In Korean culture, asking someone "Have you eaten?" isn't really about food. It's a way of saying, I care about you. Are you okay?

In this episode of The Joy Club Podcast, Emily McCarthy sits down in Savannah with Kay Heritage, founder of Big Bon, over a warm honey bear latte to talk about how that one phrase became the foundation of an entire business. Kay shares her story of coming to the United States from South Korea as a teenager, the difficult transition of learning a new language and culture, and the years she spent in the Army that taught her discipline, leadership, and what it means to truly belong to a family.

Kay opens up about the wood-fired pizza truck she started with her daughter Anna in 2016 on a whim, and how it grew into Big Bon, a business built as much around taking care of people as it is around bagels and pizza. She shares the story of an employee who transformed his life over three years working alongside her, the hardest season of the business when she nearly walked away, and the community of fellow Savannah business owners who showed up for her again and again, from a landlord who extended credit to a friend who dropped off pizza boxes without being asked.

This is a conversation about food as love, resilience as an immigrant and entrepreneur, and what it really means to build a business around people.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Welcome & a taste of Big Bon's honey bear latte
• 2:30 - The Korean phrase "Have you eaten?" and what it truly means
• 6:00 - How a wood-fired pizza truck with her daughter became Big Bon
• 23:00 - The employee whose story reminded Kay why she does this
• 30:30 - The hardest season of Big Bon, and the turning point that kept her going

Mentioned in this episode:

• Big Bon Bodega, Savannah, GA
• Maizal, Big Bon's upcoming gluten-free Colombian cafe concept

Join us: Subscribe to The Joy Club Podcast so you don't miss an episode. Like this one? Let us know what stayed with you. Leave a review - it helps other women find us.

Links: Emily McCarthy | Designer Fashion & Lifestyle Brand Joy Club Podcast on Instagram

1. Kay Heritage
2. Big Bon Bodega
3. Emily McCarthy
4. Joy Club Podcast
5. Savannah Georgia
6. immigrant entrepreneur
7. women in business
8. food and community
9. small business story
10. veteran entrepreneur