CONSUMED with Jaime Lewis

Vailia is the owner and winemaker behind Desparada, a wine label out of Paso Robles. Vailia is wise, energetic, and adventurous, both in life and in work. I talked with her about her career trajectory, about opera, how wine became a thing for her, and what it’s like to raise a child during harvest, when both parents are winemakers.

Website: desparada.com

Instagram: @desparadawine

Cookbook author Brigit Binns discusses how she was kicked out of boarding school, worked on Wall Street, lived in England and Spain, and moved in with her mother while writing a slow cooker cookbook in just two months.

The Spencers let me visit their Windrose Farm to talk about on-demand farming for chefs, how their partnership has weathered decades of hard work, thoughtful development and farmland preservation in the U.K., and how Barbara played cello in the pit for The Phantom Of The Opera to seal their farming fate.

Baker Dan Berkeland describes the diversity of his idyllic childhood in Inglewood, how he tries to re-create it through baking bread, and how he learned how to cook in Italy.

Damian Camacho sits down to discuss the kindest people he’s served in 10 years at Novo Restaurant, how downtown San Luis Obispo has changed, and how a good server (and a good DJ) can read a room.

Chef Emilie Goldstein talks about what it’s like to undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss, which she did in 2016. We talked about what that was like for a busy chef, and how she felt more heard after she lost 160 pounds. We also discussed what it’s like to be raised by a Southern mom and a Jewish dad, how that impacted the way she ate as a child and now as an adult, and about her dreams for the future.

Instagram: @chefem85

How does a Santa Maria cowboy become one of the most respected wine industry figures in the U.S.? Listen as James Ontiveros and I discuss his roots and how he’s grown.

Website: ranchosdeontiveros.com

Instagram: @native9wine

Jenna Congdon is a wine director and wine sales rep on the Central Coast. She also writes about wine and food for a number of publications, including Edible San Luis Obispo Magazine. Jenna and I talked about what it’s like to rep Austrian and German wines in SLO County, how a career in wine and motherhood influence each other, and about Zuni chicken.

On Instagram: @jennasuz

Feben Teffera talks about how her Ethiopian food pop-up sold out in 10 minutes, why she chose to be herself instead of trying to fit in, and how the way she feeds her son reflects (and challenges) her values.

Instagram (Ethiopian pop-up): @ebony_slo

Instagram (clothing and bags): @itsfabydesigns

Jensen Lorenzen tells why he didn’t graduate from college (despite having only one more quarter to go), why he believes in thinking inside the box, and about why he started a local meat CSA after shuttering his restaurant The Cass House.

Website (Larder): lardermeatco.com

Instagram (Larder): @lardermeatco