Sweet'N Up with Jeff Spencer

Kyle Sorenson and Rob Haidar, the founders of UMEBROSHI who have been in the food industry for some time and with knowledge of different cultures and palettes, created a realm to create food without the stereotypical toxicity within kitchens. As they say, they just wanted to have fun making food without all the bullshit, not looking to make their way up the social ladder or win awards. They just want to make food from scratch that people can enjoy. Consider them the the anti heroes. The super villains. Serving corndogs on fine china.

Kyle & Rob are two incredible human beings. Lots of laughs were had and I know you are really going to enjoy this one.

Episode Sponsors:

The Amber Room Colonnade

https://www.theamberroom.net/

Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - ⁠⁠https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/⁠⁠

Around Town Real Estate - ⁠⁠https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/

Holmes Fine Gardens

https://holmesfinegardens.com/

Reverie Brewing Company

https://www.reveriebrewing.com/

Perfusion Bar

https://www.perfusionbar.com/

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Cesar Collado is a professional boxer currently residing in Danbury, Connecticut representing Champs Boxing Club, also located in Danbury and owned by the legendary, AJ Galante of Danbury Trashers Fame. Cesar is also a master barber and has been servicing clients in the Danbury area for 15 years. His fun nature conversation and precision haircuts will always leave you feeling satisfied with not only your appearance but your experience. Currently Cesar works out of Legends Barber Co. located near the Danbury Mall, and it’s where Cesar and I first met.

I had such an awesome conversation with Cesar, learning all about his rise in boxing after having started at a young age, his career as a barber, becoming a professional boxer, preparing for his first pro fight in Colombia, what training camp is like, what it’s been like representing Champs Boxing Club and so much more!

Episode Sponsors: Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - ⁠⁠https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/⁠⁠ BD Provisions - ⁠⁠https://www.bdprovisions.com/⁠⁠ Around Town Real Estate - ⁠⁠https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/

Casey Dohme is the founder and owner of The Blind Rhino The Blind Rhino is a popular, award-winning Sports Bar with two brick & mortar locations in Fairfield County, CT! Their flagship location opened October 2015 in historic downtown South Norwalk, CT, and their newest store launched 2019 in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, CT! Blind Rhino also has a Food Truck that they launched in 2022, as well as TWO food trailers that are posted up full time at Half Full Third Place in Stamford, CT & Tribus Beer Co. in Milford, CT

Blind Rhino have won over 25 awards for their wings! Receiving awards in Connecticut, Maine, New York (Buffalo, Westchester, Hudson Valley), Rhode Island & New Jersey! The Blind Rhino has also been awarded the Best Sports Bar in Fairfield County 6 times at Best of the Gold Coast as well has having been recognized every year by Connecticut Magazine in the Best Restaurants issue, for everything from Best Beer Bar, Best Pub, Best Chicken Wings & even Best Nachos!

I had such an awesome conversation with Casey, getting to learn about his journey through the food and hospitality industry, how the Blind Rhino came to be, the many wing competitions the Rhino has won, the building and development of the bar, what makes them stand out from other sports bars in the area, the charity tournaments they host, what the Rhino is up to today and so much more! 

Episode Sponsors: Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe - ⁠⁠https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/⁠⁠ BD Provisions - ⁠⁠https://www.bdprovisions.com/⁠⁠ Around Town Real Estate - ⁠⁠https://www.aroundtownrealestatect.com/

Andy Singer is a comedian and retired detective hailing from the great state of New Jersey. He currently works behind the scenes with comedian Donnell Rawlings, most notably from The Chappelle Show making people laugh all over the internet, but he was also in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot and has his own podcast called The Bearded Bable, talking to comedians, entrepreneurs, chefs and so much more! Andy has taken the stage at the legendary Carolines comedy club, and is the man behind @BearedHumor, @MrBeanMobile and @FoolNetwork on Instagram always making people laugh with his wit and next level photo shop skills!

I had such a fun chat with Andy via ZOOM getting to know his background, his journey to this point in his life, the journey he has been on with his special needs son Jayden, how he met Donnell Rawlings, how he ended up in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, the ups and downs of life and so much more!

"Named one of the “12 Most Influential People” by Hartford Magazine, and recently “Best Anchor” by Connecticut Magazine, native New England and Emmy award winning Dennis House is one of the most experienced and highly regarded broadcast journalists in Connecticut. Dennis can be seen co-anchoring the 6 and 11 o’clock newscasts with Ann Nyberg weeknights, on WTNH-TV, Connecticut’s ABC station.

While at WTNH, Dennis has broken many stories including a secret plan to downgrade the University of Hartford’s athletic program to exclusive interviews with Vice-President Kamala Harris and reputed mobster Robert Gentile, whom the FBI suspected was involved in the biggest art heist in world history.

From 1992 to 2020 Dennis was at WFSB-TV, (CBS) where he anchored the morning news for two years before moving to the evening news where was a mainstay for more than 25 years. He also hosted the critically acclaimed “Face the State” for more than a dozen years. Dennis’ work over the years led to many changes in state government and campaigns and his interviews were often picked up by local and national media organizations including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Politico, MSNBC and others." - https://dennishouse.tv/

Will Arndt is a professional athlete, quarterback, and quarterbacks coach from Newtown, Connecticut who was most recently signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. A graduate of Western Connecticut State University, a mere stones throw from where the podcast is located, Will defied the odds and is now living his dream. Will has also appeared in a few movies, such as the HBO movie Paterno where he portrayed Penn State play caller Matt McGloin.

I was so excited to chat with Will right here in Brookfield while he was home for Thanksgiving. We covered how we both graduated from Newtown High a year apart and haven’t seen each other in 10 years, his High School playing days, his days at Westconn, workouts with current NFL superstars, when he was signed by the CFL, the other movies that he has appeared in, what it has taken to get where he is today and so much more!

Andy Sachs is one of the country’s top-producing real estate professionals. Previously when we last spoke to Andy, he was manning the helm of the Newtown based Around Town Real Estate Team, a member of Keller Williams, where we spoke to him about how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting the real estate market in our area and beyond. Fast forward to today, a good two years later, and Andy is now manning the helm of AROUND TOWN REAL ESTATE, his own real estate firm with no more ties to Keller Williams. Not only is Andy leading his own real estate firm, but he has moved into a new building that was in his family many years ago, building the space out to serve the needs of his clients and his employees. Best part, he’s still located in my hometown of Newtown, CT and is still the nicest human being around! Andy and his team of word class real estate professionals are some of the best and I had a blast chatting with Andy yet again for the show. 

We touched on how the market is doing today, what his new firm has to offer the residents of Newtown and beyond, what he’s been up to the last two years since we chatted, his advice for those thinking of selling or buying and so much more!

Christopher Hodson is the man behind @CookedInConnecticut an Instagram page and blog that features incredible photos and reviews of upscale dining as well as some of his own offerings. Hodson has worked his way through the ranks of many esteemed restaurants, including a stay in New York City, honing the front of house. Today he is a server at Materia Ristorante located in Bantam, CT which is quickly making waves as a serious culinary treasure since opening last spring. Not only is Materia up for a CT Restaurant Association award, but their Chef David DiStasi for Chef of the Year and Christopher Hodson himself as server of the year. As you can see Materia is where it’s at, and Christopher Hodson has his hand on the culinary pulse.

Visit CookedInConnecticut.com

Bronx Native, Jay Carlucci is the owner of the Dew Drop Inn, located in Derby, CT and widely known for their multiple flavors of wings, which there are almost 200 of! The Dew Drop has won CT’s best wings countless times, was recently featured on Chef Robert Irvines “Cheat Day USA” on the Cooking Channel and is a most stop for wing fans all over the US.

Joe Attonito, returning guest from Season 2, Episode 72, is the founder and owner of jjStacks a fun local burger, dog and sandwich joint located on Federal Road in Brookfield, CT, that even features a mini golf course! But besides the incredible breakfast sandwiches, which we enjoyed on this episode, and the dogs and burgers, Joe is also known for his incredibly delicious wings and sauces having learned from his mentor Jay Carlucci. jjStacks is the ultimate place for a fun day with the family or friends. Take it from me! You might just see me there!

I had an absolute blast talking to Joe and Jay right here in Brookfield, CT. Everything from wings, to early beginnings, life lessons, ups and downs, renovations, pandemics, wing sauces, the industry and sooooo much more! Huge thanks once again to jjStacks for providing breakfast!

Ryan O Rell is an up and coming force of nature. A recent high school graduate, Ryan is a pro athlete at the young age of 18 years old, sponsored by Madd Gear, the Worlds No 1 Pro Scooter brand, established in 2002. As a multi talented individual Ryan also excels at skateboarding, BMX, parkour and so much more. Now, Ryan has his sights set on one day becoming a member of the Red Bull family.

Rich Beck is the founder and owner of Swimming Co an up and coming Skateboard company and brand based in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Rich is also a skateboarding teacher, and runs multiple skateboarding camps. As a veteran skateboarder in our community Rich has helped guide our youth to exceptional results. Rich and I go way back since high school and it was so awesome to get to catch up with him and the positive impact he is putting on the future generation.

Bob Florence is the founder and co-owner of Moromi a company based in beautiful, costal southeastern Connecticut creating handcrafted seasonings based on traditional fermentation techniques using koji and our natural microbiome to transform a variety of local ingredients into unique sauces, seasonings, and condiments. As a chemist, Bob has had a life-long passion for making stuff. Having lived and worked throughout the US, Mexico, and Asia, Bob left the corporate world and settled in Mystic, CT to mindfully slow down and focus on developing unique, handcrafted seasonings including soy sauce, miso, and fermented hot sauces. Bob studied the art of shoyu making under the guidance of his mentors at Chiba Shoyu in Japan.

https://moromishoyu.com/

Bob Florence is the founder and co-owner of Moromi a company based in beautiful, costal southeastern Connecticut creating handcrafted seasonings based on traditional fermentation techniques using koji and our natural microbiome to transform a variety of local ingredients into unique sauces, seasonings, and condiments. As a chemist, Bob has had a life-long passion for making stuff. Having lived and worked throughout the US, Mexico, and Asia, Bob left the corporate world and settled in Mystic, CT to mindfully slow down and focus on developing unique, handcrafted seasonings including soy sauce, miso, and fermented hot sauces. Bob studied the art of shoyu making under the guidance of his mentors at Chiba Shoyu in Japan.

Andrew Dominick is a popular food journalist hailing from Norwalk, CT. His work can be seen on CTBites, Westchester Bites, Westchester Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Beverage Journal CT, Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield Magazine and more! When he’s not writing, he's honing his bartending skills, exploring restaurants, and practicing martial arts.

Andrew Dominick is a popular food journalist hailing from Norwalk, CT. His work can be seen on CTBites, Westchester Bites, Westchester Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Beverage Journal CT, Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield Magazine and more! When he’s not writing, he's honing his bartending skills, exploring restaurants, and practicing martial arts.

Iazamir "Zamir" Gotta is a producer, TV Personality, Independent Filmmaker, and Peacemaker. He is best known as the traveling companion of the late American chef Anthony Bourdain in his Travel Channel TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, when they traveled to Uzbekistan, Russia and Romania and later in the U.S. Rust Belt, Ukraine, and Kansas City. Gotta also accompanied Bourdain in Batumi, during Bourdain's subsequent series, Parts Unknown on CNN.

When we last chatted with Mark back in 2020 (Season 1, Episode 7) he was manning the helm as the longest serving Mayor in Danbury, Connecticuts history, but shortly after he joined the show he was asked by Governor Ned Lamont to join his staff as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. Mark Boughton was also recently appointed the States Infrastructure Czar and as usual, I had a wonderful conversation chatting about his final days as Mayor, his thoughts on the Danbury Trashers Netflix Documentary and upcoming movie, the new role as Commissioner, the new tax cuts that are taking effect, what he’s been up to in regards to Connecticuts infrastructure and so much more!

Anne Grossman is the founder & owner of Rebel Daughter Cookies a gourmet cookie company located in Norwalk, Connecticut. After moving to the area from Brooklyn and frustrated she couldn’t find the “big, gooey” gourmet cookies like the ones she recalls at her favorite bakeries in Chicago and New York, and disappointed at how the ingredients in those beloved cookies had changed over time, she decided to make her own, starting with the classic chocolate chip cookie. The result was a set of recipes for cookies that were big in size, with textures, and “salty-sweet, grown-up versions” of cookies kids love, thus the beginning of Rebel Daughter Cookies which is taking CT and the rest of the Country by storm. Since launching in 2019, Rebel Daughter Cookies has been featured on Food Network 4 times and has grown an ever rising following. Rebel Daughter cookies is also shipped nationwide.

Check out Rebel Daughter Cookies here: https://www.rebeldaughtercookies.com/

Born and raised on the beautiful island of Ischia, Italy, Pierluigi Mazzella is the founder and owner of Fatto A Mano Bakery. His father is a professional fisherman on the island and showed their family what it really means to buy fresh and local. This passion for high quality food never left Pierluigi as he moved through his culinary-based high school and into the professional food industry. He worked his way around Italy in pizzerias, restaurants, and artisanal bakeries before coming to the US to work in 2017. He then decided to quit his job to open his own bakery, Fatto A Mano and well the rest is history!

I had a fantastic conversation with Pierluigi talking about his early days growing up in Italy, coming to the states, his ambitions of opening a bakery with a storefront, the time and effort that goes into everything he does, his thoughts on Connecticut & America and so much more!

Check out Fatto a Mano here: https://fattoamanobreads.com/

Kimberley Locke is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk show, Dr. and the Diva, Second Runner up on Season 2 of American Idol behind Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken, her music has been on Billboards top charts countless times, she’s been a guest on Ellen, performed on Ellen, was a guest co-host of The View, and she can be seen on TV today co hosting infomercials for kitchen appliances with the wonderful Emeril Lagasse.

Matthew Banever is the founder and owner of Bards Clothing and began his business based on two loves: storytelling and clothing. Matthew graduated from Marist College with a degree in history and after graduating began working at a national retail organization.  Over the next 5 years he moved to a few different stores, always positioned as manager, and finally landed in West Hartford, CT at a men’s specialty store. There he spent four and a half years spearheading the custom department, working under a master tailor, and developing relationships with the the best mills in the world.

At Bards Clothing they ask you about your hopes, desires, and achievements as well as uncover your goals and values and turns them into top of the line garments that tell your story.  In today’s age, the internet reigns supreme and those images are cast out for an unimaginable audience to see. Matthew believes your clothing plays a vital role in selling yourself, even if it’s as simple as a well fitted shirt and a pair of jeans.

I had such a great time chatting with Matthew and our conversation lasted for just about two hours and like other episodes of the show we once again have broken this episode up into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy Part 2!

Check out Bards Clothing here: https://www.bardsclothing.com/

Matthew Banever is the founder and owner of Bards Clothing and began his business based on two loves: storytelling and clothing. Matthew graduated from Marist College with a degree in history and after graduating began working at a national retail organization.  Over the next 5 years he moved to a few different stores, always positioned as manager, and finally landed in West Hartford, CT at a men’s specialty store. There he spent four and a half years spearheading the custom department, working under a master tailor, and developing relationships with the the best mills in the world. 

At Bards Clothing they ask you about your hopes, desires, and achievements as well as uncover your goals and values and turns them into top of the line garments that tell your story.  In today’s age, the internet reigns supreme and those images are cast out for an unimaginable audience to see. Matthew believes your clothing plays a vital role in selling yourself, even if it’s as simple as a well fitted shirt and a pair of jeans.

I had such a great time chatting with Matthew and our conversation lasted for just about two hours and like other episodes of the show we once again have broken this episode up into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy Part 1!

Check out Bards Clothing here: https://www.bardsclothing.com/

John Watson is head brewer and owner of Watson Farmhouse Brewery located in Southbury, Connecticut and is also the head brewer at NewSylum Brewing Company on the Fairfield Hills Campus in Newtown, Connecticut. John started brewing beer as a hobby, after his wife Tracy gifted him a home-brewing kit, more than 25 years ago. He quickly became frequent with the home-brew competition circuit, medaling in the National Homebrew Competition with his recipes. In 2000, he was named New England Home Brewer of the Year and in 2004 earned Best of Show at the Master's Championship of Amateur Brewing.

He has collaborated with a host of local commercial brewers, from Willimantic Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Pleasantville NY, and more!

Along the way, he helped build commercial breweries for others, including Veracious Brewing Company in Monroe, Tribus Beer Company in Milford and Beer Naked in Wilmington VT.

John and I had an amazing conversation live inside of his brewery in Southbury, CT. Our conversation lasted for almost two hours and you already know we covered everything I just mentioned and so much more! 

John Watson is head brewer, founder and owner of Watson Farmhouse Brewery located in Southbury, Connecticut and is also the head brewer at NewSylum Brewing Company located at the Fairfield Hills Campus in Newtown, Connecticut. 

John started brewing beer as a hobby when his wife Tracy gifted him a home-brewing kit more than 25 years ago. He quickly became frequent with the home-brew competition circuit, medaling in the National Homebrew Competition with his recipes. In 2000, he was named New England Home Brewer of the Year and in 2004 he earned Best of Show at the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing.

John has collaborated with a host of local commercial breweries, from Willimantic Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and more! Along the way he helped build commercial breweries for others, including Veracious Brewing Company in Monroe, Connecticut, Tribus Beer Company in Milford, Connecticut and Beer Naked in Wilmington, Vermont.

John and I had an amazing conversation live inside of his brewery in Southbury, Connecticut. Our conversation lasted for almost 2 hours, so we cut it up into 2 episodes, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 2 coming next week!

Visit Watson Farmhouse Brewery here: https://watsonfarmhousebrewery.com/

Visit NewSylum Brewing Company here: https://www.newsylumbrewing.com/

Tina Zaccardi is a world class baker from Westchester County, NY. She is known on social media as The Italian Cookie and she has appeared on The Chew, The Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Hallmark Home + Family, Bridge Street TV, Daytime and was the Season 4 winner of ABC’s The Great American Baking Show making her one of the top bakers in America!

I had a fantastic conversation with Tina via Zoom talking about where her love of baking began, how she got through the COVID-19 pandemic, her journey on The Great American Baking Show from the beginning to her incredible victory, her appearances on other TV programs such as Rachael Ray, her advice and tips on baking, what she enjoys doing in her free time and so much more!

Check out her work here: https://tinazaccardi.com/

Instagram: @theitaliancookie

Matthew Kirshner is a pastry chef and the owner of Uncle Matt’s Bakery and Café located in Sandy Hook CT. He trained with master pastry chefs from around the world, at renowned establishments such as the Russian Tea Room and the Essex House Hotel in New York City, in addition to the Roger Sherman Inn and Bantam Bread Company in Connecticut.

His love for baking can be traced back to his grandmother’s cookbook, which is still lined with notes from when she would earmark recipes for Matt as a child. Getting close to those childhood memory is an adventure that drives his culinary interests to this day. We were super excited to get the opportunity to chat with Matthew live inside Uncle Matts Bakery and Cafe in Sandy Hook.

We had a wonderful conversation, and in Part 1 of this 2 Part podcast episode we covered Matts beginnings in the baking world, where he is from, the infamous places he has worked at, how he has survived during the COVID 19 pandemic and so much more! 

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Uncle Matts Bakery & Cafe: https://unclemattsbakeryandcafe.com/

Kim Prada is the founder and owner of Tribe Power Bites located here in Connecticut. Tribe Power Bites is a convenient nut butter snack bite constructed to fit in todays busy society as well as a movement to bring people together. The name Tribe comes from the connections Kim made during her process of starting her business which took off during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Not only did her customers give her a sense of community with their support; they also became her family as well. Kim is a 23 year old single mom to her daughter Mia, who is the epitome behind TRIBE. Kim’s goal is to be a positive role model for her daughter, while also building generational wealth for their future.

We had a wonderful conversation covering her beginnings in 2020, rising above the odds of the times and becoming a success story, the bites, the recipes, how can you get your hands on some and so much more! This episode left me feeling hungry!

Visit https://tribepowerbites.com/ for more information and to order YOUR bites today!

Neviana Zhgaba is the owner and founder of Aquilas Nest Vineyard in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown, Connecticut and returning guest to the show! 

Neviana and her husband Ardian opened the vineyard a little over a year ago, and I am excited that Neviana could come back on the show to talk all about the first year with the Vineyard, her successes, all the new additions, updates, the wine making, and everything in between! We also chatted about what she has in store for Valentines Day weekend, and what the vision is for the future. H

Huge thank you once again to the Neugolds, Clark & Kate, owners of Marygolds On Main for allowing me to once again come by and record an episode in their beautiful bridal suite. If you have not been to Marygolds you are missing out! Get down there stat! 19 Main Street in Newtown, CT!

Charles Rosenay is a CT legend and may be best known in the state as the producer of the Connecticut Beatles conventions and festivals for over four decades and as a pro DJ/MC/Entertainer for as many years.  Along with musical events, he published a magazine on The Beatles called Good Day Sunshine for 25 years and, since 1983, he has organized and hosted the Beatles Tours to Liverpool for fans.  Charles is a Beatles aficionado, expert and promoter. Along with the Beatles-themed tours, Rosenay is the creator and organizer of the annual Dracula Tour to Transylvania, a “vampire vacation” that brings fans to the land of Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Rosenay has acted in several horror films and shorts and was also the founder of Connecticut’s largest and scariest indoor haunted attraction, “Fright Haven,” which still operates in Stratford.  Just last year Rosenay published his first book, titled “The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists”, which collects lists of favorite monster movies, actors, and other themes from 100 celebrities.

Charles is an extremely fascinating individual and we covered it all from the Beatles, to the tours to Liverpool & Transelvannya, ghost hunting, Paraconn, his new book, acting in horror films and so much more!

Nicky Zooks is a popular, up and coming Food Reviewer here in the state of Connecticut. Nicky began reviewing local Connecticut restaurants around his hometown of Bethel at the start of the pandemic, helping give restaurants his special Restaurant Boost as well as bringing awareness to places and foods people may not have heard of before. Since then he has amassed over 8 thousand followers on Instagram and was declared honorary food ambassador of Bethel, CT.

I had a really great time chatting with Nicky via ZOOM, both of us staying safe due to the recent COVID surge, talking about why he started reviewing restaurants, his favorite foods to eat, what he sees himself doing in the future, his own love of cooking, his favorite passions, sports teams and so much more!

Dimitrios Zahariadis is an award-winning bartender and pioneer in the craft cocktail movement here in the state of CT. In his free time Dimitrios is an avid competitor and in addition to winning many local competitions, he has been a multiple regional Finalist for Diageo World Class, Bacardi Legacy and Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competitions. Dimitrios is also Founder of The Cocktail Chemist, a canned cocktail beverage taking CT by storm. Dimitrios was a previous partner at the award winning cocktail bar, Highland Brass Co, in his home town of Waterbury, CT. He was also the co-founder and President of the United States Bartenders Guild CT & New Haven Chapter. 

Dimitrios has done it all and we covered it all, from his humble beginnings growing up in Waterbury, CT, his roots back in Greece, the new canned cocktail company, his view on the bartending scene & industry today and so much more!

Dimitrios Zahariadis is an award-winning bartender and pioneer in the craft cocktail movement here in the state of CT. In his free time Dimitrios is an avid competitor and in addition to winning many local competitions, he has been a multiple regional Finalist for Diageo World Class, Bacardi Legacy and Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competitions. Dimitrios is also Founder of The Cocktail Chemist, a canned cocktail beverage taking CT by storm. Dimitrios was a previous partner at the award winning cocktail bar, Highland Brass Co, in his home town of Waterbury, CT. He was also the co-founder and President of the United States Bartenders Guild CT & New Haven Chapter. 

Dimitrios has done it all and we covered it all, from his humble beginnings growing up in Waterbury, CT, his roots back in Greece, the new canned cocktail company, his view on the bartending scene & industry today and so much more! Coming at you live from the suite at Marygolds on Main - 19 Main Street, Newtown, CT.

Chef Adam Greenberg is a Connecticut Native, a 4x Chopped Champion, a Beat Bobby Flay winner, previous owner of the Coconut Club in Washington D.C, and spent a decade with the MAX hospitality group behind Barcelona & BarTaco. With all of his Food Network wins he has been crowned as the All Time Winningest Contestant the Food Network has ever had with a record of 5-0 and also is occasionally featured as a Food Network Judge. 

We had an incredible in-depth conversation live in the Sweet N Up studio in Danbury, CT and trust me when I tell you that you will not want to miss out on Part 2!

Joe Attonito is the founder and owner of jjstacks a dive restaurant located in Brookfield, CT on Federal Road complete with not only food that is to die for, especially his famous wings, but a mini golf course as well! Joe was the previous owner of Tigers Den Sports Bar in Ridgefield, CT and has worked with some of the great chefs of our state. Food has been a passion of Joe’s for a long time and it was great to catch up with him to see how he has faired during COVID-19, how everything is going at jjstacks and what the future holds!

Chef Dan Kardos is a CT legend and the owner of Oar & Oak and Oar and Oak Birdhouse in Stratford as well as Oar & Oak Birdhouse in Milford and Oar and Oak Creamery as well as the Oar and Oak food truck! Basically Dan Kardos has all your bases covered. He is known as the chicken sandwich KING, the co-founder of Liberty Rock Tavern and the absolute pride of Stratford, CT. He has worked with some of the great Chefs of our state, great restaurants of our state, as well as traveled the country opening BarTaco Restaurants and so much more! 

When I say Chef Dan Kardos has done it all…. I mean it, and recently he won Guys Grocery Games and made CT proud! We covered it all and I had an absolute blast listening to Dans stories and everything in-between!

Chef Vanessa Sena is the founder & owner of My Local Chefs a new Hartford-based food-delivery service that wants to be thought of as the “anti-GrubHub or anti-Uber Eats. My Local Chefs launched on July 5th, 2021 with 11 Hartford-area culinary talents ranging from restaurateurs, meal-prep chefs, caterers, food-truck owners, farmers, condiment makers, wellness coaches and shop owners. Deliveries are made twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. My Local Chefs makes it easy to order home cooked meals and so much more from your favorite chefs! 

Vanessa is a rockstar entrepreneur and boss lady with an incredible story! We sat down together at the lovely Better Half Brewing Company located in Bristol, CT and had some incredible food from BirriaDilla! Seriously, you have to get out to Better Half and say hello to owners Mike & Rachel! They are the real deal! Thank you both so much for having us!

Paul Mannion is the owner of the Green Grunion Food Truck, Mannion has wowed foodies at breweries across Connecticut and at his home base at 100 Mill Plain Road not too far from our studio in Danbury slingin his critically acclaimed San Diego-style burritos. A few years back Paul joined forces with Lisa Tassone (owner of La Zingara and Ecco in Bethel), Chris Sanzeni and Kevin Arrington to open Broken Symmetry Gastro Brewery at the historic railroad station in Bethel. 

I had a blast chatting with Paul in Part #1 which if you haven’t heard yet, pause this right now and go listen their first! However if you have already listened to Part 1 we will now begin from where we left off.

This episode of the show is part number 2, a continuation of my conversation from last week with my good friend, the always wonderful, Lisa Nichols!!

Lisa Nichols is the founder and owner of Bread & Beast Food Photography. She has covered food photography for the biggest chefs in the state as well as Hearst Media, CT Magazine and numerous other publications. Lisa also came to my hometown of Newtown and took the photos for Sweet’N Up Podcast.

If you haven’t listened to part 1 of our conversation definitely pause this and listen there first, but if you already have sit back relax and enjoy part 2 of my 2 part podcast episode, with my friend, an incredible photographer & human, Lisa Nichols!