Fork in the Road – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Today is 4/20, and to celebrate we’re taking culinary cannabis to new highs with cannabis baker Christina Wong of Baking with Chickens. I personally adore cooking and baking using the aromatic oils in marijuana called terpenes as a flavor profile to pair with, and Christina definitely shares that passion, too. She’s worked with all sorts of folks in the cannabis industry like Papa & Barkley, MedMen, and Raw Garden, and also hosts a cooking channel on YouTube called Baking with Chickens, where she showcases the other secret to her delicious baked goods —  fresh eggs from her backyard chooks. Christina is launching a culinary cannabis baking show that kicks off today, and I know she’s going to be a wealth of knowledge for us as we learn how to cook with cannabis for the 420 holiday.

Waffles + Mochi is a new culinary kids show on Netflix that follows the adventures of two Muppet-like friends, Waffles and Mochi, who emerge from living amongst freezer food to traveling the world to learn about the bounty of fresh, real ingredients and international culinary cultures. The show is produced by Michelle and Barack Obama's Higher Ground Productions, and boasts a roster of famous food folks like Samin Nosrat, José Andrés, Massimo Bottura, and Preeti Mistry, and is filled with curiosity, enthusiasm, joy, and delight — things we could all use right now. Today we are chatting with the show’s creator, Jeremey Konner, who’s also the mad genius behind Drunk History, and co-creator and show runner Erika Thormahlen. We discuss everything from the challenges of fabricating puppets who can actually ingest food to what it's like working with Michelle Obama, and everything in between.

Please support the show by subscribing on Patreon, and of course feel free to follow me on IG and Twitter, too. 

Today we're talking about the rise of zero-proof spirits with the CEO/Founders of Optimist Botanicals, whose alcohol-free offerings are catering to a rapidly growing market of the "sober-curious" here in the US. I've been seeing a ton of non-alcoholic bottlings entering the market — think Seedlip, Proteau, Som Cordial and more. And it had me wondering: are more people choosing the sober lifestyle these days, or is there something bigger at play here?

Optimist's flavor profiles are reminiscent of Southern California’s coastlines, desertscapes, and chaparral. Whether you’re just wrapping up your Dry January like I am and looking for more balance after a crazy year, or are abstaining all together, I think there are some interesting things to be gleaned from their insights on the zero proof spirits trend.

Travel expert and seasoned industry leader Nissy Atassi — host of Expedia’s Out Travel the System podcast —  is giving us data-driven trend predictions for travel in 2021. Her team at Expedia dug into a deep pool of booking data to get a top level view on everything from the best days to book flights affordably, to the cheapest days to actually travel on, as well as destination trends coming our way in 2021.

So grab your passport and pencil, you’re gonna want to take notes on this one. Trust me, your wanderlust will thank you.

Give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to check in next year for more episodes! 

Former NFL player and Super Bowl winner Will Blackmon has shifted his attention to the world of wine with his company, the Wine MVP, where he’s now building cellars for high end clientele and pro athletes including Reggie Bush, Matt Ryan, and Josh Allen.

In this episode we chat about the similarities between the athletic mindset and training your palate, plus his favorite under the radar wines for the holiday season.

This week, I have the pleasure of chatting with chef Daisy Ryan, chef/owner of Bell’s in Los Alamos. Bell's reminds me of some of the great destination dining in Europe, where the journey to the Michelin-level meal is part of the experience itself, and the sense of place is just as important as the food. And folks are taking note: Bell’s won Esquire’s Best New Restaurant and Food & Wine’s Best New Chef for 2020 for their crave worthy culinary experience, which is inspired by casual French bistros and a style that they like to call “Franch."

Their wine-friendly menu is all the things you want to eat — think chicken liver mouse, egg salad sandos, and the perfect steak tartare — but they're not just making delicious food. Daisy and Greg are also using their success for good, providing healthful meals to families in need through their program Feed the Valley. In our interview Daisy gives me the scoop on their new restaurants coming down the pike and so much more.

You can follow along to check out video of the episode @kristasimmons on Instagram and YouTube. 

Today on the Fork in the Road podcast, we're continuing our road trip with RV Share in the Santa Ynez Valley, visiting Katie Parker, a California wagyu rancher at Fess Parker Ranch who spearheads their  Wine & Wagyu program, where the cattle are fed grapes and grains from the family’s wineries and breweries in the Central Coast.

Katie is the granddaughter of Fess Parker, who famously played folk heroes Davie Crocket and Daniel Boone, then cashed out his Hollywood winnings to open up a stunning ranch situated in Foxen Canyon. Their property is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen — complete with giant oak trees, spectacular vineyards, and undulating golden hills that make for the most epic sunrise.

After wrangling cattle together in the early morning, we sat down in the vineyards to chat about her perspective on land stewardship and what makes CA wagyu so unique.

You can check out the video of our conversation over on YouTube and get some of the BTS on Instagram @kristasimmons. 

Hanna Brand is a cannabis entrepreneur and co-founder of Autumn Brands, a pesticide-free cannabis farm in Carpinteria, California. The Fork in the Road Podcast explored their greenhouses in Carpinteria and chatted with Hanna — at a safe distance and outdoors, of course — about the local cannabis industry, how terpenes impact the flavor profiles of culinary cannabis, and if there may come a day when California becomes the new Amsterdam, with weed tourism being the new wine tasting. 

What drew me to Hanna's story is not just that she’s killing the game as a woman in a male dominated industry, but the fact that the Autumn Brands cannabis takes a culinary approach when it comes to flavor profiles. Think flavors like wedding cake and watermelon gelato! It’s so delicious.

We also have some really cool video content touring the cannabis farm on my Instagram and Youtube, so feel free to give me a follow to check it out @kristasimmons @forkintheroadmedia.

Kelsey Darragh is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and former star at Buzzfeed Studios and currently, she’s making a documentary on mental health and social justice using an RV as her production vehicle for the #Justice4Saraya film, so I couldn’t think of anyone better to talk tips and tricks on how to RV than her, since we are taking Fork in the Road on the road in an RV in the next episodes. We talk everything from RVing essentials (don’t forget the tool box and camping towels!) to why the #vanlife is an ideal way to travel in the pandemic in this episode. 

Have a listen and give us a follow @kristasimmons and @forkintheroadmedia on Instagram.

This week's guest is Jenny Dorsey, a chef and writer that’s the head of Studio Atao, a non-profit think tank that focusses on live experiences at the intersection of food, art, technology, and social justice. We cover a lot of ground in this episode,  from cultural appropriation of cuisines and the lack of diversity and representation in food media to how to continue making progress in the post 2020 Election era.

Have a listen and give us a follow @kristasimmons and @forkintheroadmedia on Instagram.