CONSUMED with Jaime Lewis

Bonus episode: Daniel Sinton, Avenales Ranch and Winery + Jensen Lorenzen, Larder Meat Co.

Rancher Daniel Sinton of Avenales Ranch & Winery (Instagram: @avenalesranch) and Jensen Lorenzen of Larder Meat Co. (Instagram: @lardermeatco) come on the podcast to talk about their personal experiences with the imminent unsustainability of the nation’s meat supply chain, and what we as consumers can do to move markets.

From Jensen and Daniel:

What can be done now by everyone who hears this episode in three practical steps:

1. Education.

   Website: The Sustainable Dish
   Book: “The Sacred Cow” by Diana Rogers
   Podcast: “Beyond Labels with Joel Salatin and Dr. Sina McCullough”
   Podcast: “The Daily: Who Do You Want Controlling Your Food?”

2. Buy local.

   Start with meat and vegetables by going to farmers’ markets or by supporting online food delivery businesses that align with these principles. Note: Consumers should be aware of brand “greenwashing” and look for transparency in sourcing. Links to suppliers are a key indicator of sourcing transparency above profit-driven motive.

3. Course-correct in other actionable areas.

   Continue to invert your “personal supply chain” out of the grocery store and into your local food-shed. Beyond meat and vegetables, start sourcing local bread, cheese, coffee, wine and beer, grains, etc.

Put your money where your mouth is and move markets.

Winemakers Eric + Cait Johnson, Ann Albert Wines, San Luis Obispo

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Cait and Eric Johnson are the owners and winemakers behind Ann Albert Wines, based out of San Luis Obispo. In fact, they’re my neighbors - they live right around the corner with their darling baby daughter. Eric is also the head winemaker at Talley Vineyards, a benchmark winery for the Central Coast where he’s worked for 16 years. And Cait works in marketing at a creative firm in town called Level Studios. They told us about how they met and fell in love — actually Matt described that, because he got to witness it — how Cait has a statistical superpower, how Eric came up through the ranks at Talley, and how McDonald’s cracks a fresh egg for each egg McMuffin.

Ann Albert Wines / @ann_albert_wines

Registered dietician Sherry Elliston, MS, RD, CDE, San Luis Obispo

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Sherry Elliston is a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator, as well as a professor in the Food Science and Nutrition Department at Cal Poly State University. She is a respected and passionate expert who works with patients, especially new moms with diabetes. We talked a lot about gestational diabetes (which I had), my bizarrely high cholesterol (which Sherry also has), eating grapes versus drinking red wine, using food to cope (which Matt is moving away from), and moderation, moderation, moderation. Sherry has wonderful information and perspective on how to make small changes for big results. Plus, she’s just a peach: you’ll love her.

Sherry Elliston, Cal Poly Food Science & Nutrition

Central Coast Distillery, Eric Olson, chef + distiller, Atascadero

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Six years ago, I met a chef who told me about how he foraged for acorns to make bread, pancakes, and even distilled spirits. He completely captured my interest from the first conversation, and I followed up to do a story on him for Life & Thyme Magazine. In the process, I learned so, so much more about Chef Eric Olson, and I got the impression his repository of stories was bottomless. Today, he owns Central Coast Distillery, where he makes a line of single-batch spirits aptly named “Forager.” This includes award-winning agave spirits, rum, gin and more. Matt Cross wanted to meet Eric because he sounded fascinating — and he did not disappoint. Listen to stories about working in hotels during the 1992 LA riots, marrying the HR Manager, and hanging up on someone who was trying to give him a double gold medal for his Forager Rum.

Central Coast Distillery / @foragerspirits

City of San Luis Obispo Tourism Manager Molly Cano

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Molly Cano is the Tourism Manager for the City of San Luis Obispo, which means she has to communicate constantly about what makes SLO a wonderful — and wonderfully delicious — place. Whether residents realize it or not, the desirability of SLO is closely linked to its success as a tourist destination. The accommodations and food service industry is the third-largest economic driver in the city. Second-largest is retail, which is arguably part of tourism, too. In any case, Molly is responsible for promoting SLO to visitors, ensuring that our city’s most valuable assets like bars and restaurants get lots of visitors. Matt thought Molly would be a good guest because she obviously knows a lot about where to eat in SLO, and he was right.

City of SLO / @shareslo

Bladesmith Cameron Alarcio, Alarcio Knives, Pismo Beach

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Bladesmith Cameron Alarcio is so very cool. The moment he showed up with all his knives, Matt and I were complete putty in his hands. Cameron started making knives as his meticulous grandfather had before him. For his day job, Cameron teaches social studies and makers elective for 7th and 8th graders, and nights and weekends, he plays with knives, no joke. He explains the process he goes through to make a single knife, from sourcing the materials to sharpening the final product. Cameron also describes how he wound up on a reality TV show called “Forged in Fire,” how to look at a knife for flaws, and the best ways to sharpen.

Alarcio Knives / @cameron_alarcio_knives

Brewers Jacque + Ryan Fields, Wild Fields Brewhouse, Atascadero

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Matt and I appreciate Jacque and Ryan Fields of Wild Fields Brewhouse because while they make and sell IPAs, they also make and sell so much more than that. Jacque and Ryan brought several beers over for us to taste, and Matt and I enjoyed every one of them. The Pine Mountain Monolith Brown Ale was my favorite — almost all of their beers are named after spots on the Central Coast. We discussed Jacque and Ryan’s strong lineage in the beer industry, with Beachwood, Lost Abbey and Pizza Port among the breweries they’ve worked for. We also talked about how to start liking sour ales, Atascamazing, bottles versus cans, and the Fields’s RV named Honey Buns.

Eleven-Twenty-Two Speakeasy owner Donovan Schmit, Paso Robles

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Together with his cousin and business partner, Troy Larkin, Donovan Schmit owns Pappy McGregor’s Gastropub, Fish Gaucho Restaurant, Eleven Twenty-Two Cocktail Lounge & Speakeasy, and the new Cane Tiki Room, all in downtown Paso Robles. Each of these businesses manifested in a special way, whether inspired by pub nights, a trip to Tulum, the aesthetic of Prohibition-era bars — in fact, even the pandemic helped birth one of their concepts. Donovan shared with Matt and me the way one beget the other, and about the lessons he’s learned along the way. I was particularly interested in the Eleven Twenty-Two Speakeasy, which is a place unlike any other on the Central Coast. Listen as Donovan discusses the first business he owned with Troy, and how the next generation is starting to take over.

Pappy McGregor’s / @pappymcgregors

Fish Gaucho / @fishgaucho

Eleven Twenty-Two Speakeasy / @1122.cocktail.lounge

Cane Tiki Room / @canetikiroom

Winemaker Janell Dusi, J. Dusi Wines + Paper Street, Paso Robles

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Janell Dusi is the winemaker behind J. Dusi wines, and part of an enviable legacy. Her great-grandparents came to Paso Robles from Italy in the early 1900s and planted Zinfandel across their spacious property. The following two generations kept at it, farming vines and selling to some of the biggest, most iconic brands in the wine industry, names like Ridge and Turley. While Janell also considers herself a farmer — I mean, how could she not with a family like that? — Janell went on to become a winemaker. In fact, when she was 13, she made her first Zinfandel and won an honorable mention at the California Mid-State Fair. And that was just the beginning. Janell shares with me and Matt about studying Global and International Studies at UC Santa Barbara, the ins and outs of growing zin, and how she came up with the name Paper Street for her new vineyard.

J. Dusi Wines / @jdusi / @paperstreetvineyard

Ash Management, Jason Gable + Eric DeMatteo, San Luis Obispo County

Matt Cross Tap Takeover Episode

Ash Management owns and operates many, many restaurants and bars across the Central Coast, including the Frog & Peach Pub, Mother’s Tavern, Shell Beach Brewhouse, Rooster Creek Tavern, Mason Bar & Kitchen, Creaky Tiki, Milestone Tavern, and Bull’s Tavern. In fact, Bull’s Tavern is where it all began for Ash Management owner Billy Hale, who started as a janitor there while studying at Cal Poly University in the 80s. Billy leans on two critical people to keep the Ash Management properties on point: Jason Gable and Eric DeMatteo. These two are sort of the yin and yang of management, Jason focusing on the back of house and Eric focusing on the front of house. The two of them sat down with me and Matt to talk about their humble beginnings, how they’re raising a generation of employees, and how Californians are different from East Coasters.

*Note: Ash Management owns too many properties to list — besides, that list keeps changing! Here, I’ll list the main spots we chat about in the episode.

Shell Beach Brewhouse / @shellbeachbrewhouse

Rooster Creek Tavern / @roostercreektavern

Mason Bar + Kitchen / @masonbarandkitchen

Central Coast Meat Market & BBQ / @centralcoastmeatmarket