Foodie and the Beast – May 2, 2021

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

• Like the most successful dating apps, the Happied app connects people interested in similar food and drink experiences connection with sharing dinners of tasty fare in virtual settings. Happied cofounder April Johnson joins us to explain;
• About 25 years ago Duane ‘Myko’ Cheers’ mom was diagnosed with lupus. Not happy with the prospect of conventional medical care, she decided to combat the disease with a diet of raw veggies. She has lived two more decades thanks to her diet and to a vegan burger Duane invented that’s now the heart of his company, Legendary Burger;

• Food and wine festival impresario Greg Nivens is not one to just take it on the chin and fall down. When COVID restrictions hit, he broadened his offerings to something bigger than big. And so, he’s returning from extinction, as it were, with his new Jurassic encounter show, which invades Northern Virginia May 14 – 31. Plus, a slew of his Eat, Drink and Relax food and wine festivals are back on the calendar;
• Erica Christian is founder executive director of Empowering the Diner, a Black woman-led hospitality industry event where people come together to discuss and explore their palates and dining experiences through the lenses of creative Black, indigenous and other people of color, all to explore—and, hopefully, change — how a range of discriminatory practices hurt the industry, from the guest to the professional.