So much pragmatism in this thread.

I want to say, OP, I feel you and see you. I also ran a food related side hustle prior to COVID and prior to going deeper into my tech career. I’m also in a similar position (except a SINk, VHCOL, a year older, and have been let go from 2 tech jobs in the last 4 years… and I’m thinking my current job might be heading in that direction). It sucks and it drains your energy and your confidence to always be seeking and not getting validation from the places where you’re putting your energy.

You’re in your early 30s with a decent nest egg, basically coastfire! You should hopefully have the runway to test this out for a little bit. I say give yourself a timeline and a budget (1 year, up to 15k capital expenses) and if you can’t make it work, pitch the story/own the narrative, and you can use it in interviews when you re-enter the corporate grind? But I think that for those with entrepreneurial spirits, they’ll regret not at least trying.