Nc F&b Podcast

Listen to the science of farming, music, visual art and food, all in one episode. To say David McConnell is a renaissance man would be short changing him. David sees the world and his time on this planet as a blank canvas and seeks to make his mark on it. You wouldn’t believe this story if I told you it, so let Dave tell it to you. In summary Mr.McConnell went from producing the music of legendary musicians such as Elliot Smith, to tending farms and producing food and herbs for legendary chefs. Along the way he also won a fellowship for his visual art. Whatever Dave focuses on begins to grow and now it’s about sustainable farming and work herbs into your daily lives. Most importantly Dave McConnell uses herbs and other plants to keep his son Fox healthy and thriving. Listen and be inspired! Friends & Sponsors: and  

How to grow mushrooms. If you are ever concerned about living in a post apocalyptic world or you just want to know lots about much, listen to Amy Fox of Fox Farm & Forage. Mrs. Fox has figured out how to turn a degree in nursing into becoming a mushroom farmer. Not only is Amy a mushroom farmer, she is the darling mushroom grower/supplier to many of the elite chefs in the Raleigh-Durham area. Oh on top of everything else she does, Amy is a laugh a minute as an example she is a self-proclaimed, “Tricky Bitch.” (Not our words) Amy Fox gives us insight into how to grow your own mushrooms, some of the science behind different mushroom species and she distills down why some mushrooms taste better than others. Mrs. Fox doesn’t have time to forage much anymore as her mushroom growing, being a wife and being peer pressured by her kids to skate board take up most of her time however, she gives us plenty of sound advice into which mushrooms we should not be eating. Get in on the fun…guys! GIFT BAG Friends & Sp

The elite barkeep is just one of Shannon Healy’s many monikers. Shannon is proud to be a barkeep but he is so much more. Mr. Healy helped put Durham on the map of the national culinary scene by creating one of the top cocktail bars in the triangle, in what was previously a deserted dark alley. Recently that cocktail bar has been expanded into one of the Triangle’s top restaurants garnering 4 stars from the .   Shannon Healy knows so much about so many things. He was a somewhat successful musician and band leader before his career in hospitality. You can say that Shannon Healy is a certified authority on spirits, mixology, wines, hospitality oh and he can even read real estate documents. Finally, he makes a damn good cocktail, try it, on this week’s edition of the NC F&B. We have some stuff going on... March 22-25th - We will be at the    Sunday April 8th - We're slinging drinks with    Thursday, April 12th - We are behind the stick for

We dedicate this week of the NC F&B Podcast to a 2-part Series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Triangle Wine Experience, benefiting The Frankie Lemmon School. TWE part 2 1:00 Jasmine Hirsch 35:56 OBX Taste of the Beach Festival 40:03 Rajat Parr We speak with General Manager of Hirsch Vineyards, and 3 time James Beard Award Winner: author, winemaker/sommelier For more information:

We dedicate this week of the NC F&B Podcast to a 2-part Series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Triangle Wine Experience, benefiting The Frankie Lemmon School. In the early 1990's a group of friends gathered to celebrate their love of wine and to raise money for the Frankie Lemmon School. The gathering became a tradition that eventually resulted in the formation of The Frankie Lemmon Foundation, a non-profit organization that is the school's primary funding source. Each year the foundation organizes a series of wine related charitable events, including the Triangle Wine Experience to generate proceeds, which fund the tuition-free school. TWE Part 1 9:24  & 18:38 Jim Clendenen of 42:14  Announcement 46:24 Winemakers of , Ryan & Megan Glaab We speak with contributors of the event from legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, New Orleans inspired local chef, Sunny Gerhardt, owner of Lioco Matt Licklider and the married winemaking team of RYME.  For more information:

What do you do when you are not the man anymore? had to learn the answer to that question after a 1,500lb grill fell on him and mangled his leg. Chef Scott is an 8 times semifinalist for best chef in America, Mr. Howell earned those nominations with elbow grease. This is not your typical story of how rockstar chefs work hard and get praise. More so, this is a tale of how a chef with all the gifts and determination to be a great chef discovers 3 absolutes: He cannot work like he used to. He must rely on his wife and team, trusting he put them in a position to succeed. Discover new ways he can lead and still be effective.  In addition to the inner conflict of a great chef that’s been injured, here is the story of the dynamic women () by his side. This story reads like a Shakespearian drama; we learn how a husband and wife can no longer be married yet continue as wonderful and caring partners in business. We hear how students are groomed and eventually become successful business owners and partners to the Ho

Want to start your own distillery? The first step is to resolve to make at least one bottle of liquor, that’s what the team did. This is the story of how four neighbors with engineering backgrounds created a grain to glass distillery in Raleigh, NC.  In this episode Jon Keener and Grady Knight put the shine on Moonshine! They tell a classic story of, have you ever had one of those days at your job where you say to yourself “geez I wish I was doing something else?” We all have and the guys and gals behind Pinetop put “substance behind passion.” At first everything was handmade and operated until they used some science savvy to automate a few things. Jon, Grady and the rest of the team put pen to paper, hashed out logistics and maximized strengths of each individual to create a genuinely successful Raleigh distillery that is currently producing 750 bottles per month, of high craft grain to glass liquor booze. This episode will give you insight into the science and the art of distilling. Additionally, you will

How does one fuse creative drive with practicality? How about be a ski bum for a few years then decide to go to culinary school?  Growing up, Sean’s father made  a successful national restaurant chain, but that didn’t push Sean into restaurants. Sean worked restaurant jobs to support his skiing habit and after a few years realized he needed a steady job. He decided to go to the in Hyde Park, NY and hone his culinary skills there. While in New York City he worked at some notable establishments, most impressively, was the time he spent learning from Chef at . After working at Le Bernadin and sharpening his technique, the call of home, North Carolina began to ring. Eventually, Sean used both practical and creative parts of his brain to run his own business. In order to learn how to become a business owner in North Carolina, Chef Sean worked his butt off at the for seven years; eventually he became the Catering Chef. During his time, Fowler met his wife Lizzie by wooing her with his culinary delights. Lizzie a

Learn how to plan your life. Coleen Speaks has it all mapped out. Coleen knew that she wanted to live in New Orleans after high school so she found a university in New Orleans that would accept her and fit her needs. She knew accounting would be a major part of running a business so she decided to major in it in college. While in college she strategically decided that working front of the house at for would be more knowledge she could bank for her own future business.  After New Orleans, Coleen intentionally went to a city that was on the rise as a culinary destination. Not only did Coleen move to Raleigh but also when she got here she worked for none other then , waiting tables at the cutting edge . While working at Enoteca she also began her catering business, oh and by the way she was five months pregnant! Mrs. Speaks is the ultimate juggler however it’s evident that when you love what you do, and you know where you want to go, you grow extra hands to juggle with. Coleen grew from a small kitchen in her

doesn’t stop. After Blake regained consciousness from a heroin overdose to find himself in his mother’s arms and alive he regained control of his life. His near death experience was the catalyst for him to be able to juggle so many businesses and activities. Whether Blake is curing meat to end up at your next dinner party or perhaps on your sandwich order from , he doesn’t stop. Blake might be pickling vegetables picked from his own garden so that he can use that in a future dish. It doesn’t end there as Blake might be helping his expecting wife Megan create a new icing for her business or he might be reaching out to colleagues to help him out in a charity dinner. At this juncture of the story you get the point, Blake Gotliffe is not only a tenacious worker but a talented and resourceful chef. Hear how darkness turns to light in this story of an addict revived!

“Cheap seafood ain’t good & good seafood ain’t cheap!” Listen to the silky tones of the Steward of North Carolina Aquaculture aka our original fan, contestant Keith Rhodes explain that statement. Chef Keith walks the walk and talks the talk. He literally eats, breathes and sleeps (in that order by the way) the North Carolina food culture. Rare is it to find such humility, passion and sincere zeal for others’ success, in such an accomplished chef. Chef Keith Rhodes is a 3 time best chef Wilmington award winner and a nominee for best chef in the Southeast. Keith discuses the high level of work, dedication and focus it takes to be successful in the restaurant business. We delve into how a prospective chef should build their resume. We come to understand how the culinary culture has ethnically evolved in this country; thanks to television minorities can see chefs of the same ethnic background become successful in the culinary world, it becomes a “if you can see, I can be” mentality. There are so many valuab

The future Mayor of must be Billy Mellon. Billy is a driving force behind putting Wilmington on the culinary map. is one of the culinary beacons of North Carolina, east of interstate 95. Thanks to his stick-to-itiveness, resiliency, innate sense of hospitality and his attention to detail, Manna is thriving. In addition to building a restaurant, Billy shakes hands, kisses babies, finds up-and-coming musical acts and also directs the . He literally does it all from helping to raise his son, curate the wine list, oh and now he’s writing a book. Billy is not only the future mayor of Wilmington but he is also the angel feeding the people “Manna” from heaven. Fascinating does not even begin to describe Billy; you will have to listen for the whole story. On top of everything, we learn what Ronnie James Dio means and the origin of Devil Horns. When I tell you this episode has it all, believe me.

Walk up the down staircase a few times in your life. Going in the opposite direction will give you perspective and give you insight into the minds of Dean Neff and Lydia Clopton. Dean and Lydia’s journey took them from Athens, GA to Atlanta through Asheville, NC to finally settle on the coast in Wilmington, NC. Some Chef’s come in with pre-conceived notions of what a restaurant in going to be but not Dean and Lydia, they let the place and space dictate the menu. Some might say they listened to the waves. Pinpoint takes fresh and local ingredients and turns them into sophisticated yet crowd pleasing food. We learn how local catfish can be elevated into an ethereal dish and how roasted dandelion root can turn into delicious ice cream. Dean Neff learned from the best such as and , after fifteen plus years of world class tutelage Dean was ready for his own restaurant. With Lydia Clopton providing desserts to equal Dean’s savory menu a gem of a restaurant was born right near the water in downtown Wilmington, NC.

Would you like to be wealthy? Listen closely to Chef Ben Barker's wisdom and you will be rich with stories of humility, North Carolina history and family values. Chef Ben Barker is literally a living legend of NC, he has won the for best chef in the southeast and has been nominated six times. His restaurant Magnolia Grill was the epicenter of North Carolina Cuisine for decades. The coolest part of Ben’s story goes beyond the man. Ben’s wife is also a James Beard award winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2003. On top of all their success, the Barkers are still in the game as they are intimately involved in their son Gabe’s restaurant . Join us in Carrboro, NC where we sat down to chat with the Godfather of North Carolina fine dining.

Charlie is quite a big Deal! Learn how one man, who could at times be perceived as curmudgeonly, is in fact a gregarious restaurateur. is a chef, sommelier and innovator all wrapped up into one. We covered everything in this episode. We learned why Charlie left the Golden State behind to move to North Carolina. Hear how he changes food to match the wine. Why there is too much sugar in most Asian food. We learned the art of the short list and how to cleverly buy close out wine deals. Listen to why Charlie is in love with Gamay. Oh yeah we also talked about virginity.  

is a woman possessed with success. Whether the task is staging at for or working harvest in Burgundy for she will achieve. Get this woman to a spin class in the morning and watch her run the world for the rest of the day.   Jordan joined us at in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Jordan was in NC to raise awareness for her creations and . While Jordan was here we took the opportunity to chat about what it’s like to work for and be the Director of Wine and Special Projects for . We also got behind the scenes of what it’s like to sit for the , be a mom and a somm and finally what High-Low means.   Listen to this episode to be inspired, awed and entertained. Jordan’s story is one of endless energy and drive plus intelligence and charm. Forget TED Talks, sit down with Jordan for about an hour.

Say yes, that is the motto that Sunny Lin lives by and how Sophia Woo gets her to join in on the Pho-King fun. These girls turned their lives upside down and literally took a wild ride in creating the Within a year of beginning the Vietnamese food truck they were approached by to compete in . Despite almost crashing the truck and many other potential disasters, the newly named won the Competition. The winnings from the television show gave the ladies a small nest egg, Sophia had an idea, Sunny said yes and soon enough opened in downtown Raleigh, NC. This episode takes you on a grand journey. You will learn how a biomedical engineer and a accountant upheave their lives and follow their passion into the culinary realm. From food truck wars to battling the restaurant scene in downtown Raleigh, these ladies are warriors!  

Out to the coast we traveled, (that’s right, Wilmington, North Carolina) to find out what’s new with Co- Tar heel of the Year Mrs. Vivian “High Rent/Big Time/The Viver” Howard & her man at arms Mr. Ben aka Benny “Big Time” Knight. Max and Matt vetted Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria and made sure the coast was clear for you to visit. https://www.facebook.com/bennysbigtime/ This Pizzeria is appropriately named; everything about it is truly Big Time! We found out this project was a Ben does and Vivian ask questions later scenario. In the end, sometimes the husbands do know best and this place is proof. Find out about their neopolitanesque pizza, the wood fired ovens and how they came to put their trust in Chef James Diecchio aka “we love Dim.” One final tidbit, a little birdie told me you might see this episode on season 6 of A Chef’s Life. (http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/a-chefs-life/) Director Cynthia Hill and crew had the cameras rolling! Oh and I almost forgot we find out more about Vivian’s rock star reading w

Creating with your hands is almost as sexy as that scene from Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. Who knew that local North Carolina clay, a stove on steroids (aka a kiln) and one brain researcher could be so damn cool? I’ll tell you who did, TV’s John May and bad ass chef Mike Lee of M Sushi, M Koko and soon to be M Taco. Those two culinary titans recognized that the dinnerware of Matt Hallyburton could showcase their food in a fervently stylish but useful way that no other plates had done. John and Mike are not the only one’s to have recognized Matt’s talents, his lore has stretched south as he has caught the eye of chef Sean Brock and collaborated with him to create plate ware for the new Husk restaurant in Georgia. Matt explains pottery from the digging of the clay to the firing of the glaze. In this episode you will learn about “throwing a piece,” temperature use on clay, North Carolina potting history and why some glazes are better than others. When you listen to this episode you will understand t

Rich molasses and sweet unrefined sugar is how you make rum, a new lifestyle and a fortune. Well, maybe not the fortune part at least not financially but spiritually, scientifically and flavorfully the Lassiter’s are building a fortune! Rebecca and Gentry Lassiter have a fresh and intellectual spin on how to build a business and market a spirit. Artistic latitude, “Distill My Heart,” from Redboot Stills, Iowa and the white oak from Blackwater barrel in South Carolina is what differentiates Lassiter Rum from the rest. In this episode you will hear how a corporate couple transitions into the world of distilling and sometimes more importantly the marketing of spirits. This episode has it all, family, tears, laughter, nerd rum speak and legal malarkey. Gobble gobble ladies and gents, listen while you baste your turkey!