CRAFTED

Bûcheron (French for “lumberjack”) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2025. Last month, Jonathan Ellsworth had the opportunity to attend a Bûcheron dinner, and today, he talks with owners Jeanie and Adam Ritter about their unconventional backgrounds; how they and their team created a restaurant that earned one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world; and what life has been like since.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

What is Bucheron? (3:18)

Minnesota French (5:05)

Jeanie’s Background (7:41)

Adam’s Background (14:47)

Michelin & James Beard (25:10)

Travel & Learning (29:24)

Boucheron's Methodology (31:09)

Cooking in Unfamiliar Places (36:41)

Opening Bucheron (42:58)

Winning the James Beard Award (46:51)

Advice for Success (51:54)

Minneapolis and ICE (56:19)

The Bear (1:03:02)

Eating at Home (1:05:07)

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For decades, Oregon’s winemakers have looked to France as the standard setter for what constitutes great wine. Brianne Day, founder of Day Wines, thinks it's time to stop doing that. Brianne has spent her career exploring what makes Oregon's vineyards unique. Today, we discuss her winemaking philosophy, biodynamic farming practices, and why Oregon's most exciting wines are the ones that aren’t trying to be from somewhere else.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Origin Story & 1,500 Wines (4:28)

Wine Exploration (15:07)

Wine Making Regions (16:30)

American Terroir (27:45)

Creating & Managing Expectations (13:32)

Natural Wine (36:22)

Amaro (49:44)

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Salt Lake City shouldn’t be home to one of America’s best cocktail bars. And yet, despite Utah’s strange liquor laws and its distance from traditional cocktail meccas, that’s exactly what makes Water Witch so interesting. After the Blister team stumbled across Water Witch on a recent trip, Eli wanted to find out how owner / operator Scott Gardner built something so special in such an unlikely environment. 

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TOPICS & TIMES:

About Scott (2:54)

Alcohol Laws & Culinary Deserts (7:18)

James Beard Award (13:16)

Changes in Cocktail Competitions (17:51)

Finding Mentors (21:12)

Building Water Witch (24:11)

Defining the Concept (31:06)

Operations Management (39:14)

Control State Woes (47:04)

The Future of Utah’s Bars (53:14)

Why Stay In Salt Lake? (57:10)

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Jonathan just got back from an incredible 12-day trip to Washington DC and Manhattan, and had a ton of notable ‘CRAFTED’ experiences. So he and Eli Brown talk about a bunch of them, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on some of the places we mention — or some additional places you think we need to check out next time we’re in DC / NYC.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: [email protected] to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Washington DC (2:04)

- The Dabney (6:08)

- Death & Co DC (7:25)

- Filter & Dua DC (16:54)

- Karma Modern Indian Cuisine (24:01)

Manhattan (26:32)

- James Beard Foundation Platform Dinner: Bûcheron (31:54)

- Frozen Margaritas (37:00)

Coffee Spots: (41:07)

- Coffee Project & Hovin He (41:07)

- Hi-Collar & La Cabra (44:41)

- Arcane Estate Coffee (47:09)

- Park at Kim’s (48:37)

- BAZU! by Superwow Coffee (49:25)

- L’Industrie & Scarr’s Pizza (53:30)

- Bar Contra (58:05)

- Linden’s Overnight Oats (1:05:45)

Theater (1:10:33)

- Dog Day Afternoon (1:12:39)

- Proof (1:13:32)

- The Fear of 13 (1:16:32)

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How good is good enough? For those of us obsessed with any craft category (e.g., coffee, watches, wine, knives, audio gear, etc), we can find ourselves crossing the line of ‘diminishing returns,’ where we keep chasing some notion or ideal of perfection. So why do we do this? Today, our CRAFTED co-hosts, Eli Brown, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Simon Stewart discuss.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

JE's Manifesto (1:54)

Eli's Categories For Spending (11:14)

MOMA NYC (16:38)

Status As Return? (20:48)

Rabbit Holes (26:58)

Wine Price Points (30:09)

Craft As Experience (35:45)

Audio Space: Diminishing Returns (37:25)

Headphones (41:12)

Contentment and Curiosity (46:22)

Hario V60 (53:16)

Watches (56:12)

Paying Scarcity (1:04:17)

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Cheese can cost $12 a pound, or upwards of $100 for a wheel of the same size. So what is actually driving that difference in price, and is the most expensive option really worth it? Today, Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese breaks down how to think about value in cheese, from commodity cheddar to cave-aged, small-batch wheels. Along the way, Elizabeth and Eli also get into the history of Murray’s, their unique cave aging program, and explore why inefficiency is often exactly what makes something great.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Murrays Cheese (2:48)

Flagship Cheeses (5:44)

The History of Craft Cheese (7:05)

Elizabeth’s Journey (13:41)

Wholesale (18:00)

Cheese Education (26:38)

Cheese Caves in New York (37:14)

Classes (42:45)

Price Point Differentiation (48:00)

Cheese Clubs (57:52)

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We just wrapped up our Blister Summit at Snowbird, then Jonathan Ellsworth, Sascha Anastas, and Eli Brown spent a pretty amazing 24 hours in Salt Lake City, where we discovered some fantastic restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and bakeries. So today, we’re reporting on what we ate, drank, and saw. Give it a listen, then let us know your thoughts!

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Blister Summit / Snowbird:

Fernet (2:41)

Fry Sauce? (12:19)

Realm, ‘The Bard’ (2023) (17:26)

Rice Krispy Treats (19:35)

Tram Club Spicy Fries (25:23)

Salt Lake City:

Bar: Lake Effect (30:55)

Bar: Post Office Place (32:36)

Dinner: Junah (34:33)

Bar: Water Witch (52:16)

New York Sours (55:54)

Underberg (1:03:36)

Breakfast: Central 9th Market (1:06:16)

Three Pines Coffee (1:08:08)

Mono Tape Club (1:12:49)

Eva’s Bakery (1:19:18)

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The neighborhood bar is one of the last places untouched by AI, big tech, and all their algorithms. But what if that’s actually holding each us back from finding our “perfect” drink?

In Part 1 and 2 of this series, we explored Dr. Kevin Peterson’s Cocktail Theory. And in this episode, we turn to his latest project, which aims to decode your taste and guide you to the drinks you didn’t know you were looking for. 

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Castalia’s Tasting Menu (5:43)

Consumer Preferences (12:20)

Recommendation Algorithms (17:47)

Data Analysis (22:09)

Drinks Based On Data (31:33)

The Role Of Key Words (42:22)

The Applebees Rule (48:41)

Operating Rules (56:52)

Bartending as Craft or Science (1:00:01)

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Top mountain guide certifications (like AMGA and IFMGA) have a pass rate of around 70%. But what if we told you that in the wine world, the most rigorous certifications have a pass rate that’s only about 8% — and it’s often lower than that.

The certifications of ‘Master Sommelier’ and ‘Master of Wine’ are two of the most demanding in any field. And our guest today, Doug Frost, is one of only three people in the world to hold both.

So Doug and Eli dig into what makes these courses so challenging; the differences between the two; and, most importantly, why they matter. 

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Doug Frost’s Background (2:11)

Becoming a Sommelier(8:15)

Outdoor Industry & Wine Industry (11:56)

Certifying Organizations (13:25)

Benefits of Low Pass Rates (30:17)

Exams (32:15)

Trick Questions (35:30)

BUSA (40:18)

Echolands (48:42)

Visiting The Winery (1:00:28)

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Americans love coffee — there are well over 40,000 coffee shops in the USA — but it’s easy to argue that many other countries are doing coffee better. Why is that, and what can be done to elevate American coffee culture to the level it most definitely deserves? Floreo Coffee founder, Sebastian Skokan, has dedicated himself to this cause, and today, he’s sharing his answers with Jonathan Ellsworth & Eli Brown.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Sebastian’s Background (3:00)

Finding the Best Coffee Scene (8:37)

Coffee Education (10:29)

Sensory Science (12:31)

The Floreo Cafe (17:45)

Quality vs Speed (21:00)

Weber Grinder (25:28)

Coffee Presentation & Preparation (28:25)

Coffee Expressions (33:06)

Coffee Economics (39:57)

Grinding, Roast Quality, & Shot Timing (48:43)

Advection & Diffusion (53:12)

Brew Ratios (59:02)

Tips & Tricks (1:04:26)

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