Industry Night with Nycci Nellis

I thought I had first met Chef Nick Stefanelli when he opened up Bibiana with Ashok Bajaj back in the day, but he corrected me! We met earlier when he was with Fabio Trabocchi at the award-winning but long-gone Maestro. Anyway, back when I thought we met, Nick was rocking one of the hottest Italian restaurants in town and then he went out on his own. Took a leap opening up the unmatched Masseria i...

Amy Riolo! The award-winning, best-selling author of 13 books, a chef, a television personality, an educator AND Amy is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the culinary culture of Italy. I can’t even remember when we met, but what I do remember was being fascinated by her story and her incredible wealth of knowledge. Amy has joined David and I on Foodie & The Beast too many times to cou...

Over the summer I had the good fortune to be a part of an amazing group of food, wine & hospitality leaders who were tasked with opening our minds and baring our souls - personally & professionally - on a 24/7 non-stop/action-packed journey to Israel, aka Reality Israel. I learned so much about the complexities of the region and the importance of food culture. I walked away with more quest...

As the listeners of this show you know , I am an eater! And, I get asked a lot about how I balance my profession of eating while staying in good physical shape — and honestly mental shape as well. Long story, but I have been accused publicly that it was not possible for me to eat the way I claimed because of my size. Which was really inappropriate and honestly wrong. I am not going to pretend that...

This is a total blast from the past for me. I met Matthew Carroll so so long ago — it’s making me age just thinking about it. I believe we met when he was the sommelier at 2941. Matt was a well-known sommelier at the storied Inn at Little Washington before 2941 and he moved a bit around the DC Market and then poof — he disappeared. He’s now with Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a true family business...

Back in the Fall I was blessed with being asked to interview famed author and story teller, Michael Twitty on the main stage at the Capital Jewish Museum Festival. I did an Industry Night about it as well — please see past episodes — and while I was chatting with Michael I met LaNitra Berger. LaNitra is an Associate Professor of History and Art History and a Director of African and African America...

There is something about this time of year isn’t there. We are all a little off. It’s hard to get our mojo going after all the holiday insanity and here on the East Coast the weather is so dreary — I don’t know about you but I am really trying to build time into my days that allow me to focus on my goals for the new year — personally and professionally — and its hard. It’s hard to be honest with y...

Emily Post has been America’s go-to source for etiquette and manners advice for the last 100 years. How Emily Post started and how her legacy continues is a rich rich history. It’s all rooted in — believe it or not — being considerate & respecting others. Etiquette is for everyone and meeting people where they are is exactly what Emily Post’s classic guide is all about. The latest version has...

One of the biggest names in restaurant real estate is John Asadoorian of Asadoorian Retail Solutions. John is an expert in developing and implementing retail leasing strategies. A recognized authority on all things when it comes to the regional real estate market. I brought him on the first Industry Night of 2023 because we hear so much about the hospitality industry and it’s razor thin margins, s...

Charlie Trotter — Changed the way we eat in this country today. Chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, television star multi multi award winner — but also mercurial, demanding tempermental — maybe he would say I’m just driven to do what I want to do. And let’s be honest Charlie Trotter did just that. Now I never met Charlie or dined in his famous Chicago restaurant but I have heard story upon story...

Makers Are The Entrepreneurs of The Future Ho Ho Holiday activations ... Holiday markets are a thing. Years ago — DC didn’t have a single market dedicated to local makers and craft artisans. Now, our cup runneth over! Julie Greenstein and Debbie Sonnenreich are Co-Founders of one of the best pop-up markets in the region, URBNmarket. This upscale, incredibly well-curated handmade, and vintage, mark...

So many very exciting things happening here on Industry Night with me Nycci Nellis. First the new home & sponsor. Most of the shows are now taped at the private wine club, WineLair. However, today's show finds us with Jill Erber the absolute cheesiest and I say that whole heartedly. Jill opened her first Cheesetique in 2004 — the one we are recording from today -- in Del Ray and she now has a...

Michelin's 2021 Washington, DC Sommelier Award Winner Bill Jensen is the Co-Owner & Beverage Director of Tail Up Goat & Reveler's Hour in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. He loves Riesling so much that he is on the Steering Committee for FLXcursion, an International Riesling Expo in the Finger Lakes — which we will get into, cause you all know how I feel about Riesling — is...

Industry Night is now recorded at the beautiful private wine club, WineLair in downtown DC. WineLair's chef, Kene Izegnu joined me to talk about her journey to this kitchen -- she has quite the resume -- and how she balances being a chef with her diabetes diagnosis. And then! Emmanuel Laroche grew up savoring the best food and drink that France offers, eventually earning him the American nickname:...

After almost 3 years — basically since March 9th 2020 — Industry Night is no longer being recorded in my bedroom. Excited to announce a partnership with the private wine club, the WineLair. Jon Krinn, CEO of WineLair invited me to host Industry Night out of their facility and joined me in the beginning of the show to introduce us all to the sips and swirls of a private wine club. And then there’s...

Famed mixologist, Colin Asare-Appiah noticed how  Black  and Brown mixologists had received barely any recognition throughout history. The result? Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology. This book covers the contributions of Black and Brown mixologists through the spirits and mixology industries. The “Cocktail Kings” star shares many pivotal events along with the significant hi...

DC is not really known as a destination for national food and wine festivals. Don’t get me wrong DC has festivals — LOTS of them — but they’re usually for the locals. We don’t have an Aspen Food & Wine or a South Beach. But that is about to change with the first annual Georgetown Wine & Dine Weekend held November 4-6 at Bourbon Steak and the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. It’s a weeke...

Aaron Dante is taking the Baltimore by storm with his NoPixAfterDark podcast, winner of 2020, 2021 & 2022 Readers Choice Best of Baltimore for the Baltimore Sun and 2020, 2021 & 2022 Reader Choice Best of Baltimore for Baltimore Magazine. Aaron has his finger on the the pulse of Baltimore — so he has a lot to share and he is expanding to DC (but hopefully not for my job)! Last week we talk...

Last week was the Historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. I know this doesn’t sound like rocket science but if people eat healthily they are less likely to suffer from illness — but access to fresh fruit and vegetables and other non-processed foods are unavailable and out of reach for so many. This isn’t the first time that we’ve talked about food deserts or the economic...

The Capital Jewish Museum—a new museum opening at Third & F Streets, NW, in Spring 2023—is a secular organization that explores the intersection of the American Jewish experience in the nation’s capital. Now a lot of you may be like …. another Jewish Museum … and let me correct you. There is not a Jewish museum in DC, there’s the Holocaust Museum, which is not a celebration of Judaism that is...

Bethesda, Maryland. Once a sleepy little bedroom community of DC is now a destination city. Incredible restaurants, unique retail and so much beautiful walking space. On the next Industry Night, Nycci was joined by Stephanie Coppula of Bethesda Urban Partnership and with her, Chef Al (Alfred Ashish) of Duck Duck Goose, Susan Lennon of Smoke BBQ, and Roberto Pietrobono of Olazzo, Gringos & Mari...

The BEAST is back. No, not David Nellis of Foodie And The Beast fame. The BEAST - The Snalleygaster Festival. Back on with me is world-renowned beer expert, Neighborhood Restaurant Group Partner, and one of the brains behind Snalley, Greg Engert. Greg & I catch up on the the10 year anniversary and how one goes about curating all the incredibly unique offerings that one can really only find at...

There’s a lot of sex appeal to the restaurant industry. Everyone wants to be a part of it. All that eating and drinking! Especially the drinking part. But it is work. Mike Cherner and Chris Schmid of Prestige Ledroit have really taken their passion for unique spirits and wine and made it their profession. But first, last week Tom Seitsema sort of stepped in it when he couldn’t recall the names of...

What is an Independent Grocery Store? It’s NOT a store that is run by some huge corporate conglomerate with hundreds of properties across the country and it DOES NOT have a finger on the pulse of the community that it is in. But an Independent Grocery store, like Dawson's, does! Back on the show with me today is Bart Yablonsky of Dawson’s Market. Bart has made it his and Dawson's mission to be an...

Everyone wants to open up a restaurant! It looks soooo easy — but there’s a reason that the restaurant failure rate is so high an estimated 30% failure rate. Profit margins are notoriously low, staff turnover is incredibly high, and the financial and operational challenges ushered in by the pandemic aren’t going away any time soon. The needs of the DC restaurant and hospitality industry are large....