In this conversation, Faith Dionne shares her culinary journey from her early influences in Alaska to her experiences in New York and the mountain states, leading to her eventual move to Portland. She discusses her time at Higgins, the challenges of the restaurant industry, and her transition into consumer packaged goods with the creation of Dappled Tonic. Faith reflects on the importance of community, the state of the Portland food scene, and the need to honor culinary legends while also embracing new talent.   https://www.dappledtonic.com/    

Right at the Fork is made possible by: 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

In this conversation, Chris and Jeff Shinrock discuss the inception and mission of Bridge 13, a new initiative aimed at redirecting food waste to local community organizations. Jeff shares insights into the challenges of food scarcity, the importance of building trust within the food industry, and the operational strategies employed by Bridge 13 to facilitate food redistribution.   The discussion also touches on the metrics for success, community engagement, and future aspirations for expanding the initiative beyond Portland.   https://bridge13.webflow.io/  

Right at the Fork is made possible by: 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

The Portland food community mourns the news of the sudden passing of one of its long-time brightest stars, Justin Woodward.  He passed away. losing a long battle with alcoholism, on Oct 2nd, in California.  He was best known for his work in the kitchens of Castagna and OK Omens in Portland.   This episode is a replay from our time with Justin and dear friend Gary Okazaki in 2016 when he was only one of two James Beard nominees from the Pacific Northwest. Find a story of his life by Brooke-Jackson Glidden of Portland Monthly, here: https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2025/10/justin-woodward-chef-obituary-castagna   And Justin's obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/oceanside-ca/justin-woodward-12545297  

Right at the Fork is made possible by: 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

This week's episode is an encore presentation of our conversation with Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw from January, where we discussed the expansion of Portland's favorite ice cream shop.

And don't forget to check our our news partner and sponsor, DU/ER!  Be sure to visit  www.shopduer.com/fork and receive 15% off your first purchase!

ORIGINAL POST:

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 made possible by: 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

Join us in welcoming DU/ER as a new sponsor to the podcast. Visit www.shopduer.com/fork and receive 15% off your first purchase!   Portland Food Adventures events have featured the best of over 250 Oregon restaurants, food carts, coffee shops, wineries, and more.  Then,10 years ago its international travel division began taking food lovers with chefs and artisans to their favorite places overseas, and with that have taken over 200 people to hundreds of food experiences from Austrailia to Europe and even on the Snake River in Oregon. Portland Food Adventures has connected many to wonderful food experiences.   In this episode, Chris Angelus hosts PFA's best patron, Wendy Bumgardner, who has appeared on the podcast before, and has been on the majority of PFA dinners and adventures to discuss the origin behind our host's ventures, and some of the meaningful moments along the way.  This is a 15 year journey centered around the entire Portland Food world. Worth a listen!   For further exploration, an earlier podcast where co-host Cort Johnson interviews Chris about his life leading up to PFA, and beyond. https://rightatthefork.com/shows/2019/5/16/201-chris-angelus-the-interview   portlandfoodadventures.com @portlandfoodadventures.com   DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

Please join us in welcoming DU/ER as a new sponsor to the podcast. Visit www.shopduer.com/fork and receive 15% off your first purchase!

In this engaging conversation, Rose Archer shares her culinary journey from Hawaii to Italy, Germany, and finally to Bend, Oregon. She discusses her experiences working with renowned chefs, including Massimo Bottura, and the challenges and triumphs of establishing her supper club, which has become a beloved community event.   Rose emphasizes the importance of connection and creativity in food, and her upcoming Luscious Bend Food and Wine Experience aims to foster that sense of community on a larger scale.   https://www.lusciousbend.com/  

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

Please join us in welcoming DU/ER as a new sponsor to the podcast. Visit www.shopduer.com/fork and receive 15% off your first purchase!       Chris and Will Preisch discuss Will's return to Portland and his new restaurant, 82 Acres. They explore the farm-to-table philosophy, the challenges of parenting, and Will's culinary journey from his early days in the restaurant business to his current role.   The discussion also touches on the evolving Portland food scene, the importance of community and collaboration, and Will's upcoming Portland Food Adventures trip to Portugal, where he hopes to gain new culinary insights and enjoy cooking with Chef Vitor de Oliveira at Quinta Sao Luiz and in Porto..   https://www.portlandfoodadventures.com/portugal-with-kopke-2026    

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

 

DU/ER: www.shopduer.com/fork Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com  RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com  Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com 

We're jumping back to February... and our conversation with Jose Camarena of República.

ORIGINAL POST:

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.

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 

One of Portland's most prominent entrepreneurs, Ron Khormaei, joins us once again on the podcast to discuss the factors that have gone into his successful building of two companies from the ground up in Portland, Finex and Steelport.    We start with a discussion about how his immigration from Iran as a teen shaped his ethics and viewpoints on life and business in the USA.  And Ron points out that local roots are key to the success of both companies, from manufacturing to community involvement.  Speaking of community, one of the unique aspects of Portland culture is that businesses support one another,  To that end, Steelport hosts many demonstrations and tours at its factory, and on the 24th of August will host a Knife Maker showcase, highlighting Portland as the premiere knife-making city in the USA, featuring many other knifemakers from Portland.   We on Right at the Fork are big fans of Steelport's products, but also how well they are connected to our restaurant and food communities.   https://www.steelportknife.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

In the heart of Oregon, Rose Archer has been building quite a culinary brand.  Her Luscious Supper Club events have been selling out for years, and now she embarks on quite an undertaking, highlighting the best of Bend's culinary scene, the Luscious Bend Food and Wine Experience.  We discuss what's in store at that event, on Sept 27, 2025.   Listen to this episode to follow Rose's fascinating story.  Rose grew up the daughter of two hippies in Hawaii.  She learned to cook, and enjoy the attention that came to her when she made great things.  Things weren't easy, but she had ambition.  That drive took her to culinary school in Portland, where she plotted to cook under some of the best chefs in the world.  She went on quite a journey, one that eventually landed her in Los Angeles, Paris and Italy, where she worked under Massimo Bottura at one of the world's greatest restaurants, Osteria Francescana.   We plan on having Rose back for another episode to fill in the blanks on the journey from Italy to Bend.  She's quite remarkable!!  Subscribe to be notified when that episode is released!   Get tickets here to the Luscious Bend Food and Wine Experience:   https://www.lusciousbend.com/tickets  

Right at the Fork is supported by: 

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