NC F&B Podcast

Do you know how much cool stuff there is Johnston County which, by the way is right next door to Raleigh? Check it out for fun and also great gift ideas! Miss Debbie's Specialty Apples Atkinson Milling Company Stevens Sausage JP's Pastry Carolina Packers JoCo Beer, Wine, and Shine Trail   One last thing, what do you put on your hot dog? Follow the show  @ncfbpod and hosts at  Max Trujillo &  Matth...

Jared Burton was ready to call himself "boss." J. Lights Market & Cafe in Durham, NC next Highwire Brewing is going to unhinge your thoughts about what is a cafe and here's why; J Lights is part bodega, part cocktail bar and part gourmet retail shop. Opening during a pandemic. They presume to offer "simple" food yet, Chef Carly Adelman is a badass and boasts a resume of working for the likes of Da...

we crack some beers with the founders of  @appalachianmountainbrewery ,  @c.zieber  and  @nakelischek , as well as special guests  @kevintyndall and Zac Rogerson Here's what we learned; The secret to the IPA Where to get a taco in Boone What's it like to work for Anheuser Busch       Follow the show  @ncfbpod and hosts at  Max Trujillo &  Matthew Weiss Support our Sponsors: The Folks Foundation Pr...

Mike Rosado of MRC and Bobby Mcfarland have committed to making an adventure sauce. Here's what we learned; What is an adventure sauce and how does one create it? Applications for adventure/hot sauce? How to make a sauce with heat as a component but not the main "flavor." Is Trader Joes Sriracha as good as Sriracha ? Weiss uses his super palate to identify a key ingredient.   Follow the show  @ncf...

Stephen Koster and his wife Anne Stuart Koster have accepted the daunting task of replacing a legend in Chef John Toler of Bloomsbury Bistro . Despite the challenges of replacing a legend, reopening during Covid and all the financial burdens of opening a restaurant during any period, the Kosters believe this is what they were meant to be doing! Here's what we learned; What it means to be a chef ru...

How a marketing strategy can inspire a top notch product. How to get the shark in the bottle. How bobbleheads were invented. How to scale your business from small to large and still stay true to your local roots. Discover what makes Polkton, NC corn so special.   Follow the show  @ncfbpod and hosts at  Max Trujillo &  Matthew Weiss Support our Sponsors: The Folks Foundation Proof Alcohol Ice Cream...

How do you sell your business to a huge corporation yet, maintain your integrity and continue to feel the funk? This episode features a CRUCIAL fixture in NC's craft beer industry, @wickedweedbrewing 's co-founder  @wickedwalt32 ! Walt is a So- Cal native who turned his passion for home brewing into a nationally acclaimed brewery headquartered in Asheville. Wicked Weed specializes in West Coast-st...

The incomparable Nicole Austin joined the pod to talk all things whiskey and George Dickel . Here's what we learned; How did she make/blend the #1 whisky in the world when she made George Dickel Bottled In Bond? Why Tennessee Whisky is in fact bourbon. What is the Craft Modernization & Tax Reform Act and how it revolutionized the industry. The feeling and barriers to being a female distiller in a...

We chatted with Chef Kevin Callaghan about starting the Carrboro Community Food Hub to help restaurants during the pandemic. Also, chatted about his restaurants Acme and coming soon Plum . Here's what we learned; A new way to pay restaurant employees. Why sous vide cooking makes so much sense. How a patio and outdoor dining is king right now. When starting a restaurant the most important things ar...

Chris Bower schools us on: The ghost story of Eda Rhyne. The wealth of bio-diversity in North Carolina. His penchant for finding plants containing medicinal benefits and why he distills them. What is a cochineal beetle  ? Have you ever heard of Rabarbaro? A new aperitivo arriving... Follow the show  @ncfbpod and hosts at  Max Trujillo &  Matthew Weiss Support our Sponsors: The Folks Foundation Hun...

We talked to a legend in Chef David Burke & here's what we learned: The secret behind Chef Burke's patented pink Himalayan sea salt dry aging beef technique. How to build a culinary empire lose it and rebuild it. What was it like to participate in Top Chef Masters. How the old school chef evolves into modern day restaurateur. Who is Lefto ? Why are "celebrity chefs" targeting North Carolina for th...

We sat down with the wonderful human beings Kyle and Heather Sutton of Bestow Baked Goods . Here's what we learned; The difference between American Butter Cream and Italian American Butter Cream Why you need to read The Flavor Bible and how r&d will make you much better at your job! What you need in your home kitchen is MSG or "Accent." Why proximity brings empathy. The reason sweet potato donuts...

We sat down with Wyatt and Ryan to get to know what makes their BBQ different. Here is what we learned: Both Wyatt and Ryan came to BBQ from white collar jobs, Wyatt was in Law school at UNC (he left the law for slaw.) & Ryan was in finance at Morgan Stanley. Ryan knows how to raise a hog! Wyatt knows how to pick a quality hog. We learn the definition of BBQ and all it's intricacies. What wine goe...

We zoomed with 5 time JBF Award semi-finalist for Best Chef South East, owner of Rhubarb and Benne On Eagle , Chef John Fleer.   Here's what we learned; What is Appalachian cooking. What it means to truly be a craftsman. The definition of a wonderful human being (in addition to being a great chef) Who put Blackberry Farm on the map and why it became a Relais Chateau What is Ogbonna Who is Hannan S...

Jason Howard is an innovator. He looks at a town, he thinks about the type of place that he would like to frequent and if it's not in that town, he builds it. Here's what we learned: What can restaurants in Raleigh do to survive covid. How simplicity well executed is magical, example good beer & amazing hot dogs= The Cardinal Bar. How to make the best hot dog in town and what bun that belongs in....

We chatted with Joel Mcloskey the CEO of Four Saints Brewing in Asheboro and here's what we learned; What is a classic style of beer How to do your own canning. How to go from a school teacher to brewery owner. How to convince your wife or partner to let you leave your job to open a brewery. How to turn a dry county into a wet city. What to do when you are finished at the Asheboro zoo .     Follow...

Norse Brewing Company is realizing the dreams of brewer Brad Wynn and owner Chris Jorgensen. Here's what we learned: Large Danes can drink like no other. Work hard in another industry and then realize your dream. Sometimes owning a building is less expensive than leasing. The history of classic brewing recipes. How to balance your wants with those of your customers, think beer cheese. The logistic...

On this episode the one and only  @jennricewrites , a highly social, internationally known food writer who, before the pandemic, traveled all over the world to write about food, wine, hotels and more! Sounds like a pretty great life, right? Before her days traveling and eating great food, we learn that Jenn worked in PR and copy writing in New York City, before moving out west with a former hubby....

The restaurant business these days is muddled with confusion. We sat down with owner Sean Degnan , Chef Drew Smith and Freelance Writer J enn Rice to make some sense of it. Here's what we learned: Ceviche proper cook times What is the kō än community hub What is the most fair way for restaurant workers to be compensated & should back of the house and front of the house workers have the same pay st...

Giorgios Bakatsias is a James Beard Awarded restaurateur and a passionate man. Here's what we learned from him; How one can include large amounts of information and knowledge into one question answered yet, skillfully answer the question. Much like Giorgios' answers his food is layered with flavor and conclusions. How to make wine, "become the grape." Every restaurant has a soul and knows what it'...

The next stop on our unofficial barbecue tour is  @morrisbarbeque  in Hookerton, NC! This episode features William Morris, his daughter Ashley and her husband Ryan Godley, and Pete Kindem of  @originalgrills (also a barbecue expert and super fan of the podcast!). Throughout everything that's happened this year, we still believe that 2020 is the year of barbecue, and Morris Barbeque is just one exa...

"Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life."- Mark Twain Some are persistent enough to create their own work/love scenario reality such as Roy Cloud and Mike Daniels.  Here's what we learned: How to get a job that allows you to travel to France and drink wine. How to start a wine import company of the highest integrity and quality. What is happening in the world...

What does it take to start a food hall? How about opening a food hall in the middle of a global pandemic? Find out what @adairm13  of  @durhamfoodhal l did to be different. We talk to Adair about why she and millions of people love food halls? How she chose a location and vendors for her own food hall, as well as the inspiration behind the building design.  Follow the show  @ncfbpod and hosts at ...

This is an inspirational story about a family who used culture, ethnicity, old fashioned hard-work and stick-to-itiveness to create a successful business and beautiful food. Here's what we learned: How to create a food truck and a restaurant with no background in the hospitality industry. What is Puerto Rican food? What is Mofongo? Whats the difference between an empanada and a pastelillos? What h...

Amidst protests, riots and racial injustice,  Chef owners Ricky Moore of Saltbox in Durham, Michael Bowling of Hotbox NC in Charlotte and Sherif Fouad of Raleigh Raw join the pod to make some sense of it all. Here is what was learned; A small understanding of what it's like to be a black person in America and in a professional kitchen. What it's like to be privileged.  What is a micro-aggression....