The Curious Eater

Dru Rivers, co-founder and co-owner of Full Belly Farm, shares her journey from the bewitching woods of rural Vermont to a love story that inspired the now 400-acre certified organic farm in Capay Valley.

Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery, shares her journey from falling in love with sustainable agriculture to transforming Marin County into a region that deeply celebrates fresh, organic cheese making.

Jorge Saldana, chef, farmer, and founder of Sabor Mexicano, shares his journey from a child in Mexico that was “breastfed with salsa” to overseeing a 130-acre farm, multiple restaurants throughout the Bay Area, and a brand of nationally-distributed homemade tortilla chips.

Miriam Zouzounis, community organizer, Commissioner at the Office of Small Businesses for San Francisco, and importer at Terra Sancta Trading company shares her journey from corner store kid to a powerful voice for the immigrant business owners in San Francisco who serve as the city’s backbone. 

Maria Garcia Brennan, the Owner and Co-Founder of Soñar! Foods, shares her journey as a Mexican immigrant and the first in her family to go to college. Now as a mother of two, she runs a young food company that is showing her daughters and the rest of the Latinx community that anything is possible.

Tracy Harding, general manager of Capay Valley Farm Shop, shares her journey from hosting CSA drop sites at her home in Oregon to running a food hub that distributes food from 40 family farms to the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Nafy Flately, founder of TERANGA, a food and beverage company inspired by baobob and hospitality. In this episode, she shares her journey from her mother’s kitchen in Senegal to creating a community of healing, acceptance, and friendship through food in the US. 

Aileen Suzara, chef, activist, and founder of Sariwa Kitchen, shares how her journey to relearn the cuisine of the Philippines led her to starting a community-driven food enterprise that celebrates the flavors and stories of her culture. 

The Curious Eater is back for season two, with even more inspiring, personal stories from our local food community. Produced by Real Food Real Stories and Kat Hong, The Curious Eater features stories from chefs, farmers, food makers, and more, shared live in the Bay Area. In each episode, our host, Pei-Ru Ko, sits down with the storyteller to dig deeper into topics like wellness, what it means to be a steward of the land, and empowerment through food. Check out the trailer for season two for a taste of the stories! 

Brahm Ahmadi, founder and CEO of Community Foods Market, originally People’s Community Market, shares how the thread of activism brought him from attending peace rallies as a high school student to opening West Oakland’s first full-service grocery store in over 40 years.