The Zest

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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

T-Pain and Maxwell Britten Want to Mix You a Drink Oct 28, 2021

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Grammy winner and Tallahassee native T-Pain is known for his collaborations, like All I Do Is Win with DJ Khaled, Good Life with Kanye West and Low with his fellow Floridian Flo Rida.

But T-Pain’s latest collab takes him out of the music studio and into the kitchen. It’s a book of cocktail recipes called… wait for it... Can I Mix You a Drink? 50 Cocktails from My Life and Career. T-Pain’s co-author is New York City mixologist Maxwell Britten. The James Beard Award winner chatted with Dalia about working with T-Pain and how we all can bring a little star power to the cocktails we mix at home.

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James Weldon Johnson’s Foodie Life Oct 21, 2021

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In season 3 of The Zest, we spoke with Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie about his book Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food. In this week’s episode, Dr. Opie is back to shed light on the role food played in the life of another Harlem Renaissance-era Floridian, James Weldon Johnson. The Jacksonville native lived from 1871 to 1938.

Dr. Opie is an author and professor at Babson College outside of Boston. He explains how Jim Crow laws affected what Johnson ate, and how Johnson's eating habits were influenced by his time as a diplomat in Central America.

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Chef Alain Lemaire on Florida’s Haitian Cuisine Oct 14, 2021

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Alain Lamaire is executive chef and co-owner of Sensory Delights Catering in Pembroke Pines. You may also recognize him from Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. In this conversation, he discusses foods that reminds him of home, why Haitians eat pumpkin soup on New Year's Day and how to be a better ally to Florida's Haitian community.

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Lunchboxmafia: How to Make a Lunch They Can’t Refuse Oct 07, 2021

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Most of the colorful lunches on Jenny’s Lunchboxmafia Instagram account are for her 12-year-old daughter, Jazzy. For a long time, Jenny traveled for work and wasn’t at home to prepare Jazzy’s lunch. So three years ago when Jenny changed jobs, she started making up for lost time by lovingly preparing lunches for herself, her husband and Jazzy. In this episode, Jenny shares tips for packing a better lunch, whether it’s for a family member or you’re investing in your own self-care. This episode is full of the inspiration we all could use right now.

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Food Memories of Latin America Sep 30, 2021

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In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, today we’re celebrating Florida’s Latin-American food cultures. We’re sharing an excerpt from a conversation titled Food Memories of Latin America. This Zoom discussion was part of Conversations in the Neighborhood: Let’s Talk about Food, a discussion series presented by Florida Humanities, the University of Florida’s Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, and the City of Gainesville. We’ll hear from educators, activists and home cooks about how their Latin American heritage influences the way they eat. We’ve edited the conversation for length and clarity.

The discussion was moderated by Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, the Latin American and Caribbean Special Collections Librarian at the George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida.

Panelists include:

Wanda Depaz-Ibanez, Puerto Rico native and retired co-owner of Emiliano's Bakery and Emiliano's Restaurant.
Linsey Derival, a Haitian-born Afro-Latina who spent her childhood in the Dominican Republic and adolescence in the United States.
Mariana Rodrigues, an activist who particpated in feminist and LGBTQ movements in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Brazil.
Cecilia "CC" Suarez, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC) focusing on intercultural communication and global leadership.
Marisella Veiga, a Cuban-born writer, lecturer and home cook

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Are the James Beard Awards Snubbing Florida? Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

If you’re a longtime Florida foodie, then you can probably rattle off the names of some James Beard Award winners from the Sunshine State. The James Beard Awards started in 1990, to recognize the country’s best restaurants, chefs, food writers and others in the culinary world. A sprinkling of Floridians have been honored recently. But in the big categories like Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Chef, it’s been crickets. At least one food writer says that’s no coincidence.

Eric Barton is a Miami-based freelance journalist who writes about food for Flamingo, a Florida lifestyle magazine. He’s also a former James Beard Awards judge. In a Flamingo article, Eric cites a few reasons for the supposed snubs.

Eric is here to break down how the judging works, why winning this award is so important for restaurants in the first place and what can be done to make the contest more fair. He’ll also offer his picks for the best Florida restaurants that he says deserve a second look.

Talking Seoul Food with Miami’s 2 Korean Girls Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

When you’re in Miami, it’s easy to find a Cuban sandwich… and wash it down with a cup of Cuban coffee. But Jennifer and Michele Kaminski were craving something different— more along the lines of the Korean food they grew up eating. So the sisters started a ghost kitchen. That’s a restaurant that’s available only for delivery and takeout. They called in 2 Korean Girls, and it’s generating big buzz in South Florida. I recently spoke with Jennifer and Michele about the foods that remind them of childhood and the role 2 Korean Girls plays in the movement to stop Asian hate.

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Chef Greg Baker on Mental Health: "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Over his career, Greg Baker worked his way up from teenage dishwasher to a six-time James Beard Award nominated chef. Greg is perhaps best known as the chef behind The Refinery, a popular farm-to-table restaurant in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood that he owned from 2010 to 2019 with his wife, Michelle Baker. He loves how a plate of food can make someone happy.

But for Greg and countless others in the restaurant industry, the work often has the opposite effect. Greg says it’s no coincidence that his industry is a breeding ground for serious issues, like mental health struggles, substance abuse and even suicide. In our conversation, Greg opens up about his own struggles and suggests ways to make things a little better, whether you’re a restaurant worker or customer.

If you enjoyed this conversation with Greg, then you may also enjoy these episodes:

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