The Zest

Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891 near Montgomery, Alabama. But her name is practically synonymous with Eatonville, the African-American enclave in Central Florida that she considered home. Hurston wrote extensively about Southern Black life, both as an anthropologist and in her short stories, plays and novels like “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” One subject that appears in Hurston’s work again...

If you want to eat healthier in the new year, you’ve gotta eat more home-cooked meals. So says Wendy Wesley . She’s a registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist in St. Petersburg. Wendy says the more efficient you are in the kitchen, the more likely you are to actually cook. She shares her list of 14 tips to help us do just that. If you enjoyed this conversation, then check out our previou...

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Earlier this year, the pandemic forced Walt Disney World to shut down for nearly four months. Since it reopened, many fans have been eager to return to the theme park—but not just for the rides and character photo ops. Wilma Norton has been visiting—and eating at Disney World regularly for more than 25 years. She also serves on planDisney —formerly the Disney Parks Moms Panel. Just before the shut...

St. Petersburg Distillery is launching a new product, Sunset Gin—which they say is a gin that’s very specific to Florida, and that’s completely natural. Sales are soaring at the distillery, and expansion plans are underway. In the upstairs tasting room, Robin met up with Skip Ragan, Senior Vice President for Sales, Marketing and Public Relations; Master Distiller Warren Gardner; and Assistant Dist...

Zest contributor Janet Keeler talks with author Tamara Lush about how her love of intrigue and her coffee obsession-inspired Grounds for Murder. It's the first book in her Coffee Lover's Mystery Series and will debut on Dec. 8, 2020.

Florida is one of the nation’s largest producers of honey and is a hub for beekeeping, both commercially and as a hobby. Robin Sussingham speaks with bee expert Dr. Jamie Ellis about the threats facing Florida's honey bees, why beekeeping is an increasingly popular hobby, how to spot fake honey and more. This conversation originally aired in 2019 and is part of a reporting collaboration between Th...

There may be a lot to dislike about 2020, but on the positive side,  lots of people have taken up gardening!  This includes The Zest’s producer, Dalia Colón, who’s had her share of gardening fails in the past. But she’s ready to give it another try, with advice from Robert Bowden. He’s the executive director of Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando. It’s a 50-acre botanical garden that's home to thousan...

How do you become an expert on Florida food? Heather McPherson spent decades as food editor at the Orlando Sentinel . She’s an author and editor of several cookbooks showcasing Florida’s seafood and produce; she’s the publicist for the famous Floridian Chef Art Smith ; and she lends her writing talent to the Florida Dairy Farmers, and to Edible Orlando magazine, among other venues. Plus, she’s an...

Kanika Tomalin has a lot on her plate. She works under St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman as deputy mayor and city administrator, serving the city’s 270,000 residents. On top of that, Tomalin recently published a cookbook. St. Pete Eats is a collection of healthy recipes from some of the city’s best-known chefs— including a few from Tomalin’s own kitchen and one that pays tribute to her late husba...

There’s an old Jewish joke with a kernel of truth that’s supposed to sum up the Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat.” It’s an oversimplification of the very real connection between Jewish history, culture and tradition, and food. Genie Milgrom of Miami had a life that was changed and shaped by that connection – even before she was aware of it. Her family escaped from Fidel C...

Sef Gonzalez puts on food events and competitions, and he writes about hamburgers and other comfort food from his base in Miami. Nearly 80,000 burger fans follow his blog on BurgerBeast.com . Sef chats with Robin Sussingham about what makes a good hamburger and where to find the best burgers in Florida.

Talk about a sweet gig. Peter Behringer  and his wife, Allison, are the couple behind Sweet Pete’s Candy in Jacksonville. This three-story shrine to sugar has bragging rights as the largest candy store in the Southeast. But running a candy business isn’t just about lollipops and chocolate bars. Pete recently spoke with The Zest’s Dalia Colón about the company’s rocky road to success. He also share...

Kevin Godbee and Lori Brown are the force behind StPetersburgFoodies.com . They’re the hosts of the St. Petersburg Foodies podcast; they’ve got lots of dedicated fans on social media; and their Facebook group, St. Petersburg Foodies Restaurant Reviews, boasts more than 14 thousand followers. Kevin and Lori are respected in the food scene because they get out into the community, they frequent the r...

Chef Art Smith has cooked for presidents and governors, the Dalai Lama and the royal family. He also spent a decade as personal chef to Oprah Winfrey; frequent appearances on her show made him a household name. Regardless of celebrity status or political party, Smith says nearly everybody has one thing in common: a love of Southern cuisine. He says comfort food helps us let down our guard and find...

Allen Susser is a James Beard award winner, and one of the pioneers of a new kind of cooking that now seems foundational to Florida food. Floribbean cooking takes advantage of fresh, local Florida produce and seafood but adds elements from the Caribbean or Latin America. Susser calls it “the original farm to table.” He’s a well-known restaurateur and his restaurant, Chef Allen’s in Aventura, finis...

For young athletes who are serious about their sport, granola bars and orange slices just won’t do. Bradenton is home to IMG Academy , a boarding school where elite middle and high school athletes live, study, train and of course eat. The campus also welcomes college athletes, pros and amateur adults. Jackie Barcal is IMG’s head of nutrition. She spoke with The Zest’s Dalia Colón about how to fuel...

Maybe you just spent two days perfecting a loaf of sourdough bread—and the picture you took just didn’t convey how delicious and perfect it turned out. Well, we can help you make those photos better. Our contributor Janet Keeler sat down with her husband, Scott Keeler, to talk about the nitty gritty of photographing food! Scott is a longtime photojournalist at the Tampa Bay Times. They worked toge...

In 2010, Stephen DiMare had just graduated from the University of Florida. It was the tail end of the Great Recession, and the job market looked bleak. But a chance encounter with a stranger gave Stephen the idea for what Floridians now know as The Hyppo Gourmet Ice Pops . Stephen opened the first store in his native St. Augustine. Today, The Hyppo has eight stores across Florida and is also avail...

What does a journalist who specializes in grocery store shopping do when a pandemic hits? Like many people, Kathy Saunders turned to grocery delivery services to protect her family’s health. For 16 years, Kathy wrote a column for the Tampa Bay Times that used a tasting panel to assess grocery store products. All those years of shopping and tasting are still being put to good use. Contributor Janet...

What's the perfect beach house menu? Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. But you'd want it to be good enough to share with friends.  For ideas, Robin talked to Mary Kay Andrews , a prolific novelist who grew up in St. Petersburg and whose more recent books have names like Summer Rental, Beach Town and Sunset Beach. Last year, she came out with The Beach House Cookbook: Easy, Breezy Recipes with a...

If you’re prepping for a cookout or seeking to recreate stadium-quality hot dogs at home, Mel Lohn can help. He’s the larger-than-life personality behind Mel’s Hot Dogs . This month marks 47 years that Mel and his wife, Virginia, have been operating the restaurant, which has become a Tampa institution. The Zest’s Dalia Colón spoke with Mel about the eatery’s early days and how to make a better hot...

There's an official-looking decal on the fridge at work. It says: "Hurricane Evacuation Plan: Grab beer. Run like hell." It's true! Before a hurricane hits, people do tend to stock up on alcohol. (Also strawberry Pop-Tarts, according to Walmart.) So this hurricane season, while we're out picking up batteries and bottled water, let's plan ahead and gather supplies for some festive-feeling, stress-r...

In 2019, Alexandria Jones set out on a mission: to interview owners of a handful of black-owned eateries across Tampa Bay. She turned those interviews into a half-hour documentary called A Soulful Taste: Exploring Tampa Bay's Black-Owned Food Scene . In February of this year, Alex uploaded the video to YouTube, where you can watch the film in its entirety. Alex often writes about food on her blog,...

Miami has Little Haiti and Little Havana. Orlando has Little Vietnam. And in Northern Pinellas County, you’ll find an ethnic enclave like no other: Tarpon Springs. In the late 1800s, Greek immigrants established the town’s sponge-diving industry. Today, visitors flock to Tarpon Springs not only to buy sponges but also to sample the authentic Greek food. Mykonos restaurant has been a Tarpon Springs...