Podcasts about blue bridge hospitality

Ice cream shops don't usually spawn modest empires—but this one did. Born and raised in Coronado, David Spatafore opened a little scoop place, MooTime Creamery, in 1998. He built it in the same neighborhood where he grew up and met his wife. Now, his food hall, Liberty Public Market—the market that started the trend in San Diego—is the epicenter of life in Point Loma. He's got a steakhouse, Stake, and a flip-flop-and-tiki-shirt concept with The Islander, which is now home to a tiny donut shack called Dinky Donuts. Blue Bridge Hospitality is a homegrown success started with a little cream and sugar. But today we want to talk about Little Frenchie, their Michelin-recognized spot and one of the best damn French bistros in San Diego. So we invited over the men who put the good in it: Blue Bridge exec chef Matt Sramek and VP of Operations Matt Gordon (a beloved chef in San Diego, he's also the former owner of Urban Solace). “We're cooks—we think about food all day. We dream about food. We love the stress and rush of it,” Sramek says. Sramek got his start in kitchens under chefs Bruno Lopez and Douglas Dodd before signing on as a chef de partie (line cook) for Thomas Keller's Bouchon Beverly Hills. He landed in San Diego at Amaya, worked his way across the city, and eventually became executive sous chef for Blue Bridge. The “pair of Matts,” as David calls them, come into the SDM podcast studios and talk about what's made Little Frenchie such a hit (Michelin has given them a plate award three years running). They tell us about life on the island and explain their pandemic silver lining (with so much open space in Liberty Station, their market got a huge boost of traffic that hasn't slowed down). As always, thanks for listening. Little Frenchie will cook Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Grand Tasting of Del Mar Wine + Food Festival.

Owner & Operator of Blue Bridge Hospitality, David Spatafore is a house-hold name in San Diego and fellow native to Coronado. He's been a restauranteur for over 20 years with concepts ranging from Stake, Liberty Public Market, Little Frenchies & my personal favorite Moo Time. David speaks to the ever changing hospitality industry as well as seeing San Diego's market change one neighborhood at a time. Let's Level Up!

You may have noticed that the sign at Carnitas’ Snack Shack on University Avenue now says The Porchetta Shack. We asked our guest this week, chef and owner Hanis Cavin (who has been called San Diego’s “King of Pork”), why he changed the concept for his popular North Park restaurant after eight successful years. Hanis also shared that he’s no longer affiliated with the Carnitas’ location at the Embarcadero, and his pick for Two People, $50 is Fernside in South Park. This week in Hot Plates, we learned that chef Matt Gordon (who recently closed Urban Solace and Solace & The Moonlight Lounge) is now the vice president of operations for Blue Bridge Hospitality—the company behind Liberty Public Market and Stake Chophouse. Neighborhood, the craft beer and burger joint that’s been in East Village for 12 years, isn’t closed: the shutdown is just temporary for a remodel. The Florence is now open in Sabre Springs (Troy got the First Look at the space and the menu), and the tenth annual Eat.Drink.Read fundraiser for the San Diego Council on Literacy is coming up at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The Hot Topic this week is the James Beard Awards and the fact that San Diego chefs and restaurants were excluded, again, from making the cut as finalists. Troy took a closer look at how many San Diego chefs have been nominated for a James Beard Award in recent years compared to chefs in LA and San Francisco (and finds a huge disparity), and shares what it would take to get San Diego included in the “Oscars of Food.” We have a phone number for this podcast now! We're going to end each podcast with a question for our listeners, and you can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave us a message. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50. Did you get your tickets yet to Best of North County? You don’t want to miss this party at the Park Hyatt Aviara on April 14, where you get unlimited bites and sips from all the new and noteworthy spots in North County. Our sponsors for this episode are the North Park Main Street Association and the San Diego Padres. Enter to win two tickets in a VIP suite for a live recording of the Happy Half Hour on May 6th! sdmag.com/padrespodcast - get tickets at padres.com

Pastry chef Lori Sauer is a ‘whisk taker’ and was tapped to kick off this year’s PACIFIC Chain of Gourmand. From the one-oven Crafted Baked Goods kitchen at Liberty Public Market, she keeps busy suppling sweets for the full portfolio of Blue Bridge Hospitality restaurants around San Diego.

Meet Executive Chef Tim Kolanko of Blue Bridge Hospitality, a diverse group of restaurants based in and born out of a love for the city of Coronado. Chef Tim Kolanko shares his passion for honest food and teaching next generations of cooks the traditions and techniques that he has learned throughout culinary career.

Chef Tim Kolanko shares the culture of Blue Bridge Hospitality build from local and sustainable food.