CRAFTED

Latest Episodes:

James Beard Awards VP, Dawn Padmore Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

In the American culinary world, winning a James Beard Award can change your life overnight. Today, Jonathan talks with the VP of the James Beard Awards, Dawn Padmore, about the origins & evolution of the awards; their current 'open call' season for submissions; and the impact of winning or being nominated for a James Beard Award.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

The James Beard Foundation (1:38)

Evolution of the James Beard Awards (3:19)

The 5 Award Categories (4:32)

Dawn's Background (10:42)

The James Beard Media Awards (14:26)

Culinary Diversity (16:04)

Coffee? (24:37)

The Nominations Process (26:01)

Where / How to Submit Your Nominations (43:13)

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The Roots of American Craft Distilling w/ St. George Spirits Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Lance Winters has one of the stranger paths to becoming a master distiller: nuclear engineering, the Navy, brewing, and eventually showing up at St. George Spirits with a bottle of homemade whiskey.

Three decades later, Lance has helped shape St. George into one of America’s most influential craft distilleries. In this episode, Lance and Eli discuss St. George’s early days as one of the first American craft distilleries; what it means to create something new in established spirits categories; and the many methods and techniques St. George uses to achieve great distillation.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Lance’s Path to Distilling (2:05)

Origins of St. George Spirits (7:40)

Creating St. George’s Single Malt (21:28)

Bringing Back Absinthe (35:37)

Terroir Gin & Place-Driven Distilling (47:27)

The Future of St. George (1:06:58)

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Slow Beer: Templin Family Brewing owner, Kevin Templin Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

How did Templin Family Brewing become one of the most respected breweries in the USA? Today, Eli talks to owner, Kevin Templin, about his approach to craft brewing, German brewing traditions, and what it takes to build a brewery where quality comes before speed.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

From Skiing to Brewing (1:14)

Regulations in Utah (5:15)

German Beers (7:25)

Sensory Evaluation (8:33)

Starting a New Brewery (10:21)

Fermentation (14:25)

Smoked Beers (20:15)

Wine vs. Beer (23:55)

American Light Lager (31:46)

The Art of Expanding (37:43)

The Importance of Glassware (41:22)

State of the Beer Industry (44:48)

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Becoming a Master Bladesmith w/ Zack Jonas Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

While most of us use knives every day without thinking much about them, Zack Jonas has spent his life thinking about almost nothing else. And today, the founder of Jonas Blade & Metalworks joins Eli to explain how a former philosophy major became one of just over 100 master bladesmiths in the mysterious world of Damascus steel.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Recent Knife Expo (1:42)
"Make and Take" classes (9:43)
The Path to Mastery (13:34)
Journeyman Smith (15:21)
Fit & Finish (25:11)
Master Smith Test (25:11)
Metal to Knife: Damascus (32:13)
Variances & Functionality (40:40)
Forging from Billets (45:07)
Acid & Patterns (56:24)
Edges & Sharpness (1:03:13)

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The James Beard Foundation: Its Origins, Mission, & Current Work w/ JBF Vice President of Impact, Anne McBride Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you love great food and great restaurants, then you’re probably familiar with the extremely prestigious James Beard Awards. But there is more to the James Beard Foundation, and today, you’ll learn more about its origins, its mission, its work today, and you’ll get a fantastic history of American culinary culture from the JBF’s Vice President of Impact, Anne McBride.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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CRAFTED ep 115: James Beard Winner, Bucheron

TOPICS & TIMES:

What is the James Beard Foundation? (4:02)

Origins of the Foundation (5:49)

A History of ‘Fine Dining’ & American Culinary Culture (10:38)

Anne’s Background: from Switzerland to Louisiana (15:50)

How JBF Helps w/ the Business Side of Restaurants (27:54)

More on the Mission & Principles of JBF (40:45)

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Skier & Chef Mark Connell on Great Palates & Cheap Pizza Sep 05, 2026

Show notes

What does it actually mean to have a “great palate”? In this episode of the Vault, originally featured on CRAFTED, Jonathan talked to lifelong skier and PARC Aspen Chef, Mark Connell, about “supertasters,” and why some chefs can detect tiny changes in a dish while still loving Domino’s pizza.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. Email us at: info@blisterreview.com

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For the Full Episode: Crafted, Ep.48

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Did Accountants Ruin Whiskey? With Leopold Bros founder, Todd Leopold Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

What do rye whiskey, fruit brandy, and vinegar have in common? At one point, they were all made on the same kind of still. Todd Leopold, co-founder and owner of Leopold Bros, has spent years resurrecting that lost production method, including commissioning the first three-chamber still built since Prohibition. Today, Todd and Eli discuss what drew Todd to that forgotten technology, and why he believes the results are worth the inefficiencies.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

The Peach Harvest (1:50)

From Peaches to Spirits (9:23)

Colorado Agriculture, Tradition, & Local Sourcing (14:02)

The Three-Chamber Still (27:02)

Doublers (47:41)

Vinegar Production (53:38)

Gin Botanicals & Vermouth (1:07:56)

The Future of Distilling (1:24:21)

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Why This Device Could Change the Way You Make Coffee Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

What exactly is ‘pressure-brewed’ coffee? (Hint: it’s not espresso.) Today, Presston founder Korey Dausz joins Simon Stewart to talk about designing and building a coffee maker that uses pressure to make great coffee, in a simple, plastic-free, sustainable way.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Korey’s Coffee Journey (2:20)

It’s Possible to Have Great Coffee on the Road (6:08)

What is ‘Pressure-Brewed’ Coffee? (8:01)

Prototyping (11:01)

Built to Last a Lifetime (16:52)

Manufacturing in China (19:57)

Presston vs. AeroPress (39:38)

Pressure, Heat, or Time? (32:05)

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High West’s Master Distiller, Isaac Winter, on the Most Misunderstood Word in Whiskey Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

Today we’re talking with the master distiller of one of the most prominent American whiskey producers of the past two decades, High West Whiskey. High West built much of its reputation through blending, which has long been a tradition in Scotch whisky but has often been treated with suspicion by American whiskey drinkers. In this episode, master distiller, Isaac Winter, joins us to investigate why blending has been so misunderstood.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Introduction to High West Distillery (0:00)

Isaac Winter’s Journey (4:09)

The Philosophy of High West (23:13)

Creative Tension in Whiskey Blending (27:05)

The Scotch Whisky Tradition (29:33)

The Blending Process at High West (35:48)

Collaboration with ‘The Prisoner’ Winery (51:59)

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Zerno Founder Vel Genov on Coffee Grinders, Burr Geometry, Particle Analysis, & More Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

Zerno manufactures some of the best coffee grinders in the world, and last week, Jonathan Ellsworth returned to Zerno HQ to get into the weeds with founder, Vel Genov, about coffee grinder burrs, particle analysis, burr geometry, some big updates, and the future of Zerno. If you care about manufacturing in America, or uncompromising craftsmanship, or you love coffee, you need to know the Zerno story.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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Our 1st CRAFTED podcast w/ Zerno

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Catch Up & Refresher on Zerno (5:00)

Chasing Retention Reduction (21:00)

Updates at Zerno (24:54)

Burrs (31:07)

Burrs & Price (40:09)

How Flavor is Affected (41:07)

Consistency in Burr Manufacturing (51:34)