The Bite Goes On - Radio Misfits: Recent Episodes
Sondra Bernstein, Brian Casey, Radio Misfits
Sondra Bernstein, owner of “the girl & the fig” restaurant in Sonoma, hosts this weekly podcast along with her friend Brian Casey, veteran of the Hospitality industry for over 30 years. They discuss all aspects of the food world, from seeds and beans to fries and foie gras. “If you can eat it, we want to talk about it”. Guests include famous chefs, food critics, local farmers, cheese makers and mushroom foragers. No subject is “off the table”. Sometimes controversial but always delicious.
Sondra + Brian Welcome to The Bite Goes On wrap-up show and get ready for a long one. Before we go on a hiatus of an unyet determined amount of time, Brian and I wanted to revisit and share some of the episodes and the highlights of the past two years. Though we don't get to talk about every single one (lucky for you), it was joyful to go back and reminisce about the incredible guests that we have met during this time. We have learned so much and have gratefully had the chance to listen to many passionate, inspiring stories from these guests. This past year, Covid has added another dimension to the show and that was sometimes just a check in or a deep dive into the perseverance and strategies of guests moving forward to get to the other side of the pandemic. As we arrive in 2021 we anticipate life changing in so many different areas and as we watch the world mend itself, we have decided to take a break. One thing we know for sure, the conversations are endless. Food is central to all of our lives one way or another and that will never change. The Bite Goes On has been a passion project for both Brian and I and we appreciate all of our listeners so much. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know if we should keep going and if so what were your favorite episodes.[EP115]
Also: listen to Brian's other podcast The WineMakers at https://radiomisfits.com/podcasts/thewinemakers/ and follow him on Instagram at @winemakerspod and @sonomawinelover and follow Sondra's personal Instagram @figchronicles.
It's not often that you get to have a conversation with someone who has a Masters in Gastronomy with a focus on aphrodisiacs. Amy Reiley is exactly that. I first met Amy years ago when her first book, fork me, spoon me was released. As a book about aphrodisiac foods, she of course had a chapter on figs that we were happy to contribute our fig scone recipe to - that she lovingly renamed "morning after fig scones with fresh cream". Catching up over ten years later in the midst of covid it's not as easy to be thinking about all of the foods that seduce you. Even so, her blog turned website, Eat Something Sexy has been going on for years. It is full of recipes, anecdotes and a full on dictionary of aphrodisiac foods which we all need to know where to find. Her other books include, Eat Cake Naked and Romancing the Stove.
Her latest endeavor, something she is particularly proud of and rightly so, is her work with Rock & Wrap It. This is a non profit that calls itself an anti-poverty think tank and most importantly is finding potential donors that have renewable assets to share, especially food. In their 20th year, they have continued to recover food from TV and FIlm production sets. They work with the big corporations including Sony, Disney, Netflix, ABC ... to recover prepared but not served excess food from entertainment catering companies and forward it on to people in need. They are also working with legislators pushing education and the Bill Emerson Samaritan Act keeping donors safe from liability. Their food initiatives go much further than just the entertainment sector and have moved into hospitals, schools, sports and more. [EP114]
https://eatsomethingsexy.com https://www.rockandwrapitup.org/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-1{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
It is always curious how some of our guests end up in the culinary world when their academia was meant to take them elsewhere. This is how our conversation with Chef Jonathan Beard started and continued about his journey from being a successful restaurateur/chef in Sonoma County, to eventually trading it in for a more realistic schedule that would allow him to be around for his family with young kids. His first position took him to the Sonoma Juvenile Detention program teaching cooking and life skills to the girls living there and then to landing his 'dream' job as the Culinary Director/Instructor at the Sonoma Valley High School. Prior to opening his first restaurant, he worked for some reputable Bay area spots including Acme Bakery, Bay Wolf and Kermit Lynch.
We reminisced about our own home economic classes in our earlier middle school years and compared to what it would be like today. With Covid, the high school has also made their pivot to online learning which couldn't be less practical than with trying to teach cooking. Jonathan continues to adapt with his students and is waiting until they can all be in his newly designed kitchens at the high school. [EP113].fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-3 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-3{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Manon Servouse is the Marketing Director for Laura Chenel, Marin French Cheese, St Benoit Creamery and Rians. She is the right person for the job as her passion for her company's products is impressive not only in her personal praise, but in the depth of her knowledge. Originally from france she has always known that she wanted to be in marketing and she started with United Biscuits. Wanting to branch out to something with more flavor (pun intended) she started working for Rians the parent company of Laura Chenel. After 2 years working in the France offices, she was willingly transferred to California
It was great catching up with Manon to hear about the start of the company with the actual Laura Chenel forty years ago. We talked about the love of goats and goat milk, their state of the art creamery in Sonoma - (the first leed gold certification in the USA), how they are dealing with covid and of course cheese!!!
the girl & the fig has used the Laura Chenel Chevre in their signature salad since 1997 and appreciates the consistency of the product and the care that goes into making it.
To learn more, visit the website at www.laurachenel.com @laurachenel on Instagram & Facebook
With New Years right around the corner, it is only appropriate to talk about caviar. Otto Szilagyi, caviar ambassador extraordinaire for Tsar Nicoulai has the details we need to know. Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to taste a few of his products and this conversation definitely put some things in perspective. Most impressionable about Tsar Nicoulai is their approach to their vision which is to provide the cleanest and best caviar and seafood products while inspiring the continued growth of their farm’s environmental and sustainable stewardship. Since their beginning in 1984 in California, they have been committed to environmental practices.Their innovative production practices are rooted in California ethos and keep them on the forefront of technological advances for sustainable farming. It was fascinating to talk about all things sturgeon with Otto. We dance about the topics of their practices, how they determine the grade, the history of caviar's luxurious beginnings and so much more. If you are listening today, you can purchase their products online. [EP111]
https://www.tsarnicoulai.com/shop
https://www.instagram.com/therealtsarnicoulai/
Amy Sherman is a Longtime award-winning blogger, and food writer that has written for just about every food publication worth reading and other puclications. she is very highly regarding in the food world and pretty much knows everyone. In addition to her blog; cooking with Amy, Her current chapter is as the Editor in Chief of the relatively new 'The Cheese Professor' and the very recently introduced 'The Alcohol Professor.' She learned to cook and bake from her parents and grew up eating eggs from her family’s backyard chickens, salmon her father caught, and fruit and vegetables from her mother’s organic garden. While just a teenager, Amy developed an even deeper appreciation for sharing stories about food while working in a gourmet retail shop. She learned about cheese during a year abroad, living and studying in Italy, and on trips to France, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden (ask her about coffee cheese!), as well as Wisconsin and Northern California. She has been a speaker at many professional culinary, writing and blogging conferences, is a past board member of the San Francisco Professional Food Society and is currently on the board of Bay Area Travel Writers. [EP110]
http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/
https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/
https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/
@cookingwithamy.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-4{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-4 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-4{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-4 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-4{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-4 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-5 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-5{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Some of my best memories with Kyle have been sitting around the holiday table with our friends and eating a delicious meal that he has created most of. Well, even though I am not sitting around a table with friends, I am grateful that I can still savor in Chef Kyle's cooking. Since the pandemic, Kyle has been offering a meal for which he sources, prepares and personally delivers to your house. He also includes a pay it forward proposition in providing another family a meal at a discounted rate. This week's menu included a tasty chicken and chickpea tagine with cauliflower, saffron couscous, Moroccan spiced sweet potatoes and beetroot salad.
I especially enjoyed our conversation, listening to his story about his childhood growing up around the family business, a livestock auction house and a strong sensibility for food, fresh ingredients. He started with culinary arts in high school, studied corporate finance in college and realized he missed cooking. He has moved up the ranks quickly and I am always in awe of his determination and skill at such a young age. From his new website; "Chef Kyle Kuklewski has over a decade of culinary experience with a portion of his career having worked in fine dining restaurants within top luxury brand hotels. Working under Michelin rated chefs, Chef Kyle honed his culinary skills while developing a strong attention to detail, an appreciation for using only the finest quality ingredients and a drive for creativity." Check out Chef Kyle's website at www.chef-kyle.com or on Instagram at @akylek
I don't think we have spoken about or even said the word seaweed in the two years we have recording The Bite Goes On. So we needed to talk to the ladies of Daybreak Seaweed Co and find out what seaweed is all about. I don't imagine there is anyone better than Catherine and Avery to learn from. Though they are a relatively young company, their passion is inspiring. Not only are they working with a food that is not quite mainstream but they are dealing with the laws of sustainability every step of the way. I was fascinated to hear about the different varieties, the waters it grows in, farmed and wild, and all of the healthy aspects found in seaweed. I was so curious, that I actually placed an order and to their credit - their products are definitely elevating my cooking. [EP108]
https://daybreakseaweed.com/ insta@ https://www.instagram.com/daybreakseaweed/
Chef Mina’s culinary and business vision led to the founding of his company, MINA Group in 2002. Under the auspices of MINA Group, he has opened over 45 operations around the world, including the Michelin-starred MICHAEL MINA, Chef Mina’s flagship restaurant in the heart of San Francisco, which represents the culmination of his core culinary philosophies, Middle Eastern heritage, lauded chronicles as a chef and restaurateur, and personal character. We caught up with him while he was in Las Vegas and had a great conversation with this very busy Chef. With a brand new restaurant in Sonoma, Wit & Wisdom, it was fun to finally meet him (even over zoom) and hear his story. I have always been so curious about how restaurants grow into a large company with more than a few properties, so he was the perfect guest to ask my growth questions. We talk about his company culture with his executive team and how the pandemic has given them a chance to rework and rethink some of their processes. [EP107]
Wit & Wisdom - located 1325 Broadway At Leveroni & Napa Roads, Sonoma, CA https://www.witandwisdomsonoma.com/ https://www.michaelmina.net/ https://www.instagram.com/chefmichaelmina/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-6{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-6 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-6{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-6 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-6{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-6 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-7 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-7{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Monica & Aaron Rocchino, veterans in the Bay Area food world for many years with stints at Chez Panisse, Olivetos and Paula Le Duc catering company as well as Monica's international event business. When they finally decided that working opposite schedules wasn't working, they decided they would create a business that would combine both their interests and expertise and most importantly an opportunity to work together. Finding that it was difficult to find the quality meat that they could get at the kitchens that they previously worked in - they found that a high quality butcher store with ethically raised and slaughtered animals would fill a much needed hole in the community. With a focus on offering products that come from 150 miles radius of the shop, The Local Butcher Shop found its footing with both selling wholesale to restaurants and retail to individuals. Since the opening of the shop they have only brought in whole animal carcasses and find a place for every part of the animal to be used. We asked questions regarding cuts of meat, ageing, grass fed and finished or ... This is definitely a shop I would go to on a regular basis and I can totally see why they are so popular. Since Covid the concentration of sales have shifted more to individual consumers than their wholesale clients. [EP106]
1600 Shattuck Ave. Ste 120, Berkeley, CA https://thelocalbutchershop.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thelocalbutchershop/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-8{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-8 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-9 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-9{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
This was truly an honor to be able to talk to the founders of Amy's Kitchen , a company born (1987) in our backyards and possibly the largest employer in Sonoma County. Both Brian and I are huge fans of the pioneers in the organic and vegetarian frozen foods market, and we stayed on our best behavior.
Waving my Amy's vegetable lasagna box, as a symbol of my loyalty, we talked about everything from how they met, how they started, how they have grown to a $500 million company and what their daughter Amy thinks about the company being named after her. It was extremely interesting (but not surprising) to learn about their commitment to their company's culture and how they have had many offers to sell but are determined to keep the company private.
Believing in business rituals, it was fun to hear how they have kept some of their practices exactly the same as they did when they started including continuing to taste every new item developed on the very same table that they started with. We jam packed this show with so much information and could have gone on for hours. Their story is truly fascinating.
You can find them just about everywhere in the freezer section of your grocery store. Their newest part of the business, their drive thru can be found in Rohnert Park, Corte Madera and the SF Airport. [EP105]
www.amys.com www.instagram.com/amyskitchen/
amysdrivethru.com/ www.instagram.com/amysdrivethru/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-10{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-10 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-11 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-11{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
It was great catching up with Sarah Weiner, Executive Director of the Good Food Foundation. She is a perfect example of someone that followed their passion for food and seems to have created her dream career sharing sustainable food and promoting artisan producers. "Sarah has worked side by side with the sustainable food movement’s founders and visionaries across the globe. As the Director of Communication for the Slow Food International Office in Italy, she was immersed in the roots of the food movement before heading to California to become Alice Waters’ “Girl Friday” (in Alice’s words) for two years. Next she spearheaded the development of Slow Food Nation as its Content Director, produced the 20,000 person Organic Food Festival in Bristol, England for the Soil Association, developed the Art.Food.Hope fund-raising campaign on the eve of Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration, and co-founded Seedling Projects.She is the founder of the Good Food Foundation and for over a decade she has grown the Foundation." We talked about some of the ways the Foundation needed to reformulate the judging of the Good Food Awards during the pandemic, what this year's festivities will look like and how quality, small batch food products continue to grow. Since the Good Food Awards began they have had over 6000 entries from across the country. The five key programs under the Good Food Foundation are spreading the word, one producer at a time, all with sustainability, connection, and concentration on reforming the American food culture.
https://goodfoodfdn.org/
https://www.instagram.com/goodfoodfdn/
Emily Martin Events With a true love of food and wine and a commitment to pursuing mastery, Emily has a distinctive voice and palate that sets her apart. Since 2009, she has curated the Lifestyle blog, The JetSetting Fashionista, where she writes about restaurants and wineries in the Bay Area and around the world, and interviews some of the industry’s most talented chefs and winemakers. Fueled by curiosity and a passion for learning, Emily’s hunger to explore the ever-expanding food, wine, and hospitality industry never wanes and shares these passions through her social streams and her blog. In 2014 Emily decided to pursue her passion for food, wine, events and hospitality—pivoting from the corporate world to start Emily Martin Communications & Events. Sondra and Brian met Emily years ago at a wine event and Sondra recently did an Insta live with Emily. It was fun to catch up and hear what Emily has been doing prior and during Covid as well as her philosophy about marketing and how she works with her clients. We briefly talk about how social media is shifting and the importance of marketing her clients during Covid. [EP103]
Follow Emily on @jsfashionista on instagram
BLOG: https://www.jsfashionista.com/ Emily Martin Events: https://www.emily-e-martin.com/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-12{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-12 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-12{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-12 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-12{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-12 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-13 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-13{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Taub Family Outpost opened in the midst of the pandemic - instead of a big sonoma splash opening party, they are doing it in a grassroots effort - one guest at a time. We can't wait to be able to drink & dine in one of the dining rooms and/or the hidden speakeasy. Taub Family is deep in the wine business, both as an importer as well as having their own label. As the company grew, they thought it would be advantageous to find a location where they can not only sell their imports but to share their love of wine country with guests from all over the world. They have wine, spirits, grab and go, full service dining, retail and a bar. Just recently they took over the space next door and are working on their patio to allow them to serve more patrons.
Originally from Argentina, Martin moved from NYC with his wife to take the General Manager job at Taub Family and this conversation takes us on his journey. Through this conversation, we find out that Martin and Sondra share a mutual friend in the restaurant business and once again ponder on how small the world is. It was great to meet Martin over zoom and dive into his life in Sonoma. [EP102]
Visit Martin at Taub Family Outpost where you can shop in the store for retail or outside dining and take-way.
https://taubfamilyoutpost.com/
Corner of W. Napa St. & 1st St. W. Open 8am-8pm Tuesday - Sunday.
https://www.instagram.com/sonomaoutpost/
The Restaurant Act + More On this episode Brian and Sondra talk about the state of economic affairs in the restaurant business during Covid. Sparked from Sondra's recent appearance as a witness on a Congressional hearing with the Ways and Means Committee regarding the need for continued assistance to the restaurant business before they all go out of business. [EP101]
We were lucky to get 3 of the 4 owners of Valley Bar & Bottle on our 100th episode! It takes a lot of guts to open a restaurant - even more so in the midst of a pandemic. The openings were always such an adrenaline rush for me, and have always been my favorite part - the newness, the feeling of accomplishment, the constant creative process and mostly seeing the dream realized. I can't imagine doing it during the stressful times we are having during the time of Covid-19. However, they did it and though I am still sheltered in place, I have been drooling over their instagram feeds and have been super excited for them through the friends who have been and loved it.This is a fun episode with conversation about the process and how they are doing things in Covid as well talking about their food and wine approach. I look forward to the day when I can be a guest!! [EP100]
Visit them at www.valleybarandbottle.com
OR if you are in Sonoma, head over to 487 1st Street West
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleybarandbottle Facebook https://www.facebook.com/valleybarandbottle
Lydia's Food We had such a wonderful conversation with Lydia and loved hearing about her upbringing, her food and her philosophy. We caught up with her in Petaluma between trips to Hawaii where she is spending much of her time pruning trees and managing her Petaluma company via the internet and phone. Sounds ideal! Through her brands of food, festival and private catering, restaurants, and community work, Lydia became a forerunner in the Organic, Vegan, and Raw food industries. In continuing to fulfill her vision of creating community gathering space to share food, knowledge and creativity. Lydia opened the Sunflower Center, a restaurant and community center in Petaluma, California in December 2011. Included in her organic food products include her sprouted bars, cereals, crackers, herbs and spices and more. She ships her pantry items across the country and she definitely has some hard to find ingredients. Lydia is successfully living her dreams of offering conscious food as a powerful and personal medium for reconnecting people and the planet. [EP99]
Visit Lydia's website at lydiasfoods.com to learn more about her business and/or to order.
On Instagram at @lydiasfoods
If you find yourself in Petaluma, visit her store for fresh food at 1390 N McDowell Blvd, Suite E in the Orchard Plaza.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-14{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-14 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-14{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-14 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-14{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-14 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-15 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-15{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
It's all about donuts in this week's episode with Harvey Cohen, mastermind behind the cutest mini donuts you have ever seen and yes they are quite delicious. We talk about his process, his very unique machines, his recently reopened cafe and his new project just off the Sonoma Plaza. We spend some time talking about his corporate business as well as how things are going during the pandemic. [EP98]
https://www.harveysdonuts.com on Instagram at @harveysdonuts
The Hatch About 6 years ago I was introduced to Maggie through a good friend. She was working on her business plan for a restaurant and was looking for advice. Fast forward, as a successful restaurateur, she could now give me some good advice!! Brian and I have both been to her restaurant in Paso Robles a few times and loved it and revisiting her website, I was drooling over the menu. It is always so wonderful to see a friend succeed in this very challenging business. It was great to catch up and revisit how her story started (she is one lucky lady -the stars were aligned) how things are going during Covid, how her protocols have changed, how it works to work with her husband and what she sees for the future. [EP97]
Next time you are in Paso Robles visit the Hatch at 835 13th Street, visit the website at hatchpasorobles.com/ and on Instagram at @thehatchrotisserie
Brian and I were grateful to steal Tanya away from her very busy schedule. She was extremely generous with her time and we were able to go way back in Tanya's journey to becoming a Chef/Restaurateur. We briefly spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement and how it has affected her and how she feels about the attention that the movement is getting. We were jealous to hear about her first few guests on her own podcast and loved getting to know her more than we did. Tanya Holland is the Executive Chef and owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen, where the food reflects a unique interpretation of soul food influenced by Tanya’s family history of entertaining, her formal training at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine and her love of food from around the world. Tanya is also the author of Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook and New Soul Cooking and recently launched her own podcast called 'Tanya's Table'. [EP96]
BrownSugarKitchen.com
Tanya on Instagram
Tanya's Podcast, Tanya's Table.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-16{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-16 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-16{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-16 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-16{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-16 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-17 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-17{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
It was great catching up with Chef Bernard Guillas at the Marine Room in La Jolla. I had almost forgotten what a wonderful positive, uplifting person that he is and funny too. He brings us up to date about what is happening in San Diego, how he is managing things through the pandemic, the shifts that he has made during this time and his continual love for food and fresh ingredients. Chef Bernard Guillas joined La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, Inc. as executive chef in June 1994. Right at home in La Jolla, Guillas' affinity for the coastal lifestyle reminded him of his home in Brittany. "When I lived in France, the smell of the sea and the lure of its bounty were constantly part of our table," Guillas recalls. "I'm inspired by the variety and quality of the local produce and seafood found throughout our region. I love to use my classical training and my love for Pan Pacific flavors in all our restaurants." Guillas is responsible for directing the resort's three restaurants and all catering operations for the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the Shores Restaurant at the La Jolla Shores Hotel, and the landmark Marine Room Restaurant. On Instagram @chefbernardguillas You can enjoy his food at www.ljbtc.com
They say three times is a charm and it certainly was when we finally pinned down chef Chris Cosentino for an up close and personal, laughter filled, fun episode. We try to figure out how Chris and Sondra met way back when. Our conversation drifts from subject to subject, beginning with his early start in the business to his rise in popularity. He opens up about his personal challenges as a boy and how he ended up a chef. His honesty is humbling and could be a motivator for those with learning disabilities and not sure about a career direction. We touch on the hardships of business during covid and how he is making things work, including his very entertaining cooking videos on instagram. This is a fascinating episode with Chris and between the laughter, distractions and some interesting stories that makes it worth listening to. Be warned - it is a long one.
Find Chris at his restaurant at http://cockscombsf.com/ On instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cockscombsf/ and his personal instagram account - https://www.instagram.com/chefchriscosentino/
It was great to catch up with Culinary Institute of America alumni turned Professor Dustin Rogge. Dustin worked for the girl & the fig over 15 years ago just a few years after he graduated from the CIA. He started at the Sonoma restaurant and was the opening General Manager of the girl & the fig in Petaluma. Though the restaurant was short lived Dustin was an amazing asset to the team. We were sad when he left the country for the big city to work at Farallon restaurant for a few years before he helped open the Waterbar Restaurant. Dustin will be known by many as simply one of the best in the restaurant business. After many years transitioning from a working manager to a Professor was a welcome adjustment. He was determined to take his passion for pleasing guests to instill the knowledge and ability for his students to carry on his expertise in hospitality. We learn about the adjustments of teaching during Covid, listen to a few stories of the past, his love for the outdoors and just have a wonderful conversation. [EP93]
It was long overdue to catch up with Ari Weisswasser, Chef and co-owner of the Glen Ellen Star with his wife Erinn Benziger in Glen Ellen. As Sondra's restaurant neighbor in Glen Ellen, we started the conversation about how Ari proceeded during the lockdown and how after a quick peek on email en route to Paris, the family vacation took a u-turn to come back to see what the situation was all about. Returning to Glen Ellen, Ari and a minimal team began serving it up for both lunch and dinner. He has been grateful and pleasantly pleased with the support from the neighborhood, his regulars and his ability to roll into another disaster focusing on the task at hand. We didn't go back into Ari's culinary training which has included some stints with some important names in the restaurant world including Thomas Keller at the French Laundry. He has culminated what he has learned and created his personal style by concentrating on simplicity and sourcing the absolute best products he can find. About 25% of the Glen Ellen Star's restaurant comes from the family farm, Glentucky farm also in Glen Ellen. The menu is heavy on farm fresh vegetables with good reason. We converse about some of the inner workings and challenges that restaurants are having in maintaining reasonable margins, PPP, attracting staff and tipping, balanced life and guest perception. To be noted, not long before the whiff of Covid, Ari and his wife Erinn purchased a partnership in a local catering company only to deal with the fact that 2020 in the event world has moved to 2021 with hope. Learning a new side of the business during this time will clearly be an asset when it is time to reopen. Read more about Ari and the Glen Ellen Star at www.glenellenstar.com
With a small snafu in our scheduling, it actually gave Brian and I a chance to get caught up, especially since he has finally been called back to his real job. Other than talking about the changes in his workplace, he also told us about CALI-FORNO STREET EATS which is the Sonoma Fairmont Hotel's new airstream food truck that just opened. Situated on the driveway of the hotel, guests and locals can order from the bar, get some truck food and drinks and relax in a physically distanced outdoor dining area with minimal service on Friday and Saturday. It was great to hear of something new happening in this crazy time. Always nice to catch up with Brian on our weekly calls! [EP91]
Hailing from one of the oldest wine families in California, Mia gravitated to food much more than she did wine. She realized that she liked to cook and carry on the traditions that her Nonna started. She started with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and found herself selling it out of her car to all of the local markets and specialty stores. Having the advantage of a family with the greater understanding of supply chains and distribution, she has turned her focus on the fabulous California tomato, producing tomato sauce in many flavors as well as a couple pizza sauces. She has grown her company Mia's Kitchen, and you can now find her products in mainstream grocery stores from coast to coast. In regards to branding, authentic has a strong meaning in spreading the word for this ultra premium tomato sauce. Local.fresh ingredients to recreate the flavors of her family's heritage shines a light on a brand that is made by a person that you can relate to and not just a large company. She works closely with her family and even worked with her husband to create a non-tomato sauce - butternut squash and bourbon. As Mia's siblings are involved in both the wine business as well as spirits, I think they have the market of throwing a fabulous dinner party. Can't wait to see what comes next for this very Sonoma business. [EP90]
Follow Mia's Kitchen on Instagram at @mias_kitchen and visit Mia's website for some great recipes using their products at http://miaskitchen.com/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-18{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-18 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-18{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-18 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-18{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-18 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-19 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-19{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
With fond memories of Mexico City, Sondra reached out to Avidan Lebenthal or better known as "The Taco Mensch". He was Sondra's guide on her first day in Mexico City and have remained in touch. Wanting to find out what is happening with him during C-19, we actually tracked him down at his parents in Tel Aviv. In this episode you will hear Avidan's story of how and why he is the Taco Mensch and how he became one of AirBnB's top experiences (with over 175 5 Star reviews) all to be put on hold at least until October. True to form, Avidan was cheery, formidable if not slightly tired of having surfed for most of the afternoon into the evening, and it was great to catch up from him. The conversation dances around from Mexico City, Tel Aviv, Sondra's trip to Mexico City, Avidan's new business plan and much more. We hope you enjoy this episode and the next time you are in CDMX, you must do his tour. AirBNB Instagram [EP89]
This episode was so much fun to record as we were able to catch up with an old friend, Chef Ric Orlando who lives in the Hudson Valley. We dart all over the place talking about his passion of making people happy and entertaining them with his food and fun personality. He closed his restaurant after 25 years, New World Bistro Bar in Woodstock, NY in 2018, but continued to concentrate on the 'Urban" Albany NWBB until recently. It has been very important for Ric to be connected with his community and has supported them over the years with fundraisers and events. Just because he doesn't work in a restaurant every day, Ric has not slowed at all - he continues with his cooking classes, podcasts, culinary travel, monthly pop-ups and he even launched his Flavor Maker Spice line. I look forward to all of the creative things that are around his corner! Sink into this one! Full of great perspective and Ric's history. We never did get a chance to hear him play his guitar though! [EP88]
Learn more about Ric on ricorlando.com and on Facebook at @ricthechef and on Instagram @chefricorlando.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-20{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-20 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-20{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-20 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-20{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-20 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-21 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-21{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Lauren has pivoted Delicious Dish into a few different business models as the landscapes around her have changed. Starting small in catering in San Francisco where she built her clients from small tech companies one at a time. As the tech companies grew so did Lauren's business. In the midst of these years, Lauren decided she wanted to move back to her hometown of Sonoma, purchased an existing restaurant to use the kitchen and continued to service her SF tech clients and private families. After years of commuting and serving these companies, things started to change, some tech companies built their own kitchens in house and didn't require outside catering services, families moved away and most lately, tech companies have steered their employees to work from home.
None of that stopped self acclaimed "scrappy" Lauren as she just changed things up a bit. Her business Delicious Dish offers a daily family menu that is available to pick up. She is able to market her offerings with a small amount of newspaper advertising and a hefty mailing list. She has taken her most popular and favorite meals that she created in SF and brought them home to offer them to her new clients. During early Covid time her business saw an uptick of orders but as restaurants began their to-go models, her orders began to shrink. Lauren turned her attention to preparing her outdoor patio space for physical distancing and a comfortable dining experience which is scheduled to open the first week of July. She is working on a few cool ideas, so we are excited to hear what comes next. Tune in to learn more!
https://www.deliciousdishsf.com/ https://www.instagram.com/deliciousdishsf/
Leah's story is fabulous as she starts from absolute scratch. She started making pizza because she was 18 and needed money. Turns out she was a natural. After working her way up the ranks and managing a pizza chain of 24 units, she decided to do it for herself. Leah Scurto is an award-winning pizza chef and a 7-year member of the United States Pizza Team. She has won multiple awards for cooking pizza. Because of her win in the US she was invited to compete in the world Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy where she finished 13th in the world. She opened her Pizza Leah restaurant in Windsor, CA sadly just 2 weeks prior to the state order to stay home and shelter in place. We can't wait to go taste leah's pizza - as the 13th best pizza maker in the world, I have high expectations except that every single pie sounds delish! [EP86]
Taste Leah's Pizza in Windsor at 9240 Old Redwood Hwy (707) 620-0551 pizzaleah.com On Instagram
So fun to catch up with Christian during Shelter in Place. Along Christian's journey, he has worked for the girl & the fig, owned a pickle company and was very involved with the Good Food Awards and invited Sondra to be a pickle judge one year. Christian is also a professional olive oil taster, like Arden Coturri (episode 69), which shows us how small our Bay Area food world is. Christian talks about his time cooking and progression at Zuni and all about his new column in the San Francisco Chronicle called Bounty. He is also a Cookbook recipe tester and a photographer. His food photographs are stunning. Tune in to learn more. [EP85]
http://www.christianreynoso.com/ https://www.instagram.com/christianreynoso/.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-22{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-22 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-22{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-22 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-22{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-22 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-23 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-23{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
25 Lusk While still sheltering in place, we had the opportunity to catch up with Matthew Dolan, Executive Chef and Partner of 25 Lusk. Mathew has been cooking for just about his whole life. He is a Culinary Institute of America graduate. He has worked in many kitchens throughout both the US and Europe. He eventually landed in San Francisco, where he and a good friend opened 25 Lusk in 2010. Matthew tells us about his culinary journey including time with Emeril Lagasse, time in Finland, his tragic motorcycle accident in which he has miraculously recovered, his book Simply Fish that was published in 2017 and the state of affairs of COVID-19 in San Francisco. 25 Lusk is located between 3rd and 4th Streets [EP84]
www.25Lusk.com
Instagram - @25lusk
Heather Irwin It was great to reconnect with Heather as we had her on the podcast back in November. Heather is the Founder of Sonoma Family Meals as well as the dining editor for Sonoma Magazine and the Press Democrat and the founder of BiteClub. Sonoma Family Meals was created to be Chef Made Meals for Fire Survivor Families, Since October 2017. SFM is a 501c3 non-profit. Not only do they continue to feed families from the fires, but now they have taken on the pandemic where the need is so much greater. Our conversation brings us up to date on the state of the restaurant business, legislation complications, the increase of the need for food, Sonoma Family Meals funding needs and a few rants here and there. [EP83]
To learn more about Sonoma Family Meals visit www.sonomafamilymeal.org
Mark Malicki has worked in a wide variety of dining establishments including his past restaurant that he owned called Café Saint Rose. Now he situated at the Casino Bar and Grill in the little town of Bodega. Casino Bar & Grill was opened in 1874 as a mercantile. Transformed into a pool hall and tavern in 1939, it remains with the same owners, one of which is Evelyn Casini who over 90 still tends the bar a couple days a week.
Mark seems to be settled at a most unlikely place to find his fabulously creative cooking. With just a 2 burner stove and a flat top, Mark has been cooking behind the bar for 11 years Friday - Sunday. I was great to catch up with Mark, to see how he is faring through the pandemic, hearing about his paying it forward by feeding unemployed hospitality workers and nurses that are hungry. At the time of the recording he was changing the menu each day based on what he feels like cooking and what makes sense with the minimal refrigeration and physical space he has to work with.
He also gives us an inside peek to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive, men only, big wig campground and how he met George Bush. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation - lots of fun - and we can't wait to have the opportunity to drive out to Bodega and eat Mark's cooking.
Facebook Instagram
We had a fun conversation with Clark as he tells us about his fascinating journey as a waiter on the railroad, working eighteen-hour days on the line from Oakland to Chicago, managed a cheese and wine shop at the base of Nob Hill, opened the San Francisco branch of the Oakville Grocery and retooled the original Napa Valley store. He knows just about everyone in food including a lasting friendship with the legendary James Beard. He was the first to retail Laura Chenel’s California Chevre and spent countless hours finding and sampling foodstuffs with the likes of Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl, Jeremiah Tower and Catherine Brandel.
He splits his time between New York and Guernville in Sonoma County and happens to be one of Sonoma County's biggest advocates for farmers and the incredible Sonoma bounty.
Clark Wolf has been a food business consultant for 30 years, working with developers, restaurateurs, whole towns or resort properties. He is the founder and President of Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food and restaurant consulting firm. He helped found the nation’s first Food Studies program, at NYU, he writes and talks about food on radio and tv and continues to help build successful enterprises large and small. He is a contributor for Forbes Magazine and his radio show is called 'At The Table with Clark Wolf' on KSRO. He authored the book "American Cheeses" published by Simon & Schuster in 2012.
You can find more about Clark:
http://www.clarkwolfcompany.com/ https://www.ksro.com/podcast/at-the-table/ https://www.facebook.com/clark.wolf.5
Talk Show Host, Journalist & Eater based in San Francisco.
"Grew up in Niagara Canada, attended several fine schools including Western in London (full disclosure, Ontario Canada). I worked for a theater, a symphony, in restaurants and even a B&B before moving into media, supplanting my original career path of an educator. I was only supposed to visit San Francisco on my way West but fell in love and never made it to New Zealand. I am an Emmy Nominated and IACP Award-winning (come on- pretty proud- worth repeating) TV and Radio host. A traveler, wine judge, culinary competition judge; happy, chatty dude with a killer Rolodex. Lover of food, and of politics, so much that I have talked about it live for two hours a day six days a week for years… and got paid to do it." We talk about this and so much more!!!! [EP80]
Instagram @diningaround @JoelRiddell on twitter.
Restaurauteur, Chef, Hotelier Crista Luedtke is an amazing gift to Sonoma County - "almost singlehandedly, Luedtke transformed Guerneville into a buzzing vacation getaway." -Forbes She purchased a hotel in 2008 and established eat + drink in 2009 and hasn't stopped yet. She is an extremely hard worker and instills inspiration and motivates everyone around her. We had a great conversation discussing the present business landscape of COVID and restaurants and what the near future looks like. She lets us know what she is doing during this time in her businesses and also takes us on a tour of how this self taught chef/entrepreneur started in this business. Can't wait for the opportunity to enjoy Crista's establishments. Her passion is contagious
www.eatatboon.com Instagram - @booneatdrink
Erin Gore Just when we think we are going to talk about gardens or tea parties, we meet Erin Gore who has created The Garden Society. Garden Society is a female founded, (Wrin Gore and Karli Warner) Sonoma County-based cannabis company with a mission of helping educate women on the power of the cannabis plants and its multiple beneficial properties whether it be for stress, relaxation, sleep or joy. From their website - "We're not your average cannabis company. Never wanted to be. We're here to break the stigma and completely redefine cannabis for women. We understand how to bring cannabis into women's daily life in ways you will relate to. And get excited about. We're all about making cannabis a simple, vital part of people's daily lives." It was fascinating to talk to Erin, and talk about her journey from chemical engineer, farmer, cannabis company owner. We learned so much from this conversation and the edible chocolates are DELICIOUS!!! [EP78]
https://thegardensociety.com/
On Instagram: @grdnsociety
So wonderful to get a chance to chat with Annette White, co-owner of Sugo Trattoria in Petaluma and Bucket List Journeys (fabulous blog and travel website). We let it slip out that Annette and Brian were high schools sweethearts, so a few memories popped out. We delve into Annette's path of how she started to conquer her anxiety by starting a bucket-list that took her out of her comfort zone.
This morphed into a career, working as a travel influencer with partners all over the world. Her book Bucket List Adventures was published in 2017. Annette White is a travel writer, author, serial adventurer and creator of the award-winning travel blog, Bucket List Journey. Her popular site has over 100,000 monthly readers, and Frommer's named her Instagram @bucketlistjourney one of the best travel accounts to follow. She has been recognized and worked with a multitude of top companies, such as Tripadvisor, Sandals Resorts and LAN Airlines -- while exploring more than 40 countries on 5 continents. When she's not on the road, you can find Annette whipping up delicious dishes at her Michelin recommended restaurant, Sugo Trattoria in Northern California, that she co-owns with her husband, Peter.
Find Annette's work at: https://bucketlistjourney.net Sugo Trattoria - http://www.sugotrattoria.com/ Purchase her book at https://www.amazon.com/Bucket-List-Adventures-Incredible-Experience/dp/1510710043
It was great to have a repeat visit from our friends at Miracle Plum. We got a chance to catch up and see how they are holding up under the COVID-19 times. Not a surprise but they are pushing through, getting creative and working hard to get their customers what they need. [EP76]
Miracle Plum is a finely curated store, with pantry goods, wines, cheeses, bread and produce. At this pivot, they are juggling between vendors regarding what is available, guests, are people buying differently at this time (they all want beans) and they are holding on just trying to stay in business while we are all in the unknown. My gut tells me that they will get through this will a more caring and loyal audience of consumers. They are out of the box thinkers and if there is something that they can do through Miracle Plum to engage their guests and keep it going - they will find it!
Miracle Plum - miracleplum.com - 208 Davis Street, Santa Rosa CA - 707-708-7986 @miracle.plum on Instagram
Iona Campbell and Kalie Marder are the co-founders of Renegade Food. From their website, 'Iona is a life-long vegetarian and now vegan. As an animal lover and foodie, she is passionate about creating plant-based recipes inspired by their traditional counterparts. She has a background in the food industry and has worked alongside classical chefs around the globe. Kalie is a longtime vegetarian and lifelong animal lover. She has a strong project management background, having managed numerous large and complex projects around the world. She has a passion for plant-based food and is working to make a difference in our food chain through sustainable, nutritious and delicious plant-based options.' [EP75]
These ladies are disrupting the food industry with their smoked meats made entirely from plants. In this show, we find out how and why they created this company, what the market is for this and how they are looking to grow their company. Curiosity leads to questions about why charcuterie, how do you develop the flavors and more.
Soon to be available online, visit their website at www.renegadefood.com
Merrilee Olson is the Founder of Preserve Farm Kitchens. Merrilee created this company because she was shocked that unsold product from the farmers market was being uneaten and she was determined to find a way to help farmers create another revenue stream and not waste their produce that they spent so much time and care procuring. Merrilee's commitment to the farmers is to be commended and she is determined to create recipes that make their produce shine. [EP74]
Trying to make this a viable business is another story. She has been persistent in exploring all of the ways to move Preserve Farm Kitchens forward. Her food manufacturing company not only creates recipes and products for farmers, but also works with specialty food companies to develop and co-pack their branded product, offers in house products for Private Label and has a collection of products under the Preserve Farm Kitchens labels.
You can find more information at preservefarmkitchens.com and even order products on line. Instagram @preservefarmkitchens
The "shelter-in-place" order has been given by our California Governor Gavin Newsom. We are working from home this week. We joined forces with our brother podcast The Wine Makers and decided to practice "social distancing" by trying out the Zoom app and continue recording shows for our listeners. Sondra talks about the state of the food and wine industry going forward. Her restaurants and catering business have closed with no projected opening dates.Our Wine Maker friends are in a holding pattern. It's getting weird out there !!! [EP73]
We will continue to do our shows, bring some information and hopefully spread a little joy. Once we get familiar with our different app options and sound quality, we will continue bringing guests onto the show. We hope that by continuing to record our podcasts we can bring some sense of normalcy into your lives. Enjoy the show.
danecellars.com winerysixteen600.com thegirlandthefig.com
We have a new friend and what a fun episode to record. Michael is engaging and enthusiastic and is a brilliant business owner. We spend time talking about Guerneville (his town), BISCUITS (yes in capital letters) he brought us some and they were divine!! Oprah named his biscuits as one of her favorite things and that was fun to hear how that happened. He is working on his second cookbook and has a line of house wines made by his friends in the business. [EP72]
He is currently doing Facebook live at https://www.facebook.com/michael.volpatt everyday at 3pm while we are sheltered in during COVID19 - these videos will give you so much insight into this amazing man.
Follow him @big_bottom_market @fabtasticsweetie and shop online at www.etsy.com/shop/BigBottomOutpost
Alycia is the Executive Director of the California Restaurant Association Foundation (CRAF). Alycia's enthusiasm in indicative of why this Foundation is able to raise money and succeed to help so many people. The Foundation is the helping hand that empowers California’s restaurant workforce through education, scholarships, and emergency assistance. The Foundation has a few programs including Scholarships, Restaurants Care and Pro Start. In 2019, $90,000 in scholarships were given to 30 students. Since its inception in 1981, CRAF has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships and grants. Restaurants Care provides one-time financial support to restaurant employees facing an unforeseen hardship. ProStart is a two-year high school culinary arts and restaurant management program. In California, the CRA Foundation runs the ProStart program in 140 public high schools – reaching 13,500 students. Many of the schools that they serve are under-resourced and are in disadvantaged communities. The CRAF was founded in 1981 and is doing an incredible service to the hospitality industry. [EP71]
To learn more about the CRAF visit www.calrestfoundation.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CRAFoundation/ and Instagram at @crafoundation
Hilary always had a dream to make cheese back when Laura Chenel was just starting out, but her carreer got in the way. Now in her 'so called' retirement she is working to create a culinary homestead property that includes cheesemaking, farming (Beet Generation @beetgenerationfarm), bread baking, (sara Owens @sarah_c_owens) - a demo kitchen, and just about everything that happens on her 27 acres. As an amateur cheese maker she has been working on her craft, trying to understand the blend between the scientific aspects of making cheese and being an artist. [EP70]
Construction begins summer 2020 so we look forward to having Hilary back on the show to get an update. To follow her progress on instagram @backyardterroir.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-24{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-24 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-24{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-24 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-24{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-24 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-25 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-25{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
We sure did get an Olive Oil education during this episode with Arden Coturri. Her passion for olive oil started back in the early 1990's and decided that they would plant a family olive grove with trees that were imported from Italy - (in fact about 10,000 tiny plants were brought over that needed to be propagated). Wanting to get more knowledge, Arden enrolled in a class through UC Davis on the sensory of olive oil. Turns out that Arden has such good sensory evaluation skills, the California Olive Oil Council approached her to become an olive oil taster. Arden has been a member of the California Olive Oil Council's Tasting Panel for over 20 years. This is a panel that blind tastes oil from their members to distinguish whether or not their oil is worthy of having 'Extra Virgin' on their label for that harvest.
As complete novices, she walked us through a tasting of 6 different oils (in beautiful Spanish blue glasses), teaching us about what makes a good olive oil, what the different imperfections taste like, how they go about the process of tasting and what it really means for their members. Arden taught us what to look for on a label and how to make purchasing decisions. Of course, the oil that Arden produces for the family winery; Winery Sixteen 600 was the best of the lineup. It was a great conversation and hopefully it will give you some insight the next time you grab the bottle that has been sitting in the back of the cupboard for five years.
This episode with Jon Sebastiani could have gone on for 5 hours -- there was just so much to talk about. We bounce around from what it was like growing up in a family wine business, creating and selling KRAVE jerky (to Hershey's), running marathons, starting a new business (Sonoma Brands), being a father and more.
Sonoma Brands is company that incubates and invests -- currently at 14 different brands today. Some of these brands include SmashMallow, Dang, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Peckish and most recently Milk Bar. This number could grow quickly as he discovers new opportunities that align with their company's ethos. It will be fun to see what other ideas are hatched through Sonoma Brands.
Sondra has a long history with Jon as she worked for/with him 1995 - 1197 at Viansa Winery before she left to open her first restaurant. With Jon back as the managing partner at Viansa, Sondra and her business partner John Toulze they have come full service with a partnership that provides food for the winery.
To check out more about Sonoma Brands - visit www.sonomabrands.com or on instagram @sonomabrands.
Jackson's Bar and Oven has one of the most popular restaurants in Santa Rosa. After the birth of his son Jackson, chef and owner Josh Silvers began looking for a family-friendly yet hip place in downtown Santa Rosa where he could get some of his favorite comfort foods. And when he didn’t find it, he decided to create it. Josh and his wife Regina opened Jackson’s Bar and Oven in 2009.
In 1999 they created their first restaurants called Syrah Bistro, morphed into Petite Syrah and then to Three Squares Cafe, they have moved the focus completely on Jackson's Bar and Oven as a place that wasn't just a special event restaurant, a place that folks could come for lunch and dinner or drinks every day. They expanded a few years ago as they could not accommodate all of the guests that wanted to come.
Josh and Regina have proven that with boundaries, a husband and wife team can be successful in both business and love. It makes sense that this first airs on Valentines Day.
You can find seasonal, local products and creative cocktails at Jackson's at 135 Fourth Street in Santa Rosa. They are open everyday from 11:30 and also offer catering.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram
Amy Covin is the North End of Bawstin (Boston as we would say). How did this CPA end up making Boston Slush in Wine Country. When passion calls, you figure it out.
That is what Amy Covin did in 2016. In late 2016, she took a trip back to Boston, she introduced her kids to their first taste of Slush and confirmed her desire to introduce Wine Country to SLUSH. With no prior restaurant experience, health department or county experience, she foraged ahead and actually figured it out and opened in May 2016. Her first slush shop was opened in Healdsburg in an old Kayak and Canoe rental property across from Russian River. From there, she opened a second shop, has two more franchise possibilities on the way. If it is up to her SLUSH will be all over the West Coast.
This conversation follows her path working with the powers that be to get the place open. She loves mentoring the kids that work for her and is a strong advocate for her community. Amy could be a stand up comic, she is funny, insightful and can get you salivating within minutes with her description of slush, soft serve and splits.
If you are in the Sonoma County area, you can find this SLUSH in Healdsburg at 13840 Healdsburg Ave or in Petaluma at 122 American Alley, Suite B. You can find daily menu updates on their facebook page and be dazzled on instagram @wickedslush [EP66]
Visit the website at www.wickedslush.com
We learned about Deb Rock and Sonoma Hot Sauce on a previous episode with Eileen Gordon of Barnraiser and wanted to learn more about the journey of a woman who likes it hot - really hot. Deb Rock grew up with hot sauce and it was an important part of seasoning the meal as well as the conversation. After 20 years of giving her special recipe to friends and family she was determined to create a business around her passion and share her version of Tabasco 2.0 with the rest of us. Deb explains why Sonoma Hot Sauce is as good as it is and with just a few distinguishing methods that separate her sauce from the commercial versions; the peppers spend a minimum of 100 days on the vines, it takes at least a year from seed to bottle, and there are easily one pound of peppers per 5 fluid ounce jar. With her 4 ingredient sauce, her enthusiasm about being an agripreneur and her seed saving process, her field blend Sonoma Hot Sauce is a winner. [EP65] Follow Deb and Sonoma Hot Sauce on Instagram @sonomahot
You can purchase hot sauce on her website at www.sonomahotsauce.com
Emily Reber and Jeff Alona share their passion for everything coffee. They spend their free time driving miles to find new coffee shops anywhere they can find them and revisit some of their favorites. They have learned about coffee shop culture by asking a lot of questions, listening, watching videos, classes and drinking coffee. Their coffee of choice and what they use for Flora Coffee is Dune Coffee Roasters out of Santa Barbara. They loved it so much, they want to share this with Sonoma Valley and visitors to the area. If you are in Sonoma Valley you can taste their pour over coffee at the roadside Flatbed Farm produce stand on Saturdays from 10 - 12 in Glen Ellen. Not only will you have a good cuppa but you will enjoy these two and their enthusiasm for their craft. Emily and Jeff are grass root business owners figuring it out as they go. Such a fun listen to hear these two share their vision. [EP64]
Follow their Instagram feed @floracoffee_sonoma
Follow along the conversation while looking at photographs from Sondra's recent trip to Mexico City (www.thebitegoeson.com/copy-of-gallery). Get ready to book your trip to Mexico City just from hearing about the food. Sondra talks about her taco tour, neighborhood markets including the Jamiaca Mercado and Pujol (the #12 of the 50 Best Restaurants in the world), a special meal with a friend from Mexico City, mezcal and more. [EP63]
This was a thoroughly educational show filled with family history, unions, tips on how restaurants are valuated and sold and more. Steve walks us through his journey in a restaurant family, where he started in the kitchen washing dishes at the age of 15. As he works through the ranks, he finds himself being called in to his Reserve status and cooking for the 500 - 600 airmen (breakfast and lunch each day). When relieved of his duty, he went back into the family business and worked his way to the very top at a point of having over 35 restaurants, 20 of them being their signature Zimm's. You will hear how Steve makes a radical decision to leave the family business and reinvent himself to be the largest premiere restaurant business broker and realtor. Restaurant Realty Company is the largest California restaurant brokerage specializing in sales, acquisitions and leasing of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and related commercial buildings with local representation throughout Southern and Northern California including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Central Coast, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego markets. The conversation delves into the hardships of owning a restaurant, the pitfalls of buying and selling, and an interesting look at the near future of restaurants.
Want to sell or purchase a restaurant or nightclub or to find our more about Restaurant Realty Company or Steve Zimmerman? Visit the website at https://www.restaurantrealty.com and email Steve at steve@restaurantrealty.com. You can also purchase Steve's Book; "Restaurant Dealmaker" on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Restaurant-Dealmaker-Steve-Zimmerman-ebook/dp/B00CCVW5JY. Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/restaurantrealty
Among other things Thaddeus Palmese is an amazing storyteller and we found him so descriptive and interesting that we recommended that he write a book or two. His cooking experience starts at 15 years old. Even though he grew up in Pasadena, he wound up in New Orleans where he worked through the ranks in some pretty incredible restaurants. When he wound up in Sonoma County years later, he was a partner in a winebar cooking creole food in Sebastopol called the Starlight that was housed in an old train club car. Sonoma residents are most familiar with Thaddeus from his tenure on Tips Tri Tip trolleys, the bright red food trolleys that can be found at farmers markets, wineries, festivals and more. At the same time as cooking and managing the trucks, he worked with Owners Susie and Andrew Pryfogle to open their brick and mortar restaurant in Kenwood. Finely received by the neighbors, Tips Roadside has been an excellent addition to the Sonoma Valley. In the midst of a transition, we hear about some plans for the future and the beginning of a new chapter. If you want to see what Thaddeus Palmese is up to you can follow him on Instagram @thaddeuspalmese. [EP61]
It is only fitting that Episode 60 is a show with our Moms. This was a fun to have our moms as this week's guests. They shared stories of when we were kids and we questioned them about things we couldn't quite remember. The conversation highlights the differences between Brian and Sondra's food upbringing, Skippy or Jif, Miracle Whip or Hellmans and lots more fun tales. [EP60].fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-26{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-26 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-26{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-26 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-26{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-26 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-27 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-27{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
The Astro Sondra and Brian on the road this week with Liza Hinman, who is one of the hardest working Chef/Owners in Santa Rosa. Her Spinster Sisters restaurant opened in 2012 and took Santa Rosa by storm. She has paid her dues working in some fantastic kitchens fine-tuning her trade. Originally from the East Coast, she eventually ventured west, landed in San Francisco, met her future husband and moved back with him to Sonoma County where his family is from. She is a creative entrepreneur and a visionary that cares deeply about THE LORE. She was able to see a neighborhood that she could reinvigorate - dived in with Spinster Sisters and continues to invest in the community (with her business partner, Eric Anderson) - most recently with the Astro Motel and another project in the works. She shares some of her visions for the future, her desire to be a balanced human with her business and family. One of the best parts of this podcast was the smells that were coming out of her kitchen the whole time we were there - can't wait to go back to eat there!! [EP59]
Spinster Sisters http://thespinstersisters.com/ @thespinstersisters on instagram 401 South A Street, Santa Rosa CA 95401 Closed Mondays
The Astro https://theastro.com/ 323 Santa Rosa Ave - Santa Rosa, CA 95404
What a pleasure to have limited expectations for a place and be totally blown away. That's what happened when I walked in to meet Gwen and Sally -the owners, founders, master curators and adventurers' store called Miracle Plum. This is an episode of hurdles and triomphs, perseverance and joy and about a friendship that came about from a shared passion of food, cooking and wine. They have finely curated a store that not only has a long history in Santa Rosa, but has an eclectic inventory that will fuel any food enthusiast, blow away any natural wine lover (largest collection of natural wines) and a they have sharp eye for artistic pottery and wares. Needless to say, we begged them to let us shop after the show and I could have purchased so much more but I did not want to impose on their time - so I will be back! Lots of great segments in this episode as we hear from both of them as they share their journey, their plans and the future. We hope you enjoy the show and if you are in the area - visit!
Miracle Plum - www.miracleplum.com - 208 Davis Street, Santa Rosa CA - 707-708-7986 Open Tues through Sunday at 10 am @miracle.plum on instagram
Chef Manuel Azevedo's signature Cozinha Nova Portuguesa - "New Portuguese Cuisine" - celebrates the varied and complex flavors of his native Portuguese homeland while adapting them to the immense offerings of top-quality ingredients from his current home in California. Manuel is a local, living in Sonoma County his whole life, fell into his passion for different reasons than most chefs. He has two restaurants in Sonoma now and an incredibly beautiful cookbook that is simply a masterpiece and a love story to Portuguese cooking. He is an advocate for teaching young people how to cook. Listen in to Manuel as he describes his journey and a path that has led him to success.
www.lasaletterestaurant.com - 452 First Street East, Suite H Sonoma, California - Open lunch and dinner daily
www.tascatasca.com - 122 West Napa Street - Sonoma, California 95476 Open lunch and dinner daily
EP56: Sonoma Family Meals & Kitchen Table Project
Chef Made Meals for Fire Survivor Families, Served Weekly Since October 2017. SFM is a 501c3 non-profit.
More than 160,000 meals served…and counting. During the 2017 wildfires, more than 5,000 homes were destroyed in a matter of hours. Thousands remain displaced, living in RVs, mobile homes, with friends, or in vacation rentals nearly a year later. We continue to serve those families four nutritious meals, packed up and ready to go each week.
Heather is the dining editor for Sonoma Magazine and the Press Democrat and the founder of BiteClub. Fran Meininger joined the board of Sonoma Family Meal in 2019. She is now focused on helping Sonoma Family Meal grow and move beyond disaster relief into a strong and vital community organization.
To learn more about Sonoma Family Meals visit www.sonomafamilymeal.org
Kitchen Table Project is a culinary center, training kitchen and cafe dedicated to teaching, supporting and empowering women through mentorship, business development and real-world experience.
The ktp mission is to provide a pathway to employment, career advancement and entrepreneurial success in the food, beverage and culinary services industry for women of all ages, backgrounds or financial circumstance. The official launch date is January 2020.
To learn more about this visit www.kitchentableproject.org
What started as a college assignment, "Missy's Organic Farm Stand" came full circle when she graduated and felt unsure about what career path she should take. It has not been an easy path as Missy and her husband Austin are learning about being farmers the hard way, yet they are not stopping and are more enthused about farming than ever. The 2017 fires destroyed their main farm just a year after they established their own. After regrouping and rebuilding they are “all all-in,” said Melissa. “All of this will go forward and be even stronger than before.” [EP55]
Bee-Well Farms, LLC is a diversified farm in Sonoma County. Husband and wife team, Austin and Melissa Lely, began the farm in 2015, with the mission to produce and sell a range of wholesome products for the local community, while using a holistic management approach to enhance the land and farm ecosystem.
Currently on the farm, they are raising cattle and honeybees, and have 3 acres in seasonal vegetable crop and flower production.
You can find Bee-Well products locally at the Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market. To learn more about Beewell Farms - visit www.bee-wellfarms.com.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-28{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-28 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-28{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-28 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-28{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-28 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-29 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-29{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
This was a difficult show to record as it reflected the aftermath of the October 2019 fires (not quite contained at the time of this recording) and the frustrations of the media projecting Sonoma as being completely on fire. Scenes from the 2017 fires were shown on tv with disregard about how it affects small businesses and towns that are driven by hospitality. The headlines were brutal and confusing as Sonoma and Sonoma County can be synonymous even though Sonoma County. Sonoma County is 1,500 square miles/2.414 square kilometers, more than 50 miles/80 kilometers of coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the San Pablo Bay. Three rivers – Russian, Petaluma, and Gualala and One lake - Lake Sonoma. Sonoma County has a population of over 475,000 people. The county has more than 425 wineries, 53 regional parks, 20 coastal beaches and it is very hard for visitors to comprehend the landscape from afar.
We also discuss the potential new normal of our electric company powering the electric down whenever they think that there is a potential danger to our areas. We all want to be safe from fire and we have to respect the authorities and the people who have trained to keep us safe. It has been a couple difficult weeks and we are grateful that a minimal amount of lives were lost and that many of our friends in upper Sonoma County are safe. We are all in this together, but we won't survive if guests don't visit and are fearful that either wine country is destroyed, and we are not available for business.
If you are listening forgive Brian and I for ranting, we are truly grateful that it wasn't worse. If you are still listening - please plan a trip - you can visit ALL of Sonoma County - you will be welcomed warmly and if not - buy Sonoma County wine - that helps too!
To learn more about the fires click here: https://response.ca.gov/ To donate: https://ncg.org/news/kincade-fire-how-help To find out about volunteer opportunities: https://www.sonomafamilymeal.org/ https://www.corazonhealdsburg.org/ https://www.sonomacf.org/
At the tail end of his heavy event schedule this year, we were so fortunate to meet and converse with Jim Denevan, founder of Outstanding in the Field (OITF). He rolled up to the studio in his shiny red, white & silver 1953 Flexible bus to talk about his 20 years of OITF, his art and life on the road. We dive into the crazy logistics, the spot that the table is placed on unique settings, the vision of the farmers and incredible guest chefs that all make up OITF. In numbers, OITF has fed their guests in 18 countries and all 50 states. In 2019, the 20 year anniversary of OITF, they fed over 20,000 guests on the 112 event roster. Sondra and the girl & the fig team will be/was honored to be the guest chefs for a 460 guest OITF event on Stinson Beach ( November 9, 2019). It was an incredible opportunity to talk with Jim prior to their event to get some perspective about the inner workings of an event of this scale on the sand. [EP53]
For more information about Outstanding in the Field, visit www.outstandinginthefield.com and on Instagram @out_inthefield for some beautiful eye candy and on Twitter @Out_intheField To see some of Jim's large scale art, visit his personal Instagram account @jimdenevan.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-30{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-30 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 0px;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-30{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-30 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-30{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-30 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 0px;margin-left : 0px;}}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-31 { overflow:visible; }.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-31{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
On this week's episode we follow the path of Terri and Mark Stark, owners of 6 (and one on the way) well loved and delicious Sonoma County restaurants. We discover how they met, who does what, how they work together and make their marriage work. We spend some time talking about Willi's Wine Bar, how it was lost in the fire and how the team's love and loyalty brought it back to life.
Somewhere in the middle, the conversation goes down the rabbit hole a tad regarding the frustrating politics, regulations, minimum wage ... around the restaurant business. We do, however, finish it off with a bit of laughter, insights and takeaways.
Their restaurants include - in order of open date; Willi's Winebar, Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar, Healdsburg, Monti's, Stark's Steak & Seafood, Bravas Bar de Tapas, Bird & Bottle, reopening of WIlli's Winebar in a new location, Grossman's Delicatessen & Bar coming in early 2020.
www.starkrestaurants.com
If you hear us crunching on this episode, it's because we are chomping on the FRESHEST, crunchiest pickles you can possibly eat. Lucky for us, Dave Ehreth from Sonoma Brinery left his role in tech and decided to turn his pickle hobby into a thriving business. You can feel his love for his craft through his enthusiasm and for sure when you taste his products. With over 10 products, in over 3000 stores including Trader Joe's he has certainly captured the pickle market. He talks all things pickles, probiotics, bacteria and the difference between types of pickles! Sondra's friends from Boston, Ellen and John sit in and engage Dave with their thoughts and questions. [EP51]
www.sonomabrinery.com @sonomabrinery on Instagram
Former lawyer, past leader of the Marin Slow Food chapter has created a beloved, tactile, useful quarterly magazine for Marin & Wine Country (CA). This is the magazine that covers many extraordinary farmers, ranchers, cheese-makers and other food artisans, and amazing chefs and discerning consumers who appreciate and support them. In this episode, we talk to Gibson about how she started this Edible, what it is like to run a magazine and how she juggles it all. She knows just about EVERYONE in food in the area and is committed to supporting their efforts. Edible is a free magazine, supported by advertising and there is a map on the website to see where to find them. You can also purchase a subscription to be mailed to you.
To see online content for Marin & Wine Country On instagram: @ediblemarinwc
Visit www.ediblecommunities.com to find the magazine in your area and read great articles. On instagram: @edible.communities
EP49: So excited to have the opportunity to have a lively conversation with Director Pei-Yee Woo and Sonoma, Napa, Marin Director Paige Phinney to talk about their incredible commitment to work with small farms in Northern California. Kitchen Table Advisors is a Bay Area nonprofit fueling the growth and long-term viability of sustainable small farms. The farmers that Kitchen Table Advisors select for their program are dedicated to building their farms into viable businesses and finding their own path towards making a living farming the land. Kitchen Table Advisors offers a three year program to farmers that have worked in their farms for at least 3 seasons, are comfortable on the production side of things but need assistance in charting out realistic financial and strategic goals for their sustainable future.
"We cultivate rich relationships with farmers who share our values of sustainability, integrity, and respect for the land and its inhabitants. And we stand alongside them to celebrate their personal and professional successes."
www.kitchentableadvisors.org On Instagram, Twitter & Facebook
To get tickets for their annual fundraiser on 10/18 - limited tickets available - visit - www.grazeandgive.org
EP48: Inspired by a similar idea she saw in Chicago, Renee ReBell launched her Original Food Tour business in 2014 seguing from her years in the wine and hospitality experience. Her tour has been named as the "Best Foodie Tour" in the USA by US News and World Reports. Renee's 3 hour walking tour is an upclose and personal look at Sonoma (along with 4 other Wine Country towns) through food and wine. Her small group tour stops at a minimum of 3 restaurants and a wine tasting room as well as a stop at Sonoma's historic barracks and an olive oil tasting.
www.gourmetfoodandwinetours.com
EP47: Prior Bite guest, Patti Britton (Episode 31) suggested that we should hear Farmer Christian Cartano's story on our podcast. We are so glad that we did, as Christian arrived with an enormous lug of beautiful heirloom tomatoes for us.
As a longtime vegetarian, Chris' journey from Ohio to Northern California convinced him that his participation of growing and sharing food and being involved in the'real' farm to table movement was going to be life changing. Christian got his start farming by growing thousands of tomato plants for Gotts restaurant ("an amazing process to learn"). He has been a committed farmer with a long interest in gardening and ecology, concerned with the future of organic farming and soil health. At present he is the farmer at Little Paradise Farm in Sonoma, a small private 30 acre organic farm that was created to sell local restaurants organic produce and some small batch hand-crafted tomato products including a delicious bloody mary mix. Brian and I truly appreciated Christian's passion for farming and his vast knowledge of his craft.
www.littleparadisefarm.com Also on Facebook
EP46: We were in for a real treat sitting down and recording with Founder, Eileen Gordon of Barnraiser. Not only did she entertain us with passionate stories, she also brought a few samples for us to taste.
What is Barnraiser?
Starting as a crowdfunding space for small batch food and farmers, it is becoming the largest independent source to discover and shop small production foods from all over the workd or as Eileen describes as an "Etsy of food". You know this is true when you take a look at the website https://www.barnraiser.us/ and start salivating as you discover new foods you never knew existed. On the website you have the ability to search, discover through categories, browse and shop. On this online gathering place, you can like, share on social or by email. As we become more concerned and educated about where our food comes from and how it is farmed, produced and raised, this is a surefire way to get to know the makers.
Find Barnraiser on Instagram @barnraiser.us & on Facebook: @BarnRaiserUS
EP45: Jimtown has been a community fixture since 1895, when Jim Patrick founded his eponymous general store to serve as post office and meeting place for residents of the valley. Carrie describes how In 1989, the late husband and she came across the shuttered store while visiting from New York City. After learning that it was for sale, the couple bought Jimtown. John and Carrie set out to restore the abandoned landmark to its former glory and add a few twists of their own. They opened in 1991 and has been feeding visitors, locals, cyclists, winemakers, farmers and more delicious home made food from generational recipes. Carrie also has a line of condiments that are sold in many stores across the country - all of which have a wine country flair. Her business also includes catering for parties of all sorts, she has authored at least two cookbooks and was honored with a Women in Business award in 2017.
In this episode we discuss her early New York days, her journey to wine country, the restoring and opening of the Jimtown Store, her rewards and strife of having a 27 year old business and much more! This is a great episode with one of Sonoma County's most treasured community members and icons.
Her website is jimtown.com
You can follow Jimtown on Instagram @jimtownstore and on Facebook
You can visit the store Thursday - Monday at 6706 Highway 128, Healdsburg, CA, 95448 USA
EP44: Just WOW! Christian Sullberg and Ozzy Jimenez both grew up in Sonoma County, met and in a short time they opened Moustache Baked Goods, Noble Ice Cream and Pie (2 locations) and have added ice cream carts to their mix. Their philosophy is one that is steeped in Sonoma County as much as they bake and make is from scratch and by hand. They do their best to source the ingredients found 30 miles from their home town. They are wildly popular in their wedding cake business, dessert tables and always have a long line at the ice cream stores. In 2017 & 2018, Noble Folk & Moustache Baked Goods were recognized as two of the top LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the Bay Area. For two very young entrepreneurs, the commitment to their communities is commendable. They are both on boards of non-profits for the LGBTQ+/Latin community. Ozzy is currently the Assembly Delegate in Sonoma County's District 2.
This is a great, inspiring episode that dances around their passions and work ethics. It was really great to learn about these two trendsetters in our backyard.
Did someone mention pie?
To learn even more about the beginnings of these two enterprising young men - read these articles published in the Press Democrat at HERE and HERE
You can interact with them on Instagram at @noblefolk and @moustachebakedgoods
Their websites include thenoblefolk.com and moustachebakedgoods.com
EP43: On location in Healdsburg, Dustin Valette talks to us about how he acquired the very building his family owned back in 1915 and how life comes full circle for the Valette brothers. Back then it was a bakery, but today it is a Wine Country destination restaurant. With a new project, "The Matheson", on the horizon, we talk about Dustin's culinary past, his humble beginnings in the restaurant business at 15 as a busboy, working his way up the ranks until he decided to go to the Culinary Institute in New York. Upon graduation, he worked in the kitchens of Thomas Keller, the late Aqua restaurant in San Francisco, a detour to own his own restaurant in Las Vegas and settling down with Charlie Palmer at Dry Creek Kitchen where he worked for seven years prior to opening Valette. It was great fun sitting at table 21 in his restaurant, hearing his stories of the past and drooling as he described his most beloved dish; Day Boat Scallop en Croûte, one that is a permanent fixture on the menu. Great episode! It may make you want to take a trip to Healdsburg!
www.valettehealdsburg.com 344 Center Street, Healdsburg, CA 707-473-0946 open nightly for dinner
Instagram @dustinvalette
Joanne Weir is an award-winning cookbook author, PBS star and producer, culinary instructor and restaurant owner. As a culinary adventurer, we caught her between trips to talk about her beginnings on the family farm, her time at Chez Panisse, her latest book, Kitchen Gypsy, her latest culinary adventures and the guests that join her. It is a wonder that she has the energy to do everything on her plate, especially to the extent that each of her projects take a huge amount of time and planning. We were certainly lucky to get on her calendar to record this episode.
Visit Joanne's website to purchase books, download episodes of Plates & Places or search through her recipes for the perfect dish.
Find @ChefJoanneWeir on Instagram, Facebook and her website joanneweir.com
EP41: With guest host, Kathleen Hill, we had a great conversation with Marcus Benedetti, the CEO of Clover Sonoma. Clover Sonoma has a generational history that goes back to 1916. Marcus shares his rites of passage, working through the different roles in the family business, how the dairy industry has changed over the century and the importance of an 8 ounce glass of milk. We will learn about how they work with the 32 family farms in Sonoma and how "organic" fits in their program. We talk fondly of the beloved 'oreo' cows that dot the hills of Sonoma, the Happy Cow campaign and the need for new slogans in their current billboard contest. With the present day pressures of plant based foods, and nut beverages, he is determined to maintain and continue to grow their share of the dairy market. We even got a sneak peek of their brand new butter spreads - (my favorite was Cinnamon & Sugar - flavors that took me right back to my childhood).
More info on Clover Sonoma's future intentions
LinkedIn Website Instagram Facebook
EP40: Sonoma does love its bakers and Mike the Bejkr is no exception. As I waited in line at the farmer's market the other day for over 20 minutes, I watched the people in line excitedly wait for their turn to order, to purchase their loaves for the week knowing that Mike is a one man show, touches each and every loaf . in a quite detailed conversation, Brian and I find out what it takes to make and sell over 320 loaves in 3 hours. We talk about how Sonoma got so lucky to have one of the winning silver medalists from the Coupe de Monde de la Boulangerie in France that decided to set up shop in our town. I can tell you from experience, these breads are divine and whether you have a wood fired pretzel that he makes right there and comes out of the oven, a classic baguette or one of his ancient grain loaves with hand milled grains from California. We also get to hear about Mike's plan for a non mobile storefront that is hopefully coming soon. For me, it won't be soon enough.
Website: thebejkr.com Instagram @thebejkr1 Buy Bread on Fridays at Sonoma's Depot Park from 9 - 12
EP39: Driven by my curiosity in wanting to know exactly what a Food Stylist does, I did a google search for someone close to Sonoma to have as a guest on the show. That is how we met Alicia Deal. After checking out her website, I really wanted to know what she did as the photographs of her work is stunning and I was drooling on my screen. After coordinating a visit in the midst of her very busy schedule, we got a date on the calendar and we talked and talked!! I hope you enjoy this show as Alicia is so generous with her time and her information she shared with us. To be honest, a food stylist is a much harder occupation than I could have imagined. Not only do you have to play with your food, but you have to make it first. Alicia describes her nomadic childhood and her love for traveling, we talk about her times as a female chef in the #metoo days and how she ended up in her very successful careers. Her client list is impressive and those are only the ones we know about. Hope you enjoy this show - it is a fun one!
www.aliciadeal.com
EP38: How does a classical guitarist end up owning one of the most beloved restaurants in Sonoma? We are excited for you to hear from Saul Gropman's journey from and his passion about music & teaching, coffee, the restaurant business, wine, his guests and Sonoma. Earlier in the season, we had the opportunity to interview John McReynolds who was the opening chef partner at Cafe La Haye with Saul, so learning about the other side is terrific. Saul talks about what it is like to be in the front of the house in his own restaurant for over 22 years. This is a fun show that dances around a bit from the beginnings to now. This episode certainly reveals that how his guest approach has created long time relationships and why he is considered a treasure in Sonoma.
Visit Cafe La Haye at www.cafelahaye.com Cafe La Haye is open for dinner Tuesday - Saturday from 5:30 pm
EP37: This week, we are thrilled to welcome Duskie Estes and John Stewart from Zazu restaurant. On this episode we hear all about how they met, their move from Washington State to Sonoma County, the trials and tribulations of having a restaurant that has changed locations and that had to unfortunately close its doors after the extreme flooding just a few months ago. As we hear it from them, they are still energized as they decide what their next step is. Their combined restaurant histories give us lots to talk about including; their Black Pig Bacon line, head to tail philosophy, farming, Duskie's TV experiences with Guy Fieri' Guy's Grocery Games and Iron Chef as well as their food truck, the black piglet.
You can see where the black piglet will be this summer and what else Duskie & John are up to on their website at https://zazukitchen.com
You can also follow them on Instagram @zazukitchen or Facebook at www.facebook.com/zazukitchenandfarm
You can also visit www.foodnetwork.com/shows/guys-grocery-games to take a look inside Flavortown.
EP36: Bohemian Creamery lies just a mile outside downtown Sebastopol California on a hilltop overlooking the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the Mayacama mountains and our herd of Alpine dairy goats. It also happens to be Sonoma County's first "Latteria", offering all things milk, including whey sodas, goat yogurt and more. Inspired by all things Italian, Lisa has created her California cheeses with Italian traditions. Part of the fun for Lisa has been naming the 18 cheeses, whether it be Romeo, the holiday cheese or Twist and Shout or ShredHead there is no lack in creativity on top of impeccable tasting and produced cheeses. Sold only in the shop, a handful of specialty cheese shops and many restaurants in Wine Country and San Francisco, the girl & the fig has been honored to offer Lisa's cheeses from just about her beginning.
www.bohemiancreamery.com info@bohemiancreamery.com Visit: 7380 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, CA Friday - Sunday 10 - 6pm
EP35: Sondra and Laura have known each other for almost 20 years. Laura Holmes Haddad was the editor of both of Sondra's cookbooks, the girl & the fig Cookbook (published by Simon & Schuster) and Plats du Jour (self-published). In this episode, we have a laughter filled, lively discussion about Laura's beginnings as a food and wine writer, a world traveler, a cookbook author, a mom, wife of a Lebanese husband and breast cancer survivor. All of these important times/roles in Laura's life have culminated to make her the ultimate foodie. Join us as we coerce Laura's 11 year old daughter (going on 20) to talk about food and what she likes to cook and bake and more. With Special Guests: Penelope Haddad & Kathleen Thomas Hill
EP34: We are humbled to have been able to steal Kyle away from his restaurant duties as we know how busy he is. We are certainly glad we did, as we talked about the journey to launching Single Thread, with his childhood sweetheart/wife Katina and created the restaurant/inn of their dreams. Using the influences from their world travels, their sensibilities of wine country and their very strong focus on hospitality, they are rewarded with 3 Michelin stars and was just added to the 2019 World's Best Restaurant list. Find out more about Kyle and Katina on their website Press page (included below) as they have garnered enough press to turn it into a book. Listen in as we find out about some of the intrinsic details that make Single Thread so especially special.
https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/press https://www.singlethreadfarms.com Reservations at https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/bookings Follow them on Instagram at @singlethreadfarms
This week Sondra and Brian sit down with Tsering Sherpa from Nepal. This episode was born out of numerous conversations that Brian had with Tsering on their lunch breaks at the Fairmont, Sonoma Mission Inn. He found the culture and traditions so interesting and the food completely unfamiliar yet compelling, so we invited her on the show to have a long conversation and dig deeper into the subject. Enjoy...
Welcome to episode #32, possibly our longest conversation yet. We welcomed back Alison Kilmer from Uppercase Tea (EP29) and on her suggestion she brought Miyoko Schinner from Miyoko's.
Alison showed up with an incredible platter of Miyoko's Vegan cheeses with condiments and crackers. It was quite a spread and no pun intended quite spreadable too. On this show, we discuss everything Vegan, from how Miyoko got started making artisan vegan cheese, her animal sanctuary, Rancho Compasion, her philosophy and agenda. Alison touches on her Vegan diet, the Miyoko's packaging design, and her mission to inspire restaurants to become more Vegan forward.
More information on Miyoko's Plant Based Cheeses: https://miyokos.com/
To find out what is happening at Wine Country Vegan: https://www.facebook.com/winecountryvegan/
EP31: We are all faced with many buying decisions every day of our lives. Patti Britton of Britton Design works towards influencing us in our wine and food choices in her role as a packaging designer (amongst other graphic design projects). Patti started her graphic design career working for design studios in San Francisco, designing wine and food packaging along with collateral design. She started her own small studio, Britton Design, in San Francisco, at Sansome and Vallejo in 1990 which she eventually moved to the city of Sonoma.
Patti prides herself on being a storyteller and working with clients to understand their message and how best to reveal it so that consumers are engaged. Sondra has known Patti for over 25 years and hired Patti in 1997 when she opened the girl & the fig to create her logo. Throughout the years, Patti has designed more logos, food and wine labels, brochures and more for the girl & the fig. Patti continues to be an award winning designer and her esteemed client list has included Opus One, Ferrari Carano, Viansa, Clos du Val, Galante and way too many to name here.
We were honored to be Patti's first podcasting experience. She paints us a picture of her well regarding design history and what it takes when working with a client to create a visually appealing packaging design that not only tells a story, but sells the product.
You can learn more about Patti and Britton Design at www.brittondesign.com or email her at pb@brittondesign.com.
It is only fitting that Michelle Heston is featured on our 30th episode as we celebrated with one of her amazing one-of-a-kind cake creations. Michelle calls baking her passion project, a way she can combine her love for baking and her generous spirit to friends and family by "letting them eat cake". Our conversation moves around from Michelle's upbringing in the restaurant business, the family tradition of big Sunday dinners, how she found her passion for baking and a bit about working public relations and marketing for luxury hotels.
Sondra unabashedly ate 2 pieces of Michelle's special Whiskey & Honey Cake. (Daisy chocolate sponge cake with Irish-whiskey scented and Sonoma honey vanilla buttercream. Naked frosting of the same recipe, topped with homemade burnt chocolate hard candies dusted with gold sprinkles (to look like figs), local wildflower honeycomb and chocolate shavings).
Michelle's real life job is as the Executive Director of Public Relations for Accor Hotels, which includes the Fairmont Hotel Brand.
You can salivate over Michelle's cakes on Instagram @hestoncakes and if you ever have a chance to taste one of her cakes you will taste the love with every bite.
EP29: On this show we welcome Alison Kilmer, Founder of The Sisterhood of Tea and Upper Case Tea. As a Sonoma-based woman-owned company Alison is committed to elevating tea to the same standards that we often identify with in wine with single estate wine and organic produce. In this episode, Alison will share a tea primer, discuss her passion towards social ventures, explain the intracies of preparing a perfect cup of tea, her tea ceremony and great insight into her design sense, business, and planned growth. Alison generously brought samples of some of her products and we tasted tea in a whole new way.
You can learn more about Alison and her mission as well as purchase tea or subscribe to her monthly subscription on her website
www.thesisterhoodoftea.com
We welcome Rob Larman, long-time Sonoma chef, owner of Cochon Volant BBQ Smoke House. Rob's chef history includes stints at Magnolia Place, Sausalito's Casa Madrona, Rob's Rib Shack and La Poste. During this time, Rob has slowly created his own style of Smoked meats, not influenced be either Texas or Tennessee BBQ. In this episode we talk about Rob's history as a chef, BBQ and smoking, catering, cuts of meat, favorite restaurants, food delivery services, having a neighborhood restaurant and his house-made sauces. We dive into Rob's recent appearance in Food Network's popular show, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives where his brisket, ribs and fried chicken are featured.
To enjoy Robs BBQ, visit Cochon Volant BBQ Smoke House located at 18350 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, CA 95476. (707) 509-5480. The restaurant is open Thursday - Monday from 11 am - 9 pm.
http://www.cochonvolantbbq.com/ on Instagram: cochonvolantbbq
EP27: Nile Zacherle created Mad Fritz after 25 years of home brewing. Nile Zacherle first began his journey into fermented beverages in 1990 at the age of 18 when he and his father brewed their first batch of beer at home. What began as a father/son home project continued to evolve until he transitioned his schooling from a focus in art and design to a BS in Fermentation Science at UC Davis. While at UC Davis, Nile completed the Master Brewers program passing the 2 day exam issued by the IOBD (Institute of Brewing and Distilling based in the UK) in 1996.Nile currently makes wine for David Arthur Vineyards on Pritchard Hill in the Napa Valley. Nile's wife Whitney brings a depth of knowledge from the wine industry and business skills while handling all farming operations and general management at Mad Fritz. This was an in depth conversation about Mad Fritz's orgin beers and the creativity that goes into making them.
www.madfritz.com
Visit at Mad Fritz Tap Room is located at 1282B vidovich Ave in St Helena California
@madfritzbrewing
On this episode, we travel the world on a Chef's journey and love affair for food and travel. Chef John McReynolds has cooked on the range, on the sea, for celebrities and was a hometown Chef / Partner of Cafe La Haye in Sonoma. For the past 10 years, he has been the Chef and Culinary Director for Stone Edge Farms. In addition to cooking, event cooking, foraging, entertaining club members, he also writes. He just released his second cookbook called The Stone Edge Farm Kitchen Larder Cookbook published by Rizzoli. This follows the award winning IACP winner Stone Edge Farm Cookbook.
www.stoneedgefarm.com
Purchase Cookbooks: https://www.stoneedgefarm.com/pages/culinary.html Reservations at Edge: larry@stoneedgefarm.com
EP25: Since MacArthur Place Hotel was purchased last year, there has been a great amount of curiosity as to how the culinary direction would change from its steakhouse roots. On this episode of The Bite Goes On, Kathleen Hill joins us as we were able to talk to Chef Cole Dickenson about his returning home to Sonoma County, his path working his way up the ladder to become an Executive Chef, his appearance on CHOPPED, "Layla" a much anticipated restaurant opening, his mentor Michael Voltaggio and his support for No Kid Hungry and the upcoming ChefCycle event. We also talk about his ambition to get a nod from the Michelin inspectors as well as the hotel property achieving a Forbes 5 star hotel status.
Follow Chef Cole on Instagram at @coledick or the hotel @macarthurplace
Visit www.macarthurplace.com to book a room or to make a reservation at Layla
To find our more about the No Kid Hungry Chefs Cycle events visit the following websites. www.chefscycle.org www.nokidhungry.org
EP24: Sonoma Farm Trails was created over 40 years ago as a way to connect the farmers to the public and a chance to learn more about their local food. Four decades later, the mission has remained the same, but they have more members than ever. Folks coming to Sonoma County should come in hand with a downloadable Farm Trail Map that will show them the way to family farms, the best produce, flowers and a real look at the Sonoma County food landscape.
Samantha Harman from Sonoma Farm Trails (a non-profit) and friend Tyffani Sedgwick joined us in Santa Rosa to record this episode. We discussed the history of the organization (including reviewing some of the earliest maps), the famous Gravenstein Apple Fair, Farm Trail events and more.
Visit the website at www.farmtrails.org to find the map, event calendar or to even volunteer.
EP23: El Molino Central garners a lot of fabulous press and with good reason. The food is delicious, consistent, focused and authentic. "El Molino Central in Sonoma delivers Bay Area's best Mexican food." -San Francisco Chronicle For the second year in a row, owner Karen Taylor has been nominated for a James Beard chef award. We had a great conversation talking about Karen's first cooking job, her mentor Diane Kennedy and her time spent in Mexico learning how to cook the traditional dishes of Mexico, her Italian pizza adventures and more. If you have not eaten at El Molino Central, you must go - it is wonderful!
www.elmolinocentral.com 11 Central Avenue, Sonoma, CA open daily
EP22: We were lucky to sneak away the Culinary Dream Team from Kendall Jackson for an engaging conversation about the winery, food and farming. Our guests were Chef Justin Wangler, Chef Tracey Shepos Cenami and Culinary Gardener Tucker Taylor. We discussed their GORGEOUS new cookbook 'Season, a year of wine country food, farming, family & friends', farm to table dinners, farming, got to taste some interesting miniature ingredients (radishes, oyster leaf) from the farm, and scrumptious bouchons paired with wine.
Book a wine & food pairing at www.kj.com/visit/culinary-experiences.
Visit the winery at 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA 95439
www.kj.com www.seasoncookbook.com
On instagram: @jacksonfamilywines @farmert @jfwchefjw @tshepos
Jim Reichardt started Sonoma County Poultry in 1992 and has been supplying ducks to all of the top restaurants in California ever since. His daughter, Jennifer Reichardt, started her own wine label in 2016 with the goal of making high quality wines for everyday consumption. Listen to her story on "The Wine Makers" podcast, available on the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.
libertyducks.com
raftwines.com
EP20: This week we meet with Laci Sandoval, one of the best bakers in the country. Raised in South Dakota, she grew her love of seasonal fruits and hand-crafted baked goods, ultimately moving to California and working at such restaurants as Boulevard, Chez Panisse, Redd and Jack Falstaff. She now runs a kitchen that offers cooking classes for kids and adults, reaching out to her community through food. Her husband Travis is a glass blower and makes incredible cake stands that are available with your wedding cake. Truly inspirational. Check it out !!!
www.windandrye.com
EP19: Kathleen Hill comes back to chat this week on The Bite Goes On. The conversation is all over the map with Bread in a Can, Trader Vics, Food in Tin Cans, her upcoming exhibit at Marin Arts & Garden and so much more. Kathleen Hill is one of Sonoma's icons and a local celebrity. She is the Food & Wine editor and columist for the Sonoma Index Tribune and author of over 40 books. See Episode #5 notes for more information on Kathleen Hill. She is also a Culinary Historian and the collector of about 4,000 kitchen utensils, machines, devices, cookbooks and food pamphlets. She spent weekdays for seven years with the great writer M.F.K. Fisher and even prepared lunch one day for her and Julia Child, a somewhat terrifying experience for her. Parts of the Kathleen Hill Culinary Collection have been exhibited at museums throughout California and at several Williams-Sonoma stores. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a member of both the New York and Southern California Culinary Historians, and is a Compagnon of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers.
To reach Kathleen Thomas Hill - kathleensonoma@gmail.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathleenHillFood
EP18: In my opinion, the best way for me to describe Deirdre Bourdet to you is that she is an adventure global eater combined with the magic of the written word. Deirdre joined Sondra years ago on one of her cruises to Vietnam, where they shared the eating journey there together. Years later, Deirdre continues her worldly adventures, loving Italy, Myanmar, Thailand, Sardinia, Tokyo and more. Her food travels have inspired her to create a platform for folks to create a dinner party using her upcoming e-books with steps from a few days out to the actual party. Excited to see her first one, that will contain links to where to find ingredients, assistance in technique, playlists and a travel journal. In the meantime she has shared wome of her favorite companies and links for food-related adventures around Europe and Asia.
EP17: NextGenChef is the brainchild of Justine Reichman, food afficianado, food activist, and food entrepreneur incubator. Committed to supporting food businesses who source ingredients from local and organic agriculture, the company is actively crafting a platform to encourage mainstream & widespread food businesses to work towards this regenerative philosophy that will dramatically benefit human and environmental health by reducing carbon footprint, increasing nutritional quality of food offerings, and decreasing the amounts of chemicals and pesticides in our soil and our food (and that’s just a few benefits) all while deliciously feeding local communities.
NextGenChef is getting ready to host their annual Food Summit 2019 in late spring. Mentors, advisors and the company’s own food business owners will be knowledgeably bantering on panels, demonstrating their culinary creations, sitting in on coaching sessions and mingling with the farm, the table and everyone in-between. For more information about NextGenChef visit www.nextgenchef.com For sponsorship or mentor interest contact justine@nextgenchef.com social: @_nextgenchef
eatingrightisahumanright
EP16: We visit with Gary Edwards, as he is a Jack of all Trades in Cheese. We have a lively conversation about his local roots and his beginnings at G & G Markets in Santa Rosa to working in the International Dairy Business.
As President of Sage Marketing, LLC in Sonoma, California since 1991, Gary Edwards has always been an entrepreneur. He has been connected to food in Sonoma County since the age of 10, from growing apples and raising cows as 4-H projects in Sebastopol, California, to today, partnering with cheese and dairy manufacturers around the world.
While traveling globally, learning and marketing in the cheese industry from New Zealand and Ireland to Germany and Italy, Gary helped create the first Certified Organic cheese factory in California.
He was also the founding Convivium leader of Slow Food Sonoma Valley and Co-Founded Cittaslow Sonoma Valley, the first “Slow City” in the US. Gary is Past President of the Sonoma Valley Rotary Club and recent Sonoma City Planning Commissioner, as well as an active board member of the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Gary lives in Sonoma with his lovely wife Ruth and two beautiful children Madeleine and Sullivan.
EP15: We got lucky to get Jay to sit down with us on The Bite Goes On to tell his story of how career choices in being a culinary instructor and restaurant owner led to his becoming a personal business coach and start-up guru. This past fall, Jay created and produced Seeding Sonoma, which was a successful “Shark Tank - ish” event which brought both entrepreneurs and creators together for a forum not seen before in Sonoma. Jay is also Co-founder of givingkicks.com with Damien Rufus, a charitable mission to provide 1000 pairs of kicks to 1000 kids.
Website: https://jayrooke.com Know Pain, Know Gain Podcast: https://jayrooke.com/podcast Giving Kicks: http://givingkicks.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TribeCreator/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayrooke/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayRooke
Brian and Sondra sit down with Rusti Porter and Rachel Hauser from Rebbl and Terra Judge from Not For Sale to talk about Rebbl, their origins both in company development and product sourcing.
What is Rebbl? A company that produces protein drinks and elixirs? A company that is deep in commitment to their core mission values about community, the planet and their team.
REBBL sources organic, sustainably grown ingredients – like reishi mushroom – from high integrity partners who exemplify their core values. They source these organic ingredients from over 29 countries. REBBL was born out of a passionate collaboration between global thought-leaders to identify an innovative solution to uplift vulnerable communities around the world. REBBL donates 2.5% of all net sales to Not For Sale to support regions of the world that are vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. Through impact sourcing, they help communities to thrive and prevent their vulnerability to trafficking in the first place.
Let’s get figgy with the Valley Fig Growers. Gary Jue and Linda Cain from Valley Fig Growers sit down with Sondra and Brian to talk everything about their fig operation in Fresno.Valley Fig Growers is located in Fresno, California. All of the commercially sold dried figs produced in the United States are grown in the Fresno area and north, in the fertile San Joaquin Valley. California represents 10% of the world production of dried figs. Valley Fig Growers was established in 1959 and is the largest handler of figs in North America. The cooperative represents 40% of the California fig industry.
Visit the website at www.valleyfig.com
Fashion Designer to Baker
We can’t wait for you to hear Carole’s fabulous story behind the opening of Rustic Bakery and their slow and steady growth. Rustic Bakery is an organic, small batch bakery located in Northern California.
Visit the website at www.rusticbakery.com
Vegetarian & Vegan Videoblogger on YouTube
Can you imagine over 20 Billion viewers and over 100,000 subscribers to a Vegetarian and Vegan food show. Well Jerry tells us about his path to get to this place, what it means to garner this many subscribers and his feelings about food - not just vegan and vegetarian food. He talks about his approach and style to his content and how he learned to cook from his mother. Jerry is the author of two books; Made with Coffee and Holidazed as well as a writer for Discovery Channel, Whole Food Markets, Costco and more.
www.jerryjamesstone.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGI10IUJg76S5C1Ba1M8SbA
Twitter: @jerryjamesstone
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_James_Stone
https://www.instagram.com/jerryjamesstone/
https://www.facebook.com/jerryjamesstone
Episode 10: Ron Tanner: Specialty Food Association Vice President Philanthropy, Government and Industry Relations
Did you ever wonder how food products get to the shelves in your market or how new food trends happen? We get to discuss these topics on site at the Winter Fancy Food Show with Ron Tanner, who has been on staff for the Specialty Food Association for over 40 years.
The Winter Fancy Food Show had over 1400 companies with over 80,000 different products on display. Sondra tried only about 30 of them in her two days walking the show and Brian tasted 3. The SFA is known for being the hub around the innovation of food and over the years Ron has worked hard bringing an education, philanthropic, and networking component to the association. Listen in to hear what the latest trends are for 2019, the number 1 growth category and about the 7 incubators that are working to make production accessible to everyone.
Summer Fancy Food Show is in New York (june 23 - 25)
www.specialtyfood.com
www,specialtyfoodfoundation.org
rtanner@specialtyfood.com
EP9: Sondra & Brian welcome Kathleen Hill back to The Bite Goes On. Kathleen Hill will be a regular guest. Kathleen Hill is one of Sonoma's icons and a local celebrity. She is the Food & Wine editor and columist for the Sonoma Index Tribune and author of over 40 books. See Episode #5 notes for more information on Kathleen Hill. Today, we play show & tell with a few vintage toasters and talk about all things toast, including her grandfather's cinnamon toast recipe.
{She is also a Culinary Historian and the collector of about 4,000 kitchen utensils, machines, devices, cookbooks and food pamplets. She spent weekdays for seven years with the great writer M.F.K. Fisher and even prepared lunch one day for her and Julia Child, a somewhat terrifying experience for her. Parts of the Kathleen Hill Culinary Collection have been exhibited at museums throughout California and at several Wiliams-Sonoma stores. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a member of both the New York and Southern California Culinary Historians, and is a Compagnon of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers.}
kathleensonoma@gmail.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathleenHillFood
EP8: Sondra and Brian have a fun fact filled conversation with GENTLEMAN FARMER Nicholas Freedman. We discover how Nick has transitioned from corporate media to buying a ranch, 'Bee Cool Ranch' in Petaluma and his love affair with bees. Nick provides a wealth of information that is just plain interesting and will get any inspired bee enthusiast straight to a hive. We hope you enjoy this show - truly fascinating!
https://www.facebook.com/nicholas.freedman.7 https://www.facebook.com/beecoolranch/ https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6390231 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15936918
EP7: Chef John Ash visits with Sondra & Brian to talk about his journey from Fine Arts to being the iconic Chef considered to be the Father of Wine Country Food. Chef Ash, a veteran of the restaurant business, culinary instruction and award-winning author shares his wisdom on his life of a Chef both in the private and public sector. Chef John Ash also hosts the Good Food Hour with Steve Garner on their weekly Radio Program on KSRO FM Radio on Saturdays from 11am - 12pm.
https://chefjohnash.com https://www.facebook.com/Chef-John-Ash-83742237302 http://www.ksro.com/show/good-food-hour/
EP6: Susan & Jeff Mall, founders and owners of VOLO Chocolate join the podcast to discuss their journey from restaurant owners, to chefs at a farm to table resort in Baja, Mexico to their grassroots bean to bar chocolate company. They produce over 1,200 chocolate bars per week in their production studio in Windsor using local ingredients whenever possible including: Clover Dairy, Petaluma Hill Dairy, Merchant & Miller Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flying Goat Coffee. The cocoa beans are sourced from the Lachua and the Polochic Valley regions from farmers’ associations of growers in Guatemala and from another farmers’ association in Haiti.
https://volochocolate.com/ info@volochocolate.com 707-536-6764
Kathleen Hill is one of Sonoma's icons and a local celebrity. She is the Food & Wine editor and columist for the Sonoma Index Tribune and author of over 40 books. She is also a Culinary Historian and the collector of about 4,000 kitchen utensils, machines, devices, cookbooks and food pamplets. She spent weekdays for seven years with the great writer M.F.K. Fisher and even prepared lunch one day for her and Julia Child, a somewhat terrifying experience for her. Parts of the Kathleen Hill Culinary Collection have been exhibited at museums throughout California and at several Wiliams-Sonoma stores. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a member of both the New York and Southern California Culinary Historians, and is a Compagnon of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers.
Kathleen Thomas Hill - kathleensonoma @ gmail.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathleenHillFood
Steve Sando, Founder of Rancho Gordo Beans, author, publisher, world traveler and basically the Man About Beans joins Sondra and Brian to discuss beans and more.
https://www.ranchogordo.com https://twitter.com/RanchoGordo https://www.instagram.com/rancho_gordo/ https://www.facebook.com/ranchogordo
Sondra and Brian visit with Preston Raisin, Founder of Sonoma Broadway Farms. They discuss what the inspiration of starting the Farm and what it is all about.
Sonoma Broadway Farms 20675 Broadway, Sonoma, CA 95476
www.sonomabroadwayfarms.com Instagram Facebook
EP1: Sondra Bernstein and Brian Casey introduce their new podcast that talks everything food.