Alan Bergo has built a career around noticing what others overlook.

Alan is a chef, author, and forager known for his deep knowledge of wild foods and his ability to bring them into the kitchen in thoughtful, creative ways. Through his work, he has helped thousands of people see forests, fields, and shorelines differently.

In this conversation we talk about the craft of foraging, the intelligence of wild plants, and what it means to cook with ingredients that most people have never considered food.

Alan shares how he first began exploring wild ingredients, the lessons he learned working in professional kitchens, and how those experiences eventually led him to focus almost entirely on wild food.

We talk about:

• how to begin learning wild plants
• the responsibility that comes with foraging
• bringing wild ingredients into the kitchen
• why curiosity is the most important skill a cook can develop

This episode is about attention.
About learning to see what is already around us.
And about the quiet thrill of turning something wild into a meal.

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Silvercore is built on a lifetime spent outdoors, on ranges and in the company of people who live with skill, purpose and integrity.
Here you will find real conversations, fieldcraft, practical training, stories from the wild and the lessons that help us grow mentally and physically.
Whether it is a podcast with someone who has been tested, a tip you can use today or a look behind the scenes, the goal is to help you live stronger, safer and more capable in the outdoors and in life.

Guest Links

Forager Chef
https://foragerchef.com

Alan Bergo Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/foragerchef

Alan Bergo Books
https://foragerchef.com/books

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Silvercore Club members receive exclusive podcast episodes, online courses, insurance for their adventures and discounts on premium gear:
https://bit.ly/2RiREb4

Online Training: https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Training and Services: https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise: https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog: https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W

Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany
Silvercore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

Contact:
info@silvercore.ca
604 940 7785
www.silvercore.ca

All content on this channel is for informational purposes only.
Always follow the law, follow safe handling practices and train with qualified professionals.
Silvercore assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information shown here.
_____

00:00 Introduction to Alan Bergo
02:40 Discovering wild food
07:30 Learning to see edible plants
13:20 Early kitchen career
20:10 Why chefs are drawn to wild ingredients
28:45 Responsibility in foraging
35:10 Cooking with wild plants
44:20 Mushrooms and the excitement of discovery
52:00 Teaching others about wild food
59:40 Advice for people curious about foraging

Great charcuterie doesn’t start in the curing room. It starts with the animal.

Elias Cairo has spent most of his life chasing that idea.

Elias is the founder of Olympia Provisions in Portland, Oregon, one of the most respected charcuterie producers in North America. What began as a small project has grown into a group of restaurants and curing rooms, but the heart of Olympia Provisions is still a tight knit crew of people committed to doing things the right way.

In this conversation, Elias shares the path that brought him there.

As a young cook he left North America to apprentice in Switzerland, where food traditions are treated with deep respect and charcuterie is inseparable from farming, animals, and place. When he returned home, he realized that if he wanted to make that kind of product here, he would have to build the systems himself.

Finding farmers raising animals the right way.
Creating relationships that ensure consistent quality.
Building a company culture where everyone understands the responsibility behind the food they produce.

Because great charcuterie is not just about technique. It is about people, animals, and the discipline to do things properly.

We talk about hunting, wild game, fermentation, patience, and the long pursuit of making food that people trust.

Guest Links

Olympia Provisions
https://www.olympiaprovisions.com

Olympia Provisions Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/olympiaprovisions

Elias Cairo
https://www.olympiaprovisions.com/blogs/bios/9641623-elias-cairo
_____
Silvercore is built on a lifetime spent outdoors, on ranges and in the company of people who live with skill, purpose and integrity.
Here you will find real conversations, fieldcraft, practical training, stories from the wild and the lessons that help us grow mentally and physically.
Whether it is a podcast with someone who has been tested, a tip you can use today or a look behind the scenes, the goal is to help you live stronger, safer and more capable in the outdoors and in life.

Silvercore Club members receive exclusive podcast episodes, online courses, insurance for their adventures and discounts on premium gear:
https://bit.ly/2RiREb4

Online Training: https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Training and Services: https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise: https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog: https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W

Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany
Silvercore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

Contact:
info@silvercore.ca
604 940 7785
www.silvercore.ca

All content on this channel is for informational purposes only.
Always follow the law, follow safe handling practices and train with qualified professionals.
Silvercore assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information shown here.
_____
00:00 Introduction to Elias Cairo
02:15 First tasting Olympia Provisions
05:10 What real charcuterie is
08:40 Learning from European food culture
14:20 Apprenticeship in Switzerland
20:45 Why great charcuterie starts with the animal
27:30 Hunting and cooking wild game
33:15 The difference between North American and European food traditions
40:50 What makes great salami
49:10 Patience, fermentation, and curing meat
57:30 Building Olympia Provisions
1:05:10 Advice for people who want to make charcuterie

Tana Grenda lives off the road system in remote Alaska, flying bush planes, hunting for food, and raising six kids where mistakes have real consequences.

In this episode of The Wild Kitchen, Tiffany Bader sits down with Tana to talk about life without convenience and what that demands from the people living it. They get into fear, risk, and preparation, why skill matters more than confidence, and how time on the land changes the way people think, eat, and move through the world.

The conversation spans subsistence food, women-only hunting retreats, physical training, health, and the realities of raising a family far from infrastructure. Tana also shares stories from recent hunts and trips, including time spent in Florida dealing with invasive species and the responsibility that comes with harvesting your own food.

This episode is about capability, responsibility, and choosing a life that doesn’t offer many shortcuts.

Guest Links
🌿 Grenda’s Getaways (Wild Women’s Retreats & Adventures) — https://www.bristolbayretreats.com/

🎙 Stuck N The Rut Podcast (Hosted by Adam & Tana Grenda) — https://stuckntherut.buzzsprout.com/

📍 Wild Women’s Rendezvous (Event Info) — https://www.bristolbayretreats.com/wwridaho

_____
Silvercore is built on a lifetime spent outdoors, on ranges and in the company of people who live with skill, purpose and integrity.
Here you will find real conversations, fieldcraft, practical training, stories from the wild and the lessons that help us grow mentally and physically.
Whether it is a podcast with someone who has been tested, a tip you can use today or a look behind the scenes, the goal is to help you live stronger, safer and more capable in the outdoors and in life.

Silvercore Club members receive exclusive podcast episodes, online courses, insurance for their adventures and discounts on premium gear:
https://bit.ly/2RiREb4

Online Training: https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Training and Services: https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise: https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog: https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W

Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany
Silvercore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

Contact:
info@silvercore.ca
604 940 7785
www.silvercore.ca

All content on this channel is for informational purposes only.
Always follow the law, follow safe handling practices and train with qualified professionals.
Silvercore assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information shown here.
_____

00:00 – Meeting Tana and the Wild Women Rendezvous
03:20 – Building the right community and cutting out ego
06:40 – Why women-only spaces work differently
09:30 – Confidence in the outdoors and confidence in life
13:10 – Fear, risk, and being prepared instead of scared
15:40 – Living in Alaska off the road system
22:00 – Subsistence food, logistics, and real costs of remote life
26:10 – Gator, iguana, and python hunting in Florida
34:40 – Wildlife management and cultural disconnects
39:30 – Health coaching, hormones, and women’s training
46:00 – Non-negotiables: sleep, food, movement
49:30 – Training women for backcountry hunts
54:30 – Wild food, inflammation, and listening to your body
59:00 – Why women-only events matter
1:02:30 – Children’s books, hunting stories, and legacy