Andy Hung is a dedicated lifelong martial artist who has a wealth of knowledge in multiple fields. Andy was born and raised on the island of Oahu,Hawaii. Andy is a 2nd Degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a 4th Degree Black belt in Judo. Andy is the founder and CEO of Dojo Outfitters where he sells his own brand of Martial Arts apparel and gear through his online store and brick & mortar shop in Portland, Oregon. Andy has owned academies PDXBJJ and Portland Judo which unfortunately closed due to the pandemic. Andy is also currently a defensive tactics certified instructor for law enforcement sharing his expertise with first responders.

Andy Hung is a phenomenal business man with a keen sense for operating successful businesses. Andy and I met through our mutual Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor, Mike Prudencio, owner of One world Jiu Jitsu.

While on our road trip through the Western States, I sat down with Andy on location at his beautiful shop Dojo Outfitters in Portland,Oregon.

We had a fun conversation about growing up in Hawaii, training martial arts, the food scene in all the places he’s lived and a short dive into his favorite distilled spirits and sustaining his business through tough times. Great advice and wise quotes dropped in this episode so be sure to listen all the way to the end!

Dojo Outfitters
https://www.dojooutfitters.com

Show Notes
https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-46

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Chef Eduardo Garcia is a chef and avid outdoorsman driven by wild curiosity and a deep love of food and landscape. For Chef Eduardo Garcia, meals are meant to be shared. Food and cooking have served to connect with others in meaningful ways: taking him around the world as a yacht Chef, motivational speaker, and big-screen storyteller as the host of the James Beard Award-winning Big Sky Kitchen on the Magnolia Network. His appetite for exploration has taken him on a journey from chef to grower, and he and his family now run a small regenerative farm, with the simple goal to unite others through curiosity, education, and cuisine. His work in food is most readily eaten and experienced via the handful of products and recipes available through his purpose-driven brand: Montana Mex.

It was an honor to sit down with Eduardo and record this podcast on location in Montana after following his work five years ago. Thank you to everyone at Montana Mex for their support.

Show Notes
https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-45

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Original Music by Ulises Bella of Ozomatli

Show Notes
https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-44

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On this episode of the podcast I am solo. I take about some of my favorite tools, sauces and goods that I've come to love over the years. Although not sponsored by any of these brands, some of the products have become friends of mine, guests on the podcast and affiliates. Great visuals of everything will be uploaded on my Food Origins Podcast Youtube Channel. Links are in the show notes below.

Show Notes

https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-43

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Chef Ryan Gallego is a highly accomplished sushi chef with an impressive 20 years of experience in the art of Japanese cuisine. Graduating from the prestigious California Culinary Academy in 2005, he embarked on a culinary journey that would shape his expertise. His training at renowned establishments, including Morimoto Napa, Nobu in Palo Alto, and Village Sake in Marin, enriched his skills and refined his palate. Inspired by his father, he developed an unwavering passion for creating exquisite sushi dishes with a meticulous attention to detail. Chef Ryan Gallego continues to leave a lasting impression on diners with his culinary creations, crafted with both technical expertise and heartfelt devotion.

I met Chef Ryan over a year ago and we connected over working food events together with some of our dear friends we have today. Appreciate Ryan for taking the time to sit down with me on location in Northern CA to share his story and the origins of Trifecta Cooks.

Trifecta Cooks
https://trifectacooks.catering

Show Notes
https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-42

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Mohammad Abutaha is Palestinian but grew up in Amman, Jordan and moved to America when he was 20 years old to study mechanical engineering. In 2015, he dropped out of university in his final year to pursue his dreams of owning a restaurant. Mohammad started as a dishwasher and worked his way up the kitchen ladder, working in iconic kitchens around the Bay Area including Reem's California.

At the end of 2019, Mohammad and his brother Feras launched a shawarma pop-up, and then turned their pop-up into the brick and mortar restaurant Shawarmaji in December 2020. Since opening the restaurant in Oakland, CA Shawarmaji has been named in San Francisco Chronicle's Top 25 Restaurants and Esquire magazine's 2021 Best Restaurants.

Some of their featured dishes include: Slow-Roasted Chicken Shawarma Sarookh & Arabi style, Falafel Sandwich, and Lamb Sarookh.

Currently located in Oakland and Santa Clara, California . Listen until the end for more special updates on expansion/projects and about their spices and sauces for sale online which can be shipped to your door.

Shawarmaji

https://www.theshawarmaji.com

Special Thanks to Trifecta Cooks for sponsoring their space to record this podcast.
https://trifectacooks.catering/

Original Music by Ulises Bella of Ozomatli

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Petra Higby is the CEO and co/sister founded Caviar Co. Petra was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and her father is from Holland, and mother is from Texas.

Immediately after college graduation, Petra moved out to Carmel, CA to take an internship with Coastal Luxury Management, assisting with putting on L.A. Food & Wine, and Pebble Beach Food & Wine events. This opened up my eyes to the culinary industry and the passion to work in hospitality. After this internship, she moved to San Francisco and got a job working for a local caviar company.

While working for the first caviar company, Petra was lucky enough to be involved in multiple aspects of the business, ranging from marketing to sales. After sparking an interest in aquaculture and sustainable sturgeon farming, she went to work for a caviar farm for two years, focusing on marketing. Despite loving working for the farm, I was aching to work with a more diverse range and variety of sturgeon species.

In 2015, Petra and her sister founded The Caviar Company in San Francisco, CA. A purveyor of fine caviar opening your palate to one of the finest delicacies in the world.

The Caviar Co. mission is to provide unsurpassed caviar collections with quality, integrity, and sustainability.

Really enjoyed our conversation on location at their San Francisco Union Street store. We dive into Petra’s background and how she started her own company , caviar education and history, different types, what kind to get, along with special collaborations and events.


The Caviar Co.

https://thecaviarco.com


Original Music by Ulises Bella of Ozomatli

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Emily Winston is the CEO and founder of Boichik Bagels. Born and raised in central New Jersey, she grew up eating a LOT of bagels. When her father had business take him to the Upper West Side, he would stop by Zabar's for lox, sable, whitefish, and chive cream cheese, then H&H for bagels, which her family would have as a special treat. These bagels were on a whole different level of unique deliciousness.

In 2010 Emily moved to the Bay Area and bemoaned the lack of proper bagels. Emily was so distraught when she heard that her most beloved H&H Bagels on the Upper West Side had been shut down for tax fraud. And so Emily embarked on what became a five year quest, through trial and error, to create a bagel she longed to eat.

Five years of experiments later Emily was happy with the results. Friends told her she should sell them! So Emily decided to give it a whirl, got a cottage food license and did pop-ups which were a huge hit. Then took the plunge to brick and mortar, and opened her first store on College Ave in Berkeley in November 2019. Now with locations in Palo Alto, Berkeley and more in the works, Emily had started to create the bagel empire of her dreams.

Podcast was recorded on location at the Boichik Bagel Factory in Berkeley , CA

https://boichikbagels.com

Show Notes

https://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast-episode-39

Original Music by Ulises Bella of Ozomatli

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