The Zest – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Zest

WUSF Public Media

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/8d. Total Eps: 278

Because it’s strange and beautiful and hot, people from everywhere converge on Florida and they bring their cuisine and their traditions with them. The Zest celebrates the intersection of food and communities in the Sunshine State.

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https://seitenbacher.com/
33 shares
https://thezestpodcast.com/s3-episode-6/
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https://thezestpodcast.com/s2-episode-2/
12 shares

https://www.instagram.com/thezestpodcast
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https://www.instagram.com/alleyomalleycat
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https://www.instagram.com/kenyawoodard
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https://youtu.be/OBGGgSeJSj8?si=W1C-tG4tCaUfYMza
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https://youtu.be/AkKssqKj0sk
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Good

Score global : 79%

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'The Splendid Table' Shines a Spotlight on Florida

Thursday, June 26, 2025 • Duration 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:

Dalia Colón of The Zest Podcast
Andrea Gonzmart Williams of Columbia Restaurant Group
Megan Sorby of Pine Island Redfish
Anthony Gilbert of Call Anthony

In case you missed it, check out our convo with Francis when he was a Zest guest!

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Bonus: Juneteenth Freedom Feast with Kiva Williams, a.k.a. The Fun Foodie Mama

Season 11 · Episode 21

Thursday, June 19, 2025 • Duration 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:

Soul Food Scholar Adrian Miller Will Headline the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival

Soul Food Inspires Artist Chris Friday’s Sarasota Art Museum Exhibition

Gabrielle E.W. Carter & Dr. LaDonna Butler on Food as Rest & Resistance

Second Helping: Toni Tipton-Martin Celebrates African-American Chefs in ‘Jubilee’

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“Call Anthony” Gilbert Reviews Food at Gas Stations and Other Overlooked Eateries

Season 11 · Episode 12

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • Duration 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.

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Yee Farms Brings Chinese Vegetables and “a Sense of Pride” to Boynton Beach

Season 7 · Episode 16

Thursday, April 20, 2023 • Duration 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:

EPCOT Culinary Director Albert Youngman Brings a World of Flavors to Florida

Talking Seoul Food with Miami’s 2 Korean Girls

Food Blogger Ricky Ly on Orlando’s “Tasty Chomps”

“We Got Engaged up at the Milking Parlor”: Modern Dairy Farmers Sutton & Kris Rucks

Conscious Cuisine: Rocky Soil Family Farm on How to Reconnect with Your Food

From Florida to France: Food Writer Jamie Schler on Cooking with Oranges, French Hotel Life and More

Season 7 · Episode 15

Thursday, April 13, 2023 • Duration 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.

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Dube’s Mobile Market Supplies Local Produce to Pasco County Residents… and Dave Matthews Band

Season 7 · Episode 14

Thursday, April 6, 2023 • Duration 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:

Hacks to Help You Eat More Veggies

360 Eats Takes Leftovers from Food Waste to Food Truck

Why You Should Stop Haggling at Florida’s Farmers Markets

Conscious Cuisine: Chef Justin Timineri of Fresh From Florida Offers Ideas for Eating What’s in Season

Restaurateur Claudia Johnson on the Global Influences of Mexican Cuisine

Season 7 · Episode 13

Thursday, March 30, 2023 • Duration 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:

Taco Bus Founder Rene Valenzuela on Cinco de Mayo, His Life-Changing Accident & What’s Next

Chef Joe Isidori Wants You to Explore Florida’s Ethnic Food Markets

Michelle Bernstein’s Jewish-Latin ‘Mishmosh’ of a Life

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“We Got Engaged up at the Milking Parlor”: Modern Dairy Farmers Sutton & Kris Rucks

Season 7 · Episode 12

Thursday, March 23, 2023 • Duration 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:

Writer Heather McPherson on What You Don’t Know About Florida Food

Why You Should Stop Haggling at Florida’s Farmers Markets

Conscious Cuisine: Rocky Soil Family Farm on How to Reconnect with Your Food

History of Citrus in the Sunshine State

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Firehouse Chef Manny FD on Cooking for his “Second Family” and the Right Way to Extinguish a Kitchen Fire

Season 7 · Episode 11

Thursday, March 16, 2023 • Duration 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:

Punk Rock Foodie Derrick Fox Spills Secrets of the “MasterChef” Kitchen

14 Tips for Cooking Faster at Home

How to Prepare Restaurant-Quality Meals at Home: Advice from Chef Dennis Littley

“Epicurious One” Stephanie Love Is Disrupting the Wine Industry, One Chicken Wing at a Time

Third-Generation Beekeeper Derek Lewis on Food Pollination, Bee Hotels and the Value of the “Sophisticated Little Creatures”

Season 7 · Episode 10

Thursday, March 9, 2023 • Duration 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:

The Buzz on Florida’s Honey Bees

What’s Threatening Honey Bees?

Conscious Cuisine: Edible Gardening Tips from Albert Risemberg

It’s Always Sunny at St. Petersburg’s Brick Street Farms

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The Zest – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

The Zest – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Instagram32

Youtube16

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Instagram32

Youtube16