CONSUMED with Jaime Lewis

Olive oil tasting with Marisa Bloch Gaytan of Pasolivo Olive Oil, Paso Robles

I’ve shared before that a loaf of rustic bread and a bottle of olive oil are pretty much all I need to be happy (oh, and a glass of Prosecco), so imagine my delight when the general manager of Pasolivo Olive Oil, Marisa Bloch Gaytan, came over to chat and taste through their many olive oil varieties. Marisa is a level-2 olive oil sommelier and Pasolivo’s master blender, so she knows a thing or two about liquid gold. We talked about how she transitioned from the wine business to the olive oil business, how she gets the basil olive oil to taste so fresh, and whether she can tell the variety of my olive tree, right outside the window.

 

Website: pasolivo.com

Instagram: @pasolivo

Gardening (and free popcorn) with Miner’s Ace Hardware president Paul Filice, Arroyo Grande

Paul Filice is the president of Miner’s Ace Hardware, a collection of nine “hardware stores” across the Central Coast. I put “hardware stores” in quotes because Miner’s is so much more than a hardware store, though that’s certainly how it began. In addition to all the usual stuff — hardware, tools, paint, etc — Miner’s has a wonderful housewares section featuring Traeger grills, Yeti coolers, Ball canning systems and more that I could spend all day exploring. It also has one of the best nursery departments in the business, which is our top choice for everything from seeds and veggie starts to the avocado tree, satsuma tree, and espalier apple tree in our front yard. It’s a family business: I grew up going to school with Amy Miner, Paul’s wife, so I’ve been able to watch it grow over the years. Listen to Paul tell stories about legendary employee Wally Lewis who retired at the age of 95, the man who drove a Harley directly into the Los Osos Miner’s and continued to shop on it, and about how the community knew COVID was over when the popcorn came back.

 

Website: minersacehardware.com

Instagram: @miners_ace_hardware

Quick pickling with Andrea Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert, Los Osos

Andrea Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert are the people behind the Quick Pickle Kit, which they call “the DIY pickling kit for people on a journey” — I love that. They started the company in 1996 with a couple goals. One, they wanted to give people a healthy and stress-free way to pickle fresh produce. Andrea’s mother was a pickler and would send jars of them to Andrea as a taste of home. And secondly, they wanted to give back to their community. Philanthropy is a massive reason the Quick Pickle Kit exists. Andrea and Meghan employ adults with disabilities and donate a portion of every sale to nonprofits — and they always have. Listen in as they talk about their backgrounds, their inspiration, and their passion for a crunchy pickle.

 

Website: quickpicklekit.com

Instagram: @quickpicklekit

“Nature-positive” winemaking with Matt Trevisan at Linne Calodo Winery, Paso Robles

Matt Trevisan is the winemaker and owner at Linne Calodo Winery in Paso Robles, California. Along with his wife, Maureen, he has built the Willow Creek District-winery into a really special producer of Rhone-varietal blends and Zinfandel wines. And they’ve been at it for 25 years, constantly tweaking their process and pulling at the thread of what kind of winery and business they want to be. Over those years, Matt has been especially interested in pursuing a “nature-positive” model — one that forces farmers and winemakers to live “within the bounds of their land’s natural resources and rely on natural solutions and manual labor rather than chemicals and carbon-burning machines.” That’s actually a quote from Matt himself, and one worth mulling over in depth. Aside from wine, we discussed his obsession with flying, car racing with KCBX DJ Neal Losey, and the concept of “learn by failing.”

Peasant’s Feast and Peasant’s Deli chef/owners Michael and Sarah Cherney, Solvang

I didn’t realize it until just now, but I’ve known Michael and Sarah Cherney for years. Okay, I didn’t know-them know-them, but I definitely enjoyed their hospitality a few times at Sides’ Hardware and Shoes, the charming restaurant in Los Olivos where Michael was chef and Sarah worked front of house. The Cherneys have since started their own business called Peasant’s Feast in an iconic restaurant space in Solvang — a town known more for its aebleskivers and Christmas-all-year-round charm than for its cuisine. With the success of the restaurant, they’ve opened a beautiful second spot called Peasant’s Deli across the walkway. There’s also a fun little secret inside the deli worth exploring, but I’ll let them pique your interest. We talked about Michael’s veggie legs, Sarah’s theater background, and how deferred dreams led them right to the Peasant’s Feast’s door.

Website: peasantsfeast.com / peasantsdeli.com

Instagram: @peasantsfeast / @peasantsdeli

Photo: Bri Burkett

 

Bonus episode: Chris Lambert of Your Own Backyard talks creativity

If you've listened to the CONSUMED podcast for any length of time, you'll be familiar with the name Chris Lambert. He has edited the show for years, but you probably know him better for his own project, the podcast Your Own Backyard, about the disappearance of Kristin Smart. (If you haven't listened to Your Own Backyard, which was the #1 podcast in the world for some time, do yourself a favor and take a week or so to binge the whole series.)

With the trials of Paul Flores and Ruben Flores over, and Paul Flores sentenced to prison, Chris is busy writing and recording the final episode of that project. But he graciously agreed to sit down with me to talk, not so much about the case itself and all the accolades the podcast has received, but to discuss his creative process. Chris has been a professional musician and singer-songwriter for many years, and has 11 albums under his belt, so he knows a thing or two about how to create something artfully. We chatted about those, about his choices for writing the music for the podcast, and about sequencing when it came to telling Kristin and the Smart family’s story.

And because this is technically a food podcast, YES, we talked about food, too. Chris is a local boy, but has spent a lot of time in Louisiana, so he shares about his relationship with southern food. Random, I know, but this conversation sheds light on what it takes to see a window of opportunity, calculate the angle, and make the leap — just like so many farmers, chefs, winemakers, brewers, and entrepreneurs do in the food and beverage industry every day. 

 

Website: yourownbackyardpodcast.com

Instagram: @yourownbackyardpodcast

Bonus episode: CONSUMED Live x At Her Table | Mothers in the Hospitality Industry

This is another between-seasons bonus episode that I produced in collaboration with At Her Table, a weeklong food festival that celebrates women. For this event on March 7, 2023, I sat down at There Does Not Exist brewery for a live recording of the Consumed podcast featuring a panel of mothers in the hospitality industry. Panelists include Shanny Covey (Luna Red, Robin’s), Feben Teffera (Ebony SLO), Brittany Gonsalves (Central Coast Tacos), and Sam Whittaker (Bing’s Bao Buns).

Healing from eating disorders with Sara Garofalo, Love Holistic Living in SLO

Sara Garofalo teaches the principles of Ayurveda and intuitive eating to clients across the country, and across the world. She’s been featured on Medium, NBC Miami, Yahoo and Voyage LA for her approach to working with clients who struggle with disordered eating habits. Sara lives in San Luis Obispo, but she grew up in Italy, near Milan, and developed an eating disorder at a young age. With her clients today, she uses those experiences (and the solutions she found to them) to heal below-the-surface trauma that gets in the way of eating for pleasure. Listen in as Sara and I talk about binge eating, her new cookbook coming out, and the beauty of lasagna and tiramisu.

 

Website: loveholisticliving.com

Instagram: @love.holistic.living

Growing winemaking wings with Janie Willheim, Lumina Wines in Paso Robles

Janie Willheim is the spark plug behind Lumina Wines, a producer of what she calls “small batch wines made for happy consumption.” A graduate of the Cal Poly University wine and viticulture program, by day, Janie works on the winemaking team at Desperada Wines, whose winemaker Vailia From was on the podcast back in 2019. And because Vailia is married to fellow winemaker Russell From of Herman Story Wines, Janie works a little bit for him too. Confused yet? No worries — this is an easygoing conversation that covers the appeal of Riesling, the importance of mentorship, and the beauty of Cheetos.

 

Website: luminawines.com

Instagram: @luminawines

 

A life in produce with Andrea Chavez of Talley Farms Fresh Harvest, Arroyo Grande

Andrea Chavez oversees Talley Farms Fresh Harvest, a community-supported agriculture program with 3,500 subscribers across the Western U.S. Talley Farms has been around for four generations, but when the Talley family wanted to start a weekly subscription-based harvest share program in 2012, they hired Andrea. Her expertise in the produce business is a marvel, as you’ll hear from our conversation. Before the tape started rolling, she walked me around the farm, coolers, and packing areas to see how much goes into getting boxes of fresh fruits and veggies out to members. The logistics of distributing quality produce are challenging in a normal year, but in the time of Covid, it was off the chain. Listen to Andrea talk about her background, her job, and the one thing she and her husband Randy fight about.

 

Website: talleyfarmsfreshharvest.com

Instagram: @talleyfarmsfreshharvest