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When Ellen Kanner went vegan in the 1980s, she couldn’t imagine buying oatmilk or plant-based cheese in a grocery store.Today, she says being vegan is easier than ever, thanks to restaurants and mainstream supermarkets accommodating the plant-based lifestyle. And the food writer is herself helping folks lean into eating vegan with her cookbook Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table. The book veganizes South Florida favorites like picadillo, ceviche and key lime pie.

For many of us, summer is reading season. Whether you’re indulging in a beach read or delving into something meatier on a plane ride, a good book goes great with a drink.“When I’m reading a book, I’m often drinking something,” says Terra Dunham, owner of Book + Bottle, a combination bookstore/wine bar in downtown St. Petersburg. The shop’s Readers and Drinkers Circle is a quarterly book and wine pairing subscription.

Fall is on the horizon. Whether you’re a Floridian anticipating a break in the humidity or a Northerner seeking to squeeze in one last outdoor adventure before the weather turns cold, this episode is for you.Today, we’ll get alfresco dining tips from Lauren Gay, better known online as Outdoorsy Diva. On her popular blog and social media channels, the Valrico-based travel influencer shares her adventures, from hiking and horseback riding to kayaking and swimming with manatees.

This week, it’s our steamiest episode yet. But get your mind out of the gutter. We’re talking about cooking with steam.Earlier this year, The Zest teamed up with Adalay Interiors to host a cooking demonstration. Adalay is a kitchen and bath showroom in Tampa where you can see and even test out your dream appliances, countertops, flooring and wall coverings. Note: Adalay is a sponsor of The Zest.

When Mallary Tenore Tarpley lost her mother at eleven years old, she wanted to stop time. If growing up meant living without her mom, then she wanted to stay little forever. What started as small acts of food restriction soon turned into a full-blown eating disorder.Mallary shares her story in a powerful new memoir titled Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery. The book blends Mallary’s own compelling story with her research about eating disorders.

Warren Buchholz joins Sky for this weekend's local music events you should check out. Plus some events tonight, if you’re looking for something to do. And the news headlines, including concern over "forever chemicals" in Temple Terrace.

Pizza fraud, fried mullet masquerading as a bird and produce used as weapons. For Craig Pittman, it’s all in a day’s work.Craig is a journalist and author of several books about the quirky side of our state. His latest is Welcome to Florida—or, for short, WTF. He also co-hosts a podcast of the same name.

It’s one thing to cook food. But talking about food on the radio takes a lot more than knife skills. And Francis Lam does it so well.Lam is a food writer, cookbook editor and host of the popular public radio program The Splendid Table. On June 1, he’ll be at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center for a sold-out live taping of the show.

Florida restaurants are having a moment, with many eateries receiving nods from some pretty prestigious organizations.At the same time, there’s a whole other culinary scene that’s equally popular—one that’ll likely never be the radar of the prestigious Michelin Guide or James Beard Foundation. We’re talking about food served in convenience stores, gas stations and other mom-and-pop eateries. Maybe you’ve eaten some amazing food in these places. Maybe you’re even among the tens of thousands of people who follow ourguest on social media.

She’s a podcast host, the child of immigrants and a self-described picky eater. Today we’re getting to know Malaika Hollist.As brand manager of WUSF’s Arts Axis Florida, Malaika creates content to promote local artists and arts organizations. While she doesn’t call herself a foodie, Malaika recognizes commonalities between what she does at Arts Axis and what we do here at The Zest.

You know we love a good food-and-art crossover around here. (You may recall our conversation with Malaika Hollist of Arts Axis Florida.)So when we heard that Miami-based  multidisciplinary artist Chris Friday had a food-related exhibition at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, we wanted to learn more.

Sira is the founder and CEO of Pure Vegan Cakes, which specializes in custom plant-based cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Originally from South Florida, she has baked for some pretty big names, including actress and vegan influencer Tabitha Brown—an encounter that Sira credits with taking her business to the next level.

There’s no shortage of Cuban restaurants in Florida. But one stands out for its commitment to the history and culture of Cubans of African descent.At Soul de Cuba Cafe in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood, the decor includes dozens of framed family pictures—the ancestors of the restaurant’s founder and CEO, Jesus Puerto. On one wall, there’s a mural-size black-and-white photo from 1944 depicting dark-skinned people socializing and dancing—the women in dresses, the men in suit jackets and Panama hats. They were members of Martí-Maceo Society, a social club for Tampa’s Black Cubans, formed because segregation kept them from joining a similar group full of their lighter-skinned counterparts.

As we say every week, this podcast celebrates cuisine and community in the Sunshine State. A fun way to foster community is to host a plant and seed swap. Not only will you get to know your neighbors, but you’ll come away with seeds and cuttings for your edible garden.Hosting the event doesn’t have to be intimidating or time-consuming. Here to show us the ropes is Ginain Grayes, founder of Cook Pray Slay, where she shares recipes, gardening advice and lifestyle tips. She also hosts the Cook the Garden podcast. Ginain has organized several plant and seed swaps for her neighborhood.

If you eat seafood, then Chef Steve Phelps wants you to know something—like, actually know something—about what you’re consuming. That striped bass at the grocery store seafood counter—where did it come from? The tuna melt you ordered for lunch from your favorite diner—how was that fish caught?

A few weeks ago here on the pod, Chef Justin Timineri of Fresh From Florida told us about some of his favorite trending agricultural products coming out of the Sunshine State. One in particular caught our attention: vanilla.

Orange juice is Florida’s official beverage. But you probably didn’t need us to tell you that.Ever since the Spanish introduced citrus to Florida in the late 15th century, orange juice has been synonymous with the Sunshine State. In fact, nearly all of Florida’s orange crop is used for juice.

Juneteenth—June 19—commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday in 2021, but early celebrations date back to the 1860s.Today, Americans observe Juneteenth with festivals, family and of course, food. So we invited influencer Kiva Williams, a.k.a. the Fun Foodie Mama, to share some of her favorite Juneteenth culinary traditions.

This week on "Florida Matters," we get a peek inside the backpack as another school year across the greater Tampa Bay region is underway.

Today we’re getting to know Chef Terrell Manning. The St. Pete native has experience as a private chef, food TV host, restaurant co-owner and host of the roadshow America’s Best Restaurants.We met up with Chef Terrell at the Sorry Not Public coworking space in Tampa. In this conversation, he offers lessons from his culinary journey in his book The Love Languages of Food.

Today we’re getting to know dietitian Deanna Wolfe. But she needs no introduction if you’re among her hundreds of thousands of social media followers.

Today we’re catching up with friend of the pod Justin Timineri. As executive chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Fresh From Florida program, he is the state’s official culinary ambassador. Sounds like a sweet gig, right? It is. But as you’ll hear, it’s also a lot of work.

This week we’re exploring a subject that’s important for us all to understand: food sovereignty. If you’re fuzzy on what that term means, don’t worry. Here to help us break it down is Prof. William Schanbacher. He teaches religious studies at the University of South Florida, and he directs the USF Food Sovereignty Initiative.

This week, we’re getting real about what we feed kids. Whether or not you have children of your own, we all have a role to play in helping the next generation make healthier choices.Dr. David Berger isn’t here to shame anyone. But as a pediatrician and the face of Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care in Tampa, he sees every day how nutrition—or lack thereof—affects kids’ health and behavior.

How does this sound? Roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos. Linguini with mushroom sauce. Vegetable risotto with mushroom and asparagus.And it’s all vegan.If this sounds like the menu at some high-end restaurant in California, think again. These are items on a school lunch menu… here in Florida.