Gabe Barker is the offspring of culinary royalty, JBF Award winners Karen and Ben Barker. Hear how Gabe created a farm to table "neapolitan style" pizza. Pizza with a thin crust but a New York chew. Chef Gabe has taken advantage of his roots to become a chef with a 360 degree of his food and his business. Everything inside of Pizzeria Mercato is meticulously considered, from the bread to the guest.

Also-hear why;

Octopus is a sentient being and needs to be cooked very carefully

How to cook/create with a 31 year old sourdough starter

How to gift your child a dynamic palate

How to get kissed on the lips by Gabe Barker

Welcome our newest sponsor, Bestow Baked Goods, currently located in Fuquay-Varina but soon to open in Holly Springs! https://bestowbakedgoods.com

Follow them on Instagram @bestowbakedgoods

Need wine & beer? Of course you do, get it at https://trianglewineco.com Use promo code 'NCFB' at checkout!

Hospitality industry veterans, Max Trujillo and Matthew Weiss, get behind the scenes of North Carolina's burgeoning food and beverage culture. Hear from local chefs, sommelier's, distillers, farmers, brewers and the whole lot of them in the NC F&B podcast.

Max is a front-of-house vet/sommelier that moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina in 2013. Since moving to North Carolina, he's run restaurants, designed wine programs and builds craft cocktail menus and now produces multiple podcasts.

Matthew is a certified sommelier from New York. His experience ranges from restaurant/bar to importing some of the finest wines in the world. He moved his family to North Carolina three years ago and works as a wine distributor.

For questions, comments and booking, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]

Eat & Drink Merrily!