Redefining the narrative around a pantry staple, Steve Sando went from being a home-based bean grower to the CEO & Founder of Rancho Gordo, expanding the market's perceptions of beans! 

An alternative to the standard grocery store fare, Rancho Gordo merges the agricultural prowess of growing regions in the US and the Americas, exposing consumers to heirloom beans with varieties deeply rooted in indigeneity, simplicity, and flavor. 

This week, Kahja talks with Steve about leveraging unconventionality, the actual definition of heirloom beans, experiences that unknowingly lead to your passion, building sourcing relationships based on trust and mutual benefit, ex-pat theory and the impact on regions, partnering with communities for the long haul, allowing beans to be the star of a dish, curating an informed shopping experience, challenging customer perspectives around beans from a food of resource to one of refinement, the Bean Club waiting list that's grown to 20k+ people, creating an attraction in Napa beyond wine, and why your later success just might be your best act yet. 

Recorded on location in Napa, CA.

RanchoGordo.com

@rancho_gordo

Find Rancho Gordo products near you!

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Intro music by Diff Works

New Orleans is renowned for its marriage of culture and food from savory to sweet, and Chay J's New Orleans Candies is helping to keep those vows intact! With an assortment of creative confections, owner Channon "Chay" Powell is honoring her family's traditions in both business and the kitchen bringing classic flavors and fun twists to her sweet New Orleans-themed treats!

In this episode, Kahja talks with Channon about early exposure to being a business owner, unintentionally becoming an entrepreneur, the growing pains of growth, the implications of scaling, experiencing the Keith Lee effect, progression in business disguised as setbacks, and building a business to serve as a cultural legacy. 

Recorded on location in Atlanta, GA.

Watch Keith Lee's Chay J's review!

ChayJs.com

@chayjs

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Intro music by Diff Works

Picture going to work at one of the biggest global tech companies and pausing midday to take a cooking class! This may not sound like a traditional workplace experience, but for employees at Google's San Francisco campus, it's a tasty way to spice up a day in the office! 

Led by Executive Sous Chef Randy Wilkes, KitchenSync is a full teaching kitchen where culinary professionals lead participants through in-person and digital classes centered on the joy of cooking recipes together that are both culturally and seasonally relevant, focusing on a hands-on, step-by-step approach to building confidence in the kitchen.

This week, Kahja talks with Chef Randy about the strategy of learning more than just your role, pivoting away from the call of culinary burnout, the art of teaching food preparation, industry optionality through corporate dining, structuring dishes for maximum flavor balance, understanding the science of recipes, electing a more leisurely career path, and picking the culinary road that's right for you.

Recorded on location in San Francisco, CA.

@badpanda9

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Intro music by Diff Works

You are what you eat, and with more information available than ever before about the relationship between food and wellness, Dasan The Medicine Man is leading the charge at Natrully Herbs & More with a community-centric approach to improving health outcomes through diet, nature, and looking at the body through the lens of systems.

This week, Kahja talks with Dasan about casually discovering the power of herbal remedies and their presence in plain sight, the danger of silencing the body's natural alarm systems, challenging traditions around cultural foodways, understanding how your body's systems use food for performance, making small changes toward healthful eating, early ways to identify needs, looking at food from a functional perspective, and taking an active role in our own well-being.

Recorded on location in Richmond, CA.

@natrullyherbs

@dasanthemedicineman

Natrully Herbs & More

Save 50% off an initial consultation with Natrully Herbs & More, exclusively for The As Told By Podcast listeners! Click here to schedule.

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Intro music by Diff Works

Bringing creative visions to life is front and center at Diff Works, a multimedia firm co-founded by Oakland natives TK Campbell and Lamont Harper; leveraging a lifetime of artistic expression from music to marketing and PR to non-profit work, they turned a childhood friendship into a business model with a multi-disciplinary client roster spanning projects across audio, video, photography, and brand development and campaigns, with a focus on community development and engagement, including their work as creative partners for KayInTheBay and The As Told By Podcast.

This week, Kahja talks with TK and Lamont about early seeds of creativity that took root, learning about your hometown by leaving it, bringing your personal strengths to a partnership and trusting who you're in business with, leading projects that align with people's personal brand, meeting needs before they become needs, viewing skills as functional tools, growing by actually doing the work, side hustles moving from the background to the foreground, finding the right creative partnership for you, being in an expansion phase, and learning from the collective journeys of the people around you.

Recorded on location in Oakland, CA.

@stay_diff

Diff Works

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Intro music by Diff Works

Oakland's food scene showcases the city's diversity, and from the Laurel to Grand Lake, Kao Saelee is making his mark as owner and operator of Jo's Modern Thai and The Peach, two restaurants highlighting distinct versions of Southeast Asian cuisine: an innovative menu at Jo's Modern Thai led by Chef Nui Surach, and a Filipino-inspired brunch menu at The Peach under the direction of Chef Harold Villarosa.

This week, Kahja talks with Kao about opening a restaurant after watching the impact of COVID on the industry, and creating a blueprint for people to enjoy contemporary interpretations of the culture; Chefs Nui and Harold talk about lessons in food from their upbringing in Bangkok and The Bronx and parallels to the Bay, the kinship between Thai and Filipino ingredients and cooking styles, paying attention to neighborhoods as a way to inform the customer experience, and making their own exciting and unique impressions as new chefs at existing restaurants. Kao also shares hindsight lessons learned navigating the people dynamics of running restaurants, and his hopes for the road ahead at both Jo's Modern Thai and The Peach.

Recorded on location in Oakland, CA.

@josmodernthai

@thepeachbrunch

Jo's Modern Thai

The Peach

Check out Jo's Modern Thai for lunch on Fri, 10/24 through Sunday 10/26 from 1130a-230p!

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Intro music by Diff Works

Everyone loves a good old-fashioned scoop of ice cream, but add classic, culturally relevant, eclectic flavors to the mix and you've got De La Creamery! Founded in 2020 by Stephanie De La Cruz, her cool, creamy confections have become one of the Bay Area's favorite pop-ups with her take on the heritage of Mexican dessert flavors.

This week, Kahja and Stephanie talk about early representations of women in the kitchen, the gift that turned into a business idea, the trial and error process of developing flavors that represent cultural roots, the grind of pop-up life and all of the accompanying roles, being intentional about collaborative relationships, ice cream kinks, how changes to corporate diversity impacts small businesses, being relegated to a single month of cultural recognition, navigating the fear of the current social landscape, the efficacy and viability of business models on the other side of racial equity commitments, how to support during the off-season, and favorite classic ice cream treats.

Recorded on location in Oakland, CA.

@delacreamery

De La Creamery

Find De La Creamery on Sundays at Tacos Oscar and on Tuesdays at South Berkeley Farmers Market!

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Intro music by Diff Works

Holding space in the worlds of recipe development, private cheffing, food blogging, and content creation for more than a decade, Angela Davis launched The Kitchenista Diaries, a brand all about the skill and solace of creating food centering quality ingredients, technique, and deliciousness, building an audience in the world of food content creation before it was a social media staple.

This week, Kahja talks with Angela about the nuances of meeting new people, growing up in a family with cultural diversity, healing trauma through cooking, the firing that led to a life pivot, peace vs. the internet, reclaiming the joy of your passion, bucking norms in the name of self-preservation and creating your own traditions, monetizing your work early on, and transitioning into brand new endeavors that make room for personal and professional evolution beyond the internet.

Recorded on location in Detroit, MI.

@thekitchenista

The Kitchenista Diaries on Patreon

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Intro music by Diff Works

From holidays to game days to any day of the week, Jiffy Mixes (@jiffymixes) earned a place in the hearts and kitchens of generations of home cooks around the world, turning their family origins in flour milling into boxed mixes that represent memories and deliciousness, becoming a pantry staple with products that help people bring endless recipe options to their tables, one little blue and white box at a time!

And who better to share the story behind this iconic brand than Howdy Holmes, former President & CEO turned Cultural & Strategic Advisor, and part of the Holmes family lineage behind the brand, whose start dates back to the mid-1800s.

This week, Kahja talks with Howdy about the Holmes family's beginnings in the flour industry, the trailblazing woman who turned milling into mixes, the unique nuances of running a family business, proving yourself during a career pivot, creating a workplace that prioritizes the employee experience, evolving societal norms around cooking, growth outside of traditional marketing, and centering simplicity and consumer value to build a legacy brand.

Recorded on location at the Chelsea Milling Company in Chelsea, MI.

@jiffymixes

JIffy Mixes

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Intro music by Diff Works

Born in 2011 and growing to include outposts in Oakland, Albany, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice Shop created a trail of flavor that led to kitchens in California and beyond! 

Co-founded by John Beaver and Erica Perez, they've curated approachable spaces that cater to curious home cooks, chefs, and restaurants alike, focusing on an extensive selection of spices from around the world, knowledgeable service, and creating third spaces for communities of food lovers.

This week, Kahja talks with John and Erica about the high school job that turned him into a Spice SME (subject matter expert), learning the business of running a shop, scaling and navigating systems and growth during the pandemic, creating an immersive in-store experience, their place in The As Told By Podcast history, operational throughlines of different kinds of businesses, coming up with unique blends, and a few unexpected spice grinding misnomers.

Recorded on location in Berkeley, CA.

@oaktownspice

Oaktown Spice Shop

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Intro music by Diff Works

**Re-run; originally released Feb 7th, 2023**

We're looking back again this week to the days before The As Told By Podcast was all about food with an Artist Spotlight episode from Season 3!

In a world that rewards keeping it moving and pushing forward, SoLauren is providing the soundtrack to remembering. And as the landscape of music began to change in the early 2000s, she got busy honing her craft as a singer/songwriter/keyboardist, bringing together her musical upbringing and love for the culture. As a solo artist, she's been featured on projects that are bringing new light to Bay Area hip-hop culture, and as a member of the group Sol Development, SoLauren has not only been part of creating music with soulful, spiritual roots, but was also part of the Emmy-award winning short film Dear Beloved, a music and storytelling collaboration with BE-IMAGINATIVE, centering the stories of mothers impacted by gun violence. 

On this episode, SoLauren talks with Kahja about paying dues and putting in the work in her early days as a musician, serendipitous meetings that turned into lifelong family, moving beyond herself in order to show up in service through her gift, and stepping into who she's always wanted to be.

SoLauren

SoLauren on YouTube

@solauren

Sol Development

Dear Beloved

BE-IMAGINATIVE

When The Waters Get Deep Documentary

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Recorded at Diff Works

**Re-run; originally released Nov 14th, 2023**

This week, we're flashing back to the days before The As Told By Podcast was all about food with an Artist Spotlight episode from Season 4!

The worlds of technology and music are converging now more than ever, and  for this season's Artist Spotlight episode, Kahja talks with Bosko Kante, Grammy award winning music producer and inventor of ElectroSpit, a revolutionized version of the talkbox technology made famous by musicians over the last 4 decades! 

On this week's episode, Bosko talks about his serendipitous path to music production, how his background in mechanical engineering helped enable design thinking to improve existing technology, finding his way through ElectroSpit to working with music legends like Stevie Wonder and Kanye West, and partnering with other artists through Hiii Wav, an incubator program focused on artist development in the areas of business, education, and the emergence of AI in the music industry.

ElectroSpit

Hiii Wav

@hiiiwav

Check out Bosko on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series with E-40!

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Recorded at Diff Works

We're back with new episodes for Season 7 and are kicking things off in Napa with Jeremy Jackson, host of the Meet Me In Napa Podcast! Bringing a fresh perspective and vibrant energy to what's already known about the region, Jeremy is talking to people creating the ecosystem of business, industry, and community in the valley!

In this first episode of the new season, Kahja and Jeremy talk about the influence of San Francisco's early 2000's hip-hop scene on the podcast, church kid beginnings steeped in family and fellowship, wine as a conduit to broader impactful conversations centering Napa, trusting a team to help bring your vision to life, the business and logistics of podcasting and organic growth, doubling down on learning the industry, celebrating milestones, and being a representation of new voices in the region.

Recorded on location in Napa, CA.

@meetmeinnapapodcast

Meet Me In Napa Podcast on YouTube

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Intro music by Diff Works

With her reach spanning law, education, art, social justice, food, and hospitality, Jocelyn Jackson has made a career of shaking the table across disciplines, advocating globally for people's experience around food, both access and culture, and despite recently wrapping up her role as Chef-in-Residence at San Francisco's MOAD (Museum of the African Diaspora), she's just getting started. As co-founder of The People's Kitchen Collective, Jocelyn is part of a their new documentary, "Earthseed: A People's Journey of Radical Hospitality," all about communities creating sustainability and care, both for and among themselves.

This week, Kahja and Jocelyn talk about progress not being stopped by change, inheriting a legacy of social responsibility, founding organizations that examine the layered experiences of food in Black & brown spaces, keeping the global impact and history of our foodways top of mind, the political weaponry and hypocrisy around food in the current societal landscape, expectations of fairness in social justice, moving from minority to majority, and the power of working as a collective.

Recorded on location in San Francisco, CA.

@peopleskitchencollective

@justuskitchen

People's Kitchen Collective

JustUsKitchen

Learn more about Earthseed

Read KQED's coverage of Earthseed: A People's Journey of Radical Hospitality

Check out the Life Is Living Festival on Saturday, October 11th!

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Intro music by Diff Works

What's more important; running a successful business or your personal well-being? Or is there a middle ground between the two? When the grind of being a restaurant entrepreneur got the best of her, Sequoia Del Hoyo stepped back, put her health and personal life back in order, and launched Tarocco, a business model centering a seasonal Mediterranean menu, nutritious eating, and most importantly, a balanced life. 

This week, Kahja talks with Sequoia about realizing when you're in over your head, the fine line between listening to yourself and taking feedback, scaling back vs. bigger, successfully mixing partnership and business, protective parameters, and defining work/life balance on your own terms.

Recorded on location in Berkeley, CA.

Tarocco

@mytarocco

@sequoiadelhoyo

Check out my visit to Tarocco on Table For Two with The Town Experience!

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Intro music by Diff Works

If you think of expensive tastes and luxury settings when you think of caviar, get ready to expand your definition! Bringing relatable and approachable experiences to the masses with their concept Caviar Dream, Kendra Anderson and Christine Lemieux are centering education, accessibility, and fun, helping people have affordable encounters with the delicious delicacy on special occasions, or just because!

In this week's bonus episode, Kahja talks with Kendra and Christine about shape-shifting business models during the pandemic, demystifying perceptions about the enjoyability of caviar, inclusion by focusing on the customer experience, helping people identify their caviar personality, and making caviar a household staple.

Recorded on location in Chicago, IL.

@caviardreamofficial

Caviar Dream

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Intro music by Diff Works

With so many regions renowned for their style of BBQ, it can be hard to stand out, but if you add in a chef-driven menu, the integration of fine dining techniques, and years of hands-on experience like Chef D'Andre Carter has, you can create a lane of your own! 

From leading the team of a Michelin Star kitchen to private catering to opening Soul & Smoke, the BBQ concept he owns and operates alongside his wife Heather, Chef D'Andre leveraged his culinary skill and his love of being a Chicago native into one of the fastest growing concepts in the city, with multiple outposts serving Chicagoans and visitors alike a taste of his Southern inspired style!

This week, Kahja and Chef D'Andre talk about grandmothers going beyond the kitchen and mastering the art of grilling, understanding the concept of molecular gastronomy, learning during rapid expansion, building a business as a family, driving advocacy outcomes in your own community, and challenging the notion of what actually defines the technique of BBQ. 

Recorded on location in Chicago, IL.

@soulandsmoke

Soul and Smoke

Check out my visit to Soul & Smoke!

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Intro music by Diff Works

Years from now, when we look back at this time in the culinary industry when Black American foodways finally got the mainstream attention long overdue, we undoubtedly will be talking about Chef Erick Williams!

A Chicago restaurant veteran and James Beard Award winner with over two decades to his credit, he's alchemized a career of experience into Virtue Hospitality Group, including concepts like Daisy's Po-Boy & Tavern, Cantina Rosa, Top This Mac & Cheese, Mustard Seed Kitchen, and the acclaimed Virtue Restaurant & Bar in Hyde Park.

This week, Kahja talks with Chef Erick about the importance of building in your own community, evoking the comfort of our history of hospitality, plethora vs. profitability, our well-earned time in the spotlight, the myth of being on top, the responsibility of mutual mentorship, balance over grinding, and re-examining our definition of entrepreneurship.

Recorded on location in Chicago, IL.

@cheferickwilliams

Virtue Restaurant & Bar  l  Cantina Rosa  l  Daisy's Po-Boy & Tavern  l  Mustard Seed Kitchen/Top This Mac & Cheese

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Intro music by Diff Works

If the road to success is paved with sweetness, Greg Williams has his own four lane highway! With his popular (and literally) underground Oakland bakery, Gregory's Gourmet Desserts, his assortment of classic and creative treats has long since made him one of the Town's favorite indulgences, and a recent brush with social media virality has given him his biggest platform yet!

In this week's bonus episode, Kahja talks with Greg about his Brooklyn roots, odd-jobbing your way into what's meant for you, the serendipity of his current location, a pop-up visit and the Rob Martinez effect, how the right relationship can support an entrepreneurial lifestyle, the intersection of success and readiness, honoring Black food history, and trusting that you're exactly where you're meant to be.

Recorded in Oakland, CA.

@gregorysgourmetdesserts

Gregory's Gourmet Desserts

Check out Rob Martinez's visit to Gregory's Gourmet Desserts! (Part 1; Part 2)

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Intro music by Diff Works

Farmers markets are the lifeblood of the fresh, seasonal food scene California is known for, and few markets combine farm fresh produce, community, small business, and history like the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market at the historic landmark Ferry Building in San Francisco, led by Foodwise and Executive Director Christine Farren! 

This week, Kahja talks with Christine about putting on one of the largest farmers markets in the Bay every Saturday, Foodwise's mission of supporting small businesses through equitable access to brand building resources, engaging the next generation through programs centering early exploration of food, why partnering with small farmers is a multi-pronged win, volunteers as the frontline of the market experience, sustainable farming beyond just what's being grown, and how farmers market bridge the gap between urban residents and the rural economy.

Come with Kahja and Christine's on a walk through the market, get a look at how it all comes together, and check out some of their favorite vendors!

@foodwise

Foodwise.org

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Thank you to this week's advertising partner Gumbo Social, and be sure to check out their 2nd Annual Bayview Block Party on Sat, June 28th!

Join Kahja on Thurs, June 26th for KayInTheBayPresents: The Black Culinary Canvas, a multi-course pop-up dinner, in partnership with Chef Lala and Cafe Colucci! Reserve your seat today!

Interested in exploring contemporary stories of Black art & culture? Become a member at MOAD SF, or consider making a tax-deductible donation to support world-class exhibitions, public programs, and award-winning educational outreach uplifting Black artists across the Diaspora!

Intro music by Diff Works

Food writers play a critical role in shaping the culture of a place, and in a big city like Los Angeles, big voices like Mona Holmes of Eater LA have become trusted sources for food reporting that not only share the places you should be eating, but the stories of the people and communities that make restaurants a vital economic resource in the region.

This week, Mona talks with Kahja about working in restaurants as a way to understand the business of food, the ongoing question of which California region has the best Mexican cuisine, how LA's culinary culture has been informed by Black migration and growing immigrant populations, the economic impact of regulatory processes on food businesses and cities, the state of the restaurant industry in LA post-wildfires and Kahja's discovery of Altadena, food writing and the presence of Black voices, the joy of solo dining, and the excitement of the evolving face of the restaurant industry in the area.

Recorded on location in Los Angeles, CA.

@monaeats

Eater LA

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Thank you to this week's advertising partner Braids & Weaves by Didi (@braidsandweavesbydidi)

Interested in exploring contemporary stories of Black art & culture? Become a member at MOAD SF, or consider making a tax-deductible donation to support world-class exhibitions, public programs, and award-winning educational outreach uplifting Black artists across the Diaspora!

Intro music by Diff Works

We're creatures of habit, but have you ever thought about taking a chance that could alter the direction of your life beyond what you thought it could be? Angela McCrae did, and her passion and budding interest in the nuances of the wine industry sent her on a journey that would redefine her career, giving her the opportunity to create impact at a deep level, founding Uncorked and Cultured, a hub for Black wine, travel, and culture!

This week, Angela talks with Kahja about how a trip to South Africa changed her trajectory, adjusting from life in Harlem to Sonoma, learning the wine industry from every angle, creating community around aspirational lifestyles, how an inclusive approach creates opportunity for everyone, rushing to solutions around equity, risk taking and success, and the lessons to be learned in getting things wrong.

Recorded on location in St. Helena, CA.

@angelamccrae

Uncorked and Cultured

Association of African American Vintners (AAAV)

The Veraison Project

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Thank you to this week's advertising partner Gumbo Social (@gumbosocial)

Interested in exploring contemporary stories of Black art & culture? Become a member at MOAD SF, or consider making a tax-deductible donation to support world-class exhibitions, public programs, and award-winning educational outreach uplifting Black artists across the Diaspora!

Intro music by Diff Works

Black food is worldwide, but it's a big world, and culinary storytellers are making sure we have a front seat to the who/what/when/where and why! As publisher and editor-in-chief of Cuisine Noir, a media outlet focused on reporting and sharing stories that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel, James Beard Award winner V. Sheree Williams is creating a cultural repository of information to make sure our food history isn't forgotten!

On this week's episode, Kahja talks with Sheree about how her adventurous spirit led her to California, comparing the food scene in different cities, balancing security and side hustling, the throughline between food, travel, and sustainability, founding her non-profit (The Global Food and Drink Initiative), preserving the origin stories of global Black foodways, defining your own journey, and remembering your "why."

Recorded in Oakland, CA.

Cuisine Noir

The Global Food and Drink Initiative

@cuisinenoir_

@global_food_and_drink_int

@vshereewilliams

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Thank you to this week's advertising partner Gumbo Social (@gumbosocial)

Intro music by Diff Works

ReE-RUN; originally released April 1, 2025

It's time for Season 6, and we're kicking things off in Charleston, South Carolina at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival with Executive Director Alyssa Maute Smith! Held annually in March, CHSWF has become one of the preeminent food festivals in the country, with its week-long celebration of all things, culinary, culture, and community!

This week, Kahja talks with Alyssa about her Carolina upbringing and the responsibility of showcasing the best of her hometown, the rigors of event management, Charleston's growing designation as a multi-ethnic culinary destination, leveraging the power of teamwork to prioritize the visitor experience, and the excitement of looking forward to celebrating the festival's 20th celebration in 2026!

Recorded on location in Charleston, SC.

Learn more about Charleston Wine & Food Festival!

Follow Charleston Wine & Food on IG @chswineandfood!

Check out my Substack review of North Charleston's King BBQ, named one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants of 2024!

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Intro music by Diff Works

We're still in Charleston, and a new season is the perfect time to reflect on the experience of building the podcast so far! And what better person to lead that conversation than Charleston native and James Beard Award winner KJ Kearney, creator of Black Food Fridays, a platform dedicated to telling the stories of Black people in the food and beverage space! And rounding out the trio, we're joined by special guest Nneka Nurse, 2025 Black Women in Food award winner and founder of Best Dressed Plate, where the mission is to celebrate and promote the vibrant and diverse world of Caribbean cuisine.

This week, KJ and Nneka interview Kahja about what the journey creating the podcast has been as it enters its 6th season, what about her makes the platform unique, favorite food destinations, her thoughts on the growth and evolution of the podcast in the future, having audacity and realizing what makes you special, the myth of humility, and not giving up on your creative ambitions.

Recorded on location in Charleston, SC.

@blackfoodfridays

@bestdressedplate

Get tickets to the Black Women In Food Summit in DC April 25 & 26!

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Intro music by Diff Works

It's time for Season 6, and we're kicking things off in Charleston, South Carolina at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival with Executive Director Alyssa Maute Smith! Held annually in March, CHSWF has become one of the preeminent food festivals in the country, with its week-long celebration of all things, culinary, culture, and community!

This week, Kahja talks with Alyssa about her Carolina upbringing and the responsibility of showcasing the best of her hometown, the rigors of event management, Charleston's growing designation as a multi-ethnic culinary destination, leveraging the power of teamwork to prioritize the visitor experience, and the excitement of looking forward to celebrating the festival's 20th celebration in 2026!

Recorded on location in Charleston, SC.

Learn more about Charleston Wine & Food Festival!

Follow Charleston Wine & Food on IG @chswineandfood!

Check out my Substack review of North Charleston's King BBQ, named one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants of 2024!

Be sure to leave a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode! For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, visit kayinthebay.com.

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Intro music by Diff Works

With Oakland’s food scene growing, it seems like there’s a new restaurant opening all the time, but not all are as anticipated as the opening of Burdell later this year! Led by Chef Geoff Davis, Burdell has been building a reputation that pays nostalgic homage to the culture of Black American food. With pop-up dinners that invite diners to linger over homey plates of food that bear the mark of a classically-trained chef, Burdell is here to help us remember that food is more than just a meal, but a celebration of what and who has come before us.

In this episode, Kahja and Chef Geoff talk about balancing modernity with honoring food traditions, the significance of exposing children to culinary experiences early on, the importance of the Black migration and misnomers about the healthiness of soul food, and bucking trends to maintain your true identity.

@burdell_oak

Chef Geoff Davis

Resy contributions

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Episode recorded at Stay Diff

Building on a 20 year career in the wine industry, and with the success of Street Somm, the Emmy and James Beard nominated show on Tastemade, Bronx native Jermaine Stone is fusing the worlds of wine education, hip hop culture, and travel, blurring the lines that often separate the luxurious and the laid back experiences of food, wine, and music.

In this week's bonus episode, Kahja talks with Jermaine about humble beginnings, lessons learned through starting at the bottom and growing by creating value, the often overlooked connections between hip hop and wine, preparing to share your creative outlet with the world, and the ultimate pairing of authenticity, sacrifice, and success.

Recorded in Oakland, CA

@realwolfofwine

@wineandhiphopshow

Street Somm

wineandhiphop.com

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The pandemic gave life to so many brilliant businesses, and Rize Up Bakery definitely seized the moment! With the entire Bay Area sheltered in place, owner and founder Azikiwee Anderson got busy turning a passion project into one of the most recognizable new businesses in San Francisco, cranking out inventive and creatively flavored loaves of sourdough bread!

In this week's episode Azikiwee reflects on humble beginnings, centering representation in areas where it's rarely seen, and what it takes to scale a  business at the speed of sound!

Rize Up Bakery

@rizeupbakery

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A good bowl of gumbo is a mix of various things that come together to make something great, and in keeping with that theme, this week, Mr. Gumbo his self reflects on his culinary origins, navigating the grind of a rapidly growing business, bringing back a sense of community around Sunday dinner, and giving his self permission to enjoy the accolades of having one of the newest and most exciting pop-up in the Bay!

Gumbo Social

@gumbosocial

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**Re-run; originally released March 8th, 2022**

Pop-up food experiences have become a successful business model as an outcome of the pandemic, and the food scene in the Bay is no exception. In this episode, Kahja talks with Christian Washington and Sadé Stamps, the creative minds behind The Comfort Collective, one of Oakland’s most exciting dining pop-ups! It may be March, but we're still celebrating Black History month over here, and with their rich culinary and beverage backgrounds and their love and intentionality for the culture of Blackness and Queerness, they’re poised to create an experience of food and community that truly encompasses their motto, “Eat.Drink.Comfort.”!

@eat.drink.comfort

eatdrinkcomfort.com

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**Re-run; originally released Feb 23rd, 2023**

We might be halfway through Black History Month, but we couldn’t let this month go by without acknowledging all of the great things happening in Oakland! As a lead up to the Black Joy Parade on February 26th, it's only right to highlight some amazing events that’ll be taking place at one of Oakland’s favorite new eateries, Town Fare Cafe, led by Executive Chef Michele McQueen!

Known and loved for both her soul food staples and twists on the classics, Chef Michele has raised the bar at Oakland Museum of California for what people can expect from a museum cafe! Building on her following from her days as owner of Gussie’s Chicken and Waffles in the Fillmore District in San Francisco, she’s created a menu of eclectic yet familiar dishes delivered in an environment casual enough for a quick lunch stop, yet sophisticated enough for Sunday brunch!

In this episode, Chef Michele talks with Kahja about what being in the hospitality industry really means, holding true to the classics while still taking creative license, leaving the door open for those coming behind you, and what it takes to be in business as a restaurateur.

Chef Michele McQueen

@chefmichelemcqueen

Town Fare 

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When people think of leaders in the culinary community in the Bay, Chef Nelson German is one of the first names that comes to mind. Top Chef alum and owner of two of Oakland's most beloved restaurants, AlaMar Dominican Kitchen and Sobre Mesa, Chef Nelson is not only showcasing his NYC Afro-Latino roots in Dominican culture, but is creating his own intersections with other cuisines of the Black Diaspora where these foodways not only meet, but shine. His dedication to being a passionate advocate and leader for chefs and restaurateurs in Oakland is evident, so it's only right that he closes out Season 5!

In this final episode of the season, Kahja and Chef Nelson talk about their NYC beginnings, making space for the cultural nuance of identity, staying the course during difficult times for food businesses in Oakland, the fine line between grit and going too far, new parenthood, and representing what's possible for generations to come.

Alamar Dominican Kitchen

Sobre Mesa

@chefnel4

Oakland Restaurant Collective (EBX)

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This week's episode is brought to you by Cafe Colucci (@cafecolucci), Brundo Spice Company (@brundospices), and Diff Works (@staydiff).

"Start a business," they say. "I wanna be my own boss," they say. "It's gonna be amazing," they say. But what happens if it's not? As a self-taught baker, Malaka Hampton transformed her love of the kitchen into Two Chicks In The Mix, where quality ingredients and gorgeous aesthetics became a hallmark. But keeping up with the demands of the kitchen eventually took its toll, and it's in the hindsight of reflectiveness that she's learned some of her biggest lessons.

This week, Malaka talks with Kahja about risk taking to gain experience, being wary of going into business with friends, the weight of perfectionism, prioritizing your mental well-being as a business goal, finding joy in the midst of hard times, and being ok with not knowing what's next.

Recorded on location in Oakland, CA.

@malakahampton

Malaka Hampton on Substack

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This week's episode is brought to you in part by Cafe Colucci (@cafecolucci), Brundo Spice Company (@brundospices), and Diff Works (@staydiff).

*RE-RUN; originally released October 2, 2024

What do you do when what you know suddenly shifts and you need to make something happen? You take your fine dining background, a few good people, and your entrepreneurial hustle, and you create one of Oakland's most buzzed about pop-ups in recent years, June's Pizza (@junes_pizza)! 

Initially opening during the pandemic to acclaim and customer demand, Craig Murli prioritized growth by focusing on simplicity, with a pared down menu featuring nothing but wood-fired Margherita pizza plus a special, and their notorious dusting of Grana Padano! Recalibrated and recently reopened, June's Pizza is living in the paradigm of delayed, not denied.

In this episode, Kahja talks with Craig about the frustration of hustling for someone else's dream, bringing a "soigné" approach to restaurant work and life, leaving marketing to the people who love your product, not waiting until you have all the answers to move forward, brand transference, and remaining humble on the way back up after experiencing the pitfalls of being a business owner.

Recorded  in West Oakland, CA

June's Pizza

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The experience of food converged with music, art, and storytelling makes it that much richer, and Last Supper Society (@lastsuppersociety) has mastered the format! Led by Sacramento natives Ryan Royster and Chef Byron Hughes, their marketing, branding, and fine dining backgrounds merged to create artistic culinary moments highlighting the nuance and intersectionality of culture.

This week, Kahja talks with Ryan and Byron about pivoting to create a virtual business model during the pandemic, letting the excellence of your work create organic sponsored relationships, the inception of the ultimate food party, Dark Hours, bringing authenticity to spaces that aren't designed for you, taking over Oakland for Juneteenth, and creating without limitations.

Recorded on location at Black Girls Greenhouse in West Oakland.

Wanna keep up in between episodes? Follow Kahja on IG at @heykayinthebay.

Last Supper Society

@lastsuppersociety

Get tickets to "Balance In Conflict,"  a culinary exploration of competition in collaboration with @lastsuppersociety and VERSUS, curated by @jonathancarvermoore. Guests will eat dishes that explore competing elements — hot vs. cold, soft vs. crunchy, sweet vs. bitter — to transform the table into an arena where opposing textures, temperatures, and flavors collide while being seated among the VERSUS artworks.

This week's episode is brought to you in part by Cafe Colucci (@cafecolucci), Brundo Spice Company (@brundospices), and Diff Works (@staydiff).

Alcohol-free wine is one of the fastest growing markets in the beverage category, and in just over 2 years after their US launch, French Bloom is carving a niche around a new experience of elegance and inclusiveness with their trio of organic sparkling wine, even among traditional wine drinkers! 

With their recently announced partnership with Moët Hennessy, French Bloom is marrying tradition and innovation through their de-alcoholization process, while maintaining the renowned prestige of French wine, and they're bringing the masses along for the ride, one glass at a time!

This week, Kahja talks with French Bloom's US Brand Director Meryl Muldoon about branding through inclusiveness in the experience of imbibing, the science of the R&D process, the power of being a female-founded brand, and how evolving societal attitudes around alcohol create a perfect opportunity for experimentation!

French Bloom

@french.bloom

Use code ASTOLDBYFRENCHBLOOM for 15% off at us.frenchbloom.com through 12/31/24!

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Photography captures moments and movements in time, and with representation and visibility of diverse people across the food industry higher than ever before, Clay Williams is front and center chronicling the moments; the historic and groundbreaking as well as the ordinary, beautifully reflecting the hearts and stories of people whose work is shaping the culinary landscape for generations to come. 

Clay's efforts also include co-founding Black Food Folks, where the mission is to provide resources and foster community among Black professionals in the food and drink industry, promoting and supporting their work, and creating a platform for them to connect and share their stories.

This week, Kahja talks with Clay about the practice of capturing people's essence in a photo, putting in the work to drive a career change, doing a job and building relationships before it becomes an actual job, connecting people to create a sense of community based in authenticity, and how having more of our stories told allows us to express our individuality.

Recorded at Seven Spokes at the historic Rotunda Building in Oakland, CA.

@ultraclay

Clay Williams Photo

@blackfoodfolks

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What do you do when what you know suddenly shifts and you need to make something happen? You take your fine dining background, a few good people, and your entrepreneurial hustle, and you create one of Oakland's most buzzed about pop-ups in recent years, June's Pizza (@junes_pizza)! 

Initially opening during the pandemic to acclaim and customer demand, Craig Murli prioritized growth by focusing on simplicity, with a pared down menu featuring nothing but wood-fired Margherita pizza plus a special, and their notorious dusting of Grana Padano! Recalibrated and recently reopened, June's Pizza is living in the paradigm of delayed, not denied.

In this episode, Kahja talks with Craig about the frustration of hustling for someone else's dream, bringing a "soigné" approach to restaurant work and life, leaving marketing to the people who love your product, not waiting until you have all the answers to move forward, brand transference, and remaining humble on the way back up after experiencing the pitfalls of being a business owner.

Recorded  in West Oakland, CA

June's Pizza

Wanna keep up in between episodes? Follow Kahja on IG at @heykayinthebay.

It takes work to turn a town into a community, and with the launch of Town Love, friends turned business partners Kim Bardakian and Nicole Vasgerdsian are doing exactly that, corralling some of Oakland's best products, places, experiences, and history into a curated gift box perfect for sharing the heart of the city!

In this episode, Kahja talks with Kim and Nicole about the importance of platforming local brands, creating new narratives, and celebrating all of the fun things Oakland has to offer!

Recorded in Oakland, CA.

townlovebox.com

@townlovebox

Featured items: The Granola Guru, Teas With Meaning, That's My Jam Company, Peter's Kettle Corn, Red Bay Coffee, Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory, Oakland Roots, Claremont Hotel Bar & Restaurant, Oakland Museum of California

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While the restaurant industry may have survived the events of the last few years, without resources and support to help create sustainable environments, success can feel far off. Since launching in 2017, InKind has grown into the largest consumer marketplace of its kind, offering a unique combination of low risk financing for restaurants and high-value dining rewards for consumers. 

Co-founded by CEO Johann Moonesinghe, InKind's goal is to deliver rewarding experiences to diners through their app, while creating pathways to financial sustainability, not only for some of the most successful restaurant groups in the world, including MINA Group, Ethan Stowell Restaurants, and José Andrés Group, but also minority-owned and underrepresented restaurant operators, who traditionally face significant hurdles obtaining the funding necessary to start or expand their businesses.

This week, Kahja talks with Johann about the importance of access to mentorship early in an entrepreneurial journey, having true partnership in balancing the load of successfully running a restaurant, funding paths that create winning strategies for owners and operators, the value of the platform as a diner, leveraging the restaurant industry to transform communities, and building InKind as a family legacy to combat societal and economic disparity.

Recorded on location in Austin, TX.

InKind

InKind Capital (for restaurants)

@inkind_hospitality

Sign up for InKind with a special offer for listeners of The As Told By Podcast!

Wanna keep up in between episodes?  Follow Kahja on IG at @heykayinthebay

With the launch of her cooking blog in 2017, Just Add Hot Sauce, Alex Hill set out to build a platform based on her love of food, fun, friendship, and spice! Her down to earth, relatable approach to culinary creating garnered her a show on Tastemade, Spice Spice Baby, which debuted in 2023. 

Since then, Alex launched her popular newsletter on Substack, Food and Feelings, and has been featured on the Coca-Cola Kickback Stage at 2024's EssenceFest in New Orleans, preparing some of her favorite recipes for a live audience. She  is currently starting the process of writing her first cookbook which will undoubtedly teach people how to get spicy at home, recently selling out the initial offering of her new, in-person cooking class in LA!

This week, Kahja and Alex talk about learning how to cook with simplicity and ease, recognizing overwhelm as a sign to make changes and bet on yourself, striking a balance between manifesting your dreams and doing the work, the invaluable nature of friendships, discerning between your purpose and your assignment, and the beauty of holding space for yourself to expand.

Recorded on location in West Hollywood, CA.

Alex Hill

Food and Feelings Newsletter

Check out Spice Spice Baby on Tastemade!

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On the heels of a successful career as  a recipe developer, food writer, and producer/director, Kiano Moju is adding author to that list with the release of her new cookbook, "AfriCali: Recipes From My Jikoni." Drawing from her layered African heritage as well as her upbringing in Northern California, Kiano is welcoming us into her jikoni (which means "kitchen" in Swahili) through a vibrant collection of recipes taking us from savory to sweet, with flavor profiles that are both simple and complex, honoring the spirit of regionally adaptive foodways.

This week, Kahja and Kiano talk about the distinctions in the food cultures of her Kenyan and Nigerian background, having her childhood culinary curiosity spurred on by public broadcasting, using what's available to you for adaptive cultural cooking, the multi-step process of actually publishing a cookbook, and the importance of creating a historic archive to preserve tradition.

Recorded in Oakland, CA.

Kiano Moju

AfriCali: Recipes From My Jikoni

AfriCali Book Tour

@kianomoju

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With multiculturalism informing so much of how we eat today, our experiences of food and family are a huge influence on our approach to diversity in the world, and as a Black and Japanese Queer woman of color, Patty Dingle has built a successful career in DEI based on her lived experience, which has grown to include ownership of White Horse Bar, the oldest operating gay bar in the United States.

This week, Kahja chats with Patty about growing up in a home that respected the distinct food culture of both parents, using intersectionality to expand the patronage of White Horse, reframing the concept of "elevating" ethnic food, the innovation that comes from lack of access, the excitement of potentially having a multi-racial woman as President, and the lasting human connections found in food.

Recorded in Oakland, CA.

@epdingle

@whitehorsebar

Patty on LinkedIn

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It's often said that you can taste the love in food, and if that's true, then expect to be served up nothing but deliciousness at the hands of Courtnee Futch (@courtneefutch)! 

Take formal training as a pastry chef and mixologist, combine it with a Southern upbringing and a rich kitchen background, stir in a career as a Culinary Producer on the precipice of creating room for new stories, and add in a penchant for love and romance that intersects with food, and you've got the recipe for Courtnee's success in her life and career!

This week, Kahja talks with Courtnee about understanding the impact of the kind of food family you come from, why there's so much more to Culinary Producers than meets the eye, the excitement of growing a business dedicated to shining light on emerging talent, the ongoing need for diverse voices in the food industry, and examining the concepts of love, romance, and culinary prowess as mile markers on the road to personal and career growth.

Recorded on location in Atlanta, GA.

@courtneefutch

Brown Butter Summer Dinner Party tickets

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*RE-RUN; originally released August 6, 2024.

It's often said that you can taste the love in food, and if that's true, then expect to be served up nothing but deliciousness at the hands of Courtnee Futch-Brinson (@courtneefutch)! 

Take formal training as a pastry chef and mixologist, combine it with a Southern upbringing and a rich kitchen background, stir in a career as a Culinary Producer on the precipice of creating room for new stories, and add in a penchant for love and romance that intersects with food, and you've got the recipe for Courtnee's success in her life and career!

This week, Kahja talks with Courtnee about understanding the impact of the kind of food family you come from, why there's so much more to Culinary Producers than meets the eye, the excitement of growing a business dedicated to shining light on emerging talent, the ongoing need for diverse voices in the food industry, and examining the concepts of love, romance, and culinary prowess as mile markers on the road to personal and career growth.

Recorded on location in Atlanta, GA.

@courtneefutch

Be sure to leave a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode! For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, visit kayinthebay.com.

Wanna keep up in between episodes? Follow Kahja on IG at @heykayinthebay

What does it look like to go confidently in the direction of your dreams? It looks like Cecilia Phillips, Coordinating Producer and Reporter for one of KQED's most popular shows, Check Please, Bay Area! Merging her love and knowledge of the restaurant industry with a background in journalism, Cecilia's talent is evident both behind and in front of the camera, hosting her very own segment Cecilia Tries It, as well as her original food-themed game show Chew On This, and her newest segment, Beyond The Menu.

This week, Kahja talks with Cecilia about food as nurturance, knowing when you're on the wrong career path, the invaluableness of determination and perseverance, why public broadcast media is such a resource, and holding fast to your dreams of the life you want.

Recorded on location in Oakland, CA.

@ccroundthetown

Check Please, Bay Area

Apply to be on Check Please, Bay Area!

Support KQED

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Our unique histories are a primary driver of our culinary sensibilities, and adapting  culture, regionality, and access to develop a style of cuisine is a process! As the James Beard nominated Executive Chef of Auro, the Michelin Star fine dining concept located at the Four Seasons Resort in Napa Valley, Rogelio Garcia is using his roots and his training to redefine our perception of Mexican cuisine with the upcoming release of his new book "Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country."

In this episode, Kahja talks with Rogelio about being bit by the culinary bug early in life, viewing your success through the eyes of your family, what it's like being a Top Chef contestant, the fragility of the restaurant industry, and having the bounty of Napa Valley as a backdrop and tool to evolve the experience of Mexican food.

Recorded on location at The Four Seasons Resort & Residences Napa Valley in Calistoga, CA

Chef Rogelio Garcia

Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country

Pre-order the book

Auro Napa Valley

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With food businesses being some of the most complex to start, the need for guidance and support is vital to success, and since 2005, La Cocina has helped to champion and launch many of the Bay Area's most beloved eateries! With its focus on women and people from immigrant communities, their efforts to create diversity on the road to access and ownership across the food industry have been a blueprint for what's possible when organizations focus on development of local culinary talent!

This week, Kahja talks with Leticia Landa, Executive Director of La Cocina about why food businesses are about more than just cooking, the benefits of growing something in community with others, pivoting in evolving societal landscapes as a means to expansion, and the responsibility and privilege of shaping the culture of the Bay through food.

Recorded on location in San Francisco, CA

LaCocinaSF.org

@lacocinasf

Volunteer with La Cocina

Donate to La Cocina

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Baking is a science, but as important as weights and measurements are, so is a love of the art, and Rachel Caygill has transformed her love into Green House Bakery, one of Oakland's favorite pop-ups for delectable, seasonal, baked treats! Situated in her literal green house in Maxwell Park, and along with her husband Scott, she's cornered the market not just on pastries, cakes, and cookies, but on community engagement!

This week, Kahja talks with Rachel about being open to the ebbs of and flow of an evolving business model, leaning into the efficiency processes of the people around you, finding enjoyment in stress and change, learning yourself through motherhood, and the dream of building a business that's a fit for the life you want.

Recorded at GreenHouse Bakery in Oakland, CA

Green House Bakery

@green_housebakery

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