Foodie and the Beast – Sept. 14, 2024

Hosted by David Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Lou Bernard heads up the cocktail program at Mita, a plant-based Latin American restaurant, and runs Noches del Caribe, a pop-up celebrating Afro-Latin culture;                                                                                                                                  

·        Rosemary Suggs-Evans is director of D.C’s Department of Small and Local Business Development. She spends her days advocating for the small business community looking to support, grow, and retain District-based businesses while promoting economic development in the city’s commercial corridors. We peek behind the curtain to learn about her efforts with particular focus on D.C’s ever more bountiful restaurant start-up community;                                                                                                                     

·        Juan Morales is the founder of Despacio Mezcal – a drink that encapsulates the land, the people and the slow, deliberate, time-honored methods of the Mexican state of Oaxaca;                                                                                                     

·        John Issa and Johan Cortes are co-owners of the Invic2s Hospitality Group, formed just this past June as the umbrella organization overseeing the operations of Public Bar Live, the Sauf Haus Bier Hall and Garten, Das Pretzel Haus and STFU. John and Johan are in with lots of details about their plans from all the properties – especially for Oktoberfest!                                                                                                                                                                                                         

·        Monica Saigal (Bhide) is an old friend of ours and the show and… a real talent. She’s an award-winning author, accomplished literary coach  and an educator with a new children’s book coming out next month, “Papa’s Butter Chicken,” featuring a foreword by renowned Chef José Andres focused on the importance of cooking and sharing meals with people around us. And she’s a tremendous font of ideas – one of them is upcoming, It’s the DMV Butter Chicken Festival. Monica is in to tell us all about it.