The Zest

Majorie Kinnan Rawlings’ memoir Cross Creek reads like a time capsule of life in rural Florida. Published in 1942, the book became an instant classic for its descriptions of natural beauty, farm life and 1930s race relations in the hamlet of Cross Creek, located between Gainesville and Ocala. Much of the book centered around food, so a natural follow-up that same year was Cross Creek Cookery.   To...

Florida’s official hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30. But things really ramp up during peak season , which is between mid-August and late-October, according to the Florida State University’s Florida Climate Center. So if your hurricane kit isn’t quite ready for a major storm, fear not. There’s still time to stock up on supplies. And when it comes to food, this week’s guest can help you think o...

For many of us, saving money at the supermarket is top of mind. So we reached out to Dr. Maria Portelos-Rometo , who teaches a variety of food-related classes at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, including Grocery Shopping for Your Health . She has also written a series of blog posts titled Saving Money at the Grocery Store . In this conversation, Portelos-Rometo, offers advice for saving mon...

For many of us, summer is reading season. Whether you’re indulging in a beach read or delving into something meatier on a plane ride, a good book goes great with a drink. So to kick off season 6, we're chatting with Terra Dunham, who owns Book + Bottle . It's a combination bookstore/wine bar in downtown St. Petersburg. The shop’s Readers and Drinkers Circle is a quarterly book and wine pairing sub...

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It's our season 5 finale! After this week, The Zest will go on hiatus for about a month as we work on new episodes—and, let's be honest—do some traveling. We're hoping you'll get a well-deserved summer vacation, too. So we've invited travel guru Carrie McLaren to share her best food-related travel hacks. Carrie lives in Jacksonville, where she runs the website and social media accounts Carrie On T...

Summer means graduation season, pool parties and backyard barbecues. In other words… we’re gonna need more drinks! So today we'll hear from Justin Gray , Tampa Bay chapter president of the United States Bartenders' Guild. Justin makes a case for why punch is the perfect beverage for your summer get-together. Justin makes a case for why punch is the perfect beverage for your summer get-together. He...

Albert's small front and backyards are like a modern-day Garden of Eden, lush with fruit and vegetable plants, 10 bee hives for honey and an impressive composting setup. Albert even grows plants to make his own medicines. His sustainability efforts earned him the title of Gulfportian of the Year from the local newspaper, The Gabber. Today on The Zest, Risemberg shares his journey from "miserable"...

Dharma Southern Kitchen is a plant-based comfort food restaurant chain with locations in Orlando, Sanford and Tampa. Founder Shaun chatted with The Zest's Andrew Lucas about how his Army-brat childhood influenced his career as a chef, the growth of vegan food in mainstream culture and why vegetable-forward options have always had a place at the Southern dinner table.  Related Episodes: Vegan Boom...

Palm Beach County has a reputation for being swanky: high-end boutiques in Delray Beach, fancy restaurants along Worth Avenue in West Palm and the like. But Lori J. Durante wanted to showcase a different side of Palm Beach County—one that featured history with an emphasis on the contributions of underrepresented groups. So in 2004, Lori began conducting bus tours in her hometown of Delray Beach, h...

In this conversation, Yacovazzi and Irwin share how food helped early Americans shape the country's identity, the role of food during wartime and what food can tell us about America's labor force.  We'll also learn the origin of Meatless Monday, why canned food is underrated and which food gets their vote for the most American of all.  Related episodes: Here’s What Was Served at the *Real* First T...

In our conversation, the Tampa couple share how climate change and the pandemic changed consumers' drinking habits, their favorite local restaurants for wine and advice for aspiring sommeliers. Related episodes: Talking and Tasting Florida Wines Bern’s Steak House All-Access Tour Journalist Judith Smelser on Zoom Wine Tastings, Disney Sommeliers and How to Find Your Next Favorite Bottle of Wine Co...

This week, we’re bringing you something a bit different. Collards After Dark is an intimate evening of food and conversation that precedes the annual Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival.  At this year’s event, Dalia facilitated a discussion between Gabrielle E. W. Carter and Dr. LaDonna Butler about the healing power of African-American culinary traditions. We also discussed seed-keeping as a form of...

Chef Timineri's  job is to help consumers understand what’s growing in Florida and how to incorporate it into our diets. From a test kitchen in Tallahassee, Justin creates recipes and cooking videos showcasing Florida produce, seafood and beef. In this interview with The Zest Podcast, he shares some of his favorite summertime meal ideas, offers advice for cooking with kids and recounts how he won...

4 Rivers Smokehouse regional manager Nick West recounts the touching origin story, shares the latest barbecue trends and offers tips for your next cookout. Related episodes: New Ways to Barbecue Bern’s Steak House All-Access Tour Get to Know Pitmaster Lee Ann Whippen Roll Up Your Sleeves for Some SERIOUS BBQ at DR. BBQ! Summertime Grilling Tips for Your Best Barbecue Season Yet The Art and Legacy...

Mermosa Wines is a mermaid-themed beverage company based in St. Petersburg, with a product line that includes ready-to-drink mimosas and other sparkling wines. The brand is sold in 16 states, available in stores like Walmart, Target, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Total Wine and others. Desiree Noisette is the company’s founder, president and "head mermaid.” That makes her Florida's first Black fema...

Seafood is big business in Florida, with an annual economic impact of more than $400 million. That’s according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services . So how do we make sure all this valuable seafood is sustainable? What are the best and worst fish to choose? The short answer is: It’s complicated. Here to offer guidance is Angela Collins . She’s a Florida Sea Grant Agent w...

It’s spring break season—the perfect time to slow down and teach the kids in our life a thing or two in the kitchen. But first, Wendy Wesley is here to teach us adults a thing or two about cooking with kids. Wendy is a registered and licensed dietician and nutritionist based in St. Petersburg. In addition, Wendy is a mom, and she teaches classes for home cooks of all ages. Foodie friends in Tampa...

Plant City, in Hillsborough County, has bragging rights as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. Its farms produce millions of berries each year. In fact, Hillsborough County, where Plant City is located, produces about 15 percent of the nation’s strawberries and nearly all of its winter strawberries, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But this wasn’t a...

You could call Chris and Kiona Wagner trendsetters. In 2019, before the COVID pandemic forced all of us to reevaluate our priorities, the couple decided to make a big change. They moved from bustling South Florida to the sleepy town of Monticello, just outside of Tallahassee. That’s where the Wagners run Rocky Soil Family Farm .  They sell their fruits, vegetables, herbs and eggs at local farmers...

Winter is prime growing season in Florida. And each February, thousands of folks from across descend upon the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum to celebrate one crop in particular: collard greens. This year’s Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival is set for Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in St. Petersburg. There’ll be plant giveaways, nutrition seminars, a co...

Real talk—today’s episode won’t make you hungry. But it will make you think—about where your food comes from, and where it goes after you’ve eaten your fill. The eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps… to us, it’s trash. But with the help of Mother Nature, you can turn your trash into compost treasure. You’ll reduce waste and have rich soil to grow your own food. Quinn Metoyer is th...

If you’re gonna do an episode about Valentine's Day chocolates in Florida , then there’s just one man for the job—and not because his last name happens to be Love. Norman Love is the founder of Norman Love Confections , a Fort Myers-based candy company that specializes in chocolates that look as good as they taste. I chatted with Norman about how to choose chocolates for that special someone, some...

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then that makes First Watch one of the most important restaurant chains in Florida. The Bradenton-based company has more than 430 restaurants in 28 states, and they’re all open for breakfast and lunch only. Eleni Kouvatsos is director of communications for First Watch Restaurant Group. She’s here with advice for how we can step up our at-home bre...

For many of us, eating sustainably means remembering to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store. But Rob Greenfield wanted to go further. Much further. The sustainability, equity and justice activist has garnered a huge social media following with self-imposed challenges to raise awareness. Awhile back, he simplified his life down to just 44 possessions. Then there’s the time he rode his bike...