The Zest

It seems like there’s a coffee shop on every block, and they all offer more or less the same stuff. But one coffee company in Tampa is serving up much more than lattes and muffins. Coffee Uniting People , or CUP, is a nonprofit coffeehouse that employs mostly people with disabilities. With three locations in Tampa, CUP teaches valuable life skills to folks who are too often overlooked for employme...

Fabricio Zambrano is one of the most dapper men you’ll ever meet. Perpetually dressed in fitted clothes and a panama hat, Fab looks, well, fabulous. But he didn’t always dress like this. Because he didn’t always feel like this. For most of his life, Fabricio wore oversize T-shirts to hide his 5-8, 300-pound frame. He subsisted mostly on fast food and did not exercise. But after Fab hit a life-thre...

By Dalia Colón Whether you’re a coffee fiend or you’ve sworn off caffeine, you’re likely to find a beverage you’ll love at Kahwa Coffee . Headquartered in St. Petersburg, the boutique coffee company specializes in—what else?—java. But since starting Kahwa, owners Raphael and Sarah Perrier have expanded Kawha’s offerings—and its footprint. Today there are 18 locations; that’s one for every year Kah...

What do the rapper Drake , basketball player Magic Johnson and countless Floridians have in common? They've all enjoyed a meal at Donatello in Tampa. The Italian restaurant was started in 1984 by the late Guido Tiozzo, a native of Venice, Italy. Today, Guido’s son Gino Tiozzo is at the helm, balancing classic Italian dishes with customers’ ever-changing expectations. This week, The Zest continues...

This week, it’s our cheesiest episode yet. We’re heading to Cheeseology . Located in a 125-year-old building in Tampa’s historic Ybor City neighborhood, the shop offers cheesemaking classes , tastings, take-home cheeses and other local products for sale. Dalia and The Zest’s brand manager, Alexandria Ebron , visited Cheeseology for a conversation with co-owner Kelly Hays. In this conversation, Kel...

Today’s episode was supposed to be a light-hearted conversation we recorded back in June with Dan Bavaro. He’s the owner of Bavaro’s Pizza, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The restaurant has five Tampa Bay locations, along with a successful line of sauces . Back in June, Dalia caught up with Dan at Bavaro’s downtown Tampa location during lunchtime. In that conversation, Dan shares...

When Dalia arrived at Giuliano Hazan’s home in Sarasota, the first thing he did was offer her a cappuccino and a plate of biscotti. She had eaten breakfast on the drive down from Tampa, so she was not at all hungry. But when Giuliano Hazan offers you an Italian breakfast, you take it. Giuliano is the only child of Marcella Hazan, the Italian-born food writer and cooking teacher who is credited wit...

DONATE TO THE ZEST There was a time when theme park food meant hot dogs and giant turkey legs. But these days, amusement parks offer something for just about every palate, from gluten-free and allergy-friendly to kosher and halal. If you’re vegan or leaning into a plant-based diet, you’ve got more options, too. And finding them is easier, thanks to the website and social media account Universal Or...

DONATE TO THE ZEST It’s the most delicious time of year at the Most Magical Place on Earth. We’re talking about the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival . The annual event takes place through Nov. 23 at EPCOT’s World Showcase. That’s the area of the theme park whose architecture replicates a bunch of different countries. One minute you're taking a selfie in front of a replica Eiffel Tower...

A lot of people we interview on the podcast come to feel like family. But this week’s guest actually is family. Dalia is chatting with her stepdaughter, Ariel Colón , who is a 25-year-old professional basketball player. Ariel has been playing basketball since she was in elementary school, which is when Dalia first met her. And she hasn’t stopped. She played throughout high school and college, and...

DONATE TO THE ZEST When Marques Clark was a kid growing up in St. Pete, he lived on food stamps at home and free lunches at school—in other words, low-quality food. Now as an adult, Marques is on a mission to teach healthier options to kids, particularly Black children. So in 2014, he started YES CHEF Village . Short for Youth Enrichment Service (YES) Children’s Healthier Eating Foundation (CHEF),...

DONATE TO THE ZEST Fall is busy for a lot of us, whether you’ve got kids back in school, a big work project to finish before the end of the fiscal year, or you’re trying to get your garden planted. Whatever your situation, the last thing you need is to stress about cooking. Dalia and the Zest team recently met up remotely to discuss our favorite ways to save time, money and sanity in the kitchen....

DONATE TO THE ZEST AND GET A COOL STICKER! Randy Wayne White is the author of dozens of novels set in Florida, including the fan favorite series about fictional marine biologist Marion “Doc” Ford. White’s latest Doc Ford novel is One Deadly Eye —as in, eye of the storm, just in time for peak hurricane season. The novel took him on a book tour that included stops at—where else?— Doc Ford’s Rum Bar...

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If brewing your own beverage sounds like your cup of tea, then this bonus episode is for you. Back in March, we brought you an interview with Riverview resident Ginain Grayes of the website CookPraySlay and the podcast Cook the Garden . Today, we’re sharing an episode of Cook the Garden that we think you’ll enjoy. In this conversation, Ginain chats with Nicole Wilson of Tea for Me Please . The New...

Dietitian, nutritionist and occasional Zest guest Wendy Wesley chats with Nanette Wiser about Wendy's new podcast, St. Pete Eats. Related episodes: 7 Tips for Eating More at Home: Advice from Dietician/Nutritionist Wendy Wesley For Young Adults—Especially Those with Special Needs —Cooking Skills Bring Independence 10 Tips for Cooking with Kids

Earlier this season, we heard from Adrian Miller . Nicknamed the Soul Food Scholar, the Denver-based researcher has written several books on African-American culinary traditions, including Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue and The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas. His f...

With the weather heating up and summer vacation so close we can almost taste it, let’s head to the beach for a sit-down with Chef Indrajit Suryawanshi . As executive chef of JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa , he oversees the resort’s main restaurants , Latitude 28° and The Deep End. Chef Inder, as he’s known, grew up in Kundal, India. He learned to cook by watching his mom make dishes...

In his 56 years, Ian Beckles has worn a lot of hats—and eaten a lot of good meals. In his profile on X, formerly Twitter, Ian describes himself as a “ Former NFL Player & Entrepreneur Ambassador of all things Tasty in TB.” And that’s a pretty good way to sum it up. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer has his hand in a little bit of everything, including radio, podcasting, deejaying, magazine publis...

This is a man’s world—or at least, a man’s kitchen. More than three-quarters of head chefs in U.S. restaurants are men, according to the Census Bureau . But Olivia Gielser has forged her own path in the male-dominated space. Olivia is executive chef of The Pearl , part of downtown Tampa’s swanky new Water Street dining district. The gastropub opened in 2023, and it’s already earned a nod from Mich...

Food writer sounds like a dream job. And for Lauren Jackson , in many ways it is. As Eat & Drink Editor for Sarasota Magazine , Lauren spends her days marrying her culinary background with her passion for writing. But being a food writer is about more than enjoying free dinners on the company dime. Lauren recently joined Dalia in The Zest’s studio at WUSF for a conversation about what the job...

To get a gallon of the freshest olive oil, you could grab your passport, pack a suitcase and fly more than 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sunshine State to Tuscany. Or you could drive to Brooksville—as in, Brooksville, Florida. The quiet Hernando County town is prized for its bike trails and camping sites. Brooksville is also home to The Olive Grove —yes, that’s the official name....

The transition from high school to college can come with a steep learning curve. For many students, it’s their first time juggling classes, laundry, roommates, a social life and all the rest without the help of Mom and Dad. The changes can be particularly challenging for young adults with special needs. So in 2020, the University of South Florida established UMatter . It’s a program that gives ext...

The New Testament Book of Matthew says, “Man does not live by bread alone.” But ask Nana Bonsu-Hammond, and she’ll tell you that without bread, she wouldn’t be the independent businesswoman she is today. Nana is the owner and executive chef of Jax Bread Co. It’s a bakery and cafe on Jacksonville’s Southside. Nana recently chatted with Dalia about the bread here in the United States versus overseas...

This week, we’re heading into the backyard of Ginain Grayes. The busy wife and mother shares family-friendly recipes on her website, CookPraySlay , and she hosts the podcast Cook the Garden . (Dalia was a guest on the 3/19/24 episode .) Dalia visited Ginain at her home in Riverview for a tour of her garden and a chat at the kitchen table. In this conversation, Ginain shares how her native country...