Track & Food Podcast

EXPLORE

Society & Culture

Health & Fitness

© 2024 PodJoint

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/4b/af/b2/4bafb210-1a55-c065-fdba-ea3cf4f027f8/mza_17119515042869816905.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Track & Food Podcast

Jamie Mah

109 episodes

6 days ago

Once again, I'm joined by James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus), as we dig into a few topics that have been top of mind lately... We kick things off by unpacking what the BCGEU strike has meant for the hospitality industry, and how we can better protect ourselves during future labour negotiations. From there, the discussion shifts to Nikki Bayley’s latest, and we imagine curating our own version; we touch on the recent New York Times feature follow...

Show more...

Society & Culture

All content for Track & Food Podcast is the property of Jamie Mah and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Once again, I'm joined by James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus), as we dig into a few topics that have been top of mind lately... We kick things off by unpacking what the BCGEU strike has meant for the hospitality industry, and how we can better protect ourselves during future labour negotiations. From there, the discussion shifts to Nikki Bayley’s latest, and we imagine curating our own version; we touch on the recent New York Times feature follow...

Show more...

Society & Culture

Episodes (20/109)

Track & Food Podcast

On the Eater 38, Opening a Restaurant in NYC, and the Rise of Food Content Creators

Once again, I'm joined by James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus), as we dig into a few topics that have been top of mind lately... We kick things off by unpacking what the BCGEU strike has meant for the hospitality industry, and how we can better protect ourselves during future labour negotiations. From there, the discussion shifts to Nikki Bayley’s latest, and we imagine curating our own version; we touch on the recent New York Times feature follow...

6 days ago

1 hour 27 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

The BCLDB Strike, Michelin Awards & The Death of the “Foodie” — w/ James Iranzad

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend James Iranzad, of Gooseneck Hospitality (Bufala, Lucky Taco, Bells & Whistles), to unpack three big conversations shaping BC’s dining scene right now, kicking off with the BCLDB strike and how it’s rippling through restaurants across the province — from inventory headaches to staff morale. Then we dig into the latest Michelin Awards and what they reveal about Vancouver’s evolving culinary identity. Finally, we explore what it means to be a “...

1 month ago

1 hour 18 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Talking Tip-Flation, No-Show Fees, Meatless Menus, and Re-Finding the Spark

In this episode, we dive into some of the more pressing (and sometimes frustrating) issues the hospitality world is experiencing right now – beginning with ‘tip-flation’ and the growing backlash from consumers. Is the tipping model completely broken? Or are people just tired of being prompted to tip everywhere they go? From there, we dig into reservation and cancellation policies. Credit card holds are now standard operation, but is a 24-hour cancellation window still fair? What happens when...

4 months ago

1 hour 42 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith Dish on Awards, Openings & the Soul of Hospitality

Once again, I’m joined by my good friends James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus) for another of our signature catch-ups. In this episode, we discuss the buzz around recent restaurant awards — Van Mag, Canada’s 100 Best, and North America’s 50 Best Bars — and the latest restaurant openings here in Vancouver. We also reflect on the emotional power of good menu design, the feeling we chase when dining out, and the significance of this year’s BCRFA Hall ...

5 months ago

1 hour 55 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Group Chat: Vancouver’s Cocktail Scene In Focus

In this episode, I’m joined by four of Vancouver’s top bar talents – Amber Bruce (The Keefer Bar, June), Tara Davies (Chupito Cocteleria), Andrew Kong (Suyo), and Alexa Gervais (L’Abattoir) — for a roundtable discussion on the state of Vancouver’s cocktail scene. With North America’s 50 Best Bars having just left town, we dive into what that meant for local hospitality, the challenges of launching new venues, evolving guest expectations, and the growing interest in nonalcoholic options. From ...

6 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Is British Columbia's Craft Beer Industry Entering a New Era?

In December of 2023, Adam Henderson (Superflux Beer Company), Sam Payne (The Parkside Brewery, Rewind Beer Co.), and Nick Black (Strange Fellows Brewing) joined me to discuss the (seemingly dire) state of the beer industry. Now, just over a year later, the trio of local brewery pros have returned to drink a few beers and discuss the changes, adaptations and growth the industry has seen since we last spoke. Tune into an insightful, humorous, and overall fun-filled episode all about a possible ...

9 months ago

1 hour 26 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Ranking B.C.'s Best Bars and 'Dry January', with James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith

Continuing with last year’s end-of-year episode, James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus) join me once again to discuss their top 10 favourite bars in British Columbia. Additionally, the pair share their thoughts on ‘Dry January’ to begin our discussion. Happy New Year!If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email at trackandfoodpod@gmail.com

10 months ago

58 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Ranking B.C.'s Top 15 Restaurants, with James Iranzad and James Langford-Smith

With the year-end comes a fun-filled year-end list! Who better to join in ranking B.C.'s top 15 restaurants than my good friends, local industry vets, and frequent collaborative cohorts, James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus). In addition to comparing this year's top experiences from some of our favourite restaurants, in this final episode of 2024, we also riff off of two hot topics recently featured in Eater and Food & Wine magazines: the great ...

10 months ago

1 hour 27 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Getting Away From the Roots of Some Really Harsh Kitchens with Timothy Taylor and His New Book - The Rise and Fall of Magic Wolf

"If you've ever dreamed of moving to Europe to cook and learn from the best, then The Rise and Fall of Magic Wolf might feel familiar. The new novel from Vancouver author (-slash-journalist-slash-UBC-Professor-of-Creative-Writing) Timothy Taylor follows the life of Teo, an inexperienced kid from Vancouver pursuing his culinary fantasy in Paris. There, he meets Frankie, a confident Quebecois who chances to show Teo the ropes in the kitchen. Through the day-to-day grind and late night struggles...

1 year ago

42 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

On Tipping, Food Pricing, Michelin and Migrant Workers with Food Journalist Corey Mintz

Corey Mintz is a distinguished food journalist hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has contributed to several prominent publications, such as The New York Times, Eater, and The Globe and Mail, and is the author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After. In this episode, Corey and I delve into a range of topics, from tipping and restaurant pricing, to the Michelin awards and the role of migrant workers in Canada’s food industry. His extensive experti...

1 year ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Episode 100! - Does Vancouver Have a Defining Food Image?

Welcome to the Episode 100 extravaganza! In honour of this milestone, we catch up with former Track & Food podcast co-host, Mickey McLeod, and friend of the podcast, Tristan Young, of The Keefer Bar. Then, with the help of industry vets Shira Blustein (Acorn, Lila), James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus), James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality), and Michelle Sproule (Scout Magazine), we embark on a lengthy and raucous discussion beginning with whether Vancouver has a defining food image, a...

1 year ago

2 hours 32 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Demythologizing Poverty with Local Expert, Tracy Smith-Carrier

Will poverty always be a systemic issue? This is the question at the heart of Tracy Smith-Carrier’s article, “Implementing a basic income means overcoming myths about the ‘undeserving poor’”, published in The Conversation last December – and the focus of today’s interview with its author.Smith-Carrier has studied poverty for over 25 years, and is currently an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, with a focus on Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, at Royal Roads Universit...

1 year ago

50 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

An Inside Look at the Controversial Mount Pleasant BIA Expansion

Back in the fall, I received some good intel, via text, about a peculiar issue brewing up along Main Street, regarding the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association(BIA). The problem was a proposed expansion of where the BIA lines fell, with the Main and 19-29th Street areas considered a new addition. The text suggested a lot of pushback from business owners in this proposed expansion area who did not want a BIA.Fast forward to moments after recording my last episode when guest, Shira B...

1 year ago

1 hour 10 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Is the BC Restaurant Industry in a Crisis?

Whether at work or with friends, one of the more common questions posed to me is: “Where do you recommend going for dinner?” In a city as varied and culturally diverse as Vancouver, options for delicious fare seem endless. But despite the abundance of intrigue and hard-to-book tables, the local sector is in peril (much like the beer industry featured in my previous episode). This is largely (still) owing to the hard-hitting pandemic, which left thousands of small businesses scrambling nationw...

1 year ago

59 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

What's Going on with the BC Craft Beer Industry?

If you had asked me what I thought ‘craft beer’ was when I first moved to Vancouver, back in 2009, my answer would have been something vague about its ‘higher quality’. Fast forward to today, and layers of experiences, flavours and perspectives add nuance and understanding to what the beer sector signifies.Market capitalization and interest usually peak when something new captures the scene, with entrepreneurs racing to make their mark and carve out their niches. In BC, R&B, Storm, Red Tr...

1 year ago

1 hour 11 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Predicting the Michelin Stars with James Iranzad, James Langford-Smith and Heidi Noble

In this newest edition of the triple(J) - H series, prominent former winemaker Heidi Noble joins alongside James Iranzad (Gooseneck Hospitality) and James Langford-Smith (Pamplemousse Jus) to help predict who will win, keep, and possibly move up in year two of Vancouver's Michelin guide. Enjoy!This year's announcement is on October 5th.

2 years ago

1 hour 34 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Ending Homelessness Through Direct Cash Transfers with UBC Professor Dr. Jiaying Zhao

In 2018, Vancouver non-profit Foundations for Social Change, along with researchers from UBC, set out to do a small experiment: a one-year trial where they gave a lump sum of $7,500 cash, no strings attached, directly to people experiencing homelessness to see whether the direct cash method would provide them with a leg up finding stable housing, or if they would instead spend it on temptation goods (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.). Several local shelters were enlisted to help them find sui...

2 years ago

26 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

The Therapeutic Potential of MDMA With Journalist and Author, Rachel Nuwer

In this episode, award-winning freelance journalist, Rachel Nuwer, discusses her fantastic and revelatory new book, I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World. Featuring the real life stories of many intriguing characters, from ravers to PTSD sufferers, Nuwer's book covers a lot of ground: from how MDMA (aka Ectasy or "Molly") accidentally came to be (in a German lab for pharmaceutical company, Merck), to its use by the US government as a potential 'truth serum' circa...

2 years ago

53 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Edward Slingerland and James Iranzad Make the Case for Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to speak with UBC Professor Edward Slingerland regarding his then-new book, Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (take a listen to the June 16th, 2021 episode here). If you haven’t already read it, Drunk is a fantastic and sometimes hilarious examination of drunkenness, how being drunk enables us to trust and cooperate, and how alcohol consumption has influenced human development over the course of history.Since then, Health ...

2 years ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Track & Food Podcast

Three Kelowna Entrepreneurs Discuss Okanagan Hospitality

To get a more comprehensive perspective of what’s happening in Kelowna, I reached out to a few local entrepreneurs who’ve helped revitalize the community with many of their brands: David Paterson (Tantalus Vineyards, Vice & Virtue Brewing); Kyle Nixon (BNA Brewing Co., Skinny Duke’s Glorious Emporium, Bernie’s Supper Club and Cinema); and Casey Greabeiel (Greta Vancouver, Salt & Brick, Jack’s Kelowna, Diner Deluxe, Pretty Not Bad).Among other things, we discuss labour and migrant work...

2 years ago

1 hour 9 minutes