The Zest

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America’s Test Kitchen Co-Hosts on Their Live Florida Show, Kitchen Hacks and Favorite Gas Station Treats Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Today we’re catching up with the co-hosts of America’s Test Kitchen. It’s the PBS cooking show that teaches us which cooking equipment and recipes are worth our time and money.

Two years ago, ATK co-hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison came to Tampa Bay for something they’d never really done before: a live on-stage event full of cooking tips, stories from the show and audience participation.

The evening was so much fun that the ladies have hit the road again, with live events in more than a dozen cities across the country. So you could say that Florida was the test kitchen for America’s Test Kitchen.

On Nov. 5, 2025, you can join them at the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College for Inside the Kitchen: Live with Julia & Bridget, presented by WEDU PBS. This show features new material—we’re calling it material because did we mention how funny Julia and Bridget are? So if you attended their Palladium event two years ago, you’ll want to come see what they have up their sleeves this time.

Your ticket includes a cookbook and some other perks, and there will be an audience Q&A. Plus, Dalia is hosting the event and would love to meet you.

Ahead of the live event, Dalia chatted with Julia and Bridget. In this conversation, they offer their thoughts on the state of public media, share the kitchen tools worth upgrading and reveal the guilty-pleasure foods they love to buy from gas stations.

Eat Like a Wok Star: Vivian Aronson Brings Chinese Wellness to the Florida Table Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Vivian Aronson isn’t a regular mom. She’s a cool mom.

As in, millions-of-social-media-followers cool. She’s also appeared on Good Morning America, The Drew Barrymore Show and in People magazine.

Known on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook as “Cooking Bomb,” the Orlando resident gained fame sharing recipes that she learned growing up in Chengdu, China. In 2021 Vivian released The Asian Market Cookbook. And now she’s out with a new book, Traditional Chinese Wellness Recipes.

Vivan chatted with Dalia about Chinese wellness practices that can improve your life today. In this conversation, Vivian also shares how the COVID-19 pandemic led to her online stardom and offers tips for aspiring food influencers.

Related episodes:

Francis Lam on “The Splendid Table,” His Dream Guest and the Florida Foods He’s Eager to Try

Yee Farms Brings Chinese Vegetables and a “Sense of Pride” to Boynton Beach

In “My (Half) Latinx Kitchen,” Kiera Wright-Ruiz Explores Identity Through Food

Talking Seoul Food with Miami’s 2 Korean Girls

He Hated Coffee. Now He Owns a Coffee Shop. Emmanuel Dunbar Brews Big Plans for Royal Diaspora Coffee Co. Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

Emmanuel Dunbar grew up hating coffee. Now, coffee is his life.

Emmanuel owns Royal Diaspora Coffee Company, a cafe and community gathering place in Tampa. While Royal Diaspora is a proudly Black-owned business, Emmanuel’s customers are as diverse as the way they take their cup o’ joe.

The Zest team visited Emmanuel at Royal Diaspora. In this conversation, he breaks down his love-hate relationship with coffee. (It was never about the taste!) He also shares his big plans for the space, which go far beyond java beans.

Related episodes:

“Call Anthony” Gilbert Reviews Food at Gas Stations and Other Overlooked Eateries

Coffee Uniting People Brews Job Skills for People with Disabilities

Kahwa Coffee Owners Raphael & Sarah Perrier on Building Their Business, Beverage Trends and What They Really Think of Starbucks

Uncork Your Power with Author & Sommelier Denise Marsh Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

She pours wine, and she pours into people.

Denise Marsh is a sommelier and certified wine specialist at Society Wine Bar in Tampa’s Ybor City historic district. And vino isn’t the only thing that brings her joy. She’s also passionate about empowering people—women in particular.

Denise does this through speaking engagements, international retreats and her book, Do It For Your SELFIE!: A Guide to Loving Yourself, Redesigning Your Life, and Getting Aligned from Within and its companion journal. She also hosts the podcasts Getting R.A.W. with Denise and the aptly named Spiritual Growth and Wine: Exploring Self-Discovery, Transformation and Wine Conversations.

In this conversation, the Apollo Beach resident shares how she went from battling anxiety and depression to becoming resiliant—even after getting rear-ended on her way to our interview. She explains how wine is a metaphor for our spiritual growth and shares practices to help us feel more grounded before we even get out of bed.

If you’re craving more meaning and some great wine recommendations, this conversation is for you. So pour yourself a glass of something you love, get comfy and let’s dive in.

Related episodes:

“Epicurious One” Stephanie Love Is Disrupting the Wine Industry, One Chicken Wing at a Time

Conscious Cuisine: Husband-and-Wife Master Sommeliers Andrew McNamara and Emily Pickral on How Climate Change Affects Win

Summer Reading and Wine Pairings from Book + Bottle’s Terra Dunham

From Fork to (Football) Field: Game Day Grub with Bucs Nutrition Director Jessica Pastuf Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

Are you ready for some... spaghetti?

Seasoned with Strength: Bodega Flava Founder Ivette Rivera Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Supermarkets and big box stores are great. But nothing beats the feeling of shopping in a bodega. These small, often family-owned convenience stores are a fixture in New York City’s Latinx neighborhoods. In them, you’ll find everything from milk and lottery tickets to hot foods like empanadas and chicken with yellow rice.

New Jerseyan Ivette Rivera wanted to bring the spirit of bodegas to her adopted home state of Florida. So she founded Loiza Foods, a company whose signature product is a line of seasonings called Bodega Flava.

The Tampa resident visited our studio on the University of South Florida campus. In this conversation, Ivette shares how she went from sleeping in her vehicle to creating a food brand that celebrates what she loves about being Puerto Rican. Here is Ivette’s story from car to cocina.

Related episodes:

How to Have a Puerto Rican-Style Holiday Feast in Florida

“Latino Orlando” Author Dr. Simone Delerme on the Rise of Florida’s Hispanic Restaurants & Markets

Food Memories of Latin America

SEEDFOLKids After School Garden Experience Grows Much More Than Food Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to grow confident, successful kids?

To grow successfully, kids need a good foundation, nourishment and a lot of care—kind of like a garden. So when Tampa community activists Jeanette Bradley and Diana Kyle wanted to positively impact local schools, they decided to get their hands dirty.

In 2018, the two founded SEEDFOLKids After School Garden Experience. The free program is the signature initiative of Bradley’s nonprofit organization What We Could Be Exchange.

SEEDFOLKids combines hands-on gardening with real-world learning in agriscience, sustainability, entrepreneurship and teamwork. Throughout the school year, third and fourth grade participants grow edible plants in raised beds, participate in food system-related field trips and guest-led workshops, and host school events like SEEDFOLKids Market Day, when they sell the fruits—and veggies and herbs—of their labor. Along the way, they develop confidence, leadership skills and a deeper connection to the food they eat and the environment around them.

Several Tampa schools have hosted SEEDFOLKids programs. The very first was Edison Elementary Community School, where the program is still going strong. Shortly before the end of the 2024-25 school year, the Zest team visited Edison to chat with the students and adults who are the heartbeat of the program.

To see a video tour of the SEEDFOLKids garden beds at Edison, visit the Zest’s page on Facebook or Instagram.

Related episodes:

Pediatrician Dr. David Berger on School Lunches & Ultra-Processed Foods

Plant-Powered Education: Solid Rock Community School in Tarpon Springs Offers 100% Vegan Cafeteria Menu

10 Tips for Cooking with Kids

Writer Carl Hiaasen: Wanted for Chocolate Heist and Repeated Turkey Offenses Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

No gators on this menu.

The writer Carl Hiaasen is best known for his satirical crime novels set in Florida. His 1993 novel Strip Tease was adapted into a movie starring Demi Moore. And the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey is based on his 2024 book of the same name.

Carl has written dozens of books for both adults and young readers. His latest, Fever Beach, involves “dark money and even darker motives,” as the description on his website reads.

Carl’s No. 1 motive during the workday is to write—even if that means eating the same lunch on repeat to help put himself in the zone.

The South Florida native caught up with Dalia from his home in Vero Beach. In this conversation, he discusses the role food plays in his books and in his writing practice.

Related episodes:

Author & Restaurateur Randy Wayne White on Rum, Hot Sauce & His Latest Doc Ford Novel

Author Craig Pittman on Quirky—and Hilarious—Florida Food Stories

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ “Cross Creek Cookery” Turns 80: Reflections from Food Writer Jeff Houck

All Fired Up: “The Station Chef” Martin Lemay Finds Joy Helping First Responders Get Healthy Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

Where there's smoke, there's the Station Chef.

Firefighters are heroes. And how do we honor our heroes? Often, it’s by baking for them.

There’s just one problem: All those well-intentioned cookies and cupcakes we drop off at fire stations are adding up to less healthy firefighters—putting all of our lives at risk.

That’s why Martin Lemay is on a mission to help our heroes stay healthy while enjoying great food. Martin is a firefighter at North Port Fire Rescue, where he also cooks for the crew when he’s on duty. He shares his mouthwatering recipes on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, where he’s known as The Station Chef.

We caught up with Martin on his day off, at home in Riverview. In this conversation, he explains why he finds joy and relaxation cooking at home and on the job. He also shares money- and calorie-saving advice he learned at the fire station that we can all use, offers fire safety tips every home cook needs and suggests healthier alternatives for showing our appreciation to first responders.

Related episodes:

Firehouse Chef Manny FD on Cooking for his “Second Family” and the Right Way to Extinguish a Kitchen Fire

To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution, Start with the “Lowest-Hanging Fruit,” Says Wellness Coach & Cookbook Author Jo Bakal

How to Prepare Restaurant-Quality Meals at Home: Advice from Chef Dennis Littley

Ellen Kanner’s “Miami Vegan” Offers Plant-Based Versions of Your Favorite South Florida Recipes Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

Plant-based picadillo? Say less!

When Ellen Kanner went vegan in the 1980s, she couldn’t imagine buying oatmilk or plant-based cheese in a grocery store.

Today, she says being vegan is easier than ever, thanks to restaurants and mainstream supermarkets accommodating the plant-based lifestyle. And the food writer is herself helping folks lean into eating vegan with her cookbook Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table. The book veganizes South Florida favorites like picadillo, ceviche and key lime pie.

Ellen chatted with Dalia about her must-have pantry staples, navigating social situations as a vegan and the recipe she cooks to win over meat-eaters.

Related episodes:

To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution, Start with the “Lowest-Hanging Fruit,” Says Wellness Coach & Cookbook Author Jo Bakal

Pure Vegan Cakes CEO Sira Garib on Baking Tabitha Brown’s Birthday Cake and Showing Up for Herself

How “Fab the Vegan” Dropped 150 Pounds, Reversed Diabetes & Became a Plant-Based Influencer

Former “Real Housewife” Ana Quincoces on Her New Cookbook, “Modern Cuban”

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