Track & Food Podcast

To get a more comprehensive perspective of what’s happening in Kelowna, I reached out to a few local entrepreneurs who’ve helped revitalize the community with many of their brands: David Paterson ( Tantalus Vineyards , Vice & Virtue Brewing ); Kyle Nixon ( BNA Brewing Co. , Skinny Duke’s Glorious Emporium , Bernie’s Supper Club and Cinema ); and Casey Greabeiel ( Greta Vancouver , Salt & B...

In this episode, Jacob Richler , founder and publisher of Canada's most diverse and influential restaurant ranking, Canada's 100 Best , discusses his years as a food critic, why he created this list in the first place, how the judging process unfolds, and where he sees things evolving in the year ahead... Enjoy! Canada's 100 Best launched in 2015. Last year, Vancouver's own Pub...

The boys are back for another “triple J” episode, chockfull with their in-depth insights and immeasurable humour… This time around, James Iranzad ( Gooseneck Hospitality ) and James Langford-Smith ( Pamplemousse Jus ) share their opinions on the Vancouver Magazine  2023 Restaurant Awards finalists , and break down Vancouver’s restaurant scene as a whole. Enjoy!

While reading The Tyee back in late January, a story by labour economist, David Fairey (who is also a research associate of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives ) and Associate Professor of Sociology at UVic, Anelyse Weiler , caught my eye… In “It’s 2023. BC Farm Workers Deserve Basic Minimum Wage Guarantees” , the authors reveal how our current piece rate system for agricultural workers is...

Recently, I was lucky enough to have Maude Renaud-Brisson (Founder, Apéro Mode ), Kelcie Jones (GM, Elephant ) and Jenna Briscoe (GM, Café Medina ) on to discuss their new endeavour, 'This is Wine School' , launching in Chinatown (265 East Pender) this week.  These three ladies have already brought much vigour and enthusiasm regarding wine and wine education to Vancouver. With 'This...

Back for another fun conversation, Alex Black of Laowai joins to talk about his new bar, Bagheera. Located just around the corner, we run through the concept, how things came about, branding, ice machine difficulties and much more. Alex is always candid and insightful. Enjoy!

Prominent food journalist, Corey Mintz, jumps on once again to help break down the news of Noma's impending closure at the end of 2024. If you are unfamiliar, the New York Times dropped the story this past Monday with a fully detailed exposé regarding the context and timing of this announcement. Issues with unpaid labour and what this signifies for chef and owner, René Redzepi, and his team m...

The boys are back with their insights and predictions for 2023. Recorded a few days before the new year, James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith give the goods on where and how they see the restaurant community evolving this coming year. Yet another classic "triple J episode. Do enjoy!

After reading Corey Mintz’s NBC News column, ‘ Outrage at Starbucks tipping prompt shows people don’t get how the tipping con works ‘, I brought on the prominent food journalist to get his unique insights and perspective on the “tip creep”: what is it actually, and what does it mean for the hospitality and business industries moving forwards? For more Mintz, be sure to check out my previous podcas...

Another episode with James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith is here! In this latest instalment, we discuss Michelin coming to Vancouver, and make our picks as to who will gain a star. We then shift gears to weigh in on our personal favourite Vancouver restaurant dishes. This episode has all the hallmarks of our classic “triple J” banter. Do enjoy.

Can life get any better for chef and restaurateur, JC Poirier? His restaurant, the Québécois inspired, St. Lawrence , just won its third straight Restaurant of the Year Award from Vancouver Magazine, right on the heels of a third place finish in Canada's Top 100. With Michelin on the way at the end of October, a star is certainly in his sights - whether it will be one or two remains to be see...

In this latest episode James, James and I gather together to draft our ideal restaurant lineup. Influenced by The Ringer’s , The Rewatchables , and the NBA’s all star draft format , we choose from a random selection of Vancouver’s top hospitality veterans to round out our ideal restaurant teams. The rules were simple. 1. Come up with a name and concept 2. Ten member teams with two additional wild...

Presented by Scout Magazine. The book Healing Grounds – Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming came onto my radar while reading an interview with its author, Liz Carlisle , published last March by Civil Eats , an American news source focused on sustainable food systems. Carlisle, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, teaches food and farming at UC Santa Barbara. He...

A deep dive and fun chat for this one with the co-owners of Greta, Gastown's newest Arcade Bar. Taking over in the old Bourbon on Cordova Street, Chris Decock  and Casey Greabeiel reimagine the close to 9,000 square feet of space with a bustling high energy concept of arcade games, cocktails and signature fare. Taking cues from their two previous Greta iterations in both Calgary and Edmonton,...

A bit of inside Baseball fun today with this episode as I bring on two close friends in James Iranzad of Gooseneck Hospitality and James Langford-Smith of Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island to talk shop about all things restaurants and bars. While sipping some of James Langford's new wine, Pamplemousse Jus , we run through the gamut of topics from what's going on in their lives currently, to...

Trends in the food industry happen all the time. We can usually spot them a mile away. Ten years ago, craft beer took Vancouver and British Columbia by storm, when the market saw an opening and took full advantage of what was needed and desired.  I believe we’re on the cusp of another big movement – this time, with the non-alcoholic sector. New entrants are emerging regularly and consumers have ta...

I’ve been lucky enough to have interviewed some truly brilliant individuals in the past, especially those who’ve written timely and insightful books. As a bookworm at heart, I just love delving into these stories and piecing them out. My interview with BBC Radio food journalist, Dan Saladino , is no exception. His new book (which is receiving glowing reviews ) tells a personal narrative of the div...

The best part of doing a podcast (sometimes, not all the time) is when you get to interview your buddies and chat with them about the cool shit they're doing. Case in point: This chat with Simon Fallick and Patryk Drozd of Hero's Welcome. Our talk has been in the works for sometime now and, well, I'm honestly happy we waited because they both had plenty to say. Having already experi...

Welcome to season 4 of the podcast. I'm delighted to be back after a short break. What a guest to land to begin this new season. Extremely thankful I was able to chat with food journalist and author, Mark Schatzker about his new book, The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well. Leaning on research from the fields of food science, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral eco...

Well, 2021, it's been a year. You were one for the books that's for sure. This is our last episode of 2021 (obviously) and with it Mickey and I wanted to chat about what we went through these past 365 days. It was great to hear him bring his unvarnished perspective of someone who is on his way out of this industry. We really have a fun and illuminating chat and go through a wide range of...

What an absolute delight it was to chat with prominent food journalist Corey Mintz (New York Times, Globe and Mail, Eater) about his recently released book, The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After.  This was definitely one of my all time favourite chats as Corey's book touches on many of the themes this podcast has aimed to cover in the past. His book is...

Brought to you by Scout Magazine. What a treat it was to finally have Adam Henderson of Superflux on. If you don't know who he is or his brand, let's just say it is one of the most respected in the province. Why? It's because 80% of what they do is IPA's and BC loves their hoppy beers. It's really that simple. Plus, I mean, how can you not love a coconut IPA? Or a strawber...

In memory of Andrew Morrison of Scout Magazine. Well for all of you who've followed this podcast since its inception, you'll have no doubt heard me talk about Scout Magazine numerous times over the years.  Not only are they our presenting sponsor, but I've also been a contributor of theirs since 2016. This episode has a bit of a twist to it in that my friend and editor at Scout, And...

Now brought to you by Scout Magazine. It's in the news everywhere. Restaurants are hurting for workers. This issue isn't new. It's been a problem for years now. The pandemic only exacerbated things to an even more dire state. And what better way to discuss this issue than to bring on my good friend James Iranzad of Gooseneck Hospitality as well as one of my favourite guests from thi...

Now brought to you by Scout Magazine. What a treat it was to discuss all things BC wine with this trio of professionals. Two of the more prominent and distinguished winemakers in the Okanagan Valley in Alan Dickinson of Synchromesh Winery and Richard Kanazawa of Bench 1775 Winery came on to talk about what they've been up to so far with this years harvest, navigating another long season of he...