This bonus episode comes courtesy of our friends at Florida Matters Live and Local.

Happy new year! If you’ve resolved to eat with more intention, then you’ll love these two things: First: Cookbook author and former Zest guest Kerstin Decook has a cool offer exclusively for Zest listeners. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy. Register here. Secondly: If you’re leaning into a plant-based lifestyle this year, then you’ll enjoy Dalia’s conversation with Mauria Hall, host of In the Meantime with Mauria. Dalia was recently a guest on the ITMWM, discussing vegetarianism with host Mauria Hall, an on-again-off-again vegetarian. This conversation is part practical advice, part low-key therapy session. We hope this bonus episode inspires you, whether you need practical advice for going plant-based or even just a pep talk for cooking more meals at home, with or without meat.

What do you get when you put two foodies in the same room with a microphone? Tampa’s Table! It’s a podcast produced by Visit Tampa Bay and hosted by friend of the pod Jeff Houck. The show explores Tampa Bay’s food scene with chefs, restaurant developers, food influencers and—recently, Dalia Colón. So take a seat at the table, and enjoy this bonus episode. 

On the season 12 finale of The Zest Podcast, the team offers their hot takes on holiday foods. Executive producer and host Dalia Colón is joined by editor Andrew Lucas and brand manager Alexandria Ebron. From traditional family favorites to which holiday dishes are overrated, things are heating up in the Zest kitchen.

Picture this: you roll through a bright blue gate onto a sprawling property lined with ancient oaks, lush gardens bursting with color and a quiet pond where a few friendly farm animals wander by. Live music drifts through the air, tropical flowers spill across the outdoor tables, and before you is a Caribbean-inspired feast that looks almost too beautiful to eat. Welcome to Spice Society Supper Club—a night of music, storytelling, craft cocktails and unforgettable food. The experience pops up periodically at Mill Pond Estate, a picturesque wedding venue in Seffner. And the menu is dreamed up by the estate’s own chef, Khadeem Charles. Drawing on his Trinidadian and Panamanian roots, Chef Khadeem is dedicated to taking Caribbean cuisine to new heights and giving it the fine-dining spotlight it deserves. The best part? Spice Society Supper Club is open to the public, as are several of the estate’s other community events, from fancy tea parties to outdoor yoga sessions. Kahdeem recently visited our studios at WUSF in Tampa. In this conversation, he dishes on Spice Society Supper Club, a food trend coming your way in 2026 and tips for cooking during the holidays, whether you’re hosting four people or 400.

Once the holiday hoopla fades, we all need something delicious to look forward to. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing: the Tampa Oyster Festival. Happening Jan. 10, this event checks all the boxes. It’s outdoors during Florida’s best weather. It’s packed with fresh seafood, live music and the kind of friendly crowd that makes you glad you came hungry.  Bonus: It all supports a great cause—Frameworks of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit helping kids build emotional intelligence and the life skills they’ll lean on for years to come. Joining us for a sneak peek is festival one of its organizers, Bill Murphy. He’ll share his favorite ways to enjoy oysters—and even dive into the ethics of eating them.

A table for one can be fun! This holiday season, we’re doing things a little differently around here. While everyone else is stressing over 20-pound turkeys and complicated side dishes, we’re celebrating the joy of cooking for one. Kerstin Decook is the author of several cookbooks, including Dinner for One: One Pan, One Plate, One Happy Belly. She’s here to show us that a solo meal doesn’t have to mean microwave mac and cheese. It can be delicious and even empowering. Based in Port St. Lucie, Kerstin shares how to reduce waste when grocery shopping and cooking for one person, and she offers tips for making every solo meal feel extra-special. Because you’re worth it. And exclusively for Zest listeners, Kerstin is offering a behind-the-kitchen-door experience. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy.  So whether you often eat alone, or you could use some much-needed “me” time, grab a fork just for you, and let’s dig in. Kerstin shared her no-recipe recipe for Bangkok in a Pan; it’s a Thai-inspired stir-fry dish. Find it on our website, the-zest-podcast-dot-com. That’s also where you’ll find the link to register for Kerstin’s behind-the-kitchen-door experience that she’s offering exclusively for Zest listeners. On Jan. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, join the free, live online event New Year, Fresh Flavors: How to Cook for Yourself with Confidence and Joy. So again, visit the-zest-podcast-dot-com or check out the show notes of this episode.

For many folks living in the inner city, meal options are limited to what they find in nearby convenience stores and fast food joints. But imagine if every city block contained a community garden teeming with fresh vegetables. That’s the vision of Asha Walker. She’s the founder of Health in the Hood. It’s a Miami-based nonprofit that’s tackling food insecurity with urban gardens, food distribution and wellness programs. As I learned in our conversation, Asha’s commitment to improving her community has deep roots.

It’s one of the highest-ranked food shows on Apple Podcasts. Nope, we’re not talking about The Zest—although we hope we’re first place in your heart.  The podcast in question is Walk-In Talk, founded and hosted by Carl Fiadini of Lithia. Coming from a foodie family and having spent decades in the food industry, Carl pivoted during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Now, instead of selling food, he sells stories about food, overseeing Walk-In Talk Media with his business partners. In addition to the podcast, the enterprise includes food photography, documentaries, a magazine and more. Carl chatted with Dalia at the WUSF studio. In this conversation, they discuss what really happens in an eatery’s walk-in cooler, the moment when he realized he’d had enough of working in restaurants and what to know before starting that podcast you’ve been dreaming up. Thanks to Karla Stockton for suggesting this episode. If you have an idea for a Zest guest, email us: info@thezestpodcast.com

Call it the best of both worlds. Cheeky’s is a seafood restaurant and raw bar that opened earlier this year in St. Petersburg. It has the convenience of the city’s walkable Grand Central District, with the breezy vibe of a beachfront eatery. The restaurateur behind Cheeky’s—a.k.a. Cheeky himself—is Nate Siegel. He also cofounded the popular Willa’s restaurant and adjoining Willa’s Provisions coffee shop in Tampa. We recently slid into a booth at Cheeky’s to chat with Nate. In this conversation, the Tampa native shares how Cheeky’s got its name, how his time working in the Northeast influences his Florida restaurants and why, despite all the stress, he still loves working in restaurants.

Many of us would like to eat more farm-fresh foods, but we don't have the time, space or expertise to produce it ourselves. That’s where FarmPixie comes in. FarmPixie is a free online marketplace that steers you to fresh, local products like meat, eggs, bread, honey, bath items and more. Founder Kim Kenney owns a small family farm in Dade City. She visited our studio at WUSF Public Media on the USF Tampa campus.  In this conversation, Kim shares what led her to start FarmPixie and how supporting local farmers benefits us all.

Home cooking without the hassle. If you’re longing for a taste of home but you find yourself ordering takeout again and again, then this conversation is for you.  Get ready to meet Ciji Castro, founder and executive chef of Domestic Gourmet. It’s a food and lifestyle brand inspired by the Palm Harbor resident’s Cuban and Puerto Rican roots. Domestic Gourmet’s oils, spices and recipes are designed to make traditional family flavors fast and easy to enjoy. The products are a hit with Ciji’s scores of social media followers, as well readers of Forbes and Southern Living—just two of the many media outlets that have featured Domestic Gourmet. Whether you’re juggling a hectic schedule or just craving a convenient taste of home, Ciji’s products are designed to bring joy and tradition to your table without hours in the kitchen. Ciji visited our studio at WUSF Public Media. In this conversation, she shares lessons you can use both in the kitchen and in the world of business.

Today we’re catching up with the co-hosts of America’s Test Kitchen. It’s the PBS cooking show that teaches us which cooking equipment and recipes are worth our time and money. Two years ago, ATK co-hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison came to Tampa Bay for something they’d never really done before: a live on-stage event full of cooking tips, stories from the show and audience participation.  The evening was so much fun that the ladies have hit the road again, with live events in more than a dozen cities across the country. So you could say that Florida was the test kitchen for America’s Test Kitchen. On Nov. 5, 2025, you can join them at the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College for Inside the Kitchen: Live with Julia & Bridget, presented by WEDU PBS. This show features new material—we’re calling it material because did we mention how funny Julia and Bridget are? So if you attended their Palladium event two years ago, you’ll want to come see what they have up their sleeves this time. Your ticket includes a cookbook and some other perks, and there will be an audience Q&A. Plus, Dalia is hosting the event and would love to meet you. Ahead of the live event, Dalia chatted with Julia and Bridget. In this conversation, they offer their thoughts on the state of public media, share the kitchen tools worth upgrading and reveal the guilty-pleasure foods they love to buy from gas stations. 

Vivian Aronson isn’t a regular mom. She’s a cool mom. As in, millions-of-social-media-followers cool. She’s also appeared on Good Morning America, The Drew Barrymore Show and in People magazine. Known on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook as “Cooking Bomb,” the Orlando resident gained fame sharing recipes that she learned growing up in Chengdu, China. In 2021 Vivian released The Asian Market Cookbook. And now she’s out with a new book, Traditional Chinese Wellness Recipes. Vivan chatted with Dalia about Chinese wellness practices that can improve your life today. In this conversation, Vivian also shares how the COVID-19 pandemic led to her online stardom and offers tips for aspiring food influencers. Related episodes: Francis Lam on “The Splendid Table,” His Dream Guest and the Florida Foods He’s Eager to Try Yee Farms Brings Chinese Vegetables and a “Sense of Pride” to Boynton Beach In “My (Half) Latinx Kitchen,” Kiera Wright-Ruiz Explores Identity Through Food Talking Seoul Food with Miami’s 2 Korean Girls

Emmanuel Dunbar grew up hating coffee. Now, coffee is his life. Emmanuel owns Royal Diaspora Coffee Company, a cafe and community gathering place in Tampa. While Royal Diaspora is a proudly Black-owned business, Emmanuel’s customers are as diverse as the way they take their cup o’ joe. The Zest team visited Emmanuel at Royal Diaspora. In this conversation, he breaks down his love-hate relationship with coffee. (It was never about the taste!) He also shares his big plans for the space, which go far beyond java beans. Related episodes: “Call Anthony” Gilbert Reviews Food at Gas Stations and Other Overlooked Eateries Coffee Uniting People Brews Job Skills for People with Disabilities Kahwa Coffee Owners Raphael & Sarah Perrier on Building Their Business, Beverage Trends and What They Really Think of Starbucks

She pours wine, and she pours into people.  Denise Marsh is a sommelier and certified wine specialist at Society Wine Bar in Tampa’s Ybor City historic district. And vino isn’t the only thing that brings her joy. She’s also passionate about empowering people—women in particular.  Denise does this through speaking engagements, international retreats and her book, Do It For Your SELFIE!: A Guide to Loving Yourself, Redesigning Your Life, and Getting Aligned from Within and its companion journal. She also hosts the podcasts Getting R.A.W. with Denise and the aptly named Spiritual Growth and Wine: Exploring Self-Discovery, Transformation and Wine Conversations. In this conversation, the Apollo Beach resident shares how she went from battling anxiety and depression to becoming resiliant—even after getting rear-ended on her way to our interview. She explains how wine is a metaphor for our spiritual growth and shares practices to help us feel more grounded before we even get out of bed. If you’re craving more meaning and some great wine recommendations, this conversation is for you. So pour yourself a glass of something you love, get comfy and let’s dive in. Related episodes: “Epicurious One” Stephanie Love Is Disrupting the Wine Industry, One Chicken Wing at a Time Conscious Cuisine: Husband-and-Wife Master Sommeliers Andrew McNamara and Emily Pickral on How Climate Change Affects Win Summer Reading and Wine Pairings from Book + Bottle’s Terra Dunham

Supermarkets and big box stores are great. But nothing beats the feeling of shopping in a bodega. These small, often family-owned convenience stores are a fixture in New York City’s Latinx neighborhoods. In them, you’ll find everything from milk and lottery tickets to hot foods like empanadas and chicken with yellow rice. New Jerseyan Ivette Rivera wanted to bring the spirit of bodegas to her adopted home state of Florida. So she founded Loiza Foods, a company whose signature product is a line of seasonings called Bodega Flava. The Tampa resident visited our studio on the University of South Florida campus. In this conversation, Ivette shares how she went from sleeping in her vehicle to creating a food brand that celebrates what she loves about being Puerto Rican. Here is Ivette’s story from car to cocina. Related episodes: How to Have a Puerto Rican-Style Holiday Feast in Florida “Latino Orlando” Author Dr. Simone Delerme on the Rise of Florida’s Hispanic Restaurants & Markets Food Memories of Latin America

What does it take to grow confident, successful kids? To grow successfully, kids need a good foundation, nourishment and a lot of care—kind of like a garden. So when Tampa community activists Jeanette Bradley and Diana Kyle wanted to positively impact local schools, they decided to get their hands dirty. In 2018, the two founded SEEDFOLKids After School Garden Experience. The free program is the signature initiative of Bradley’s nonprofit organization What We Could Be Exchange. SEEDFOLKids combines hands-on gardening with real-world learning in agriscience, sustainability, entrepreneurship and teamwork. Throughout the school year, third and fourth grade participants grow edible plants in raised beds, participate in food system-related field trips and guest-led workshops, and host school events like SEEDFOLKids Market Day, when they sell the fruits—and veggies and herbs—of their labor. Along the way, they develop confidence, leadership skills and a deeper connection to the food they eat and the environment around them.  Several Tampa schools have hosted SEEDFOLKids programs. The very first was Edison Elementary Community School, where the program is still going strong. Shortly before the end of the 2024-25 school year, the Zest team visited Edison to chat with the students and adults who are the heartbeat of the program. To see a video tour of the SEEDFOLKids garden beds at Edison, visit the Zest’s page on Facebook or Instagram. Related episodes: Pediatrician Dr. David Berger on School Lunches & Ultra-Processed Foods Plant-Powered Education: Solid Rock Community School in Tarpon Springs Offers 100% Vegan Cafeteria Menu 10 Tips for Cooking with Kids

No gators on this menu. The writer Carl Hiaasen is best known for his satirical crime novels set in Florida. His 1993 novel Strip Tease was adapted into a movie starring Demi Moore. And the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey is based on his 2024 book of the same name. Carl has written dozens of books for both adults and young readers. His latest, Fever Beach, involves “dark money and even darker motives,” as the description on his website reads. Carl’s No. 1 motive during the workday is to write—even if that means eating the same lunch on repeat to help put himself in the zone. The South Florida native caught up with Dalia from his home in Vero Beach. In this conversation, he discusses the role food plays in his books and in his writing practice.  Related episodes: Author & Restaurateur Randy Wayne White on Rum, Hot Sauce & His Latest Doc Ford Novel Author Craig Pittman on Quirky—and Hilarious—Florida Food Stories Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ “Cross Creek Cookery” Turns 80: Reflections from Food Writer Jeff Houck