The Curious Eater

Dru Rivers, co-founder and co-owner of Full Belly Farm, shares her journey from the bewitching woods of rural Vermont to a love story that inspired the now 400-acre certified organic farm in Capay Valley.

Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery, shares her journey from falling in love with sustainable agriculture to transforming Marin County into a region that deeply celebrates fresh, organic cheese making.

Jorge Saldana, chef, farmer, and founder of Sabor Mexicano, shares his journey from a child in Mexico that was “breastfed with salsa” to overseeing a 130-acre farm, multiple restaurants throughout the Bay Area, and a brand of nationally-distributed homemade tortilla chips.

Miriam Zouzounis, community organizer, Commissioner at the Office of Small Businesses for San Francisco, and importer at Terra Sancta Trading company shares her journey from corner store kid to a powerful voice for the immigrant business owners in San Francisco who serve as the city’s backbone. 

Maria Garcia Brennan, the Owner and Co-Founder of Soñar! Foods, shares her journey as a Mexican immigrant and the first in her family to go to college. Now as a mother of two, she runs a young food company that is showing her daughters and the rest of the Latinx community that anything is possible.

Tracy Harding, general manager of Capay Valley Farm Shop, shares her journey from operating a CSA out of her garage in Oregon to running a food hub that distributes food from 40 family farms to the San Francisco Bay Area.   

Nafy Flately, founder of TERANGA, a food and beverage company inspired by baobob and hospitality. In this episode, she shares her journey from her mother’s kitchen in Senegal to creating a community of healing, acceptance, and friendship through food in the US. 

Aileen Suzara, chef, activist, and founder of Sariwa Kitchen, shares how her journey to relearn the cuisine of the Philippines led her to starting a community-driven food enterprise that celebrates the flavors and stories of her culture.   

The Curious Eater is back for season two, with even more inspiring, personal stories from our local food community. Produced by Real Food Real Stories and Kat Hong, The Curious Eater features stories from chefs, farmers, food makers, and more, shared live in the Bay Area. In each episode, our host, Pei-Ru Ko, sits down with the storyteller to dig deeper into topics like wellness, what it means to be a steward of the land, and empowerment through food. Check out the trailer for season two for a taste of the stories! 

Brahm Ahmadi, founder and CEO of Community Foods Market, originally People’s Community Market, shares how the thread of activism brought him from attending peace rallies as a high school student to opening West Oakland’s first full-service grocery store in over 40 years.

Michelle Pusateri, founder of Nana Joes Granola, shares her journey from bartending and addiction, to running a beloved vegan, gluten-free granola company.

Tessa Emmer, Catherine O’Hare and Avery Resor of Salt Point Seaweed share their journey from illegal livestock trading, selling Chinese herbal products and representing the UN in Mozambique to the unique intersection of environmental protection, aquaculture research and delicious seaweed.   Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Salt Point's shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org

Nine short stories shared live at an evening of celebration for Berkeley Food Institute's project, Hungry for Change. Featuring stories from Leah Atwood, Sammy Gensaw, Kristyn Leach, Ruben Canedo, Adrionna Pike, Anthony Reyes, Rachel Sumekh, Breanna Hawkins and Estella Cisneros.

Part two of our StorySlam 2018: Rooted and Rising series, featuring stories by Francis Ang of Pinoy Heritage, Leslie Jonath of Feed your People, Neka Pasquale of Urban Remedy, Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo, and Lorraine Walker of Eatwell Farm.   Join a gathering the Bay Area to hear stories like this shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org.

Part one of our StorySlam 2018: Rooted and Rising series, featuring stories by Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt author of The Food Lab, Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement and Amisha Gurbani of The Jam Lab.     Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like this shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org

Caitlin Landesberg, founder, and CEO of Sufferfest Beer Company shares her journey from Silicon Valley high-tech marketer to revolutionizing the gluten-free beer industry.     Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Cailtin's shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org

Javier Zamora, founder of JSM Organics Farm, shares his journey from owning 2 acres of land to feeding thousands of people across California organic produce.   Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Sadie's shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org

Sadie Scheffer, founder of Bread SRSLY, shares her journey from glass blowing at MIT to starting her own gluten-free bread company.   Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Sadie's shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org

Nik Sharma, author of Season and SF Chronicle column A Brown Kitchen, shares his journey from genetic researcher to blogger and cookbook author.   Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Nik’s shared live. More information at www.realfoodrealstories.org.

Sylvie Charles, founder of Just Date Syrup, shares her journey from doctor to artisan food producer and answers questions about the cost of artisanal foods, Ayurveda, and choosing your own path.   Join a gathering in the Bay Area to hear stories like Sylvie’s shared live. www.RealFoodRealStories.org