The Zest

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Tampa Bay Rays Dietitian Courtney Ellison on Major League Meal Planning, Tips for Staying Hydrated and the Take-Out Food that’s a Home Run with the Team Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

When you hear the term baseball foods, you likely conjure up visions of hotdogs and popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jack.

But those stadium treats won’t exactly fuel the players on the field. That’s where Courtney Ellison comes in. As dietitian for the Tampa Bay Rays, Courtney is responsible for fueling the players on and off the field. That means offering plenty of options for pre-and post-game meals, as well as mid-game snacks in the dugout.

Dalia recently chatted with Courtney about what the guys eat, how meals and hydration change when the team is on the road and how the new rules of Major League Baseball affect her job.

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Coming Soon... Season 8! Jun 22, 2023

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The new season of The Zest launches on Thursday, July 13. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at TheZestPodcast.com.

Season 7 Finale: Yelp’s Top 100 Florida Restaurants with Andi Perez May 18, 2023

Show notes

This week, we’re getting the dish on some of Florida’s best places to eat, according to Yelp—you know, the website and app where real people leave reviews of local businesses. You’ll find everything from dry cleaners and locksmiths to hair salons and gyms. And of course, restaurants.

Yelp recently released its list of the Top 100 Florida Restaurants 2023, as determined by users’ rankings and reviews. Not only does the list provide suggestions of eateries to add to your summer bucket list, but it reveals something about what’s trending in Florida’s food scene, says Andi Perez. Based in Orlando, she oversees Yelp’s community managers in the Southeastern U.S., including Florida.

Dalia recently chatted with Andi about what’s trending in Florida’s food scene, the ingredients of a good restaurant review and her favorite eateries that haven’t made the list… yet. In our conversation, Andi also spills the name of the food-and-drink spot she loves so much that she chose it as the venue for her wedding.

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Tapas 101 at Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant in St. Petersburg May 11, 2023

Show notes

As the weather heats up, it’s the perfect time for tapas. Spanish-style small plates are unfussy, sharable and can be served hot or cold.

Dalia recently visited Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant in St. Petersburg to chat with co-owner Lee Karlins and sommelier/beverage director Jackie Eash. In this conversation, Lee and Jackie describe how tapas are traditionally served in Spain, explain how tapas encourage conversation and suggest accompanying drinks. Throughout the interview, they also throw out lots of tapas ideas to try at home, including kid-friendly, plant-based and more.

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How to Start a Cottage Food Business in Florida: Lessons from the Lentil House May 04, 2023

Show notes

Today we’re getting a crash course in Florida’s cottage food industry from two people who’ve learned the ins and outs. Sharlay Smith is the owner and founder of the Lentil House. It’s a Jacksonville-based snack food company that she started after taking a class about cottage food businesses offered by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in 2017. And Amarat "Amy" Simonne, PhD, is a professor and food safety specialist with UF/IFAS. In this conversation, you’ll hear the Lentil House story and learn next steps toward your own cottage food goals.

For information on cottage food courses, contact your local UF/IFAS extension office.

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Straz Center’s Chef Edward Steinhoff Offers Advice on Cooking for a Crowd Apr 27, 2023

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Today, we get tips on cooking for a crowd from Edward Steinhoff. As executive chef at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Chef Ed oversees the property’s three restaurants, ensuring that hundreds of hungry theatergoers are fed before the curtain goes up. So he knows a thing or two about feeding the masses.

Whether you’re gearing up for a graduation dinner, Memorial Day cookout or other large gathering, Chef Ed’s advice will help you spend less time on food prep and cleanup, and more time enjoying your guests.

In this conversation, get tips for feeding folks with various diets on a budget, getting your guests to help you clean up without even realizing it and knowing when to hire help.

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Yee Farms Brings Chinese Vegetables and “a Sense of Pride” to Boynton Beach Apr 20, 2023

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Today, we’re exploring vegetables native to China with Roland Yee. Roland is the third-generation co-owner of Yee Farms, which his grandparents started after they immigrated to New York City and eventually made their way down to Florida.

Today Yee Farms sits on 1,000 acres in Boynton Beach. The family supplies bok choy, Chinese broccoli, winter melon and other veggies to Florida’s Asian and mainstream markets, restaurants, cruise lines and theme parks.

In this conversation, Roland tells the story of Yee Farms and explains how the challenges of farming have changed over the years. Then Roland and Dalia brainstorm ways to enjoy all those fresh veggies.

Related episodes:

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

Talking Seoul Food with Miami’s 2 Korean Girls

Food Blogger Ricky Ly on Orlando’s “Tasty Chomps”

“We Got Engaged up at the Milking Parlor”: Modern Dairy Farmers Sutton & Kris Rucks

Conscious Cuisine: Rocky Soil Family Farm on How to Reconnect with Your Food

From Florida to France: Food Writer Jamie Schler on Cooking with Oranges, French Hotel Life and More Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

Toto, we’re not in Florida anymore. But we are talking about oranges—in the Sunshine State and across the Atlantic—with our guest Jamie Schler. Jamie grew up in Satellite Beach, on Florida’s Space Coast. After college, she moved to New York City before settling in France, where she and her husband own a small hotel.

Jamie balances hotel ownership with being a food writer and cookbook author. During the COVID 19 pandemic, she published the e-cookbook Isolation Baking. She’s also the author of Orange Appeal, a cookbook full of sweet and savory recipes showcasing the fruit that put her native Florida on the map.

Jamie chatted with Dalia from the hotel she owns, where she also lives. In our conversation, she shares her favorite ways to cook and bake with oranges, the differences between ingredients in the U.S. and France, and how the fantasy of running a French boutique hotel compares to the reality.

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Dube’s Mobile Market Supplies Local Produce to Pasco County Residents… and Dave Matthews Band Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

In July 2019, Dave Matthews Band was coming to Tampa to perform a concert. Word got out that the band was searching for locally grown food to eat, as they do for every show. (They call it farm-to-stage.)

Nichole Dube worked a corporate job at the time, but she had recently attended a community gardening conference, so she set out to source the band’s food herself. She pulled it off.

That’s how the idea for Dube’s Mobile Market was born.

In this conversation, Nichole shares how a 2019 Dave Matthews Band concert led to her family’s business. She also explains the importance of eating locally, and she offers advice for encouraging kids to eat their veggies.

Related episodes:

Hacks to Help You Eat More Veggies

360 Eats Takes Leftovers from Food Waste to Food Truck

Why You Should Stop Haggling at Florida’s Farmers Markets

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

It’s Always Sunny at St. Petersburg’s Brick Street Farms

“Now Food Doesn’t Have to Travel”: Hyperlocal Agriculture with lemonGRAFT Founder Zach Correa7

Restaurateur Claudia Johnson on the Global Influences of Mexican Cuisine Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Today we’re salivating over Mexican food and culture with Claudia Johnson. The Mexico City native is general manager of Grand Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant with a handful of Tampa Bay locations. Her latest project is Seaglass Tavern, which features elevated comfort food in Tampa’s Citrus Park neighborhood.

Dalia recently met up with Claudia inside Grand Hacienda’s 4th Street location in St. Petersburg. In our conversation, Claudia discusses the complexity of Mexican cuisine, including regional differences and the strong French influence—something I’d never really considered. She also shares how her business background influences her restaurants, and she explains how the minor Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo became such a big deal in the United States.

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