#284 Mike Thelin - Feast Portland

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Mike Thelin joins us again to talk about rethinking Feast Portland, and what's important to the pared down, revised festival this year, and as the organization looks beyond the pandemic to future years. Chris and Mike get into a discussion about restaurants and Portland and quality of life. Mike always gives us a great conversation, and this is no exception.

You can hear about Mike's food, life and business background in episode 122.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse:  www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#283 Anne Hubatch - Helioterra Wines and Alter Ego Cider - Road Trip!

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We asked Anne Hubatch to join us to discuss her family trip around the west this summer with her kids, visiting national parks and monuments along the way.  The first part of the podcast is dedicated to the wonders of long summer road trips, and then in the second segment we talk about Anne's journey to become a self-employed winemaker.  We discuss Helioterra and how she managed to weather the pandemic after 8+ years in the business. Anne also tells us about the women winemaker events at Division Wines.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse:  www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#282 Katherine Benvenuti - Fills

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Katherine Benvenuti, pastry chef and proprietor of Fills , joins us to talk about all the ups and downs she's experienced since opening Bar King six days before the pandemic.  That upheaval has led to her new venture, Fills Donuts, as well as being partner in the new Tasty restaurant.  We discuss donuts, tipping, work/life balance, sweet versus savory, how Lake Oswego compares to Portland, the challenging labor market and how best to navigate that from an operator's perspective, and more.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse:  www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

RATF Classic: #231 Kelsey Glasser - Arden

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Looking back to February 2020, before everything changed, with Kelsey Glasser of Arden.

Kelsey Glasser is the owner and sommelier of Arden in Northwest Portland.  She joins the podcast to talk about what took her from the Willamette Valley to pursue acting in New York and L.A... and how wine brought her back to the Pacific Northwest.  Plus, she'll share how Arden brought the two career paths together.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse:  www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#281 Kyo Koo - Bokki Seoul NYC

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Chef Kyo Koo, whom Portlanders will know from his days at BlueHour and more recently as proprietor of Danwei Canting, joins Chris to talk about working on his new concept in New York City, Bokki Seoul. Coming out of the pandemic, Chris asks Kyo about his thoughts about fast casual, take-out, and whether something closer to fine dining is something we can expect to return like the days of old.

Issues like rent and labor are considered, as well as what may be in store for Portland's food scene coming out of the pandemic (we hope!)

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

#280 Jeff Ridabock - Home Grown Smoker Vegan BBQ

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This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

Jeff Ridabock hails from the same town host Chris Angelus, so in this fun episode Chris and Jeff reminisce about growing up in privileged Darien, Connecticut in the 60s and 70s. (You may not want little ears to hear this!) Also, Jeff talks pandemic in the restaurant business, and reaches back to his best memories of Portland when he arrived to the city in 1979.

Also, Jeff talks about how vegan food's acceptance has changed since he started making vegan BBQ over a half dozen years ago.

#279 Brooke Jackson-Glidden - Eaterpdx

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It's been a while since Eater Editor Brooke Jackson-Glidden joined us.  This will be our first visit with Brooke since the pandemic.  We talk about her job and having to work it mostly from home over the past year, reporting versus criticism, what the future of the food industry might look like, as well as some of the restaurants and carts Brooke is most excited about as we begin to emerge from under Covid clouds.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

#278 Alexander Diestra - New Executive Chef at Andina + Chicha

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With a new child on the homefront, Alex Diestra is poised as the new Executive Chef at Portland's iconic Andina Peruvian restaurant, where he's also helped develop their new outdoor/take-out concept, Chicha. His pedigree is strong, after having worked in kitchens at Bruce Carey's Saucebox and Clarklewis, but also growing up with Peruvian food from childhood.  Chris and Alex talk about his moving to Portland from Peru at age 19, how he became a chef as well as his feelings about being at the helm of Andina as it changes with a younger generation running the show, as well as the format changes after Covid.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

#277 Brett Burmeister -- Sells Food Carts Portland Business

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SOLD!!  Food Carts Portland! 

Brett Burmeister made his name in the Portland food scene by writing about food carts in a way no one else had.  For 10 years, he ran Food Carts Portland's website, which includes blogs and social media, becoming the face of the Portland food cart scene.  He consulted with cities and others around the world who wanted to develop a street food scene like Portland's, and curated events as well as running food cart tours.  He recently sold the business, hook, line and sinker, to focus on his bar, HOME.   We talk with Brett about those 10 years in the food cart world, how he got into it and why he sold it, and also about being a bar operator during the pandemic, and what he sees for the Portland food world coming out of it.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

RATF Classic: #170 Nolan Hirte - Proud Mary

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Let' go back to August of 2018, when we first spoke to Nolan Hirte of Proud Mary (as we learn that Proud Mary is expanding into Austin Texas)

A coffee at Proud Mary in NE Portland is not your average coffee stop.  On this episode of Right at the Fork, we talk to Nolan Hirte, the co-founder of Proud Mary in Portland, and Melbourne, Australia. 

Hear what makes coffee to important to Nolan - and maybe most important, the care and service that goes into it.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com  
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

#276 Michael Gibbons - Papa Haydn and Jo Bar

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Michael Gibbons and his wife own Papa Haydn and Jo Bar, which have been a staples in the Portland Food world since they met each other as employees at Papa Haydn many cakes and drinks ago. Since then, they've largely stepped away from the day to day operations to leave that responsibility in younger, capable hands, including their son Brendan.

We talk to Michael about his trajectory from a kid in LA slinging burgers to Reed College in the 70s to his building of Papa Haydn's bar program as a stop between semesters, which of course turned into the love of his life with the love of his life for years and years. We also talk about service, Portland as a city now and how it may fare coming out of the pandemic. And the Dodgers.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#275 Kat LeSueur - Little Lucy Baking

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This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Kat LeSueur, former chef/owner of Cocotte, has been busy with family life for a few years. During the pandemic, she honed her baking game, and recently began popping up selling her sourdough loaves and other goodies. We catch up with Kat to hear how Little Lucy allows her the flexibility she desires, but has given her the opportunity to flex her kitchen muscles.

Find Kat at @littlelucybread on Instagram.

#274 Jill Taylor - CEO of Burgerville

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This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
Finex: www.FinexUSA.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

We're thrilled to be able to interview Burgerville's CEO, Jill Taylor  Jill was recently named one of the most influential women in the food industry by Nations Restaurant News.  We talk with Jill about pandemic pivoting, infiltration of big national burger chains and how someone goes from being a nurse to CEO of Pacific Northwest Food icon.  We'll also hear about smashburgers and what's around the bend for Burgerville.

#R260 Cory Schreiber - Culinary Specialist at Sysco

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As we hear about the closing of more Portland restaurants, we felt it important to return to a conversation with Chef Cory Schreiber from December 2020, discussing the future of Portland's restaurant industry post-pandemic.

Cory shares his perspective from years of experience beginning with the chef/owner of one of Portland's legendary restaurants, Wildwood, to his present day position at Sysco, consulting with restaurants to help them maximize efficiency and promote excellence. We talk real estate as it pertains to restaurants, packaging, food carts as a model, and more.

Cory shared this invitation with us: I can be reached at schreiber.cory@pdx.sysco.com I am a culinary specialist and I am available for no extra fees to all food service operations for all categories for short and long term consultation. My main focus is on Sysco customers but operators can become customers with no minimum order fees and signing up is easy through our on-line shopping platform, SHOP.

To hear Cory discuss his experiences BEFORE the pandemic, click to Episode #196.

This episode of Right at the Fork is sponsored by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

#273 Missy Maki - Former Host of the Simple Kitchen

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

Missy Maki, former host of Simple Kitchen radio show in Portland, picked up moved to Missoula, Montana with her family of four in the midst of the 2020 pandemic.  She maintains her ties to Portland through her work as self-proclaimed Sales Director Extraordinaire for the Western Region of Landry's McCormick and Schmick's and Jake's properties. 

Chris and Missy talk about quality of life issues that prompted the move, work/life balance, and what she sees in Portland's food and beverage future.  Oh, and we're sure she'd love us shouting out that she turned 50 on April 12th! 

Recorded April 9, 2021.

#272 Eytan Zias - Steelport

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

No matter how you slice it, our conversation with knife maker Etyan Zias is a must-listen for anyone who uses knives either at home or in a professional kitchen.  We previously interviewed Eytan three years ago (Episode 161) when he told us his backstory of Portland Knife House. 

Now we will hear how he is living and working his dream of crafting and selling uniquely American-made high quality kitchen knives with Steelport, only a week old company as of the recording of this interview.  (April 5, 2021).  Eytan worked nights during the pandemic to craft and hone his knives, while simultaneously overseeing his kids' schooling and running Portland Knife House.  Chris and Eytan talk about what makes a quality knife, who would notice the quality, and what it takes to maintain one.  Also, Eytan shares the story of his full sleeve tattoos, which is not what you would think!  Listen to find out lots more.

#271 Gabe Rosen - Zupans Markets, formerly of Biwa, Noraneko and Giraffe

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

Gabe Rosen joins us on the podcast. Listeners may remember Gabe as the former owner of Portland's iconic Biwa, Noraneko and Giraffe. Gabe landed at Zupans a year ago during the pandemic and is really enjoying working there now, as opposed to the rigors of owning restaurants. That doesn't mean he won't open a new place someday, but we hear Gabe's take on how food will be delivered going forward, operating grocery stores versus a restaurant, and what he misses most.

Disclaimer: Gabe works at Zupans, which sponsors this podcast.

#270 Jen Hilger -- Recess Food Truck / Tillamook

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

Jen Hilger, along with her partner, Brooke, is the co-founder and proprietor of the Recess Food Truck in Tillamook.  We talk about how she landed in Oregon and built her business after working in the corporate world, what it's like owning a food truck in a seasonal community, as well as some of her food and hiking recommendations in and around Tillamook County, with host Chris chiming in on some of his faves, too.  This is a great podcast episode for any food lovers visiting Oregon's North Coast!

Photo Credit: Tillamook Coast

#269 Kate Hill - Kitchen at Camont

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

We celebrate International Women's Month in fine style with a literal international visit to the Gascony Region in France with Kate Hill, who runs a wonderful cooking school known around the world, Kitchen at Camont. We find out how Kate made her way from San Francisco to Amsterdam and then to France, where she fell in love with all things local around the sweet little town of Agen. Chris recalls his visit there a few years ago, where Kate kindly showed Chris and his son around Agen and environs, and hosted a beautiful, simple chicken dinner in her intimate, lovely dining room.

Kate talks about how the pandemic forced her to realize a vision she's had for quite some time, to take her cooking classes and demonstrations online. She now features a Gascon Year Membership whereby passionate cooks of all levels can enjoy an interactive relationship with Kate throughout the year. That can be found at https://kitchen-at-camont.com/ Also, follow Kate at @katedecamont on Instagram.

This is our first international episode and we think you'll love Kate.