Foodie And The Beast

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:  ·        Start-up and fledgling small businesses need all the helpful input and guidance they can get to succeed. Fortunately, the 2026 POWERUP DC Small Business Summit & Expo starts May 5. It’s designed to be an energizing, enriching event equipping small business owners and nonprofit leaders with the tools, insights, and connections they need to succeed. Dr. Linda Boyd is in with the details;                                                                                     

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:  ·        Nevin Martell talks about Mess Hall NKOTB (that’s New Kitchens on the Block);                                                                                                                                         &n

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:  ·        Kevin Tien, James Beard finalist and the owner of DC’s award-winning Moon Rabbit, is teaming for the second time with Alan Vo to open Chao Ban, bringing Vietnamese street food to Tysons Galleria. Kevin joins us in the studio;                                                                                                                

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:  ·        2026 is the 50th Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, where – for the first time – two Napa Valley American wines bested French wines in a blind tasting. That huge, seismic moment in wine is part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, and Stephen Velasquez, curator of the  Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s Division of Home and Community Life, joins us with all the celebratory details, including the upcoming 2026 Winemaker’s Dinner;                                                                        &n

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:  ·        We say “Carla Hall” and you say, “ OMG – that’s celebrated chef, author, Top Chef All-Star, co-host of ABC’s The Chew, and former Howard U accounting major!” Then we say, “Micheline Mendelsohn, ” her partner’s name, and you say that she’s deputy CEO at the Sunnyside Restaurant Group, where her brother, celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn, and the rest of the family have the hospitality Midas touch. And then we say, “Bumblebirds on Capitol Hill” and you say, “Thank God we can get Carla’s amazing fried chicken again!” Carla and Micheline join us today;                                                         &n

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:·        You’d have to be living under a rock not to know of Marcus Samuelson, a multiple James Beard Foundation award winner. His restaurant here, Marcus DC, opened and instantly became one of The Washington Post’s top five in the city. But Marcus takes global strides and isn’t there all the time -- and his not-so-secret weapon running the place is a Maryland native, Executive Chef Anthony Jones, an exceptional talent who himself is now a James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef. Chef Anthony joins us;·        We recently spent four glorious days in Jamaica at a condo resort called The West. And the food there was … the BEST! Thanks to restaurateur Sydney Watson -  the generous hospitality, amazing cuisine, and all-around fun to be had at her restaurant in The West Signature, a premier residential community. Syd’s on the Rocks in Negril is b

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:·        He’s a flavor explorer and a culinary storyteller - Emmanuel Laroche, the noted food and beverage industry executive, creator and host of the podcast “Flavors Unknown,” and author of “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door” and “A Taste of Madagascar;" ·        Kat Jiang from Seylou, the organic whole-grain bakery and mill in Blagden Alley, is in to introduce the Mid-Atlantic Grain Fair and Conference coming up March 15-16, organized by the Common Grain Alliance, bringing together farmers, millers, bakers, brewers, distillers, and food leaders from across the Middle Atlantic to strengthen the region’s grain economy and reconnect the full grain supply chain from field to finished food;                           &nbs

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:·        Celebrated for its mouth-watering, slow-smoked meats, Latin-inspired sides, and a no-shortcuts approach to craft, 2Fifty Barbecue is touted by many as the DMV’s best, including Washingtonian’s Top 100 Very Best Restaurants, where it comes in ranked at #22 overall. Not too shabby – so we invited chef/co-owner Fernando Gonzalez in to make him give up all his best-kept culinary secrets;                                                                                        

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:Geraldine Mendoza is the founder of Taquería Xochi, which just opened a fourth location in the Navy Yard. Not bad for a place that started out as a pandemic-era ghost kitchen. Known for Mexican favorites including tacos, cemitas, tlayudas, and aguas frescas, Taqueria Xochi gets universal praise – even from the hard-to-please Tom Sietsema;  • Back on Foodie and the Beast after years away and years of immense success and growth are Robb Duncan and Violeta Edelman, co-owners of Dolcezza Gelato and Coffee. Dolcezza has a creative lineup of Valentine’s Day-inspired flavors, including the sweet and spicy passionfruit Szechuan pepper matcha, at all 6 DMV shops;  • Downtown Bethesda offers a diverse selection of restaurants ranging from international flavors to American favorites like barbecue, continental cuisine, delicious desserts and more. “Savor Bethesda” Restaurant Week (Thursday, Feb. 19 – Sunday, March 1) is a great opportunity to try som

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show: ·        Scott Drewno, partnered with Danny Lee in the Fried Rice Collective, here to take about food for the Big Game and the Upstate New York foods he grew up with that he’s now able to offer;                                                                                                                       &nb

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show: ·  Diane Gross, chair of the board, RAMW, She and her husband, Khalid Pitts, have also opened a Cork in Cleveland Park;·         Stephanos Andreou and Constandina Andreou, cofounders of D.C.’s hit, new make-your-own-pasta place, Gigi’s, in the Western Market near The George Washington University. How good is it? They did so well on opening day that they had to go out and buy a second noodle-making machine to keep up with demand;                                                                             &

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.We’re closing out 2025 with a show we’re calling State of the Plate, because if there’s one thing this year demanded from the hospitality industry, it was honesty. So today, we’re setting the table for an honest, forward-looking conversation:What actually happened in 2025? What’s broken? What’s changing? And what does it take for restaurants not just to survive — but to thrive — in 2026?Our guests are:Shawn Townsend — President & CEO, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)Greg Casten — ProFish & Fish & Fire GroupDaniella Senior — Co-Founder, Colada ShopMichael Babin — CEO, Neighborhood Restaurant GroupChris Schmid — Prestige Ledroit 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: ·        Monica Evans, beverage director, the Coquito Bar, a tropical holiday cocktail oasis inside La Cosecha in the Union Market District;                                                                                                                                  &n

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:·        The SNAP mess created during the recent government shutdown threatened 40 million Americans – among them, 16 million kids – with the loss of desperately needed funding for food. Food they count on for survival. Hunger across America – and across the DC area – remains a challenge. Radha Muthiah is the president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. She joins us for an update on the ongoing problem;                                                                                 ·    &

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show:·        He’s a true Renaissance man in the food world. You’ve seen him on PBS and all sorts of national media … and now Chef Gregorio Fierro is here on Foodie and the Beast. He is a certified master Instructor for the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli, an authority on Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine, and co-owner of Wagyu Sommelier, a Florida-based purveyor of authentic Japanese Wagyu beef;                                                                                         

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show: ·        One of the hottest new restaurants in D.C. is K Street’s Barbouzzard, French for “secret agent”. Inspired by the French Riviera, this place is just as hot. Barbouzzard’s creator and principal managing partner, Nasr El Hage, and executive chef and partner – and one of our favorite guys in the world - Cedric Maupillier – join us;                                                                                               &nb

Hosted by David Nellis.   On today’s show: ·        So timely a guest and a subject. Brian Mulholland, chairman of the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation, whose mission is very straightforward -- to ensure local food pantries have the resources they need to support food-insecure families with dignity and respect. He is joined by Christianne Ricchi; ·        Chef Tadayoshi Motoa of the Omakase Room by Tadayoshi. Chef Tadayoshi has held leadership roles in cities such as Madrid, London, Jakarta, Osaka and Copenhagen. As executive chef at Toki in Madrid he earned a Michelin star within six months of opening. This is Chef’s first U.S. venture;        ·        Moxies is a premium casual restaurant whose menu focuses on house-made ingredients with a "global inspiration." Brandon Thordarson is Moxies’ Washington D.C. franchise owner and

  Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.On today’s show: ·        A grecophile is someone with a strong affinity for Greek culture. Well, no one has a stronger affinity for Greece -- and Greek and Mediterranean cuisine -- than chef, cookbook author and beloved PBS TV host Diane Kochilas. She has a lot to share -- a new book just out titled “Athens: Food, Stories, Love.” And she just ushered in a new season – Season 5!! - of her beloved PBS show, “My Greek Table;”                                                                                    &nb

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show: ·        Dr. David Nutt is the chief scientific officer of both GABA Labs and SENTIA Spirits. A world-renowned neuropsychopharmacologist, he founded GABA Labs in 2016 to develop scientifically validated alternatives to alcohol by targeting the GABA system, the brain’s natural mechanism for relaxation and sociability. And we try some to see just how sociable we can get;                                                                                           

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.   On today’s show: ·        Confused about “eating vegan” or what a vegan lifestyle – like beauty, skincare, or clothing - includes and excludes? Not to worry. Joining us is Angela Yvonne, host of Vegan Pop Eats; ·        Viyas Sundaram is the founder of the Middleburg Barrel Company, makers of 1787 Provenance Bourbon, a new brand blending tradition and innovation;                                                                                       &