The Zest Podcast

The holidays mean food—and food waste. Today on our season 6 finale, we’ll meet a mother-and-son duo who are doing something about it while helping those in need. We’re about to meet a mother and son who are reducing food waste and tackling food insecurity in Northern Pinellas County. Ellen and Cameron Macleish [ma-KLEESH] are the cofounders of 360 Eats [https://www.360eats.org/]. The nonprofit turns surplus food into meals for the hungry and compost for gardeners. Cameron is the executive director, while Ellen is the executive chef. Dalia met up with them at Kitchen 24 [http://www.thekitchen24.com/], a commercial kitchen in Oldsmar where they store and prepare the food. In our conversation, Cameron and Ellen explain why food waste happens, what they’re doing about it and how you can reduce food waste in your own kitchen. Related episodes: * Conscious Cuisine: Rob Greenfield on How to Live without Grocery Stores and Restaurants [https://thezestpodcast.com/conscious-cuisine-rob-greenfield-on-how-to-live-without-grocery-stores-and-restaurants/] * Conscious Cuisine: Composting 101 with Miami Compost Project [https://thezestpodcast.com/conscious-cuisine-composting-101-with-miami-compost-project/] * “Now Food Doesn’t Have to Travel”: Hyperlocal Agriculture with lemonGRAFT Founder Zach Correa [https://thezestpodcast.com/s6e15/] * What’s the Buzz About Florida Honeybees? [https://thezestpodcast.com/florida-honey-bees-and-honey-tasting/] * Conscious Cuisine: How to Choose Sustainable Seafood [https://thezestpodcast.com/how-to-choose-sustainable-seafood/]

Stephanie Love’s philosophy on wine is simple: “Wine is for everybody.” Through her company, Epicurious One [https://epicuriousone.com/], the St. Petersburg resident offers wine education trips and other experiences. Participants praise her down-to-earth approach, including Stephanie’s wine-and-comfort-food pairings and her descriptions of wine as people with different personalities. In this conversation, Stephanie shares the importance of supporting minority-owned vineyards, suggests wine to enjoy with chicken wings and offers advice for finding an affordable wine you’ll like. Related episodes: * Mermosa Founder Desiree Noisette Makes Wine—and History [https://thezestpodcast.com/mermosa-founder-desiree-noisette-makes-wine-and-history/] * ​​Summer Reading and Wine Pairings from Book + Bottle’s Terra Dunham [https://thezestpodcast.com/s6e1/] * Conscious Cuisine: Husband-and-Wife Master Sommeliers Andrew McNamara and Emily Pickral on How Climate Change Affects Wine [https://thezestpodcast.com/s5e14/] * Journalist Judith Smelser on Zoom Wine Tastings, Disney Sommeliers and How to Find Your Next Favorite Bottle of Wine [https://thezestpodcast.com/s3-episode-3/]

For Deborah Keller of Tallahassee, the world is her oyster. After a 29-year career with The Nature Conservancy [https://www.nature.org/en-us/], Deborah turned her attention to sustainable shellfish. Nicknamed the OysterMom [https://oystermom.com/], she has been farming and selling fresh oysters for nearly a decade. In this interview, the conservationist describes the impact of climate change and hurricanes on oystering. She also explains the far-reaching economic impact of Florida’s oyster industry, recounts the bureaucratic red tape she encountered along the way and describes the serenity and stress she experiences on oyster harvesting day. And of course, we had to ask Deborah about her favorite way to eat oysters. Related episodes: * Conscious Cuisine: How to Choose Sustainable Seafood [https://thezestpodcast.com/how-to-choose-sustainable-seafood/] * Dive into Florida’s Spiny Lobster Season [https://thezestpodcast.com/florida-spiny-lobster-season-and-recipes/] * Conscious Cuisine: Chef Justin Timineri of Fresh From Florida Offers Ideas for Eating What’s in Season [https://thezestpodcast.com/conscious-cuisine-chef-justin-timineri-of-fresh-from-florida-offers-ideas-for-eating-whats-in-season/] * Chef Tenney Flynn’s Love Affair with The Deep End of Flavor [https://thezestpodcast.com/deep-end-of-flavor-seafood-cookbook/]

We always love digging into food history, so we’re excited to welcome back friend of the pod Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie [http://www.fredopie.com/]. He’s an author and professor of history and foodways at Babson College [https://www.babson.edu/about/our-leaders-and-scholars/faculty-and-academic-divisions/faculty-profiles/frederick-opie.php] outside of Boston. Among the courses he teaches is African History and Foodways. We always learn something from Dr. Opie, and he has the best stories. In this conversation, he explains the African roots of Southern staples like watermelon, beans and rice, and Coca-Cola. He also details how enslaved Africans brought their farming techniques and cooking methods to America, and how Reconstruction-era politics led to racist food stereotypes that persist today. Related episodes: * James Weldon Johnson’s Foodie Life [https://thezestpodcast.com/james-weldon-johnsons-foodie-life/] * Zora Neale Hurston’s Foodie Life [https://thezestpodcast.com/zora-neale-hurstons-foodie-life/] * Toni Tipton-Martin Celebrates African-American Chefs in ‘Jubilee’ [https://thezestpodcast.com/s2-episode-2/] * Two USF Professors Offer a Crash Course in American Food History [https://thezestpodcast.com/two-usf-professors-offer-a-crash-course-in-american-food-history/]

He’s a little bit foodie, and a little bit rock ‘n roll. This week, we’re catching up with musician-turned-MasterChef [https://www.fox.com/masterchef/] contestant Derrick Fox. The Fort Myers native graduated from Estero High School and went on to enjoy a career as a drummer with the Naples-based rock band Later Days [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Later_Days]. After years of touring, Derrick recently put away his drumsticks in favor of his other passion: cooking. He now works as a private chef, splitting his time between Dallas, Fort Myers and Los Angeles—where he competed twice on reality cooking competition show MasterChef. In season 6, he was a runner-up. And in season 12, he tied for seventh place. While Derrick didn’t bring home the trophy, he parlayed his stint on the show into a podcast called A Bunch of Losers with Derrick Fox [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHJHRIor_K4dMISGGD1TDQ]. On his podcast, Derrick interviews also-rans from reality TV competitions while they all drink from mugs with a FOX emoji. At the end of each episode, he puts guests through a blind taste test—because whether he’s making music, competing on a reality show or dreaming up new creations for his dessert brand, Epic Mega Cookie Company [https://epicmegacookie.com/], Derrick is a foodie at heart. Dalia recently chatted with Derrick Fox, a.k.a., Derrick Peltz, about how his music career prepared him to be a chef, and what home cooks can learn from the MasterChef kitchen.