Industry Night with Nycci Nellis

Welcome back to Industry Night with me Nycci Nellis. Per usual, I have been out and about and it’s been delish! Omakase at Cafe Unido — Brewmaster Francisco Flores took us on an educational tasting tour of the Panama Geisha bean and I now know why the coffee-connoisseurs are obsessed. There’s a reason that Zepplin’s is a neighborhood fave for sushi. It’s delicious! The Wilder brothers (who were re...

Many of you may remember the recession of 2008 — I do! — it was a heavy crush for a lot of people. Maybe one of the few silver linings that came out of it was people looking at what they did for a living and saying — Screw it! — I am going to do what I love. Makers, craft artisans — whatever you want to call it — these people had passion projects that they wanted to bring to fruition — enter Union...

I met the Wilder Brothers — Ari & Micah — a long … long … time ago. I think I met Ari first when he was behind the bar at Zola? This was just as I was getting into the biz (sigh, Zola!). Ari & Micah Wilder were, and continue to be, a part of the cocktail renaissance here in DC. They made their names known thanks to their commitment to the products they were creating whether in the glass th...

If you pay attention to my insta feed you know I have been out an about. And, per usual, it has been a week of incredible eats: -Love Makato: Last time I told you about the BBQ. Today it's about the Izakaya. -Queen English: Hong Kong cuisine here in DC. Loving the young bamboo shoots, drunken noodles and that whole fried snapper. -Villa Yara: new in Georgetown. Lebanese wines in a beautiful settin...

I love having a guest that I adore on Industry Night. Today’s guest, Julia Coney and I go quite a way back. The first time we met I was at a discussion/luncheon on Champagne and Julia walked into the room. And let me tell you when Julia walks into the room — you know it. There’s an incredible energy radiating from her. It’s so attractive that everyone wants to get to know her — me included! Other...

In the beginning of every show I talk about where I have been and what I have been eating. No shortage of delicious travels this week: Stopped in the beautiful little gem, Kappo by Chef Minoru Ogawa and his partners Ari Wilder and Adrian Williams. We were taken on an 8-course feast and lucky us, we were happily in chef's capable hands. Love love love hiking up Lost Mountain in Sky Meadows Park in...

I love this show — because I just love today’s guest. Fellow New Jersey native, Michael Friedman has been a mainstay of DC dining for more than a decade. He radiates so much positivity and joy — and all of that comes through his cooking and the restaurants that he owns and opens. A CIA grad, Chef Mikey is behind Red Hen, not one but two All Purposes and the forth coming — and I cannot wait – Avent...

Welcome to another Industry Night with Nycci Nellis. If you follow me on Insta - and you should @‌nyccinellis - you know I have been out and about. And it has been a week of incredible eats: -The Napa Valley Vintners were in town pouring their incredible wines all over town. And I wasn’t just at one event, I was at two! First, 25+ winemakers poured at the Duck & the Peach - side note - I did r...

Welcome to another delicious show of Industry Night with me, Nycci Nellis. So excited to share today's show because we are talking wine and not just any wine ... Napa Valley Wine. Those of you who have been tuning in over the last 7 years know that every now and again I have the absolute pleasure of talking to the wine makers & experts of the Napa Valley region. Pre-Covid a whole cluster of th...

I always start an episode of Industry Night with what I’ve been eating and where I’ve been drinking and you know, this week I have been consuming mass quantities: Grazie Nonna — Casey Patton’s latest red sauce Italian HOT spot. Order: Tangy and bright Caesar, spicy meaty pizza & the spinach bucatini with whipped ricotta Back at Petite Cerise — Jeremiah Langhorn’s French brasserie serves all th...

Welcome to another episode with I, Nycci Nellis, your host. Join David and I as we chat with Cory Van Horn, Chief Strategy Officer of Visit Montgomery, Maryland, about exciting programs aimed at engaging with locals and visitors alike in the MoCo region. We'll dive into the creative process behind thoughtful activations like the MoCo Eats program, which highlights local eateries, and the new Taste...

I love having good friends on the show. It just allows for a wholly different vibe. Now just because Chris Floyd is a friend doesn’t mean we don’t have a whole lot to talk about! Every Industry Night show, I end by reminding everyone to take their kindness pills because issue in the restaurant industry have not abated and labor shortages are a real thing. Who better to go down that rabbit hole wit...

Access to healthy, nutritious food is not a given for so many. A lot of food availability issues have to do with both farming and farming practices in this country. I’m really excited to talk with Colin O’Neil, who is Director of Public Policy & Social Impact at Bowery Farming. Bowery is on a mission to reimagine farming from the ground up and is the largest vertical farming company in the Uni...

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...