Sondra + Brian Welcome to The Bite Goes On wrap-up show and get ready for a long one. Before we go on a hiatus of an unyet determined amount of time, Brian and I wanted to revisit and share some of the episodes and the highlights of the past two years. Though we don’t get to talk about every single one (lucky for you), it was joyful to go back and reminisce about the incredible guests that we have met during this time. We have learned so much and have gratefully had the chance to listen to many passionate, inspiring stories from these guests. This past year, Covid has added another dimension to the show and that was sometimes just a check in or a deep dive into the perseverance and strategies of guests moving forward to get to the other side of the pandemic. As we arrive in 2021 we anticipate life changing in so many different areas and as we watch the world mend itself, we have decided to take a break. One thing we know for sure, the conversations are endless. Food is central to all of our lives one way or another and that will never change. The Bite Goes On has been a passion project for both Brian and I and we appreciate all of our listeners so much. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know if we should keep going and if so what were your favorite episodes.[EP115]

Also: listen to Brian’s other podcast The WineMakers at https://radiomisfits.com/podcasts/thewinemakers/ and follow him on Instagram at @winemakerspod and @sonomawinelover and follow Sondra’s personal Instagram @figchronicles.

It’s not often that you get to have a conversation with someone who has a Masters in Gastronomy with a focus on aphrodisiacs. Amy Reiley is exactly that. I first met Amy years ago when her first book, fork me, spoon me was released. As a book about aphrodisiac foods, she of course had a chapter on figs that we were happy to contribute our fig scone recipe to – that she lovingly renamed “morning after fig scones with fresh cream”. Catching up over ten years later in the midst of covid it’s not as easy to be thinking about all of the foods that seduce you. Even so, her blog turned website, Eat Something Sexy has been going on for years. It is full of recipes, anecdotes and a full on dictionary of aphrodisiac foods which we all need to know where to find. Her other books include, Eat Cake Naked and Romancing the Stove.

Her latest endeavor, something she is particularly proud of and rightly so, is her work with Rock & Wrap It. This is a non profit that calls itself an anti-poverty think tank and most importantly is finding potential donors that have renewable assets to share, especially food. In their 20th year, they have continued to recover food from TV and FIlm production sets. They work with the big corporations including Sony, Disney, Netflix, ABC … to recover prepared but not served excess food from entertainment catering companies and forward it on to people in need. They are also working with legislators pushing education and the Bill Emerson Samaritan Act keeping donors safe from liability. Their food initiatives go much further than just the entertainment sector and have moved into hospitals, schools, sports and more. 

https://eatsomethingsexy.com

It is always curious how some of our guests end up in the culinary world when their academia was meant to take them elsewhere. This is how our conversation with Chef Jonathan Beard started and continued about his journey from being a successful restaurateur/chef in Sonoma County, to eventually trading it in for a more realistic schedule that would allow him to be around for his family with young kids. His first position took him to the Sonoma Juvenile Detention program teaching cooking and life skills to the girls living there and then to landing his ‘dream’ job as the Culinary Director/Instructor at the Sonoma Valley High School. Prior to opening his first restaurant, he worked for some reputable Bay area spots including Acme Bakery, Bay Wolf and Kermit Lynch.

We reminisced about our own home economic classes in our earlier middle school years and compared to what it would be like today. With Covid, the high school has also made their pivot to online learning which couldn’t be less practical than with trying to teach cooking. Jonathan continues to adapt with his students and is waiting until they can all be in his newly designed kitchens at the high school.

Manon Servouse is the Marketing Director for Laura Chenel, Marin French Cheese, St Benoit Creamery and Rians. She is the right person for the job as her passion for her company’s products is impressive not only in her personal praise, but in the depth of her knowledge. Originally from france she has always known that she wanted to be in marketing and she started with United Biscuits. Wanting to branch out to something with more flavor (pun intended) she started working for Rians the parent company of Laura Chenel. After 2 years working in the France offices, she was willingly transferred to California

It was great catching up with Manon to hear about the start of the company with the actual Laura Chenel forty years ago. We talked about the love of goats and goat milk, their state of the art creamery in Sonoma – (the first leed gold certification in the USA), how they are dealing with covid and of course cheese!!!

the girl & the fig has used the Laura Chenel Chevre in their signature salad since 1997 and appreciates the consistency of the product and the care that goes into making it.

To learn more, visit the website at www.laurachenel.com

With New Years right around the corner, it is only appropriate to talk about caviar. Otto Szilagyi, caviar ambassador extraordinaire for Tsar Nicoulai has the details we need to know. Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to taste a few of his products and this conversation definitely put some things in perspective. Most impressionable about Tsar Nicoulai is their approach to their vision which is to provide the cleanest and best caviar and seafood products while inspiring the continued growth of their farm’s environmental and sustainable stewardship. Since their beginning in 1984 in California, they have been committed to environmental practices.Their innovative production practices are rooted in California ethos and keep them on the forefront of technological advances for sustainable farming. It was fascinating to talk about all things sturgeon with Otto. We dance about the topics of their practices, how they determine the grade, the history of caviar’s luxurious beginnings and so much more. If you are listening today, you can purchase their products online. [EP111]

https://www.tsarnicoulai.com/shop

https://www.instagram.com/therealtsarnicoulai/

Amy Sherman is a Longtime award-winning blogger, and food writer that has written for just about every food publication worth reading and other puclications. she is very highly regarding in the food world and pretty much knows everyone. In addition to her blog; cooking with Amy, Her current chapter is as the Editor in Chief of the relatively new ‘The Cheese Professor’ and the very recently introduced ‘The Alcohol Professor.’

http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/

https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/

https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/

@cookingwithamy

Some of my best memories with Kyle have been sitting around the holiday table with our friends and eating a delicious meal that he has created most of. Well, even though I am not sitting around a table with friends, I am grateful that I can still savor in Chef Kyle’s cooking. Since the pandemic, Kyle has been offering a meal for which he sources, prepares and personally delivers to your house. He also includes a pay it forward proposition in providing another family a meal at a discounted rate. This week’s menu included a tasty chicken and chickpea tagine with cauliflower, saffron couscous, Moroccan spiced sweet potatoes and beetroot salad.

I especially enjoyed our conversation, listening to his story about his childhood growing up around the family business, a livestock auction house and a strong sensibility for food, fresh ingredients. He started with culinary arts in high school, studied corporate finance in college and realized he missed cooking. He has moved up the ranks quickly and I am always in awe of his determination and skill at such a young age. From his new website; “Chef Kyle Kuklewski has over a decade of culinary experience with a portion of his career having worked in fine dining restaurants within top luxury brand hotels. Working under Michelin rated chefs, Chef Kyle honed his culinary skills while developing a strong attention to detail, an appreciation for using only the finest quality ingredients and a drive for creativity.” Check out Chef Kyle’s website at www.chef-kyle.com or on Instagram at @akylek

I don’t think we have spoken about or even said the word seaweed in the two years we have recording The Bite Goes On. So we needed to talk to the ladies of Daybreak Seaweed Co and find out what seaweed is all about. I don’t imagine there is anyone better than Catherine and Avery to learn from. Though they are a relatively young company, their passion is inspiring. Not only are they working with a food that is not quite mainstream but they are dealing with the laws of sustainability every step of the way. I was fascinated to hear about the different varieties, the waters it grows in, farmed and wild, and all of the healthy aspects found in seaweed. I was so curious, that I actually placed an order and to their credit – their products are definitely elevating my cooking. [EP108]

https://daybreakseaweed.com/

Chef Mina’s culinary and business vision led to the founding of his company, MINA Group in 2002. Under the auspices of MINA Group, he has opened over 45 operations around the world, including the Michelin-starred MICHAEL MINA, Chef Mina’s flagship restaurant in the heart of San Francisco, which represents the culmination of his core culinary philosophies, Middle Eastern heritage, lauded chronicles as a chef and restaurateur, and personal character. We caught up with him while he was in Las Vegas and had a great conversation with this very busy Chef. With a brand new restaurant in Sonoma, Wit & Wisdom, it was fun to finally meet him (even over zoom) and hear his story. I have always been so curious about how restaurants grow into a large company with more than a few properties, so he was the perfect guest to ask my growth questions. We talk about his company culture with his executive team and how the pandemic has given them a chance to rework and rethink some of their processes.

Wit & Wisdom – located 1325 Broadway At Leveroni & Napa Roads, Sonoma, CA https://www.witandwisdomsonoma.com/ https://www.michaelmina.net/ https://www.instagram.com/chefmichaelmina/

Monica & Aaron Rocchino, veterans in the Bay Area food world for many years with stints at Chez Panisse, Olivetos and Paula Le Duc catering company as well as Monica’s international event business. When they finally decided that working opposite schedules wasn’t working, they decided they would create a business that would combine both their interests and expertise and most importantly an opportunity to work together. Finding that it was difficult to find the quality meat that they could get at the kitchens that they previously worked in – they found that a high quality butcher store with ethically raised and slaughtered animals would fill a much needed hole in the community. With a focus on offering products that come from 150 miles radius of the shop, The Local Butcher Shop found its footing with both selling wholesale to restaurants and retail to individuals. Since the opening of the shop they have only brought in whole animal carcasses and find a place for every part of the animal to be used. We asked questions regarding cuts of meat, ageing, grass fed and finished or … This is definitely a shop I would go to on a regular basis and I can totally see why they are so popular. Since Covid the concentration of sales have shifted more to individual consumers than their wholesale clients.

1600 Shattuck Ave. Ste 120, Berkeley, CA https://thelocalbutchershop.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thelocalbutchershop/