latin food

When you think of Scandinavian cuisines, Pennsylvania might not be your first thought.  Our first guest, Nik Forsburg, may change your mind.  Nik, who conceptualized Fet-Fisk Pittsburgh with his soon-to-be Creative Director, Sarah LaPonte during the pandemic.  Together, they hosted bi-weekly pop-up meals at their house, in what Forsburg described as "speakeasy dinners."  This coincided with Nik's desire to keep himself busy throughout the pandemic by acquiring a plot of land to farm at a local community space, which yielded the ingredients he uses for his dishes.  Soon, the Fet-Fisk Pittsburgh pop-up became a popular (and sought-after) dining experience and now Nik is preparing to open the doors to Fet-Fisk Pittsburgh this Fall (September).

You don't have to travel far for our next guest, who opened Lilly's Ferry in Old City Philadelphia in what used to be Victoria's Freehouse.  With views that will make you want to explore Philadelphia, Anas Hamed offers the savory dishes of Middle Eastern fare to your palates. Hamad's Chef, who previously owned and was the Chef for a restaurant in Dubai, created the menu for Lilly's Ferry.  That menu includes items like his rich and creamy Hummus, Chicken Shawarma, and (lollipop) Lamb Chops. If you're curious to find out more--tune in and hear from Anas what he has to tempt your taste buds!

As we circle the globe via cuisines, we find ourselves stopping for some of Juan Placencia's Brazas BBQ Chicken.  The Peruvian-based restaurant is not Placencia's first; he has opened, operated, and been the Executive Chef for several restaurants over the years.  Due to some unfortunate set-backs, he felt the need to sell his restaurants and began anew.  Fortunately, his decision preceded the shut-downs in 2020 and he used that time to open a ghost-kitchen concept: Brazas BBQ Chicken.  The CIA (Culinary Institute of America) graduate found success in his new venture, and opened the doors to its first brick and mortar location approximately 9 months ago.  Now, he is helping to bring about the resurgence of Philadelphia's South Street dining scene, and offering a delicioso flare while doing so!

Guests:
 

Monica Mannion, Carlos Raba, and Jesus Reyes

Synopsis:

We're celebrating a lot during this week's Food, Farms, and Chefs Radio Show, including the history behind Cinco de Mayo.  We began this week's show with Personal Chef, Monica Mannion, then Carlos Raba who is the Chef and Owner of Clavel Mezcaleria in MD, and we ended our show with Jesus Reyes who owns Luna y Sol in NJ.

One resounding (and very meaningful) fact regarding each guest is their closeness to family.  More specifically: They discussed how they learned from, and were inspired by, their family.  Throughout the years, those same close-knit relationships blossomed into co-founding business ventures; traveling the globe; learning new cuisines and culinary techniques, and creating meals together in family-owned restaurants.  

This week, we celebrate not only their individual achievements, we're celebrating their heritage, accomplishments, and continuing endeavors as a whole.

To start, we're celebrating two new concepts from FCM Hospitality that just opened in Philadelphia!  Neina Langford, FCM Hospitality's Director of Special Events, joined us to chat about the delicious new breakfast & lunch offerings from Rosy's Cafe--and to help celebrate it, she delivered some of the tantalizing menu items to the studio!  So not only did we chat about how delightful the food is, we can attest to it from first-hand experience!  From flavorful bites of tortas, to tacos--this new spot is sure to please your palate!  Then, we danced our way into the night with NoChe!  NoChe, which is also part of the FCM Hospitality's ever-expanding and trend-setting concepts, offers elevated bites and cocktails that will tantalize all your senses.  If you're looking to impress, then tune in to find out just how impressive these two new spots are!

Then, we had the pleasure to introduce Olga Sorzano, the amazing entrepreneur behind Baba's Brew aka Baba's Bucha--a kombucha with so much heart behind it, that I'm sure you will fall in love with her family's kombucha just as we have.  Olga joined us to let us know the story behind her booming Kombucha brand, all of the health benefits, and to answer a question that so many have asked; what is Kombucha?  On top of all the health and wellness benefits derived from drinking this time-tested beverage, it is a great alternative if you're looking to make a delicious mock-tail!  So if your new year's resolutions included commiting to a healthier diet, be sure to stay tuned to hear from Olga, and to find out how you can learn to make Kombucha too!

Lastly we heard from Robert Ashford who owns a number of businesses with his wife, Arielle.  Robert joined us to discuss 'Dry January, and how Volstead by Unity, Philadelphia's first zero-proof bar, is here to serve you the best alcohol-free time you will ever have.  Located in the trendy neighborhood of Manyunk, this very popular bar also happens to offer a menu that is entirely vegan.  Yes, you heard that correctly; a zero-proof bar that is also vegan AND it just so happens that we're having them on during January!  This is a discussion you don't want to miss!  Not only do we tackle the questions of what zero-proof libations are, we discussed the delicious assortment of menu options; cocktails; wines; and how this amazing duo created businesses that give back to the community.  

What happens if everything you knew disappeared? Your marriage, your home, your career and your sense of self? How do you pick yourself up again and keep going? Valentina from Enamor Kitchen knows all about this: from moving to Germany from Columbia to be with the one she loved, to going through a divorce, to just starting up her food business to then have covid mess it up. But Valentina did not give up, she kept going and through what felt like hitting rock bottom, she picked herself up and kept running. Through therapy, self-love, acceptance and determination, Valentina is now finally in a place she calls home. Even though we are all works in progress, it feels great to say, you know what I'm ok.

Join me this week as I chat with Valentina about her trials, her successes and her new found acceptance.

Valentina is the owner and chef of Enamor Kitchen, the best latin food around!

Follow Valentina here. 

Do you find it difficult to come up with dinner ideas? In this episode Christine talks about how focusing on the side dishes, rather than on the main protein, can make meal-planning easier. It can also save you time and be a healthier way to look at dinners.

The community interview this week is with Xylina Jimenez, a busy working mom who doesn't love cooking but finds ways to do it anyways, both for her family and for a homeless shelter too. 

The Meal Plan: If you’re wondering what to make for dinner, Christine’s meal plan this week features meals that focus on the side dishes so you can test out the episode's ideas.

For the links to the recipes in the meal plan and a grocery list to go with it, subscribe to the newsletter at http://cookthestory.com/GetMealPlans. Have a great day! xo

The way we order food has changed drastically, not necessarily on how we order, but in the frequency that we do it because of the pandemic. We became very dependent on delivery services and on the people who provided them-- one of them is my guest Shelby, a 20-year-old college student who, after losing her part-time job in retail because of the changes in the economy due to the pandemic, decided to look for other sources of income and selected Uber Eats. 

We talked about how was the transition and her experiences. Here's our conversation we Shelby...

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In our continuing coverage of businesses adapting to the COVID-19 shutdown, we visit with Christian Irabien, owner of Muchas Gracias DC. Like many restaurants during these challenging times, Muchas Gracias is finding new ways to operate. The shutdown hit just as they were preparing to open their restaurant, but Chef Christian would not be daunted! Through a combination of carryout, market items, and delicious food in general, they have been able to hire most of their staff back to work. On top of that, they are giving back to the community of immigrant workers who are often the hard working yet unseen in the restaurant industry.   https://www.muchasgraciasdc.com/

Saludos! En este episodio conversamos con la autora, poeta y educadora Vidalina “Vida” Huertas. Hablamos de celebraciones únicas de la Isla de Vieques, incluyendo Festival de la Arepa Viequense, donde presentan todo tipo de arepas. 

El Festival es para recaudar fondos para los pacientes de cáncer en Vieques.  Durante el evento,se ofrecen charlas, artesanías, kioscos de comida con arepas cocinadas en distintas formas, reinado y el Gran Carnaval.  En el 2019, se celebró del 31 agosto -1 septiembre. 

Vidalina Huertas, educadora puertorriqueña, nació y se crió en la Isla de Vieques, donde cursó sus primeros doce años de estudios. Se graduó de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y completó una Maestría en Administración y Supervisón Escolar en la Universidad Interamericana. Entre otros puestos, se destacó como Directora Escolar en los distritos escolares de Carolina y Vieques-Culebra y en este último como Superintendente Auxiliar. En Texas se desempeñó como Profesora de español y Tutora de nivel universitario. Vida disfruta de su retiro dedicándose a hacer labor voluntaria en la comunidad y también a escribir sus próximos libros.

Su libro, “Vieques: esmeralda entre las olas”, y otras publicaciones están disponibles en Amazon,Barnes and Nobles donde aparece como “Vieques” y en librerías cercanas.

ISBN-10: 1438983336

ISBN-13: 978-1438983332

PODCAST TimeStamp – Marca De Tiempo

00:24    Bienvenida a Vidalina “Vida” Huertas

01:44    Descripción de Vieques y su libro “Vieques: Esmeralda entre las Olas”

02:25     Viajar a Vieques

04:46     Llegar a Vieques y su Paisaje

06:09    Carnaval Pasado y Fiestas Patronales

07:25     Arepas y Festival de Arepas

08:00    Tipos de Arepas

08:16    Descripción de Arepas y la Cocina

09:02    Arepas: Comidas y Acompañantes

10:37    Preparación de Arepas 

17:16    Información del Libro de Vidalina Huertas

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