What does it take to grow confident, successful kids?

To grow successfully, kids need a good foundation, nourishment and a lot of care—kind of like a garden. So when Tampa community activists Jeanette Bradley and Diana Kyle wanted to positively impact local schools, they decided to get their hands dirty.

In 2018, the two founded SEEDFOLKids After School Garden Experience. The free program is the signature initiative of Bradley’s nonprofit organization What We Could Be Exchange.

SEEDFOLKids combines hands-on gardening with real-world learning in agriscience, sustainability, entrepreneurship and teamwork. Throughout the school year, third and fourth grade participants grow edible plants in raised beds, participate in food system-related field trips and guest-led workshops, and host school events like SEEDFOLKids Market Day, when they sell the fruits—and veggies and herbs—of their labor. Along the way, they develop confidence, leadership skills and a deeper connection to the food they eat and the environment around them. 

Several Tampa schools have hosted SEEDFOLKids programs. The very first was Edison Elementary Community School, where the program is still going strong. Shortly before the end of the 2024-25 school year, the Zest team visited Edison to chat with the students and adults who are the heartbeat of the program.

To see a video tour of the SEEDFOLKids garden beds at Edison, visit the Zest’s page on Facebook or Instagram.

Related episodes:

• Pediatrician Dr. David Berger on School Lunches & Ultra-Processed Foods

• Plant-Powered Education: Solid Rock Community School in Tarpon Springs Offers 100% Vegan Cafeteria Menu

• 10 Tips for Cooking with Kids

No gators on this menu.

The writer Carl Hiaasen is best known for his satirical crime novels set in Florida. His 1993 novel Strip Tease was adapted into a movie starring Demi Moore. And the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey is based on his 2024 book of the same name.

Carl has written dozens of books for both adults and young readers. His latest, Fever Beach, involves “dark money and even darker motives,” as the description on his website reads.

Carl’s No. 1 motive during the workday is to write—even if that means eating the same lunch on repeat to help put himself in the zone.

The South Florida native caught up with Dalia from his home in Vero Beach. In this conversation, he discusses the role food plays in his books and in his writing practice. 

Related episodes:

• Author & Restaurateur Randy Wayne White on Rum, Hot Sauce & His Latest Doc Ford Novel

• Author Craig Pittman on Quirky—and Hilarious—Florida Food Stories

• Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ “Cross Creek Cookery” Turns 80: Reflections from Food Writer Jeff Houck

Where there's smoke, there's the Station Chef.

Firefighters are heroes. And how do we honor our heroes? Often, it’s by baking for them.

There’s just one problem: All those well-intentioned cookies and cupcakes we drop off at fire stations are adding up to less healthy firefighters—putting all of our lives at risk.

That’s why Martin Lemay is on a mission to help our heroes stay healthy while enjoying great food. Martin is a firefighter at North Port Fire Rescue, where he also cooks for the crew when he’s on duty. He shares his mouthwatering recipes on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, where he’s known as The Station Chef.

We caught up with Martin on his day off, at home in Riverview. In this conversation, he explains why he finds joy and relaxation cooking at home and on the job. He also shares money- and calorie-saving advice he learned at the fire station that we can all use, offers fire safety tips every home cook needs and suggests healthier alternatives for showing our appreciation to first responders.

Related episodes:

• Firehouse Chef Manny FD on Cooking for his “Second Family” and the Right Way to Extinguish a Kitchen Fire

• To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution, Start with the “Lowest-Hanging Fruit,” Says Wellness Coach & Cookbook Author Jo Bakal

• How to Prepare Restaurant-Quality Meals at Home: Advice from Chef Dennis Littley

Plant-based picadillo? Say less!

When Ellen Kanner went vegan in the 1980s, she couldn’t imagine buying oatmilk or plant-based cheese in a grocery store.

Today, she says being vegan is easier than ever, thanks to restaurants and mainstream supermarkets accommodating the plant-based lifestyle. And the food writer is herself helping folks lean into eating vegan with her cookbook Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table. The book veganizes South Florida favorites like picadillo, ceviche and key lime pie. 

Ellen chatted with Dalia about her must-have pantry staples, navigating social situations as a vegan and the recipe she cooks to win over meat-eaters.

Related episodes:

• To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution, Start with the “Lowest-Hanging Fruit,” Says Wellness Coach & Cookbook Author Jo Bakal

• Pure Vegan Cakes CEO Sira Garib on Baking Tabitha Brown’s Birthday Cake and Showing Up for Herself

• How “Fab the Vegan” Dropped 150 Pounds, Reversed Diabetes & Became a Plant-Based Influencer

• Former “Real Housewife” Ana Quincoces on Her New Cookbook, “Modern Cuban”

For many of us, food is one of life's great pleasures. But what happens when that joy gets taken away, and can we get it back?

When Mallary Tenore Tarpley lost her mother at eleven years old, she wanted to stop time. If growing up meant living without her mom, then she wanted to stay little forever. What started as small acts of food restriction soon turned into a full-blown eating disorder.

Mallary shares her story in a powerful new memoir titled Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery. The book blends Mallary's own compelling story with her research about eating disorders. 

Mallary teaches journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Before that, she spent 10 years living in Florida, including working at the Tampa Bay Times, where she and Dalia were both cub reporters. Dalia recently caught up with Mallary to discuss the book.

Mallary will return to the Sunshine State on her book SLIP tour. Catch her on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, at Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, in conversation with the city’s poet laureate, Gloria Muñoz.

Related episodes:

• Dietitian Deanna Wolfe on Wellness Trends, Disordered Eating and Finding Food Freedom

• For Pastry Chef Shayla “Chez Shay” Daniels, Life Is Bittersweet

• WUSF’s Lisa Peakes on Her Love of Radio, Fitness & Why She’s Kept a Food Diary for 20 Years

It’s our steamiest episode yet. But get your mind out of the gutter. We’re talking about cooking with steam.

Earlier this year, The Zest teamed up with Adalay Interiors to host a cooking demonstration. Adalay is a kitchen and bath showroom in Tampa where you can see and even test out your dream appliances, countertops, flooring and wall coverings. Note: Adalay is a sponsor of The Zest. 

One of the brands Adalay carries is Miele, whose kitchen appliances, laundry machines and vacuum cleaners are prized for their modern technology and elegant designs.

We’d heard so many good things about Miele’s steam ovens that we wanted to experience one for ourselves. Join Dalia in the kitchen with Adalay owner Tom Knotts and Vicki Robb of Miele Appliances.

Related episodes:

• 10 Tips for Cooking with Kids

• How to Prepare Restaurant-Quality Meals at Home: Advice from Chef Dennis Littley

• Yes, You Can: Pickling and Canning 101 with John Barbie of Tip Top Canning Co.

Florida’s official hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30. But things really ramp up during peak season, which is between mid-August and late-October, according to the Florida State University’s Florida Climate Center.

So if your hurricane kit isn’t quite ready for a major storm, fear not. There’s still time to stock up on supplies. And when it comes to food, this week’s guest can help you think outside of the soup can.

This week we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Janet Keeler. She teaches journalism at Eckerd College and writes about cookbooks on her Instagram account, The Measured Cup.

You can view Janet's list of 20 tips for a better hurricane food kit here.

Today, we’ll get alfresco dining tips from Lauren Gay, better known online as Outdoorsy Diva. On her popular blog and social media channels, the Florida-based travel influencer shares her adventures, from hiking and horseback riding to kayaking and swimming with manatees.

Since we first spoke with Lauren in 2021, she has contributed to the Lonely Planet book Women Travel Solo, which even got a nod of approval from Oprah.

Here are Lauren’s tips for eating in the great outdoors:

Beach season is also book season. So we're revisiting Dalia's conversation with Terra Dunham, owner of Book + Bottle in St. Petersburg. It's a combination bookstore and wine bar.

Whether you're relaxing on the beach with a juicy celebrity memoir or getting lost in an audiobook as you chill by the pool, you'll get some great recommendations for book and wine pairings. This conversation was recorded in 2022.

She’s a familiar voice to thousands of us across West Central Florida. As the midday host for Tampa Bay’s NPR station, WUSF, Lisa Peakes keeps us company as we work, eat lunch, run errands, sit in the school carline or whatever else we happen to be doing in the afternoon. 

Lisa reads the news, shares the weather report and tells us about local events, all in that friendly, soothing voice that’s become a constant companion. As her WUSF Public Media colleagues, we can tell you that Lisa is even more fascinating than the information she broadcasts. So in this bonus episode, we wanted to give you a chance to get to know the woman behind the microphone. 

In this vulnerable conversation, Lisa reveals why radio became so important to her as a child. She also explains how she developed a passion for competitive fitness. 

The St. Petersburg resident also reveals what she eats on a typical day, and recommends some of her favorite local restaurants for take-out.

Thanks to The Zest’s brand manager, Alexandria Ebron, for suggesting this episode. If you have a suggestion for a Zest guest, please send it to: [email protected].

Related episodes:

• Dietitian Deanna Wolfe on Wellness Trends, Disordered Eating and Finding Food Freedom

• Giuliano Hazan Honors Mother Marcella Hazan’s Legacy Through Italian Cooking Classes in Sarasota and Italy

• Sunshine State Vanilla’s Stephanie Webb Spills the Beans on Florida Vanilla Symposium

• Cookbook Author & Cancer Survivor Rujel Buggs: “Don’t Wait” to Start Eating Right

• Pro Basketball Player (and Dalia’s Bonus Daughter!) Ariel Colón Reveals Her Slam-Dunk Diet

• How “Fab the Vegan” Dropped 150 Pounds, Reversed Diabetes & Became a Plant-Based Influencer

• How Gatorade Went from Gainesville to Global Brand