The Connecticut Mirror will host a night of conversation with Haven Hot Chicken owner Jason Sobocinski for their series “This Could Work,” which features state entrepreneurs, on April 30. WSHU’s Molly Ingram sat down with host and CT Mirror state policy editor Erica Phillips to hear more about the event.
WSHU: This is your third installment of This Could Work. How has the series been going so far?
EP: It's been great. We've been having a lot of fun, a range of folks on our stage and a range of folks in the audience. We've just been drawing some great crowds. So excited to keep it going.
WSHU: Have you sensed a recurring theme yet of what made Connecticut the right place for these businesses to get their start?
EP: Oh my gosh, not necessarily a recurring theme, but I've been really impressed with just how much great energy we have in Connecticut and how hard folks work and how creative folks in this state can be. So the first two have been inspiring and I’m really looking forward to the next one, which should be both inspiring and a little bit tempting for the taste buds.
WSHU: Your next guest is from Haven Hot Chicken. What about their story intrigued you? Why did you pick them?
EP: Yeah, Jason, I met him briefly when he was opening, or, I think, when they were celebrating their inclusion on the list of fastest growing companies. He was also at a Haven Hot Chicken location in New Haven. Of course, they have locations all over the state, Fairfield, Norwalk, Orange, Storrs, and so on, among several others. And I just heard a little bit of his story, and I wanted to hear more. He's been involved in a ton of different food businesses, many of which listeners might recognize. So we've got Olmo, Caseus Fromagerie, Black Hog Brewing, and Mystic Cheese Company. And, of course, the latest Haven Hot Chicken, which, if you haven't had it, is really quite delicious. So I would recommend, you know, with some ice water on the side, if you're not a spicy food source.
But yeah, I mean, he grew up around food and cooking with his grandmother. And he even had a food business out of his house when he was in high school, I think, if I'm recalling correctly, and he made soup, and people would buy soup from him in his kitchen. That's like as a high school student. So from that, you know, all the way up to now, where he's not only a business owner and a local chain of chicken restaurants, but he advises other businesses too. He does a lot of help with startups that need someone to look at their business plan to give them some feedback. So he does a lot of that kind of thing as well. And he's, like, really energetic and fun and then, like, these other interviews we've had. We're gonna have a good time. I recommend people come down. I think we're gonna have, we're gonna have some fun.
WSHU: And for people who want to come or tune in, how can they do that?
EP: So we are going to be at Ferguson Library in Stamford. You can find out the details of all that, and sign up at CTmirror.org, and we're going to have a recording of it available after the fact, also on our website. But come live, it's way more fun that way.
