Snacky Tunes

We’ve got a pair of talented SoCal natives on this episode. Chef Jason Neroni grew up in Orange County, and began his culinary career as a teenager at the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. Following his start at Disney’s famed Club 33 restaurant, Jason worked his way through some of the best kitchens in the country, including Le Cirque, Chez Panisse, Blue Hill and Spago. He’s now the owner of the wildly popular and lauded, Rose Cafe in Venice. In a city flocked with transplants and transients, singer-songwriter Billy Uomo is one of those rarest of birds: a born-and-bred Angeleno. Billy grew up in Silver Lake, and that’s where we catch up with him, meeting up at the studio for Dangerbird Records. Billy and his bandmates perform live in-studio for us, and give us a listen to his latest EP, Hello? Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many folks remember Stephanie Izard as being the first woman to ever win Top Chef, but in the years since that victory she’s proven to be one of the most admired and successful chef-restaurateurs in the biz. Besides adding a coveted James Beard Award, Food & Wine “Best New Chef” and even an Iron Chef title to her mantle, Stephanie is best known for her critically acclaimed empire of Chicago restaurants, which include her flagship, Girl & the Goat. She sits down with us to discuss her much-anticipated Girl & the Goat expansion to Los Angeles, and also lets us know how challenging it can be sourcing goats in the city. Speaking of the City Angels, we once again descend upon the Silver Lake studio for Dangerbird Records, and this go-round we capture a live performance from composer, Coleman Zurkowski. Baltimore-bred and NYC-based, Coleman’s making a name for himself for his work with such brands as Netflix, Toyota and Lebron James’ “Uninterrupted” documentary series. He gives us a listen to his first

It’s an all-NYC show, and first up is Greg Proechel, executive chef of Ferris. Greg cut his teeth at some of the city’s best restaurants including Eleven Madison Park, Graffit, Blanca and Le Turtle. His fresh, creative take on new American cooking at Ferris has been garnering wide acclaim from both diners and the likes of the New York Times. Brooklyn rocker and singer-songwriter, TOMI, aka, Pam Autuori, joins us on the heels of the release of her latest EP, What Kind of Love. “TOMI makes anthems to dance and cry to,” declared Interview magazine, and she’s come a long way from first picking up a guitar at age 7. Fun fact: It’s Pam’s second appearance on the show, having previously joined us with her old band, XNY, back in 2013. (She brought us ribs last time!) Snacky Tunes is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Few brands invoke immediate recognition, respect and fervor like TABASCO. Since 1868, the legendary hot sauce and its multiple condiment varieties have been produced exclusively by the family-owned McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. We catch up with John Simmons, Senior Manager of Agriculture for TABASCO, who also happens to be a member of the sixth generation of the McIlhenny family involved in the company. He grew up working the pepper fields, coopering barrels and learning all there is to conjuring TABASCO’s magic. John’s direct responsibilities are the agricultural operations--domestically and internationally--the making of TABASCO Sauce, new product development and the company’s sustainability efforts. We then travel all the way back to Snacky Tunes episode #198 and the summer of 2014 to re-visit pedal steel guitar virtuoso Jonny Lam and his band, Honeyfingers. Over the years, Jonny’s been an in-demand player working with the likes of David Byrne, Norah Jones, Billie Joe Armstrong, EmmyLou Har

Keith Kreeger is an Artist, Designer and Maker who focuses on the singular idea that "Objects Matter"; and that his work reflect that simple phrase. His current collections exemplify clean, polished, modern design. His plate ware can be found all across America, at legendary restaurants like Alex Stupak’s Empellon. Keith currently sits on the board of the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, the advisory board of Austin Bat Cave and is an active supporter and advocate for the Andy Roddick Foundation. We also dig into the Snacky Tunes archives for one of our favorite psychedelic performances from Small Black. Snacky Tunes is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chef Chris Kronner has been a Bay Area stalwart for more than a decade now. He first came on the scene working with Chad Robertson at his flagship, Tartine Bakery. He then bounced around for while with stints in NYC, Uruguay, Japan, England, Switzerland and Peru, among other locales, before opening KronnerBurger in 2015 in Oakland. Chris’ burgers are a something of a phenomenon, drawing acclaim far and wide. Sadly, in early 2018 a fire closed KronnerBurger, but not to worry Chris has landed on his feet with both a new cookbook, A Burger to Believe In, and a new kitchen gig, linking up with Robertson again to open Henry’s in Berkeley. Prima is the rock project from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, Rose Blanshei. Over the years, Prima’s developed a reputation for powerful lyricism and emotional storytelling driven by Rose’s searing voice which evokes the likes of Patti Smith, PJ Harvey and Karen O, complemented by her guitar whose sound she says is inspired by, “Lightning. Dirt. Metals. Debt.” Prima’s debut EP

We catch up with Nic Adler, the festival director behind two of Los Angeles’ top eating-and-drinking experiences: Eat Drink Vegan and Arroyo Seco Weekend. Eat Drink Vegan--originally called the Vegan Beer and Food Festival--was started by Nic, a vegan himself, in 2009. That first year was a gathering of 400 people in the parking lot of his very own The Roxy Theatre. This year’s crowd of 10,000+ surrounded the Rose Bowl, and there were more than 450 vendors in attendance. Now in its second year, Arroyo Seco Weekend combines great food--Burritos La Palma, Hatchet Hall and Freedman’s are among the restaurants participating--with great rock music. The 2018 headliners are Neil Young, Kings of Leon, Jack White and Robert Plant. We hit up our vault and revisit a musical guest from 2014: Psychic Twin. Erin Fein began writing and recording as Psychic Twin, and while recording by herself, doubling her vocals and singing melodies, she began to feel that she was in a way working with her twin. Psychic Twin gave us a live

Restaurateur Jonah Freedman opened his eponymous Jewish deli, Freedman’s, in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood in late 2017, and folks have been kvelling over the decor, vibes and Chef Liz Johnson’s cooking. In a very short time, Freedman’s has earned a slew of accolades from the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Eater and Food & Wine, who tapped Liz for its 2018 “Best New Chefs” class. Liz and Jonah catch us up on all things happening at their deli in a strip mall. Brooklyn’s art rock, post-punk quintet, BODEGA, takes a break from their current tour to join us in-studio for a live performance. The band recently released their debut album, Endless Scroll. Check out their latest music video and single, “Gyrate.” Snacky Tunes is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s an all-Windy City lineup for this episode. We begin with a conversation with Diana Dávila, recent winner of Food & Wine Best New Chef 1018. She is the chef-owner of Mi Tocaya Antojería, the Logan Square restaurant that’s the epicenter of contemporary Mexican cooking in Chicago. Diana grew up in a restaurant family, and realized that her true life’s calling was in the kitchen after “hearing the sauce” and heeding its call. Na'el Shehade and Via Rosa make up Drama, the talented R&B/dance duo whose musical stylings the Chicago Tribune defined as, “...a more danceable version of The xx's haunting, minimalist masterpieces mixed with the sensuality of Sade.” They join us in-studio for a live performance. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Hmong are an indigenous people who’ve historically called Southeast Asia home. Following the ravages of the Vietnam War, many Hmong escaped to America settling in all places the Upper Midwest. In St. Paul, MN, Chef Yia Vang has been running Union Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant that specializes in Hmong fare, and he hangs with us to explain the nuances of his culture and its delectable cuisine. For “Snacky Tunes 5’s," our go-to oenophile Jameson Fink does some island hopping, and tells us all about the wonders of volcanic wines. We then head to Los Angeles and the Silver Lake studios of Dangerbird Records to get a live, one-of-a-kind performance from Peter Walker and Aaron Espinoza of the music-and-art collective, Arthur King. The duo crafts ambient improvised music utilizing synthesizer, guitar, drum machine and sounds extracted from environmental field recordings, and combine it with the experimental projections of visual artist John Schlue. All the sonic material used on Arthur King’s

Mark Rosati might have the most enviable job in the entire food biz. He’s the Culinary Director for Shake Shack, and when he’s not in the kitchen dreaming up new menu items, he’s traveling all over the globe opening new locations and collaborating with top chefs on special burgers. Mark joins us to talk all things Shake Shack, and lets us know if there’s a chance they’ll ever offer a Philly cheesesteak again. The Unders are Michael Zadick, Tyler Bower and Joey Santa Maria, and they’ve been making rock ‘n’ roll music since 2013. The Brooklyn trio jams with us in-studio, giving us a live listen to songs from their recent EP, Psychgeist, and from their upcoming LP. Snacky Tunes is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For our milestone 350th episode we stepped onstage in front of an audience at Los Angeles’ legendary El Rey Theatre for the first-ever Snacky Tunes Live show. It was an evening of soulful music, Italian-Jewish mashup food, Tony Soprano memories and we even tested people’s palates in a blindfolded game we call, “Super Tasters.” Many thanks to our partners on this incredible night: the mighty folks at Goldenvoice, critically acclaimed songstress, NIIA, the mensches behind Wexler’s Deli, Chef Micah Wexler and Mike Kassar, and DJ super pals, Dave P x 2 (Making Time/This Is Who We Are Now) and Russell Alexander (Babilonia). Most importantly, thank you for supporting our show all these years! Be on the lookout for info about our next Snacky Tunes Live event, which hits the stage this summer. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We travel back to the 70’s and 80’s, and the raucous heyday of American restaurants. Author Andrew Friedman delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the era in his new book, Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits, and Wanderers Created a New American Profession. New York rockers, Sun Voyager, also drop by the studio. Renowned for their heavy, psych rock sound, the band gives us a listen to their soon-to-be released album, Seismic Vibes. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're smack-dab in the middle of crawfish season, and to help us celebrate we meet up with Chef Mark Grandpre of Los Angeles' Beaucoup Crawfish Catering. Mark's a New Orleans native who migrated to the West Coast 20 years ago to pursue a career as a basketball coach and teacher. He's still working the court and classroom during the week, but on the weekends he's drawing in the masses with his delectable crawfish boils and Creole cooking. Brooklyn pop dance duo, Crush Club, cruises into the studio and gets us groovin' with a live performance. Wielding funk, house and Latin-style percussion influences, the band's garnered a strong following with popular singles like "Louder" and "We Dance." They talk to us in depth about dance lyrics, and the all important bass bod. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Chef Greg Baxtrom opened his 50-seat Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, restaurant Olmstead in 2016, he envisioned it'd just be a casual neighborhood spot. Olmstead's certainly delivered on that initial promise, and become so much more. After receiving a cascade of rave reviews from the likes of Eater, the New York Times, the James Beard Foundation and the Michelin Guide, the restaurant's become a must-visit dining destination in the Big Apple. Our wine guru, Jameson Fink, helps us navigate restaurant wine lists in his next installment of "Snacky Tunes 5's," and rest assured ordering wines by the glass is perfectly OK. The ladies of Desert Sharks describe themselves as, "...four brooding brunettes (who) came together via Craigslist personals to create driving garage rock tunes with a touch of surf." The hard-charging NYC-based is currently recording their first full-length album. Check out their single, "Ooh, Hey," from their EP, "Template Hair." Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https:

Since its opening in 1957, St-Viateur Bagel Shop has ascended to legendary status that extends well beyond its Montreal borders. Vince Morena is the second generation keeping this family business running, taking it over from his father Joe who began working at the shop when he was just 15. We catch up with him to talk about the shop's history, and learn what makes St-Viateur's hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels so special. We then climb back into the archives to when we met up with Brooklyn bluegrass buskers, Zack Orion and Scott Murphy, better known as Mountain Animation. The duo went from the subway to the studio, and gave us a raucous performance. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s wintertime in Montreal, and we warm up with lifelong locals Chef Emma Cardarelli, Lisa McConnell and Ryan Gray, the owners of Nora Gray. In the near seven years the restaurant has been open it’s garnered critical acclaim for its trailblazing modern Italian fare, savvy wine selections and superb vibes. The trio gives us insights into how they helped redefine their hometown’s notions of Italian cuisine, and how they continue to set themselves apart in one of the most robust gastronomic scenes on the planet. We then dive into the archives to 2012 when we kicked it in-studio with singer-songwriter Sean Tillmann, better known by his stage name, Har Mar Superstar. At the time, Sean was all about that new new. He had recently moved to New York City from Los Angeles, he'd just launched his podcast, Nocturnal Emotions, and he was in-studio putting the finishing touches on his next album, Bye Bye 17. Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice

Chef Nira Kehar hails from Montreal, and has spent a decade exploring India's culinary landscape. She joins us to discuss her new cookbook, OJAS, which features recipes inspired by Ayurvedic principles of wellness and balance. We keep things on the international scale with Danish drummer Mikkel Hess and his band, Hess is More. They join us in studio--with Mikkel dialing in from overseas--and give us a live listen to their latest album, "80 Years". Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A sweet tooth, a passion for perfume, a healthy dose of early onset entrepreneurship and good ol' fashioned hard work all helped fuel Jeni Britton Bauer on her journey to the top. She's the founder of the eponymous artisanal ice-cream company, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, and she sits down with us to share stories of growing up in Ohio, how she launched her brand and how she dreams up the most creative flavors in the game. We continue with the theme of hard work when we meet up with Brooklyn band, Big Bliss. The post-punk trio--composed of brothers Cory and Tim Race, and their friend Wallace May--was crowned “NYC’s Hardest Working Band of 2017” by Oh My Rockness, and true to form, they talk to us about the merits of doggedly practicing one's craft. Big Bliss is currently busy working on an upcoming LP, and just recently released their 7-inch single, "Contact." Snacky Tunes is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s

We start the show in the Palmetto State by meeting up with Gillian Zettler, executive director of the popular Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Now in its 13th year, the five-day festival brings together some of the world’s best chefs for a myriad of events, and it also provides much-needed funding and opportunity for local culinary job placement programs. Gillian gives us the inside scoop on how this year’s festival is shaping up and what we can expect. For “Snacky Tunes 5’s," Jameson Fink gets really personal in celebration of the just-passed Valentine's holiday, and has his non-wine expert girlfriend ask him what questions she has about wine. To close out, we're joined in-studio by one of the hardest-working bands in the Big Apple: Fruit & Flowers. This lady-led post-punk, psych rock quartet has been hitting the road hard in support of their debut EP, Drug Tax, and we're excited to have them perform some songs for us before they cross the pond for an upcoming European tour. Snacky Tunes is powered by Si