🎙️ Go With Your Palate: Zaylan Jacobsen | From Early Hustle to Building NiteCapp

This week, we sit down with Zaylan Jacobsen, Co-Founder & CEO of NiteCapp—a rising platform changing how hospitality and food & beverage teams connect and learn. Long before tech, Zaylan was already wired for entrepreneurship, selling duct tape wallets and kendamas as a kid—early signs of a builder mindset that would later push him to teach himself the tech skills needed to build apps from the ground up.

Zaylan shares how seven years in the restaurant world—working his way from server to bartender to manager—gave him a front-row seat to the daily chaos of hospitality. That firsthand experience became the foundation for NiteCapp: a tool designed by someone who’s lived the chaos and knew there had to be a better way.

We also get into his love of hiking and exploration, including his belief that the best way to understand a new place is from its highest point—a philosophy he put to the test by climbing Mt. St. Helena the moment he arrived in Napa. Along the way, we talk startups, hospitality, perspective, and the mindset it takes to build something meaningful.

If you’re into entrepreneurship, food & beverage, or founders who learn by doing, this episode is packed with insight—and just enough mystery to keep you listening. Grab a glass and come hang.

🎙️ Go With Your Palate: Zaylan Jacobsen | From Early Hustle to Building NiteCapp

This week, we sit down with Zaylan Jacobsen, Co-Founder & CEO of NiteCapp—a rising platform changing how hospitality and food & beverage teams connect and learn. Long before tech, Zaylan was already wired for entrepreneurship, selling duct tape wallets and kendamas as a kid—early signs of a builder mindset that would later push him to teach himself the tech skills needed to build apps from the ground up.

Zaylan shares how seven years in the restaurant world—working his way from server to bartender to manager—gave him a front-row seat to the daily chaos of hospitality. That firsthand experience became the foundation for NiteCapp: a tool designed by someone who’s lived the chaos and knew there had to be a better way.

We also get into his love of hiking and exploration, including his belief that the best way to understand a new place is from its highest point—a philosophy he put to the test by climbing Mt. St. Helena the moment he arrived in Napa. Along the way, we talk startups, hospitality, perspective, and the mindset it takes to build something meaningful.

If you’re into entrepreneurship, food & beverage, or founders who learn by doing, this episode is packed with insight—and just enough mystery to keep you listening. Grab a glass and come hang.

🎙️ Go With Your Palate: Sarina & Elias | Brewing Love, Culture & Community with Buunni Coffee

This week, we brew up something special with Sarina Prabasi and Elias Gurmu, the husband-and-wife duo behind Buunni Coffee—a brand rooted in Ethiopian coffee culture and built into one of Manhattan’s most beloved community-driven cafés.

Sarina and Elias share their inspiring journey of bringing their love story—and their love for coffee—from Ethiopia to New York City, navigating one of the most competitive coffee scenes in the world while staying deeply connected to origin, hospitality, and purpose. From sourcing small-holder Ethiopian farms to roasting in micro-batches and building cafés that double as cultural hubs, Buunni is about far more than what’s in the cup.

We draw some fun (and surprisingly accurate) parallels between coffee and wine, bust a few myths along the way, and dive into food pairings, flavor notes, and why terroir matters just as much in coffee as it does in wine. Sarina and Elias also open up about entrepreneurship, resilience, and what it takes to build a culture-first brand that truly connects people.

It’s warm, thoughtful, and full of heart—proof that whether it’s coffee or wine, the best experiences start with origin, intention, and community.

Grab your favorite mug (or glass) and join us for a conversation that’s equal parts delicious, inspiring, and deeply human. ☕🍷✨