Sandi Wilkens is the proprietor of both the Portland restaurant Quaintrelle, and also the Willamette Valley's Abbey Road Farm.  We talk about the virtues of both and what helped them to drive through the pandemic to be beacons in their respective worlds today.     Sandi talks about her recent trip to Japan and what she saw there that inspired her.     We also talk about how her places weather the current challenges with food and labor costs.   Right at the Fork is supported by:  Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com  RingSide Steakhouse:  www.Ri ..read more

Rob Sample joins us on the podcast.  He's the Chief Schmoozing Officer at Mothers Bistro, where his wife Lisa has been well known as the chef and restaurateur since 2002.  Lisa just won the area's "Most Remarkable Woman" award on KOIN and we thought there was no one better to talk about why that's an apt designation for Lisa than Rob.  Rob has lots of Portland stories to tell, and also stores of raising two young kids with Lisa after tragedy struck a few years ago.  So, we talk about that and hear what a remarkable and wonderful couple Rob and Lisa are. Right at the Fork is ..read more

Right at the Fork is supported by:  Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse:  www.RingSideSteakhouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com   Kyo Koo joins us again on the podcast to talk about Warsugai, his new restaurant that opened in February of this year.  Kyo is a Portland native who grew up with frequent exposure to the Asian food world in Portland at the time of his childhood.  Kyo has had key roles at Clarklewis and Bluehour, before embarking on commanding his own restaurants and consulting for others.   To hear his more ..read more

Listen in as Chef and restaurateur Louis Lin takes us from his childhood to his cooking career to Portland, where he and his partner Jolyn have created a beautiful spot that celebrates the idea of a first generation American serving casual food one might find in a late night setting. Louis also addresses pricing out menu items and some of the joys of owning his own business in Portland.   Also, he shares a great list of his favorite spots in Portland. Make sure to stay tuned!    Right at the Fork is supported by:  Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com RingSide Steakhouse:  w ..read more

Kris Trimble is a professional barista at Capitola Coffee.   He started getting into coffee during undergrad days in Grand Junction, Colorado.  Going to cafes and trying different types of coffee started him on his path. Kris started making french presses at home and it evolved from there. He's always been drawn to coffee - the process, the ritual, the time and intention put into the final product. From studying Counseling Psychology in undergrad, to Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy in grad school - he always had his mind on how slowness and sensory experience imp ..read more

Upon the very sad news of the passing of Chef Lauro Romero on February 16, 2024, we revisit our interview with him from 2021.   After this interview, Chef Romero left Republica to start his lauded pop-up, Clandestino. From there, he was hired as chef du Cuisine to build a menu and team at Bellpine, the new restaurant at Portland's new Ritz Carlton hotel and luxury apartments.    At the time of this writing, the cause of death is unknown. The Portland food community is quite sad and devasted about his death.  Here is a rare opportunity to hear Chef Romero talk about his life ..read more

We head east to enter into a conversation with Lindsay Gott, who is growing a tasty brand of frozen baked goods, Gateaux, from Hood River, Oregon.   Lindsay worked at one of the world's powerhouse ad agencies for years, when she had the calling to cook, and found her way to Paris and Le Cordon Bleu and then cooking in excellent restaurants like Chez Panisse.  Knowing she didn't want to work in restaurants, per se, she fell in love with a man from Oregon and moved north from the Bay Area, eventually selling her goods at a local Hood River farmers market.  From ther ..read more

Head Chef at Portland's Canard and Le Pigeon, Dana Francisco joins us to talk about his roles at the restaurants, the joys of working with Gabe Rucker, as well as what brought him to Portland from his positions of responsibility at important corporate restaurants as well as his other experiences. Dana discusses his strengths and weaknesses in the kitchen and at home, as well as his guilty pleasures between the two places.   It's a nice, frank discussion about humility and what it takes to succeed in 2024 in Portland Oregon in the restaurant business, and what makes Canard and Le Pige ..read more

Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com  We delve into another side of  Urdaneta chef Javier Canteras, his love of music. Chef Javier talks about his early influences from his childhood, as he moved from Spain to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Arriving not speaking a word of English, he found it difficult to assimilate. He escaped into a love of 80s metal music, eventually finding his way into various bands. Later in life, he followed his band's drummer to Portland.  That didn't pay the bills, so he tur ..read more

Alexander Diestra grew up in Peru and made his way to Portland, honing his cooking skills at places like Clarklewis and Saucebox.  Currently, he is Executive Chef at King Tide Fish and Shell at the Kimpton Riverplace Hotel. Alex talks with Chris about how running a hotel restaurant differs from a standalone, like Andina, where he was head chef through the pandemic and navigated those waters before making the current move.   Alex shares his thoughts not only on managing people in a kitchen in 2024, but also his work/life balance, now that he and his wife have a toddler at home ..read more