We talk with Jeff Galli, the General Manager and co-owner of Campione, a roman kitchen that was named to the New York Time’s 50 Best Restaurants in the U.S. list in 2023, and was the first restaurant in the state to receive that sort of national attention. 

In this episode we explore the philosophy that underpins Jeff’s exceptional approach to hospitality; his background in food and beverage; and the founding of Campione Roman Kitchen, We also discuss restrooms, tile floors, and the yellow bitter conundrum, so this episode has a little something for everyone. 

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Campione Roman Kitchen

Campione Instagram

TOPICS & TIMES:

Reservations (1:13)

Running a Restaurant in Livingston (3:17)

Jeff’s Background (4:55)

Making the Move to Livingston (10:10)

Finding Campione (16:09)

In The Service Of Others (25:12)

The Importance of Bathrooms (28:14)

NYT 50 Best List (33:00)

Analog Restaurants (36:42)

Yellow Bitter Conundrum (46:37)

Redefining the Industry (56:11)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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Matt Capozzi has always loved being in the mountains, but he’s also enjoyed an incredible career working in product design for brands like Burton, Nike, Nixon, and Smith. In 2015, Matt had a wild idea to help people ‘bring the mountains home,’ which led to the creation of North Drinkware, which produces beautiful, artisanal products — like handblown glassware — made in Oregon.

Today I talk with Matt about how a life spent designing everything from snowboarding bindings, to wearable fitness tech, to watches led him to the improbable (and rather harrowing) launch of North Drinkware. We also get into the art of glass blowing, the science of crafting your favorite mountains into the bottoms of drinkware, why authenticity is everything, and what the future of North looks like.

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North Drinkware

TOPICS & TIMES:

Blister Craft Collective (1:20)

What is North Drinkware? (3:12)

Matt’s Love of Snow (7:08)

Designing for Burton, Nike, Nixon, & More (11:44)

The Initial Idea of North (16:05)

The Highs & Lows of Launching (21:55)

How Their Glasses are Produced Today (38:02)

Other Products (41:42)

Selecting the Next Mountain? (45:40)

How North Thinks about Growth (49:19)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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There are more ways to listen to music than ever these days, and cheap Bluetooth speakers are everywhere: hanging in your shower, sitting on your kitchen counter, and on tailgates at football games. Unfortunately, these kinds of speakers often cultivate an experience where the music very much takes a backseat to whatever else we're doing. 

In today's conversation, Heaven 11 Audio’s Itai Azerad offers a different perspective, one that puts a premium on really listening to music and feeling an emotional connection to it — and his company Heaven 11 Audio produces amplifiers to do exactly that. Their Billie amp blends old-school vacuum tubes with cutting-edge class D amplifier technology to capture the heart and soul of music, and with a stunning industrial design, it invites you to just listen to the music, and nothing else. Itai also talks about his inspiration to start an audio company, his unconventional path in industrial design, vacuum tubes, circuit boards, wooden knobs, and a whole lot more.

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Heaven 11 Audio

TOPICS & TIMES:

Bauhaus (2:45)

Itai’s Audio Journey (5:22)

Music is a Ritual & the Stereo is the Shrine (8:38)

Starting a HiFi Company (10:22)

The Billie Amp (12:34)

Why use Vacuum Tubes (14:04)

Why use a Class D Amplifier (16:55)

Chasing Perfect (31:38)

Beautiful Design is as Important as Sound (38:12)

The New MK3 Billie Amp (40:47)

Music Matters (43:00)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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Today’s guest is a sort of pioneer in Australian winemaking; his focus on 'lo-fi' production methods and non-traditional flavors has helped redefine what consumers expect from the land down under. Uffe Deichmann is a Dutch-born winemaker who found love at a music festival in Australia and never looked back — his winery, Poppelvej wines, now produces bottlings that are standard on some of the more groundbreaking menus across the U.S. In this episode we dive deep into the history of the winery, Uffe’s own journey through winemaking, the philosophy that underlies the incredible wine they are producing, and even touch on the topic of native bird species. From underground bunkers to stolen street signs, this conversation has it all.

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Become a BLISTER+ Member

Poppelvej Winery

Poppelvej Instagram

https://vsimports.com/australia/poppelvej/

TOPICS & TIMES:

Current Wine Making (2:33)

Origins of Poppelvej (5:49)

Finding Australia (15:04)

Fruit Selection / Picking Process (21:01)

Lo-Fi Wine (23:49)

Music’s Influence on Poppelvej (31:44)

Poppelvej's Growth & Expansion (35:19)

The Wine Making Process (41:36)

Australian Terrior (52:39)

Wine’s Generational Crises (58:30)

Flavor Exploration (1:04:06)

The Hand Painted Sign (1:07:56)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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Jonathan Ellsworth’s preferences for red wines over white wines are well established. But in this conversation and wine tasting, we’re going to see if Eli can change Jonathan’s mind.

This past weekend, Jonathan and Eli opened four bottles of white wines and hit the record button. We tried a few different white varietals and blends that Eli believes may appeal to those staunchly in the red-wine camp to see if we can get Jonathan more interested in what certain white wines have to offer.

We’ve also included links to the four wines we tasted if you’d like to try any of these for yourself.

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The Wines We’re Tasting:

Poet’s Leap Riesling

K Vintners Viognier

Kiki and Juan Orange Wine

Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis

TOPICS & TIMES:

The White Wine Experience (3:36)

JE''s Bottle of White He Likes? (3:36)

What Reds Does JE Like? (7:07)

Sweet Wines (11:35)

White Burgundy Flavor (13:01)

Riesling (14:27)

Scotch (17:57)

Red vs White: the Simple Differences (21:30)

Champagne (26:10)

Aeration (38:52)

Wine Anchoring Memories (44:32)

Wine with or w/o Food (47:48)

Orange Wine (51:34)

Jonathan’s Final Thoughts (1:13:09)

Eli's Final Thoughts (1:20:10)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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Our guest today is Chef Paul Jensen, who is the executive chef of fine dining at Big Sky Resort, a former restaurant owner, seasoned culinary competitor, and a newly named member of the 2028 U.S. Culinary Olympic team.

With over 30 years of competition experience, Paul has represented the U.S. on the global stage, honing his craft through more than 100 contests. His dedication to food, mentorship, and the art of receiving feedback has shaped his journey, culminating in his spot on the Olympic team. In this conversation, we explore his background, the unique world of culinary competition, and what it means to represent the U.S. in one of the most prestigious food contests on earth.

RELATED LINKS:

Culinary Team USA

Learn More: Culinary Olympics 

Check out the Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

TOPICS & TIMES:

Apprenticeship & Student Chef Competitions (5:38)

Classic Culinary Arts (10:25)

Competition History (and squid tubes) (18:19)

“Everyone Has a Plan Til You Get Punched in the Face” (22:54)

Culinary Olympics (29:14)

Influence of Olympics on Cuisine (33:23)

Trying Out For the Team (44:30)

Training Sessions (48:59)

Which Countries Dominate? (54:03)

Recipe Development (58:00)

Why Farm-to-Table Should Not Be a Movement (1:00:49)

Follow the Culinary Olympics (1:02:02)

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Jonathan talks with Kara Williard and Eli Brown about one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world: garlic. We discuss hardneck garlic vs softneck garlic; how to grow garlic; its medicinal properties; black garlic; garlic honey; and yes … vampires.

RELATED LINKS

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Kara's Farming Background (4:34)

Sunny Sage Farm (6:53)

Eli's Love of Garlic (9:20)

Medicinal Value of Garlic (11:37)

Types of Garlic (15:45)

Egyptian Gold? (22:44)

Elephant Garlic (24:00)

4 of the 400 varieties (24:31)

Black Garlic (31:11)

Favorite Dishes with Garlic (33:21)

Vampires (43:28)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Off The Couch

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Jonathan Ellsworth talks about this very big topic with someone who is in quite a unique position to have this conversation with: Eli Brown, a 26-year-old sommelier who is also certified in mixology and distilled spirits, he has been named a Top 100 Bartender in the U.S., and he is currently working on a project involving N/A and low ABV beer and spirits and wine.

Jonathan Ellsworth and Eli Brown delve into the changing landscape of alcohol consumption among younger generations; the trends — and hurdles — of non-alcoholic (NA) and low ABV cocktails; the complexities of wine and the practices of the wine industry that may be acting as a deterrence; the implications of the US Surgeon General's recommendations on alcohol consumption; and predictions for future trends in the craft beverage industry.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Craft Collective

TOPICS & TIMES:

Eli’s Background & Credentials (1:34)

The Current State of Alcohol (10:10)

US Surgeon General’s Warning (40:16)

Blister Craft collective (53:49)

White Wines (1:01:55)

Predictions: Which Spirits Will Rise & Fall? (1:04:48)

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Today, you are going to hear what is essentially an ongoing conversation that Jonathan has been having for about 30 years now with one of his best friends, Matthew Halteman, about food, food systems, sustainability, fine dining, and the ethics of what we eat.

Matt is a foodie, a father, a fellow in the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and a philosophy professor at Calvin University (he received his PhD in philosophy at Notre Dame). Matt is also a brilliant writer, and among other things we’re talking about today is his new book, Hungry, Beautiful Animals.

Eating food is, of course, one of the most fundamental activities of human experience, yet many of us could probably stand to further examine our own principles and practices when it comes to food systems, what we eat, and the significance, ethics, and aesthetics of eating. So that is a bit of what Jonathan and Matt are going to be diving into here.

RELATED LINKS:

Read Hungry, Beautiful Animals

Listen to Hungry, Beautiful Animals on Spotify

For More re: Nutrition: nutritionfacts.org

TOPICS & TIMES:

What We’re Talking about Today & Why (0:00)

Food & Current Food Production (4:11)

Matt’s Background in Food Systems (12:41)

How Transformation Actually Happens (24:41)

Vegan Fine Dining? (41:28)

Excellence & Accessibility (51:47)

Jonathan’s Mom's Question about Nutrition (59:48)

Filtering Information & Disinformation (1:06:37)

Hungry Beautiful Animals (1:09:53)

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Happy New Year! Today, we are sharing the craft categories that most captivated some of our Blister reviewers in 2024, and revealing some of the categories they are most curious about heading into 2025.

And over on our Blister Podcast, you’ll also get to hear our team talk about the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned in 2024, plus their resolutions for 2025.

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Become a BLISTER+ Member

TOPICS & TIMES:

Luke Koppa (1:21)

Kristin Sinnott (16:08)

Simon Stewart (24:57)

Kara Husted (39:29)

Zach Henderson (49:28)

Justin Bobb & Jonathan Ellsworth (58:26)

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Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

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