The Dinnernet with Mark and Meg

S1 Ep 25: In-Cider Trading with Emily Ritchie

The Northwest Cider Association’s executive director, Emily Ritchie, is in town from Portland, fresh on the heels of the 2025 Cider Cup Awards! We sat down with her to learn about why Washington leads the nation in both apple and cider production, then dig into the juicy details on what makes a cider competitor-level. Plus Meg’s dreaming of a Jurassic Park for apples, Mark's shipping off to Big Apple country, and we get apple-cheeked on this year's Cider Cup winners—one of which is a perry! 🍎🍐 Check out the Northwest Cider Association Follow Northwest Cider Association on Instagram Mentioned in this episode: Empyrical Cider Press Then Press Cider Shop Schilling Cider Kingston Greenwood Cider Bauman’s Cider Company Little Beast Radiator Whiskey Schooner Street Gol Mok Cockrell Cider Farm Community Grocery Field Bar Mezzanotte Musang South Lake Union Market Nata Seattle The Masonry 00:00 Intro 03:29 NW Cider Award Winners 08:26 PNW is a Cider Mecca 23:10 This Week’s Restaurant News 32:43 Trends in Cider 36:45 Emily’s Cider Origin Story 40:35 Thanks, I Ate It

S1 Ep24: Ferment About It with Michelle Pogostkin and Jaimon Westing

Fermentation gurus Michelle Pogostkin and Jaimon Westing join us to talk vinegars, misos, garums, and more. We learn about Michelle’s anthropology background, her fermentation lab internship at the legendary Copenhagen restaurant Noma, and how those experiences inspired her to start Symbiotic Cultures—their retail line of bottled/jarred koji-based ferments. We also talk about how the lessons Jaimon learned as a young, fast-rising chef inform his approach today with Amino—the monthly (-ish) dinner pop-up that balances ancient fermentation techniques with modernist cooking—and how Jaimon and Michelle met and began their partnership. (Not, it turns out, as passing ships in the night at Noma, where they both worked within months of one another!) Plus Mark and Meg lay off the workahol just long enough to get to a few great restaurants and tell you all about them. Check out Symbiotic Cultures [https://www.symbioticcultures.com/] Follow Symbiotic Cultures on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/symbiotic_cultures/] Follow Amino on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/amino_seattle/] Mentioned in this episode: Nell’s Marvel Food & Deli  Oyster Cellar Human People Beer Café La Maria Taurus Ox Single Shot Cornelly Saars The Penalty Box Portland Syrups Cheeky & Dry Blue Beard Glo’s Ba Sa Fainting Goat El Maestro del Taco Layers 00:00 Intro 6:00 What is Amino? 16:08 Noma 24:05 Meg’s Treat 30:15 This Week’s Restaurant News 37:23 Pop-up Vs. Permanent Location 50:43 Symbiotic Cultures Products Tasting 1:06:27 Amino Dinners 1:10:18 Thanks, I Ate It 1:28:31 Coming Up Next

S1 Ep23: Punky Brew Star with Gray Kauffman

Competitive barista Gray Kauffman joins us in the O.C. this week to drop some serious coffee science on our asses. Alongside being the new Coffee Education and Innovation Lead at Hitchcock Restaurant Group, Gray recently competed at the U.S. Coffee Championships, and they talk about how they did in the Olympics of Coffee, their background in food science, their previous gig in product development at Caffe Vita, and what it was like to travel to a coffee farm in the mountains of Colombia—the origin of the beans they used in the competition. Plus Meg and Mark are always working for the weekend, but they’re not too weakened to tell you about what they ate on their lunch breaks! Dig in! Mentioned in this episode: Canlis De La Soil Lenox Ananas Pizza George’s Polish Deli Rain Shadow Meats Sankaku Cafe Suliman Narrative Espresso Vivace Slow Day Cardoon Chelsea Farms Ginger & Scallion Surreal Devium Wine Jude’s Old Town The Shambles Lenox Taco Time Ramie Spice SPC Indian Grocery DeLuxe Bar & Grill Meyer Bar 00:00 Intro 4:26 How Gray Got Started 13:14 What’s the Barista Competition Like? 18:50 Milk Innovation and Coffee Mixology 22:51 Choosing Music and Beans for Competition 31:37 Meg’s Indian Bodega Treat 37:39 This Week’s Restaurant News 51:07 Evolution of Seattle Coffee Culture 59:52 Re-thinking Freshness 1:08:28 What’s Next for Seattle Coffee? 1:11:12 Mystery LaCroix Tasting 1:14:18 Thanks, I Ate It! 1:29:28 Coming Up Next

S1 Ep22: Endless Lovage with Gillian and Joey Diedrick

We’re having another amaro party, this time with Gillian and Joey Diedrick, the husband-and-wife team behind local amaro producer SennzaFinne. The lovebirds tell us about their creative approach in crafting SennzaFinne’s four season-themed amari, and how their fifth amaro—Always—fits into the mix. We also talk about how far the boundaries of an amaro can be pushed while still being recognizable as an amaro, and why the Seattle area is such a hotbed for the bittersweet botanical liqueur. Plus Meg is in her auntie gardener era, Mark is in his raw scallops era, and we’re all in on bringing you the local restaurant news—and our favorite bites—of the week. Mentioned in this episode: Voysey Bad Chancla Folio Homer Richard’s Too Good BBQ PopPop Pizza Top Dead Center Cafe Dordlofva Outsider Hamdi Greenwood American Bistro Fair Isle Brewing Master Bing La Marea L'Oursin DeLaurenti Giddy Sloth Pizza Paesano Schilling Cider Greenwood Cider Co Stoneburner Moxie Mule 0:00 Intro 06:42 What is SennzaFinne? 13:56 The History of SennzaFinne 24:33 Meg’s H Mart Snack 33:37 This Week’s Restaurant News 46:17 The Boundaries of Amaro 55:14 Thanks, I Ate It! 1:13:15 Coming Up Next Week

S1 Ep21: What About Saj? with Taylor Cheney

Yalla’s chef/co-owner Taylor Cheney joins us fresh off a trip to Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Italy with her life and business partner, Matt Mitchell. We talk about how serving dishes from another culture requires you to understand much more than just recipes, and the importance of engaging with people and places. She also gives us some international travel tips and tells us what new things are simmering  at Yalla. Plus Meg reps the Tacoma Night Market, Mark and Taylor rep the 1991 Bill Murray comedy What About Bob?, and we all rep the local restaurant news—and our favorite bites—of the week. Mentioned in this episode: Nils Frahm Tacoma Night Market Grit City Magazine Koshary Aura Bora LaCroix Polar Waterloo Cantina del Sol Temple Pastries Mixed Pantry  Rumba Tacos Chukis Sugar Hill Maneki Itsumono TN Trang The Attic The Red Onion Tavern The George Coffee and Pastries Hellenika Bang Bang Cafe Tamari Bar High Life Baiten Makoto Corbeau Woven 0:00 Intro 8:43 Catching Up with Yalla 17:35 Yalla Window’s Storied History 25:28 Meg’s Shell Station Mystery Treat 31:59 This Week’s Restaurant News  40:27 Why Travel is Important 48:08 Thanks, I Ate It! 1:07:11 Coming Up Next