David Rabie's Perfect Bite | Building Oprah’s Favorite Smart Oven

What if dinner could be fresh, delicious, and stress-free—without hours in the kitchen?

In this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with David Rabie, co-founder and CEO of Tovala, the smart steam-powered countertop oven and meal service that reimagined home cooking. From humble prototypes to being named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things, Tovala has grown into a national brand that’s changing the way people cook at home.

David shares the full journey:

• Growing up with home-cooked meals and discovering the power of food
• Early career lessons at Veggie Grill and running a frozen yogurt chain
• The “aha moment” that sparked Tovala’s smart oven technology
• Navigating Y Combinator as a food + hardware startup
• Landing on Oprah’s Favorite Things list and scaling nationally
• Balancing fundraising challenges, consumer trust, and profitability
• His best advice for entrepreneurs in food tech and beyond

Whether you’re a foodie, a startup founder, or someone looking for smarter ways to cook at home, this episode is packed with insights on innovation, perseverance, and building a consumer brand that lasts.

You can order a Tovala oven and sign up for the meal service at www.tovala.com.

Follow Tovala on Instagram at @tovalafood and your other favorite social media platforms.

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