All Things Food with Special Guest Shoffy

Today I'm excited to feature a special guest and good friend of mine Shoffy, an LA-based pop and electronic/dance artist, producer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. With ~1.2M monthly listeners on Spotify and performances at music festivals like Coachella under his belt, Shoffy gets ready to kick off his Onward Tour on September 29th in Los Angeles. Let's dive into it with Shoffy!

Tell us more about yourself and what you're building.

I'm an artist / producer / writer building an artistic project under the name Shoffy. It's a pop / electronic / dance project I've been working on. I just put out my new album "... Onward" on Sept. 9 and am about to go on tour until mid Oct. With COVID and everything, it's been a while since I've played live, so it'll be nice getting out again and sharing music in person.

What does food mean to you?

To me food means happiness, culture, getting to know people, conversation, and travel. It's hard to beat having a great meal. Food and music are some of my favorite things, and I think pair really well together. When I go on tour, I try to make an effort to check out interesting restaurants and explore the cities through the food.

As a musician, where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration from other music, movies / TV, traveling, talking to people, and honestly just about everything. I'm constantly soaking everything in and I think my music reflects all of that.

For my new album "...Onward", I listened to a lot of dance/pop stuff, as well as some indie r&b/hip hop as well. My albums are usually a mix of various sounds and genres, because I like to listen to all sorts of music. I think each genre has something unique to offer, and I try to pull from that.

If you could personify your taste buds, how would you describe that character?

Multiple personalities, inquisitive, and youthful. Constantly want to explore and discover. Jumping at the chance to try new things.

What's the most memorable meal, restaurant, or snack that completely blew you away?

Bazaar by Jose Andres. It's an awesome restaurant in LA that closed down, but is reopening this fall I believe. They had an amazing tasting menu that was so creative and fun. Andres is great too with all the philanthropic work he's doing these days.

I also really love n/naka - another fantastic restaurant in LA. Niki Nakayama puts an exciting new spin on more traditional Japanese food. I think in general, the city is really starting to stand out as a food destination.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self (5 years ago)?

To really make the most of every day, really cherish every moment, and don't take anything for granted. Our time is very very short here, and keep reminding yourself to appreciate what we have. Also writing down goals, and making a proactive effort to run at them is important as well.

Awesome, thanks Shoffy. To wrap things up, where can people find you?

Catch me on tour in September and October! Tickets on sale now at shoffymusic.com. Los Angeles (9/29), San Francisco (9/30), New York City (10/5), Washington D.C. (10/7), Chicago (10/15). See you soon! Separately, you can find me on IG @shoffymusic

* New York folks - I'll be going to Shoffy's NYC show on Wednesday, Oct 5th at the Mercury Lounge. If you'd like to join me, make sure to buy tickets, and RSVP here.

Sponsored Promo 🎁

Our friends at SPICEWELL invite you to experience the FUTURE of Spicewell products! Their 5X sold out launch products (New Salt & New Pepper) have pioneered demand for 3 NEW flavors, all high in vitamins and vibe - Indian Taco, Bullion, and Tandoori Seasoning.

Join the SPICEWELL journey today and help them successfully reach their Kickstarter campaign goal! They've reached 30% of their goal in 5 days, and with your help, they can get to 100% (or more) in the next 5 days. Check out their Kickstarter campaign here!

Oh, and by the way did they mention that there’s exclusive, FREE product for their first 100 supporters.

See you in our tastebase Circle 🙏🏼

Inside, you'll:

• get first peak access to our upcoming events 🎪

• learn about our upcoming product launches 🤫

• connect with brands, brand founders, and potential investors 🤝

• see exclusive discounts and promos 💰

Food with Phil ☕️

Given that my friends frequently ask me what I've been reading, listening to, eating, and watching, here are some things that I've been consuming recently:

Reading 📚: How to Fail Successfully: Finding Your Creative Potential Through Mistakes and Challenges by Brandon Stosuy

Listening 🎧: Food Chained by my friend Vasa Martinez from Perfy. A short-form podcast exploring the problems in our food system and the brands that are solving them. Every week, they share conversations with startup food & beverage founders and operators on a mission to make a positive, healthy, and ethical impact on our world.

Eating 🥑: Tochi Snacks (asian-inspired Salmon chips), Fly By Jing's Sichuan Gold sauce (upcoming feature on Hot Ones), Fini Pizza (one of Brooklyn's newest pizzerias), Popadelics (mushroom chips), Truffs collab with Hidden Valley Ranch (super limited edition).

Watching 📺: The Mindy Project (candidly I've never been a fan of Mindy Kaling, purely because I was never familiar with her work. But this show is good. Definitely becoming more of a fan of hers.)

ps - if you liked this, please drop me a note and share with a friend :) I'd love to hear from you who you'd like to see featured in future newsletters.