On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Joel Fisher "Wine Guru"
The wine columnist for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California. He was a Contributing Editor of Patterson's Beverage Journal. From 1999 to 2006 he was a wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles and is a founding partner of the educational Wine Vine and Dine, which conducts programs throughout Southern California. Sommelier for the Escoffier Association of Southern California, Joel is also a member of Patterson Magazine's tasting panel. Joel travels extensively through "wine country" and frequently broadcast live from vaious winerys & vineyards. Dr. Fisher is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, The Circle of Wine Writers (UK) and was awarded a Wine Enthusiast Media Scholarship for 2005 at the Culinary Institute of America. He is the author of the Wine Work Book now in its 6th edition. In 2004 he co-led a program for chefs and culinary students to the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and to wineries in Burgundy and Champagne. In June 2006 he again led a program, "Wine and Cuisine of Iberia," to Spain and Portugal. In the 1960's, Joel M. Fisher (JMF) served in many Washington positions, including as Public Relations Director to Charlie Rhyne's World Peace Through Law Committee, before returning to California to teach. Two years later he was awarded the Ford Foundation supported National Committee Fellowship and was appointed Director of the Arts and Sciences and State Legislative Divisions of his party's national committee. As part of the 1968 presidential campaign, Fisher operated in 13 states.
Roger Berkowitz - President and CEO of Legal Sea Foods, Inc.
He started working in his family's fish market at the age of 10 and learned every aspect of the business. He began as a fry cook in Inman Square, moved to front-of-the-house manager, marketing maverick and then to industry innovator. Whether you dine in his restaurants, or order a meal by mail to enjoy at home, he wants to "wow" you every single time. And it’s working - Bon Appetit magazine touts a meal at Legal Sea Foods as among America’s “Top Ten Tried-and-True” dining experiences. Legal is also included in Patricia Schultz’s popular guidebook, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. A graduate of the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Harvard Business School's OPM program and University of London School of Business SEP program, Roger exercises his background in journalism to great effect as chief spokesperson for Legal. His face and voice are familiar from television and radio, and he frequently offers his expert opinion on network news segments (CNN, ABC News, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News) about the fishing industry. He is a guest speaker at colleges and institutions, and he chairs and organizes conferences and events related to the fishing and restaurant industry, both in the US and on a global scale. The scope of his business management expertise earned him inclusion in a pair of 2004 books, Dare to Lead! Uncommon Sense and Unconventional Wisdom from 50 Top CEOs by Mike Merrill (Career Press), and Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs by Eric Yaverbaum (Dearborn Trade Publishing). Often the subject of writing by others, Roger deftly took an author’s turn himself when he co-wrote The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook, published in 2002 by Broadway Books. Roger serves on the boards of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, UNICEF, the Boston Children’s Museum, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Century Bank, Blue Frontier Campaign and the Northeast Seafood Coalition. He also serves on the leadership council at the Harvard School of Public Health and its Nutrition Roundtable and he is a member of the Board of Overseers, Brandeis International Business School. Since 2004 he has served on the Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. In addition to numerous industry awards and community distinctions, Roger holds an honorary master's degree from the Culinary Institute of America, an honorary doctorate from Johnson and Wales University and an honorary from Newbury College
Mark Greenside - I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do)"
In 1991, Greenside, a teacher and political activist living in Alameda, Calif., found himself at both the end of a relationship and the end of the world. The French world, that is: Finistère, a remote town on the coast of Brittany, where he and his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend spend 10 weeks. Preternaturally slow to negotiate the ways of life in a small Breton village, he gets help from Madame P., his slow-to-melt landlady and neighbor. At summer's end (as well as the end of his relationship), his attachment to France became more permanent through the quasi-impulsive purchase of an old stone house, which was made possible with the help of Madame P. She figures prominently and entertainingly through the rest of the book, facilitating several of the author's transactions with the sellers and the local servicemen who provide necessities such as heating oil and insurance. At times the author's self-deprecation comes across as disingenuous, but his self-characterization as a helpless, 40-something leftist creates an intriguing subtext about baby boomerism, generational maturity and the relationship of America to France. Greenside tells a charming story about growing wiser, humbler and more human through home owning in a foreign land. For many Americans, France is the go-to country for culture. We revere French gastronomy, style, painting, literature. Oh, the chevre! The mille-feuille and the tarte tatin! Madame Bovary and the Eiffel Tower! The way the Parisiennes fling their scarves so artfully around their perfect necks! Some francophiles are so besotted that they end up moving to "la Hexagone," as the French refer to their country. By now, there's a full shelf at any bookstore of tales of those lucky--or unlucky--souls who have made the attempt. These books seem to fall into one of two broad categories: First, there is the lyric paean to a region (often Provence) where life is simpler and better than in the United States, the postcard-worthy fields are full of fragrant lavender, and every village seems to have its own particular eau-de-vie, each tastier and more potent than the next. Then there is the trials-and-tribulations saga, full of shaggy dog stories of zee-French-zey-are-a-funny-race, to paraphrase writer Adam Gopnik. Both types often feature a house (crumbling wreck, funny workmen, cultural misunderstandings) or a love affair (short- or long-term, bridgeable or unbridgeable cultural differences).
Nicole Bacigalupi Marketing Dir John Tyler Wines Bacigalupi Vineyards
Nicole, just like her twin sister Katey started her love for the wine industry at an early age. Growing up on the ranch and watching her father and grandfather develop their property from barren land with a few prune trees to what it is today, has been an inspiration for her to continue the family legacy. After high school she attended San Diego State receiving a Business degree with an emphasis in marketing. She gained real world experience by heading out on the road and building accounts with retail outlets and restaurants all over California. As in most family business Nicole and Katey take a hand in every daily winery and vineyard activity. In December of 2006, Nicole met and feel in love with Jarrod Dericco, also a Healdsburg native. Jarrod has also lent a hand in the vineyards; this harvest will be his third with the family. The two are scheduled to marry in June of 2010. Nicole has now teamed up with her sister Katey to develop new strategies aimed at their own demographics. Most of my friends and people I meet that are in our age range (24-30) drink wine, and lots of it. We have a huge advantage in that, Katey and I are part of this population we know how they think, act and buy their wine and mostly importantly what they want out of their wine tasting and buying experience. We want to show the industry that you can up hold your traditional values and family heritage but also be on the edge and take risks in our marketing efforts.” In 2006 with Nicole heading the project the family began the endeavor of building their own tasting room on Westside Rd to showcase John Tyler Wines to the public. The end result will be a place where customers can experience the history of the early days of the wine industry, including all that the Bacigalupi and Heck families have contributed over the years.
Carol Widman - Carol Widman's Candy Company
“It’s like walking into a time warp,” says Carol Widman Kennedy, describing the candy store that her grandparents, George and Clara Widman, opened in Crookston, Minnesota in 1911. That same store remains open today and is operated by Widman Kennedy’s brother, George Widman III, boasting the same soda fountain that once made the store the hot spot of Crookston. “Our grandparents were candy makers and ice cream makers,” says Carol. “Their homemade flavors for sodas and ice cream dishes – along with their delicious malts – made the Widman’s Candy Store a popular gathering place in the community. It was open until 1:00 a.m. for people to gather after the movies got out.” The Widman family’s candy making roots date back four generations to 1885, when George’s grandfather, William got his start in Dubuque, Iowa where he was employed by the Pearson Candy Company and drew accolades for inventing the 7-Up candy bar . He soon moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and opened his own store, beginning the legacy of the Widman’s Candy Company. Candy making has given the Widmans a taste of the sweet life. “What else is there to do,” jokes George Widman II, who at age 87, still works six days a week with wife, Betty, (age 82) at the Grand Forks, North Dakota store the couple opened in 1949. This well-aged candy maker has seen many changes in the business over his multi-decade career, but the fundamentals of the business remain the same. Every piece of Widman’s candy is hand-dipped and handmade in copper kettles, the good old-fashioned way. You can taste that special care and hands-on difference in the quality of their candies. “We make over 200 kinds of candy, including seasonal specialties such as caramel apples for Halloween,” says Carol. As she and her husband, David Kennedy, are the official candy-makers at the Carol Widman Candy Company, the family’s Fargo, North Dakota location, employees are permitted to do dipping and assist as required, but are not authorized to make the candy. That is how closely the Widman’s family recipes are protected. “But it’s not just the recipes that are important,” says George Widman II. “It takes many years to perfect the skills of candy making. After spending 60 years in the business, I’m still reading books on the subject and watching the Food Channel, where I pick up the occasional tidbit. We know the science of making chocolate, and that is why you simply can’t buy better chocolate than ours.” At Widman’s, you can get everything from chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, chocolate-covered nuts of all types, chocolate-covered fruits, and chocolate-covered licorice, to chocolate-covered olives and even chocolate-covered jalapeno peppers!