In The Weeds Podcast

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This week we are treated to a conversation with Rachelle Cornish who is currently working her magic at Cold Comfort.

This amazing pastry chef started off as a graphic designer but decided to drop that and pursue her passion in baking.  Because of her hard work and dedication, she was able to work with some amazing companies like Fol Epi and Cobs Bread, traveled to Australia to work at some pretty awesome places and come back to Victoria to do some pretty sweet stuff at Cold Comfort.  Get it?  Sweet stuff... ice cream... ...

Join us as we dive into her start in her baking career, her travels, the magic of ice cream making, old school cooking, our solution to the F&B employee retention and just how easy it is to make a croissant.  Ok, that last part is not that easy...

Enjoy the show!!!

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This week our guests are Shane Harwood and Kyle Clayton of Haus Sausage Co.  These guys have been work like hell for the past 5 years to make their dreams come true.  

Starting off renting kitchen space to use after hours, work until the sun came up and doing all this all by themselves.  Oh ya, did I mention that they did this after they had already worked a full shift at their other jobs?  But it was all worth it.  The hard work that these two guys put in has paid off and it's awesome to see their product used in restaurants and other local partners all over town.

Now grab a cold brew and one of their tasty pepperonis and enjoy the show!

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This week, we get to hang out with Chris and Stu from Dobell Sign Co.  These two wonderful Aussie's have been making an impact on the culture of Victoria for the past 15 years.

You can see their work all over Victoria like the sign of the Government Street Tattoo Parlour, their work at the Drake and most famously, their huge contribution with Phillips Brewery along with many others.  Their personal and professional approach is one of the main reasons why they are a well sought out integral piece of any business's identity.  These two amazing guys have brought back the art of custom hand painting signs to Victoria and continue to inspire other artists to pursue their passion.

Join us as they take us through their arrival in Victoria, how they got started in the business, their partnership with Phillips Brewery and their love for their craft.

Enjoy the show!

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In 2017, Zac and Julie left the corporate world behind and took a massive leap of faith into the new and exciting waters of owning their own vineyard.

But it wasn't just a dream and any old plot of land.  After much consideration, they fell in love with and took over ownership from Roger and Nancy Dosman of Alderlea vineyards..

Wine nerd alert!!!  This episode is packed with information.  Join us as we discuss everything from honoring one of Vancouver Island's oldest and most respected vineyards, to smoke taint, to their future plans for Alderlea and the Cowichan Valley wine footprint.  In a first for the ITW crew, Zac and Julie generously supplied us with several bottles for a live wine tasting throughout the episode.

We hope you enjoy as much as we did!

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These days, it can be so rare to find someone in food & beverage who just gets it.  Someone who truly believes in hospitality and all the subtleties that just make the whole experience click into place.

On the off chance you aren't acquainted with this lovely human, meet Patrick Francis.

A hospitality pro through and through, Patrick has worked with some of the most celebrated restaurants in BC.  From Hawksworth & Bao Bei to The Irish Times & Pizzeria Prima Strada.  In a more recent stint, he worked for the prestigious Clayoquot Wilderness Resort and then helped open a sake bar in Hong Kong.

Not only has PDF amassed a wealth of knowledge about the industry, but his kindness and warmth of character make him a pleasure to know and call a friend.

Enjoy the show!

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This week on ITW, we get a masterclass on cidermaking from Kristen Needham. She is the founder, president  and cidermaster at Sea Cider, located on the Saanich Peninsula here on Vancouver Island. We take a deep dive into what it takes to build, farm and bottle world class cider (and a pre-COVID events space). We aren't talking 2L Mountain Berry "Alco-pops" either.  We learn all about different apple varieties, the difference between beer brewing and cider making and how Covid has fucked things up yet again for us folks in F&B. Enjoy the show!

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Scones. Scones? You heard me. Scones. But not just any scones. Sidney Scones. This week on ITW we speak to Chelsea Columbus, the Wonder Woman behind some fo the tastiest baked goods on the planet. 

We take a look in the rearview mirror to see how Sidney Scones came to be and track Chelsea's trajectory to the baked good super star she is today. 

It's a perfectly sweet episode for Valentine's Day! So cuddle up with your loved one, cat, or bowl of hash and enjoy the show.

AJ's audio is screwed up again. We're working on it.  Turn up the volume. 

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What do you get when you mix a British environmentalist turned blacksmith  with a heavy machine fabricator? Charm, humour, chaos and lots of hot metal! This is the second time we have tried to connect with these two and it was completely worth the wait. Leechtown Blacksmith Company from Metchosin is Jake James - @jakeblacksmith and  Ryan Fogarty - @fogartomic.  Together they craft some of Canada's finest metalwork pieces plus super sexy hand-made legacy cookware. That's only half the story because these two had Franz & I in stitches the whole time. It was one of the most entertaining pods we've recorded. This one is definitely not one for the children so crack a cold Riot beer and enjoy!

Sorry about the audio quality. I think we are actually getting worse as time goes on. How is that possible?

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After a one month hiatus which (maybe) left our listeners foaming at the mouth, we are back for season 2. We've got some great guests lined up with some surprises along the way. 

Our first guest of the year is none other than Calen "Big Wheel" McNeil.  As the name suggests, Calen is one of the founders of Big Wheel Burger and Zambri's restaurant.  It's understandable to be impressed by that list alone but there is plenty more to Calen. We discuss his life-changing injury (and recovery), winning a World Series of Poker bracelet and being a community ambassador.  It was a great pleasure getting to know Calen and hearing about his vision for a more secure, fair and fun F&B future. 

Enjoy the show-  and cheers to season 2!

Please note- AJ seems to have lost his ability to operate a computer so there are some technical issues to endure during this episode. We are looking for a replacement host ASAP. Let us know if you have someone in mind. 

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In this special episode, our Executive Producer Remi takes his turn in the host's chair and interviews us! Get to know your hosts a little better- maybe even better than you wanted. This week is stuffed full of Christmas cheer and seasonal magic. Thanks to everyone for their support in Season 1. We look forward to sharing more great F&B stories next season. All the best- Franz, Remi & AJ.