Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Zest
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'The Splendid Table' Shines a Spotlight on Florida | 26 Jun 2025 | 00:00:29 | |
Earlier this month, The Splendid Table recorded a live episode all about Florida foods! Host Francis Lam and producer Erika Romero came to the New Tampa Performing Arts Center for an episode and meet-and-greet hosted by WUSF Public Media. If you're in West Central Florida, catch the broadcast on Sunday, June 29, 2025 at 2 p.m. on WUSF 89.7 FM. Or listen anywhere, anytime at splendidtable.org. Guests included:
In case you missed it, check out our convo with Francis when he was a Zest guest! | |||
| Bonus: Juneteenth Freedom Feast with Kiva Williams, a.k.a. The Fun Foodie Mama | 19 Jun 2025 | 00:24:28 | |
Juneteenth—June 19—commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday in 2021, but early celebrations date back to the 1860s. Today, Americans observe Juneteenth with festivals, family and of course, food. So we invited influencer Kiva Williams, a.k.a. the Fun Foodie Mama, to share some of her favorite Juneteenth culinary traditions. In this conversation, the Wesley Chapel resident and founder of Mahogany Kids Fine Arts Foundation explains the origins of Juneteenth. She also shares her family’s favorite celebratory foods and drinks, and recommends Juneteenth events to attend and offers advice on how everyone can enjoy the holiday, regardless of race. Kiva starts by explaining how she became a food influencer. For more ways to celebrate Juneteenth, check out the WUSF events calendar. Related episodes: | |||
| “Call Anthony” Gilbert Reviews Food at Gas Stations and Other Overlooked Eateries | 17 Apr 2025 | 00:26:32 | |
Many Florida restaurants have received nods from some pretty prestigious organizations. At the same time, there’s a whole other culinary scene that’s equally popular—one that, sadly, will likely never be the radar of the prestigious Michelin Guide or James Beard Foundation. We’re talking about food served in convenience stores, gas stations and other mom-and-pop eateries. Maybe you’ve eaten some amazing food in these places. Maybe you’re even among the tens of thousands of people who follow our guest on social media. Anthony Gilbert, better known online as Call Anthony, has garnered a cult-like following with his video reviews of Tampa Bay’s under-the-radar eateries. That standing-room-only barbecue joint? Anthony says it’s got the best smoked oxtails in town. The $5 chicken wings in the sketchy-looking corner store? There’s a reason why that place is always packed. If you’re feeling uneasy about going inside, Anthony will show you that there’s nothing to worry about. Anthony grew up in the housing projects of East Tampa, and most of his reviews highlight food spots in underprivileged neighborhoods. But his fan base is wide-reaching, helping to bring a variety of customers to small, often Black-owned businesses. Anthony stopped by the Zest studios at WUSF Public Media for a chat with Dalia Colón and Alexandria Ebron. In this conversation, he shares some of his favorite local eateries, why he believes his food reviews are resonating with the public and his plans to open a restaurant of his own. Warning: This conversation will make you hungry. | |||
| Yee Farms Brings Chinese Vegetables and “a Sense of Pride” to Boynton Beach | 20 Apr 2023 | 00:16:49 | |
Today, we’re exploring vegetables native to China with Roland Yee. Roland is the third-generation co-owner of Yee Farms, which his grandparents started after they immigrated to New York City and eventually made their way down to Florida. Today Yee Farms sits on 1,000 acres in Boynton Beach. The family supplies bok choy, Chinese broccoli, winter melon and other veggies to Florida’s Asian and mainstream markets, restaurants, cruise lines and theme parks. In this conversation, Roland tells the story of Yee Farms and explains how the challenges of farming have changed over the years. Then Roland and Dalia brainstorm ways to enjoy all those fresh veggies. Related episodes: | |||
| From Florida to France: Food Writer Jamie Schler on Cooking with Oranges, French Hotel Life and More | 13 Apr 2023 | 00:21:47 | |
Toto, we’re not in Florida anymore. But we are talking about oranges—in the Sunshine State and across the Atlantic—with our guest Jamie Schler. Jamie grew up in Satellite Beach, on Florida’s Space Coast. After college, she moved to New York City before settling in France, where she and her husband own a small hotel. Jamie balances hotel ownership with being a food writer and cookbook author. During the COVID 19 pandemic, she published the e-cookbook Isolation Baking. She’s also the author of Orange Appeal, a cookbook full of sweet and savory recipes showcasing the fruit that put her native Florida on the map. Jamie chatted with Dalia from the hotel she owns, where she also lives. In our conversation, she shares her favorite ways to cook and bake with oranges, the differences between ingredients in the U.S. and France, and how the fantasy of running a French boutique hotel compares to the reality. Related episodes:
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| Dube’s Mobile Market Supplies Local Produce to Pasco County Residents… and Dave Matthews Band | 06 Apr 2023 | 00:23:21 | |
In July 2019, Dave Matthews Band was coming to Tampa to perform a concert. Word got out that the band was searching for locally grown food to eat, as they do for every show. (They call it farm-to-stage.) Nichole Dube worked a corporate job at the time, but she had recently attended a community gardening conference, so she set out to source the band’s food herself. She pulled it off. That’s how the idea for Dube’s Mobile Market was born. In this conversation, Nichole shares how a 2019 Dave Matthews Band concert led to her family’s business. She also explains the importance of eating locally, and she offers advice for encouraging kids to eat their veggies. Related episodes: | |||
| Restaurateur Claudia Johnson on the Global Influences of Mexican Cuisine | 30 Mar 2023 | 00:23:08 | |
Today we’re salivating over Mexican food and culture with Claudia Johnson. The Mexico City native is general manager of Grand Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant with a handful of Tampa Bay locations. Her latest project is Seaglass Tavern, which features elevated comfort food in Tampa’s Citrus Park neighborhood. Dalia recently met up with Claudia inside Grand Hacienda’s 4th Street location in St. Petersburg. In our conversation, Claudia discusses the complexity of Mexican cuisine, including regional differences and the strong French influence—something I’d never really considered. She also shares how her business background influences her restaurants, and she explains how the minor Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo became such a big deal in the United States. Related episodes: | |||
| “We Got Engaged up at the Milking Parlor”: Modern Dairy Farmers Sutton & Kris Rucks | 23 Mar 2023 | 00:21:45 | |
Meet dairy farmers Sutton and Kris Rucks of Milking R Farm in Okeechobee. They discuss how the industry has evolved over the years, the challenges of being dairy farmers in a world full of milk alternatives, and how they got engaged in a milking parlor. Related episodes: | |||
| Firehouse Chef Manny FD on Cooking for his “Second Family” and the Right Way to Extinguish a Kitchen Fire | 16 Mar 2023 | 00:23:03 | |
This week, Emmanuel Washington Jr. answers our burning questions about life as a firehouse chef. Better known as Chef Manny FD (for fire department), the Miami native works for the Orlando Fire Department. In addition to being district chief, he’s also the resident chef at station 8, near Orlando International Airport. He’s demonstrated his culinary skills on cooking competition shows including Cutthroat Kitchen, MasterChef and Food Network Star. In this conversation, Manny shares how being a firefighter has made him a better chef, the advice Alton Brown gave him that helps him cook faster and the right way to put out a kitchen fire. Related episodes: | |||
| Third-Generation Beekeeper Derek Lewis on Food Pollination, Bee Hotels and the Value of the “Sophisticated Little Creatures” | 09 Mar 2023 | 00:19:56 | |
Get the buzz on beekeeping from St. Petersburg resident Derek Lewis. The South African native and third-generation beekeeper is active in the Pinellas Beekeepers Association. Derek explains the importance of bees as the world’s population increases, offers advice for new beekeepers and suggests ways to make any lawn more bee-friendly. Related episodes: | |||
| For Storyteller Natasha Samreny, Multicultural Family Dinners Set the Table for a Comedy Career | 02 Mar 2023 | 00:18:37 | |
In this conversation, Natasha Samreny shares stories from her multicultural upbringing; describes her favorite Ecuadorian, Italian and Lebanese foods; and offers advice for parents of budding comedians. Related episodes: | |||
| Monin Flavor Expert Julia Melucci: “I Play With Sugar All Day Long.” | 22 Feb 2023 | 00:21:29 | |
We hope you’re thirsty, because this week’s guest is Julia Melucci of Monin. The global company creates flavorings for cocktails, mocktails, coffee drinks, milkshakes and more. Julia’s official title is beverage innovation manager. But she describes herself as an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. “I work in a sugar factory, and I play with sugar all day long,” says Julia, who works at Monin’s U.S. headquarters in Clearwater. In this conversation, Julia explains how she combines data with her hospitality industry experience to determine which flavor will be the next big thing. (Monin’s flavor of the year for 2023 is hot honey.) She also discusses her participation in the elite bartending group Chilled 100, offers advice for bartenders and shares tips for creating your own signature drink. Related episodes: | |||
| Pasta Packs Co-Founders Nic & Greg Bryon on Pandemic Dinner Parties, the Flour Your Pantry Needs and Cooking While Black | 16 Feb 2023 | 00:19:15 | |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of us were experimenting with sourdough starter, the Bryon brothers were eating like kings. With restaurants shuttered, Nic Bryon had been laid off from his job as sous chef of Tampa’s Oak & Ola. But the Johnson & Wales grad put his culinary skills to work at home, where he quarantined with his brother Greg and Greg’s young family. The food, wine and music flowed. But the money didn’t. So in April 2020, the brothers combined Nic’s cooking expertise with Greg’s business acumen to start Pasta Packs. Today Pasta Packs has a brick-and-mortar pickup location in South Tampa. In addition to selling ready-to-cook pastas and sauces, Pasta Packs offers classes, catering and in-home three-course dinners. Nic also teaches a free cooking class for kids called The Sauce, through University Area Community Development Corporation in Tampa. Greg and Nic recently chatted with me about the challenges they faced along the way, tips for making better pasta at home and the reaction they receive as two Black men cooking Italian food. Related episodes: | |||
| Sunshine State Vanilla’s Stephanie Webb Spills the Beans on Florida Vanilla Symposium | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:27:17 | |
Is Florida's new signature scent... vanilla? A few weeks ago here on the pod, Chef Justin Timineri of Fresh From Florida told us about some of his favorite trending agricultural products coming out of the Sunshine State. One in particular caught our attention: vanilla. You can almost smell it, can’t you? That warm, sweet, comforting scent that reminds you of baking chocolate chip cookies or lighting your favorite candle. Stephanie Webb knows the aroma all too well. As the founder and owner of Sunshine State Vanilla, she cultivates and sells vanilla plants grown on a farm on Pine Island in Lee County. She also has a line of vanilla-scented kitchen and bath products. Predominantly grown in Africa and South America, vanilla is starting to flourish here Florida, thanks to folks like Stephanie and her partners, which include local farmers and researchers. The Zest team recently met up with Stephanie. In our conversation, she shares what led to her interest in vanilla, why the plant’s beans are so expensive and her favorite sweet and savory ways to cook with vanilla. Stephanie also explains why Florida is a perfect place to grow vanilla plants—and to host the inaugural Florida Vanilla Symposium, which takes place this Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Fallen Oak Farms in Valrico. It’s open to the public. Thanks to Kenya Woodard for suggesting this episode. If you’d like to suggest a Zest guest, email us at: info@thezestpodcast.com Related episodes: | |||
| PB & Jelly Deli Serves Up “Elevated School Lunch” for a Good Cause | 09 Feb 2023 | 00:26:19 | |
You could call it the feel-good food truck. The St. Petersburg-based PB & Jelly Deli serves up sophisticated-yet-playful nut butter sandwiches that evoke memories of childhood. Better still, for every sandwich sold, PB & Jelly Deli donates a meal back into the Tampa Bay community. The nonprofit food truck is operated by volunteers from Radius Church in St. Petersburg, which started the enterprise in 2017 as a community outreach. Dalia recently chatted with co-founder Amanda Clark about the food truck’s origins, some of the more unusual menu items and how to make better sandwiches at home. Related episodes: | |||
| From the Big House to the White House: Dr. Martha Bireda on Foodways of the Enslaved | 02 Feb 2023 | 00:27:36 | |
Here at The Zest, we love to explore the foodways of Floridians past and present—including the people who weren’t treated like people. This week we learn about the food customs of enslaved workers who labored on Florida’s plantations, growing cotton, tobacco, sugar and other cash crops. Many of their culinary traditions are alive and well today, although they rarely get credit. “It is a marker of our cultural identity,” says Martha Bireda, PhD, director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture in Punta Gorda. (The museum suffered damage from Hurricane Ian and was closed at the time of our recording. Check the museum’s website for updates.) Related episodes: | |||
| Brown Bananas, the Jar Method & the “Drawer of Death”: UF Prof. Tie Liu on Keeping Produce Fresh | 26 Jan 2023 | 00:24:11 | |
Moldy raspberries. Mushy avocados. That slimy bag of kale. When it comes to buying produce, too often our eyes are bigger than our stomach. Keeping fruits, veggies and herbs fresh starts with making a shopping list and being realistic about how much we’ll actually eat, says Tie Liu, PhD. Dr. Liu teaches in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, and he’s passionate about reducing food waste. In this conversation, he addresses common conundrums like where to store tomatoes, how to stop bananas from browning so quickly and a better way to shop for herbs. Related episodes:
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| Writer Charlie Crespo on 3 Food & Drink Trends Coming Your Way in 2023 | 19 Jan 2023 | 00:19:33 | |
Whether you’re an aspiring food influencer or you just want to order with more savvy at restaurants, Charlie Crespo has some advice. The Miami-based food and drink writer’s work has appeared in publications including Pipette Magazine, Infatuation Miami, INDULGE Miami, Venice Magazine and more. In this conversation, Charlie offers practical advice for up-and-coming food writers. He also reveals his new favorite burger, croissant and under-the-radar restaurants in South Florida. Then he predicts some food and drink trends to look out for in this new year. Related episodes: | |||
| 7 Tips for Eating More at Home: Advice from Dietician/Nutritionist Wendy Wesley | 12 Jan 2023 | 00:22:55 | |
Dietician and nutritionist Wendy Wesley of St. Petersburg offers practical advice to get you cooking and eating more at home—which can benefit both your wallet and your waistline. Related episodes: | |||
| Season 7 Premiere: EPCOT Culinary Director Albert Youngman Brings a World of Flavors to Florida | 05 Jan 2023 | 00:24:12 | |
Today we bring you a conversation with Chef Albert Youngman, culinary director for Disney's EPCOT Theme Park. He shares how his team creates globally inspired menus for EPCOT's restaurants, World Showcase of 11 countries and four annual festivals. Chef Albert also explains how cooking for a crowd has changed over his nearly two decades at Disney, and he offers advice for eating your way around the world at EPCOT. Related episodes: | |||
| Season 7 Trailer | 29 Dec 2022 | 00:01:39 | |
Here's a taste of what we're cooking up for the new year. Season 7 premieres on Jan. 5, and new episodes are released every Thursday.
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| Season 6 Finale: 360 Eats Takes Leftovers from Food Waste to Food Truck | 24 Nov 2022 | 00:26:49 | |
The holidays mean food—and food waste. Today on our season 6 finale, we’ll meet a mother-and-son duo who are doing something about it while helping those in need. We’re about to meet a mother and son who are reducing food waste and tackling food insecurity in Northern Pinellas County. Ellen and Cameron Macleish [ma-KLEESH] are the cofounders of 360 Eats. The nonprofit turns surplus food into meals for the hungry and compost for gardeners. Cameron is the executive director, while Ellen is the executive chef. Dalia met up with them at Kitchen 24, a commercial kitchen in Oldsmar where they store and prepare the food. In our conversation, Cameron and Ellen explain why food waste happens, what they’re doing about it and how you can reduce food waste in your own kitchen. Related episodes:
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| “Epicurious One” Stephanie Love Is Disrupting the Wine Industry, One Chicken Wing at a Time | 17 Nov 2022 | 00:24:08 | |
Stephanie Love’s philosophy on wine is simple: “Wine is for everybody.” Through her company, Epicurious One, the St. Petersburg resident offers wine education trips and other experiences. Participants praise her down-to-earth approach, including Stephanie’s wine-and-comfort-food pairings and her descriptions of wine as people with different personalities. In this conversation, Stephanie shares the importance of supporting minority-owned vineyards, suggests wine to enjoy with chicken wings and offers advice for finding an affordable wine you’ll like. Related episodes:
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| Awww… Shucks! “OysterMom” Deborah Keller on the Importance of Sustainable Aquaculture | 10 Nov 2022 | 00:26:21 | |
For Deborah Keller of Tallahassee, the world is her oyster. After a 29-year career with The Nature Conservancy, Deborah turned her attention to sustainable shellfish. Nicknamed the OysterMom, she has been farming and selling fresh oysters for nearly a decade. In this interview, the conservationist describes the impact of climate change and hurricanes on oystering. She also explains the far-reaching economic impact of Florida’s oyster industry, recounts the bureaucratic red tape she encountered along the way and describes the serenity and stress she experiences on oyster harvesting day. And of course, we had to ask Deborah about her favorite way to eat oysters. Related episodes: | |||
| Chef Steve Phelps of Indigenous Restaurant on How to Be a Responsible Seafood Consumer | 03 Apr 2025 | 00:26:52 | |
No fish story here. If you eat seafood, then Chef Steve Phelps wants you to know something—like, actually know something—about what you’re consuming. That striped bass at the grocery store seafood counter—where did it come from? The tuna melt you ordered for lunch from your favorite diner—how was that fish caught? Steve is co-owner and head chef of Indigenous. Since he opened the restaurant in 2011, it’s become one of the most sought-after dinner reservations in Sarasota, and Steve was a two-time semi-finalist for James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef South award. He’s also stepped into a role as one of the area’s most vocal advocates for responsible seafood consumption. Dalia first met Steve during a screening of the PBS docuseries Hope in the Water, and she invited him on the podcast to do a deep dive (sorry, couldn’t resist!) about how restaurant goers and home cooks can enjoy seafood responsibly. In this conversation, Steve shares:
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| Dr. Fred Opie on the “Fascinating” African Roots of Florida Foods | 03 Nov 2022 | 00:25:49 | |
We always love digging into food history, so we’re excited to welcome back friend of the pod Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie. He’s an author and professor of history and foodways at Babson College outside of Boston. Among the courses he teaches is African History and Foodways. We always learn something from Dr. Opie, and he has the best stories. In this conversation, he explains the African roots of Southern staples like watermelon, beans and rice, and Coca-Cola. He also details how enslaved Africans brought their farming techniques and cooking methods to America, and how Reconstruction-era politics led to racist food stereotypes that persist today. Related episodes:
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| Punk Rock Foodie Derrick Fox Spills Secrets of the MasterChef Kitchen | 27 Oct 2022 | 00:24:29 | |
He’s a little bit foodie, and a little bit rock ‘n roll. This week, we’re catching up with musician-turned-MasterChef contestant Derrick Fox. The Fort Myers native graduated from Estero High School and went on to enjoy a career as a drummer with the Naples-based rock band Later Days. After years of touring, Derrick recently put away his drumsticks in favor of his other passion: cooking. He now works as a private chef, splitting his time between Dallas, Fort Myers and Los Angeles—where he competed twice on reality cooking competition show MasterChef. In season 6, he was a runner-up. And in season 12, he tied for seventh place. While Derrick didn’t bring home the trophy, he parlayed his stint on the show into a podcast called A Bunch of Losers with Derrick Fox. On his podcast, Derrick interviews also-rans from reality TV competitions while they all drink from mugs with a FOX emoji. At the end of each episode, he puts guests through a blind taste test—because whether he’s making music, competing on a reality show or dreaming up new creations for his dessert brand, Epic Mega Cookie Company, Derrick is a foodie at heart. Dalia recently chatted with Derrick Fox, a.k.a., Derrick Peltz, about how his music career prepared him to be a chef, and what home cooks can learn from the MasterChef kitchen. | |||
| “Now Food Doesn’t Have to Travel”: Hyperlocal Agriculture with lemonGRAFT Founder Zach Correa | 20 Oct 2022 | 00:23:23 | |
This week, we’re exploring the benefits of hyperlocal agriculture with Zach Correa, founder and CEO of lemonGRAFT. The Tampa-based tech platform allows neighbors to buy and sell home-grown foods. Zach’s idea has been getting a lot of attention lately. Last year, Zach scored a fellowship with NPR’s How I Built This podcast. And you may have heard him back in July on WUSF’s Florida Matters. In our conversation, Zach explains how lemonGRAFT works and how buying local—as in, your neighbor down the street local—can lead to a more sustainable and equitable food system. Related episodes: | |||
| “Latino Orlando” Author Dr. Simone Delerme on the Rise of Florida’s Hispanic Restaurants & Markets | 13 Oct 2022 | 00:21:37 | |
Explore how Central Florida became a hotbed of Latino food businesses—and the cultural mashups that followed. Learn how marketing tactics by housing developers led to an influx of Puerto Ricans to Orlando in the 1970s and '80s. What followed was a proliferation of restaurants, supermarkets and small food businesses targeting Latinos in Central Florida. Our guest is Dr. Simone Delerme, author of Latino Orlando: Suburban Transformation and Racial Conflict. Related episodes: | |||
| How to Prepare Restaurant-Quality Meals at Home: Advice from Chef Dennis Littley | 06 Oct 2022 | 00:27:20 | |
Today we’re geeking out on the details that can help your home-cooked meals taste more like restaurant-quality creations. For advice, we turned to Chef Dennis Littley, the food and travel blogger behind Ask Chef Dennis. Related episodes: | |||
| Get a Taste of Ukraine at Oksa Cakes Bakery & Bistro in Flagler Beach | 29 Sep 2022 | 00:23:21 | |
As the war in Ukraine continues, meet a Ukrainian couple bringing a taste of their homeland to Florida. Oksana Petrova and her husband, Sergiy Petrov, own Oksa Cakes Bakery & Bistro in Flagler Beach. Oksana discusses her favorite Ukrainian delicacies and how the war has affected their business. Related episodes: | |||
| How to Start a Community Garden: Lessons from University Area CDC's Harvest Hope Community Garden | 22 Sep 2022 | 00:23:14 | |
If you've ever dreamed of starting a community garden, then you'll want to take notes on this episode. Just north of the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus is an urban oasis: Harvest Hope Park. The 7-acre park is a sanctuary for residents, with a playground, sports fields, fitness stations, walking trail, tilapia fishing pond and more. It all started eight years ago with the park’s first feature: Harvest Hope Community Garden. Sarah Combs is executive director/CEO of the University Area Community Development Corporation, which oversees the garden. Derek Laracuente and Harvest Hope Community Garden volunteer. Dalia recently visited with them to learn how to garden got up and running, challenges along the way and advice for anyone looking to start and sustain a community garden. | |||
| Eat Better, Feel Better: Simple Swaps from Carly Paige of FitLiving Eats | 15 Sep 2022 | 00:23:41 | |
Learn to simplify healthy eating with simple advice from Carly Paige of FitLiving Eats. The Orlando-based chef and cookbook author suggests easy recipe swaps and no-cook meal ideas. Related episodes: | |||
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers Chef Tracie Hartman on Feeding the Team, Pre-Game Ice Cream and Tom Brady’s “Very Disciplined” Diet | 08 Sep 2022 | 00:23:46 | |
She’s the woman behind the men. Tracie Hartman serves as executive performance chef for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the off-season, Dalia stopped by the Bucs’ AdventHealth Training Center to chat with Tracie. In this conversation, Tracie discusses how she went from working in finance to feeding the Bucs, which players love junk food and whether Tom Brady’s diet is as strict as everyone thinks. Related episodes: | |||
| Spice Up Your Life with “Saucy Queen” Michele Northrup of the I Like It Hot! Festival | 01 Sep 2022 | 00:27:48 | |
If you can’t stand the heat… then grab a glass of milk. We’re spicing things up with Michele Northrup, better known as the Saucy Queen. Whether you love spicy food, or you feel your mouth burning when you hear a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I think you’ll enjoy today’s conversation. Michele Northrup owns Intensity Academy hot sauce company and co-produces the annual I Like It Hot! Festival. This year’s event takes place Sept. 10 and 11 at the Largo Event Center. I visited Michele at her home in Tampa’s Northdale neighborhood to discuss her favorite ways to spice up a meal. She also also offered advice for introducing spicy foods to kids and for cooling down your mouth if things get a bit too intense. Speaking of intense, stick around for the taste test at the end of the episode. Thanks to Michele’s husband, Atlas Cortecero, for assisting with that. Related episodes: | |||
| Fresh From Florida’s Chef Justin Timineri Showcases Florida Flavors Worldwide | 27 Mar 2025 | 00:23:29 | |
Nice work, if you can get it. Today we’re catching up with friend of the pod Justin Timineri. As executive chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Fresh From Florida program, he is the state’s official culinary ambassador. Sounds like a sweet gig, right? It is. But as you’ll hear, it’s also a lot of work. Dalia recently caught up with Chef Justin. In their conversation, he recalls his earliest food memories from his Tallahassee childhood, shares stories from his remarkable career that has included showcasing our state’s food all over the world and his favorite Florida food trends. To learn more about Chef Justin Timineri, check out Dalia’s profile of him in the spring issue of FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities. | |||
| “It Was Very Fancy”: Fine China, Menus and Etiquette from Henry B. Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel | 25 Aug 2022 | 00:33:03 | |
Long before the Ritz-Carlton or the Four Seasons, there was the Tampa Bay Hotel. Railroad giant Henry Plant founded the hotel, which operated from 1891 to 1932 and served as a playground for the rich and famous. Today, the former Tampa Bay Hotel is home of the Henry B. Plant Museum on the University of Tampa campus. I stopped by the museum to learn who stayed there, what they ate and lessons their fancy-schmancy meals can teach us today. In this conversation, you'll hear from Lindsay Huban, Susan Carter and Melissa Sullebarger of the Henry B. Plant Museum. Related episodes: | |||
| Author Kristen Hare on Things to Eat in Tampa Bay Before You Die | 18 Aug 2022 | 00:22:25 | |
Get ready to fill up your calendar with some foodie field trips, because this week’s guest is Kristen Hare. Her book "100 Things to Do in Tampa Bay Before You Die" is now in its third edition—and many of the entries are food-related. There’s something for everyone, whether you live in Tampa Bay r you’re starting a list of places to check out the next time you find yourself passing through. I recently visited Kristen at her home in Lithia, where she shared her favorites, from breakfast to burgers to what she called - quote - "the best Cuban sandwich of my life." Related interviews: | |||
| Low-Carb Florida Life with Dennis Perez of Black Tie Kitchen | 11 Aug 2022 | 00:24:34 | |
In Florida, there’s no shortage of Cuban bread, key lime pie or shrimp and grits. But eating well minus all the carbohydrates can get tricky. That’s where Dennis Perez comes in. The Oldsmar resident is the content creator behind Black Tie Kitchen. It’s a YouTube channel where he shares low-carb versions of his favorite foods—with a side of humor. Among his most popular recipes are pizza, ice cream and cheese biscuits. So put down that bread basket. Here are Dennis’s tips and tricks for a low-carbohydrate lifestyle. Related episodes: | |||
| Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ “Cross Creek Cookery” Turns 80: Reflections from Food Writer Jeff Houck | 04 Aug 2022 | 00:26:33 | |
Majorie Kinnan Rawlings’ memoir Cross Creek reads like a time capsule of life in rural Florida. Published in 1942, the book became an instant classic for its descriptions of natural beauty, farm life and 1930s race relations in the hamlet of Cross Creek, located between Gainesville and Ocala. Much of the book centered around food, so a natural follow-up that same year was Cross Creek Cookery. To mark the cookbook’s 80th anniversary, food journalist Jeff Houck wrote about Cross Creek Cookery for the summer 2022 issue of Edible Tampa Bay. He recently visited our Tampa studio to offer his reflections. Related interviews: | |||
| 20 Tips for a Better Hurricane Food Kit: Advice from Janet Keeler | 28 Jul 2022 | 00:29:12 | |
Florida’s official hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30. But things really ramp up during peak season, which is between mid-August and late-October, according to the Florida State University’s Florida Climate Center. So if your hurricane kit isn’t quite ready for a major storm, fear not. There’s still time to stock up on supplies. And when it comes to food, this week’s guest can help you think outside of the soup can. Friend of the pod Janet Keeler is the former longtime food editor for the Tampa Bay Times and current current freelance editor for the personal finance website The Penny Hoarder. So she knows a thing or two about prepping your hurricane food kit on a budget. Here’s the cheat sheet:
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| How to Save Money on Groceries: Advice from UF/IFAS Expert Dr. Maria Portelos-Rometo | 21 Jul 2022 | 00:28:30 | |
For many of us, saving money at the supermarket is top of mind. So we reached out to Dr. Maria Portelos-Rometo, who teaches a variety of food-related classes at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, including Grocery Shopping for Your Health. She has also written a series of blog posts titled Saving Money at the Grocery Store. In this conversation, Portelos-Rometo, offers advice for saving money on groceries. Related episodes: | |||
| Season 6 Premiere: Summer Reading and Wine Pairings from Book + Bottle’s Terra Dunham | 14 Jul 2022 | 00:28:52 | |
For many of us, summer is reading season. Whether you’re indulging in a beach read or delving into something meatier on a plane ride, a good book goes great with a drink. So to kick off season 6, we're chatting with Terra Dunham, who owns Book + Bottle. It's a combination bookstore/wine bar in downtown St. Petersburg. The shop’s Readers and Drinkers Circle is a quarterly book and wine pairing subscription. So Terra knows just what to drink with a good beach read. Related episodes:
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| Coming Soon... Season 6! | 07 Jul 2022 | 00:03:15 | |
Listen right here or at TheZestPodcast.com. | |||
| Season 5 Finale: Food Hacks for Your Next Vacation from Travel Blogger Carrie McLaren | 02 Jun 2022 | 00:26:36 | |
It's our season 5 finale! After this week, The Zest will go on hiatus for about a month as we work on new episodes—and, let's be honest—do some traveling. We're hoping you'll get a well-deserved summer vacation, too. So we've invited travel guru Carrie McLaren to share her best food-related travel hacks. Carrie lives in Jacksonville, where she runs the website and social media accounts Carrie On Travel. She specializes in family travel, having been on countless trips with her husband, Robert, and daughters Maggie and Molly, who are 13 and 11. But her advice applies to anyone. Wherever your summer travels take you, Carrie’s tips will help you eat better while saving time, money and stress. Related Episodes: | |||
| In Praise of Punch: Justin Gray on Your New Favorite Summertime Sip | 26 May 2022 | 00:26:42 | |
Summer means graduation season, pool parties and backyard barbecues. In other words… we’re gonna need more drinks! So today we'll hear from Justin Gray, Tampa Bay chapter president of the United States Bartenders' Guild. Justin makes a case for why punch is the perfect beverage for your summer get-together. Justin makes a case for why punch is the perfect beverage for your summer get-together. He explains how punch made its way from India to the rest of the world. You’ll also learn tips for incorporating fresh Florida produce into your punch, how to keep beverages cold without them getting watered down—and the secret to a better nonalcoholic punch. Related episodes: | |||
| Dietitian Deanna Wolfe on Wellness Trends, Disordered Eating and Finding Food Freedom | 20 Mar 2025 | 00:26:15 | |
Today we’re getting to know dietitian Deanna Wolfe. But she needs no introduction if you’re among her hundreds of thousands of social media followers. On Instagram and TikTok, Deanna is an open book. She chronicles her journey recovering from an eating disorder, what she eats in a day as postpartum mom (including dessert every night!) and even her income, for the scores of other dietitians she mentors. Dalia met Deanna at a USF Health event and couldn’t get enough of her common-sense nutrition advice. So she invited Deanna to our studio at WUSF to share her approach with you. In this conversation, Deanna gives her take on trends like seed oil, green powders and Ozempic and offers guidance for anyone struggling with disordered eating. If you’re not already doing so, be sure to follow Dietitian Deanna on Instagram or Tiktok. She shares some great info and her posts are so relatable. She IS like us! Related episodes: | |||
| Conscious Cuisine: Edible Gardening Tips from Albert Risemberg | 19 May 2022 | 00:24:15 | |
Albert's small front and backyards are like a modern-day Garden of Eden, lush with fruit and vegetable plants, 10 bee hives for honey and an impressive composting setup. Albert even grows plants to make his own medicines. His sustainability efforts earned him the title of Gulfportian of the Year from the local newspaper, The Gabber. Today on The Zest, Risemberg shares his journey from "miserable" aircraft mechanic to self-sustaining gardener, composter, beekeeper and yoga instructor. He also offers tips for planting your own edible garden and advice for going green later in life. Related episodes: | |||
| Dharma Southern Kitchen Founder Shaun Noonan on the Plant-Based Food (R)evolution | 12 May 2022 | 00:27:43 | |
Dharma Southern Kitchen is a plant-based comfort food restaurant chain with locations in Orlando, Sanford and Tampa. Founder Shaun chatted with The Zest's Andrew Lucas about how his Army-brat childhood influenced his career as a chef, the growth of vegan food in mainstream culture and why vegetable-forward options have always had a place at the Southern dinner table. Related Episodes: | |||
| Palm Beach County’s Hidden Culinary History Is Full of “Aha” Moments | 05 May 2022 | 00:26:06 | |
Palm Beach County has a reputation for being swanky: high-end boutiques in Delray Beach, fancy restaurants along Worth Avenue in West Palm and the like. But Lori J. Durante wanted to showcase a different side of Palm Beach County—one that featured history with an emphasis on the contributions of underrepresented groups. So in 2004, Lori began conducting bus tours in her hometown of Delray Beach, highlighting the area’s multicultural influences. “At the conclusion of the tour, the guests would often ask, “Where can we go to eat?” Lori recalls. So in 2011, she launched Taste History Culinary Tours to showcase the lesser-known culinary histories of Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and Lantana. To date, more than 10,000 people have embarked on her off-the-beaten-path excursions. Today, Lori offers an abbreviated version of the Taste History bus tour. Related episodes: | |||