Host Max Trujillo returns to the North Carolina Food and Beverage Podcast after a five-week break and a new role at Northridge Country Club, reuniting with Sara Abernethy and chef Bobby McFarland (with deep ties to Wye Hill Brewery) to focus on their new venture, Tree Time THC seltzers. They frame THC drinks as a social alternative—not a replacement—for alcohol, discuss who's buying them (non-drinking younger folks, exhausted parents, even their own parents), and break down dosages (5 vs. 10 mg) and flavors, including seasonals like Cherry Blossom Lemongrass and a new "Transfusion" golf drink. They explain production using hemp-derived THC nanoemulsions from California, emphasize responsible consumption, and warn that a pending NC bill could effectively ban the category by limiting THC to 0.4 mg per container, urging "regulate, don't ruin" advocacy and consumer outreach.

The NC F&B Podcast is produced, engineered and edited by Max Trujillo of @Trujillo.Media

For inquiries about being a guest, or to sponsor the show, email max@ncfbpodcast.com

Host Max Trujillo records off-site at Jalwa, a 15-month-old luxe Indian fine-dining restaurant in North Raleigh, and interviews proprietor Ajit Khanna. We get into the restaurant's presentation, flavors, ambiance, service, and innovative touches like the "spice symphony" aromatic opener, fresh house-brewed cocktail ingredients, illuminated menus, and palate-finishing saunf. Ajit explains choosing North Raleigh to offer a central destination and to deliver the rare combination of great service, ambiance, and food while making Indian cuisine approachable and not overly spicy. He highlights health-focused cooking with no food coloring, preservatives, MSG, or manufactured spice control. Chef Mukesh Gautam blends traditional Indian flavors with modern techniques (e.g., 12-green saag with burrata), and signature items include karam podi cauliflower and inventive desserts like mango tiramisu and cotton candy with popcorn ice cream. Ajit, an IT cybersecurity professional, discusses consistency, economic challenges, reduced prices, a weekend brunch menu, a $50 prix fixe option, and expansion goals.

The NC F&B Podcast is produced, engineered and edited by Max Trujillo of @Trujillo.Media

For inquiries about being a guest, or to sponsor the show, email max@ncfbpodcast.com

Host Max welcomes Charlotte hospitality duo Jeff Tonidandel + Jamie Brown, recapping their busy slate: operating five restaurants including Supperland, Haberdish, Ever Andalo, and Leluia Hall; opening "Olivelli Deli" (a tiny 82-square-foot former donut shop) with sandwiches and soft serve; developing Wyatt's Super Fine inside the 1903 Leeper-Wyatt building they physically moved 750 feet; earning three Michelin Guide spots; filming season two of their PBS show Fork & Hammer; running their weekly podcast Jeff and Jamie Feed; launching a commissary to centralize production and add a shoppable market; and Jamie's new book Eleven Tables about successes and failures. They discuss key team members, concept/design philosophy, menu and operational challenges, a major abandoned pre-COVID project, Jamie's diet changes tied to mental health via the gut-brain connection, and advice for Max's new director-of-operations role. Fork & Hammer season two is slated for January 2027.

The NC F&B Podcast is produced, engineered and edited by Max Trujillo of @Trujillo.Media

For inquiries about being a guest, or to sponsor the show, email max@ncfbpodcast.com