Happy new year! If you’ve resolved to eat with more intention, then you’ll love these two things:

First: Cookbook author and former Zest guest Kerstin Decook has a cool offer exclusively for Zest listeners. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy. Register here.

Secondly: If you’re leaning into a plant-based lifestyle this year, then you’ll enjoy Dalia’s conversation with Mauria Hall, host of In the Meantime with Mauria. Dalia was recently a guest on the ITMWM, discussing vegetarianism with host Mauria Hall, an on-again-off-again vegetarian. This conversation is part practical advice, part low-key therapy session. We hope this bonus episode inspires you, whether you need practical advice for going plant-based or even just a pep talk for cooking more meals at home, with or without meat.

What do you get when you put two foodies in the same room with a microphone? Tampa’s Table!

It’s a podcast produced by Visit Tampa Bay and hosted by friend of the pod Jeff Houck. The show explores Tampa Bay’s food scene with chefs, restaurant developers, food influencers and—recently, Dalia Colón. So take a seat at the table, and enjoy this bonus episode. 

On the season 12 finale of The Zest Podcast, the team offers their hot takes on holiday foods. Executive producer and host Dalia Colón is joined by editor Andrew Lucas and brand manager Alexandria Ebron. From traditional family favorites to which holiday dishes are overrated, things are heating up in the Zest kitchen.

Picture this: you roll through a bright blue gate onto a sprawling property lined with ancient oaks, lush gardens bursting with color and a quiet pond where a few friendly farm animals wander by. Live music drifts through the air, tropical flowers spill across the outdoor tables, and before you is a Caribbean-inspired feast that looks almost too beautiful to eat.

Welcome to Spice Society Supper Club—a night of music, storytelling, craft cocktails and unforgettable food. The experience pops up periodically at Mill Pond Estate, a picturesque wedding venue in Seffner. And the menu is dreamed up by the estate’s own chef, Khadeem Charles. Drawing on his Trinidadian and Panamanian roots, Chef Khadeem is dedicated to taking Caribbean cuisine to new heights and giving it the fine-dining spotlight it deserves.

The best part? Spice Society Supper Club is open to the public, as are several of the estate’s other community events, from fancy tea parties to outdoor yoga sessions.

Kahdeem recently visited our studios at WUSF in Tampa. In this conversation, he dishes on Spice Society Supper Club, a food trend coming your way in 2026 and tips for cooking during the holidays, whether you’re hosting four people or 400.

Once the holiday hoopla fades, we all need something delicious to look forward to. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing: the Tampa Oyster Festival.

Happening Jan. 10, this event checks all the boxes. It’s outdoors during Florida’s best weather. It’s packed with fresh seafood, live music and the kind of friendly crowd that makes you glad you came hungry. 

Bonus: It all supports a great cause—Frameworks of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit helping kids build emotional intelligence and the life skills they’ll lean on for years to come.

Joining us for a sneak peek is festival one of its organizers, Bill Murphy. He’ll share his favorite ways to enjoy oysters—and even dive into the ethics of eating them.

A table for one can be fun!

This holiday season, we’re doing things a little differently around here. While everyone else is stressing over 20-pound turkeys and complicated side dishes, we’re celebrating the joy of cooking for one.

Kerstin Decook is the author of several cookbooks, including Dinner for One: One Pan, One Plate, One Happy Belly. She’s here to show us that a solo meal doesn’t have to mean microwave mac and cheese. It can be delicious and even empowering.

Based in Port St. Lucie, Kerstin shares how to reduce waste when grocery shopping and cooking for one person, and she offers tips for making every solo meal feel extra-special. Because you’re worth it.

And exclusively for Zest listeners, Kerstin is offering a behind-the-kitchen-door experience. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy. 

So whether you often eat alone, or you could use some much-needed “me” time, grab a fork just for you, and let’s dig in.

Kerstin shared her no-recipe recipe for Bangkok in a Pan; it’s a Thai-inspired stir-fry dish. Find it on our website, the-zest-podcast-dot-com.

That’s also where you’ll find the link to register for Kerstin’s behind-the-kitchen-door experience that she’s offering exclusively for Zest listeners. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy. So again, visit the-zest-podcast-dot-com or check out the show notes of this episode.

For many folks living in the inner city, meal options are limited to what they find in nearby convenience stores and fast food joints.

But imagine if every city block contained a community garden teeming with fresh vegetables. That’s the vision of Asha Walker.

She’s the founder of Health in the Hood. It’s a Miami-based nonprofit that’s tackling food insecurity with urban gardens, food distribution and wellness programs.

As I learned in our conversation, Asha’s commitment to improving her community has deep roots.

It’s one of the highest-ranked food shows on Apple Podcasts. Nope, we’re not talking about The Zest—although we hope we’re first place in your heart. 

The podcast in question is Walk-In Talk, founded and hosted by Carl Fiadini of Lithia. Coming from a foodie family and having spent decades in the food industry, Carl pivoted during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Now, instead of selling food, he sells stories about food, overseeing Walk-In Talk Media with his business partners. In addition to the podcast, the enterprise includes food photography, documentaries, a magazine and more.

Carl chatted with Dalia at the WUSF studio. In this conversation, they discuss what really happens in an eatery’s walk-in cooler, the moment when he realized he’d had enough of working in restaurants and what to know before starting that podcast you’ve been dreaming up.

Thanks to Karla Stockton for suggesting this episode. If you have an idea for a Zest guest, email us: [email protected]

Call it the best of both worlds. Cheeky’s is a seafood restaurant and raw bar that opened earlier this year in St. Petersburg. It has the convenience of the city’s walkable Grand Central District, with the breezy vibe of a beachfront eatery.

The restaurateur behind Cheeky’s—a.k.a. Cheeky himself—is Nate Siegel. He also cofounded the popular Willa’s restaurant and adjoining Willa’s Provisions coffee shop in Tampa.

We recently slid into a booth at Cheeky’s to chat with Nate. In this conversation, the Tampa native shares how Cheeky’s got its name, how his time working in the Northeast influences his Florida restaurants and why, despite all the stress, he still loves working in restaurants.

Many of us would like to eat more farm-fresh foods, but we don't have the time, space or expertise to produce it ourselves. That’s where FarmPixie comes in.

FarmPixie is a free online marketplace that steers you to fresh, local products like meat, eggs, bread, honey, bath items and more. Founder Kim Kenney owns a small family farm in Dade City. She visited our studio at WUSF Public Media on the USF Tampa campus. 

In this conversation, Kim shares what led her to start FarmPixie and how supporting local farmers benefits us all.