Right at the Fork

We open the mics up with Lathen and Anne-Marie Gorbett, producers of the video series focusing on the Portland food world, Bridge to Table.  We discuss their motivations for producing such a series, the challenges, and of course their creative vision and the plan to accomplish producing continued episodes. 

Lathen and Anne-Marie also talk about what they have learned about Portland's food professionals' tribulations through the pandemic and what they see for a renewed and vibrant industry.  We also talk about how they plan to finance their project. 

Watch the pilot episode here: https://youtu.be/vK609oIdvFc

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

 

Joining us from their time away in Hawaii are Emily Cafazzo and Ryan Domingo of the now iconic Sugarpine Drive-In in Troutdale.  We discuss the genesis of Sugarpine and how incredible the journey has been.  We go back even further to the point where the couple met in Brooklyn at Andy Ricker's restaurant, of all places, and follow the reasons behind and the journey back to Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge.  Both have quite a resume in the food world, and Emily discusses her days at Gotham Tavern with a cast of chefs who would later arguably be responsible for building the Portland food scene to what it has become.    We also discuss "Tastebound," a book about the bounty of the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge region in which Ryan and Emily included their recipe for their Brown Butter Blondie with Blueberry Sauce.   This is a must-listen episode for Sugarpine fans or those who would like to precede their first visit with some excellent background, straight from the proprietors' voices.  

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 this Classic episode of Right at the Fork, we head back to October of 2019 and our conversation with Kristen Murray.

A lot has changed for Kristen in the time since our chat, including a move for MÅURICE.  Hear more about it, here.

ORIGINAL POST:

MÅURICE's Kristen Murray's story begins in Southern California, baking with her great-grandmother and great-aunt.

On this episode, hear about Kristen's journey from California, to New York City, to France and eventually Portland (with many more stops in between), and the eventual creation of MÅURICE.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

Salem native Rex Robertson joins us to discuss his exciting new restaurant, Cozy Taberna, that just opened in a few months ago.  We follow Rex's journey from falling in love with his father's A&W Restaurants in Salem as a kid, to working in finer dining over time and realizing hospitality was for him.  He and his wife Lois bought a hallmark deli in Salem and turned that into the popular Little Lois, which is now humming along.  They brought partners into that business and decided it was time to try something bigger.  Rex found a big restaurant space in a downtown Salem alley and were then introduced to both John Gorham and Ryan Magarian, both who made their marks in Portland over the years.  Both consulted to help develop the menu and the bar program at Cozy. 

Rex talks about his relationships and what excites him about Salem.  We'll get his suggestions of things to do in Salem as well as some of his other favorite local restaurants. 

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 a television writer and producer, maybe best known known for writing for the Simpson's (where he was also the co-show-runner), as well Portlandia and much, much more.  For the past 13 years, he has also called Portland home.   In this episode, we talk about him growing up in Maryland, his time at Harvard, working in Hollywood and of course what brought him to Portland.   We also dive into his latest venture, the Steamed Ham Society & Food Discovery Club, which you can learn more about (and sign up for!) here:   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

If you've watched television in Portland over the past 10 years, there's a really good chance you've seen today's guest.

Cassidy Quinn is a Pacific Northwester with roots in Seattle, before moving to Portland. For years, you could see her on KGW 8, with featured segments about things going on in Portland. From 2018 to 2020, she was the host of Tonight with Cassidy.  And if you're fan of country music, you can hear Cassidy on 98.7 The Bull each weeknight. 

In 2021, she created the Mentally Together podcast to talk about mental health.  Learn more about it here: https://pod.link/mentallytogether

In this episode, Cort and Cassidy talk about her dog Summit, her college choice and a move to the East Coast, her dining pics in Boston and Portland.

Plus, if you're listening to this on the day of release (May 6), Cassidy is the emcee for a fundraising event for the Dougy Center. Learn more about it (and donate if you'd like) here:

https://dougy.ejoinme.org/reflection2022

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

It was only a few months ago that we originally released this episode featuring Kimberly and Vitaly Paley, talking about the closure of Paley's Place - but it doesn't get much bigger than the Paleys in the Portland food world.

 

From January 2022:

We're more than honored to have Vitaly and Kimberly Paley join us for the first interview of Right at the Fork's ninth year.  The Paleys opened Paley's Place in 1995 and after so much recognition in and outside of the restaurant industry, they went on to own and operate Imperial, Portland Penny Diner, Crown Pizza, Headwaters and Rosa Rosa.  With Beard nominations and wins, an Iron Chef victory, this duo didn't need to prove anything to anyone, except to do what was best by their employees and patrons--and now themselves.  As the pandemic reared its ugly head on those hotel-based restaurants, they were left to tune and hone Paley's Place during a very tough time.  This caused them to evaluate their lives, and we'll hear in this interview exactly how the decision to close the restaurant at the peak of their game came about.  We talk about the health of the restaurant industry, what the Paleys are doing and plan on doing with the time they never had, whether they have plans to move from Portland, and best of all, their recipes for long-lasting love.

Be sure to check out their original Right at the Fork interview here: #25 The Paleys

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com

With the news that Gabriel Rucker's Canard is opening a second location in Oregon City later this year, we felt it appropriate to bring back this classic episode, recorded just days after Gabriel had opened the first one.

From January 2018:

Gabriel Rucker left a busy lunch service at his newly opened Canard to talk to Chris and Cort about how life has changed for him since opening his third restaurant, while raising a family.

Hear about how he manages his time and what people should expect at Canard.

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 use milkshakes to pivot to the founder of a new business in Portland, Creative Culture, which provides the space and resources for creative expression for families and individuals.  Dell Ann Upp started her concept in Kansas City, and then found herself in Portland through a new relationship and thought Portland would have an appetite for her unique business.  We talk about how she got started, what her vision is moving forward, and how her daughter is following in her entrepreneurial shoes with milkshake development and other ideas.  We also hear about Dell Ann's favorite restaurant discoveries since she's made Portland her home half the time.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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

@SweetCreaturepdx chef and Dame's pastry chef Gabriella Martinez joins us on the podcast to talk about how much she enjoys working with Patrick McKee at Dame and the ability to expand her creativity by collaborating and consulting with others.  It turns out that the inability to work outside her day job was one of the reasons she departed from Republica, where she had worked for a while after moving to Portland from Los Angeles and some high profile gigs there.  We will talk about how her Mexican background plays a part in her menu development at Dame as well as her work schedule and how she plans to balance work and life moving forward.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

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