Hungry for More : an Epicurean's Dilemma

She's not afraid to speak her mind and with that, make others uncomfy - all in an effort to create change in a positive way.

McMinnville, Oregon native Remy Drabkin knew she wanted to be a winemaker her whole life. Growing up in the heart of the Willamette wine country, she was surrounded by vines, agriculture, winemakers, chefs, makers and the distinct flavors of Oregon. She's tackled so many "firsts" and it's all been done in an effort to make her community and the people in it better, feel more supported, and always striving to have a space for everyone.

Remy shares memories of being young and running around the vines, her community service which felt more like her mission, and what she loves when she's not making wine.

WARNING : bit of some audio issues with this one thanks to a faulty mic cord. It's been fixed and our sincere apologies for the absolute shit audio about halfway through. Sam sounds great and that's all that matters.

She's BACK! One of Hungry for More's FAVE guests and we get right down to business. Sam fills us in on her glorious summer, her gut-wrenching exit from America's Test Kitchen, and the exiting adventure on the horizon. Mixed all up in there : Sam and Trish discuss their love of hotdogs, the Titanic cake, and Pepper!

From family nurse practitioner, to singing back-up for her husband, and now, as the CEO and co-founder of CHO Wines, Lois Cho says her story is one she enjoys telling because it shows that pursuing one's dreams isn't always a linear path - there are a ton of bumps in the road.

Welcome super smart, multi-talented Lois Cho to the podcast!! She shares the adventures and the journey she went on with her husband, winemaker Dave... from meeting in Vancouver, Canada, singing in church, starting a band, playing music in wineries, supporting and making each other's dreams come true, the power of social media in starting a wine brand, and celebrating their culture through food and wine and sharing it with whoever who wants to show up. Their website says it best, "grit, authenticity, and positivity go a long way in breaking stereotypes in the wine world and beyond."

"When I take on a task, I do it with my whole heart," Elena Rodriguez on how she's traveled through her entire life, but specifically, on starting Alumbra Cellars (Alumbra means "to shine").

Elena's story is right out of a good book that you just can't put down. Her story is one of hard work, tenacity, immigrant grit, and the idea of taking on a job with your whole heart and finding out you really love it.

Woven throughout - it's a story of family, celebrating family and the hard work put in, and passed down to each generation. Elena talks about the journey her father took, a farmer through and through, season after season, looking for work before finally settling in the Pacific Northwest. He wasn't a wine drinker, but he had a vision in the vines and a dream to plant grapes.

While this interview is somewhat focused on Alumbra Cellars and how it came to be... at the heart is the family that made it happen.

We simply didn't have enough time for this interview - too much to share, too much to gab about, too many stories and experiences... welcome to the podcast Warner Boin! She's a certified Sommelier and wine educator and the beautiful human behind her social media, Confidence Uncorked (https://www.confidenceuncorked.com/).

The conversation started rockin' and rollin' right as we hit record and Warner showed up with the stories, the knowledge, and why she's working so hard to take the seriousness (and the snobbery) out of wine. She wants to "meet people where they're at" within their own wine journey and make the whole experience more fun.

Pour a glass of your favorite vino (or whatever beverage!) and snuggle into this conversation. After that - check out Warner on social media! She'll help answer all your wine questions and steer you in the right direction.

It makes perfect sense for the guy who wasn't really good at cooking (we heard he kind of, ahem, sucked at it) to start a cooking series on YouTube. Brilliant move Jamie Tracy, the popular human behind ⁨@antichef⁩ on YouTube and the guy who found so much more out of this cooking series than just learning how to cook.

Tracey, who previously worked in the Toronto film industry (who also made some films of his own, including a fairly popular one on Bigfoot), was finding the film industry was just not where he was wanting to be. At the suggestion of his then girlfriend, now wife, he decided to film himself in the kitchen - cooking up a dish from a cookbook and showing all the mistakes and messes in between.

Tracey found people were really hungry for the mistakes and the mess-ups and he knew he had cooked up something fun and entertaining, with a dash of humility and humor.

A very sweet story of success in Mindy Crosato - baker and owner of Decadent Creations and Collective Kitchen in Hillsboro, Oregon.

She says at 20 years old, she found herself kicked out of school, fired from her job and basically homeless after breaking up with her boyfriend who she lived with at the time. She said one morning that year, she woke up and thought, 'I'm going to open a bakery.' She got herself through culinary school and started baking her way to success. Mindy says she'd wake up at midnight, bake all morning and then deliver the fresh baked goods to a farmers market to sell. After becoming a "Chopped" champion in 2015, she opened her now shop, Decadent Creations.

A sweet interview on Mindy's story and her journey to baking up wildly popular treats, plus her new adventures in the culinary world.

If y'all know barbecue, odds are you know Melissa Cookston - "the winningest woman in barbecue." She's a 7-time World BBQ Champ and first woman inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame.

She'll tell you, she can't remember how many times she's come out #1 in a BBQ competition - not that it doesn't matter, but because she's always been more focused on the work, the grind. She started entering barbecue competitions (she blames her husband) and says she can't tell you what she was doing different, because she was only worried about her rubs, sauces, technique, and not concerned what others were doing around her.

She's appeared on TV shows, Food Network, and was a judge for Netflix's "The American Barbecue Showdown." She's retired from competition to focus on her nonprofit, "World Junior BBQ League," which engages teens in barbecue competitions to teach them a long list of life skills.

Tiquette Bramlett is very busy these days as owner/CEO of Henderson Ave. Wines, co-founder of nonprofit "Our Legacy Harvested," and the current board chair for the Oregon Wine Board.

Her story is a busy one, too, full of life lessons, family, and navigating challenges and successes that came her way. A big disruption after college graduation forced her to change all her plans and make maybe the biggest pivot of her life. Surrounded by family, friends and community - she came out on the other side, ready to get to work, specifically in the wine industry. She found herself asking more questions, wanting to learn more and in 2015 moved up to Oregon seeking a wine community.

Weaved throughout Henderson Ave. Wines (where music, wine, and gathering with community meet), her nonprofit, and finding spaces and opportunities in the wine industry for those who maybe thought it was off limits - is a woman who continues to ask questions, challenge the norm, and won't settle for complacency.

Trish loves a good breaking news story - and BREAKING NEWS - Lauren McDuffie (My Kitchen Little) is launching something super cool, super delicious, and is certain to make your life easier.

This gem is back on the podcast - Trish first interviewed Lauren back in 2022 when she was living in Charleston, South Carolina and about to make a big move to Portland, Oregon. They catch up on life a bit before Lauren spills the beans on her new food product and the journey it took to get to this point. She and her business partner are reimagining salad dressing - giving it a much needed update, makeover, refresh and it's called... (wait for it)... Dressy! It's a completely different design to what tops your salads - Lauren explains where the idea came from and all the work behind the scenes to make it happen.

She's creative, has a way with words, loves food and nerding out on food... and Hungry for More is rooting for all things Lauren McDuffie.