Right at the Fork

Don Bourassa was Right at the Fork's first guest ever in 2014. Back then, he was the Community Director for Yelp. Now, he's moved to Porto, Portugal with his wife and among his many endeavors, he writes on substack: International Adulting. We talk to Don about what's transpired in the ten years since his first visit with us, including the process of deciding to move and the ins and outs of moving to another country. Also, having traveled the world, his thoughts on Portland as a food city. We also get a taste of Portugal, where, among other tasty morsels of info, his wife has created a community of Vegans. https://internationaladulting.substack.com/ Insta @thedonb

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Gary the Foodie has more appearances on Right at the Fork than any other guest, so it's fitting that we complete our tenth year with an episode featuring Gary's current favorites in Portand, Gary goes over his top 10 pizza places, top 10 new restaurants, and even his current top 10 overall in PDX. Always a fun talk, Gary is the ultimate PDX food world insider. Insta @GaryTheFoodie

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Bill Oakley is back (see episode #313)!

Bill Oakley made a name for himself with his work on The Simpsons and other TV shows, being one of the key writers and a showrunner for years.

Now, he's gained recognition on shows like "The Food that Made America." His love of all types of food, prompts Bills return to the podcast again, this time to talk about some of the awards bestowed on behalf of his Steamed Hams Society.

Using the Portland Steamies and the National Steamies as a foundation for conversation, we touch of some of Bill's favorite places he ate in 2023. If you're a fan of pizza, you may want to listen, as Bill lists some of his favored frozen varieties one can order online.

It's a fun conversation with one of the most creative legends in Portland, who also happens to love food. (But don't call him a "foodie!")

Instagram: @ThatBillOakley https://www.patreon.com/steamedhamssociety

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

We are going all the way back to January of 2014 and our first episode ever with Don Bourassa of Yelp.

From our original post:

Chris and Heather introduce the podcast, and sit down with Don Bourassa, Portland Community Manager for Yelp!, to talk about chefs' love/hate relationship with the review site.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

Sherri Brown has quite a broad background when it comes to travel and food. She's lived in lots of places, traveled the world and sought adventure wherever she goes. Sherri met host Chris on one of his Portland Food Adventures trips on the Snake River, where they talked Portland food to the point where one of the guests asked them to stop!. On this episode, Sherri showcases the best of Portland's neighborhood's food to tourists and locals alike, as proprietor of Portland by Mouth Food Tours. She talks about the evolution of her business, what people tend to like and what her plans may be for her food business in the future. Sherri also shares some of her faves with us. https://portlandbymouth.com/ Sherri Brown Photo Courtesy of Luxe Beat Magazine

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

Peter Kost grew up in Seattle, where his love for food was established as the son of farmers who sold their goods at the Seattle Public Market. Peter's journey has taken him from restaurant work to wine sales to a long stint at Zupans in grocery management to landing his first restaurant, Lucy's Table on NW 21st in Portland. It was there when he met a fellow by the name of Ken Forkish, from whom he'd buy breads at Ken's Artisan Bakery. Listen to the podcast to hear how that relationship evolved to the point where Peter became the only one Ken had in mind when he was ready to pass his iconic Ken's Artisan Pizza on to a new generation. We will hear how Peter is determined to honor the legacy Ken built and get a hint of what his plans are going forward.. https://kensartisan.com/pizza https://www.carinalounge.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

Tireless food and industry advocate Erika Polmar joins us to discuss the nefarious plans Dollar General and other stores like it have to decimate local food economies. Erika shares the history of this movement starting with Walmart and the vacumm left in their wake for Dollar stores to step in and suck dollars from small towns, leaving a less healthy populace and food system as a result. We also begin with an epilogue from Erika about her 20 years doing farm dinners -- what their purpose was -- some of the joys and challenges, and why she decided to cease producing them. Links: Main P&P page with a link to the fund on the home page and in the menu https://www.plateandpitchfork.com The fund page is: https://www.plateandpitchfork.com/p/about/plate--pitchfork-producer-fund To become an advocate for independent restaurants & bars, become a donor or email subscriber by visiting: https://www.independentrestaurantcoalition.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

Flashing back to August of 2023 and our conversation with John Denison.

John Denison joins us at a time of big changes in his life. Having just opened his seafood bar, Câche Câche, he's on the cusp of marriage to a woman he met in Paris four years ago while working at Verjus. We will follow John on his culinary journey from the Portland Meat Collective and St, Jack, where he met Kate Hill and found a way to follow her to her beautiful Camont in Gascony. It was there where French cuisine got into his soul. He moved over to Barcelona and the world-famous Tickets to gain key experience in that kitchen before heading to France for four years.

Just as the pandemic started, John and Maddie decided to jump from France to Portland, where they both landed jobs at notable restaurants, St. Jack and Nostrana, respectively.

Now at Câche Câche, John fuses his love of French food with his background growing up in the DC area, delving into the foods of the mid-Atlantic coast.

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Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

Canada born, LA-bred chef Aaron Barnett was on the path to becoming a veterinarian when he decided to bail and pursue his passion. From an early age, Aaron Barnett's parents instilled in him a love of food. He was eating snails and dining on his mom's home-made ceviche when other kids were munching PB & J. He attended culinary school in California before working in Vancouver, BC, and back in San Francisco. He moved to Portland and served as Executive Chef at two culinary icons.

Portland proved to be exactly the market Aaron was looking for and gave him the confidence to open his dream restaurant, St. Jack. While Aaron had experience in different styles and cuisines, he became known as one of the best French chefs in the West. As a result, the Lyonnaise eatery garnered Eater Restaurant of the Year and Aaron became a StarChef Rising Star.

Aaron opened another restaurant, La Moule, before consulting with other restaurants like Scotch Lodge, both of which opened to significant fanfare. In 2022, Aaron opened a fun spot, Heavenly Creatures, with his long-time friend and colleague, Joel Gunderson. Both decided they could help other businesses to benefit from their experience, and so recently they launched their own consulting firm, Giant Squid.

Aaron is hands-on at his restaurants, but works to balance the rigors of chef life with his love of travel and cuisine. Most keenly, his priority is his beautiful family of four.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

We are pleased to welcome Hillary Dixler Canavan to the podcast Hillary is Eater's national restaurant editor. Starting in the industry in New York, Hillary landed at Eater in 2013, and now she defines the scope of Eater's restaurant coverage throughout the USA. We caught up with her when she was in Portland to promote her new book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes from the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters, which celebrates America's iconic restaurants with must-eat recipes and cooking tips from the most popular and influential dining establishments across the country, from the best street carts to pillars of fine dining and everywhere in between. We talk about how Eater covers restaurants, and some of the challenges in the industry now and how operators might tackle them, as well as a discussion about her book; how she determined which restaurants and chefs with whom to work, what people might get from it, as well as Portland's restaurants with recipes published in the book. @hillarydixlercanavan https://www.amazon.com/Eater-Essential-Restaurant-Recipes-Authority/dp/1419765760

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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