Did you know: sushi + burrito = sushirrito?? It’s a thing - and the people of Portland, Oregon are obsessed with it! 

The amazing food in Portland, Oregon is one of the major reasons people visit, and sometimes decide to ultimately move to this city I call home. That’s what happened to me, and that’s what happened to today’s guest, Ryan Moy. We both live here in large part for the food! 

Today Ryan Moy, owner of Rollin' Fresh — one of the most quintessential Portland food carts — which specializes in sushi burritos, poke' bowls, and poke' salads. The sushi burritos he makes mix Asian and Latin flavors. The tempura is so crunchy, the fish is brought in fresh daily, and the sauces… don’t even get me started on how freakin’ amazing they are! He had to start bottling them up and selling them, they became so popular. 

He’s a humble guy, so I’ll have to toot his horn for him: he’s been featured on Food Network and with 3 food carts in Portland booming, he opened a brick and mortar Portland restaurant during the pandemic. I’m so happy for his success. 

In this episode, Ryan chat’s about how his grandparents in particular encouraged him to pursue a steady “real job” in accounting, but also spent quality time with him in the kitchen, teaching him how to cook food they grew up with in Honolulu. He talks about the ride of almost two decades working as a chef and GM of the food industry, scaling a food business, traveling to foodie cities, expanding his restaurant menu, and ultimately, the story of how he merged his accounting degree with his passion for food.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• What is a ‘sushirrito’ and what goes into one?
• The importance of knowing your numbers. 
• Making adjustments to COVID-19. 
• Managing the food cart space, team, and business. 
• Ryan’s top food cities to visit. 
• Chasing your passion for food: Where to start and what to do. 
• Transitioning from brick and mortar to the digital space.

QUOTABLES:

“Restaurant margins are really, really small. And in order to be successful, you have to have the numbers dialed in at the end of the day. If you lose track of that, then it's just going to go downhill from there.” - Ryan Moy

“Whatever effort you put into your business is what you're going to get out of it.” - Ryan Moy

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

WHERE TO EAT IN PORTLAND, OREGON - https://sipbitego.com/pdx-lunch-spots

JENNA’S YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING RYAN AND THE SUSHIRITTOS FROM ROLLIN’ FRESH - https://youtu.be/H1gX5oPfbAQ

 LOVE PIZZA?? SEE JENNA’S FAMOUS HOMEMADE PIZZA RECIPE - https://sipbitego.com/making-pizza-home-store-bought-dough/

From medicinal mushrooms to herbal tea, this episode uncovers some really fascinating studies of ancient plants and their benefits for humans. In today’s chat, sisters Hollie King and Mallory Schillinger help debunk the difference between medicinal mushrooms and psychedelic mushrooms. But the conversation goes much deeper than that.

They chat about how Hollie’s obsession with “food as medicine” was fueled by a desire to know what she was putting on her kids, and ultimately helped her treat a cancer scare. Her holistic approach to cancer recovery helped fuel Sweet Bee Organics all starting with pretty simple Facebook ads to find consumers.

At the end we kind of geek out about how your body is literally eating every product you put on your skin, Mallory’s easy recommendations for drinking more herbal teas, and Hollie’s daily routine, which, you guessed it, includes medicinal mushrooms for breakfast.

So let’s talk ‘shrooms!

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Growing up and making memories in the same kitchen
• How Hollie and Mallory’s “Food as Medicine” journey started.
• What exactly are medicinal mushrooms and their medicinal properties? 
• How should you eat your mushrooms? 
• The processes behind Sweet Bee Organics products. 
• Evaluating the quality of your ingredients in your skincare products. 
• The difference between eating vs. putting products on your skin. 
• Hollie and Mallory’s daily routines. 
• Growing your own herbs to drink in your tea. 

QUOTABLES:

“These mushrooms are so wise; they've been on our planet longer than us and they have developed ways to protect themselves, and so I think that is why they're so powerful” - Mallory Schillinger

“People are genuinely good people and they just want to see companies that are doing good things succeed. So there are always people there to help. I really believe that.” - Hollie King

“If you keep waiting for the right moment, that moment never comes.” - Jenna Passaro

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

DETAILS ON STARTING AN INDOOR HERB GARDEN: https://sipbitego.com/aerogarden-grow-guide

JENNA’S SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS WITH THYME RECIPE: https://sipbitego.com/sauteed-mushrooms-thyme

JENNA’S EASY PASTA SAUCE: https://sipbitego.com/tomato-sauce/

You never know when a gift will change your life. That’s exactly how I got into sous vide cooking and went on to write and publish my sous vide cookbook. Yes, I didn’t intentionally get into cooking this way. One of my favorite food hobbies actually came to be because we received a sous vide machine as a wedding gift from the CEO of my husband’s company. I literally had no idea what it was at first.

My story is similar to Chris Cook from Happy Hydro Farm. One day, after decades in combat, he went down to his basement, found an old hydroponic gardening kit from God knows when, dusted it off, and then began his food hobby obsession: indoor hydroponic gardening. Along the way, Chris found his love of growing plants indoors to soothe his PTSD and started a blog to share all the details with beginner hydroponic growers.

In this episode, Chris recounts how his foodie plant hobby began, makes us jealous that he has two kitchens - he has one dedicated just to his plants - and chats about his favorite foods to grow using hydro gardening techniques. You’ll leave hungry and inspired.

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Getting into hydroponic gardening: how it all started for Chris. 
• How web design turned into a hobby of its own. 
• Chris’s current plant system. 
• What is deep water culture? 
• Choosing your equipment. 
• Chris’ relationship with grocery shopping as a hydroponic farmer. 
• Happy Hydro Farm - what is it and who is it for? 
• How gardening can improve your mental health. 
• Chris’ favorite things to grow. 

QUOTABLES:

“When I started growing plants I noticed that it had an extremely positive impact on my anxiety and just my overall outlook on life. And that is definitely something that, above anything else, I want to put out to people - that you can get a lot of happiness and self-care by taking care of plants.” - Chris Cook 

“There's kind of like a meditative state that growing plants brings to you. And you're saying that you take care of the plants, but it's also growing food that's good for you that you can decide what nutrients you're putting in front of yourself - that's your own self-care.” - Jenna Passaro

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

SOUS VIDE MAYO-SEARED BURGERS RECIPE: https://sipbitego.com/sous-vide-hamburgers-mayo-seared

SPINACH BASIL PESTO RECIPE: https://sipbitego.com/spinach-basil-pesto

WHAT’S AN AEROGARDEN: https://sipbitego.com/how-does-aerogarden-work/

If you’ve ever searched for a recipe online, you’ve probably seen the popular food blog, Budget Bytes, pop up with a tasty dish. What you might not know about the budget-friendly site is that it started out as a food hobby for owner Beth Moncel, who became more-than-obsessed with counting each and every penny of her monthly budget as she paid back student-loans for a Nutritional Science degree. Yup, the cost savings meal prep tips Budget Bytes was founded on originally started out as Facebook posts to just Beth’s friends. 

One of the many things I found remarkable about this conversation with Beth is how she continued on in her higher education and achieved a second degree, this time in Clinical Laboratory Science, all while running her booming blog.

As you probably know, she chose the path less traveled, running a full-time food blog that highlights the cost of each recipe down to the individual serving.

In this episode, we chat about her long-standing blog, cookbook, food app, and how she helps people eat deliciously on small budgets.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• How Beth’s relationship with food blossomed.
• Beth’s food blogging journey and how she monetized her blog.
• Taking the leap: How Beth made her career change.
• Things to consider when starting a new project.
• Being a part of the Budget Bytes community.
• Finding a balance between business and personal.
• How to get started on food blogging.
• Adapting to changes in the digital world. 

QUOTABLES:

“It's exhausting but you have to love that part of it to be successful as a blogger. Because if you don't love the actual process of doing it, you're gonna give up way, way sooner than you're ever going to start making money. So you have to enjoy the day-to-day.” - Beth Moncel 

 “If you stick with it and keep learning and learning, eventually you will become an expert. And people will pay you for that expertise. So if there's something you're passionate about, don't tell yourself no before even trying.” - Beth Moncel

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

JENNA’S FREE GUIDE… THE BEGINNER FOOD BLOGGER'S CHECKLIST:  https://sipbitego.com/beginner-food-blogger-checklist

Becoming a parent completely changes your life. If you’ve been through a pregnancy, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It impacts everything from your energy level, to your ability to stomach different foods, to preparing to adjust your job for maternity leave.

So what happens when you’re a pregnant food blogger? When you all of a sudden can’t eat certain foods for the safety of the baby, have food cravings readers won’t be able to relate to, and have food aversions during pregnancy?

And what happens when you’re a new mom running a food blog and working for yourself? How do you get back to work, managing time between taking care of a baby and running a blog, and adjusting to your new norm?

If any of what I’ve said resonates with you, you’re going to love today’s chat with Karen Young from The Tasty Bite. She and I have so much in common, including writing a cookbook with Callisto Media, a well-known book publisher, running a food blog, and adjusting to becoming a new mom — all in the same year, and all during a pandemic.

So join us as we chat about new mom life and how to juggle running a food blog at the same time.

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Karen’s pregnancy and cookbook journey.
• Creating recipes with pregnancy cravings and aversions.
• The process of writing a cookbook through the different trimesters. 
• Food safety during pregnancy and COVID. 
• Cooking for your baby as a new mom. 
• Food photography routines. 
• Juggling food blogging and motherhood. 

QUOTABLES:

“Take it one piece at a time. Being pregnant is already super hard. And I think sometimes, as women too, you want a lot on your plate, and people have expectations about what you can do. But if you're having problems like vomiting or nausea or you feel like you have some sort of food preference during your pregnancy, just give in to it.” - Karen Young  

“You can't not change as a person once you have a child. You're going to grow into another person. But I think now, being two years out from having my child, just knowing that it will take time but you will get back to who you are and what you're about.” - Jenna Passaro

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

Get the guide…

THE BEGINNER FOOD BLOGGER'S CHECKLIST -  http://foodblogchecklist.com/

JENNA’S SOUS VIDE RECIPES - https://sipbitego.com/recipes/sous-vide

If you’re still not convinced that you can build a life around your most wild desires, you clearly haven’t heard the story of Dave Hoyle. Summed up in just one word, he’s a farmer. But upon further investigation, he’s up to some crazy, inspired shit. And I mean that in the best possible way.

I first heard of Dave’s cannabis-eating pig farm, Moto Perpetuo, when he was listed as a vendor for one of the most prestigious restaurants in town, Paley’s Place. You see, Dave raises pigs that are “smoked” - no pun intended, after a generous life eating “leftovers” from his cannabis farm. Renowned chef Vitaly Paley, amongst others, honor and celebrate these pigs at upscale pig roasts and cannabis-themed cookouts playfully dubbed “High On The Hog” Dinners. Yup, that’s a thing!

In this conversation with Dave, we chat about a plethora of stories anyone who considers themselves a foodie will eat up. He talks about meticulously sourcing rare seeds and overnighting them at a moment’s notice, so they can be grown into beautiful pieces of produce and showcased in some of the top restaurants in Portland.

We chat about why it took so damn long for Top Chef Portland to film in our beloved city, and chat about past contestants who are part of this city’s famous food scene - Gregory Gourdet and Doug Adams.

It was so much fun to chat about Portland food and the special connection between farmers and chefs with Dave Hoyle. If you’re interested in learning more about him, my past interview with chefs at Vitaly Paley’s restaurants, and more, check out the show notes. 

HIGHTLIGHTS:

• The process of starting and running a farm.
• Farm, Restaurant, and Community relationships.
• The impetus behind the cannabis-fed pig: Vitaly Paley.
• A blank canvas: The creative process of farm to table.
• Earning your stripes: Working with the kitchen mindset.
• The story of Tails and Trotters, the butcher shop.
• How cannabis-fed pig farming came about.
• The relationship between the pig and the farmer. 

QUOTABLES:

“As much as the physical act of farming drives us, it is knowing that somebody is going to be so appreciative of what we do, and use their passion and craft to put it on a plate for somebody. They're going to taste that love, excitement, and passion that we as farmers and the chef shared.” - David Hoyle

“I honestly feel like my life is a gift. I'm the luckiest man I know to have been in the right place at the right time with the right attitude on so many different occasions, that I feel like I have to wake up every day to earn the right to get to do what I get to do.” - David Hoyle

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

Get the guides… 

WHERE TO EAT IN PORTLAND, OREGON - https://sipbitego.com/pdx-lunch-spots

TASTY SAUCES (YOU NEED ASAP) RECIPE EBOOK - https://freesaucebook.com

Tasty Things To Try... 

JENNA’S FAMOUS HOMEMADE PIZZA RECIPE - https://sipbitego.com/making-pizza-home-store-bought-dough

JENNA’S SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS WITH THYME RECIPE: https://sipbitego.com/sauteed-mushrooms-thyme

JENNA’S EASY PASTA SAUCE: https://sipbitego.com/tomato-sauce/

My life is forever changed from this conversation about the birds and the bees with hobby farmer Nicole Gennetta from Colorado.

In today’s chat, we’re covering all the details… exactly what is a hobby farm? What do you need to know about how to start a hobby farm before diving in? What is it like to raise chickens in your backyard? Why bees die after stinging you -- yea, you don’t want to miss that grossness! And the cringe-worthy details about buying eggs at a grocery store vs. a farm that raises chickens for eggs.

Nicole takes us from her curiosity about farming as a child to the transition from being a medic to running a farm filled with chickens, quail, ducks, turkeys, honey bees, and more.

About halfway through this interview, I started craving cheese boards with honey and sous vide soft boiled eggs. So apologies in advance if you can hear me drooling through the audio.

I am amazed at how complex this chat with Nicole was and how much I’m taking away from it. There were some seriously interesting factoids on raising bees and backyard chickens for eggs. I can guarantee things we discussed will be popping up in many conversations to come whenever a bee, chicken, or egg is brought up.

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• The (misplaced) fear of bees.
• From firefighter to beekeeper: Nicole’s career transition
• How to get started on Beekeeping and Backyard Chickens.
• The inner workings of a bee colony.
• The relationship between the bee and the beekeeper.
• How to support the bees! (Hint: it’s not by beekeeping)
• The difference between backyard chicken eggs and store-bought eggs.
• Food safety and chicken eggs. 

QUOTABLES:

“People are starting to realize that food actually comes from animals, plants, and farmers and doesn't show up at a grocery store. So that kind of farm-to-table realization of where food comes from and people wanting to empower themselves to have that food security is really great.” - Nicole Genetta 

“It's so neat that people are returning to these really fulfilling hobbies, now that they have the time to do it. And they're not just thinking about commuting to work each day.” - Jenna Passaro

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/ 

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

SOUS VIDE SOFT BOILED EGGS: https://sipbitego.com/sous-vide-soft-boiled-eggs/

SOUS VIDE SOFT BOILED EGGS VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0BvhCQc32I

If you’re a home chef, you’ll never look at a peppermill the same way after hearing about Cleve Oines and his obsession with them.

In this episode, this Alaska born foodie shares details on launching kitchen item crowdfunding campaigns on platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. He shares how it all started with a sudden and tragic loss of a job, how he couldn’t have done it without the support of his wedding photographer wife, and the ins and outs of reinventing better kitchen products and selling them online at MannKitchen.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated at your spatula, chef’s knife, peppermill, or another kitchen tool and thought: there has to be a better way, this episode is for you. 

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• How Cleve gets his kitchen product ideas. 
• The ins and outs of developing and selling kitchen products. 
• Marketing products on different online platforms.
• MannKitchen’s product launch process: The Pepper Cannon. 
• Pre-ground pepper and freshly ground peppercorns - what’s the difference? 
• The many setbacks that Cleve experienced. 
• What’s next for MannKitchen?
• How to take the big leap: Cleve’s advice. 

QUOTABLES:

"Do it. Take that step. And hopefully, you've got someone who believes in you and has faith in you like I had with my wife. But even If you don't, take that risk. You never know what's on the other side of it until you try and I'm so glad that I am where I am now." - Cleve Oines

"It's kind of amazing when someone in your life has that support for you that you don't have for your own vision. Like when you want to do something, it really helps when someone external continues validating it and supporting you." - Jenna Passaro

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

JENNA’S FOOD BLOG - SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

CREAMY PEPPERCORN SAUCE RECIPE: https://sipbitego.com/creamy-peppercorn-sauce