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.
Subscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!
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