tuysuzoglu (BS ’08) | Founder and CEO
Levent left his career on Wall Street after 14 years to start Hazelicious in 2022. While he had no background in food and beverage, his grandparents were fifth-generation hazelnut farmers, and through them, he was able to develop ties with the community and the growers. Hazelicious is on a mission to break the hazelnut out of its shell and show the world how delicious and versatile it can be—a natural choice for non-dairy alternatives, nut butters, and much more.
Hediya Sizar (MBA ’21) | Founder and CEO
Hediya is a consultant at SYPartners and the Founder of House of Leyli, a lifestyle brand that cultivates modern mindfulness rituals rooted in Persian culture. Through thoughtfully crafted meditative experiences and seasonal tea collections, House of Leyli nourishes the soul while fostering meaningful cultural exchange.
Karolin Cakirdas (BS ’02, right) | Founder and Partner
After working in corporate finance, Karolin opened a custom cake studio to pursue her passion for baking, the arts, and entrepreneurship. Founded in 2011, Keremo Cakes is a boutique bakery that specializes in custom-designed cakes and desserts that look like edible pieces of art for all occasions. Keremo Cakes gained national attention by winning the Food Network’s reality competition series “Cake Wars” and has also been featured on NBC, FOX, The Knot magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Complex Magazine, and other media outlets.
Mike Casale (MBA ’16) | Owner
Mike started LabelMaker Drinks Craft Bitters as a pandemic-era hobby and turned it into a small business. LabelMaker Drinks sells creative and uniquely flavored bitters that add depth and complexity to drinks, including cocktails, mocktails, sodas, coffee, and more.
Adam Teeter (MBA ’14, pictured) and Max Nevins (MBA ’18) | Co-Founders
Adam joined the beverage industry in 2014 when he founded VinePair, a media company that covers bars and drinks. In 2021, Adam and Max founded Le Moné, a light and lively aperitif that can be enjoyed on its own or in a spritz.
Perry Ya (BS ’18) | Co-Founder and CEO
Perry shifted from healthcare to the beverage industry when he founded Neat Beverages. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Neat Beverages is on a mission to pour the next generation of communal drinks born from a love of the Asian-American drinking experience. Neat’s all-natural soju cocktails celebrate the tradition of sharing drinks with good company, a hallmark of Asian cultural heritage.
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