La Ventanita

Latest Episodes:

Zak Stern, Zak the Baker founder Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Zak Stern started baking bread out of his parents south Dade garage and now he is a finalist for a prestigious James Beard Award for the outstanding bread he bakes at his all-kosher bakery in Wynwood, Zak the Baker. Miami Herald food editor Carlos Frías and co-host Amy Reyes talk to Zak about baking for room and board on farms across Europe, Miami booty music, growing up in "la sawesera," why he shaved his trademark beard, and why he and his chef bros won't be doing reality television anytime soon. It's a fun episode.

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Cindy "Lou" Kruse, cookie queen, master pastry chef Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Cindy Kruse makes some of the most delicious cookies Miami has ever tested at her Cindy Lou’s Cookie shop in Little River. But these aren’t just any cookies — and Cindy isn’t just any baker.

She’d been working for more than 25 years as a pastry chef at fine restaurants, making the kind of desserts you want to take photos of for Instagram. But she decided one day she was tired of slaving for restaurant owners. And she started making the kinds of desserts she wanted to eat: Cookies.

They were an instant — and now they’re spreading to Cindy Lou's Cookies stores across the country. She talks about it with Carlos Frías and Amy Reyes on this episode of La Ventanita, the Miami Herald food podcast.

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Marc Hochman, radio host, food provocateur Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Marc is more than just South Florida’s funniest, most-prominent local sports radio host. He’s a food provocateur.

On his afternoon drivetime sports talk show with former Dolphin Channing Crowder, you hear all kinds of his food opinions. He declares ice cream cake the worst kind of cake. He despises the pickle spear that comes with sandwiches. Claims Cherry Coke is an “all-time banger.” And that Chicago deep dish is the best kind of pizza. Co-hosts Carlos Frias and Amy Reyes dig into Marc's Mount Rushmore of bad food takes.

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Pablo Zitzmann, dim sum master Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

Pablo Zitzmann started making dim sum out of his Kendall, Florida condo when he got laid off during the pandemic, and the Coral Gables restaurant he opened since, the eponymous Zitz Sum, has been named one of the best in the country by the James Beard Foundation. He talked about fusing Latin American flavors into Chinese cuisine in a way that is “appreciation” not “appropriation,” and how it is the heart of the restaurant. He talked about having to walk out of the kitchen to shed tears upon learning of his James Beard nomination. And why a restaurant kitchen was a natural home for him after being a punk rocker and skateboarder in Colombia.

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Ryan Sentz, Funky Buddha Brewery founder Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

Ryan Sentz, founder of Funky Buddha Brewery, quit a job as a South Florida newspaper ad salesman to brew beer out of a strip mall brew pub. Funky Buddha eventually grew into the fastest-growing craft beer in Florida by making beer that tasted like food, from maple-bacon coffee to blueberry cobbler and peanut butter and jelly. It was later acquired by Constellation Brands, owner of Corona, for eight figures. Ryan joined Miami Herald food editor Carlos Frías and Miami.com editor Amy Reyes to talk about how he built it, why he is a huge Miami Dolphins fan, and why an empanada is actually a sandwich.

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"Chef Teach" Derrick Turton, House of Mac Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

Derrick Turton, known as Chef Teach, managed rappers and entertainers like Pitbull before giving up that life to create House of Mac, a legacy and business to leave his children. He talked to Miami Herald food editor Carlos Frías and co-host Amy Reyes about how his father's sudden passing made him give up a big salaried job to strike out on his own to open a mac and cheese restaurant that is the favorite of celebrities like Dwyane Wade, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and more.

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Alex Lacamoire, "Hamilton" musical director Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

Alex Lacamoire, the Miami, FL raised musician who helped create the music to “Hamilton," "Dear Evan Hansen," "Vivo," "Tick, Tick...Boom!" talks to us about growing up in Miami, Hurricane Andrew memories, his terrible food take, what he cooks at home and how celebrity helped him land restaurant reservations.

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La Ventanita: a Miami food podcast Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

La Ventanita is a weekly live video podcast. Miami Herald food editor Carlos Frías, a James Beard award winner, and co-host Amy Reyes, editor of Miami.com, talk to interesting people in food about pop culture and all the things we love to eat. We focus on Miami and the people who make it special.

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Pitbull: Mr. Worldwide wants the world to fall in love with his culture, music and food Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Mr. Worldwide isn’t a chef. But Armando Christian Perez — known to the world as Pitbull — is a first time owner of a new South Beach restaurant. James Beard award winner, Carlos Frías, the Miami Herald food editor, talked to him about growing up in Miami. He blew our minds when he hacked a pastelito. And he revealed the true meaning behind his catch phrase, "Dale!" Watch this video interview and read his story at MiamiHerald.com/ventanita.

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Kiss, Marry, Kill with Ted Allen, Scott Conant, Robert Irvine, Nina Compton, Jeremy Ford, Michael Beltran Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

On this bonus episode of La Ventanita, we caught up with six great chefs as they came to Miami for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the largest food festival in the world. James Beard award winner, Carlos Frías, the Miami Herald food editor, asked the chefs to play "Kiss, Marry, Kill" with Cuban coffee, pastelitos and croquetas. It was a gut-wrenching decision. Watch video interviews with other great chefs at MiamiHerald.com/ventanita.

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