OBSESSIVES on CHOW.com

OBSESSIVES: SEEDS

John Nese is the proprietor of Galco's Soda Pop Stop in LA. His father ran it as a grocery store, and when the time came for John to take charge, he decided to convert it into the ultimate soda-lover's destination. About 500 pops line the shelves, sourced lovingly by John from around the world. John has made it his mission to keep small soda-makers afloat and help them find their consumers. Galco's also acts as a distributor for restaurants and bars along the West Coast, spreading the gospel of soda made with cane sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup if John can avoid it).

Here's the cliche: Alex Hozven craved pickles when she was pregnant with her first son, 12 years ago. And the twist: She started her own pickling business. The Cultured Pickle Shop sells pickles ranging from classic sauerkrauts to unusual kimchees and Kombuchas- way beyond the sour dill. But it's the experiments, like the mysterious nuka pot or pickled blood oranges, that really get Hozven excited. There's plenty of zing, zest, pow in all her pickles, though.

Sean Thackrey is a winemaker, indeed, but he is so much more: an archivist, historian, linguist, photographer, art collector. Thackrey shares his views on the importance of barrels, respect for ancient techniques like letting grapes rest, the word terroir (he hates it), and much more. For wine aficionados, he's an inspiration. For wine novices, he's a deep source of knowledge.

Nach Waxman is owner of one of the largest food bookstores in the country, Kitchen Arts & Letters, in Manhattan. From his perch behind the counter, he sees customers-famous chefs, not-famous line cooks, and civilians alike-streaming in to peruse his bountiful, unusual collection. Waxman shows us the basement, where he's got some truly rare books. And he shares an unlikely bookstore success story: beating Barnes & Noble.

Ann Cooper was a celebrity chef before she wrote a book, Bitter Harvest, that got her thinking about the connection between food and health. She has spent the past five years as head lunch lady for the Berkeley, CA school system, writing another book, Lunch Lessons, along the way. Ann's mission? To make sure every kid gets the healthy breakfast and lunch they need.

Author, television host, entrepreneur, and cheese expert Will Studd has fought to allow raw-milk cheese to be sold in Australia (those same laws can have an impact on U.S. restrictions as well). Studd has traveled the world with a film crew trying to record the traditions of artisanal cheesemaking.

Rebecca Federman, librarian, blogger, and menu aficionado, takes CHOW into the bowels of the New York Public Library, sharing stories about the library’s menu collection and its founder, Miss Frank E. Buttolph.

An oven built by hand, tile by tile. Four pizzas on the menu, with no fancy-pants toppings. Anthony Mangieri does one thing at Una Pizza Napoletana, and he does it the very best way he can.

Sonoma County beekeeper Serge Labesque treats his bees with respect, though that’s probably not all that’s needed to save the world’s swarms from Colony Collapse Disorder. The sticky stuff’s far-reaching power includes healing burns and adorning a fine panna cotta recipe.

It’s very simple: alcohol, wormwood, and some anise characteristics. But not simple at all: The carefully calibrated mix of aromatics and herbs that goes into the absinthe made by Lance Winters of St. George Spirits took extensive testing to get just right.

Wedding cake designer Shinmin Li started baking wedding cakes after training in fine art. It’s not that jarring of a change, if you think about it. Li owns I Dream of Cake in San Francisco, and spends her time obsessing over cake consistency, design details, and whether her clients will eat the finished product.

Beau Timken of True Sake is proud to be called a sake samurai. His fanaticism comes across in his enthusiasm for junmai, daiginjo, and ginjo, and he rails against those who encourage libation without education. Take the hint: learn from Beau.

Craig Ponsford, founder of Artisan Bakers and chairman of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, discusses the intricacies of kneading, starters, and fresh bread. Plus: the quest for holey bread. And the money question: What, really, does artisan mean?

Tea: It’s so much more than a small afternoon pleasure. Connoisseur James Norwood Pratt puts tea in context, as not only “one of the world’s greatest handmade works of art,” but an antiwar palliative. Along the way, he weighs in on Starbucks, tea bags, and water quality.