Appetite for Learning
By Amanda S.F. Hartle
When alumnus Cliff Sharples transferred to Carnegie Mellon University, he immediately noticed that something crucial was missing on campus: A student-run pub where the Tartan community could connect over bites and beverages.
The idea for Scotland Yard was born — and with it, a life and career that has melded entrepreneurship, technology and the power of food.
“It was my first opportunity to take on a big entrepreneurial role,” says Cliff, who graduated in 1986 from Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences with a degree in information systems. “I helped build [Scotland Yard] in my junior year and ran it in my senior year. We made all the decisions, put the whole thing together and hired a manager. It really set me on a path.”
His path — with stops at Garden.com, HomeAway, Cheezburger, Dig the Dirt and many more — has led to becoming founder and co-CEO of Fexy, a digital food platform that connects home cooks to grocers, brands and recipe publishers, and executive producer of “Roadfood: Discovering America One Dish at a Time,” available on PBS and Amazon Prime Video.
“I’m at the intersection of creativity and technology,” Cliff says. “I’ve ended up being the person that Dietrich College tries to shape.”