Eighty degrees and sunny? In January? With weather this spectacular, we set our sights on 4th Avenue, and our destination for this broadcast was the Old World-inspired Coronet!

Fred Ronstadt, Chef Erika Bostick, Matt Russell, Sally Kane & Jesse Schaefer

Our celebrity co-host was Fred Ronstadt, executive director of the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, who talked about all of the action on this avenue of awesomeness. We also checked in with Coco Horner and Niki Hoffman of the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, who shared news about some upcoming cookie and craft beer pairing events. The Coronet’s head bartender Jesse Schaefer joined in the fun as well, by libating us with some local brews and two of his standout cocktails, The Hegemon and The Rabbi Slept Late! Our featured guests were Coronet’s proprietor Sally Kane and executive chef Erika Bostick. We heard some delicious stories about Old World wisdom and how the rustic cooking styles of Old Europe inspired the Coronet’s cuisine. By way of example, we were treated to Dragoon Session Sausage and Tilapia en Papillote. We just love the Coronet’s modern expressions of the Old World!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:07 — 27.5MB)

Did someone say sushi? Or was it sake? Either way it got our attention, and we experienced both in all of their splendor at this week’s live broadcast from Ginza Sushi!

Scot Litteer, Matt Russell, Kurt Vlahos, Diana Arai & Jun Arai

Our celebrity co-host this week was Scot Litteer of Litteer Films who got us current with his latest cinematography projects, as well as his latest pursuits on the craft brew scene. We also welcomed Aric Mussman of Noble Hops who walked us through the menu for his upcoming beer dinner showcasing suds from the Odell Brewing Company. Our featured guest was Ginza’s own Kurt Vlahos who called the class to order with Sake 101. He talked about the traditional Japanese rice wine and treated us to some samples of both dry and sweet sakes. He then unveiled some beautiful sushi dishes, giving our taste buds the opportunity to take a tour of some delish raw fish, along with some baby octopodes from his Izakaya menu.  It was sad to say sayonara at the end of this show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:09 — 27.5MB)

One of the many things we love about Southern Arizona is the abundance of great pizza joints. Tucson is a legit pizza town, and we took some time to honor one of our true pizza pioneers on this live broadcast from Tino’s Pizza!

Dino Chonis, Matt Russell, Jamie Rice, and Chris Samson

Our celebrity co-host this week was Jamie Rice of 520 Eats, who talked about his latest food and beverage news and his fondness for a great pizza pie. Kade Mislinki then joined the conversation to share some news about his newest concept called Batch. Whiskey and donuts anyone? The man of the hour was pizza pioneer and proprietor of Tino’s Pizza, Dino Chonis. Dino shared some stories behind his more than 30 years of success in the pizza biz, and walked us through his menu which includes some of the classics, some signature pies and spectacular sandwiches, and, of course, the BIG MO! Feasting on his wings, his pizzas, and his frosty craft brews was our way of celebrating the beginning of another delicious year in Tucson. See you at Tino’s!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:29 — 27.2MB)

To kick off the year, we  assembled an all-star cast of food journalists to share their picks for the top food and beverage stories of 2015, along with their forecasts for what they expect to see on the local culinary and cocktail scene in 2016. Call it a foodie edition of Meet the Press!

Jared McKinley, Matt Russell, Andi Berlin, Adam Lehrman & Chef Pen Jones

Our celebrity co-host was Jared McKinley, president of Territory Magazine, who got us current with his plans for this dynamic new publication. He also shared his picks for the top food news of the year. Joining the reporter’s roundtable was Andi Berlin of the Arizona Daily Star and Adam Lehrman of Tucson Foodie. We also sat down with Chef Pen Jones of the new Goodness Kitchen, a guy who has brought freshness to the Foothills! He discussed his fun and fresh new dinner menu, and treated us all to some house-made hummus and a lasagna that you have to see to believe. Happy New Year!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:03 — 27.5MB)

If you’ve been listening to our show for a while, you know how much we love great BBQ, premium bourbon, and craft beer.

David Aldecoa, Ines Newby, Matt Russell, Jessica Nenadic & John Aldecoa

And as the year wound down, we dedicated this week’s broadcast to all three, live from Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ! Our celebrity co-host was Jessica Nenadic from Alliance Beverage, who talked about some seasonal ideas for libating, like the Bolla pink bubbles that she brought along for us to try. We also chatted with Ines Newby of Brother John’s who teased us a bit with her plans for a blowout grand opening party she has lined-up for New Year’s Eve. BroJoe’s own David Aldecoa stopped by as well to talk about his beverage program (150 whiskeys and 48 tap brews), and Brother John Aldecoa shared his perspectives on ‘cue, smoke, wood, ribs, and everything else that BBQ enthusiasts celebrate. Whiskeys, brews, and ‘cue…pinch me.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:25 — 56.2MB)

Tis the season to….go shopping! And we shared some unique and delicious gift ideas for all of the foodies on your shopping list on this live broadcast.

Rita Connelly, Matt Russell, Adela Durazo, Melissa Royer & Frank Williams

Our celebrity co-host was Frank Williams, principal at the marketing firm FWD and partner with Tone Nutrition. Along with his business partner Melissa Royer, Frank shared some sweet ideas for the holidays, and talked about his seasonal honey flights and why they belong on your holiday table. We tasted them all and we agree! We also caught up with Rita Connelly, author of the hot new book Lost Restaurants of Tucson, who shared some of her favorite stories from the book (which is perfectly sized for stocking stuffing!). Pat Connors of Pastiche joined in the fun as well with a great bonus he’s offering for his gift card promotion. We closed out the show with Adela Durazo of Durazo’s Poco Loco Specialty Salsas, who lead us on a tasting tour of some of her season’s best. Beware…the “stupid hot” salsa is not for beginners!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:02 — 27.5MB)

The celebration of the season continued this weekend when we explored all of the fun and frolic on downtown Tucson’s historic east end, live from Maynard’s Market & Kitchen!

Jillian LaCroix, Chef Efrain Romero, Matt Russell & Dan Gibson

Our celebrity co-host was Dan Gibson of Visit Tucson, who shared his latest insights on the local culinary and cocktail scene. We also heard from Aalt Brouwer of the Hotel Congress who revealed some exciting plans for New Year’s Eve. Maynard’s bartender Jillian LaCroix then discussed what comes to mind when libating during the colder months (hint: try the Maynard’s Manhattan). Our featured guest was Maynard’s Chef Efrain Romero, who took our taste buds on a tour of some dishes that are perfect for the season, including the poutine with three versions of duck, steak tartare with house-made chips, and a beautiful bowl of Prince Edward Island mussels. Meet you at Maynard’s!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:54 — 27.4MB)

Imagine local craft beer, food, art, and music under the same roof (under the same sky, actually!). There’s no need to imagine, because we served it all up al fresco this weekend on our live broadcast from Art on Tap at the Tucson Museum of Art!

Matt Russell and Sarah “Craft Beer Betty” Ritchie

Our celebrity co-host was craft beer sophisticate, PR maven, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Macedonia Jason Miko. Jason got us current with the suds he’s been enjoying lately, while offering some insights on the craft brew scene in Europe. We then sat down with Morgan Wells and Matthew Slominski of the Tucson Museum of Art who talked about Art on Tap and why it’s important for the museum to get behind these kinds of events.  Known throughout the beer hemispheres as Craft Beer Betty, Sarah Ritchie joined us as well to share some of her credentialed perspectives on the exploding craft beer community. Rounding out the show, we heard from some of the folks making news these days including Michael Marquess of Mother Road Brewing Company, J.P. Vyborny of 1055 Brewing Company, Mike Gura of Public Brewhouse, and Greg Hundt of Mutt’s Premium Hot Dogs & Sausages.  Sausages and suds…what’s not to love?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:25 — 27.2MB)

After the hustles and bustles associated with Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we decided to just kick back and chill out on this live broadcast from the Living Room Wine Cafe & Lounge!

Rick Cano, Tom Kaufman, Valerie Vinyard, Chef Dominic Jones & Matt Russell

Our celebrity co-host was fellow foodie and public affairs coordinator for AAA Arizona, Valerie Vinyard. Val shared some of the eateries that she’s been frequenting these days, and had some helpful ideas for getting home safely after your holiday parties! We also caught up with CJ Hamm, newly appointed general manager of Red’s Smokehouse and Tap Room, who revealed some of his plans for the hot new BBQ joint opening in just two weeks. The Living Room’s owner Tom Kaufman stopped by as well to share some stories about the wine program, and manager Rick Cano gave us a sense of the Living Room’s specials and happy hour. We were also treated to some of the Living Room’s cuisine from Chef Dominic Jones, including beautiful bruschetta, sushi, prime rib sliders, and a super food salad! This is our kind of lounging!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:04 — 27.5MB)

This week ushered in another beautiful holiday season, with our signature celebration live from the newly remodeled Signature Grill at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort!

Adam Lehrman, Matt Russell, Chef Danny Perez & Adam Gordon

Our celebrity co-host was the Tucson Foodie himself, Adam Lehrman, who shared what he’s discovered lately on the local F&B scene. We then welcomed Tana Fryer of Blu, who had some inspired ideas for must cheeses for your holiday table. Adam Gordon, manager of Primo at the JW Marriott, then got us in the holiday spirit with two gorgeous winter cocktails, a rich and velvety eggnog and a bright and boozy limoncello. Our featured guest was the new Iron Chef of Tucson Danny Perez, executive chef at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. Danny walked us through the scope of the Signature Grill’s remodel, got us current with its delicious dishes, and shared some news about the holiday activities planned at the resort. We then feasted on some delicacies like the carne y queso board, a plantain and crab gordita, and shrimp and scallop “kebabs.” See you soon at Starr Pass!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:19 — 31.7MB)