Right of the Fork

Tommy Habetz is one of the most significant people in the Portland food world. Having learned his craft from the likes of Mario Batali and Bobby Flay, he made his way out to Portland and found himself in the middle of an exciting time in the early days of Portland's burgeoning food scene. He worked with Naomi Pomeroy at both Ripe and Gotham Tavern along side some other chefs and restaurateurs who would go on to accomplish great things as Portland became a hotbed of culinary talent. Now, over 20 years later, Tommy owns and has built some of the city's most notable spots: Bunk Sandwiches, Bunk Bar, and Pizza Jerk. In December of 2022, he suffered a brain aneurysm, which landed him in the hospital for four months. He still hasn't returned to work at his restaurants, and isn't sure when and if he will. Tommy was gracious in agreeing to come on the podcast with us to share his memories of Naomi Pomeroy, not long after her tragic death in a rafting accident. He also talks about his big health scare, how it's changed his life and outlook as well as what he's up to and what's important to him now. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

We catch up with Farmer Evan Gregoire again, while he's on vacation in the San Juan Islands. Even operates an urban farm, from where he supplies veggies to consumers and the restaurant industry, as well as an opportunity to purchase seeds for those growing their own. Chris and Evan we talk about some of the joys and challenges that come with that. We also discuss some of Evan's favorite chefs and places. From Evan's Heirloom Seedhouse website: At the heart of the Seedhouse beats a passion for nurturing nature’s bounty and preserving its precious gifts. We dream of cultivating a diverse array of specialty vegetables and flowers, not just for their culinary delights, but as living legacies of resilience. Our mission stretches far beyond the fields; it’s a commitment to safeguarding these resilient varieties for generations to come. As we gaze into the future, we see a changing landscape, both in our region and our climate. It’s a call to action, urging us to deepen our understanding and connection to our local food systems. Through the simple act of planting and saving seeds, we can weave a tapestry of resilience, rooted in the soil of community and nourished by knowledge. In our journey, education becomes our guiding light, illuminating the path towards a more sustainable tomorrow. We invite our community to join us, to learn, to grow, and to sow the seeds of change together. For in this shared endeavor lies the promise of a brighter, greener future, where every seed planted is a testament to our collective stewardship of the Earth It’s through the valuable input of growers, chefs, and our community that we can continually refine and elevate the flavors of our vegetables. By listening to their insights, preferences, and suggestions, we not only enhance the taste of our produce but also cultivate a strong demand for these unique varieties. So, let’s keep those lines of communication open and thriving, because together, we can cultivate a truly exceptional culinary experience! Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Alexa Numkena-Anderson @cheflex_pdx is enrolled Hopi and is Yakama, Skokomish, Cree and Mexican descent. She was born in Yakima, Washington and grew up in the greater Washington area (Toppenish, Tri-Cites and Fairchild Air Force Base). After high school Alexa moved to Portland, Oregon to pursue a culinary career and attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary school while also working as a line cook. She has worked in many kitchens across the Portland, such as @kingtidepdx (formally Three Degrees) @twr.pdx @sammichportland @imperialportland @headwaterspdx and @bullardtavernpdx as well as working for acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs such as @dougiepdx @vit0bike @lesbianmeatmaker & @lauroromero to name a few. Drawing inspiration from her grandmother, her indigenous heritage . Her grandma Stella of the Yakama Tribe with memories of fry bread, roast beef, and soups as well as her Hopi heritage With the motivations of being a new mother, she is ready to share and continuously learn about her culture’s food. Inspired by other Indigenous chefs she feels it is her responsibility to share and learn about these ancient foods and techniques. Javelina’s main feature is fry bread and even though this food came from necessity, our people were able to make a comfort food that is still found at pow wows and family gatherings to this day. On her culinary journey she discovered the amazing bounty of native ingredients the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Using what the surrounding land has already given them and combining it with Alexa’s culture, skill and vision they hope to create a truly unique story. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

This classic episode of Right at the Fork comes from late summer 2016 and our conversation with Earl Ninsom. A lot has changed for Earl since this interview, including most recently, his restaurant Langbaan being named the Outstanding Restaurant in the 2024 James Beard Awards. ORIGINAL POST: Earl Ninsom opened PaaDee to find his passion. Then he took that to another step with one of Portland's most lauded restaurants, Langbaan. Now he's hoping others realize their dreams with Hat Yai and Kim Jing Smokehouse. We talked to Earl about his trajectory and place in Portland's food world. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for $25 off)

Althea Grey Potter wanted to try something new after Oui, the wine bar at the Southeast Collective where she had generated much attention, closed due to the pandemic. She started The Flavor Society, which produces and distributes crunchy chili oils designed for enhancing your favorite pizza (and more). Althea was sampling her product recently at an event and her energy and enthusiasm resonated with our host, Chris. And so we are pleased to feature Althea to talk about her hippie parent upbringing in New England, which of course leads to an east coast stuff vs. west discussion and subsequent rant, including delis!! Althea also shares some of the challenges and processes that go into building a brand. Enjoy and visit https://www.theflavorsociety.com/collections/all and follow @theflavorsociety Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for $25 off)

One of the hardest working people in the media biz, Brooke Jackson Glidden joins the podcast between editorial positions. Her six-year tenure at Eater as Portland's editor and writer just came to an end as she anticipates taking the editorial helm at Portland Monthly. We talk about her trophy-case full of accomplishments at the age of 30, what she's most proud of as well as how her new position will differ, and what her goals are with the magazine. Much of the conversation centers around how the pandemic changed so much in the food industry and how it was a struggle to cover. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off

On the morning of May 10, 2024, Chad Draizin woke up to a notification that his flagship Fifty Licks Ice Cream store had a little problem. That's when the rollercoaster of information and crazy stuff started, appearing not to be a big deal but in short time turning out to be a major fire and smoke problem. Chad joins us to discuss the challenges the damaging fire presents to his business and what needs to happen to think about opening that location again. We also talk about the parade of challenges that have faced Fifty Licks (and this, Chad) from the initial Clinton Street location to renovating the Burnside store, only to have it sustain the fire. This, all after weathering the pandemic. Chad is one of our favorite guests. Chad also shares a few of his favorite Portland haunts. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off

Elias Cairo is the co-owner and head salumist at Olympia Provisions in Portland. Cairo grew up in a Greek-American family, where he learned to appreciate the value of handmade food. He later traveled to Europe to apprentice with master chefs and butchers, where he honed his skills in charcuterie. In 2009, Cairo returned to Portland and founded Olympia Provisions with his sister and partners, which has since become renowned for its high-quality artisanal meats. Lately, Eli has been propagating a message on social media comparing OP to larger meat companies, and on this podcast we talk to him about the differences in practices, including the questions consumers can ask retailers and meat companies to find out exactly what's on their plates. Cairo is also involved in other business ventures including the restaurants Bar Casa Vale, Olympia Provisions and most recently, Alpenrausch. We also talk about life balance, and how he best keeps so many balls in the air, and what makes him happiest in and out of work. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off

Chef Sam Smith has been a notable figure in the Portland culinary scene since he arrived in the city from the Bay Area. He is currently the chef at Yaowarat, Portland Monthly's 2023 Restaurant of the Year. Sam talks about the experiences of traveling through Thailand with his team doing extensive research to develop the recipes for the restaurant, as well as why the team of Sam, Akkapong Earl Ninsom, Kyle Webster and Eric Nelson is such a powerhouse. Smith has honed his skills through experiences at renowned establishments like Zahav in Philadelphia and Ava Gene's in Portland. He has a talent and great resume helping restaurants get off the ground, contributing to the success of ventures like Spirit of '77, Ava Gene's Tusk, Sweedeedee, and Yaowarat. He was also recognized as a 2018 Portland Rising Star by StarChefs. Sam also reveals his favorite Portland places. Photo credit: Thom Hilton/Eater Portland Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off

Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off This week's episode comes from September of 2023, and our conversation with Garrett Peck. It's always a pleasure to have Garrett Peck on our podcast. For years, Garrett was at the center of the Portland food world as GM and host at some of Portland's most prolific restaurants. He managed the Heathman, later Headwaters, as well as The Paley Group's other hotel properties, Imperial, Rosa Rosa and The Crown. When turmoil of 2020 put beyond a damper on the viability of those restaurants, Garrett and his wife Jonie sought greener pastures, which led them to Sisters, OR. There, they connected with some of Portland's other most successful restaurateurs, who also found central Oregon more to their liking. In 2022, the three opened RBC (Rancher Butcher Chef) with other investors. Now with a year under their belts, RBC is lauded as one of the states most successful restaurants, outside of Portland. Garrett shares with us some of the joys of central Oregon life, as well as the growth of Bend as a living and dining destination. Listen to the end for some of his faves in the area. www.rbcbend.com.

There may be no bigger fan of In-N-Out in the Portland area than Danny Dwyer. Yes, that Danny Dwyer, a long time voice on country radio in Portland at 98.7 The Bull. In this episode we talk about his love of In-N-Out, what it might mean for the Portland food scene. We also hear about some of the places around the Portland/Vancouver area that are his go-to spots. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off

Sandi Wilkens is the proprietor of both the Portland restaurant Quaintrelle, and also the Willamette Valley's Abbey Road Farm. We talk about the virtues of both and what helped them to drive through the pandemic to be beacons in their respective worlds today. Sandi talks about her recent trip to Japan and what she saw there that inspired her. We also talk about how her places weather the current challenges with food and labor costs. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Capitola Coffee: www.CapitolaCoffee.com

Rob Sample joins us on the podcast. He's the Chief Schmoozing Officer at Mother’s Bistro, where his wife Lisa has been well known as the chef and restaurateur since 2002. Lisa just won the area's "Most Remarkable Woman" award on KOIN and we thought there was no one better to talk about why that's an apt designation for Lisa than Rob. Rob has lots of Portland stories to tell, and also stores of raising two young kids with Lisa after tragedy struck a few years ago. So, we talk about that and hear what a remarkable and wonderful couple Rob and Lisa are. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Acre Forge Knives: www.AcreForge.co (use code: CUT25 for 25% off your first order)

From July 2023: Joel Stocks has found a new home at his new restaurant/wine bar L'Orange with business partner Jeff Vejr, also of Las Caves. We discuss what L'Orange is all about, including the visions both he and Jeff had when opening their wine bar/restaurant in the former Willow space. Joel has worked at some of the best restaurants in Portland, and the world. Arzak, Alinea, French Laundry to name a few, and of course Holdfast Dining in Portland. We'll hear how Joel targeted working at the French Laundry long before he got a gig there, and now that happened. Joel will also discuss how his prior experiences influences his cooking. We'll also talk travel ideas, especially Spain. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com Kyo Koo joins us again on the podcast to talk about Warsugai, his new restaurant that opened in February of this year. Kyo is a Portland native who grew up with frequent exposure to the Asian food world in Portland at the time of his childhood. Kyo has had key roles at Clarklewis and Bluehour, before embarking on commanding his own restaurants and consulting for others. To hear his more extensive backstory, please listen to our first interview with Kyo: https://rightatthefork.com/shows/2019/7/11/207-kyo-koo-danwei-canting

Listen in as Chef and restaurateur Louis Lin takes us from his childhood to his cooking career to Portland, where he and his partner Jolyn have created a beautiful spot that celebrates the idea of a first generation American serving casual food one might find in a late night setting. Louis also addresses pricing out menu items and some of the joys of owning his own business in Portland. Also, he shares a great list of his favorite spots in Portland. Make sure to stay tuned! Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Kris Trimble is a professional barista at Capitola Coffee. He started getting into coffee during undergrad days in Grand Junction, Colorado. Going to cafes and trying different types of coffee started him on his path. Kris started making french presses at home and it evolved from there. He's always been drawn to coffee - the process, the ritual, the time and intention put into the final product. From studying Counseling Psychology in undergrad, to Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy in grad school - he always had his mind on how slowness and sensory experience impacts our psyche. Grad school at Lewis and Clark eventually brought him to Portland. The hyper-local and intense attention to detail he witnessed in Portland drew him in. His first coffee job was part time at one of Portland's first micro-roasters Kobos Coffee. After they were acquired by Groundwork Coffee, he was promoted to Coffee Educator and Trainer. He fell in love with this role and was stoked to be around other people that are stoked about coffee! Since then, he's lived the dream and feels it was his calling. Capitola Coffee does cuppings and sells fine retail coffee and provides a relaxing environment just across the popular food carts on Mississippi. Go see Kris and order coffee the way you like it and enjoy their beautiful shop. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Upon the very sad news of the passing of Chef Lauro Romero on February 16, 2024, we revisit our interview with him from 2021. After this interview, Chef Romero left Republica to start his lauded pop-up, Clandestino. From there, he was hired as chef du Cuisine to build a menu and team at Bellpine, the new restaurant at Portland's new Ritz Carlton hotel and luxury apartments. At the time of this writing, the cause of death is unknown. The Portland food community is quite sad and devasted about his death. Here is a rare opportunity to hear Chef Romero talk about his life in his own voice, unedited. RIP, Chef. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com --- Original Show Notes: Lauro Romero, chef of República , a new hotspot on the Portland food scene, joins us to discuss his childhood and Mom's influence in his native Mexico on his food sensibilities. We track his journey from farms in Mexico through Utah to Portland, where Chef Lauro helmed one of Portland's best seafood spots, King Tide. Chef talks about the things that came together with his partners to form what he believes is a perfect team to offer great food, drinks, coffee and service at República.

We head east to enter into a conversation with Lindsay Gott, who is growing a tasty brand of frozen baked goods, Gateaux, from Hood River, Oregon. Lindsay worked at one of the world's powerhouse ad agencies for years, when she had the calling to cook, and found her way to Paris and Le Cordon Bleu and then cooking in excellent restaurants like Chez Panisse. Knowing she didn't want to work in restaurants, per se, she fell in love with a man from Oregon and moved north from the Bay Area, eventually selling her goods at a local Hood River farmers market. From there, she opened a deli and bakery. Then, the pandemic storm hit and she began developing and honing her frozen goods for retail sales. Now her Gateaux cakes can be found in grocery stores throughout the Northwest, including Zupan's, and now Lindsay has eyes on new, larger markets. Lindsay takes through her journey from concept, selling, naming, packaging, producing, and more, right to grocer's freezer case, to table. Right at the Fork listeners will also benefit by Lindsay's 20 years of food loving in Hood River, as she shares over a dozen of her favorite places to imbibe in the area. @gateaux_frozenforfoodies Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Learn more about Chris' trips here: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com

Head Chef at Portland's Canard and Le Pigeon, Dana Francisco joins us to talk about his roles at the restaurants, the joys of working with Gabe Rucker, as well as what brought him to Portland from his positions of responsibility at important corporate restaurants as well as his other experiences. Dana discusses his strengths and weaknesses in the kitchen and at home, as well as his guilty pleasures between the two places. It's a nice, frank discussion about humility and what it takes to succeed in 2024 in Portland Oregon in the restaurant business, and what makes Canard and Le Pigeon such consistent mainstays. Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Learn more about Chris' trips here: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com