Podcast Jaime Lewis

When I developed this season of California and Central Coast legends, I came across an article about sommelier and farmer Rajat Parr. It was written by Esther Mobley, the senior wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. She called him one of the wine industry’s biggest celebrities and California’s most influential sommelier—and she’s certainly n…

There are few businesses I’d travel multiple hours to visit, but Russian River Brewing is one of them—and I am most certainly not alone. Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo are the minds behind Pliny the Younger, one of the culty-est brews in the world, and one that is only available for a short time each spring. The brewery only makes a certain amount of t…

The concept of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients in restaurants is one most Californians are very familiar with, but in 1985, it was pretty radical. Fortunately for those of us who dine at Robin’s in Cambria, Novo and Luna Red restaurants in San Luis Obispo, owners Robin Covey and Shanny Covey didn’t know any better: it’s just the way they liked t…

When you think of wineries that really changed the game in California, Tablas Creek Vineyard should be one of the first to come to mind. A partnership between a wine importer, Robert Haas, and winegrowers in the south of France, Jean-Pierre Perrin and Francois Perrin, Tablas Creek has been a pioneering producer of Rhone-varietal wines in Paso Roble…

If you don’t recognize the name Susie Righetti, you might recognize her two iconic businesses: she is the founder of Susie Q Brand, a purveyor of Santa Maria Style barbecue seasonings, pinquito beans, salsas and jerky; and along with her family members, she is co-owner of the Far Western Tavern in Santa Maria. I chose Susie as one of this season’s …

The Madonna Inn is a California icon for many reasons, most famous of which might be its embrace of the color pink: pink walls, pink goblets, pink carpet—even pink tennis courts and pink lamp posts. Who made the decision to go pink? That would be Mrs. Phyllis Madonna, who co-founded the hotel and restaurant with her late husband Alex Madonna, a suc…

Some products are so tightly woven into the culinary consciousness of a place that it’s hard to believe they ever didn’t exist. Such is the case with the Brown Butter Cookie Company, makers of a ridiculously addictive shortbread cookie that California and the Central Coast just can’t get enough of. I spoke with co-founder Traci Hozie Alderson about…

If you’ve lived on California’s Central Coast for any amount of time, you’re aware of the name Cattaneo Brothers. Since 1947, this family-owned brand has produced artisan jerky, as well as other snacks and sausages, and their handiwork can be found nearly everywhere you look in San Luis Obispo County. CEO Katelyn Kaney joined me on the podcast to t…

Fritos were born in 1932. Same for Lay’s Potato Chips. Cheetos came on the scene in 1948, and Doritos in 1966. And then, in 1976, riding high on the snack wave, Taco Works Tortilla Chips arrived in San Luis Obispo, California. These crunchy, crispy chips originated with Ty Bayly at his Foothill Boulevard Mexican restaurant of the same name. But whe…

Someone once called Chuck Hiigel the godfather of Central Coast beer, but I would go as far as to say that, in many ways, he is the godfather of beer across the state of California. What began as an obsessive side project to studying architecture at Cal Poly has since comprised a life and career that celebrates the art and craft of brewing, from ma…

CONSUMED WITH SOPHIA PATTISON: I'm handing the mic over to my intern, Sophia Pattison, a fourth-year journalism student at Cal Poly who's interested in the flavor of the Central Coast. In her first of three mini-episodes, Sophia covers the rise of Quickie Delivery Co, a young business that delivers college essentials to students at Cal Poly. MORE A…

San Luis Obispo County native Brook Munro is a composer and musician who works on his craft at night after he manages the wine club at Claiborne and Churchill Winery in the Edna Valley all day. He has scored a number of award-winning films, but his new LP "Harvest in Twelve Parts" is his first work to mix music and wine. He recorded and produced it…

Think about the cookware you use most, and I can almost guarantee that your skillet is at the top of the list. It’s one of those workhorse tools that’s just necessary. Maybe your skillet is nonstick, or cast iron—or if you’re lucky, maybe it’s carbon steel. And if you’re extremely lucky, maybe it’s a carbon steel pan made by Dennis Kehoe. Dennis an…

Here’s one of the great benefits of having a podcast: at any time, you have a perfectly acceptable excuse to ask someone over to chat. And that’s exactly what I did here. Dr. Deb Donig is Assistant Professor of English Literature at Cal Poly and a Lecturer at UC Berkeley’s School of Information in the Master’s in Data Science Program. She is the co…

Shakira Miracle is the executive director of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, an advocacy organization that seeks to close the food system loop, promoting access, equity, connection and creativity within the local food economy. Shakira drove up from Santa Barbara to share the exciting work she’s doing with the agency, and to chat about…

In the middle of Covid, in a not-so-obvious part of San Luis Obispo, a pizza place called My Friend Mike’s opened up. In its history, the building off Broad Street had been a Lemos Feed & Pet Supply, as well as a tire shop. The windows are also mirrored so you can’t see in, but when I walked inside to pick up a couple beautiful pizzas made by Mike …

For years, whenever I’ve driven down California Boulevard in San Luis Obispo, I’ve stared at a neon sign that reads: Hot Vegan Takeout. It’s so fun and blunt and punk rock, and it perfectly encapsulates what’s going on at Ziggy’s Vegan Takeout. In case you’ve never eaten there, this is not a hippie crunchy vegan restaurant—there’s definitely a plac…

In 2014, Lynette Sonne founded FarmsteadEd, an organization whose goal is not just to get people to buy locally made products, but to see the small farms and ranches where the goods are grown and made. This is what’s called “agritourism,” and it has its spiritual home in Italy, where staying overnight on a farm and experiencing its culture up close…

At Beerwood in Los Osos, Chef Jess Saddoff-Bauer and owner Annie Steinmann work hard to offer a family-friendly space and an elevated brewpub experience. I came to know Beerwood through gorgeous pictures of Chef Jess’s charcuterie platters, so imagine my delight when she brought one to the house for our interview! I learned a lot about her backgrou…

Becoming a food writer tends to be a try-and-see-what-sticks process. Last time I checked, you can’t major in food writing in college, so most folks who want to pursue that line of work need to either make it up as they go along or attach themselves to a knowledgeable mentor. For my part, I’ve done both, and the latter I’ve done with Dianne Jacob, …

Alexandra Wallace is a photographer who captures weddings, portraits, and editorial photos for a living. If you’ve ever been to the Consumed website at letsgetconsumed.com, you’ll see the generous shots she’s taken of me, too. She’s also a born creative, having helmed Coyote and Oak Magazine and associate producing the podcast Your Own Backyard abo…

Ryan Deovlet is the winemaker behind Deovlet Wines, based out of San Luis Obispo, but with wines from the Santa Rita Hills, Happy Canyon, and other Santa Barbara County regions and vineyards. Perhaps most exciting right now is Ryan’s purchase of property off Los Osos Valley Road, formerly owned by grain farmer Larry Kandarian, who has been featured…

This is a re-release of the first Consumed Live episode featuring three powerhouse brewers on California’s Central Coast. Listen in as I talk with Matt Brynildson, brewmaster at Firestone-Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles, Buellton, and Venice Beach; Max Montgomery, brewmaster at There Does Not Exist in San Luis Obispo; and Jack Dyer, founder a…

I didn’t realize it until just now, but I’ve known Michael and Sarah Cherney for years. Okay, I didn’t know-them know-them, but I definitely enjoyed their hospitality a few times at Sides’ Hardware and Shoes, the charming restaurant in Los Olivos where Michael was chef and Sarah worked front of house. The Cherneys have since started their own busin…

Matt Trevisan is the winemaker and owner at Linne Calodo Winery in Paso Robles, California. Along with his wife, Maureen, he has built the Willow Creek District-winery into a really special producer of Rhone-varietal blends and Zinfandel wines. And they’ve been at it for 25 years, constantly tweaking their process and pulling at the thread of what …

Andrea Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert are the people behind the Quick Pickle Kit, which they call “the DIY pickling kit for people on a journey” — I love that. They started the company in 1996 with a couple goals. One, they wanted to give people a healthy and stress-free way to pickle fresh produce. Andrea’s mother was a pickler and would send jars of t…

Paul Filice is the president of Miner’s Ace Hardware, a collection of nine “hardware stores” across the Central Coast. I put “hardware stores” in quotes because Miner’s is so much more than a hardware store, though that’s certainly how it began. In addition to all the usual stuff — hardware, tools, paint, etc — Miner’s has a wonderful housewares se…

I’ve shared before that a loaf of rustic bread and a bottle of olive oil are pretty much all I need to be happy (oh, and a glass of Prosecco), so imagine my delight when the general manager of Pasolivo Olive Oil, Marisa Bloch Gaytan, came over to chat and taste through their many olive oil varieties. Marisa is a level-2 olive oil sommelier and Paso…

Stephanie Killen is the Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner behind Sound Body Nutrition in San Luis Obispo, a service that works with women to resolve their health concerns using nutrition, lifestyle guidance and natural therapies. In addition to her training in functional nutritional therapy, she has a unique edge: a culinary school degree…

Rusty Quirk is a chef and the owner of Linnaea’s Cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo. If you’ve spent any time in SLO since 1984, you probably remember the little cafe with the long walk to a leafy back patio with a koi pond. Linnaea’s is one of a rare breed of small, family-owned businesses in SLO that have retained their original charm for several d…

Annie Yu learned how to cook from her grandmother, who grew up near Canton, China. Her style of cooking included a lot of seafood, rice, and milder spices than Northern Szechuan cuisine. As the first American-born of seven siblings, Annie spent a lot of time in Chinatown in Boston, traveling to the markets with her grandmother. Today, Annie teaches…

John Quint (who pulls a JFK and also goes by Jack Quint) owns and operates Deltina Coffee Roasters, located in Oceano and, as of this summer, a location near Cal Poly on Taft Street in San Luis Obispo. As a native of Seattle and the nephew of a prominent master roaster, Jack comes by his coffee culture honestly. He started his career as a CPA speci…

Josh and Lindsey Haring own The Mountain Air, a shop in downtown San Luis Obispo that sells outdoor gear like skis, sleeping bags, and hiking shoes. And because it’s summer, and because Josh and Lindsey have been dear friends of mine for years, I thought we could talk about eating and cooking on the trail or at the campground. Camping and backpacki…

If you've listened to the CONSUMED podcast for any length of time, you'll be familiar with the name Chris Lambert. He has edited the show for years, but you probably know him better for his own project, the podcast Your Own Backyard, about the disappearance of Kristin Smart. (If you haven't listened to Your Own Backyard, which was the #1 podcast in…

This is another between-seasons bonus episode that I produced in collaboration with At Her Table, a weeklong food festival that celebrates women. For this event on March 7, 2023, I sat down at There Does Not Exist brewery for a live recording of the Consumed podcast featuring a panel of mothers in the hospitality industry. Panelists include Shanny …

In the last year, The Restaurant at JUSTIN Vineyard & Winery in Paso Robles has received massive accolades, including a Michelin star and a five-star recognition in Forbes Travel Guide's 2023 Star Awards. Such are the results of the culinary team’s efforts, spearheaded by Chef Rachel Haggstrom. A native of Temecula, Rachel knew she wanted to cook w…

Sara Roahen is a food writer who lives in San Luis Obispo — but who left her heart in New Orleans. She lived there for 17 years, working first as a line cook in professional kitchens, and later as the food critic for the alternative weekly paper called Gambit. Sara grew up in the Midwest, so she was an outsider in New Orleans but came to love the p…

A friend recently had dinner at Giuseppe’s Cucina Rustica in San Luis Obispo, a bustling and beloved local Italian eatery. Afterward, she texted me to say she’d had an interesting conversation with her server about the nature of tipping that might make for interesting fodder on this podcast. That server’s name is Chloe Lane, and she rather gracious…

Kirstin Sherritt owns The Secret Garden in San Luis Obispo, a shop that specializes in tea, herbs and spices. I’ve known Kirstin for a while, just through the grapevine of life in SLO, and I’ve watched her grow what was a tiny little back-patio business into a thriving community. The shop overlooks San Luis Creek, with jars of all kinds of raw bota…

A couple weeks ago, as I was scrolling around on Instagram, I saw photos from the recent grand opening of The Bridge Cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo. This isn’t just any eatery, though. In collaboration with the Cuesta College Culinary Arts Foundation, The Bridge Cafe is a social enterprise, providing culinary training and employment for people wh…

My guests Stephanie Nye and Kirsten Finberg are each lovely in their own right, but because they are longtime friends who work side-by-side at the Morro Bay Farmers Market each Thursday afternoon, they are magic together. Stephanie (aka Soupgangsta) is the brains behind Farmers Market Inspired Soups, a company she’s had for many years that feeds fo…

Vicki Carroll is the president of Hospice du Rhône, an organization of wine producers across the globe that promotes Rhône-varietal wines. It's hard to believe there was a time that people didn't know what syrah or grenache are, but it really wasn't all that long ago. As the administrator for Hospice du Rhône, Vicki has worked to coalesce the effor…

Andrea Chavez oversees Talley Farms Fresh Harvest, a community-supported agriculture program with 3,500 subscribers across the Western U.S. Talley Farms has been around for four generations, but when the Talley family wanted to start a weekly subscription-based harvest share program in 2012, they hired Andrea. Her expertise in the produce business …

Janie Willheim is the spark plug behind Lumina Wines, a producer of what she calls “small batch wines made for happy consumption.” A graduate of the Cal Poly University wine and viticulture program, by day, Janie works on the winemaking team at Desperada Wines, whose winemaker Vailia From was on the podcast back in 2019. And because Vailia is marri…

Sara Garofalo teaches the principles of Ayurveda and intuitive eating to clients across the country, and across the world. She’s been featured on Medium, NBC Miami, Yahoo and Voyage LA for her approach to working with clients who struggle with disordered eating habits. Sara lives in San Luis Obispo, but she grew up in Italy, near Milan, and develop…

This is a special between-seasons bonus episode with the folks behind two of the Central Coast’s most flavorful restaurants, Ember in Arroyo Grande and The Spoon Trade in Grover Beach. My conversation with Brian and Harmony Collins and Jacob and Brooke Town took place November 29, 2022 in front of an audience at There Does Not Exist brewing in San …

Sam DeNicola and Matt Gamarra are the bakers behind Bread Bike, a community-supported bakery in San Luis Obispo. Here’s the business model: people mill whole grains and bake them into hearty loaves of bread, then bike it around to people in the community. I’ve had a Bread Bike subscription for a while now, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE bread day. Here we ta…

Peter Cron is the executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority, and he is a treasure trove of answers for all the burning questions I had about garbage. It turns out that we in SLO County do a pretty decent job of leading the way with managing waste. In fact, we’re the first place in the nation to use an an…

Katherine Knowlton is a personal chef and food stylist who recently launched Happy Chance, a low-dose fruit bite made with whole foods, natural sugars, and clean cannabis. Based in Santa Barbara, Katherine has spent years developing what she calls a “healthy alternative to the modern day gummy.” We talked a lot about what she meant by that, because…

Jaime Dietenhofer is co-founder and CEO of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, based out of Buellton, California. I’ve been drinking Fig Mountain since they opened in 2010, and I’ve always appreciated their laser-focused house style. That style has its roots in early discussions between Jaime and his father, Jim Dietenhofer—extending as far back as …