The Best Ceats Podcast

Pack your best Stanley Tucci cosplay because we are going to Italy! This episode I am fortunate enough to sit down with Fabio Zenato , the Presidente of The Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC . It is no suprise that everyone loves Italy - by association with The Best Ceats, it's safe to assume that you also love wine. So, let's talk about Italian wines, and in this instance, a region you may have ever he...

Bar Director Gianna Marcario of Darkroom joins the show to discuss the bar and cocktail program she's managing at the lauded restaurant. While Darkroom has been making waves with its food, its cocktails have taken a more subdued path to the public spotlight, due in no small part by the fact that this bar program is working without a full liquor license. This is not holding Marcario back, no. If an...

- author, award-winning home brewer, taster extraordinaire, and more joins the show to discuss the art and science behind taste. One of the most important sensations we all experience - but experience differently - every single day. Her book, "How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life," is a fantastically curated and researched guide on the art of tasting and how and why we all...

Here we are with episode 155! Friend of the show David Yardley returns to open up about the world of coffee as it stands with tariffs, as well as shed light on his management style, juggling fatherhood, and more! So pour a fresh cup, and settle in for this fantastic new episode as we unpack all the details of how things are at MoonGoat Coffee ! Enjoy. The Best Ceats Podcast brings unprecedented ac...

When it comes to this fantastic labor of love, my friend Erin Kirschenmann knows more about it than I think I could ever hope to. She is the Managing Editor at Wine Business Monthly, a prolific figure in the wine industry, an educator, and an entrepreneur. As a lover of books, and a voracious reader, she is now launching her own wine and book club - Novel Pairings . We sit down to discuss the worl...

This episode is all about what comes next - what lies ahead. What was once a crushing weight of failure has been altered, and new life has been given to The Best Ceats. Join me for the next fifteen minutes, as we walk through just what the future holds, as we all continue to live well, and often. The Best Ceats Podcast brings unprecedented access to the Orange County hospitality industry each and...

When a new restaurant or bar opens, seeing how the local industry folks react to it is always a great indicator of how good it is. I have found that in most circumstances if you hear about a place from folks or consistently see a place filled with servers, bartenders and cooks on their days off, you're in for a treat. Verde  is just such a place - though when you learn of its founders, who ar...

This new year has wasted no time making itself known to all - wildfires have ravaged many areas of Southern California, leaving thousands deeply affected. In dark times like these though, humanity shines its brightest - strangers come together to help each other in amazing ways. The hospitality industry is no stranger to aiding others in times of need. The simple act of feeding someone a meal can...

Well, here we are. One hundred and fifty episodes. In a year of ups and downs, things truly could not have worked out better than for this episode to land on New Year's Eve, 2024. Welcome everyone to the 3rd Annual Deli Awards - my "best of," if you will, for 2024. Cheers to you, your continued support, and the year ahead. The Best Ceats Podcast brings unprecedented access to the Orange County hos...

When learning about a new wine or the people making it, I ask myself, "Why?" What reasons are behind this brand - what is the intention beyond just making a delicious bottle? Sometimes, the answers are just what you would expect them to be, but ever so often, the rare situation comes along that gives you an answer you never expected but are so glad to have discovered. Native Hands Wine  is ju...

Friend of the show, and expert on all things wine and style, Lamar Engel , joins the show for another episode. He sits down to discuss his new educational endeavors meant to bring wine knowledge to hospitality workers and the continued work of his brand, The Wine Militia . He also gets candid about marketing practices in an ever-evolving wine market landscape and gives some refreshing insight into...

This may surprise some of you, but I am not a vegetarian - I'm definitely not a vegan. Nothing against either, by the way, but it's just not me. I am, however, a massive proponent of what each brings to the culinary landscape, and, in a broader sense, what the ethics behind each bring to the larger conversations about food, our interaction with nature, reducing waste, and more. My guests are absol...

There are moments when you see someone succeed and do well, and then there is something else entirely. The journey of a chef is a long, arduous one. Coming from varied backgrounds and places, no two stories are ever the same, but there is a common factor, and that is memory. Some defining moment that imprints on a chef, and they chase, sometimes, forever. In the case of my friend, Chef Alan Sanz ,...

Beyond everything else that makes up this wonderful world - the food, the drinks, the travel, and more - there is one thing that stands above the rest: The people. In this very special episode, I sit down with two of the best I know to discuss all those other people who inspire us. Specifically those in the bar industry and the people around them that make our lives so fun. Accomplished writer Ric...

It's always great when you see your friends succeeding - and in the case of returning guests and friends of the show, Chef Zach Scherer , it is made even better. A prior guest, Scherer, is joined by his longtime culinary companion, the very talented Chef Drew Adams , as they sit down to discuss their new project, Darkroom . Scherer has touched on this new restaurant, wine bar, and more in prior ep...

I am fascinated by technology. Admittedly, I don't always understand it, but nevertheless, It fascinates me - especially when it can make everyday tasks easier. I don't support AI creating artwork, but I'm all in if it can help me find something faster. My guest for this episode, Gregg Foster , feels a similar way. That is why he co-founded WALDO , a hospitality tech company that aims to assist be...

For all the bad that 2020 brought to the hospitality industry, there were some moments of good. In San Clemente, CA, Gibroni's  was a perfect example of this. I say "was" because their original pop-up location is no more - but fear not - because my guest, founder and owner Tony Gioutsos , returns to The Best Ceats Podcast to share all about the new brick-and-mortar location for Gibroni's...

My guest this episode is truly a wonderful person, and chef. He recently shot into the stratosphere of stardom after a stellar season on the critically acclaimed show, Hell's Kitchen . Nestled in a bustling Long Beach food oasis sits Bar Becky , and at its helm, Chef Johnathan Benvenuti . The chef joins the show to discuss his time on the show, the fame that comes following it, his family-inspired...

In this episode, we get to learn just what it takes to put on one of the biggest wine festivals in the Southland -  LAWineFest . The woman behind the behemoth, CEO and Fest Director, Scherr Lillico joins me digitally to discuss what it takes to put on an event like this. How do you find wines, food, parking, and everything else that comes with a major event almost 20 years old? Well, my frien...

For this episode, we are heading back to Santa Barbara Wine Country - one of my favorite places on Earth - to talk about the legacy, inspiration, and quality of grapes Winemaker Megan McGrath Gates  gets to work with every day. Megan was appointed winemaker for Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards  in 2007, and hasn't looked back since. She brings a wealth of knowledge to a winemaking landscap...

We live in a digital age of constant creation, evolving algorithms, and a bombardment of content and information - so how can you stand out from the crowd? My friend Brooke Martin  joins me from Utah to talk about this and a lot more! Brooke is the founder of The Brooke Blend  and works deep in the wine industry as an educator, broker, and more. On top of all of this, though, she has als...

The best part about running your own show like this is being able to decide who you highlight and have on. In an industry with so many people constantly working hard to deliver great experiences to guests, it is hard to tell every story out there, but I can try. In this episode, my friend Brandon Howard joins me. Brandon is a great bartender and friend, and can be found behind the stick at the eve...

When it comes to the world of cocktails, creativity makes something simple into a magical experience for guests. Embedding emotion into drinks is a special talent that my guest, Jade Bustamante , excels at with abandon. She is wildly talented, and the drinks she slings at Broadway by Amar Santana just hit differently. In this brand-new episode, we sit down to discuss her techniques, inspirations,...

The time has come once again for Orange County Restaurant Week ! That special time of year when countless Orange County restaurants present inviting, special menus and dining options to guests in an effort to expose new diners to their spaces. In this episode - and the subsequent Patreon-only bonus episode - I pick my OC Restaurant Week Top 20 . Tune in for some amazing offerings so you can plan y...

I'm proud to welcome the immensely talented Chef Zach Scherer back to the show. Zach has been running his new pop-up as of late - Chrysalis - to continue to bring his highly coveted food to guests while he lays out the plans for his new brick-and-mortar rendition of Chrysalis . We sit down to discuss his design for the pop-up, his approach to the menus, his cooking challenges on various job sites,...