The Zest

Latest Episodes:

Couples in the Kitchen: Melissa Santell & Bryce Bonsack Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

This week, we’re continuing our Couples in the Kitchen series with the ultimate foodie couple. Melissa Santell is a well-known Tampa food photographer, culinary marketing consultant and host of the podcast Sunday Sauce. Her boyfriend, Bryce Bonsack, is chef/owner of the Michelin-starred Rocca Italian Restaurant in Tampa Heights.

Dalia sat down with Melissa and Bryce in their living room to learn about the elaborate meal they cooked together on their first date, what they ate as kids and advice for hosting a dinner party.

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Couples in the Kitchen: Stephanie Swanz & Felix “Bubba” Flores Feb 08, 2024

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This week, we’re continuing our Couples in the Kitchen series with a pair who both make their living in the food business. Stephanie Swanz is the founder of Empamamas inside Tampa’s Armature Works food hall. Her fiance, Felix “Bubba” Flores, is the founder of Wicked Oak Barbecue.

Dalia sat down with the power couple at their Tampa office, from which they run their culinary empire. Stephanie and Bubba recall how they met in the most Tampa way ever, and what the busy entrepreneurs and parents eat on typical weeknight.

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Couples in the Kitchen: Robert & Alexandria Ebron Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re kicking off a series we’re calling Couples in the Kitchen. Each week this month, we’ll introduce you to a Florida foodie couple you oughta know. You’ll meet folks from the food world who are dating, married or engaged, from influencers to home cooks to professional chefs.

First up: The Zest’s own Alexandria Ebron. As brand manager for the podcast, Alex handles the website and social media. She also has a food, fashion and lifestyle blog called, The Frugalista Life. Alex’s husband, Robert Ebron, is an accomplished home cook.

The Ebrons recently joined Dalia in the studio for a conversation about the role food plays in their relationship. Alex recalls how being a hungry college student led to her meeting her future husband, Robert shares his favorite foods to cook at home for the two of them, and they each suggest a couple with whom they’d love to dine.

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Soul Food Scholar Adrian Miller Will Headline the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival Jan 25, 2024

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This week, we’re digging into the roots of soul food with Adrian Miller, better known as the Soul Food Scholar. After a career at the White House, the trained attorney set his sights on researching African-American culinary traditions.

Adrian is the author of several books on the subject, including Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue and The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas. His first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference and Scholarship. You might’ve seen him in the acclaimed Netflix docuseries High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.

Adrian is based in Denver, Colorado, but he’s coming to Florida in February to headline the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. The event takes place, fittingly, on Presidents Day weekend. On Friday, Feb. 16, Dalia will host the Collards After Dark event, where Adrian will give a talk about U.S. presidents’ favorite beverages and cocktails. Then on Saturday, Feb. 17, Adrian will give a presentation about Black chefs in the White House.

Gearing up for his appearance in Tampa Bay, Adrian chatted with Dalia about his journey from attorney to food writer, Black chefs in the White House and what mainstream media gets wrong about soul food.

Related episodes:

Toni Tipton-Martin Celebrates African-American Chefs in ‘Jubilee’

Gabrielle E.W. Carter & Dr. LaDonna Butler on Food as Rest & Resistance

Dr. Fred Opie on the “Fascinating” African Roots of Florida Foods

From the Big House to the White House: Dr. Martha Bireda on Foodways of the Enslaved

How to Make Eating Out a Healthier Experience: Tips from UF/IFAS Expert Shari Bresin Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

A generation ago, eating out was a special treat. But these days, Americans eat and drink a third of our calories away from home, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Splurging on foods laden with calories, fat, salt and sugar once in a while isn’t so bad. But doing so day after day can take a toll, says Shari Bresin, family and consumer sciences agent at the UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension Office.

So when Shari and her colleagues set out to update some articles on the organization’s website, one of the first they tackled was Make Eating Out a Healthier Experience.

As many of us set our sights on eating healthier in the new year, Shari chatted with Dalia about some of the article’s key takeaways. In this interview, you’ll learn keywords that indicate menu items to steer clear of, and words that denote better-for-you options. You’ll also learn small changes that can help you avoid overindulging.

Related episodes:

How to Snack Smarter

Eat Better, Feel Better: Simple Swaps from Carly Paige of FitLiving Eats

7 Tips for Eating More at Home: Advice from Dietician/Nutritionist Wendy Wesley

Chef Johnathan Rodriguez on Finding Cooking Inspiration Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Today, we’re getting dinner inspiration from Johnathan Rodriguez. He’s the executive chef and food and beverage director for the dual-branded Aloft and Element Hotel in Tampa’s Midtown shopping and dining district.

Dalia met up with Chef Johnathan at Sal y Mar, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar. In this conversation, he shares advice for coming up with new dinner ideas, how growing up in New York with an Italian mother and Puerto Rican father influenced his palate and his experience cooking for a certain famous family.

Related episodes:

America’s Test Kitchen Co-Hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison on Small Plates, Hot-Weather Meals and the Kitchen Equipment You Don’t Need

Chef Kenny Gilbert on Southern Food, Teaching Kids to Barbecue and Cooking for Oprah

Conscious Cuisine: Chef Justin Timineri of Fresh From Florida Offers Ideas for Eating What’s in Season

“Happiest Plate on Earth” Podcast Hosts Dish on Disney Dining Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

A trip to Disney World will cost you upwards of $100 per person, per day—and that’s before you’ve eaten a single bite.

But with some expert knowledge, you can eat like a king—or perhaps, a Disney princess—and still have money left over for a pair of Mickey ears.

This week we’re chatting with Kristi Rada and Danae Allison, two of the co-hosts of the Happiest Plate on Earth podcast. Kristi is a Disneyphile, Danae works as a chef at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.

In this conversation, the ladies offer tips for saving money, time and sanity as you eat your way through the theme parks. They’ll also share their favorite Disney dining experiences and advice for guests with allergies or other special dietary needs.

Related episodes:

AJ Wolfe of Disney Food Blog

Vegan Food Boom at Florida’s Theme Parks

EPCOT Culinary Director Albert Youngman Brings a World of Flavors to Florida

Journalist Judith Smelser on Zoom Wine Tastings, Disney Sommeliers and How to Find Your Next Favorite Bottle of Wine

Food Hacks for Your Next Vacation from Travel Blogger Carrie McLaren

Disney Dining Tips and an Announcement from Robin

Bonus Episode: Holiday Food Memories with The Zest's Alexandria Ebron and her Grandma, Marva Jones Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Today we’ll hear from someone who’s usually behind the scenes: Alexandria Ebron. As brand manager for The Zest, Alex handles the website and social media, among other things.

We’ll listen in on Alex’s conversation with her grandmother Marva Jones, who lives in Orlando. They talk about Marva’s childhood food memories and what she likes to cook now for the holidays. We hope this conversation inspires you to ask your loved ones about their traditions.

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Bonus Episode: We Think You’ll Like the Podcast “Under the Influencer” Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

While we’re cooking up new episodes of The Zest, we’d like to tell you about another podcast we think you’ll enjoy: Under the Influencer. It’s hosted by a brother sister-duo who are familiar names in the Tampa Bay area. Samantha Blowers, better known as St. Pete Sam, is a radio host on Magic 94.9 FM and 97X. Her brother, Max Blowers, is beverage director at Good Intentions, a popular vegan restaurant in St. Petersburg.

In this episode of Under the Influencer, Sam and Max are doing a deep dive into Publix. It’s a fun conversation, and we think you’ll agree.

Be sure to follow The Zest and Under the Influencer wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes of The Zest will start up again in January.

Related episodes:

How to Save Money on Groceries: Advice from UF/IFAS Expert Dr. Maria Portelos-Rometo

Conscious Cuisine: Rob Greenfield on How to Live without Grocery Stores and Restaurants

Duke & Dame Whiskey Co-Founders Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey

Tips for Grocery Delivery Success

Bonus Episode: We Think You'll Like the "Tampa's Table" Podcast Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

While we’re on our holiday hiatus, we wanted to let you know about another podcast we think you’ll enjoy. It’s called Tampa’s Table.

The podcast is produced by Visit Tampa Bay and hosted by Jeff Houck, who is a repeat Zest guest and co-author of The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers. The podcast is a companion to the Tampa’s Table Cookbook, which is now out in Vol. 2.

Be sure to follow The Zest AND Tampa’s Table wherever you get your podcasts.

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