Heritage Radio Network On Tour

Steve Palmer, a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurateur Award nominee and semifinalist for three consecutive years (’18,’19, & ’20), is the managing partner of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, a hospitality and consulting company based in Charleston, SC. In 2016, Steve and fellow restaurateur Mickey Bakst founded Ben’s Friends, a support group for members of the food and beverage industry battling substance abuse and addiction. Steve discusses the many ways to define and offer support to folks in the restaurant industry, from a growing array of Ben's Friends support networks to programs through Indigo Road that offer free mental health care and pathways to home ownership.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Per tradition, the CHWFF's executive director Gillian Zettler stopped by during the festival's final hour to reflect on the whirlwind of events the long weekend had in store. This year marked the festival's joyful return after being cancelled in 2021 as a result of the pandemic as well a change in venue and the addition of concerts. Gillian shares what the festival's motto "22 Together" means to her, shouts out memorable moments and bites, and looks ahead to the future.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Industry veterans and champions of Ben's Friends, Mickey Bakst and Ben Ellsworth discuss sobriety and support in the restaurant industry. Ben's Friends is a resource for hospitality professionals struggling with addiction and substance abuse. These two share personal stories about their experiences with sobriety, converse about the impact of the pandemic on the organization, and emphasize the importance of asking for help.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Matt Lee grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. When he and his brother Ted left to attend colleges in the Northeast, they so missed the foods of their hometown that they founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order catalogue for southern pantry staples like stone-ground grits, fig preserves, and, of course, boiled peanuts. They also host cookbook bootcamps, recently published a fabulous nonfiction book about the secret world of high-end catering called Hot Box, and help produce the annual Southeastern Wildlife Expo. Matt's newest venture is farming 45 acres on Johns Island. He talks about growing cereal grains like wheat, barley, rye, and oats which are sold to bakers, brewers, distillers and used for livestock feed.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Amethyst Ganaway is a chef and food writer, focusing primarily on Southern and African-American foodways and the foodways of the African Diaspora. She's also the lead recipe developer and content creator for Chef Pierre Thiam’s West African food brand, Yolélé. She talks about her food memories from growing up in Charleston, discusses her new book proposal about whole animal cooking, and shares ideas for preparing fonio. Plus, she shouts out some all-star Charleston chefs and restaurants. HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

The most significant crop in the world, rice is a staple in the diets of more than half of the Earth’s people. Chinese lore claimed it was a gift from the animals after a flood; eons ago, the Japanese paid their taxes with rice; in the American South, rice became the cash crop for plantation owners at the expense of the enslavement of thousands of Africans. At a family-style dinner during the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, chefs came together to create a meal that pays homage to each of their stories and explores how food, specifically rice, can bridge the gap between cultures. Dominick Lee, Kevin Mitchell, and Matthew Raiford discuss the history of Carolina gold, talk about regional dishes, and share family stories. HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Chef Alain Lemaire is an award-winning, Haitian-born chef and the host chef of the Luda Can't Cook series on Discovery+ with award-winning rapper, actor, restaurateur Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. He is also a contestant of the Food Network's hit series Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped, as well as the Co-owner and Executive Chef of Sensory Delights, a full-service catering company based out of South Florida. He talks about the techniques used in Haitian cooking, his familial influences, working with Ludacris, and more. HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Vivian Howard is an award-winning cookbook author, TV personality, chef and restaurateur. Her first cookbook Deep Run Roots: Stories & Recipes from My Corner of the South (2016), is a New York Times bestseller and was named “Cookbook of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She created and stars in public television shows, Somewhere South and A Chef’s Life for which she has won Peabody, Emmy and James Beard awards. Vivian runs four restaurants: Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, N.C.; Benny’s Big Time in Wilmington, N.C.; and, Handy & Hot and Lenoir in Charleston, S.C. In October 2020, Vivian released her second cookbook, This Will Make It Taste Good: A New Path to Simple Cooking. She talks about storytelling through food, her favorite food and beverage on her restaurants' menus right now, and how she gets it all done.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Amy Mills was raised up on smoke and sauce. She is heiress to the 17th Street Barbecue empire, which she leads alongside her dad, Mike Mills. Together they co-authored Peace, Love, and Barbecue and Praise the Lard. She also runs OnCue Consulting, the only barbecue business consultancy in the world. She’s a featured judge on various barbecue shows as well as co-star of the Mills family’s own digital series, Peace, Love, and Barbecue. 17th Street Barbecue is located in Southern Illinois, Murphysboro, named “Barbecue Capital of Illinois” by the State Legislature and she is trying to revitalize her hometown.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Omar Tate, Valerie Erwin, Monica O’Connell come together to talk about an event they collaborated on titled Exploring Black Spirituality Through Food. It was a relaxed, love-filled dinner examining the intersections and histories of Black spirituality and religion as they relate to food. They talk about the art, dishes, stories, and symbolism that made the event evocative.Chef and artist Omar Tate and chef and author Cybille St. Aude-Tate co-founded Honeysuckle Projects, a multifaceted food company that focuses on the nuanced cultures and cuisines of the Black diaspora. Valerie Erwin is a longtime Philadelphia chef and social justice activist who, for 12 years, owned the critically acclaimed Geechee Girl Rice Cafe. She now serves on the board of C-CAP, a culinary scholarship program for high school students, and on the board of the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, an anti-homelessness organization. Monica Hairston O’Connell is a journeyer, baker, writer, and death doula. She

Tahiirah Habibi is a pioneer in breaking cultural stigmas in the wine industry in hopes of creating space for wine lovers in the Black community. She joins The Grape Nation's Sam Benrubi to discuss her career journey and her work as the founder of the Hue Society, an organization committed to the inclusion and education of Women and People of Color in the wine industry.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Femi Oyediran from Graft, Matt Conway from Tippling House, and Justin Coleman from Monarch Wine offer their varying industry perspectives on selling wine. They join The Grape Nation's Sam Benrubi for a spirited conversation about integrity, trends, and more. Plus, they shout out some of their favorite bottles as of late.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Lindsay Collins of EffinB Radio welcomes Corrie and Shuai Wang of Jackrabbit Filly, a heritage driven new Chinese American restaurant in Charleston. They began Short Grain food truck in 2014, which served untraditional Japanese rice bowls and landed them on Bon Appetit magazine’s Top Fifty Best Restaurants list, Eater Young Guns and Best Chef lists, and garnered them a James Beard’s Rising Star Chef nod. All the while, the couple looked for a brick and mortar home. In 2019, they found one and they aren't just serving rice bowls anymore. Join them for a conversation about the industry, the impact of the pandemic, and truly delicious food.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Paola Velez is a pastry chef who founded Bakers Against Racism during the pandemic. Through grassroots bake sales across the globe, the initiative has raised over $2 million and is currently offering support to Ukraine, and particularly the Afro-Ukrainians, African university students and Caribbean university students struggling to flee from war. Paola talks about how her childhood impacted her relationship with food, how she finds strength and optimism in light of dire circumstances, and how anyone can get involved with baking for a cause.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

2022 brought music at a whole new level to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Lake Street Dive headlined the first of two huge outdoor live concerts at Riverfront Park, which brought festival-goers back together in high energy celebration mode in a gorgeous setting. Lake Street Dive's Bridget Kearney and Mike Calabrese sit down with Caity and HRN On Tour guest host Christine Sykes Lowe to talk about being back on the road, food and nostalgia in their creative processes, and what it means to be performing in Charleston.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Weston Hoard joins The Grape Nation's Sam Benrubi to talk all about importing, education, and the preservation of great traditions. He spent four years living in Piedmont and working for the renowned Barolo winery Paolo Scavino. The opportunity to work alongside the Scavinos in the vineyards and the cellar contributed profoundly to his understanding of wine production in the heart of Piedmont. Evolving in his role with Scavino, Weston became the liaison between the winery and their importers in the United States, Asia, and Scandinavia. Upon his return to the United States in 2011, Weston channeled his experience in Italy into a new solo project called The Piedmont Guy. The sole charge of this niche importing company is bringing the great wines of Piedmont to the United States. In so doing, The Piedmont Guy opens the American market to the great producers of Piedmont, both acclaimed and undiscovered.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Tia Clark was 37 the first time she went crabbing. Today she hosts “Let's Go Crabbing," recognized as one of the best Airbnb experiences in the world. She talks about chasing her passion and finding a new lease on life.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross join The Grape Nation's Sam Benrubi to tell the stories of their interlinked careers and talk about all things Australian wine. They are a husband and wife duo behind the Australian wine imports company, Legend.Jane is a Nashville-based sommelier, importer, and author. She has worked at New York's Eleven Madison Park, Nashville's The Catbird Seat, Chicago's The Violet Hour, and most recently as the wine director at Attica, one of Australia's most celebrated restaurants. In September of 2018, Jane passed the Master Sommelier exam, becoming the only woman in Australia to do so, and one of only 34 women in the world (and less than 300 people in total since the 1960s). In September of 2019, she published her first book, a personal and educational guide to wine called Vignette: Stories of Life and Wine in 100 Bottles. Jonathan Ross is a New Jersey-born sommelier who spent most of his career working in the New York restaurant industry. Jon’s time in NYC was capped off by a 5-year stint

Emily Heintz is behind Sèchey, a new shop in Charleston carrying non-alcoholic spirits, wine & beer for mindful drinkers and the sober curious. Emily joins HRN's Caity Moseman Wadler and Dylan Heuer for a tasting across these categories as well as a conversation about this growing market.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

Meet the Dreamboats! The British-born, Charleston-based duo of Restaurateur Ben Towill and Chef Charlie Layton of Basic Projects are preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean in the 2022 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. They were inspired to take on this extraordinary feat of athletic and mental endurance when they were in the depths of the most challenging days of running a restaurant during the Covid pandemic. Liza Hamm interviews them about their decision, the preparation, and the upcoming journey that will take them across 3,000 nautical miles in very close quarters. The pair will be raising funds for The Green Heart Project and 2041 Foundation.HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.