The Atlanta Foodcast: A Food Podcast

In case you hadn’t heard, I wanted to let you know we’re bringing back The Atlanta Foodcast for a second season — and it’s happening in just a few weeks!

Well, friends, the time has come. It’s time to put a stop to this madness! Just kidding. It’s the final episode of Season One! Can you believe it? We’ve come a long way since launching the podcast and it all culminates here in episode 33. This episode is a bit of a recap from Season One with a few clips from a handful of interviews. I also wanted to provide a few of my thoughts on the dining scene in Atlanta and the landscape of our amazing culinary community. Next, I also wanted to provide a bit of a preview for Season Two of the show! That’s right, there’s going to be plenty more for all of you listeners out there. We have a few surprises up our sleeves yet, so keep an ear to the podcasting ground to get a glimpse of what’s next! More news coming soon. Many, many thanks to all of our guests who joined us for Season One of the show. If you’d like to leave a comment below, please feel free to do so. We’ll see you in Season Two, friends.

It's no surprise to anyone that coffee has grown into a renaissance period and has produced multiple verticals in a short number of years. The one that has shown more staying power, brand growth, market competition, and everything under the coffee-loving sun, is cold brew. Well, Billy and Chasidy Atchison brought Banjo Cold Brew to Atlanta right as the wave started to build. These two have a great story to tell from how they met, got into the coffee business, and built the brand. If you’d like to learn more about Billy and Chasidy’s story, their roaster they work with, or which notes you’ll pick up whilst drinking their coffee, head to their website at banjocoffee.com You can also visit their coffee shop in Avondale for a fresh cup of coffee.

Neal and Samir Idnani are two people I identify with. Not because I've also opened a successful, multi-unit casual Indian concept, but because these two are brothers. I have an older brother and I know what its like to do things in life where you know you've got one another's back. Where you rarely even have to communicate with words. Where teamwork is never a thought because it's all there is. It's just a thing that brothers have. I love seeing that in Neal and Samir and it especially shows in how they have grown their restaurants -- known to the greater good here in Atlanta as NaanStop. Now, these two started the concept as a foodtruck years ago, but not here in the south. I won't spoil the story, but the tale of how they have come to be is quite the tale indeed. I met Neal and Samir years ago when they had just opened their Buckhead location. I knew their samosa was remarkable back then and things have only gotten better. I’ve had many meals at NaanStop and I’ve found a meal that works for ever occasion. If you want to give these guys a shot, head to their website and check out the menu.

Finally, we reach a cooler climate in the city, the sun softer on our faces, fall beers arise in the ranks of local breweries — it’s Fall, y’all. This also brings on a week that I look forward to all year and that’s the week of Taste of Atlanta. Anticipations galore as I prepare for one of my favorite food festivals in the city. So, thusly in celebration, we’re re-airing an episode from earlier this summer with none other than the founder of Taste of Atlanta — Dale DeSena. This woman is a true powerhouse entrepreneur, businesswoman, leader, and all-around great person. I think the world of the work she has done and culture she has brought to Atlanta through Taste of Atlanta and many other food-centric events (shoutout to the Southern Wing Showdown). If you’ve yet to attend Taste of Atlanta, make this your year. Tickets are still on sale and you can pick them up right here. Also, follow along with all of the things at the festival with the hashtags #tasteofatlanta, #tasteatl, and #tasteatl18. We’ll see you there!

Jarret Stieber is the chef, brain, conceptual driver, and everything of Eat Me Speak Me — a legendary Atlanta restaurant pop-up that utilizes Georgia-grown ingredients. Jarret has taken EMSM (We’ll abbreviate from here on out) all over the city and is currently hosting the concept out of the kitchen at The S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur. Jarret is an incredibly gifted mind. A decorated chef who has worked with, under, and alongside some of the most notable chefs in Atlanta, and has helped sculpt so much of our dining scene. His inspiration comes through on his menus and shows careful attention to what makes Georgia such a rich, agriculture-forward dining state. I could continue on with the list of where Jarret has been and all that he has accomplished, but I’ll leave it to you for a listen. I’ve had the pleasure of dining at EMSM in multiple locations and we caught up at SOS, before service, on everything happening with him and the restaurant. Here’s our conversation from earlier this summer.

Well, we’re wrapped on a week focused on cheese and it all culminates here. We had the opportunity the be a part of The Cheese Fest this year and it was an honor to bring four incredible professionals on stage to have a conversation around the industry of cheese, what makes the south such an amazing place for food, and the impact cheese has on the greater culinary world. You’ll hear from Tim Gaddis of In Demand Cheese, Robin Schick from Calyroad Creamery, David Goodson -- 3rd Generation pecan farmer of Goodson Pecans, and podcast veteran, Kevin Ouzts of The Spotted Trotter. Each a wealth of knowledge in their field and doing amazing things for the culinary world. Many, many, many thanks go out to our friends at Gourmet Foods international and the entire team behind making The Cheese Fest a possibility. It was a huge honor to be a sponsor and be involved on so many levels. Here’s our conversation recorded LIVE from The Cheese Fest 2018.

Mandy and Kelvin Slater are on fire. When you take a look at what is happening in the city, where people want to hang out, where new things are happening, and where some of the most Instagram-friendly photos are taken, you’re going to end up on The Roof at Ponce City Market. This duo happens to be the minds and leadership behind everything rooftop-bound. Before you get into everything in the present, their past is just as steeped in the restaurant industry. This team also brought us Blue Moon Pizza (a personal favorite of mine) and have put in the time at many other concepts we all know and love. We caught up at Industrious at Ponce City Market for a conversation on their past, what’s happening now at The Roof, and also some cool things forthcoming at Atlanta’s favorite historic spot.

There are people who are making Atlanta and amazing city for eaters… and then there people who have made Atlanta. People who have worked so hard at laying groundwork in the culinary community working hard jobs, creating restaurant groups, and so on. Mary Moore is one of those people. Talk about a powerhouse woman who has held every position in the kitchen, was a part of one of the most influential restaurant groups the city has known, and is now at the helm of an Atlanta business that fuels everyone from the professional chef to the home cook. The Cook’s Warehouse brings everything to the forefront when it comes to outfitting a kitchen with gadgets and and also serves the community with cooking classes. Mary is also an incredibly decorated individual in terms of communityinvolvement. Just look at how many boards, awards, and leaderships she has held and is currently a part of. We caught up at her location over at Ansley and covered everything from her upbringing in the Atlanta outskirts, working in the kitchen, and how her entrepreneurial spirit led her to starting her own business.

Melissa Davis is the most knowledgeable person behind the bar I've ever met. She'll drop incredible knowledge on wine, spirits, old cocktails, and more with such enthusiasm and wit you can't wait to learn more. Her career has taken her from the floor of Cakes & Ale, to The General Muir, Staplehouse, and now a new project coming next year on the Beltline from the team at Revelator Coffee. She has racked up accolades (most recently a Rising Star Sommelier from Star Chefs) and has built incredible programs many will not soon forget.  I caught up with Melissa at Krog St to chat about what she's been up to over the years since we first met at Woodfire Grill back in the day -- no surprise, it's a LOT.

This week’s show is a special one — both in content and what it means for me as your host. I’m so stoked to bring you an interview with a band I love…. and it’s the Quiet Hounds. We met up for dinner at Le Fat to talk about how they came together as a band, why Happy Hour at Nakato is amazing, a radio show that was hosted in the tower of Ponce City Market back in the 20s, and an incredible experience they are at the helm of… and that’s Dinner Bell. Music provided by and all rights held by Quiet Hounds Intro Track: Quiet Violet Outro Track: Thieves From their most recent record, Characteristics of Living Things, 2017 ©The Atlanta Foodcast

There are many instances in recording interviews for this show when I almost forget I’m even producing a podcast. I’m just having a conversation. A great conversation. An amazing conversation that unravels an incredible story and an even more incredible individual. I’m very, very honored to bring you this conversation with Chef Todd Richards. Here is a chef in Atlanta celebrating his upbringing and the collision of cultures that makes up soul food. We get into all the good stuff from his childhood in Chicago, opening and working in restaurants here in Atlanta, and writing his cookbook titled soul. Lots of fun here, so let’s get right to it. If you'd like to pick up a copy of Chef Todd Richards' book, Soul, you can find it at a few great bookstores around Atlanta and also on Amazon. Soul, A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes

An aspect of Atlanta that I've come to perpetuate over the years, with steadfast loyalty, is our wonderful, creative community of makers. Makers of all kinds who produce, develop, and create things that improve your life -- albeit delicious. The makeup of things outside of our restaurant scene are adding incredible amounts of culture to what truly makes Atlanta the greatest city for eaters. Treehouse Milk is creating the most incredibly flavorful alt-dairy milks right here in our city. The stuff you can pick up at the grocery store can't even come close to how delicious and rich Treehouse's milks are. This crew of two produce several varietals of almond milk, oat milk, and even Georgia pecan milk. 

Stories are what I live for. It’s far more than just about hearing the verbatim from a well-known chef or a persona. It’s the real thing.  Chef Ron Eyester needs no introduction. His restaurants, some that have since passed, have defined a large portion of the dining scene here in Atlanta. Now, back at where he began a major point in his career in restaurants, he has turned a major corner and in a commanding role as something new -- an inspiring leader.  He he has been all over, done more things than you can imagine, celebrated, overcome, triumphed, and has an incredible homecoming story to share. 

So, here's a bit of a different episode of the show. We had the opportunity to attend the Southern Wing Showdown to eat wings, catch up with chefs, and meet up with some friends of the show.  In case you missed the Southern Wing Showdown this year, here's a list of the participating chefs and other cool folks who were involved in this year's events.  Big shoutout to our friends at Springer Mountain Farms for all of the wings that made their way to all of the chefs.  Also, the folks who organized this event are also the folks behind Taste of Atlanta -- where tickets happen to be on sale. Be one of the cool kids and grab yours now.