Fifteen years. That’s how long Angela Shen had been running Savor Seattle, taking people on food tours through Pike Place Market and showing off Seattle “through the lens of our stomachs.”

Then COVID hit. Record screech. Restaurants closed. Tourism stopped. The business that had been her life for fifteen years “just no longer had any reason for being.”

Overnight, Angela and her team faced an impossible question: what now? She had people depending on her—a whole team she was responsible for, vendors she’d worked with for years, a community suddenly in crisis. “We really thought about what can we do to both support our food community and find a way for my team to keep working?”

The answer flipped her entire business model: instead of taking people to restaurants, they’d bring the food directly to people. Angela curated all-local food boxes, anchored initially in Pike Place Market vendors where Savor Seattle had started. The ethos was simple but powerful: with every single box sold, they’d donate a minimum of $5 to a local, relevant nonprofit for that box’s theme.

In nine months of this dramatic pivot, they donated over $100,000 to a variety of local and national nonprofits while transforming the business overnight. “We really kind of transformed the business overnight, while still doing what we felt was our purpose, which is always to be an ambassador for the Seattle food scene. This was just our calling to magnify that voice in a time of dramatic need for our community.”

The boxes became weekly events for families. Tracy Crowley, the host, remembers the regular emails highlighting different Seattle communities—Black-owned businesses, Latino vendors, women entrepreneurs, Pike Place Market staples. “I talked to several friends who ended up ordering your boxes, and they were just like, ‘I never would have tried this before. This is so cool. I can’t wait for this place to reopen.'”

Angela chose nonprofits that aligned with each box’s theme. Pike Place Market boxes supported the market’s emergency funds for vendors and residents. The entirely Black-owned businesses box went to Black Lives Matter. Women-owned businesses, Latino community boxes—each one spotlighted marginalized communities whose stories “deserve to be told that don’t often get heard.”

People told Angela that the highlight of their whole week was looking forward to the mystery box arriving. “It gave their family hope and was really practical too at the same time. It fed their families. It felt good supporting the community. So it was a win-win across the board. And we kept so many small businesses alive during that time.”

Looking back, Angela calls it “such a crazy roller coaster ride of a year. Don’t necessarily wish to repeat.” But the lessons were profound.

The episode also explores Angela’s philosophy on customer service—something she feels is disappearing in the digital age. “I come from an era or time where personal customer service was standard. And now in this digital age where most modes of communication are like tapping or typing, I feel like that need for connection is still there but is largely unmet.”

Her approach? “If you treat people in those moments in a way better than even you would expect or want to be treated if you were in their shoes, there’s never going to be a bad outcome.” When someone has an issue or needs to reschedule, they deserve empathy that “goes beyond Amazon Prime culture.”

As Tracy notes: “Very rarely do people remember even what you said or what you did, but they always remember how you made them feel.”

Angela agrees completely. “Building trust and loyalty and human connection is so important. And that should never go away, no matter how much technology is in our lives.”

This is the story of a business that could have died but instead transformed—becoming exactly what the community needed when they needed it most.

About Angela Shen
Angela Shen is a Seattle entrepreneur and culinary storyteller best known for creating two beloved local brands: Savor Seattle and Forage Seattle.

For 15 years, Angela ran Savor Seattle, leading immersive food tours through Pike Place Market that showed off the city “through the lens of our stomachs.” When COVID-19 shut down tourism and restaurants overnight, she pivoted immediately to curated local food boxes, donating over $100,000 to nonprofits in just nine months while keeping small businesses alive and her team employed. Each themed box highlighted different Seattle communities—from Black-owned businesses to Latino vendors to Pike Place Market staples—giving families hope and connection during the pandemic’s darkest days.

Today, Angela focuses on Forage Seattle, where she leads wild-food adventures that connect people to the edible magic of the Pacific Northwest’s forests and landscapes. Her passion for culinary storytelling and brand building began during her career in brand management at PepsiCo, where she launched products for iconic brands like Quaker Oatmeal and Life Cereal.

A Wharton School graduate and sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship and food tourism, Angela has been honored as a PSBJ 40 Under 40, Women of Color Award recipient, Seattle Tourism Ambassador, and Nellie Cashman Business Owner of the Year finalist. She has spent nearly two decades shaping how locals and visitors taste, explore, and experience the Pacific Northwest—blending business expertise with a deep passion for nature, food, and human connection.

Website: www.forageseattle.com
Instagram: @forageseattle
Email: Angela@forageseattle.com

As Tracy notes: “Very rarely do people remember even what you said or what you did, but they always remember how you made them feel.”

Angela agrees completely. “Building trust and loyalty and human connection is so important. And that should never go away, no matter how much technology is in our lives.”sion for culinary storytelling and brand building began during her career in brand management at PepsiCo, where she launched products for iconic brands like Quaker Oatmeal and Life Cereal.

A Wharton School graduate and sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship and food tourism, Angela has been honored as a PSBJ 40 Under 40, Women of Color Award recipient, Seattle Tourism Ambassador, and Nellie Cashman Business Owner of the Year finalist. She has spent nearly two decades shaping how locals and visitors taste, explore, and experience the Pacific Northwest—blending business expertise with a deep passion for nature, food, and human connection.

Website: www.forageseattle.com
Instagram: @forageseattle
Email: Angela@forageseattle.com

About Tracy Crowley
Tracy Crowley has always been an entrepreneur. Whether it was making gowns for fellow Army wives, taking portraits in black and white, or working on her other businesses, she is always learning something new.

That passion for learning something new and giving something back collide nicely in this podcast.

Join Tracy for Good Life Stories, where simple curiosity brings out great stories, every single time.

Check out Tracy’s new book! https://tracycrowley.life/