Industry Night with Nycci Nellis

Three chefs. One ancient process. And a tortilla that could change how you think about Mexican food. 3,500 years ago, someone in Mesoamerica figured out that soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution unlocks nutrients and transforms the starch into something workable. That process, nixtamalization, sustained entire civilizations. And most people eating corn tortillas today have no idea it exists....

Bungalow is the hardest reservation in New York. Here is why it feels like going home. There are restaurants, and then there is Bungalow. Your girl Nycci Nellis sat down with Chef Vikas Khanna, and within the first five minutes she understood why lines form down the block and why 10,000 people are on the wait list. This is not a story about a hot restaurant. It is a story about a man born with clu...

What does it actually take to run one of the most decorated restaurant groups in America and still have abs? Your girl Nycci Nellis is in sneakers today. No cocktail dress, no six-inch heels. We taped this one at Equinox Wisconsin Avenue at City Ridge, and honestly, it made perfect sense. Because this conversation with Michelin star chef Ryan Ratino started off about his new Georgetown restaurant...

A fifth-generation mead maker carries a Holocaust survivor's legacy forward, one bottle at a time. Some stories start in a vineyard. This one starts in 19th-century Poland, survives a concentration camp and a death march, and lands in a tasting room in Mount Airy, Maryland. Rachel Loew Lipman didn't just inherit a winery. She inherited a reason. And if you've ever wondered whether a bottle of wine...

From the Road to the Restaurant: The Catbird Seat's Next Chapter Intro / About the Episode Host Nycci Nellis sits down with Chefs Tiffani Ortiz and Andy Doubrava — the husband-and-wife duo leading the newest era of Nashville's acclaimed tasting-menu restaurant, The Catbird Seat — to talk about life on the road, zero-waste cooking, regenerative agriculture, and what it really means to build a resta...

Host Nycci Nellis talks with Chef David Nayfield — James Beard semifinalist, founder of Che Fico, and author of Dad, What's for Dinner? — about fatherhood, kitchen intensity, Jewish-Italian cuisine, and the family meals that turn dinner into a team effort. About the Guest Chef David Nayfield trained at Aqua, Joel Robuchon, and Eleven Madison Park before returning to San Francisco to build Back Hom...

On this episode of Industry Night, host Nycci Nellis sits down with Ari Sussman — 2024 Whiskey Maker of the Year — for a wide-ranging conversation about the science, culture, and future of distilled spirits. From winemaking in France to founding Michigan State's artisan distilling program, Ari brings a rare blend of academic rigor and bartender instincts to one of the most fascinating conversation...

When Ben Lieppman, Beverage Director at RPM Italian, is in town from Chicago, you sit down, grab a cocktail, and start asking questions. That's exactly what host Nycci Nellis did — pulling up a stool at one of DC's most buzzed-about bars to talk aperitivo culture, the martini renaissance, and what truly great hospitality looks like from behind the stick. "How you want to drink it is how I'm going...

Welcome to Industry Night with Nycci Nellis, and we are back at City Ridge, this time in the absolutely gorgeous, amphitheater-style setting at The Botanica. I love being here. Last time I was in the neighborhood, I was over at Equinox in Wisconsin chatting with powerhouse pastry chef Susan Bae, and today, I’m sitting down with another true force in the industry: Award-winning chef and restaurateu...

Welcome to Industry Night with Nycci Nellis, where we go deep with the people shaping hospitality right now. This episode comes at a moment when the industry is taking a hard look at itself. From conversations around René Redzepi and Noma to Pete Wells examining the brigade system, the question is clear: what does the future of restaurant culture look like? My guest, Jon Murray of Noko Hospitality...

In this episode of Industry Night, host Nycci Nellis sits down with Robb Duncan and Violeta Edelman, the founders of Dolcezza Gelato, one of Washington DC’s most beloved culinary brands. Recorded at the Washington Harbor favorite,Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place, the conversation explores how Dolcezza grew from a single gelato shop in Georgetown to a regional favorite known for its farm-driven flavo...

For the first time ever, Industry Night goes international. Host Nycci Nellis travels to Montréal for Montréal en Lumière, one of the world’s most celebrated winter festivals, a city-wide celebration of food, art, music, and culture that transforms the Quartier des Spectacles into a glowing playground in the heart of winter. During the festival, more than 80 restaurants participate in the Air Fran...

On this episode of Industry Night, Nycci Nellis sits down with two of the most influential leaders in the global cocktail community, Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, the powerhouse duo behind Speed Rack, the groundbreaking all-female bartending competition that has helped reshape the bar industry. What started as a bold idea to create visibility for women behind the bar has grown into a global moveme...

In this episode of Industry Night, Nycci Nellis kicks off her new residency at RPM Italian in Washington, DC, going behind the scenes of one of the city’s most dynamic dining rooms. Filmed inside RPM Italian in Mount Vernon Triangle, this conversation brings together the people who make the experience sing: – Richard Hanauer, Operational Beverage Partner, on building RPM’s award-winning wine progr...

Hey everyone, I’m Nycci Nellis, and welcome back to Industry Night, where we go behind the scenes with the people shaping how and why we eat and drink the way we do. I’m so happy to be back here at City Ridge. This has become such a wonderful partnership and one of my favorite places in D.C. to tell real-time stories about food and the people building our hospitality scene. Today’s show is coming...

On this episode of Industry Night, I’m back at a.kitchen + bar for our final show in this space and I want to start with gratitude. Huge thanks to Ellen Yin and Eli Collins for welcoming us in and for being such generous partners. This room has been a wonderful home for thoughtful conversations. Joining me today are Chef Matt Conroy and Chef Isabel Coss, partners in life and in the kitchen, and tw...

What does it really take to build a restaurant that lasts—creatively, financially, and emotionally? On this episode of Industry Night, I’m recording from Rim Tang and sitting down with some of the most thoughtful voices in hospitality to talk about breaking the restaurant mold and putting it back together in a way that works for today. First, I’m joined by Jon Sybert and Jill Tyler, the husband-an...

Hey everyone, it’s Nycci Nellis, and welcome back to Industry Night, where we go behind the scenes with the people shaping the hospitality industry, not just through food and drink, but through culture and community. Today’s show is a special one. I’m coming to you from one of my favorite rooms in the city, a.kitchen + bar at Hotel AKA,  a place that's the perfect backdrop for conversations about...

I’m especially excited about today’s conversation. If you care about the future of restaurants — how they nourish communities and sustain themselves — this is an episode you’ll want to spend time with. Joining me are Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Arjav Ezekiel, the chef, beverage director, and co-owners of Birdie’s in Austin, Texas, a restaurant that has quietly become one of the most important case...

Hey everyone, it’s Nycci Nellis, and welcome back to Industry Night. Yes, this is show number two today, and honestly? I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit down with today’s guests. If wanderlust is one of your intentions for 2026, it is certainly mine! Who isn’t craving travel, connection, nature, and food that tells a story? If you are like me? Then this episode is absolutely for you. Becau...

Hey everyone, it’s Nycci Nellis, and welcome back to Industry Night — my love letter to the people who feed us, pour for us, and keep this industry moving. And first of all… Happy New Year! Whoo hoo — this is our first episode of 2026, and I am very happy to be back behind the mic. I am really excited about our show today because I am going to be talking to a chef who has really changed the conver...

Today’s Industry Night comes to you from one of my favorite spaces in the City Ridge development, the light-filled Anna’s House greenhouse. Huge thanks to the City Ridge team for hosting and for creating a place where design and community truly intersect. This episode brings together two builders working in very different (but deeply connected) lanes. First, Chef Erik Bruner-Yang, a chef who helpe...

This was an amazing show. I had a whole list of questions ready for my guest, but the second we sat down, we dug in deep and went off-script. We followed some fantastic rabbit holes: Michelin stars, hustle vs. flow, culinary storytelling, leadership, and the future of dining both here in D.C. and across the country. On this episode of Industry Night, I’m coming to you from Yume Sushi, the flagship...

Hey, it’s Nycci! Welcome to Industry Night: my pod/vod love letter to the people who feed us, pour for us, and keep the DMV delicious. We’re posted up in Georgetown at Rimtang —huge thanks to Cici Yang, Chef Saran “Peter” Kannasute, and Chef Prapit “Mama” La Femina — for hosting this shiny new residency. Today’s guest! My friend Chef Rock Harper. You know him, Hell’s Kitchen winner, community buil...

Get ready for a wealth … I mean a WEALTH …  of Whiskey knowledge. Today I am not at one of my Industry Night residencies. No City Ridge, no restaurant, no bar. I am actually home, surrounded by my plants… and, believe it or not, a frankly ridiculous amount of whiskey. I went to my own bar and pulled a little selection for today because I am very honored to be joined by someone who has probably for...