Westchester NY Frozen Food Entrepreneur To Pitch On Shark Tank

KATONAH, NY — A local food entrepreneur will be pitching her flash-frozen products in an episode of Shark Tank slated to air Friday night.

Jane Carroll, founder and president of Jane Foodie, is among those featured on an episode airing on ABC on April 11.

Carroll will try to secure investments from the cast, or “Sharks,” with what her business describes as a new twist on frozen food.

Jane Foodie sells homestyle, flash-frozen dishes in ready-to-eat portions, according to the company’s website. Because it is flash frozen, it doesn’t have ingredients such as preservatives, additives and artificial colors and flavors, which the company says makes it a healthier option compared to other frozen foods. According to the company, flash freezing helps retain more nutrients.

Jane Foodie sells a range of food products. Soups, stews, sauces, main dishes such as baked ziti with sausage, cinnamon rolls, muffins, cakes and cookies are among the offerings.

Carroll, a Bronx native, started in the flower business, and she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005. Setbacks such as the 2008 financial crash ultimately shuttered her flower venture.

Carroll experienced personal setbacks, including surviving both a house fire and a heart attack, according to her online biography. She decided on a slower pace and launched a coffeehouse, Jane’s on Main. A decade ago, Carroll introduced Jane Bakes, featuring a line of all-natural cookies in eco-friendly packaging. She opened Jane Cafe in Yonkers, and started providing craft services to Lionsgate Studios, which is based in Yonkers.

While creating large batches of food for the Lionsgate role, she had the idea for flash freezing, according to her website. And that led to Jane Foodie, which sells flash-frozen food which customers only need to reheat.

Other entrepreneurs appearing in Friday’s Shark Tank episode will pitch products such as an air purifier, socks, and a liner to protect car seats from pets, according to ABC.

Jane Foodie’s website has a clock ticking down to its appearance on Shark Tank on its website.

The episode airs at 8 p.m. EDT.