Walk-In Talk Podcast
We are a Food Podcast. We are blessed to have been ranking on Apple Podcast Charts since November of 2022 in the Food Category and recently attained the #1 podcast spot in the United States! Along with the podcast comes amazing food photography by John Hernandez from Ibis Images.
Powered by our partnership with Peninsula Foodservice - The Walk-In Talk Podcast, hosted by Carl Fiadini and team, including co-host Chef Jeffrey Schlissel, combines their culinary expertise and experiences to provide an insightful and engaging exploration of the food industry.
Beyond food, the podcast also delves into the exciting and chaotic world of restaurants while advocating for mental health awareness within the industry.
Our podcast is a must-listen for food industry enthusiasts, as we provide unique insights into everything from recipes to how Chefs are navigating high inflation while also discussing the importance of mental health in the industry.
Walk-In Talk Podcast offers a behind-the-scenes look at the food industry. Our show provides a fun and entertaining twist to our podcast.
Don't miss out on upcoming episodes where we will continue to cook up thought-provoking discussions on important industry-related topics - so come uncover restaurant mayhem with us!
Check out our website for more food industry-related content, including:
https://www.thewalkintalk.com
Restaurant Recipes
Cocktail recipes
Walk-In Talk interviews
The Restaurant Life Magazine
Best beef in the business!
www.peninsulafoodservice.com
Also rate and review us on IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27766644/reference/
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Amy Drew Thompson: Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Orlando Eats, and Food Journalism
Get ready to innovate your space with Metro! As the industry leader in organization and efficiency, Metro is here to transform your kitchen into a well-oiled machine.
With their premium solutions, you'll experience the Metro difference. Metro's sturdy and versatile shelving units, workstations, holding cabinets, and utility carts are designed to streamline operations and maximize your productivity.
Metro: Your partner in organization and efficiency.
Walk-In Talk Podcast now sweetened by Noble Citrus! Bite into a Juicy Crunch tangerine, 40 years perfected; seedless and oh-so-tasty. Or savor a Starburst Pummelo, the giant citrus with a unique zing. Don't miss Autumn Honey tangerines, big and easy to peel. Noble - generations of citrus expertise, delivering exceptional flavor year-round. Taste the difference with Noble Citrus!
Here is a word about our partners:
Citrus America revolutionizes the retail and hospitality sectors with profitable solutions:
- Our juicing machines excel in taste, hygiene, and efficiency.
- Experience fresh, natural, and exciting juices as an affordable luxury.
- We promote a healthier lifestyle by making it effortless to enjoy fresh, natural ingredients.
- Join us in transforming the way people enjoy juices.
Elevate your beverage game to new heights!
Thank you for listening to the Walk-In Talk Podcast, hosted by Carl Fiadini and Company. Our show not only explores the exciting and chaotic world of the restaurant business and amazing eateries but also advocates for mental health awareness in the food industry.
Our podcast offers a behind-the-scenes look at the industry. Don't miss out on upcoming episodes where we'll continue to cook up thought-provoking discussions on important topics, including mental health awareness.
Be sure to visit our website for more food industry-related content, including our very own TV show called Restaurant Recipes where we feature Chefs cooking up their dishes and also The Dirty Dash Cocktail Hour; the focus is mixology and amazing drinks!
Thank you for tuning in, and we'll catch you next time on the Walk-In Talk Podcast.
https://www.TheWalkInTalk.com
Also rate and review us on IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27766644/reference/
Hello food fam. This is the Walk and Talk podcast where you will find the perfect blend of food fun and cooking knowledge. I'm your host, carl Fiodini. Welcome to the number one food podcast in the country. We're recording on site at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get to eat it. We've got journalist and Walk Talk culinary contributor Amy Drew Thompson on the show today to catch us up on the Orlando food scene. Stay tuned, amy Drew is on deck. If you missed it, be sure you catch last week's episode with Internet powerhouse and newly authored cookbook gal, cassie Sharp. She's so awesome. Check it out, man, you're going to love it.
Speaker 1:I'm into quality made smoked fish dips and spreads. I know you are too. Check out our friends over at Crab Island Seafood Company. One of my favorites is the crab rangoon. I said it last time, I'm going to say it again. Visit them at crabislandseafooddipcom. Jefferson baby boy, I mean, you have a. There are several elevated, wonderfully looking, delicious grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu today that you're making which kind of dovetails into when Amy comes on what she's got going. Amy Drew, comes on what she's got going on and let's talk about it. What do you got?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, when you said what she was coming on for and grilled cheese was one of them and you asked can you elevate them? I'm like yeah.
Speaker 2:What's funny is I used to work for my previous job. One of the guys was a marketing person. His name was Vernon Blanson. Was Vernon Blanson and Vernon was always like didn't know much about food. He was like can you like make anything gourmet? And I'm like, yeah, well, we can do challenge. Every week. The guy challenged me. We did a peanut butter. One of them was the grilled cheese. One of the grilled cheeses I ended up doing was what do you do with grilled cheese? Everyone has to have a certain soup, right? What's the soup that goes with it?
Speaker 2:Well, you know Bisk tomato tomato bisque so what I did was I took mascarpone cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated the sun-dried tomatoes, whipped them into a puree then, put them in, fold them into the mascarpone to give it a tomato bisque flavor used as a spread.
Speaker 2:Then I used a white cheddar cheese with some, some fontina and then a little bit of guerrilla, so I layered that in and I just grilled the grilled cheese that way. So we're going to have that original one. Then we're going to be doing a riff on like a French dip, because you have the prime rib and you take it and the nice crusty bread and you dip it into the yuzu on the side and you eat it. So my thought process was like caramelized onions, beautiful Gruyere, I give them a little parmesan cheese and layer that you would like a french onion soup. But then I wanted to make it where I had the broth. The jus is being onion based that you can dip into the actual sandwich. So you'd have some fun. It's interactive.
Speaker 2:And then the third one I'm doing is I'm doing some smoked short rib. The short short rib is going to have the pickled strawberries and then it's going to have a whipped brie with guava and then I put a little heat behind that because it's got a little bit too sweet, and then we have caramelized onions and that's going to be on a grilled sourdough. Yeah, that, I think, is going to be the best, sammy.
Speaker 1:I don't know which one's going to be the best, but I can tell you this you know we're. You know we're switching things up every week in terms of whether we're cooking first or hitting a podcast first or whatever. But I'm super excited about you know what's on the menu today, as I am also excited about you know getting Amy Drew on the line.
Speaker 3:I'm so suggestible 'm. So I was listening to jackie talk about the grilled cheese and I'm like I want that, I want that I want that like and this is this is how every phone call of my life is. People are talking about whatever it is, whether it's, like you know, milkshakes or cheesesteaks or or sushi, and by the end of the call I'm like, damn, I want that. It's my whole life. The struggle is real and I'm glad that I'm in my home studio, away from all those grilled cheese.
Speaker 1:Well, I can tell you what difference between you and I is. Somehow you stay in shape and I just keep getting larger. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 3:You are too kind, sir. You are too kind. The struggle is real and it is. You know it's. It's a lot of calorie counting I've got. I'm sitting one foot away from the treadmill that I use pretty much every single day. I'm not lying. It's right here in my office.
Speaker 1:Excellent.
Speaker 3:When I'm on zoom calls, people are always like do you use that? I'm like oh, yeah, I use it. I won't even put anything that's remotely clothing related on it. Smart, use it. I won't even put anything that's remotely clothing related on it. Smart, like as a jerk. Like I won't. Yeah, I won't, because of that whole stigma. Like, oh, it becomes like a clothes dryer, yeah, I won't. Even a sweat towel is the only thing allowed on this thing.
Speaker 2:That's that's impressive. I'm actually proud of you, carl, because you didn't when you said you're getting larger. You didn't do the whole scene from airplane getting larger.
Speaker 1:Yes, shaking my belly as we're, I was expecting down for an airplane reference.
Speaker 3:Wow, yeah, I think, uh, that so, anyway, the grilled cheese, that sound good.
Speaker 1:That's really what I was trying to say well, I am, uh, I'm digging it all right, so let's talk. Let's talk what's going on in orlando. What do you got we? We always have what's going on in Orlando.
Speaker 3:What do you got? We always have so much going on in Orlando. I'll do like a quick roundup of everything. We've got magical dining coming up. That starts in about two weeks, on the 16th. This is a big deal. Every year People love it. It's got a record 150 restaurants this year in its 19th year. For those unfamiliar, magical Dining was started by Visit Orlando, about 20 years ago and it was sort of inspired by, you know, the slow time of year.
Speaker 3:This is traditionally September, october, august, september, october, slower for restaurants around here. So it was something designed to kind of put butts in the seats and get people paid and, you know, keep things moving. And several years in they added a charity element and so we have these three course meals for a fixed price and a dollar and now they have two price tiers 40 and 60. They started that last year. A dollar or two dollars from the $60 menu go directly to a charity every year, a local charity here in central Florida.
Speaker 3:This year that charity is the mustard seed and you go to the restaurant and you have the option you can always order off the regular menu, but if you want magical dining they will give you a choice. It's three courses, fixed price things that are on the menu. There are enhancements, some of the places do fun things, but it's delicious and it's fun, and last year they raised about $270,000 for the Lifeboat Project, which gives help to victims of human trafficking. So this year it's the mustard seed and there are always a few ancillary charities that benefit as well. It's a great cause and it's a great excuse to go try a restaurant that maybe is out of your neighborhood or something you've always wanted to try, but maybe it's. You're like, oh, that's kind of expensive. This is a way that you've got a fixed budget and you can go check them out.
Speaker 1:And that's the mustard seed in central Florida, correct?
Speaker 3:Correct, correct. So that's where the dollar, or two dollars, is going. We've also got another benefit coming up, taste Central Florida, and that one's really popular. That's coming up on August 10th. That's one night, only $200 ticket, with massive amounts of restaurants with great prizes and all kinds of crazy things going on. It's like the premier food and beverage charity event coming together to raise money to fight childhood hunger. So it's the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida as well as oh my gosh, let me think, why can't I think of the other charity? It's off the top of my head. Oh, of course, second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, who I've written about, which I've written about in the past.
Speaker 3:But this is one fancy evening and they have prizes like you would not believe, a lot of raffles where you can win something like $3,000 worth of booze and accessories for your bar. They have a wine cellar that they're raffling off. They're selling 300 keys to open the wine cellar at $50 a pop, and one of them will open that wine cellar and you win everything in it, and that's bottles from $20 up to one that I think is valued over $400. So I mean, that's a nice windfall for a $50 investment. They've got a ton of other wonderful games going on where you can win things gift cards from restaurants, wine bottles, there's a silent auction, but, more importantly, there's phenomenal food and beverages. It's a $200 ticket but it's a four-plus-hour event with live entertainment and the whole shebang, so that's really fun and people love it.
Speaker 3:So you can check that out.
Speaker 1:You have, the three of us are eyeballing each other on this $50 entry thing for the, for the, you know, for the right and they have it's bottles and bottles.
Speaker 3:Scotch rum, vodka, all you know brand name stuff. They've got mixers, they've got seltzers, they've got bar accessories, all kinds of things. How many keys? The liquor locker, I think they're calling it. Well, the keys are for the wine cellar. That's 300. See, there's 300 and that's it.
Speaker 1:And they're $50 a key.
Speaker 3:And one of the keys will open the cellar. The liquor is a straight raffle $50 per ticket, and so it's over three. I was at press time it may be more now press time. It was over a $3,000 value, so it's pretty crazy. You know, I don't know who's in. You're going to have to rent a van to bring that home.
Speaker 1:Challenge accepted, I fit everything right into the Jeep.
Speaker 2:I'll go for my liver.
Speaker 3:Bring egg crates and just pad that thing up.
Speaker 1:Wow, that sounds great. By the way, before the show ends today, I want to make sure we state the dates and I want to get those dates and I want to put them in the description and I want to push that. And, amy Drew, if you could, I'd love to get some representatives from some of these charities on the show. If you can connect, that'll be terrific.
Speaker 3:Say it again I'm so sorry, I missed that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would love to get some of the, some representatives from some of these charities on the show. I would love for you to be connected.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, it would be my pleasure. And just very quickly for anybody who's listening, magical Dining starts on August 16th and goes through September 30th, and Taste Central Florida takes place on August 10th.
Speaker 1:Excellent. What's the Juju thing?
Speaker 3:The Juju thing. So Juju is this wonderful izakaya that is turning two. It's been open for two years in the Milk District neighborhood of Orlando and they are celebrating their anniversary with a series of chefs collaborations. Obviously, juju does Japanese food and they have like a capo bar and everything and they are going to be teaming up with chefs from across the sort of Asian compendium. They're going to have a Korean night, they're going to have a Filipino night, they're going to have a Taiwanese night, they're going to have a Thai night with local and one chef who comes from Charleston. But these should be really, really special and smashing and fun, because it's a really, really fun place. They're always doing fun and creative things, great chefs. It's going to be amazing and it is a fun place. If you're a fan of Soussou, they opened a couple of years previous to that. This is their sister restaurant, which is closer to the city center.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to know more about that. Is that something that's on your Instagram, or how do we?
Speaker 3:This is something that you can read in the Orlando Sentinel and you can get the link to that read on my Instagram. Actually, all of these things I think you can connect to on my Instagram, which is at Amy Drew A M Y D R O O, and I post these kinds of things regularly with links to the stories. But, yes, you will find links to that and you can just go straight to the Sentinel, to which you should subscribe if you live locally.
Speaker 1:And then you have, you have a couple of more. What are they?
Speaker 3:Really fun. This week I spoke to the folks from Dow to Cheese, which is a very clever fun play on Dow to Ching.
Speaker 3:Not everybody gets it, but it is really funny. But everybody gets grilled cheese right, and that's the whole point. So they do takes that are very traditional cheddar and American, and then they do elevated takes that are fun and funky, like the ones our beer chef was talking about earlier, really delicious, and that is all they do is grilled cheese, and they do have tomato bisque on the side for dipping and sipping of course they must have lines down the block for grilled cheese like that right.
Speaker 1:I mean when they're at breweries.
Speaker 3:I I can't think I mean aside from pretzels, which also should be served with cheese. I can't think of a better pairing with a cold beer than a grilled cheese, I mean I love pizza and beer. I love wings and beer, but dang a grilled cheese come on. Cheese and beer is so good I mean you can put beer in the cheese, I mean it's.
Speaker 1:This is killing me that we're not eating.
Speaker 3:We haven't eaten I cannot not eat.
Speaker 1:Yet I'm so glad I'm home I know well, you should be here, but we figured. We figured out the best logistics to do this and I think it works. Dba, what do you?
Speaker 3:got. Dba is so fun for fans of the strand, which has been a very popular neighborhood restaurant in mills 50 for years now. They recently opened a little sister joint right next door and now the Strand has always been beer and natural wine. Dba has a full bar which now services the Strand. So thing one is you can now get cocktails at the Strand, which is a big deal because some folks really really do dig a cocktail. But this place is so chill, just like the Strand. It has great kind of elevated snacks. They have a chip and dip. They do these old bay potato chips with an onion dip. That is like it hits all the notes of like the Lipton onion soup mix and sour cream thing that you always loved, or at least I did as a kid but, it's like everything leveled up and yet it's all right there.
Speaker 3:You know they do some really really fun things. They've got pretzel and they've got the old hearth pretzel and pimento cheese that they make in house. They've got beautiful fish. They've got beautiful pasta. It's kind of a small plate seat kind of thing, so you can either go in there and have a cocktail and a plate or two and then go out into Mills 50 and go to your next spot, or you can cobble together a really nice dinner with four or five of these plates and just hang out. It's really really great.
Speaker 1:Amy Drew, I'm telling you, carl, this is a good look, that's a good little group of info that you put together. They're grouping of info.
Speaker 3:I try.
Speaker 1:But listen, here's, here's the thing. So you, you're an actual, real life in the flesh journalist and I want to know how are you picking stories Like, is it something where you have all of these restaurateurs or chefs or people in the industry? Are they knocking down your door to to your door to get some FaceTime? Or are you just like incognito, going out there and just putting stories together? How does that work?
Speaker 3:Most of the time I am definitely incognito. I just go in and roll in like everybody else and I eat my food. There's a few places in town, sure, where people have gotten to know me because I've met them, but most of them don't know me at all.
Speaker 1:And you prefer it. It's very very nice.
Speaker 3:Yes absolutely, I prefer it that way. Oh yeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:Why so?
Speaker 3:Because I'm regular, because I'm regular peeps, and that's what I want to be. I don't want to get any kind of special treatment. I don't want anybody to know who I am. I was surprised that they wanted to put a headshot in the paper. That's the way it works, so, but yeah, no, nobody really knows who I am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like with Moist Palm Beach, it was basically Jan Norris. The only reason why I knew her is because she came in and asked if I wanted to do an article, but her critics that would go out back in the day when food critics actually were. I wouldn't. I wouldn't know who the heck it was, though, cause that's what you wanted. That gave. That gave the restaurant more credibility, because that person wasn't known to. So, like what you said, amy, is they weren't getting preferential treatment, and that's what you want you don't want to know Right.
Speaker 3:A hundred percent, yeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker 2:I can count. It's very funny. I can count on one hand the number of times in five years that people have identified me cheese and man 47 responses. And one of them was and I don't know if you know about this one, it's one of the four. It's actually in Wilton Manors, it's called New York grilled cheese and the dude was genius because he takes waffle irons and that's what he does and he's actually patented it, copyrighted it too. It goes after people if they actually bite on his little repertoire of making a waffle grilled cheese.
Speaker 1:How can you do that?
Speaker 2:He did it. He was the first person that said I'm going to do this, and he did it. He trademarked it, copyrighted it and all of it.
Speaker 3:So he's got a lot to look at. I feel like I've seen it.
Speaker 2:I feel like I've seen it in more than one place. He's a social media, like the dude is, so he's like Cassie back. He's actually been doing it for quite some time and what he would do is if he wanted to put some a new item on the menu, he did crowdsourcing and he would have people come in and as they would come in, he'd be like he'd have the two up there and it'd be like the Fiatini against the Hernandez and he would have it like the Parm against the Cuban and people would come in and order it and if whoever got the most votes, that went on the menu and that's how we did it I mean, the fiadini would probably come in on the number one.
Speaker 1:Well, if they spelt it right, we're right what's the fiadini? I want to know chicken parm today it's the chicken parm, so that's that's my last name, and it just seems that even I know it's your last name, I know it but not everybody.
Speaker 1:Everyone may know that and in like, growing up in school, my teachers were the worst ones in pronunciation and spelling, believe it or not. And at this point you know we have. We had ordered some, some shirts or whatever with our logos and everything, and, and sure enough, they forgot a letter. They forgot a letter and are you kidding?
Speaker 3:No, no no, fianini.
Speaker 1:Yeah Fianini, it's funny, it's a party.
Speaker 3:So it's like. So it's like a panini.
Speaker 1:There you go, there you go.
Speaker 3:Which is also a sandwich.
Speaker 1:Right, so growing up, growing up. Italian over here.
Speaker 2:No, so growing up like you know when you have your cluster of friends.
Speaker 1:They're all from the same sort of you know background or whatever. Everybody's name sounds like a food, so you know I was. Obviously I was fettuccine, that's what they called me because of Fiatini, but panini panini actually works really well too. So good job, amy Drew. Thanks, thanks a lot, thank you.
Speaker 3:All right, I'm going to have a panini for lunch now.
Speaker 2:At least you don't have the last name of Schlissel I'm going to have several paninis I'm having flashbacks. Did you see what our buddy, jason, put up on his social media with Lance and I, the shizzle I did, I absolutely did.
Speaker 1:It was bronzy. He's um, we need to keep him really busy. Obviously, yeah, he need to keep him really busy. Obviously, yeah, he needs to stay away from the photoshop or whatever he's using there. 100, oh my goodness so amy he's a huge fan of amy drew, by the way listen, we keep talking about a bunch of stuff on this show and and it never comes to fruition what's, what are we talking about?
Speaker 1:like these field trips, like we're supposed to go to orlando, we're supposed to go to your pizza place and do all the like let's make it.
Speaker 3:Come to pizza. Bruno, I would love to go there, I haven't been in a while. Come to orlando, and let's do that. And other places, let's just eat carl's ready right now.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh I'll tell you what you just that was like the best thing I've ever heard. Come on, let's just, let's just eat he just smiled like a little kid got an oreo cookie for the first time I am.
Speaker 1:I'm smiling. That makes me happy. Hey listen, food. Food is the great mediator, it's the, it's the great connector mediator. Meat, meat, meat mediator. I just feel like it. You know it deserves more. I think there will be less challenges out there in the world if everybody got together and had a little wine or a cocktail.
Speaker 3:nice food had a couple of panini.
Speaker 1:Share a panini, you know.
Speaker 3:Share, share, yeah, share, yeah. I agree. I agree with all these things and that's why it's a fun thing, you know, as you guys would all agree. That's why it's such a fun thing to report on and because people get excited. You know people disagree over it all the time, but it doesn't matter, it's not. You know, if you love a regular grilled cheese made with Kraft singles or you love some crazy elevated short rib smoked Gouda thing, it doesn't matter, you can both be right, yeah, you know, Unless it's sauce and gravy.
Speaker 2:Because, let me tell you, a friend of mine did that. He did the post and he talked about having sausage, meatballs and oxtail and he called it gravy and I tagged you in it. I don't know if you saw it. So I went to school with Don and then my neighbor, my old neighbor, mike Zaccaro, another Italian guy, his family, that's where I learned about gravy.
Speaker 3:His family did it on Sundays and called it gravy and it was a whole big thing and I wanted to see if you're going to chime in. It's very American. It's a very American Italian thing Gravy. We did not call it gravy in my family, but I knew a lot of families that do and did call it gravy. I do not know None of my friends who were closer to the immigrants called it gravy.
Speaker 1:That's you know my friend, my friend.
Speaker 3:You know whose parents he's first generation italian-american. Nobody in that house called it gravy that.
Speaker 1:That's how we were parents were from italy and nobody calls it gravy listen I'll.
Speaker 2:I'll ask don and mike. I don't. Mike was, I think he was second, second or third generation. I don't know about Don, but I know like these guys are all like kumbhas from, like that's what they are pure Italian Well.
Speaker 1:I'm a second.
Speaker 3:I know a ton of people up in New York who say gravy, but I think they're at least one generation removed.
Speaker 1:You know, like their grandparents were from italy, but not, so he gets so hot about this subject, I just his whole demeanor just changed my well, because the last time we had this conversation I had cousins like they're reaching out to me and like whoa, what, what the hell are you? What is this? You know who says great? Like we know that people say it, but we make fun fun of them. Like honestly, like what do we do?
Speaker 2:Here's the thing like when you have and I've heard this about other different cultures like Manish is another one that he moved and immigrated from India. His parents did, and the way that story how his dad was able to get out of the Indian caste system was that his German chef moved to New Orleans and that's how his father moved to New Orleans. He didn't want to eat the food that his father cooked because it was Indian when he went to school so he kind of like pish posh it away because he didn't want to be made fun of from the smells and all that stuff. That's the same thing. The reason why that gravy came about because during Sundays that's what people did back in the day, when if a german culture, english culture, whatever it was they were making gravy, meatloaf and gravy or steak and gravy, so became gravy for them. So it was like a hidden thing so they can assimilate better. Okay, wait a minute.
Speaker 1:All right, all right, all right, that is. That's something that I have to look into, but that's probably one of the first times you've made any sense on this podcast in two years. No, I did something the other day.
Speaker 2:Well, that was being thoughtful, I was thoughtful.
Speaker 1:You were thoughtful yes, no, but that makes a lot of sense only because you know a lot of people. When they came over, they actually changed their names and everything.
Speaker 2:Well, that was also because, when they went to Ellis Island, names got changed, because the idiot that was actually asking them to change their name. That's what happened to my grandfather.
Speaker 1:Well, that too, but even post that people were changing their names as to fit in and assimilate. So that makes a lot of sense and that actually makes me feel good because it's not gravy.
Speaker 2:No, and we had this. I had that conversation. I guess you weren't listening to me because your, because it's not gravy. No, and we had this. I had that conversation. I guess you didn't want to listen to me because your blood was boiling so much, but that was. One of the things I stated was that they were it's not that they were in fear, they just wanted to simulate their culture better and what way to do it than to call it something that everyone else knew. And they were also using some meat to it, so that, instead of to me that's a ragu, yes, it. So that, instead of to me that's a ragu, yes, right, that's a ragu.
Speaker 3:To me that's a hundred percent ragu, not a gravy meatballs and the berjol and the sausage is all in there.
Speaker 3:It's all in there we gotta make all day on sunday or maybe all day on saturday and then you eat it sunday. That to me is the real move. But I don't really care if you I mean gravy. To me it seems like it's a New York Italian thing it is, or New Jersey, you know, like a northeastern. But I don't care, I think it's fine. You know, it doesn't bother me one way or the other. I find words and phrases and the way language is more of amusing and I think it's a fun regional thing.
Speaker 1:So I mean, I think it's fine.
Speaker 3:You know where is my friend whose parents are from Italy. You direct is like we know real Italians. Don't call it that. It's like well, you know whatever.
Speaker 2:We were fine. We were just talking about celery soda.
Speaker 3:You know, I feel like it's like, let everybody call it what they want, they're still Italian.
Speaker 1:We're just a little further removed from the old country than you Calm down country than you calm down.
Speaker 2:Indeed, it's funny because we were actually talking earlier about the you know different root beer, because john likes root beer and I'm like, yeah, I like dr brown's, I'm like, but I don't get the cream, I get the buck cherry, I get the root beer, but celery soda I'm like who thought of that? That's just kind of weird and it's genius.
Speaker 3:It's not weird. Well, it is weird, but it's genius. I, I, I have opinions. They used to make a diet celery soda. That was so good, but I think I was the only one who drank it, so they don't make it anymore I've never even heard of that. I would drink that all day long, like I'm so sad that because I won't drink sugar soda, every now and then I'll take a sip of celery soda. I'm like, oh, it's so good's so good, but it's too sugary, so I don't drink it.
Speaker 1:I don't even know, such a thing existed no.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's celery. They don't say it's celery flavored soda, but it's C-E-L, hyphen R-A-Y.
Speaker 1:Well of course they have to say that, because if not, if somebody, if somebody's thinking celery soda, I don't know Like thinking celery soda, I don't know like do you have to do that.
Speaker 2:Never it's so underrated do we need to do. Underrated we need, I guess we're gonna need to go get some.
Speaker 1:Well, do we need to make like a mirepoix soda? Is that what we're gonna do?
Speaker 2:I mean, it just doesn't make any sense look at him pulling out the culinary though I would taste it yeah, he just pulled out the culinary terminology might make a nice like sort of savory highball.
Speaker 3:we can call one like the mother culinary terminology Marepoix soda might make a nice sort of savory highball.
Speaker 1:We can call one like the mother soda.
Speaker 3:Gin and Marepoix soda.
Speaker 1:Gin and Marepoix. I think that would be okay With like an olive in it.
Speaker 3:That wouldn't be bad. That sounds like it could actually be refreshing.
Speaker 2:Listen, I was just at Universal Studios and I was at one of the Irish pubs and I ordered a drink that had bourbon and cucumber liqueur.
Speaker 3:It was really good yeah, that's not two that I would put together, but I'll try it, it was you know there's weirder things, yeah I don't know what to say to any of this.
Speaker 1:Honestly, we're off the rails right now celery.
Speaker 3:Celery soda is an acquired. It's probably an acquired taste. I don't think anybody likes it when they're a kid and then it grows on them, which is sort of how I feel about beer. Like, I don't really think anybody likes beer. If they drink it when they're too young, I think they just drink it because it is beer and then eventually they start to like it.
Speaker 1:So I don't disagree with you there I also. It depends on the beer. I recall having my first heineken and I was like man, this is like wasn't good. But if you do like a I don't know like a lager, pilsner or something oaky, you know nutty or whatever, you know what, maybe so yeah, but back in the day there was a lot of dad beer in my house.
Speaker 2:There was a lot of like not you know, there was like a lot of dad beer we drank mickeys in my house that's what we do, you know it was like it was like I can't even think of, like, meister brow, you know the green lower brow, the green ball like domed beer on the bottom shelf of the liquor store. It was right next to IP. What is it? The Pilsner that everyone talks about? We would either get O'Milwaukee or Mickey's Blue Ribbon or something. Blue Ribbon yeah, that was the other one that we would drink. It was right next to Boone's Farm. Girls wanted Boone's Farm. We drank Mickey's Right.
Speaker 1:Because it was cheap beer. Yes, farm girls want a boone's farm. We drank mickeys, right, or because it was cheap beer. Yes, I don't remember that one yeah, it was back in the night. I just remember.
Speaker 3:I don't remember, I remember mad this is underage drinking right, correct, are you?
Speaker 1:talking about underage drinking.
Speaker 3:Yeah, or we didn't drink there was no boone's farm that I remember. There was mad dog but like, but moreover, I remember wine coolers or schlitz malt liquor bowl like the grand that was like the parent of zima, and the is now the grand, great grandparent of whatever all these like seltzers are yeah, the truly.
Speaker 1:I guess zima something different.
Speaker 3:I remember that those are horrible zimas came out like I'm a little old for Zima, like that was. That was either the younger end of Gen X or the oldest millennials were the Zima people.
Speaker 1:That was 96 or so, right around there, ninety five I was in nine.
Speaker 3:So there you go. So that's like way ahead. You know, like I was, I was well, I was very legal by 96.
Speaker 2:I was not drinking.
Speaker 3:I never, even I'm not even sure I ever had a zima.
Speaker 2:I've never had zima, I don't think uh, in the restaurant business, because you have so many people trying to peddle their different liqueurs and liquors and beers and stuff. You definitely have stuff, so you definitely taste some really different things. But yeah, zima is one of my tried and put down immediately.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't like it. It wasn't for me.
Speaker 2:And it's funny because I noticed in my 30s I stopped drinking beer altogether. 40s I don't drink beer.
Speaker 1:Well, because you gained 8,000 pounds on that, I can't. I have to drink.
Speaker 2:I feel like I weigh like 455 pounds because of the yeast. I don't know what it is, but I just bourbon vodka, gin.
Speaker 3:I like beer better now than I did then, but it's too filling. Yeah, that's what I mean I can only if I have one beer.
Speaker 1:it's like I can't, I'm full, it's like eating four slices of bread, oh my God. All right, so let's get back on track here for a second, amy Jo, we were still talking about food. I, I know, I, I get it.
Speaker 3:That's what we're supposed to do, right yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But I want to learn. I want the audience to kind of get a glimpse inside the day in the life of a food journalist, and I know this is part of my life is a little.
Speaker 3:My life is a little. Yeah, there's deadlines. I get my, I get my inspiration from everywhere. I get it. People, friends, readers, followers will send me things. I see things on social media. I get news that different restaurants are opening for marketing people. News of where to go could come literally from anywhere, from anywhere.
Speaker 1:Is it that you mostly have to find your own topics, or is sometimes the paper kind of gives you some directive?
Speaker 3:Once in a while, yeah, that happens. I remember the easiest example being when I first started at the Sentinel. That was when, like the chicken sandwich war thing was going on. You know, and I remember being at my yeah, who had the best chicken sandwich, chick-fil-a and Popeyes.
Speaker 2:It was like.
Speaker 3:Chick-fil-A and Popeyes right.
Speaker 2:Wasn't it.
Speaker 3:And I remember being at my desk and managing editor walking over to my desk and we still had the newsroom and I was working on something and he was just like you need to go to Chick-fil-A and do a story on that. So I was like, all right. So I just grabbed my bag and I was like, okay, I guess, I guess I'm going to Chick-fil-A. So I went to Chick-fil-A, I went to Popeye's, I talked to people in the restaurant over what they liked, and so that's like the first example that I can think of and so not necessarily need to be prompted. But sure, sometimes people you know will see things and be like we should write a story on that, and so I will jeff chick-fil-a or popeyes, popeyes, I agree.
Speaker 3:Amy drew yeah, popeyes was where I went to.
Speaker 2:I agreed popeyes I have to be honest.
Speaker 3:I think it was just like crunchier and greasier and and I like the spicy sauce better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I like. This is spiciness. So in the Brandon mall they have a Chick-fil-A and then all of a sudden I see that one of the outlets closed and they were having something and it's now open, but it was Popeye's and I thought what a great marketing. And it's literally almost right next door and what they did is their marketing. This is absolutely hysterical. We're open on Sundays.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness Wow.
Speaker 3:It was like people stay on chicken on Sundays.
Speaker 2:I don't know what to say to that I thought it was brilliant. So I mean cause. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1:I never want Chick-fil-A, unless it's this Monday. Well, you're just a rebel Right exactly, but I can see like turf wars happening.
Speaker 2:But here's the thing I will say during this whole war with chicken, burger King came out with the crispy crunchy sandwich that they wanted to come in. Let me tell you, the first time I had it was great. Ever since then, meh. Well, yeah, because they're not putting I remember the old ones.
Speaker 1:Remember the old school ones, when Burger King first came out with the chicken?
Speaker 3:They had no, but they had three. They had a French one and an Italian one and an American one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the American one was pretty.
Speaker 3:Remember, yeah, back in the day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Italian one had too much oregano in it.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I'm just, you know, like I think that when you come from a place where you could throw a rock and hit a place to get a chicken parm, that's just not even like. I'm not having that.
Speaker 1:Right, I'll tell you what if I was to choose. If we're talking about fast food and I know something about fast food I'm picking the Whopper whichies over a Big Mac or a double quarter pounder, about 8 out of 10 times, just because the flavor profile, their fake smoky smoke that they put in there. I don't know, I prefer that. If I'm going to and I have a problem If I'm going to crave fast food, it's usually that Now I will take the the uh quarter pounder also like I. I do like those, but I'm gonna always go with the the whopper. What say you me?
Speaker 2:yeah, I would say I like a good wendy's man. It's always hot why do you get?
Speaker 1:I gave you two options and you're gonna.
Speaker 2:Oh, then I gotta go.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's what I want to know I like.
Speaker 2:I like the char flavor from that.
Speaker 1:You're a rebel I am amy drew historically, my favorite would be whopper.
Speaker 3:No onion extra pickle, no cheese, just whopper. But this was my. This was always my kind of secret go-to. If you're on a road trip and you order a quarter pounder with no cheese, they will nobody orders that you get a fresh hamburger any modification we do so just for the okay, I love what you're saying, so I would always order a quarter pounder no cheese and I would get a much better, tastier, fresher hamburger to piggyback on. What fresher hamburger?
Speaker 1:To piggyback on that. If you're driving and it's a road trip, if you stick with McDonald's cheeseburgers, you can eat them without really making a mess. It's such an easy thing to do and eat and drive. Just saying.
Speaker 2:The nostalgia of that burger he just mentioned is definitely the minced onion. I absolutely love that. So do I.
Speaker 3:That is a very, very signature flavor. It doesn't taste the same anywhere else and I will agree with that. It's like McDonald's has its own kind of jam going on with that. I do not eat fast food regularly at all, occasionally on road trips and my go-to Carl's going to laugh at me my go-to is the egg McMuffin, because an egg McMuffin is something like. I know that it's, I can't remember, don't quote me, but it's basically like 300 calories 310.
Speaker 2:I just had one this morning.
Speaker 3:There you go. So I know what I'm getting, calorie wise, because this is what I have to do. So if I'm desperate and I need something on the road, that is what I go with. It's a lot of protein, so it keeps me full and it's only 300 calories and I know that and that's what I get. Boom Eggnog muffin and I'm done.
Speaker 2:I got one more for you junior whoppers 300 calories too oh, is that true?
Speaker 3:yep, even with, like, all the makes. See, I don't know, they put mayonnaise on it. You don't know how much they're putting on, but that's the best part about the whopper that's the best part about the whopper with no mayo no, no no my god, you gotta have it my way no.
Speaker 1:Listen when you, when you bite into no, you have to have the mayo.
Speaker 3:No, I have it my way because it's burger cake. Yes, I get it I totally get it.
Speaker 1:But when you're three bites into that whopper and you get it over you well listen because it's a whopper junior well, forget the junior, you're getting the. You're getting the the crunchy iceberg. You're getting the mayo. You're getting the tomato. You're getting the crunchy iceberg, you're getting the mayo, you're getting the tomato. You're getting the. It's all in one like center mass and it's so good, like that's the part that I actually crave.
Speaker 3:I'm totally going to check that and get that now and see what I think, Cause I haven't had a Whopper. The last time I had a Whopper I had an impossible Whopper cause I wanted to taste it.
Speaker 2:It actually is not bad. It's not bad.
Speaker 3:It's really indistinguishable. Largely the thing about the Impossible Whopper that kills me, though, is that it's like the exact same calories, more or less than the regular Whopper 841 calories. It's a lot. Like I said, egg McMuffins 300, 841. Do you have this in front of you?
Speaker 1:No, and I was just going to mention this Like what's what's astounding to me is that. No, I'm not, but he's sitting here just recalling his hands are folded. He's up on the mic and just spitting out numbers.
Speaker 2:I'm like Rain man when it comes to that stuff.
Speaker 3:No, no, you really know. The calorie counts on an Impossible Whopper.
Speaker 2:All right. So here's the reason why my book is coming out, and one of the things I utilize in the book is the Whopper and I knew it was 841 calories and when I wanted to go check out what the difference was between the Impossible and the Regular, obviously it's just basically the saturated fats being animal, not animal, you know at that point with the Whopper. But there's just as many, right the calories are really because you still get the cheese, you still get the mayonnaise. It's not vegan.
Speaker 2:So or even vegetarian yeah, you're not going to get a vegan at a burger at mcdonald's or burger king, because it's still going to have the cheese, it's still going to have the mayonnaise.
Speaker 3:So but at burger king you don't have to order that, so so that's my question.
Speaker 2:Can you?
Speaker 3:order a vegan version.
Speaker 2:You can. It's just not going to be that much flavor to it. I mean, you're going to have what? Ketchup mustard, no mayonnaise. John likes the no mayonnaise.
Speaker 3:I can totally live without mayonnaise on my hamburger. I mean it's good.
Speaker 1:But I don't have to have it Now. I'm not saying that you need to have a glob of mayonnaise, but like a little spread of mayo, man, it gives it a little flavor.
Speaker 2:Listen, I don't mind mayonnaise, but it has to be a good quality mayonnaise. What they're utilizing is pure white and I have a problem with pure white.
Speaker 3:Do we have a conversation? Because I'm a mustard over mayo girl, if you force me, I'm going to pick mustard.
Speaker 1:Well, we know John's not going to pick mustard or mayo.
Speaker 3:I like them all, but I feel like we have this conversation.
Speaker 2:I like barbecue sauce over my condiment. As far as ketchup and mustard and mayonnaise, I would always go for good barbecue. Who even picks that? I'm just kidding Me. I love the texture.
Speaker 3:I am a mustard fan. I I like because mustards are so different across the spectrum and they enhance so many other things. Mustard is great mixed with mayonnaise actually.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember that was a kick yeah for french fries.
Speaker 3:So okay, so you don't call it that unless you use dijon, I would imagine correct, correct, correct, 100 so what are you putting on hot dogs? Not my favorite, not my favorite mustard what do you put on? What do I put on hot dogs? Yeah, I guess, like, like, if I'm at the new york cart and these are my options, um god, it would be tough. Probably mustard and onions, although I do love mustard and sauerkraut. I like a slaw dog too yeah, everybody.
Speaker 1:I think that's goes without I mean what?
Speaker 3:what's my limitations as you're looking at, and you just did the head they don't have on our new york cart, so take that away.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go with mustard and onions so we're talking about a cart yeah, onions, relish mustard, ketchup, ketchup. Okay, if it's loaded, that's it. If that's a loaded way, that's what I would do it.
Speaker 1:I will eat all of what you guys just said, but my preference and go-to is ketchup and mustard and I'll slay those hot dogs. I'll have three of them, and you know that's.
Speaker 2:I love them. There's a concept out in Las Vegas called hot H? A? U T E dog. It's right next to Gordon Ramsey's place. Oh my goodness, I spent $84 on hot dogs to feed the entire kitchen because those hot dogs were that good. No, Amy, I'm telling you, these are not your run of the mill hot dogs.
Speaker 3:These things were do they make them and everything I don't know. If they Do they make?
Speaker 2:them in-house? I don't think they make them in-house, I think it's the toppings they're using. I mean, like one was like a breakfast hot dog and it had everything you want, including the egg. Their vegan hot dog was incredible. The one that had arugula that had like a it like a tomatillo sauce on it. It was just so flavorful.
Speaker 1:I am so upside down right now. Do you remember Hot Dog Heaven? Is it still?
Speaker 2:there. I saw it in Fort Lauderdale, no, fort Lickerdale Right off of Sunrise and Federal.
Speaker 1:Highway.
Speaker 2:Right as you're going to Federal Highway. It's on the north side of the street, the straight side of the curve there. That was gorgeous. I like that better than starlight chili. Is that the one? Oh, skyline skyline skyline. I didn't like skyline.
Speaker 3:Hot dog heaven, my first skyline chili this year oh, we're really here in orlando, yeah, and I think it's in winter garden but like one opened here in central florida. Yeah, it's a big deal. Oh my gosh. The folks from Cincinnati were like nuts. They were so excited. It was really fun to go and see all the weird things they put on the hot dogs and it was fun you know it's a whole new way. It's a whole new Midwestern way for me.
Speaker 1:I thought Skyline was going the opposite direction with locations. I thought they were yeah so did I. That's cool, I'm glad they're still around.
Speaker 2:But this hot dog gave me an idea. Like Keith and I looked at each other, like, can you do this? I'm like 100%. I looked at the guy and I'm like he was the manager. We started talking, we were chefs and I'm like what's your like? Food cost Around 26% to 24 percent, oh wow. And it's 30 seats 30 seat restaurant.
Speaker 1:That was it it was so gorgeous and I bet you can just keep slaying in hot dogs, although I mean, is it? I wonder if people are, with everyone you know, being so aware of what they're putting in their body these days.
Speaker 2:I'm just wondering if hot dog they had the option, though they had the vegan option, and that, to me, was spectacular, because the vegan hot dog is not bad. There's some great ones out there. They actually, I think they had a chicken turkey blend too, like you would for like a corn dog, but their options were not just instagram, though.
Speaker 3:I have to just take issue people being aware or concerned with. Yeah, I guess people are concerned. They want to know what they're putting in their bodies, but then they know and then it's not stopping them. Have you seen what goes viral?
Speaker 2:yes, yes I mean, come on, nobody's stopping no, and it seems like it's the bigger the better, like everything has to be ultra biggie sized. Like I saw the one I'm on a diet. The guy folds a whole domino's pizza into one slice. Have you seen that one? I literally looked at it, went, went. That's Carl, that's me. Have you seen?
Speaker 3:it.
Speaker 2:No, that's funny, though he literally takes it up and folds it into twos and it goes from the large pizza into like folded triangle like this big.
Speaker 1:I mean, I've seen where they would take that whole pizza, blend it and origami and you know, and just dump it on top of another pizza and then you're eating that, something like that.
Speaker 2:Look at the burrito that was the pho burrito. You didn't see the pho burrito. No Dude, this guy made a burrito.
Speaker 2:You see the stuff I send you. We can't talk about it on air. It's like this big round, it's like holding a football and the guy stuffs it with the pho he's got like and the juices on the side. He pours a little juice in it and it's just anything that's in amy's right, anything that's ginormous, that people say they want to know what they're putting in their body but they want the over sensitized way of eating things they want to know there's a half a pound of cheese in it before they consider it.
Speaker 3:Wow, it's basically what's going on. Yeah, it's fun, though it really is fun. I don't know if it's, I don't know if it's good, but it but it's fun to watch, you know? I mean, there are things. I saw somebody the other day I wish I could remember, cause I would love to give her a shout out, but she went to someplace. Ina, that does like a five pound soft serve ice cream cone. Why do you know this place?
Speaker 2:that's jackson's in hollywood. Pounds that's jackson's in hollywood jackson's, that's in dania beach yeah, that's in the beach hollywood yeah, that's, that's that's what they do, like the burp, which is a huge pitcher of root beer, and they.
Speaker 3:The top of it is all ice cream yeah, oh no, I never saw that when I went there. I always get the um kitchen sink but I, I'm like simple. No, I mean I would with a group of people. No, I like peppermint ice cream with that homemade hot fudge on this in the sidecar, oh, okay and whipped cream.
Speaker 1:I'm fairly. I'm fairly certain that we're going to get people emails or posts about how, you know, we just ruined everyone's diet this week. I'm fairly.
Speaker 3:I feel like I just do that.
Speaker 1:That's my job, essentially All right, amy Drew, I really want to do this. I want to put a field trip together. Like we've said it a bunch of times, well, pizza, but I want to do. I want it to be like a circuit. I want to hit this. I. I want to put a field trip together. I really, like we've said it a bunch of times, oh no, well, pizza, but I want to do. I want it to be like a circuit. I want to hit a bunch of places. You know, have a little bit. I want to. I want to spend a day where we go to like maybe four or five, six places, but we have a little bit of each, you know, like the, the popular stuff from each thing. Do a tasting and just get out there, make some content and have a great time.
Speaker 3:Can we do this? I'm so for this. Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it A hundred percent.
Speaker 1:Jeff, are you down for this? I mean, yeah, lord, okay, all right, let's well, when we we're going to finish up here and then we're going to offline, we're going to pick a date, we're going to do this. All right, amy, say again how people find you.
Speaker 3:Find me at the Orlando Sentinel and you know what? Subscribe? The digital subscription is super cheap Keeps you in touch with what's going on, not just in the food scene, but in the whole scene all over central Florida. You can find me on Instagram at Amy Drew A Y D R double O, and I'm on Twitter under the same handle. Find me on Facebook and find me on the let's eat Orlando page, which is run by the Sentinel.
Speaker 2:Really fun.
Speaker 3:You can ask questions. Yeah, Ask questions. There's thousands of members ask questions. Throw up what you cooked, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:It's really fun. All right, we love it. Jeff, john, I don't, you know, we didn't do anything yet in terms of food, but I know it's going to be great. Amy, thanks for coming on the show today. We will catch you next time.
