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“I have a one-page manifesto called The Book of Uri. Rule one: no cheese unless it’s on pizza. Rule two: nothing purple.”

In this episode of Founder’s Fridge, host Heidi Knoblauch sits down with Uri Geva, CEO of Cookie Dough Bliss, to talk about what it means to build a dessert franchise empire while eating like a kid. From buying and scaling franchise locations to leading a national brand with 27 stores sold (and counting), Uri shares how he’s raising capital through creative rounds, building culture with personality, and turning cookie dough into a public company.

He also opens up about growing up in Israel, the family meals that shaped him, and why he still eats to live (not live to eat). Expect stories about well-done steaks, plain burgers, Friday night Shabbat dinners, and why cookie dough might just be the perfect metaphor for entrepreneurship: comforting, simple, and a little messy.

🎧 Listen for:

• How Uri built Cookie Dough Bliss from a local brand to a national franchise
• What it takes to raise micro-rounds from accredited investors
• Why comfort food connects to culture, family, and faith
• The business lessons behind “The Book of Uri”

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"I stockpile food as a comfort. I'm never out of any type of pasta. Never."

Courtney Zaugg, founder of VentureVets—a 501(c)(3) accelerator supporting veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs—and co-owner of The Contractors, a general contracting company in Indianapolis, on why her pantry drawers won't close and why she made thirty different freezer meals in one week to prep for her husband's shoulder surgery.

This conversation gets real about what founders actually eat. Courtney comes from a lineage of food entrepreneurs—great grandfather, then grandparents with catering and wholesale, then parents with restaurants that ultimately failed—which shaped everything about how she thinks about food, comfort, and survival. Growing up poor after her parents lost their restaurants taught her: you never throw away food. You freeze it.

Her morning? Skip breakfast. Just coffee. Lots of coffee. Then up and at it, traveling often for work. Her lunch? Small meal at home or meetings on the road. But dinner? That's sacred. Home-cooked meals from batch cooking on Sundays—a tradition since early in her relationship with her Marine Corps veteran husband.

Her system: Make big meals on weekends. Tacos, wonton soup, chicken soup, grilled meats. Make extras. Freeze the rest. Pull them out when it's busy. Because Courtney does not like making a meal every night. She loves making big meals from her Greek-American upbringing where food brought everyone together. Just not every single night.

Her fridge? Dairy everywhere—eggs, cheese sticks, cottage cheese, yogurt, lunch meat—even though her husband is allergic to milk. Her pantry? Overflowing with pasta (never runs out), cereal, trail mix, Cheez-Its, applesauce, protein bars—so full she can't close the drawers. Her freezer? A frozen turkey from Easter. Thirty different meals prepped in July (because her family demands variety, not fifteen identical chicken soups).

But here's what matters: Courtney protects Dessert First Fridays. School pickup, ice cream at the local spot, home for pizza and a movie in PJs. Food isn't restricted. It's celebrated. Nothing is off limits. Creating positive memories around food for her daughter.

Courtney also shares how her parents shut down after losing their restaurants and never taught her to cook (she learned from her grandmother), why her husband quarterbacks the morning routine so everyone gets fed, and how batch cooking isn't just efficiency—it's paying homage to her family while fueling a life building multiple businesses.

CONNECT WITH VENTUREVETS: Website: TheVentureVets.com LinkedIn: VentureVets

MORE FOUNDERS FRIDGE: Website: www.foundersfridge.com Substack: https://substack.com/@foundersfridge Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2535711

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What do selling wild fruit in Albania and building a global tech company have in common?

In this episode of Founders Fridge, host Heidi Knoblauch sits down with Arbër Kadia, Co-founder of Patoko, to talk about growing up in a resourceful family, learning entrepreneurship through necessity, and turning that same creativity into a company building a “super app” for everyday life.

Arbër grew up in communist Albania, where his grandfather taught him how to work with what you have—and his grandmother taught him how to make it taste good. From selling fruit at an open market as a kid to cooking for ten roommates in college just to skip paying for food, Arbër’s story is about hustle.

Arbër talks about the invention behind survival cooking, the patience behind good eggplant casserole, and the dream of making life simpler through tech built in Tirana and designed for the world.

Listen to hear:

• How Arbër learned business by selling wild fruit as a child
• The story behind Patoko and its vision for a connected daily life
• What Albanian food taught him about care and craft
• Why greasy burgers are his comfort food on tough days
• What’s actually in his fridge (feta, salami, and too many avocados)

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