#94 - Ani Torosyan: How DishDivvy is Solving the Dinner Dilemma

Just Forking Around

Ani Torosyan is the CEO and Founder of DishDivvy, an online platform that connects approved home cooks with hungry neighbors. If you’re one of those hungry people, you can download the DishDivvy app to find homemade food with the click of a button – and if you’re someone who makes food with love, you can get paid for sharing it with your community!

“Everyone who’s different and bringing something different to the table – literally and figuratively – thank you! We appreciate you.” –Ani Torosyan

Raised in an Armenian immigrant family and growing up in a diverse ecosystem like LA, Ani saw first-hand the impact that great home-cooked food can have on a community. However, most home cooks don’t necessarily have the resources or network to share that food outside of their friends and family or turn that passion into a source of income. At the same time, people are only getting busier and feeding ourselves is becoming the chore of the day.

So Ani drew on her childhood experience and her software engineering experience to create a space for home cooks in the gig economy and help busy people solve the ever-present dinner dilemma!

“Be an infinite learner. Don’t ever stop being curious!” –Ani Torosyan

We also discuss:

• How DishDivvy is giving opportunities to individuals who are mostly underrepresented in the labor force
• Why Ani has been talking to legislators in Sacramento & advocating for AB-626
• How AB-626 passing helped home cooks
• Designing the entire app by herself using self-taught skills
• How the DishDivvy app works, for hungry neighbors and cooks
• Solving a problem that you’re passionate about
• Being the “Chief Everything Officer” for your young business
• DishDivvy’s values: sharing joy, connecting community, nourishing neighbors, & cultivating opportunity
• How early problems helped Ani come up with DishDivvy’s current packaging solution
• Declining a VC offer
• Ani’s plan to get 300 cooks in the next 18 months
• How DishDivvy prepares cooks for everything from kitchen certification to food photography
• Why Ani and DishDivvy will be hosting town halls to educate (and learn from) home cooks in the community

Resources:

• Learn more at dishdivvy.com
• Download DishDivvy: App Store | Google Play
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dishdivvy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dishdivvy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DishDivvy

Ani Torosyan’s Bio:

With a background in engineering and over 15 years of experience in product management, branding, marketing, digital technologies, and user experience/design, Ani brings a great deal of strategic execution and technological know-how to DishDivvy. Her passion for creating and launching brands, coupled with her entrepreneurial spirit, drives her to create an exceptionally positive experience for each and every DishDivvy customer and cook. Being a busy working mom to 2 young girls, Ani understands the problem we are trying to solve, and focuses on creating solutions that effectively address our users’ pain points. In her spare time (if you can call it that ha!), Ani enjoys running, kickboxing, and all things active with her family. Ani holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Just Forking Around is produced by Podcast Masters