Founder and CEO of AKUA

Cultures around the world have been eating sea kelp for centuries, but in some places like America, the concept is quite new. Our next guest in the Hot Spot series is Courtney Boyd Myers, the co-founder and CEO of natural food startup Akua. Her company is known for making delicious and nutritious food products from kelp such as its fan favorite the Kelp burger with a mission to feed the planet sustainability while restoring the health of oceans.

Unlike a lot of food tech products, the kelp burger is naturally dense nutrients like Vitamins A, B6, E, K, as well as Zinc, Calcium, Folate, Potassium, & Iron.

Listen to this episode as we find out Courtney’s personal driving factor to starting Akua, what tough lessons presented themselves along the way as a first time entrepreneur, and what we can expect from Akua’s future innovations.

Matthew Hoffmann, Co-Founder and Master Distiller of Westland Distillery

There are only four ingredients needed to produce whiskey, and yet there are endless possibilities that can be expressed. Some put an emphasis on the water while others others focus on the wood with their own specific maturation philosophy, yet few really focus on the quality of whiskey's key ingredient: barley.

Majority of whiskey today is produced with commodity barley, but our next guest Matt Hofmann is looking to change this ecosystem by focusing on regionally-grown and shortening the distance between distiller and farmer.

Matt is Co-Founder and Master Distiller of Westland Distillery, the makers of an award-winning line of American Single Malt Whiskey. Matt is deeply passionate and knowledgeable and it's no surprise he was awarded in 2015 Whiskey of the Year by the American Distilling Institute, and in 2018, Whisky Magazine named him Master Distiller/Blender of the Year.

Matt takes us on journey through the Pacific Northwest and shares why this region is so important and how it reflects in his products. He also talks about the need for reconnecting the industry to agriculture, and Westland’s commitment to local farmers through barley sustainability initiatives such as The Bread Lab, in partnership with Washington State University.

Listen to this episode and get inspired by a passionate entrepreneur paving his own path in the whiskey space.

Christian Lachel, Chief Creative Officer of BRC Imagination Arts

In the last decade with the rise of social media and our abilities to document every detail of our lives, the word experience has become synonymous with our generation. It's been said that consumers today care more about experiences than possessions which is why brands have had to evolve the way they interact with their customers. From store pop-ups to brand themed restaurants, companies are leaning into that word by creating memorable activations that change the way they connect to their customers.

Our next guest is Christian Lachel, an experiential strategy & design expert and Chief Creative Officer of BRC Imagination Arts, a global experience production company founded in 1981. For the past 40 years BRC has worked with some of the world's biggest brands like General Motors, Brown-Forman, NASA, Pernod Ricard, Walt Disney, Ford and Coca Cola to name a few. Some of their more recent experiences include the World Food Center in the Netherlands, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio, Jameson Distillery Bow St. in Dublin, and Johnnie Walker Distillery in Scotland.

As CCO, Christian has devoted his career in creating sensory interactions. Whether he's doing it for whiskey lovers in the whiskey drinking capital of the world or beer drinkers in Amsterdam, he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes bridging the gap between ideas and reality. Listen to this episode as we talk about his most recent projects, his personal creative process, and how to create meaningful yet unique touch points for different audiences.

Andy Kadin - Owner/Baker of Bub and Grandma’s

For this addition of our Rising Talent series on On The Pass, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Andy Kadin, a Rising Talent 2019 Finalist. Andy is the owner and baker behind Bub and Grandma's, one of LA’s most beloved bread. What launched in 2014 as a small and humble business, after leaving behind an advertising career, has now evolved into a wholesale bakery with over 150 customers around LA, many of which are some of the city's most well known restaurants. Andy shares how he got his start, the evolution of Bub & Grandma’s incredible growth, and his upcoming sandwich shop which has been years in the making.

Santiago Lastra - Chef and Co-Owner of KOL

On this latest edition of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Santiago Lastra, Chef and Co-Owner of Kol restaurant and Kol Mezcaleria in London. Santiago —who is originally from Mexico —was recently named GQ Food and Drink Award's Best Chef 2021.

Santiago humbly talks to us about working on Rene Redzepi’s Noma Tulum pop-up, one of the most globally recognized pop-ups of all time, and what he learned through that experience which allowed him to explore Mexico's rich culinary history and deepen his relationship to ingredients and techniques from local indigenous communities.

We also talk about how his journey took him across the world to London to create a restaurant that is somehow both deeply Mexican and British at the same time. Santiago gives us an in-depth look at the restaurant where he marries Mexican cuisine with local and fresh British produce, the Mezcaleria, and the Mexican spirits and cocktails they are offering.

Jenny Dorsey - Chef and Founder of Studio ATAO

Launching today is our new series Rising Talent on On The Pass in conjunction with The Art of Plating Rising Talent 2021 program. This series highlights some of the emerging individuals on the list who are are all making an impact on our industry.

To kick off our first episode of this series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Jenny Dorsey, an On The Rise awardee on the 2019 Rising Talent list. Jenny is a Chef, writer, artist, and activist who fuses interdisciplinary storytelling with food as medium to explore topics like income inequality, social issues, and racial injustices.

In this episode, Jenny discusses a recent tool kit she published through Studio Atao, a 501c3 non profit she founded. The tool kit guides entrepreneurs and companies on implementing systemic changes towards equitable representation in food media. You can find info on the tool kit in the show notes below, we highly recommend you check it out.

Robert Furniss Roe - CEO of Samson & Surrey

How do spirits brands create memorable experiences and build a loyal following? Veteran spirits executive Robert Furniss Roe believes it comes down to the few fundamental principles of authenticity, differentiation, flavor and building brands with a certain humanity behind them.

Having been the former President and Regional CEO at Bacardi Limited, he follows those principles through to Samson & Surrey, a boutique spirits house he Co-founded whose portfolio of brands includes Bluecoat American Dry Gin, Vago Mezcal, FEW Whiskies, Ocho Tequila, Brenne, and small batch bourbon Widow Jane.

He shares his journey and valuable insight into creating and maintaining a beverage brand in today’s competitive market.

Carlos Couturier - Co-founder and Managing Partner of Grupo Habita

From the dense city life of CDMX to the tranquil sands of Cabo, Mexico has become one of the top travel destinations in the world, yet so much of it has been undiscovered. In this conversation, legendary hotelier Carlos Couturier, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Grupo Habita, a boutique hotel group with destinations across Latin America, passionately takes us on a journey through Mexico through his eyes as a hotel developer.

Over the last two decades Carlos and his partners have been credited with invigorating destinations throughout Mexico with art, design, architecture, culinary, and of course exceptional hospitality.

He shares his approach to developing in unique neighborhoods and regions, the importance of finding your tribe, and learning to let the guests give life to a hotel's personality. We also dive into his most recent hotel project Baja Club in La Paz, a place he considers one of Mexico's best kept secret.

Jacon Pechenik - CEO of Lettuce Grow

Having kids changes your life and for our next guest it was the catalyst to better understand food and nutrition, which - like a true entrepreneur - led him to the launch of a new venture. On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Jacob Pechenik, Co-founder and CEO of Lettuce Grow, an outdoor and indoor hydroponic growing system that allows it’s users to grow their own fresh food such as veggies, herbs, leafy greens, and fruits at home without pesticides and with 95 percent less water than traditional gardening.

Before coming onto the show, Jacob expressed his passion and interest in Mezcal, so it was only appropriate to host him at the On The Pass studio for this chat while sipping some artisanal mezcal Gabriel recently brought back from his trip to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Jacob shares how having kids was his catalyst for healthy eating and how a farm he helped start in Austin, Texas propelled the creation of Lettuce Grow and the beloved Farmstand product. Not only is The Farmstand producing delicious fruits and veggies at home, but it's an educational tool helping families reconnect with their food. Jacob's hope is his product helps create a deeper appreciation and better decision making around food.

Anthony Myint - Co-Founder of Mission Chinese Food SF and Zero Foodprint

Can healthy soil save our planet? The short answer is Yes. The long answer is we radically have to rethink how we cultivate and giveback to our farm lands. Our next guest, Anthony Myint, Co-Founder of Mission Chinese Food SF and Zero Foodprint (ZFP), a nonprofit organization building a renewable food system rooted in healthy soil, is taking action to be apart of the daunting solution to a better future. Anthony is the 2019 winner of Basque Culinary World prize and 2020 James Beard Humanitarian Of The Year award winner.

This is an eye opening conversation around where we are today with climate change, getting to the core of the effects from conventional farming, and how the solution to climate change is in healthy soil.

Soils have become one of the most vulnerable resources in the world from the effects of biodiversity loss due to the heavy use of chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides. Carbon farming or Regenerative Farming on the other hand restores soil biology, naturally pulling tons of carbon out of the atmosphere to bring soil back to life and replenishing its nutrients.

Taking this into consideration, ZFP is a platform that engages key players in the food system such as chefs, restaurants, and food companies to participate by adding a few cents per meal to help farmers implement carbon farming projects through grant programs. ZFP members are funding regenerative agriculture projects in CA and CO, and will begin in the Northeastern US later this year, as well as international collaborations in Asia and Europe.

This episode was brought to you by Perrier-Jouët as part of our series to bring sustainability inspired content in celebration of Earth Day. We love their holistic approach to becoming a more sustainable Champagne House, not only in the vineyard but also in production. Perrier-Jouët has reduced their carbon footprint by 55% since 2009, and recently launched the Ecobox, a fully recyclable and sustainably sourced gifting solution made of 100% natural fiber, inspired by the chalky soils of Champagne. Join us in making eco conscious choices and enjoy 15% off the non-vintage Perrier-Jouett Blanc de Blancs Ecobox with code TAOP15 until April 30th. Enjoy, and please drink responsibly.

Brain Canlis - Co-Owner of Canlis Restaurant

Our guest this episode is Brian Canlis, someone who along with his family has had a reputation for setting the bar for hospitality through their 70 year old restaurant Canlis, a Seattle institution created by his grandfather Peter Canlis. Since the 1950’s, the restaurant has won multiple awards including their most recent James Beard award for Outstanding Hospitality.

Today, Brian and his brother Mark are at the helm of Canlis. Bringing a fresh perspective, they’ve made changes to keep the restaurant evolving and in the last year they’ve steered the restaurant through the pandemic with quick start-up like pivots from turning the restaurant from a fine dining institution to a burger joint, among many other concepts.

It's not every day you get to connect and learn from a 3rd generation family restaurant owner. Many times, generational owners take on a huge responsibility to upkeep the legacy and standards of their restaurant while simultaneously working hard to stay relevant. Brian shares his approach to evolving as a brand, his leadership style, and some valuable lessons from his parents.

This is an eye-opening episode on how leading and learning with vulnerability is absolutely a strength rather than a weakness. Enjoy!

Larissa Zimberoff - Journalist and Author

You don’t have to be in the food-tech space to know there is a lot going on. A simple google search will send you down an endless labyrinth of information overload. You’ve probably heard of companies like, Impossible foods and Beyond Meat, who have raised millions, grown significantly, and can now be found at many local grocery stores and mainstream restaurants.

There’s a whole host of other brands, technologies, and innovations that are being developed such as eggs made of mung beans or protein from fungi, for example. Wanting to learn more, Gabriel talks to our next guest, Larissa Zimberoff, a freelance journalist, who specializes in covering the convergence of food, tech and business. Larissa’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Businessweek, and many others.

Driven by her personal health journey to better understand and navigate the universe of food and technology, Larissa’s expert research can be explored in her new upcoming book, Technically Food. In this conversation, she is a wealth of knowledge into the diverse and sometimes complex universe of food tech and plant based proteins.

More importantly, we ask the fundamental questions: will these innovations become a part of our everyday diet and is it even good for our health?

Micah McFarlane - CEO of Revel Spirits

What is Ávila? There's more to the agave spirits category than just Tequila and Mezcal. On this episode of the “Hot Spot” series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Micah McFarlane, CEO of Revel Spirits, an emerging agave spirits brand making Ávila, a regionally specific product with deep roots to Mexico's second smallest state Morelos.

With big ambitions to put this new agave subcategory on the map, Revel Spirits combines the techniques of roasting (mezcal) and steaming (tequila) piñas to create an exceptional spirit with subtle smokey notes.

Micah, who came from a lifelong career in the entertainment industry as a tour manager for numerous artists, describes his fateful "meeting of someone in a bar" that led him to a beautiful world of agave, the people of Morelos, and to where Revel Spirits is at today.

*Hot Spot is an On The Pass series highlighting emerging brands and people in food, drink, and hospitality.