It’s official. CTbites is launching our first original podcast, “CTbites Hot Dish.” Obviously, we all love to get the inside scoop on all things culinary. CTbites Hot Dish takes you behind the scenes with CT chefs, farmers, bartenders and local food activists. Our host, Marysol Castro, broadcast journalist, NY Mets PA announcer and all around ball buster, will serve up a saucy look into the CT food scene. She will be joined by a rotating cast of CTbites crew including myself in our CTbites Family episodes, where we will shoot the sh#t on the latest CT food news. This is gonna be fun people. (And yeah…it’s explicit.)
This week, we sit down with Chef Tyler Anderson, Top Chef, Punk rock singer, baseball player, and owner of Millwright’s, Porron & Piña, and The Cook & The Bear (+ a new spot coming soon…you’ll need to listen to find out more). LISTEN HERE.Many thanks to our launch sponsor, Norwalk Now, where Norwalk businesses come together to bring you their city in real time.
When Ken Tuccio first launched Food & Drink one of the things he wanted to do was a series of "With …" episodes. Episodes where he shared a meal or drinks with someone and had a conversation … not so much an interview, but more of a real chat. This is the first episode in that conceptualized sub-series. Ken sits down and has "Beers with" Patrick DiCaprio, the co-host of the Full Pours podcast. They discuss beer festivals, the boom of the CT beer scene, the new trend related to "one off labels" showing up in the market and more. Listen here.
Evarito's Mexican Kitchen & Bar is the latest addition to South Norwalk. Ken Tuccio sits down with Christian Burns, the mind behind the spot, to talk about his background in the culinary world and how it all led to what he's doing now with Evarito's. Listen here.
It was a long road for Tribus Beer Co. to become a reality. One of the founders of Tribus, Sean O'Neill, sits down with Ken Tuccio to tell the story about how he and his partners got together, took their idea and turned it into one of the most anticipated brewery openings in the state. Listen here.
Jes Bengston, from Terrain Garden Café in Westport, started her career dropping baskets of french fries into a fryer and now she's an award winning Chef who has cooked at the James Beard House. Jes sits down with Ken Tuccio to tell her fascinating story and why she feels she found a home at Terrain. Listen to the interview here.
Stony Creek is opening up a brewery in Foxwoods. Yes, the casino. It's a big deal … not just for Stony Creek but for the Connecticut beer scene as a whole. Ken Tuccio traveled to Foxwoods to chat with Andy Schwartz from Stony Creek about how this Foxwoods brewery came to be, what it's been like working with Foxwoods and how this could be a great boom for Connecticut beer. Listen here.
You can't understate the importance of Thomas Hooker Brewing Co. in the history of Connecticut beer. However for a while they got lost in the shuffle. Then, with a beer called #NoFilter, they had a bit of resurgence within the Connecticut craft beer community. Ken Tuccio sits down with Jonas Griggs, the head brewer of Thomas Hooker Brewing, to talk about Hooker's spot in the CT beer scene, the importance of #NoFilter to the growth of the company and his plans for the brewery moving forward. Listen here.
Vinnie Penn has been a Connecticut media staple for decades, but he's never been someone who you'd necessarily think about when it comes to the Connecticut food scene. Well, that's changing now. Vinnie's got a brand new book out called Route One Food Run where he travels up and down Route One to try the best places you can grab some grub. Ken Tuccio talks to Vinnie about how the book came to be, his love for the world of food and what he's learned during this process. Listen here.
In Connecticut when you think "pizza" a few places immediately come to mind, but Ken Tuccio has always championed Letizia's Pizza in Norwalk as the best pizza in Connecticut. Well, it seems like other people are jumping on the Letizia's train, because they just beat out "the big boys" and were crowned 2018 Best of the Gold Coast for pizza. Ken sits with Danny, Dennis and Dave from Letizia's to talk about their 20 years making pies in Norwalk, the struggles they faced as a business and what it means to finally be recognized as the best. Listen in here.
This week Ken Tuccio sits down with Vin Giannetto and Michele McHugh, two of the owners of Hawk Ridge Winery in Watertown. They tell their interesting story about how, with very little experience in wine making, they managed to turn their lot of land into one of the most gorgeous vineyards in the state. Have a listen here.
For years Charter Oak Brewing has been trying to open up a physical brewery in Connecticut, but they've been met with roadblock after roadblock. They never quit though, and as a result they now have a gorgeous brewery in Danbury CT which is ready to pour beers for the public. Ken sits down with Scott Vallely, the founder of Charter Oak Brewing, to discuss the hurdles and challenges he faced to get to this point. Listen here
Chef Bill Taibe's culinary reputation is nationally known. His restaurants in Westport (Kawa Ni, The Whelk and Jesup Hall) are destination dining locations. Chef Taibe is making some big changes to the way he does business however, and he sits down with Ken Tuccio to discuss exactly what those changes are and how he's dealing with them both professionally and personally. Listen here.
Ken Tuccio has frequently called Anthony Bourdain his "biggest inspiration". Sadly, Anthony Bourdain is no longer with us. In this very special episode of FOOD & DRINK, Ken sits down with some of the most well known names in the Connecticut culinary scene; Chef Bill Taibe (Jessup Hall / Kawa Ni), Chef Matt Storch (Match/ Nom-Eeez) and Casey Dohme (The Blind Rhino) to talk about the life and legacy of Anthony. Listen here.
Ken Tuccio sits down with Johnny Kraszewski from Armada Brewing in this week's episode of Food & Drink, but the conversation isn't just about beer or the Connecticut beer scene. It's a conversation about marketing, promotion, the challenges associated with self-employment and more. Ken is also joined during the monologue by Patrick DiCaprio from the Full Pours Podcast and Ken gives Pat the rundown of his experience with cruise food last week. Have a listen here.
Chef Prasad Chirnomula has made a name for himself across the state, and the country, for being one of the foremost experts on Indian cuisine. His new venture, Chef Prasad Indian Kitchen, opens up in New Caanan in June and he sits down with Ken Tuccio to talk about his goals and inspiration for the new spot, the importance of a Chef being present in the kitchen and how he approaches work now as opposed to when he was younger. Listen to podcast here.
Athletic Brewing Company in Stratford are not just making waves in the Connecticut beer scene, but also the country. They are the first US based beverage company to focus solely on non-alcoholic craft beers. Building an entire brewery focused non-alcoholic beers has caused many to raise a lot of eyebrows and stirred a lot of curiosity and speculation among the beer community. Ken Tuccio sits down with the owner of Athletic Brewing, Bill Shufelt, and head brewer John Walker to talk about why they decided to launch an entire brewery dedicated to beer that won't get you drunk. Have a listen here.
Get pumped people. CTbites's new podcast, Food & Drink, hosted by Ken Tuccio, launches TODAY! Tuccio's first guest is two time James Beard award nominee, Top Chef, and Chef/Owner of Millwright's, The Cook & The Bear (BBQ), and a brand new Spanish spot, Porrón, at the Goodwin Hotel in West Hartford.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new podcast series only on CTbites! Starting May 17th Ken Tuccio is joining the CTBites family when he begins hosting FOOD & DRINK, a CTBites Original Podcast! Subscribe to Apple Podcasts hereor find us on Spotify.
Prior to the premiere of Food & Drink on May 17th, Ken Tuccio wanted to give his listeners a behind the scenes look at the last year of his life when he was the host of a morning drive radio show, First Thing Fairfield County, on 95.9 The Fox.
This episode is moderated by Patrick DiCaprio from Full Pours Radio and serves as a bridge between Ken's previous show, Welcome To Connecticut, and his upcoming show Food & Drink.
Ken openly discusses how the morning show job came about, his creative frustrations, battles with the sales staff, why it all came to an end and what he learned from the experience.
Join the party Thursday, May 17th, when CTbites celebrates the launch of our new Food & Drink PODCAST hosted by Ken Tuccio. Come on down and meet the CTbites team, as we open up the patio season at The Spread in South Norwalk. Pssst....first 40 guests to arrive once we open the doors at 5:00PM get to sample some of Chef Carlos Baez' NEW HAPPY HOUR MENU (Free!!)..
We will also be celebrating the winner of our Cocktail Naming Contest, as we toast to new beginnings with The Spread's new signature cocktail, (to be named by a CTbites reader...enter here).
This event is open to the public, and does not require prepaid tickets for entry. The first 40 guests will be able to taste test the new menu free of charge. The rest of the evening is a la carte.
Special guest, Lock City Brewing, will also be on hand, giving out samples of a few of their tasty beers.
