Podcast appearances and mentions of jason alley

Craving something new this spring? How about a casual picnic filled with delicious and delectable bites – all for a heartwarming cause? Save the date for Saturday, May 18, from 6pm - 9pm, as the Positive Vibe Foundation unveils its second annual signature culinary extravaganza: Positively Delicious.You're cordially invited to join us at the Faison Center's Guzman Community Center for an evening steeped in community spirit and elevated by culinary mastery. The list of wonderful restaurants representing Richmond and beyond has been handpicked by the visionary restaurateur and community advocate, Jason Alley, in collaboration with Positive Vibe's Executive Director Michele Jones, both esteemed figures from Richmond's beloved culinary scene at Comfort and Pasture.Michele Jones is a former restauranteur and owner of Comfort, Pasture, and Bingo Beer. Her work in the nonprofit industry has previously been through her philanthropic efforts during her years dominating the Richmond restaurant scene. As recently profiled in Richmond magazine, Michele established an annual tradition of giving back to her community by collecting coats and suitcases for kids in foster care. She was named “World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer” Person of the Week for her efforts. In 2018, Comfort partnered with Feed More to donate 100% of its proceeds to fight food insecurity.​While her history in the restaurant world might not seem to be the most logical choice to helm a nonprofit, she brings decades of experience in running large, complex, and successful public-facing organizations. Her enthusiasm and energy, along with potential new community partners, is destined to uplift Positive Vibe's students and expand their opportunities for finding purpose, passion and possibilities.Positive Vibe Foundation is wholeheartedly dedicated to providing transformative training and coaching talent help people with disabilities lead fulfilling and independent lives.

In this thought-provoking video, film fans Jason Alley (Sactown Movie Buffs) and Ben Friedman dive deep into Martin Scorsese's criminally underrated film, "After Hours." Join us as we unpack the themes, symbolism, and wackiness that make this movie an absolute gem. Guest Links: Sactown Movie Buffs: https://www.sactownmoviebuffs.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/filmschooldropout/message

Retaining top talent is a perpetual challenge for customer experience (CX) leaders. To deliver outstanding customer experiences, you need to keep your best agents. But it's equally important to retain your technical team, including the software engineers who build and maintain the tools in your CX ecosystem. In this episode, Jason Alley, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Genesys, joins as guest co-host to discuss how one Genesys customer motivated software engineers to drive CX innovation — and found the key to retaining them. Richard Trucker, Software Engineering Manager at OVO Energy Ltd., explains how empowering engineers to solve problems in collaboration with business teams yielded rapid CX innovation. And it differentiated its brand and motivated the development team with quick feedback and satisfying results. Jack Nichols, VP of Product Management for Genesys Cloud CX rounds out the conversation with insights into how a composable CX ecosystem empowers software engineers and fosters co-creation.

The future of customer experience (CX) is composable. We're hearing that a lot these days. But what is composability — and how will it affect customer and employee experience? In this episode, two oracles of composability at Genesys, Jack Nichols, Vice President of Product Management, and Jason Alley, Senior Director of Product Marketing, join our hosts to delve into the key components of a composable CX platform and ecosystem. They also clearly define composability and explain how it enables faster innovation and better resilience. The conversation is packed with insights that dig beneath the surface of composable technology concepts to explore what it means to operate as a composable organization. 

Michele Jones is back! This time we talk about how she believes the best restaurants are so much more than places that just sell food; they are community meeting places. We discuss the importance of making everyone who walks through the door feel like a regular, being kind, giving back by aligning your business with charities that share your values (generating valuable earned PR), Keanu Reeves, Drew Barrymore, and Molly Ringwald. Michele is all about great people, great food, and great community. As former co-owner of Comfort, Pasture, and Bingo she learned a lot about the restaurant business and about the wonderful people in the small business community. Michele is a community mover and shaker who loves to give back and delight others. Michele is a doer who loves the people who surround her. Now with Alley/Jones Hospitality she and her partner, Jason Alley, are helping others make their restaurant and retail dreams a reality. When not working or volunteering with children's charities or Habitat for Humanity she's traveling to Dollywood with her best friend and her best friend's son, hanging out with the best little dog in the world or checking out the many fun places in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Michele has a knack for making everyone feel special, welcomed and that they have a place in the world. She was once Diane Sawyer's person of the week – though she'll wholeheartedly avoid talking about the press she's received for doing good things in Richmond and beyond. She loves to travel and find small treasures to surprise others and make them feel happy. All these are probably the reasons why she loves that quote attributed to Vince Lombardi: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”Find out more about Michele on her website: https://alleyjones.com   Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.   SHOW LINKS Website: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenBeyond/ Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenBeyond/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondacertainage/ Episode archive: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here: https://denisevivaldogroup.com/ More of Denise's info is here: https://denisevivaldo.com Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here: https://linktr.ee/cindieflannigan Denise and Cindie's books: https://www.amazon.com/Denise-Vivaldo/e/B001K8QNRA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Michele Jones is with us this week to talk about how she got into the hospitality industry, how she developed great work ethic early on, and how she thrives managing chaos. Michele is all about great people, great food, and great community. As former co-owner of Comfort, Pasture, and Bingo she learned a lot about the restaurant business and about the wonderful people in the small business community. Michele is a community mover and shaker who loves to give back and delight others. Michele is a doer who loves the people who surround her. Now with Alley/Jones Hospitality she and her partner, Jason Alley, are helping others make their restaurant and retail dreams a reality. When not working or volunteering with children's charities or Habitat for Humanity she's traveling to Dollywood with her best friend and her best friend's son, hanging out with the best little dog in the world or checking out the many fun places in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Michele has a knack for making everyone feel special, welcomed and that they have a place in the world. She was once Diane Sawyer's person of the week – though she'll wholeheartedly avoid talking about the press she's received for doing good things in Richmond and beyond. She loves to travel and find small treasures to surprise others and make them feel happy. All these are probably the reasons why she loves that quote attributed to Vince Lombardi: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”Find out more about Michele on her website: https://alleyjones.com   Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.   SHOW LINKS Website: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenBeyond/ Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenBeyond/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondacertainage/ Episode archive: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here: https://denisevivaldogroup.com/ More of Denise's info is here: https://denisevivaldo.com Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here: https://linktr.ee/cindieflannigan Denise and Cindie's books: https://www.amazon.com/Denise-Vivaldo/e/B001K8QNRA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

In this episode, Scott Nagel interviews Jason Alley, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Genesys, to discuss Composable CX - what it is and how it is helping companies differentiate faster, adapt easier, and architect better.  

When Joe and Emilia Sparatta arrived in Richmond about a decade ago, they hit the ground running. From helping Jason Alley open Pasture, to opening their wildly successful Richmond restaurant Heritage, to opening a second successful Richmond restaurant Southbound, to expanding from a couple to a family of four, there has not been much downtime for the Sparattas. That all changed in March 2020 when COVID-19 shut down the restaurant industry. "It was really hard to try to completely shift gears and amazingly stressful to try to make these decisions," Joe Sparatta said about the month the COVID-19 pandemic hit Richmond. "Being worried about people's health. Not knowing how the virus worked. Not understanding, are we keeping people safe? Is this a terrible idea being open? It was just very challenging, to say the least." After a few weeks of limited service and to-go orders, the Sparattas decided to temporarily close Heritage. "It was super traumatic. It was so hard to have to close down. It was so hard to think that this might be the last time we're ever in this building," Sparatta said.  One year later, the Sparattas are preparing to reopen Heritage -- with some modifications. "I just feel fortunate that we're able to come back," Sparatta said. "I probably think will be disappointing some people by not being open for brunch or they might not be able to get a table for a little while, because we're doing such a limited capacity. But we're just happy to be back and trying to move on from all that is certainly a little PTSD from that. I think everybody has that now. My mental health was certainly shaken up a bit." On this week's Eat It, Virginia! Joe Sparatta shares what it's going to take to reopen Heritage and for restaurants to survive the post-pandemic world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kierre Stowes and Jason Alley explore the intricacies of the award-winning documentary Shades Of Lagos, directed by Doyinsola Wale-Banmore. ABOUT THE FILM: A documentary that tells the true story of growing up in Lagos. Through a series of revealing interviews, we will explore the unique stories of characters who directly or indirectly got to Lagos in pursuit of a better life. Each character story will portray its journey, obstacles, successes, and experiences while comparing it with secondary characters that have polar opposite stories. A city so small, yet, very populated, has many stories to tell and each character has different shades to paint. Visit www.flickfair.com to watch the full film.

Kierre Stowes and Jason Alley explore the intricacies of the award-winning animation The Door, directed by Brian Holman. ABOUT THE FILM: Six siblings go for a hike and come across a door standing in the middle of the trail. (Due to COVID, film was made by having actors in 5 different cities submit their lines without knowing the script or other lines)

Kierre Stowes and Jason Alley explore the intricacies of the award-winning documentary 12th Street, directed by Gregory Lovett & Matthijs Heesemans. ABOUT THE FILM: Each year 25,000 inmates are released in Huntsville, Texas — one of the largest prison towns in America. Monday through Friday, the glass doors swing open on the front of the Civil War-era, red-brick prison they call The Walls. The inmates' exit and shuffle along the sidewalk, some smiling, some pensive, all shouldering onion sacks full of belongings. With no one to greet them, most stream past the private homes and prison offices toward the Greyhound bus station three blocks away. For hours, until buses have carried them off, there are lines of released prisoners everywhere near the station: a line for bus tickets, a line to cash prison checks, a line to buy new clothes. This documentary features a number of these newly released prisoners and explores one of the most critical issues in the national debate over criminal justice reform: the flood of prisoners returning to American communities without the guidance and support needed for a successful transition back to society. What awaits them on the outside? How are they prepared to deal with the new world? Where do they go from here?

Jason Alley has had a notable career in Richmond restaurants. When it opened, his restaurant comfort was credited with breathing new life into downtown Richmond and helping put the city on the country's culinary map. So when Richmond went looking for a person to help map a road to recovery for Richmond restaurants, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Alley answered the call. On this week's episode of Eat It, Virginia!, Jason Alley talks about his new role at City Hall and what Richmond is doing to help restaurants and other small businesses survive the pandemic. He also opens up about his personal recovery from alcohol addiction and how he is helping others find a path to sobriety, one day at a time. Click here to learn more about Ben's Friends. This episode of Eat It, Virginia! is sponsored by #SmallUnites. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Castiglione, Co-Owner of Maya Restaurant, and Candice van der Linde, Owner of Buy and Sell Cville Team Realtors with RE/MAX Realty Specialists, joined me live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show headlines (Friday, November 20) 1. Do Good CVille Winter Wear Giveaway 2. Major shakeups at Charlottesville City Hall. Again. https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/newly-hired-charlottesville-nds-director-bails-for-job-in-prince-william-hr-director-leaving/article_a9147ea8-2a95-11eb-b0a2-d343a633661b.html#tracking-source=home-trending 3. Jason Alley is now working for the City of Richmond after being hired by Mayor Levar Stoney. https://richmond.com/entertainment/dining/updated-stoney-hires-richmond-chef-and-restaurateur-jason-alley-to-be-restaurant-and-city-liaison/article_c3a9faae-e746-5a00-aa2d-5a390efabcf9.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 4. UVA's Sam Hauser on Naismith Trophy Watchlist. https://www.nbc29.com/2020/11/19/uvas-sam-hauser-naismith-trophy-watchlist/ The I Love CVille Show airs live before a worldwide audience Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. The I Love CVille Show is powered by four generation strong Intrastate Inc., trusted limo company Camryn Limousine, the talented Dr. Scott Wagner of Scott Wagner Chiropractic and Sports Medicine, custom home builder John Kerber of Dominion Custom Homes and entrepreneur Patricia Boden Zeller's Animal Connection – All Natural Store for Healthy Pets.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 40 °F, but highs today should hit somewhere in the mid 60s. Wonderful! The entire weekend, really, looks pleasant and filled with good opportunities to spend some time outside.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,954↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 36↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 176↗️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 68, Henrico: 53, and Richmond: 55). Since this pandemic began, 446 people have died in the Richmond region. Here’s this week’s stacked chart of Virginia’s daily reported positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This week I’ve focused on the new hospitalizations data, and yesterday, for the first time since since back in July, the state reported over 100 new hospitalizations in a single day. That scares me, especially as the Central Region creeps up towards having 90% of its hospital beds occupied. I wonder if we’ll start seeing folks begin dusting off some of those early, springtime plans to convert the Convention Center into an emergency field hospital? Locally, we’re seeing consistent, springlike new case numbers—also scary.A bunch of interesting emails showed up in VPM’s Roberto Roldan’s inbox yesterday. The first, from the state Democratic Party, calling for Richmond’s General Registrar to resign after this month’s rough and confusing election process. The second, from the Party’s lawyers laying out some of their legal concerns. The third, in which City Council candidates Tarvaris Spinks and Amy Wentz, who saw their vote totals bounce around after Election Day in a weird and concerning way, joined the call for the Registrar’s resignation. Not in Roldan’s inbox, but fellow VPM reporter Alan Rodriguez Espinoza says, “During his COVID-19 press briefing, Mayor Levar Stoney says he agrees with calls for the General Registrar to step down.” Finally, a note from the Registrar herself saying she will not resign and is currently recovering from COVID-19. As for who gets to decide the Registrar’s fate, Chris Suarez at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says: “In Virginia, registrars are appointed by local three-member electoral boards. Circuit court judges appoint the board members, but state law requires that two members of the board belong to the same party as the governor, so local party officials typically recommend candidates for appointment…The boards, according to state law, are permitted to remove by majority vote any registrar or election officers who do not comply with election law.”NPR, like, national NPR, has a story about how folks living in Richmond’s redlined neighborhoods—today!—have dramatically lower life expectancy than folks living in, say, the West End. It’s pretty bad: “They compared the [redlining] maps to the current economic status and health outcomes in those neighborhoods today and found higher rates of poverty, shorter life spans and higher rates of chronic diseases including asthma, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and kidney disease.” The two most important maps for understanding Richmond, in my opinion, are the 1930s redlining map and the map of annexation. Understand those two maps and you understand a ton about why things are the way they are.The City has hired Jason Alley as “a provisional policy advisor to liaise between the restaurant community and city administration. In this position, he will assist in innovating and implementing safe ways to support restauranteurs and their staff during this challenging time for the restaurant industry.” You might know Jason Alley as the chef and co-owner of both Comfort and Pasture (RIP) and Bingo Beer Co., plus he’s been featured on some Duke’s Mayonnaise commercials. I think he might be as close to a celebrity chef as we have in Richmond. Karri Peifer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says the job’s CARES Act funded and will, at least for now, end before the start of the new year. I dunno! I’m trying not to be cynical over here! I hope Alley has more success working with the City on creating safe, outdoor space for folks over the next couple of weeks than did a mess of advocates throughout the entire spring, summer, and fall. Lots of (most?) cities figured this out months ago, so it’s not like we need to invent rocket science: Make it dead easy for restaurants to remove parking to make space for distancing while eating and drinking—bonus points if you can help businesses keep folks warm while outside through these winter months. There’s a whole separate conversation we can and should have about how this new work plays out equitably across the city. We can’t just suddenly pop up a bunch of new outdoor dining in Scott’s Addition and call it a day. See the previous paragraph!An update on the Richmond Police Department’s External Advisory Board, which, remember, does not replace the ongoing work to create a Civilian Review Board: Earlier this week the RPD released the names of the EAB’s members(Facebook). Police leadership and EAB membership had previously balked at taking this board public due to some reasonable worries about potential harassment.Ned Oliver at the Virginia Mercury, who may officially have the weed beat, asks eight interesting questions to consider as the General Assembly gets ready to debate legalizing marijuana.For the past bunch of years, Better Housing Coalition has hosted the Gingerbread House Challenge, which raises funds for a good cause (BHC) and tests folks' baked architecture and sugar construction skills. It’s like making a show stopper in the Great British Baking Show, but without any of the crushing stress or unreasonable timelines. Plus, if you win, you get to take home a $1,000 prize curtesy of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. This year BHC has waived the entry fee but is asking teams to raise $250 for the good of the cause. Teams have until November 27th to register.This morning’s longread‘We deserve it’: Larimer residents reflect on the neighborhood’s history and the long fight for redevelopmentDo you need an inspirational community housing story to take you into the weekend?But much has changed in recent years, largely due to grassroots advocacy from residents to spur development projects like the transformation of the former Larimer School into housing and the building of the Cornerstone Village mixed-income housing complex. Both projects are being funded in part with a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We deserve it,” Dolores Marinello, 80, said. “We’ve waited a long time. We fought hard to get the money to redevelop, the whole community did.” She calls the projects “a dream.” But in reality, they’re the result of years of work by Larimer community members who refused to let their neighborhood be forgotten even through hard economic times and lack of government investment.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

I speak with chefs, owners and many others in the food business in the industry's first nighttime food show presented by International Gourmet Foods at Bingo Beer Company in Richmond, Virginia. Chef and Owner Jason Alley speaks with me here. International Gourmet Foods http://igf-inc.com/ Bingo Beer Company https://www.bingorva.com/

Why are some social change movements successful while others are not? On this week’s episode, author and Georgetown University’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative Executive Director Leslie Crutchfield and WinniE’s Bakery chef/owner Elise Smith talk about effective leadership and “how to do well by doing good” with hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. In her latest book, “How Change Happens: Why Some Movements Succeed While Others Don’t,” Crutchfield defines common denominators driving recent successful social movements. “Successful movements turn grassroots gold. They invest in and nurture local leaders… It’s the combination of grassroots and organizations that put all the pieces together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” she explains. She cites Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign as one of those successes. Smith describes her passion for being involved as a grassroots volunteer for No Kid Hungry. “Childhood hunger is something that should not be happening in our country. Whenever I get overwhelmed thinking about how big a problem it is, it [gives me] a sense of ease to know there is something I can do,” she says. Crutchfield has been writing about the social entrepreneurship movement from its beginnings. “[Social enterprise is] grounded in a value that business is in service to society. It’s not just for profit, it’s for people and the planet, too. We sit at the intersection of ‘how do you make a profit and create social and environmental impact,’” she says. In addition to baking delicious treats for fundraising events, Smith recently went to Capitol Hill with (previous Add Passion and Stir guest) chef Jason Alley to lobby legislators to support SNAP and summer meals programs. “That passion for food and people is where we connected,” she says. Listen to these two dynamic guests connect the larger social movements driving real change with the more personal motivations that drive grassroots activism.

    Jay Bayer was raised in Augusta County, VA. With a passion for beer, Bayer got his brewer certification at Siebel Institute. Along side business partner and friend, Chef Adam Hall, the early conversations of opening a restaurant began over home-brewing sessions and dinner parties with friends. In 2012 with a passion for latin food, anthropology, and craft beer, Bayer and Hall opened their first restaurant, Saison. Saison was followed by Saison Market in 2014. in 2017 Bayer teamed up with Michele Jones and Jason Alley to open Flora. Most recently, the same trio are working on Bingo a brew arcade.   Show notes… Favorite Success Quote or Mantra. "You've got to know the basics before you can break the rules."  In this episode with Jay Bayer, we discuss:  Paying your dues before making your moves.  Constantly improving communication.  The importance of being reliable and dependable.   Taking a risk.  The importance of a team that can communicate and work together.   How quality of product influences moral. How to communicate directly and sternly, yet in a caring way.   Why you should never berate someone in front of co-workers. Wait until after service in a private setting.  How culture comes from the top down, so be mindful of what culture you're projecting.  Using food and beer to foster relationships.  Getting a sweet deal on restaurant space by being someones exit strategy.  How getting out of the way empowers your people. How giving your people the opportunity to create and contribute increase their buy in.   The benefits of being an "industry" focused bar.  How you go further if you choose to collaborate instead of competing against one another.         Today's Sponsor EthicsSuite.com -provide a safe, secure, simple and anonymous communication channel between you and your employees to help you protect your hard-earned reputation and assets. Demonstrate to your team that you are committed to providing a workplace that operates with the highest ethical standards. Staying informed about important issues will help you resolve them internally before they spiral into larger, costly, or public problems. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Team builder.  What is your biggest weakness? Stubborn.  What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Find out if they're can pick up on the details.   What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Time management.   Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. empowering your people to contribute and create.  What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  Guns Germs and Steel  Eat that Frog! Attention Pays Share an online resource or tool. Facebook What's one piece of technology you've adopted in your restaurant and how has it influence operations? Slack If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? empower your people with the tools they need Actively maintain your culture. Make time for you. Contact Info jay@saisonRVA.com @jaybayerjr  Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Jay Bayer for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

In this episode of Potluck, Chris and Will talk about the Great Slider Showdown in Franklin, TN, which had 10 chefs from around the south competing for ultimate slider glory. Then, they discuss a list put together by Robb Report of the 30 Most Influential Restaurants of Last 30 Years. It includes some surprises from the South. Chris puts Will on the spot, and the both say 5 restaurants which have impacted their lives. Then Chris tells a story about a recently lost pet.  We'd like to thank our sponsors: * Duke’s Mayo - Recipe of the week is “red white and blue potato salad” from Chef Jason Alley. Find it featured at PotluckPodcast.com. Duke’s is online at DukesMayo.com * Mountain Valley - Beautiful green bottles of spring water bottled at the source the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. Online at MountainValleySpring.com * Tree House Macarons - TreeHouseMacarons.com -- code potluck for 25% off * Southern Socks - Southern designs, made in the USA.  SouthernSocks.com -- code potluck for 15% off

Jason Alley executive chef of Comfort and Pasture in Virginia stops by the corner, topics include nude restaurants, the infamous pimento cheese incident and whatever comes to mind.   Sponsored by Peg Leg Porker Music by Andy Velo Music Podcast production by Skyscraper Media

How can we create a groundswell of support to end childhood hunger in America? On this episode of Add Passion & Stir, No Kid Hungry champion Dorothy McAuliffe shares her insights on what became her signature issue as the First Lady of Virginia. She talks with chef Jason Alley about building awareness and tackling the issue of childhood hunger in Virginia and beyond. “As a first spouse, I learned pretty early that you do have an opportunity with this bully pulpit to raise awareness and to elevate the work,” she says. Chef Alley works hard to bring attention to child hunger in Richmond, VA - in part because he grew up experiencing food insecurity himself. “Food insecurity leaves a lasting impression,” he shares. “It’s inexcusable that we have hungry people in a country that’s this wealthy and produces this much food. That we have 13M hungry children… is embarrassing. It’s a travesty. And it’s entirely fixable.” McAuliffe agrees. “Even one child on one day experiencing hunger and food insecurity in our commonwealth or our country is one too many,” she believes. McAuliffe’s commitment to the No Kid Hungry campaign has had tremendous impact on Virginia’s kids. When host Billy Shore asks her what worked, McAuliffe says that her experience proves that although child hunger is not a partisan issue, advocates still need to do their homework and connect hunger with educational and economic outcomes to help people see that it’s an investment in our country not a “government handout.” She cites improving test scores, creating a more prepared future work force, and boosting local economies as ways we can make the case. Chef Alley takes a more personal approach in using his own bully pulpit to raise awareness. Each year, he hosts a dinner for chefs from all over the country to raise money for the Feed More Food Bank in Richmond. “When I talk about my story… there’s a level of sometimes confusion, sometimes shock on people’s faces when they realize that I’m the face of hunger,” he notes. “It’s not exclusively the people in low-income housing projects, or [specific areas], it’s everywhere. The face of hunger is looking in the mirror sometimes,” he shares. He thinks bringing attention to the face of hunger is the most powerful thing he can do. “We can’t give $100K to the food bank twice a year, but what we can do is use our platform to do good work and bring attention to these issues.” Learn from this inspiring and practical conversation about how to create real change in your community.

  In this episode with Chef Jason Alley, we discuss working for the best- even if it means taking a lower ranked or position, getting experience to find your voice, doing work that fulfils you, finding your business partner, the pros of leasing VS owning, benefits in hiring close friends, helping open other people's restaurants before opening your own, being undercapitalized, asking "what am I really doing?", paying attention to guest needs and requests, leaning on trust to extend your operation, sharing a vision, molding your employees into partners, how to stay humble, how to stay humble after failure  It is said that Chef Jason Alley started cooking at the young age of 4. After a few short stink at Hardee's, a Quaker-owned orchard and country club, Chef Alley started to find his passion. Fast forward multiple Sous and Executive chef positions later, in early 2000's Chef met his Business partner Chris Chandler and by 2003 the pair were opening their first restaurant. Today, Alley is the chef/partner of 3 restaurants Comfort Pasture and Flora.

Chocolate Work. With Peanut Butter and Community. Meet Tim Gearhart of Gearhart's Fine Chocolates, otherwise known as the Willie Wonka of Charlottesville! The theme of this episode is Ahead of the Curve and how that can help your business tremendously. In Tim's case, his Nostradamus ability to foresee trends paired with his passion have helped Gearhart's to not only become a beloved Charlottesville institution but has expanded his reach to the national level. You can now find Gearhart's on Amazon! I first met Tim during the 2016 Tom Tom Festival where he was part of a local panel discussing the triumphs and challenges of running a food business. I was completely captivated by his story as well as his advice and knew I had to have him on the podcast. Tim was born in Detroit and landed in Virginia as a teenager. The 1980's was a volatile time, perfect for an oddball kid like Tim who was way into food before it was a trend, and who spent his spare time eating at the C&O and trying new foods whenever he could. His first job was as a dishwasher at Duner's where he eventually worked his way up to busboy. After some time in the Marines, he attended the Culinary Institute of America and traveled, creating pastries in various kitchens around the world, including one in a 1,000-year old castle as well as right here at Keswick. "Another cool thing about the Charlottesville food scene is that a lot of these folks are still here...They're doing what they love...that's what it's about...finding that passion...whether you're a super-creative architect or a chef at a famous restaurant, that's what it's about." The passion for pastry switched over to chocolate because of a "perfect storm" as he describes it, one that affected him nationally, professionally, and personally. At the time he'd just opened Hamilton's with Bill Hamilton. When he mused one afternoon about how fun it would be to open a chocolate shop, Bill replied, "I'm in!" The rest is history. Gearhart's Fine Chocolates just celebrated 16 years in business and their new, expanded location with coffee and PASTRY opened last year. There's even a window where you can watch Charlottesville's own Oompa Loompa's hard at work creating culinary confections. "Chocolate was the next thing up after wine in the 80's and beer in the 90's...coffee in the 90's...kind of this time of people saying wow, there might be a local option...this doesn't have to have wax in it...it can made to be eaten right now...it can have fresh herbs...it was the right place, right time...timing in the world of business is a huge thing." Gearhart's uses eight different varieties of chocolate, never purchasing a disc from a company he doesn't know or trust. The Fair Trade designation? A little foggy, similar to the organic label. Often questionable, not always reliable. A better way is to look locally for items like peaches or honey. Do a lot of homework. Ask a lot of questions. Tim's palate and eye for creation is extraordinary. He's got an uncanny skill of figuring out what flavors go with what. If you've had his Malted Caramels, meant to be eaten with beer, or his Earl Grey Tea chocolates, or his Miso Caramels, you know exactly what I mean. And it's not just about chocolate! Tim is a strong advocate for community initiatives and fundraising for folks who need it. When I announced The Big Love Bakesale fundraising initiative, Tim was one of the first ones to step forward and donate an 8-person chocolate tour. His Peanut Butter Pups raise money for veterans with PTSD. The story behind how these whimsical chocolates were created is so heartwarming and another great example of how local businesses in Charlottesville include social entrepreneurship as part of their mission. Tim is a Gulf War veteran himself. How does his military background as a Marine benefit and inform his chosen career? Attention to detail, consistency. You have to be a little OCD to be a chocolatier and being a Marine helped with that aspect of it. "It absolutely set the foundation and was a humongous part of the puzzle for me...I was the only one in my group who signed up to be a cook...30 years ago it was making soups from scratch, gravies from scratch, it was real cooking." Why is brainstorming one of the most fun things you can do as an entrepreneur? Especially in the world of chocolate, where you have to perform within extremely strict parameters? We talk about how Tim does this. You have to be agile in business, examining every angle in order to stay in business and be successful. Maybe doing things you never thought you would like corporate work, wholesale and online selling, weddings. Another good example? Birthday parties! Gearhart's has become a go-to space for these events, even though the decibel level goes through the roof when a group of 8-year-old girls comes in to celebrate. But it's fun and Gearhart's has wholeheartedly embraced this new role of community celebration space. "I think we are absolutely making the best product we have ever made. Right now. It's the most consistent, and that's so much about the people." Gearhart's employees 20 people, many of whom have been with him for years. A real testament to his abilities as a both a business owner and a teacher. As he says there are many different paths to success, and spending $60K on culinary school is just one of them. Sometimes just taking a job and working your way from the ground up can be a better, more meaningful method. "I never ever would have imagined that I would be even where I'm at today...now I'm just like this is great but where's the next level for myself and for my shop and for my employees?" One thing? Honeycomb chocolates for every single pillow in the Jefferson Hotel. A project that takes creativity and focus to make sure each chocolate stays fresh and tastes great. Plus, launching this week just in time for Father's Day - Virginia Craft Beer Chocolate! Tim partnered with Champion, Hardywood, Devil's Backbone, and Port City breweries to create artisanal chocolate treats that include your favorite brews. If it's anything like his wine chocolates these will sell out fast. What chocolatiers does he admire? What others do are just poseurs? Why is slow growth best and what happens when you suddenly find yourself on The Today Show? What's his busiest season? Hint, it's NOT Valentine's Day! We talk about that new generation of chefs coming up and how Food Network keeps perpetuating that myth of an easy ride. We even talk hockey. A terrific episode and a big reason why Gearhart's is not just my favorite chocolate shop, but my new favorite coffee shop. SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: Flora Restaurant - Oaxacan cuisine with a great tequila selection. In Richmond. Thank you so much to Michele Jones and Jason Alley who gave an incredibly generous amount to my recent Big Love Birthday campaign. Their donation helped bring us over the top! Big Love guys! Help Scotty Recover - My best friend has Stage 3B Colorectal cancer. Bills are piling up. He can't work. Can you help? Share! Donate! No amount is too small. Thank you and BIG LOVE to everyone who donated and shared the Big Love Bake Sale and Big Love Birthday! Next up? Tee shirts! Look for them soon. Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the iTunes gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious! Subscribe to Edacious News - Never miss a food event in our area! Learn about regional and national food stories so you can stay edacious! This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.

Dessert Work. With Sheri Castle and Ronni Lundy at The Virginia Festival of the Book. Welcome to my latest episode! Were you a bad food enthusiast? Did you miss "Save Room for Dessert! Cookbooks With A Sweet Tooth!" at the Virginia Festival of the Book? No worries, Edacious taped it for you! It might be May, but we're still celebrating. In this exclusive panel moderated by yours truly. Sheri Castle was born in Boone, North Carolina. The Queen of Hustle, Sheri is a professional food writer, culinary instructor, and public speaker known for melding storytelling, humor, and culinary expertise. She wrote her first recipe at 4 years old, mailed it to a TV show, and never looked back. She's written three books, been in countless magazines, and appeared on Vivian Howard's show, A Chef's Life. Her books have been IACP Award finalists, won the SIBA award, and been mentioned in the New York Times and Washington Post. Nigella Lawson (yes THAT Nigella) counts herself a fan and has made recipes from her latest book, Rhubarb, on her website. "We always had rhubarb...I love it raw...I can remember when I was little going up to the garden and snapping off stalks...whereas my grandmother would sprinkle salt on hers...I would take a cup or a handful of Tang...and dip rhubarb in the Tang and eat it that way." ---Sheri Castle "That is a characteristic of Appalachian food and Southern food in general. It's very agrarian, it's very resourceful, and it is knowing how to make the best of what you have. And sometimes what you have is modest and sometimes it's glorious but it's knowing how to do right by ingredients and give them regard and dignity." ---Sheri Castle Ronni Lundy was born in Corbin, Kentucky and has spent much of her life chronicling the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist and cookbook author. Her book Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken was recognized by Gourmet magazine as one of six essential books on Southern cooking. In 2009, Lundy received the Southern Foodways Alliance Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award. She has contributed to Eating Well, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Esquire, among many others. Her latest book, Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, With Recipes won the IACP 2017 American Cookbook of the Year, as well as two 2017 James Beard Foundation awards for American Cookbook of the Year and Book of the Year. Food historian and heirloom seed saver Bill Best called Victuals, "The 67th Book of the Bible!" Victuals explores the foodways of Appalachia, the most bio-diverse region in the world, including many located right here in Virginia. "Victuals is for me not just a story about food and sustainable foodways but it's also a way to illumine the people of this region in ways that people are often surprised by." ---Ronni Lundy  Both ladies have been past podcast guests and I consider them dear friends. In this talk, we explore rhubarb, its uses in dessert as well as in savory dishes, and Appalachian foodways and its history of preservation, resourcefulness, and sustainability, including desserts that most folks have never heard of like apple stack cake and caramel cake. As well as a host of other things including how social media has impacted recipes for both good and ill. Yes, we got off topic, but so what? All good conversations do. Enjoy these multiple-award-winning authors, and thanks so much to everyone who came out to listen. Cheers! "Because of social media and food tv...most people now assume a recipe to be a visual thing more than it is a written thing. And that can be both good and really burdensome sometimes too." ---Sheri Castle  "I used to get asked do you actually test your recipes and I used to find that an offensive question...although now there are books that are going out where people are not testing recipes which blows my mind!" ---Ronni Lundy SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: Sheri Castle was on the podcast before! Give a listen! Ronni Lundy appeared on this podcast a while back. Give a listen! Trampoline - This graphic novel by Robert Gipe is the most creative thing I've read in years. A young girl grows up in Appalachia, unwittingly becoming an environmental spokesperson for her region all the while getting into trouble she can't seem to get out of. Poignant, thoughtful, and hysterically funny. Gipe is a great new voice. I expect great things from him in the future. Click here to listen to an excerpt! In Praise of Ugly Food - Kat Kinsman ode to ugly edibles appears in the 2016 Best of Food Writing anthology. Flora Restaurant - Oaxacan cuisine with a great tequila selection. In Richmond. Thank you so much to Michele Jones and Jason Alley who gave an incredibly generous amount to my recent Big Love Birthday campaign. Their donation helped bring us over the top! Big Love guys! Help Scotty Recover - My best friend has Stage 3B Colorectal cancer. Bills are piling up. He can't work. Can you help? Share! Donate! No amount is too small. Thank you and BIG LOVE to everyone who donated and shared the Big Love Bake Sale and Big Love Birthday! Next up? Tee shirts! Look for them soon. Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the iTunes gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious! Subscribe to Edacious News - Never miss a food event in our area! Learn about regional and national food stories so you can stay edacious! This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.    

Cake Work. With Pies and Community. Welcome to my latest episode! Thanks for being my guest. After experiencing the magic that was the Big Love Bake Sale, and the Big Love Birthday, it seems only fitting to be speaking with another advocate. Someone whose commitment to dessert and community-based action is equally strong. Meet Arley Arrington of Arley Cakes. I first met Arley during last summer's Business of Food Conference where I did my first guerilla-style podcast, interviewing several folks for 5 minutes each. I was struck by Arley's passion, enthusiasm, and knew immediately we had to do a proper episode. The fact I chose her Rosemary, Bourbon, and Brown Butter Apple Pie as the best thing I ate in 2016? Just the icing on the proverbial cake. Arley's mother immigrated here from Jamaica and Arley grew up with her four brothers in New Jersey and Brooklyn. Before it was the hipster haven it is today. Jamaican cuisine was plentiful, and Arley's mother, who sadly passed away when she was very young, was into healthy food like kale and no sugar before it was a trend. The sweetest cereal she was allowed? Kix. Which makes her current vocation incredibly ironic! Eventually, her family made it here to Virginia where she landed at UVA. After college, Arley waitressed on and off at the sadly now-closed Brookville restaurant where she began to think about baking for a living. Owners Harrison and Jennifer Keevil encouraged her efforts and eventually, she became their Cake Queen. Which led to Arley Cakes. Initially, Arley had thoughts about creating a socially-minded bakery, employing women from disenfranchised backgrounds. This remains a goal but currently, her business focuses on creating special, one-of-a-kind pies and desserts for every event imaginable. Her Cookie-Of-The-Month-Club is stellar, and she can even cater your breakfast! As for cakes? Just give her some flavors and she does the rest. I had a pretty major milestone birthday yesterday and the cake Arley made was indescribable. All I told her was lemon and raspberry. The result? A tasty, stunning work of art! "I do a lot of simple cakes...they are pretty simple and sweet in looks…they’re not too sweet in flavor because I like…the savory elements…I like the natural look…a cake that’s definitely pretty but also that’s enjoyable to eat." Her approach to creating her special pies start with good spices. Which means a visit to The Spice Diva. Fresh spices make all the difference. If you use the cinnamon that's been sitting in your pantry for three years it won't taste like anything. She experiments with different herbs, spices and combinations, using her palate to create things like that Best of 2016 pie. Brown butter can often figure prominently, always a good thing. The Flavor Bible, a popular chef resource, is her constant companion for unique combinations of texture and taste. Masala Sweet Potato Pie? Yes, please! Her methods for rolling out dough are unique and frowned upon by some. To me? Who cares if it turns out wonderfully. What are they? You'll just have to listen to find out. She is also a strong community advocate, and her work for the Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries reflect that commitment. After college she became their Director of Girls' Programs, reshaping a summer camp program calling it Radiant Girls Camp, after a beloved Bible verse where she guided middle-school aged young women to look at all the positive aspects of their physical and emotional selves, giving them more confidence. I dare you to look at the photos her friend Amy Jackson took without grabbing the tissues. Beautiful stuff and something we all could use more of in these challenging times. "I tried to shape the different activities that we did during camp around...these girls...learning to be the best version of who they are already...and celebrating that...and taking care of themselves...I wanted to be sure they thought about food as something that strengthens you...it’s not something that controls you...you use it as a tool." Arley writes as well as bakes. Her post about sweet potato pie on the Brookville Restaurant blog started with pie but delved deeper into issues of race, class, and appropriation. It was thought-provoking, poignant, a wonderful example of food writing. Add in her fantastic eye for photography? I mean, have you SEEN her Instagram account? Wow. If Arley ever chooses to solely write full time the rest of us are in big trouble. "My days basically consist of me reminding myself to live with the confidence of a rich white man every 30 minutes or so. This practice is my general plan for success." Recorded in February during National Pie Month, my conversation with a fellow alum of the Community Investment Collaborative was by turns yummy and profound. We discuss Pie Day, the movie Waitress, French macarons, cooking shows like Master Chef Junior, self-defense tactics, the election, and the special challenges of teaching an old dog like me how to create proper pie crust. I took Arley's pie class at The Spice Diva, and without a doubt, her methods and nurturing ways have made me way less apprehensive about rolling out dough. I highly recommend it taking it, as well as listening to this wonderful episode. Preferably with a slice of pie or cake. Cheers! SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: The Flavor Bible - Looking for unique taste pairings in recipes? Refer to this volume which lives on many a chef's bookshelf. Edna Lewis - The Grande Dame of Southern cooking. The Taste of Country Cooking is my bible. Flora Restaurant - Oaxacan cuisine with a great tequila selection. In Richmond. Thank you so much to Michele Jones and Jason Alley who gave an incredibly generous amount to my recent Big Love Birthday campaign. Their donation helped bring us over the top! Big Love guys! Help Scotty Recover - My best friend has Stage 3B Colorectal cancer. Bills are piling up. He can't work. Can you help? Share! Donate! No amount is too small. Thank you and BIG LOVE to everyone who donated and shared the Big Love Bake Sale and Big Love Birthday! Next up? Tee shirts! Look for them soon. Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the iTunes gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious! Subscribe to Edacious News - Never miss a food event in our area! Learn about regional and national food stories so you can stay edacious! This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.

Jason has contributed a great deal to this town, there’s no denying that,  and he’s done it while being widely regarded as a mensch. There are few people that I am as happy to see at random in public. Jason … Continue reading →