CONSUMED with Jaime Lewis

Oddette Augustus, chef and caterer, Miss Oddette’s Creole Kitchen, Paso Robles

Guest host Justin Trabue gets real with Oddette Augustus of Miss Oddette’s Creole Kitchen, which caters, holds pop-ups, and sells Oddette’s famous BBQ sauces. She talks about her ‘granga” Hazel who taught her how to cook, and about her struggles as a Black woman in Paso Robles. On that note, Oddette and Justin talk about a current event here on the Central Coast involving Tianna Arata, a young Black activist and organizer. For more on that story, start here.

Website: missoddettes.store

Facebook:.facebook.com/missoddettes

Instagram: @missoddettes

Janine Stone, food entrepreneur, A Bitch-In Kitchen, San Luis Obispo, CA

Janine Stone is the brains behind a Bitch-In Kitchen, a project that began as an irreverent blog about vegan, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free cooking. Today, it’s also a food delivery business, bringing oat milk, granola, and cookie dough in vast quantities to hungry homes across the Central Coast. It all began the day the coronavirus shut everything down, just a few months ago. Plus, it’s not even Janine’s full-time job. Primarily, she’s the one-woman-show behind If You Give A Girl A Saw, her woodworking and furniture company that was named America’s #1 maker by USA Today. Janine and I talked about how she got involved in making foods for alternative diets, her obsession with Taco Bell, and why the Home Depot guys won’t stop asking if she’s finding everything alright.

Special listener note: If you’re sensitive to curse words, or if you know little ears are listening, you’ll want to pick a different episode.

Website: abitchinkitchen.shop

Instagram: @abitchinkitchen

Brittany App, water activist and filmmaker, ”Where There Once Was Water,” Carrizo Plain, CA

Brittany App is a photographer and the filmmaker behind the upcoming film “Where There Once Was Water,” a feature-length documentary that shows the effects of water scarcity in California, and helps people heal its water cycle. Brittany has traveled all over the world on photography gigs, and her experiences in foreign countries inspired her to think more critically about water in her home state. From her new home on the Carrizo Plain in deep eastern San Luis Obispo County, she shares about her own water-saving methods, the way she is now in solidarity with those across the world who carry water to their home, and about the process of designing a film with conviction and hope in equal measure.

Website: wherethereoncewaswater.com

Instagram: @brittanyapp

Jim Clendenen, winemaker, Au Bon Climat Winery, Santa Maria, CA

Jim Clendenen is one of the most important people in the history of American wine. He established Au Bon Climat winery in 1982, and he’s been named Los Angeles Times Winemaker of the Year, Food & Wine Magazine’s Winemaker of the Year, and the German wine magazine Wein Gourmet’s “Winemaker of the World.” Here, we discussed how his grandmother supported her family, the beauty and rarity of a good business partnership, and how we’re name buddies.

Website: aubonclimat.com

Instagram: @aubonclimat

Jack + Michelle Rudolph, farmers and cheesemakers, Stepladder Creamery, Cambria, CA

Jack and Michelle Rudolph own Stepladder Creamery in the hills behind Cambria, California. There, the Rudolphs raise a large herd of La Mancha goats and make cheese from their milk. In addition to the goats, Jack and Michelle grow dozens of acres of Haas avocados, citrus, and passion fruit. Listen in to learn why Jack had a crepe pan at 12 years old, how Michelle milked the goats while enduring stomach flu, and how they’ve experimented with growing bananas and coffee on the ranch.

Website: stepladdercreamery.com

Instagram: @stepladdercreamery

Kendra Aronson, cookbook author and creative, San Luis Obispo, CA

Kendra Aronson is the author of the San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market Cookbook, which is now in its third printing. Kendra produced every bit of the project, from crowdfunding and writing to photography, editing, self-publishing and marketing. She’s also a food stylist for big shoots with brands like Target, Pillsbury and others. Kendra talked with me about the importance of having a dedicated space for her work, about why she became so passionate about food in the first place, and why she’s not drinking so much booze these days.

Website: kendraaronson.com

Instagram: @kendraaronson

Matt Cross, owner, Broad Street Public House, San Luis Obispo, CA

Broad Street Pub owner Matt Cross trained as an evangelical pastor and worked in the church before leaving it all to become a full-time musician on nights and weekends, caring for his twin daughters during the day. Ultimately, his exposure to wineries, breweries, bars, and restaurants drew him to start his own place - a place for locals to gather that isn’t just focused on attracting a student population. Here Matt talks about how his faith has changed over the years, how food and drink integrate with it, and how his self-perception from childhood impacts the man he is today. (Don’t miss Matt’s special musical treat at the end.)

Facebook: @broadstreetpub

Instagram: @broadstreetpub

Max Montgomery, brewer and owner, There Does Not Exist, San Luis Obispo, CA

A SLO native, Max Montgomery is the owner of the new brewery There Does Not Exist. After befriending the head brewer for Firestone Walker Brewing, Max attended brewing school in Chicago and Germany, tasting and brewing and learning his way through the history of the world’s beer. Back in SLO, he brewed at Firestone Walker until he decided to start There Does Not Exist, which is on its way to becoming a cult classic. Hear Max talk about skateboarding, anti-marketing, warm sourdough bread, and the challenges of making a popular IPA.

Website: theredoesnotexist.com

Instagram: @theredoesnotexist

Larry Kandarian, grain farmer, Kandarian Organic Farms, Los Osos, CA

An agricultural legacy, Larry Kandarian is the energy and heart behind Kandarian Organic Farms in Los Osos, California. Larry started in tech, but went on to work in seed farming where he grew interested in grasses, the family of grains. Heirloom and ancient grains are now Larry’s primary focus, and he is a rock star on the international food scene. Larry is an encyclopedia of agricultural knowledge, but it’s his passion for grains that has captured people’s culinary imagination. Here, Larry discusses the correlation between grain cultivation and human development, his new venture, Heart & Soil Farm, which he is developing with his “bread brother,” Guy Frenkel, and his recipe for Longevity Stew, which I’ve posted on Larry's episode page at letsgetconsumed.com.

Website: kandarian-organic-farms.myshopify.com

Instagram: @kandarianorganicfarms

 

Erin Primer, Food Services Director, San Luis Coastal Unified School District, San Luis Obispo, CA

Erin Primer joined San Luis Coastal Unified School District four years ago, bringing new energy to the school lunch program, incorporating many local farmers and purveyors into dishes and significantly increasing the number of meals the district supplies. Raised an only child by a single mom, she credits much of her creativity and drive to her upbringing. Erin talks about the effects of COVID-19 and the massive shifts she and her team have had to make to ensure that kids get fed while they’re away from school. Listen as Erin talks about feelings around food, not knowing where rice comes from, and about building an airplane at 30,000 feet in the air.

Special note: Erin talks a bit about the Pandemic EBT, which offers extra benefits to families that qualify for school lunches during this season of change, including cash for groceries. If you or someone you know needs these services, you can find a link to the Pandemic EBT website here.

Website: slcusdfood.org

Instagram: @slcusdfood