Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Cheetie Kumar, chef/owner of award-winning Ajja, in Raleigh, N.C.; Board Member and Vice President, Independent Restaurant Coalition, which is launching two first-of-their-kind grant programs:

o The first Disaster Relief Fund designed by and for independent restaurants and;

o An “Innovator Awards” for independent restaurants and bars doing innovative things to help their teams and communities;

· There‘s a lot of good chatter about the inventive Thai dishes served at Birdsong. Chef Kitima Boonmala is in and we’re gonna make her tell us all her secrets for tasty Thai cuisine;

· Victoria Simmerling of Scale Hospitality, who is developing the food and beverage program at D.C.’s new Sixty hotel;

· Lead bartender Lily Heredia of D.C.’s Gaia Supperclub, which opened in April, offering Mediterranean and Latin fusion cuisine with immersive entertainment inspired by nightlife experiences in Mykonos, Dubai, and Saint-Tropez.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Erin Hildreth, VP of communications for Responsibility.org, which works to eliminate both underage drinking and drunk driving and to promote responsible alcohol consumption. They have a cool app --The Virtual Bar -- a great tool to use before your first sip to plan how to pace your imbibing for a safe night out;

· Here’s an old and good friend back on the show - Francesco Amodeo, founder of the acclaimed Italian liqueur distillery Don Ciccio & Figli, is a consultant for the new concept, Tarì Trattoria, in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market District. Two decades in the making, Tari is a love letter to the simple, bold flavors of his hometown of Furore, Italy, on the Amalfi Coast near Salerno;

· You know Reid Shilling and his wife, Sara Quinteros, from their waterfront restaurant, the Shilling Canning Company. Not long ago they had a bird-brained idea to also open a stall in the Union Market District to pay homage to the crispy fried chicken that's so famously rooted in Amish culture. It’s Fancy Ranch Amish Fried Chicken. And we’ll be taste-testing it on air!

· Unless you live under a rock, you likely know the James Beard award-winning chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson recently opened Marcus DC. We enjoyed a special meal there and Marcus was on-hand for a great chat, as were his valued team members, D.C. native and Executive Chef Anthony Jones, and Rachel Sherriffe, executive pastry chef. Anthony and Rachel are in with us today;

· AJ Irawan is the general manager of Nobu Washington DC and Andre Bastien is the bar director. Every month, Nobu DC features a new specialty cocktail, and AJ and Andre are in with tastes and talk of the light and lively cocktail they’ve teed up for August, the Ocean Bloom.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Paul Carlson of Lulu's Winegarden (three-time RAMMY finalist for "Wine Program of the Year");

· If you’ve been wondering whether there’s a day dedicated to celebrating the almighty, delicious oyster, there is. National Oyster Day is Aug. 5, and Rick Allison, the chef/owner of the King Street Oyster Bar, is in with the details you need;

· Gianna Biscontini, a clinical behavior analyst and the founder of Expanded Women’s Health + Wellness, offering a transformative mental health and wellness experience tailored for women, the AFAB community and male allies of female-focused spaces;

· Gelato is an artisanal gelateria serving the yummiest, fresh gelato and sorbet. There’s a new store coming to 14th Street this winter to join Pitango’s other stores around the DC Metro area. Dinah Bengur, Pitango’s CEO, is in with the sweets and the deets.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Shawn Townsend. President and CEO of RAMW on Initiative 82, the RAMMYs and more;

· Matt Hetrick, president and owner of accounting firm Harmony Group, the premier restaurant-focused accounting firm in the US. He acts as CFO for more than 150 hospitality businesses around the U.S.;

· Kyle Francis, co-founder and COO of Picnic, a fast-growing startup that acquires small food brands from founders who are looking to hand over the reins;

· Michael Riojas, beveragedDirector at Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen and Bar in Alexandria.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Agave, baby! Mitchell Linton, CEO, Tony Ajayi, president, and Zachary Spence, CMO – all of 3708 American Agave Spirits –talking the difference between tequila and agave spirits;

· They are husband and wife. And they are incredibly talented chefs who are getting handfuls of accolades heaped on them. They are Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss and they’re teamed with our friend, much-admired restaurateur Omar Popal, in two of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, Lutece and Pascual. In the course of things, both Matt and Isabel are themselves in the spotlight with James Beard and Rammy nominations. How do they do it and keep restaurants innovative and love alive? Matt and Isabel join us to reveal all;

· Owning a restaurant is in Tim Ma’s blood. Trained as an electrical engineer, he chucked it all, went to culinary school, opened a tiny spot in Vienna, Virginia that blew up and .. the rest is history. Today, Tim has his hands in a lot of projects. The newest is Lucky Danger in Chinatown, billed as an American Chinese restaurant brought to us by a Chinese American chef;

· Georgetown salon owner Jack Howard is a L’Oreal Ambassador and hair colorist with over 40 years of experience. Jack’s a family friend, and we’ve brought him in today to talk about his successful approach to customer service and long-term relationships and how that mirrors the concept of providing hospitality.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· D.C’.s storied Mayflower Hotel is gearing up to celebrate its centennial with all sorts of special activities – and libations. Joe Nacci, the beverage director, and MaCauly Cacioppo, the food and beverage operations manager, join us;

· Award-winning broadcaster Tommy McFly and his husband, brand marketing guru Chrys Kefalas. Along with their day jobs, these guys are ice cream entrepreneurs, and they’re in with tastes and talk of their Greek yogurt-based ice cream -Yala Greek Ice Cream – and their new brick and mortar opening in Georgetown in about three weeks.

· Living online, are you? Then you probably know executive chef and cookbook author Matt Price --but maybe by another name. His millions of Instagram and YouTube followers know him as Mr. Make It Happen.

He’s just opened Fraiche (French for “fresh”) on 14thSt. NW in Columbia Heights, offering his take on the fusion of French, Cajun, South American, and Caribbean cuisines – and he’s got some kick-ass ice cream happening there , too;

· And we throw a shout-out to Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso fame. She is a truly special person, a D.C. icon, a community-building, delicious food-serving legend. We congratulate her, as RAMW will bestow the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award on her this year at the RAMMYs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Carlos Delgado is the celebrated chef/owner of Peruvian restaurants Causa and Amazonia in Blagdon Alley. Last Monday, Chef Carlos won a 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. He's the only D.C. area chef to win a James Beard Award this year and he’s in with us to tell you all about it;.

· Meg Schiffman, co-founder and CEO, the Farmside Kitchen, serving up Americana-style greens and grain bowls that are made from scratch and packed with vibrant vegetables, house-made dressings and thoughtfully sourced proteins;

· Alex Demas, a political reporter for The Dispatch, a conservative online magazine. Conservative or not, Alex obviously has a wilder side, having penned a piece called “In Better Spirits: Meet the Architects of Washington’s Cocktail Renaissance.” We meet Alex, hear about his work and find out how he researched the article and managed to stay upright;

· Proudly putting her own, modern spin on African culinary traditions, Ndidi Agu is the founder and CEO of Silver Spring’s Cafe Shuga, an African-inspired coffee bar, and its sister concept, Shuga x Ice, an African-inspired ice cream and frozen dessert shop.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

· Jo-Jo Valenzuela, executive chef/ managing partner at Tiki on 18th, a unique cocktail bar that blends Polynesian and Filipino cultures in original cocktails and tiki classics, all complemented by Filipino food favorites;

· Leah Culley, founder and head pastry chef of Sweet Almond French macarons;

· Fatema Issa, general manager and managing partner of Vera Cocina & Bar, where the menu is a tribute to the unexpected connection between Lebanon and Mexico, inspired by Lebanese migration to Veracruz in the 19th century;

· Michelin-starred Chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino and co-owner Dean Mosones of Bar Japonais, where blends of Japanese cuisine and French influences delight;

· Derek Battle of Flave, an app that rewards users for posting photos of their food and drinks at local restaurants. Tune in to hear about Flave’s Pride Month promotion -- you can turn your food photos into extra rewards and highlight LGBTQ+ owned restaurants.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.