Dalia Colon
Host, The Zest Podcast"I host a food podcast" is a great icebreaker at parties.
People assume I get paid to eat. True, I do get to sample the occasional slice of pizza or bourbon cocktail — hey, somebody's gotta do it! But serving as host and executive producer of WUSF's food podcast, The Zest, is less about stuffing my face and more about digging into the stories behind Florida's unique foodways: the origins of Cuban sandwich, how a self-described "non-religious Jew" became the kosher king of Miami, and the role of food in the life and work of Florida author Zora Neale Hurston.
I've always enjoyed feasting on a good story, from weekly library visits with my mother, an elementary school teacher, to dissecting Motown song lyrics with my father, a professional musician.
My first "big girl" job was as assistant editor for Cleveland Magazine in my hometown. But after college, grad school and one too many Ohio winters, I moved to the Sunshine State and became a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times (now called the Tampa Bay Times). I eventually made the leap from print journalism to broadcast when I signed on with WUSF, becoming a health reporter and later covering features.
In addition to working on The Zest Podcast, I'm associate producer and co-host of WEDU Arts Plus on Tampa Bay's PBS TV channel. I also do quite a bit of freelance writing, and I'm working on my first book — a vegetarian cookbook for the University Press of Florida.
"I'm writing a book" is a pretty good icebreaker at parties. But "I host a food podcast" tops them all.
I live in Riverview with my husband and kids.
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Tampa’s Soulwalk is a trail linking historic sites that tell the story of the city’s communities of color. The city is creating a companion cookbook, and they need your input. -
Dr. Kevin Kokomoor, a Florida native who teaches history at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, discusses why Spaniards brought pigs to North America and the consequences for indigenous people.
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In this conversation, Andrew explains why buying the pigs was important to him, how pork products are made (buckle up!) and ways to make flavorful meals from less expensive cuts of meat.
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Hammer, an award-winning naturalist, botanist, nature photographer, and survivalist, chats about guidelines for foraging legally, ethically, and safely.
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Explore the history of Prohibition in Florida through a new exhibition at the Tampa Bay History Center.
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Huey shares why he’s passionate about raising cows, his favorite way to enjoy Florida beef and how he managed to buy his first plot of land after all.
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Friends Huston Lett and Tom Ross opened Bastet in November 2020, and they’ve grown it into one of Tampa’s most buzzed-about watering holes.
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As Kelly geared up for stone crab season, she took time to chat with Dalia about what you can expect to pay for a pound of stone crabs, how environmental changes affect Florida’s stone crab population and how she prefers to enjoy the delicacy.
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As chef and owner of three Tampa restaurants, BT Nguyen has found plenty of creative uses for beer, wine and spirits.
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Soseki Modern Omakase's dining room has just 10 seats, and the Japanese-inspired, locally sourced dinner is always chef’s choice.
