Track And Food Podcast

In this episode, award-winning freelance journalist, Rachel Nuwer, discusses her fantastic and revelatory new book, I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World. Featuring the real life stories of many intriguing characters, from ravers to PTSD sufferers, Nuwer's book covers a lot of ground: from how MDMA (aka Ectasy or "Molly") accidentally came to be (in a German lab for pharmaceutical company, Merck), to its use by the US government as a potential 'truth serum' circa the 1950s (spoiler: this never took off), and subsequently by prominent biochemists and pharmacologists as a (legal) treatment for trauma and addiction in the mid-1970s. I Feel Love is at times maddening and disheartening, but also captivating, enlightening and an overall pleasurable read - in the similar vein of Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, who also explore the concept of 'best practice' for those who are suffering trauma. A must-read for those seeking a compassionate jo

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to speak with UBC Professor Edward Slingerland regarding his then-new book, Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (take a listen to the June 16th, 2021 episode here). If you haven’t already read it, Drunk is a fantastic and sometimes hilarious examination of drunkenness, how being drunk enables us to trust and cooperate, and how alcohol consumption has influenced human development over the course of history.Since then, Health Canada has developed new drinking guidelines for Canadians, amounting to a complete shift from their previous recommendations. For many (myself included), this has caused confusion, apathy, and rigorous discourse – including from Professor Slingerland, who recently published the article Making the Case for (Moderate) Alcohol Consumption (Medium). In it, he argues that Health Canada’s new guidelines overlook many of the causal benefits (moderate) drinking provides and how it factors into the hospitality industry. With the

To get a more comprehensive perspective of what’s happening in Kelowna, I reached out to a few local entrepreneurs who’ve helped revitalize the community with many of their brands: David Paterson (Tantalus Vineyards, Vice & Virtue Brewing); Kyle Nixon (BNA Brewing Co., Skinny Duke’s Glorious Emporium, Bernie’s Supper Club and Cinema); and Casey Greabeiel (Greta Vancouver, Salt & Brick, Jack’s Kelowna, Diner Deluxe, Pretty Not Bad).Among other things, we discuss labour and migrant worker issues, minimum wage hikes, the proliferation of corporate chains, and how they’re dealing with consistent forest fire threats. Their respective – and collective – passion for the hospitality industry is evident and infectious. They want Kelowna to thrive. This chat has all the goods.Special mention goes out to Ria Kitsch (Kitsch Winery), who was supposed to join this chat but had to drop out at the last minute due to scheduling constraints. She was invaluable in getting us all together.

In this episode, Jacob Richler, founder and publisher of Canada's most diverse and influential restaurant ranking, Canada's 100 Best, discusses his years as a food critic, why he created this list in the first place, how the judging process unfolds, and where he sees things evolving in the year ahead... Enjoy!Canada's 100 Best launched in 2015. Last year, Vancouver's own Published on Main was ranked Canada's "Best Restaurant" for 2022. See the full 2023 list here.

The boys are back for another “triple J” episode, chockfull with their in-depth insights and immeasurable humour… This time around, James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus) share their opinions on the Vancouver Magazine 2023 Restaurant Awards finalists, and break down Vancouver’s restaurant scene as a whole. Enjoy!

While reading The Tyee back in late January, a story by labour economist, David Fairey (who is also a research associate of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) and Associate Professor of Sociology at UVic, Anelyse Weiler, caught my eye… In “It’s 2023. BC Farm Workers Deserve Basic Minimum Wage Guarantees”, the authors reveal how our current piece rate system for agricultural workers is fraught with low wages, exploitation, classism, and racism. I decided to bring the duo on in order to gain a better understanding of the topic and narrative and to share their candid perspectives and insightful solutions. Do enjoy!Mentioned:"It’s 2023. BC Farm Workers Deserve Basic Minimum Wage Guarantees" by David Fairey and Anelyse Weiler"Farmworkers Finally Won Overtime Pay. Now the Industry Wants to Repeal It" by Grey Moran"Legislated Wage Suppression" by David Fairey"Government wrong to exclude farm workers from basic minimum wage protection" by David Fairey and Anelyse Weil

Recently, I was lucky enough to have Maude Renaud-Brisson (Founder, Apéro Mode), Kelcie Jones (GM, Elephant) and Jenna Briscoe (GM, Café Medina) on to discuss their new endeavour, 'This is Wine School', launching in Chinatown (265 East Pender) this week. These three ladies have already brought much vigour and enthusiasm regarding wine and wine education to Vancouver. With 'This is Wine School' they will collectively continue their trajectory by offering Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) accreditation classes for hospitality career-minded folks, as well as a slate of their own personally stylized 'alternative' wine courses designed for the general wine-loving public. In this episode, we chat about how this project took shape, what they hope to accomplish with it, and more. It's not all serious wine talk, though - prepare yourself for a lot of laughs throughout!

Back for another fun conversation, Alex Black of Laowai joins to talk about his new bar, Bagheera. Located just around the corner, we run through the concept, how things came about, branding, ice machine difficulties and much more. Alex is always candid and insightful. Enjoy!

Prominent food journalist, Corey Mintz, jumps on once again to help break down the news of Noma's impending closure at the end of 2024. If you are unfamiliar, the New York Times dropped the story this past Monday with a fully detailed exposé regarding the context and timing of this announcement. Issues with unpaid labour and what this signifies for chef and owner, René Redzepi, and his team moving forward as well as how this affects global fine dining in the future. The former world number one has made an indelible mark within the food economy. There's a lot to unpack here. Enjoy!Famed New York Times food critic, Pete Wells, shared his thoughts regarding this announcement and why it's so significant. Here's the link to Corey's Eater feature from 2017. 

The boys are back with their insights and predictions for 2023. Recorded a few days before the new year, James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith give the goods on where and how they see the restaurant community evolving this coming year. Yet another classic "triple J episode. Do enjoy!

After reading Corey Mintz’s NBC News column, ‘Outrage at Starbucks tipping prompt shows people don’t get how the tipping con works‘, I brought on the prominent food journalist to get his unique insights and perspective on the “tip creep”: what is it actually, and what does it mean for the hospitality and business industries moving forwards?For more Mintz, be sure to check out my previous podcast with him (originally aired November 30th, 2021) where we dig into his book, The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After – fantastic stuff.Corey Mintz is a freelance food reporter (New York Times, Globe and Mail, Eater, and others), focusing on the intersection between what we eat with business, politics, farming, ethics, land use, labor (or labour, as it’s spelled in Canada), education and culture. He has been a cook and a restaurant critic. For his long-running column Fed, he hosted 192 dinner parties, featuring politicians, refugees, criminals, artists, academics, acupuncturists, hi

Another episode with James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith is here! In this latest instalment, we discuss Michelin coming to Vancouver, and make our picks as to who will gain a star. We then shift gears to weigh in on our personal favourite Vancouver restaurant dishes. This episode has all the hallmarks of our classic “triple J” banter. Do enjoy.

Can life get any better for chef and restaurateur, JC Poirier? His restaurant, the Québécois inspired, St. Lawrence, just won its third straight Restaurant of the Year Award from Vancouver Magazine, right on the heels of a third place finish in Canada's Top 100. With Michelin on the way at the end of October, a star is certainly in his sights - whether it will be one or two remains to be seen. Moreover, in addition to all of these accolades, Poirier's new cookbook is dropping next month (November 8th). A loving homage to his home province of Québec, Where the River Narrows is a personal and entertaining journey tracing Poirier's childhood, up to nights spent at home with his own two daughters, with delicious and detailed recipes dispersed throughout, perfected for all to enjoy. (FYI I'm an especially big fan of his pork chop recipe.) Poirier and I recently spoke at length about his career, his cooking philosophy, how Where the River Narrows came about, and what he hopes readers will take a

In this latest episode James, James and I gather together to draft our ideal restaurant lineup. Influenced by The Ringer’s, The Rewatchables, and the NBA’s all star draft format, we choose from a random selection of Vancouver’s top hospitality veterans to round out our ideal restaurant teams. The rules were simple. 1. Come up with a name and concept 2. Ten member teams with two additional wild cards3. Snake draft formatThis episode is hilarious, silly and a complete waste of time, which is why it’s so awesome. Who's picked first? What roles will they fill? What type of teams did we want? Each person on this list is someone we highly respect and those we might have missed, we apologize. Lighthearted fun you won’t want to miss. To help you follow along, here’s the list of characters we had to choose from. James Iranzad is a co-owner of Gooseneck Hospitality. James Langford-Smith is a co-owner of Pamplemousse Jus. 

Presented by Scout Magazine. The book Healing Grounds – Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming came onto my radar while reading an interview with its author, Liz Carlisle, published last March by Civil Eats, an American news source focused on sustainable food systems. Carlisle, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, teaches food and farming at UC Santa Barbara.Healing Grounds, her third book, tells stories of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian American farmers who are reviving their ancestors’ methods of growing food — techniques long suppressed by the industrial food system. These farmers are restoring native prairies, nurturing beneficial fungi, and enriching soil health. Through feeding their communities and revitalizing cultural ties to the land, they are also steadily stitching ecosystems back together and repairing the natural carbon cycle. According to Carlisle, this is the true regenerative agriculture – not merely a set of technical tricks, but a holistic approach th

A deep dive and fun chat for this one with the co-owners of Greta, Gastown's newest Arcade Bar. Taking over in the old Bourbon on Cordova Street, Chris Decock  and Casey Greabeiel reimagine the close to 9,000 square feet of space with a bustling high energy concept of arcade games, cocktails and signature fare. Taking cues from their two previous Greta iterations in both Calgary and Edmonton, Chris and Casey have helped to revitalize a dormant space while giving Vancouver a fun bar for everyone to enjoy. I spoke with the two of them recently to learn more of why they came to Vancouver, what their concept was, how they got it off the ground and how they hoped to establish themselves within the community. If you're one of the few who has yet to check out Greta, you're sure to enjoy this chat as both Chris and Casey give plenty of insights and enthusiasm. Do check out their website and head on down. I've been several times and it's a lot of fun. https://www.gretabar.com

A bit of inside Baseball fun today with this episode as I bring on two close friends in James Iranzad of Gooseneck Hospitality and James Langford-Smith of Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island to talk shop about all things restaurants and bars. While sipping some of James Langford's new wine, Pamplemousse Jus, we run through the gamut of topics from what's going on in their lives currently, to government policy, new restaurants openings, fave cocktail spots and plenty of other issues. This is truly a fun one as the boys dish on why they care about this industry so much and how those feelings of genuine love have given way to successful careers. If you're up for a fun listen and want to know more about the nitty gritty of the Vancouver hospitality scene, this is the episode for you. **Apologies to Lightning Rock winemaker Jordan Kubek for mispronouncing her last name. Scout is one of Vancouver’s leading food and culture magazines. If you’re wanting to learn more about the city’s food and cultural spher

Trends in the food industry happen all the time. We can usually spot them a mile away. Ten years ago, craft beer took Vancouver and British Columbia by storm, when the market saw an opening and took full advantage of what was needed and desired. I believe we’re on the cusp of another big movement – this time, with the non-alcoholic sector. New entrants are emerging regularly and consumers have taken notice. They want quality and variety. With that being said, I wanted to find out who’s doing what, and there’s no better way to do that than by speaking with two new upstarts in the field: Nick Devine, from Edna’s Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company, and Lane Matkovich, co-founder (with his brother, Leigh Matkovich) of Nonny Beer. Both businesses have just gotten off the ground (Edna’s, literally the day of airing) and I only predict big things ahead for them both. In this episode I seek to learn about their process, their brands, and how they see this market evolving with them in it. I also recently caught wind of Th

I’ve been lucky enough to have interviewed some truly brilliant individuals in the past, especially those who’ve written timely and insightful books. As a bookworm at heart, I just love delving into these stories and piecing them out. My interview with BBC Radio food journalist, Dan Saladino, is no exception.His new book (which is receiving glowing reviews) tells a personal narrative of the diversity of food we risk losing if we’re not careful. In Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them, Saladino takes you on a global journey from Tanzania to Australia, to Colorado and the Faroe Islands. Along the way, we learn about the precariousness of kavilca wheat in Turkey, the importance of the Tian Shan forests in Kazakhstan for apple diversity, and the sheer will of Atlantic salmon when returning to their place of origin to spawn. Each story is meticulously researched, with Saladino occasionally offering up his own empathetic and curious viewpoint. This book is not only an importan

The best part of doing a podcast (sometimes, not all the time) is when you get to interview your buddies and chat with them about the cool shit they're doing. Case in point: This chat with Simon Fallick and Patryk Drozd of Hero's Welcome. Our talk has been in the works for sometime now and, well, I'm honestly happy we waited because they both had plenty to say. Having already experienced the ups and downs of opening, and then running a bar together (they co-own The American), listening to their journey about why and how they took over the once extremely popular Taurus Veterans Club on Main Street left me elated. They each have a role to provide within their partnership and you certainly get a sense of how each fills it during this conversation. It's a big fun space with plenty of history and pedigree. It's in good hands now and should become a fixture in that part of Mount Pleasant for a long time to come. This discussion will give you all the goods you'll want to know about Hero