The Zest

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Brunch Advice from First Watch Jan 27, 2022

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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 breakfast game. And Dalia had to ask Eleni why First Watch doesn’t serve dinner.

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Conscious Cuisine: Rob Greenfield on How to Live without Grocery Stores and Restaurants Jan 20, 2022

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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 across the U.S. while bathing only in natural water sources like lakes and rivers.

In 2019, Rob embarked on what might be considered his most extreme feat yet: an entire year of growing and foraging all of his food in Orlando. No grocery stores, no restaurants, no takeout, no dinners cooked by friends. He says his weight didn’t change, and he stayed in good health.

Dalia caught up with Rob in Gulfport, just south of St. Petersburg, where he was staying with a friend. We chatted in the backyard over glasses of homemade kombucha. In this conversation, Rob shares how the yearlong experiment impacted his social life, the kitchen appliance he swears by and advice for how we can all eat a bit more sustainably. Dalia started by asking Rob why he decided to give up grocery stores and restaurants for an entire year.

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Coming Soon... Season 5! Jan 14, 2022

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New episodes drop on Thursdays, right here in your podcast feed. You can find previous episodes, recipes and more at TheZestPodcast.com.

Season 4 Finale: Why You Should Stop Haggling at Florida’s Farmers Markets Dec 16, 2021

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Wintertime is when many Florida fruits and vegetables are at their peak. So we think it’s the perfect time to catch up with Gail Eggeman. She’s co-founder and manager of the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market, where each week thousands of visitors shop for produce, craft items and a lot more. Gail chats about the market's early days, her food heroes and why bargain hunters like myself should stop haggling at farmers markets.

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How to Have a Puerto Rican-Style Holiday Feast in Florida Dec 09, 2021

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Florida is home to more Puerto Ricans than any other state. This week, we’re exploring how many of Florida's Puerto Rican communities celebrate the winter holidays. From pig roasts to all-night parties to Puerto Rico's answer to eggnog, you'll want to incorporate these traditions into your next holiday gathering, if you don’t already.

Our guide is Yanira “Yaya” Cardona of Jacksonville. She owns Yaya Productions, a company that produces and markets events for Jacksonville’s Hispanic community. She's also the new morning show host the Jacksonville reggaeton radio station Flow 105.3 FM. You heard it here first!

History of Citrus in the Sunshine State Dec 02, 2021

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When most people think of Florida, their mind conjures up images of beaches or Disney World—maybe alligators or the latest Florida Man headline. But there was a time when Florida was synonymous with one thing: citrus. Florida was the country’s leading citrus producer, outranking even California.

So, what happened? Yes, citrus greening is partly to blame. But that’s not the whole story.

For answers, today we’ll be hearing from The Zest’s web and social media guru, Chandler Balkcom. He’s a second-year grad student studying history at the University of South Florida. He’s also a former student of Dr. Gary Mormino, who is an author, historian and Professor Emeritus in the USF Florida Studies program.

Chandler asked Dr. Mormino to walk us through some of the key moments for Florida citrus, including its origins, how World War 2 led to the development of orange juice concentrate and Dr. Mormino’s predictions for the future of Florida’s citrus industry.

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Here’s What Was Served at the *Real* First Thanksgiving Nov 24, 2021

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These days, it’s widely recognized that the real first Thanksgiving took place in St. Augustine in 1565—a full 56 years before the Plymouth, Massachusetts, event that you probably learned about in school.

That first Thanksgiving banquet in Florida consisted of foods like venison, bean stew and hard biscuits. And while corn and pumpkin had their place on the table, they hardly resembled the cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie we feast on today.

To learn how early Floridians used these and other dietary staples, I reached out to friend of the pod Andrew Batten. He's a board member for Florida Living History, a St. Augustine-based educational nonprofit. Andrew has a particular interest in Florida’s culinary history.

Related episodes:

Was The First Thanksgiving in St. Augustine? (with Rodney Kite-Powell)
How Florida Became “the Birthplace of Fusion Cuisine” (with Andrew Batten)
Rural Florida Pioneers' Holiday Cooking (the original Bulletproof coffee)
The Cuban Sandwich — Our National Treasure
Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co.
Chef Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef

Chef Niven Patel and Mohamed Alkassar Had a Productive Pandemic Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Mamey, which opened in August 2020, is an island-inspired eatery, with menu items like Jamaican short rib empanadas, Key West pink shrimp taquitos and key lime cheesecake flan. Orno, which opened in October 2021, focuses on New American cuisine; think wood-roasted summer squash, grass-fed ribeye and Alaskan halibut.

The seemingly disparate menus have something in common. Both feature ingredients from Niven’s two-acre Homestead farm, Rancho Patel.

In this conversation, Niven and his business partner Mohamed Alkassar chat with Dalia about which vegetables are worth growing yourself and which are better to buy, how to create a restaurant that appeals to both locals and tourists, and why okra is underrated. The guys also lament a precious menu item that's gone missing, and Dalia speculates that their clam dealer may be up to no good.

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Students Dish on Dorm Food, Shared Kitchens and Cooking in College Nov 11, 2021

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Here’s all you need to know about today’s show: On our website, one of the recipes that goes with this episode is titled Instant Ramen Upgrade Tips. Yep, today we’re exploring what it’s like to cook for yourself during college, or whenever you’re living on your own for the first time. Our talented and sweet intern, Lily Theisen, recently sat down with her fellow University of South Florida students Brilan Christopher and Kessid Vonderhaar to discuss the trials and tribulations, tips and tricks of feeding yourself when you leave the nest. Share this episode with the young adult in your life, or just enjoy being a fly on the wall and reminiscing about what you ate when you first struck out on your own.

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How "Food Led the Way" for Cuban Influence in Tampa Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Let’s start with a classic: The Cuban sandwich. A soon-to-be-released book will explore its history and popularity around the world. University of South Florida Professor Barbara Cruz is one of the book’s co-authors. She was born in Cuba. And she says the sandwich has always been part of her life.

Besides the Cuban sandwich, what other foods did Tampa’s early Cuban residents bring with them? For answers, we turn to Andy Huse. He’s a librarian and archivist at the University of South Florida and an expert on Tampa food history.

Huse, Cruz and food writer Jeff Houck are co-authors of the upcoming book The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers.

Related episodes:

A Gasparilla Primer (featuring USF librarian Andy Huse)
Singing Praises for Neighborhood Stores (featuring the hilarious Jeff Houck)
The Cuban Sandwich: Our National Treasure
Food Memories of Latin America
Café con Leche: Tampa History in a Cup

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