Meet Nidal Barake | Founder, Food Enthusiast & Traveler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nidal Barake and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nidal, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Having graduated during the .com era (mid to late nineties for those who were not born yet) inspired me to be always in a Strat-up mode. In every startup, from mobile messaging, mobile payments, digital agency, and now food related initiatives like Gluttonomy, I always start with a. need not being satisfied. With my current company, Gluttonomy, when me and my co-founders started thinking about it, we saw how the food industry was becoming more and more relevant to more people, but also, because we are very close to it, we realized that it needed a more professional approach to some of the challenges the industry was facing. Also, in my experience, I saw how traditional agencies do not understand the food industry as they should, so that paved the way for Gluttonomy to be born.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am currently the Managing Director at Gluttonomy, a food marketing and consulting agency I founded in 2016 in Miami, with my fellow partners. I believe we work in the most exciting and relevant industry at this time, We started Gluttonomy in an empty desk at my cousin’s office/warehouse, and we have come a long way since then. Now I am very proud of having an amazing team of talented and passionate people, and working with great food & beverage brands. Of course this was not easy, and still isn’t, the food industry is very particular, and just like being a chef, if you are not passionate about it, you won’t get through. We had to learn to understand each player and the value that brings into the table, also understand where we arte good at, and where we are not, and learn to run our business k owing that. I believe we are the first company of our kind, a consulting and marketing agency that understands the industry not as a vendor but as an insider, the food industry is not something we serve, but something we are a part of.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow, this question always gets me some complaints from people or places I leave out, I always try to support small independent businesses as much as I can, so here I go…. Of course a good day would start with a bike ride through Venetian Causeway and the beach broad walk, with a pitstop at True Loaf for the perfect pastries. Some of the restaurants I visit often for lunch include Hometown BBQ, Wabi-Sabi, Itamae and Stanzione. For dinner, my go-to spots are La Mar (amazing view and great Peruvian food), sister restaurants Nave & Ariete in Coconut Grove, NIU Kitchen in Downtown, Orilla and 27 in Miami Beach. Of course there are many more, but as I mentioned, these are the ones I go often. For cocktails I love Broken Shaker, Lost Boy, and Jaguar Sun (who happens to have amazing food as well). There is always a good specialty coffee scene, I usually go to Vice City bean and All Day. Also, I am super excited for a new project coming soon to Downtown Miami, where there will be over 20 food concepts and bars! At the time of this article we can’s still reveal it, but when you see it, you will know what I was talking about,

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It wouldn’t be fair to name one or two people, because I believe everybody we meet or relate to, somehow influences who we are, directly or indirectly, even people we don’t like, when we realize we don’t want behave like them at all. However, I always thanks my parents for all the values I learned from them. I believe every experience we have had in the past, good and bad, led us to where we are now, and I am happy with the place I am at this moment.

Website: www.gluttonomy.com
Instagram: nidalbarake
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidal-barake-526b00/
Twitter: nidalbarake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbarake
Other: @gluttonomy

Image Credits
Pictures: Anabella Padula