Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· D.C’.s storied Mayflower Hotel is gearing up to celebrate its centennial with all sorts of special activities – and libations. Joe Nacci, the beverage director, and MaCauly Cacioppo, the food and beverage operations manager, join us;

· Award-winning broadcaster Tommy McFly and his husband, brand marketing guru Chrys Kefalas. Along with their day jobs, these guys are ice cream entrepreneurs, and they’re in with tastes and talk of their Greek yogurt-based ice cream -Yala Greek Ice Cream – and their new brick and mortar opening in Georgetown in about three weeks.

· Living online, are you? Then you probably know executive chef and cookbook author Matt Price --but maybe by another name. His millions of Instagram and YouTube followers know him as Mr. Make It Happen.

He’s just opened Fraiche (French for “fresh”) on 14thSt. NW in Columbia Heights, offering his take on the fusion of French, Cajun, South American, and Caribbean cuisines – and he’s got some kick-ass ice cream happening there , too;

· And we throw a shout-out to Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso fame. She is a truly special person, a D.C. icon, a community-building, delicious food-serving legend. We congratulate her, as RAMW will bestow the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award on her this year at the RAMMYs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Carlos Delgado is the celebrated chef/owner of Peruvian restaurants Causa and Amazonia in Blagdon Alley. Last Monday, Chef Carlos won a 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. He's the only D.C. area chef to win a James Beard Award this year and he’s in with us to tell you all about it;.

· Meg Schiffman, co-founder and CEO, the Farmside Kitchen, serving up Americana-style greens and grain bowls that are made from scratch and packed with vibrant vegetables, house-made dressings and thoughtfully sourced proteins;

· Alex Demas, a political reporter for The Dispatch, a conservative online magazine. Conservative or not, Alex obviously has a wilder side, having penned a piece called “In Better Spirits: Meet the Architects of Washington’s Cocktail Renaissance.” We meet Alex, hear about his work and find out how he researched the article and managed to stay upright;

· Proudly putting her own, modern spin on African culinary traditions, Ndidi Agu is the founder and CEO of Silver Spring’s Cafe Shuga, an African-inspired coffee bar, and its sister concept, Shuga x Ice, an African-inspired ice cream and frozen dessert shop.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Jo-Jo Valenzuela, executive chef/ managing partner at Tiki on 18th, a unique cocktail bar that blends Polynesian and Filipino cultures in original cocktails and tiki classics, all complemented by Filipino food favorites;

· Leah Culley, founder and head pastry chef of Sweet Almond French macarons;

· Fatema Issa, general manager and managing partner of Vera Cocina & Bar, where the menu is a tribute to the unexpected connection between Lebanon and Mexico, inspired by Lebanese migration to Veracruz in the 19th century;

· Michelin-starred Chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino and co-owner Dean Mosones of Bar Japonais, where blends of Japanese cuisine and French influences delight;

· Derek Battle of Flave, an app that rewards users for posting photos of their food and drinks at local restaurants. Tune in to hear about Flave’s Pride Month promotion -- you can turn your food photos into extra rewards and highlight LGBTQ+ owned restaurants.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Carol D’Agostino, the Main Street manager for Centreville, on Maryland Crafted, an event formerly known as DrinkMaryland, featuring 40 Free State makers of wine and other alcoholic beverages;

· Kiernan Slater, owner and manager of Slater Run Vineyards in Upperville , Virginia, on celebrating 10 years in business;

· Nick Pimentel, co-owner, and Tyson Barrett, executive chef, Restaurant Elle in D.C.’s Mount Pleasant, one of the city’s great eateries;

· Jennifer McCloud, proprietor of the Ag District, once known as the Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia, a registered agricultural and forestal district -- now also home to a working dairy and artisanal creamery and a restaurant –on her journey into diversified and integrated farming;

· Ryan Ross -- chef, consultant, culinary producer and author – on how a spiral into poor health and challenging pregnancies turned into a mighty rebound, thanks to a physical and mental health regimen that works.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’ show:

· We talk about the ICE raids on Washington, D.C. restaurants with Jessica Sidman, food editor for Washingtonian magazine;

· Avalon Oona Haas is the Mid-Atlantic regional sales manager for the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, founded many moons ago by our friends Scott and Becky Harris. We’ll be sipping Catoctin Creek Rye in a range of libations and, if you’re lucky, telling you all about it;

· Jon Krinn is the chef/owner at Elyse, a 30-seat “culinary speakeasy” in Fairfax, where Jon says he has fun exploring global products, techniques and combinations he’s never before used. What does the world say about what he’s up to? Well, Tom Sietsema for one says, “Elyse is a cocoon of comfort from a chef at the top of his game;”

· Sarah Ahn is America’s Test Kitchen’s social media manager, creator of the Ahnest Kitchen website, and author of The New York Times bestselling cookbook “Umma.” She records her experiences on Instagram and TikTok of living with her Korean immigrant parents, chronicling her mother’s cooking, grocery shopping trips, and more;

· Greg Engert is the beer director and partner at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group – the guys with some of your favorite restaurants, like Evening Star, Vermillion, the Iron Gate, the Blue Jacket and Caruso. NRG is participating in this year’s Virginia Wine Festival with chef-driven food pairings that complement the wine selections. Greg’s in to tell us about all the dining to go along with the wining.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’ show:

·

· Sixteen years ago, who knew that Fatima and Omar Popal would rise to become two of DC’s most prominent restaurateurs? Back then, their now-legendary Café Bonaparte was just finding its way. Today, the Popal Group’s celebrated restaurants include Lapis, Pascual, Lutece and Lapop, three of which are 2025 RAMMY nominees. Their beverage director, Suzy Critchlow, a home run hitter in her own right, is in with the 411 on their RAMMY nominations, news about their new restaurant opening in Adams Morgan this year, and to mix up some of the Popal Group’s most popular cocktails;

· If you’re a D.C. small business owner or an entrepreneur with dreams of standing up your dream business, snap to and listen up. Dr. Linda Wharton Boyd, the chief communications officer at the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority, is in with details about the upcoming 11th annual POWER UP DC small business summit. Learn how to access start-up capital and chase D.C. procurement contracts, network for partnering and biz dev opportunities and … more;

· We’ve known our friend and neighbor, Jarrad Silver, for years. You’ve known him as the guy whose food truck dishes out all that incredible barbecue. But … do you know that Jarrad is now executive chef and owner of Silver & Sons BBQ, his new brick and mortar restaurant in Bethesda? Jarrad’s in the house today to tell us all about it, accompanied by some of the finest BBQ on the East Coast. And don’t worry – the food truck is still out there;

·

· Ever felt cruddy and reached out to Prescription Chicken to cure what ails you? We have, thanks to two other old friends of the show, Prescription Chicken’s cofounders,,Valerie Zweig and Taryn Pellicone. They’ve hatched a great new product called Cookstix. These are dehydrated instant stock sticks made with real ingredients. You’ll get the 411 on cooking with Cookstix and some insights on how these two crafty entrepreneurs are succeeding despite the current rocky state of the supply chain and ingredients pricing;

·

· And last, but hardly least, we have a legend in studio - Domenico Cornacchia, is the executive chef at Jackie’s in the Navy Yard. As many of you know, Chef Domenico spent many, many celebrated years running the kitchen at the Café Milano. Of course, you’ll hear about what he’s cooking up in his new kitchen at Jackie’s. But we’re also hoping to pry some juicy gossip from him about days of old and the nights of celebrity sightings – and canoodling - at the Café Milano.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’ show:

·

There's a cherry blossom-themed cocktail competition coming your way, sponsored by High Road Spirits Importers. In with the details is Jennifer Nellis, the Mid-Atlantic market manager for High Road Spirits, and competition finalists John Cooper, the general manager at D.C.’s Vagabond Kitchen & Bar and the bar manager at Prost, Lucy Valenti, the bar manager at the Residents Café & Bar, and Kevin Cornejo,

the beverage director at Mita;

·

Our good buddy, Danny Lledó, is the talented chef/owner of the Michelin-starred Taller del Xiquet, where awesome Mediterranean-inspired dishes rule. Chef

Danny is in today with a preview of his upcoming Easter menu;

·

Recent budget cuts by the feds have put a harsh spotlight on the increasingly difficult task of feeding folks living on the margins. Kate Urbank, site director for Food Rescue US – DC , is in with info about Food Waste Prevention Week, April 7–13 --

and local activities that will help raise awareness and save tens of thousands of pounds of food for folks in need;

·

Another good friend of the show is in. D.C. restaurateur Hakan Ilhan (Brasserie Liberté, Ottoman Taverna, Il Piatto, Al Dente, and more) gives us the 411 on his newest restaurant, Alara, an hommage to cuisine from Turkey, Greece and the Levant.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’ show:

·

The recent RAMW member survey looking into rising costs due to federal workforce cuts and related customer traffic declines has really gotten people's attention. Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, joins us to talk about the state of the business in our region;.

·

A family-owned and -run business, Loew Vineyards is the fourth oldest winery in Maryland, producing award-winning dry wines and meads. But that’s only the second half of the story. Rachel Loew Lipman of Loew Vineyards is in to pour some great wines and recount a family history you won't want to miss;

·

We said bye-bye to Booeymongers in Georgetown and wondered what would replace it – and a wonder has. Say hello to La Bonne Vache, French for “the good cow.” It’s the new

corner bistro featuring traditional French entree dishes disguised as burgers and

sandwiches. Operating Partners Ari and Claire Wilder are in with tastes and

talk of La Bonne Vache;

·

If this is Foodie and the Beast, it must be time for Phil Greene to be back on the show! A true Renaissance man, Phil is by day the trademark counsel for the U.S. Marine Corps

at the Pentagon. By whatever isn’t day he’s an award-winning cocktail historian,

author and one of the founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail in New

Orleans. Stay with us for saucy and sour cocktail talk with Phil;

Cordelia Fishbar in the Union Market District is the newest concept from Clyde’s

Restaurant Group. Chef Ramon Rivera is the executive sous chef, Sonya Znati is the

general manager, and both are here with the 411 on Cordelia Fishbar.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.