#412 DaMenga Weaverhuff and Thomas Pisha-Duffly - Gado Gado and Oma's Hideway (and their Steelport Knife demo)

We are joined by two of the people responsible for the accolades and wonderful food that comes out of the kitchens of Gado Gado and Oma's Hideway.  DaMenga Weaverhuff is Executive Chef, and has been leading the kitchens for a good while now, while Tom Pisha-Duffly is the owner and since Chef DeMenga's promotion has assumed a larger role, which we discuss in some detail during this interview.

DaMenga was born and raised in Columbus Ohio, where he realized he wanted to be in the restaurant industry. He spent four years at the University of Cincinnati studying business before moving to Portland in 2019, landing at Grassa for a year before the pandemic happened. After that hiatus, he found his way to Gado Gado as CDC, earning the respect of the Pisha-Duffly's to earn him the Executive Chef position at two of Portland's most well-regarded restaurants.

Also, you may join Chefs Tom and DaMenga at Steelport Knife Company on Sandy Blvd, Saturday, March 29th, between 11 and Noon for a knife skills demo and some tasting.

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: #402 Andrea Falaschi - 4th Generation Tuscan Butcher and Maialata Marquee Guest

Visit www.localocean.net for details on the Fin & Feast dinner with Andrea at Local Ocean in Newport.

We go back to December 2024 and our converation with Andrea Falaschi, ahead of his visit to Oregon for the Oregon Mailata and special Fin & Feast dinner at Local Ocean in Newport.

Joining us this week is Andrea Falaschi, fourth generation butcher from Macelleria Falaschi in San Miniato in the heart of Tuscany.  Andrea's family business is celebrating its 100th year in 2025.  Andrea takes us through his family history with some anecdotes about how the business started back in 1925 with his great Grandfather Guido emigrating from Argentina with no reading and writing skills to open San Miniato's first butcher shop. Moving through Fascism in Italy we hear about the discord between his grandfather Vasco and Vasco's brother Bruno, and you must hear the segment discussing Vasco's fear of the phone when that technology became commonplace!!  Also, Andrea talks about the influence women in the family had on the business. 

Andrea, with interpretation assistance from his dear friend Astrid Ensign, who designs Portland Food Adventures trips to Italy, shares some of the challenges of the business, including the severe conditions in Italy through the pandemic.  He is a huge lover of cinema, and Andrea shares the joy he had visiting the Goonies house when visiting Oregon earlier this year, as well as some of his favorite experiences in Oregon.  

How does this relate to Portland?  Well, here.  Two ways!:

Andrea will be the marquee guest at the Oregon Mailata in May of 2025, the Italian Festival of the Pig put on by renowned chef Portland chef Cathy Whims and her team.  The event takes place on March 22 and tickets can be found here, where you can see his exciting butchering demonstration, in addition to many other workshops, wine tasting, and a big celebratory meal put on by some of Portland's best chefs. 

VISIT ANDREA IN TUSCANY!!  This!!  A very few select folks can book a trip to Tuscany in the Fall with RATF host Chris Angelus' Portland Food Adventures, and celebrate Macelleria Falaschi's 100th anniversary with Andrea and PFA's Astrid Ensign, former expat, and host Chris.  Check out those details here and contact Chris - contact into on the PFA website at the link to your left.

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#411 Tony Bixler - Local Ocean Seafoods

Tony Bixler, president of Local Ocean Seafoods, joins us to discuss the history of Local Ocean, as well as his journey in Oregon in restaurants and life to get where he is today.  We will talk about what makes Local Ocean very special and the extra challenges it takes to serve fresh seafood to so many every day. 

We also discuss a special event at Local Ocean on March 30, 2025 where 4th generation Tuscan butcher Andrea Falaschi joins Chef Enrique Sanchez-Rodriguez at Local Ocean for a special Land N Sea dinner, a rare event at Local Ocean.  https://www.localocean.net/news-events/fin-feast-an-evening-with-tuscan-butcher-andrea-falaschi-pfa 

Tony shares some of his favorite Central Coast food spots, also.

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: #370 Peter Kost - Ken's Artisan Pizza and Carina Lounge

Now that Ken's Artisan Pizza has officially opened in downtown Bend, we return to our conversation wtih Peter Kost from November of 2023. 

ORIGINAL POST: Peter Kost grew up in Seattle, where his love for food was established as the son of farmers who sold their goods at the Seattle Public Market. 

Peter's journey has taken him from restaurant work to wine sales to a long stint at Zupans in grocery management to landing his first restaurant, Lucy's Table on NW 21st in Portland.  It was there when he met a fellow by the name of Ken Forkish, from whom he'd buy breads at Ken's Artisan Bakery. 

Listen to the podcast to hear how that relationship evolved to the point where Peter became the only one Ken had in mind when he was ready to pass his iconic Ken's Artisan Pizza on to a new generation.  We will hear how Peter is determined to honor the legacy Ken built and get a hint of what his plans are going forward..   

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com 

RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com 

Portland Food Adventures: www.portlandfoodadventures.com 

#410 Elisa Acciai - Tuscany Tour Guide

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

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

Taking a trip to Tuscany?  You'll want to listen to this episode with Elisa Acciai, who's been a tour guide in Florence for years.  We talk about her journey from being a Concierge at a 5-Star hotel in Florence to becoming a guide in one of the world's most popular destinations, including the requirements to be licensed to do so in Italy.  The balance of family/work life as well.

She'll share a few of her recommended restaurants and experiences in Florence and in the Tuscan countryside in this podcast.  Best practices for tipping various services in Italy, a must for all people touring the country.

You can visit Elisa with her dearest American "sister," Astrid Ensign in September 2025 as host Chris Angelus takes a group to Tuscany to take in the Uffizi and the best historical sites in Florence with Elisa, as well as celebrating the Andrea Falaschi's family's 100th year as the village butcher in San Miniato.  It will be quite an insider's trip featuring the people near and dear to PFA's Astrid, who lived for years in Tuscany, but now makes Portland her home.  

Recommended Italy-focused companion podcasts here:   

Astrid Ensign, Portland Food Adventures' Italian Host

Podcast with Andrea Falaschi of Macelleria Falaschi

Contact Elisa:

Instagram: @elaizatour

Facebook: Acciai Elisa Florence Guide

Email: elaizaacciai@gmail.com

French Blog:

www.jadoreflorence.blogspot.com

#409 Jose Lalo Camarena - República

This is a must-listen.  Chef Jose Camarena, Executive Chef at Portland's highly regarded República, may just be the youngest guest of over 400 on our podcast.  But you wouldn't know it if we hadn't drawn attention to that fact.  At just 24, he's in a position few others are at his age, and it's easy to see how he got as far as he's gotten at such a young age.

We talk about his family Sunday dinners, how he became interested in the food industry and how his family lineage of hard work in horse grooming instilled in him the grit to work hard to reach success in a tough industry 

We cover some of the places he's worked, who Lalo's Portland mentors have been, including chef Lauro Romero, who passed away two years ago, leaving a huge hole in many hearts.

Chef Lalo will be appearing at Steelport Knife Company on 2/22 in the first of a series of knife skills classes Steelport is putting on at their Sandy Blvd factory, where you can meet him and learn some helpful knife skills.  Stay tuned to Right at the Fork for interviews with more Steelport chefs.

We also talk about his Mazatlan favorite places, as well as his faves in Portland.  And we wish him well with his wedding coming up in March!

https://www.mexico-forward.com/

@lalocamarena_

@republicapdx

@steelportknifeco

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

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

#408 Meg Cotner - Bridgetown Bites

Meg Cotner is a freelance writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon via various other places including California to New York..  Meg publishes Bridgetown Bites, which covers restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, events, and includes opinion pieces, all centering on the Portland food world.. The site focuses on  openings and closings news, while dabbling in reviews and other editorial content.  

We talk about what it requires in time and effort to keep up the site, as well as Meg's personal and business objectives and her writing and eating background that led her to Portland and starting her website. 

Meg also provides a great list of her favorite places to eat and sip, some off the radar, some on.  It's worth a listen just go be clued into what someone who's out there enjoying and thinking about the food world thinks are places you should go. 

www.bridgetownbites.com 

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: #391 ​Alexa Numkena-Anderson - @JavelinaPDX

We look back to our conversation with Alexa Numkena-Anderson from July of 2024:

Alexa Numkena-Anderson @cheflex_pdx is enrolled Hopi and is Yakama, Skokomish, Cree and Mexican descent. She was born in Yakima, Washington and grew up in the greater Washington area (Toppenish, Tri-Cites and Fairchild Air Force Base).  After high school Alexa moved to Portland, Oregon to pursue a culinary career and attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary school while also working as a line cook. 

She has worked in many kitchens across the Portland, such as @kingtidepdx (formally Three Degrees) @twr.pdx @sammichportland @imperialportland @headwaterspdx and @bullardtavernpdx as well as working for acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs such as @dougiepdx @vit0bike @lesbianmeatmaker & @lauroromero to name a few. Drawing inspiration from her grandmother, her indigenous heritage . Her grandma Stella of the Yakama Tribe with memories of fry bread, roast beef, and soups as well as her Hopi heritage With the motivations of being a new mother, she is ready to share and continuously learn about her culture’s food. Inspired by other Indigenous chefs she feels it is her responsibility to share and learn about these ancient foods and techniques.

Javelina’s main feature is fry bread and even though this food came from necessity, our people were able to make a comfort food that is still found at pow wows and family gatherings to this day. On her culinary journey she discovered the amazing bounty of native ingredients the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Using what the surrounding land has already given them and combining it with Alexa’s culture, skill and vision they hope to create a truly unique story.  

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

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

#407 Frank Squillo - Wanda's Cafe & Bakery

Frank Squillo has had quite a storied career, but as he points out in this episode, there are definite parallels between his career as a radio host and now, as co-owner of the storied Wanda's Cafe and Bakery, a mainstay of the North Oregon Coast that he purchased with his husband in 2019 and has operated since.

We talk about what it takes to run a successful restaurant on the Oregon Coast - the key ingredients in the business and in the recipes.  We'll even go into the things he's learned and how he deals with challenging situations and challenging people.  

We talk a bit about life at the coast, the places Frank enjoys most and his involvement in local politics and theater.

Frank shares some anecdotes about his interviews from his radio days with Joe Rogan and his favorite guest, Sammy Hagar, and why both of them are great memories for him.  He even talks about what it took to interview people who really didn't have any interest in being in front of a mic for an interview. 

Take a listen and find out more about one of the gentlemen behind the scenes of what host Chris Angelus refers to as a coastal icon, Wanda's Cafe and Bakery. 

https://wandascafe.com/

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

#406 Jon Galdos - Basque Tours

Jon Galdos operates a premiere tour company in San Sebastian.  The convergence of his love of travel and thirst for holiday time led him to find this passion almost 20 years ago, during a successful career in engineering.

Jon explains in this interview how he approaches designing experiences for people in one of the most culinary-rich areas of the world, and how he came to love what he does. 

Jon has curated some wonderful experiences for host Chris Angelus' Portland Food Adventures groups with Urdaneta in Basque Country.  One of them, a dreamy visit to a 13 generation Basque Pig family farm, gets a little love and time from Jon in our conversation.  It's a must to hear about -- and more importantly, DO!! 

Access the PFA trip to Basque Country here:  https://www.portlandfoodadventures.com/basque-country-with-javier-canteras

And Jon's Basque Tours here:  https://basquetours.com 

Check out Jon on Instagam: @jon_galdos + @basquetours

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

#405 Tyler Malek - Salt & Straw's Growth

Tyler Malek is the Chef and co-owner of one of Portland's now most iconic brands and restaurants, Salt & Straw.  Now with locations cornering the continental US, Tyler and his cousin Kim have made some serious noise in the ice cream world.

In this episode, Tyler talks about the longshot pitch to Disneyland to be their official ice cream vendor, and how quickly the folks at Disney decided they wanted Portland's Salt & Straw vibe over some of the big, more well-known ice cream brands, like Ben & Jerry's.   Tyler talks about the process of building the store and all that was involved with that with the input from Disney.

Also, Tyler talks about the business of building and using the Salt & Straw brand to its advantage, and what that has meant for growth. 

We cover sampling, flavors, staffing, as well as some of the places Tyler loves to go in Portland right now.

This is our third interview with Tyler and that's because he's one of the good guys who has represented the Portland psyche so well.

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: #322 Aundre Barnes - Urdaneta

We're going back to August of 2022 and our conversation with Aundre Barnes of Urdaneta.

ORIGINAL POST:

We spend an hour with Aundre Barnes, who has been serving diners at Portland's Urdaneta for the past 7 years. Aundre is a native Portlander and has seen many changes over his years here. He's worked in banking and in voice-over work along the way.

He shares with us some of the reasons for his passion and his love of the industry, which run from the soulful experience of gaining first-hand knowledge of Spanish cuisine during Urdaneta's company field trips in addition to his admiration for Chef Javier Canteras, whose Basque roots shine through in his unique cuisine. Aundre will share some of his favorite Portland haunts, as well as some of his favorite travel destinations.

Disclosure: Right at the Fork host Chris Angelus is associated with Urdaneta and Aundre with his trips to Basque Country offered through Portland Food Adventures.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

#404 Bill Oakley - Steamed Ham Society, Food Celebrity

To kick off 2025 and Right at the Fork's 12th year, we are pleased to feature a conversation with Bill Oakley, known to many on Instagram as @ThatBillOakley. 

Bill is a celebrated food celebrity who is a regular on The Food that Built America and other TV shows.  He discusses some of the food and places featured in his annual Steamie Awards as part of his Steamed Ham Society, both nationally, and special awards for his home base of Portland, Oregon. 

Bill talks about how he goes about doing the awards, and why he does them.  It's a real fun hour that is a must for any Portland food lover.

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

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

#403 Gary Okazaki's 2024 in Review

We complete our 11th year with one of our favorite guests, Gary the Foodie.  Gary discusses some of his his favorite Portland food experiences of 2024, as well as some others outside the area, well, because it's Gary!

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: #374 Don Bourassa - International Adulting and Inaugural RATF Guest

We look back at our converation with Don Bourassa in January 2024... 

Don Bourassa was Right at the Fork's first guest ever in 2014. Back then, he was the Community Director for Yelp.  Now, he's moved to Porto, Portugal with his wife and among his many endeavors, he writes on substack:  International Adulting.  We talk to Don about what's transpired in the ten years since his first visit with us, including the process of deciding to move and the ins and outs of moving to another country.  Also, having traveled the world, his thoughts on Portland as a food city.  We also get a taste of Portugal, where, among other tasty morsels of info, his wife has created a community of Vegans. 

https://internationaladulting.substack.com/

Insta @thedonb

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#402 Andrea Falaschi - 4th Generation Tuscan Butcher and Maialata Marquee Guest

Joining us this week is Andrea Falaschi, fourth generation butcher from Macelleria Falaschi in San Miniato in the heart of Tuscany.  Andrea's family business is celebrating its 100th year in 2025.  Andrea takes us through his family history with some anecdotes about how the business started back in 1925 with his great Grandfather Guido emigrating from Argentina with no reading and writing skills to open San Miniato's first butcher shop. Moving through Fascism in Italy we hear about the discord between his grandfather Vasco and Vasco's brother Bruno, and you must hear the segment discussing Vasco's fear of the phone when that technology became commonplace!!  Also, Andrea talks about the influence women in the family had on the business. 

Andrea, with interpretation assistance from his dear friend Astrid Ensign, who designs Portland Food Adventures trips to Italy, shares some of the challenges of the business, including the severe conditions in Italy through the pandemic.  He is a huge lover of cinema, and Andrea shares the joy he had visiting the Goonies house when visiting Oregon earlier this year, as well as some of his favorite experiences in Oregon.  

How does this relate to Portland?  Well, here.  Two ways!:

Andrea will be the marquee guest at the Oregon Mailata in May of 2025, the Italian Festival of the Pig put on by renowned chef Portland chef Cathy Whims and her team.  The event takes place on March 22 and tickets can be found here, where you can see his exciting butchering demonstration, in addition to many other workshops, wine tasting, and a big celebratory meal put on by some of Portland's best chefs. 

VISIT ANDREA IN TUSCANY!!  This!!  A very few select folks can book a trip to Tuscany in the Fall with RATF host Chris Angelus' Portland Food Adventures, and celebrate Macelleria Falaschi's 100th anniversary with Andrea and PFA's Astrid Ensign, former expat, and host Chris.  Check out those details here and contact Chris - contact into on the PFA website at the link to your left.

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#401 Carlo LaMagna - Magna Kusina & Magna Kaina (Denver)

We catch up with Carlo Lamagna, chef and owner of his Magna restaurants in both Portland and Denver.  Carlo is creating communities and success in promoting Filipino cuisine, so much so that he's garnered recognition from the James Beard Foundation and diners around the globe since his humble start in the business from Detroit to Chicago to Portland.  He's had his eye on Denver since before he landed in Portland years ago, and so now he's reaching his dream of opening a place there.

Carlo talks about the difference between his two restaurants, and how appreciative he is that his hard work has paid off.  

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: #386 Sam Smith - Yaowarat

Chef Sam Smith has been a notable figure in the Portland culinary scene since he arrived in the city from the Bay Area. He is currently the chef at Yaowarat, Portland Monthly's 2023 Restaurant of the Year.  Sam talks about the experiences of traveling through Thailand with his team doing extensive research to develop the recipes for the restaurant, as well as why the team of Sam, Akkapong Earl Ninsom, Kyle Webster and Eric Nelson is such a powerhouse.   

Smith has honed his skills through experiences at renowned establishments like Zahav in Philadelphia and Ava Gene's in Portland. He has a talent and great resume helping restaurants get off the ground, contributing to the success of ventures like Spirit of '77, Ava Gene's Tusk, Sweedeedee, and Yaowarat. He was also recognized as a 2018 Portland Rising Star by StarChefs.

Sam also reveals his favorite Portland places.

Photo credit:  Thom Hilton/Eater Portland

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#400 Jim Angelus - Cole Valley Tavern and Bacon Bacon

Join host Chris Angelus for a lively conversation with his cousin Jimmy Angelus, proprietor of San Francisco's Cole Valley Tavern and Bacon Bacon. 

Jim's history, which he talks about here, includes accolades from Julia Child and Jacques Pepin, criticism from Martha Stewart, mentions on Saturday Night Live, a Chopped! appearance and a host of fun stories about the fun people in his family and circle of friends, some of whom with whom you may be familiar.  The most fun anecdote just may be his story of his Dad's fame as NYC's PAR-KING.  You have to hear that one.

Check out Jim's restaurants in SF and SFO as well as @colevalleytavern and @baconbaconsf.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

#399 Sandra Tavares - Portugal's Travel Designer

Sandra Tavares knows the people, places and things that make up a wonderful culinary and wine journey throughout Portugal.  Sandra started her career as a journalist and found herself covering a burgeoning food scene, to the point where she realized she would enjoy developing tours and experiences for people, and taking them to the best Portugal has to offer, rather than just writing about them.  Eventually she met her husband Vitor, and as things happened, eventually they landed in a beautiful vineyard and winery owned by Portugal's benchmark Kopke wines, where Vitor developed a restaurant to serve the local bounty that complemented the wine.  And his deep contacts in the industry in turn, became Sandra's as well. 

Sandra is uniquely positioned to be the foremost authority on food and wine in Portugal.  To that end, she designed a wonderful itinerary that our podcast host Chris Angelus' Portland Food Adventures is offering in May of 2025, on which food and wine loving folks can travel with St. Jack chef Aaron Barnett to Porto, the beautiful Douro River Valley and Lisbon to take bites and sips of the varied histories and customs of the beautiful country.  The trip features two hotels and inns from the folks at Kopke as well as dining with solid Michelin-star chefs throughout the region, as well as some pub food curated by expat Don Bourassa, former Portland Yelp Community Director. 

This podcast is a fun journey outside of our area, but with Portland connections to keep us grounded!

The Portland Food Adventures Portugal trip is here:  https://www.portlandfoodadventures.com/portugal-with-kopke

Sandra is here on Instagram:  @simply_b_sandra 

Podcast with Don here, where he talks about moving to Portugal:  
https://rightatthefork.com/shows/2024/1/5/374-don-bourassa-international-adulting-and-inaugural-ratf-guest

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com
RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com 
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com