Fresno's Best

Danielle R. Shapazian is a registered nurse and writer who lives in Fresno. Her essays have appeared in the Fresno Bee and the Los Angeles Times. She is the founder and director of the San Joaquin Valley Bookfest. We dig into all things books, literary culture, audio vs. print books, keys to hosting events in Fresno, and more.  Bookfest Website Get (Free) Tickets Here Books:  Esperanza Rising  Pam...

Today, we have James Ellett on the show. James is the pizza genius behind Pinky’s Pizza, my favorite place to get pizza in town. We talk about all the mechanics and minutiae of the world of pizza. Pinky's Hotplate Link Books:  Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza Ken Forkish The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, S...

Today, we're gonna be covering my favorite event of the year in Fresno: Tower Porchfest. I have three guests on to tell us more about the event in this particular upcoming Porchfest. The first one is Jessica Mindren, who's the lead organizer of Porch Fest. We also have Joshua DeFisher who is the social media and merch lead. And then Alleha Navarro, who's a three time Porch Fest host. Each of these...

Today, we have Ruth Soderlund on the show. Ruth is a Fresno artist passionate about building connections within the art community. Her new endeavor, The Artist Mentorship Project kicks off this month, April, 2025. The project aims to link artists of varied skill and professional experience to provide young and emerging artists with support as they pursue their individual career goals. Ruth hopes t...

 Today we have Dana Pellerin on the show. Dana is the owner of South of Shaw Beer Company in downtown Fresno, California on Broadway Street. Not only do they have great beer, but they also have some of my favorite pizza in town.  South of Shaw is one of the places that I love to hang out at. If you're there on a Friday night, there's a high probability you'll see me. It's become kind of institutio...

Today, we have Kat Kavner Woolf on the show. Kat is the Founder and Co-CEO of Heyday Canning Co, which produces some of my favorite bean products on the market right now. Kat leveraged her experience working in the industry to start Heyday combining beans with amazing sauces and ingedients. We dig into all things beans in this conversation. Nerdy bean conversations was not on my bingo card, but I...

Today, we have Ryan Parsley and Cody Sturgis of the Reborne Brewing Company in Clovis, CA on the show.  Ryan has called Fresno California his home since he was five years old. He has been married to his amazing wife for 15 years, and they both have two beautiful children. Ryan also, has proudly been serving in the California Air National Guard for over 14 years, which helped him complete his educa...

We are continuing our series highlighting some of the amazing businesses that are supported through the WET Center at Fresno State's  Valley Ventures Accelerator program. Today, we have Emily Dinino on the show. Emily is the Founder & CEO of ThermoShade. She spent two years studying the problem of extreme heat as her master’s thesis and is passionate about finding solutions to protect people a...

Today, we have Roque Rodriguez on the show. Roque is a Fresno based filmmaker and creative working to cultivate a vibrant and diverse film community throughout the San Joaquin Valley. After growing up in the rural farming town of Firebaugh, Rodriguez earned his degree in graphic arts from Brooks College in Los Angeles, only to eventually plant himself in what he calls the “Goldilocks” city of Fres...

On today's show, we have Manuel Bonilla, president of the Fresno Teachers Association. We dig into education practice, policy, organized labor, and more in this episode. If you are looking to dig into the weeds of education, this is the episode for you.  Fresno Teachers Association Website   Books:  The Lord of the Rings Trilogy J.R.R. Tolkien The Infinite Game Simon Sinek On Bullshit Harry G. Fra...

We have a special episode for you today with some of the leaders of the VA Central California Health Care System. We brought in three knowledgable leaders to discuss the state of this organization and their services. This was recorded at the end of last year, so any Trump administrative moves will not be covered here. Here are the three guests who shared in this episode:  Froylan “Froy” Garza, Int...

 Today, we have Alex Van Horne on the show. Alex is the president of the Central Valley Brewers Guild and the co-owner of Summer Fox Brewing, one of my favorite breweries in Fresno. I was so excited to record this podcast with Alex! If you really want to nerd out on beer, this is the episode for you. Summer Fox Brewing   The Central Valley Brewers Guild Books:  Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition: An Inside...

 Today, we have Josh Huckaby on the show. Josh is the owner of Hoodwink Consulting, a central valley cybersecurity provider. Josh has spent the last six years focused on cybersecurity, which led to him opening up Hoodwink Consulting here in Fresno. They specialize in helping companies understand cybersecurity risk and provide services to protect them. And his free time, Josh enjoys spending time w...

 We're beginning a series of episodes with the WET Center at Fresno State. WET stands for water, energy and technology. The WET Center's mission is to empower central Valley's core industries by providing access to cutting-edge resources, innovative research and industry expertise, driving sustainable growth and regional prosperity. They have supported amazing startups and companies around the wor...

On today's show, we have Kellee Williams, owner and teacher at Tower Yoga. Kellee is a deeply experienced and knowledgable teacher and practitioner of yoga. We dig into a lot of topics in this conversation. Please enjoy! Tower Yoga Site Books:  Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System As a Path to the Self  Anodea Judith  Tantra of the Yoga Sutras: Essential Wisdom for Living w...

Lynda Oniah, founder and creative director of StandTallJeans, is a tall woman who faced the challenge of finding stylish, long-enough denim for herself. Driven by this personal struggle and inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial spirit, Lynda transitioned from a successful banking career to pursue her passion for fashion. After earning a Master’s Degree in Management and graduating with honors f...

Today, we have Daniel Gonzalez on the show. Daniel is a Central Valley native originally living in the rural community of Easton on the outskirts of Fresno. They are passionate about youth-driven policy change and decision-making, and have a strong commitment to local issues. Daniel is a proud alum of Fresno State with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, a minor in Philanthropic Community-Based Lead...

Today, we have Dr. Shawn Beaty on the show. Shawn is the senior pastor at Clovis Hills church. In 1995, Shawn left a record deal and a career as a professional musician to go full-time into pastoral ministry. He moved from to Clovis in 2012 to join the team at Clovis Hills and was voted in by the church members as the senior pastor in 2013. Shawn holds a BA and. Sean holds a BA in organizational p...

Today, we have Jonathan Linden on the show. Jonathan is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019. Jonathan has worked at several NPR affiliates, includin...

Today, we have Amber Balakian on the show. Amber is the owner of Balakian Farms, a fourth-generation organic farm rooted in Reedley, CA. Growing up surrounded by agriculture, Amber developed a deep respect for sustainable farming and a passion for bringing high-quality, organic produce to my community. At Balakian Farms, Amber focuses on preserving her family’s farming legacy while innovating to m...

Today we have Paul swearing-in on the show. Paul is a former TV and radio sportscaster who transitioned to ministry after being ordained by the vineyard association of churches. Paul founded and led an evangelical church in Fresno, California for over a decade before stepping down to focus on content creation, coaching and podcasting . Through social media discussion groups and one-on-one coaching...

Today we have Dr. Tania Pacheco-Warner on the show. Dr. Pacheco-Warner is a sociologist and public health researcher known for her work in health equity, and social determinants of health, especially in the Central Valley. She currently serves as the Executive Director of The Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State, which is focused developing on data driven policies to address heal...

Today, we have Blake Zante on the show. Blake is the executive director of the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute and has worked as a district representative to former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, as press secretary to state Senator Andreas Borgeas, and operated a public affairs consultancy. We dig into public policy, education, political persuasion, Division I sports, and a lot...

Today, we have Bob Nelson on the show. Nelson was the Superintendent of Fresno Unified for nearly seven years and worked in many capacities in the public school system. He’s now an assistant professor at Fresno State focusing on educating future leaders of our schools. Also, he has a great new podcast called #MilitantPositivity Podcast, which I feel is operating on a similar wavelength of this pro...

There's been a lot of changes going on behind the scenes, so I thought it would be important to take a minute to update you all on what's been happening. Email me: jordanmattox@gmail.com