Matt Russell’s guest for the full hour was Jessica Nenadic of Alliance Beverage. Matt and Jessica talked about the wide range of summer wines and cocktails to cool us off in the Tucson heat. They also checked in with Eddie Pain, mixologist at the Hacienda del Sol, whose recipe for the ‘Hacienda Cooler’ took first place at the GQ Magazine/Bombay Sapphire cocktail competition in Phoenix. They closed out the show with a conversation about summer BBQ. All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:20 — 49.7MB)

The grand opening of the newest El Charro Cafe (Sahuarita, Az) was the broadcast location for this week’s show. Matt’s celebrity co-host was Brad Tomlinson of the Sahuarita branch of Long Realty, who discussed the Sahuarita real estate market and his top picks for great food and drink. Matt and Brad caught up with Vanessa Bechtol of the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, for an interesting conversation about placed-based foods in the Santa Cruz Valley. The featured guest was Ray Flores of El Charro, who introduced the newest of his many restaurants and its Cinco de Summer promotion. All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:00 — 49.4MB)

Matt Russell’s celebrity co-host was Jon Rogers of Wines Without the Mystery, who discussed some of his upcoming wine education classes. Matt and Jon checked in with Jeff Fuld of Elle Wine Bistro, who had all the details on a unique wine-food pairing event that he and Jon had put together. The featured guest was Chef Steve Arndt of McMahon’s for a conversation about prime beef…just in time for Father’s Day. All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:49 — 49.3MB)

While Matt Russell was out of town, he asked Kevin Hall, the Tucson Food Dude himself, to host the show on his behalf — live from Kababeque Indian Grill in Main Gate Square. Kevin detailed his top picks in local restaurants, and discussed his food blog, www.TucsonFoodDude.com. He also caught up with Bill Wildman from Malibu Yogurt and Ice Cream, who had information on keeping cool in the desert heat. The featured guest was Mintu Sareen of Kababeque, who talked passionately about traditional Indian cuisine. All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:43 — 51.0MB)

Matt Russell sat down with Papagayo’s own Brian Mazon for a conversation about the special Mexican cuisine that his family inspired here decades ago. But first, Matt welcomed Brian Metzger of Jax Kitchen to the table. Brian had just returned from the National Restaurant Association’s annual convention in Chicago, and had some fun things to report about emerging trends in the food and beverage world. Matt also shared all the news about the Hotel Congress’ upcoming Night of New Orleans. All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:57 — 49.4MB)

Kicking off this special show was Chef Amanda Lindquist of Azul Restaurant & Lounge, describing the beautiful dinner she lovingly prepared for Matt Russell and his wife on their 19th wedding anniversary! The conversation then turned to one of Matt’s favorite foods, barbeque, with Joe Mullen of Jonathan’s Tucson Cork. Joe hyped the annual Patio Pig Parties at Jonathan’s throughout the month of June. The featured guest was Travis Reese of 47 Scott, who introduced us to his new neighborhood bistro concept downtown.  The address? 47 Scott, of course! All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:58 — 49.4MB)

To celebrate the birthday of Yvonne Foucher, we decided to broadcast this special show live from her place, Catavinos Wine Shop & Tasting Room. In addition to showcasing the Wine of the Week as she does each week on the show, she also took us on a tasting of 6 wines that she selected especially for this broadcast. Trust us, we were in good hands! Chef Janos Wilder also dropped by with some food he had prepared for the occasion, and took time out to officially announce the name of his newest restaurant: Downtown Kitchen & Cocktails!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:01 — 49.4MB)

Cereal isn’t just for breakfast anymore, and we learned that during our live broadcast from the Cereal Boxx in Main Gate Square. But first, we checked in with Benjamin Galaz of BK’s Sonoran Dogs, who was recently crowned the winner of the Travel Channel’s Sonoran Dog Food War. He brought some for us to sample, and now we know how he won! The featured guests were Jordan and Terra Schact from the Cereal Boxx, who showed us that cereal, waffles, smoothies and cheesecake were meant to be enjoyed throughout the day and night! All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:49 — 49.3MB)

Our celebrity co-host for this week’s show was Kirk Jensen, the Tailgate Titan himself. Kirk brought us up to speed on the kinds of things a master tailgater does in the off-season. Chuck Stopani of Daglio’s Cheesesteaks called in to hype some of the special hot dogs he just put on his menu, and Aaron DeFeo of Hotel Congress provided all the details on the 2nd annual Agave Fest. The featured guest was Rocco DiGrazia of Rocco’s Little Chicago, who brought in some killer pizza and wings for Matt and Kirk to devour. This was seriously good pie! All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:54 — 49.4MB)

Smokes, rubs, mops…that’s real ‘cue talk, and our featured guest had all the goods. But first, we heard from Jon Rogers about his work with Wines Without the Mystery. We also checked in with Janet Johnston, host of the Food Network’s newest show, Spice & Easy. What’s the most underrated spice in her opinion? Listen to find out! The featured guest was Chef Chris Brown, award-winning pit master with the Catalina Barbeque Company. He brought in some of the best ribs we have ever tasted, and talked about his unique approach. He also gave his credentialed answer to the age-old rib question…wet or dry? All of that, plus the Catavinos Wine of the Week.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:55 — 49.4MB)