When a white bearded man handed Aaron Glassman an unusual bag of powder, he started selling it at his restaurant. When people went crazy for it, he launched Macaccino.
Aaron Glassman says he used to be somewhat of a recluse. High up in the Hollywood hills, he was focused on the internal rather than the external. That is, until the financial crisis hit and he decided opening up a restaurant at the height of the economic downturn sounded like a good idea. (Hint: don’t try this at home.) Luckily for Aaron, his concept of building a community around healthy food and compassionate connection struck a chord with the city, and his cafe, The Golden Mean, took off running.
Fast forward a few years later when an old man came in holding a bag of something magical. No, it wasn’t magic mushrooms. That was a different bag and a different old man. (Oh, woops. Wait, we’re still talking about Aaron? Umm. This is awkward, dismiss all that. Sorry mom. Moving on…)
Inside the bag was maca, a root that’s grown at high altitudes in the Andes mountains. Maca root is a superfood that’s reported to help your body function way better. Seriously: better memory, more energy, more sexy times. It’s basically a godsend. Aaron tinkered around with it to make it delicious, then put it on his menu at the cafe where it proceeded to skyrocket to the “Best-Drink-Ever-Most-Ordered-Of-All-The-Things” list that I’m sure Aaron keeps track of with gold stars in the kitchen.
Now, he’s launched it into a full fledged brand of its own called Macaccino. It’s good. Really good. And good for you. A one-two punch if I ever saw one. And luckily for us (and for humans in general), Aaron is on an even bigger mission:
“I’m not interested in creating a product just to make a dollar. I’m interested in creating products that have the opportunity to elevate humanity.” – Aaron Glassman, Macaccino founder
So, what’d we talk about?
SCIENCE! All the science! We talk about how caffeine tricks your body into being awake without actually creating sustainable energy, how maca root is a full body adaptogen and a natural stimulant, what happens when our bodies become too acidic through our modern diet and why the worst time of the day to have your first cup of coffee is in the morning.
Aaron shares his tips on coming back into balance, dives into what it means when people say something is “heart centered” (this one always threw me for a loop), and gives his tips on how to enjoy his favorite drink. Rock ‘n roll kiddies, this one’s a gem.
Other ways to listen to the show: iTunes, Soundcloud, Youtube, Stitcher and Google Play
Show notes [times are approximate]:
Aaron’s awakening [7:45]
What does ‘heart centered’ mean? [10:15]
What is maca root & Macaccino? [12:09]
The importance of alkaline foods [15:23]
The surprising best and worst time to drink coffee during the day [17:54]
Cutting off caffeine withdrawal headaches [21:30]
What’s up with warning labels on maca? [30:43]
Maca sustainability [34:22]
Starting a restaurant in the height of the economic crisis [36:31]
How maca came into Aaron’s life [38:14]
Struggles when starting the restaurant [41:16]
How starting a CPG is different from restaurant? [42:22]
Favorite food city [43:05]
Role models [43:46]
Quotes Aaron lives by [44:54 ]
Underused spice [45:40]
Last photo on phone [46:08]
Connect with Macaccino:
Macaccino.com
aaron@macaccino.com
info@macaccino.com
DRINK UP AND LEVEL UP WITH MACACCINO!
The intro music for the We Could Make That podcast was created by Brooklyn-based artist, Jenna Kyle. You can check out her new (non-podcast) music on Soundcloud.
*The links to Amazon in this post are affiliate links, which means I will probably get a few pennies if you buy by clicking from here.
No Comments