Dalia Colon
Host, The Zest Podcast"I host a food podcast" is a great icebreaker at parties.
People assume I get paid to eat. True, I do get to sample the occasional slice of pizza or bourbon cocktail — hey, somebody's gotta do it! But serving as host and executive producer of WUSF's food podcast, The Zest, is less about stuffing my face and more about digging into the stories behind Florida's unique foodways: the origins of Cuban sandwich, how a self-described "non-religious Jew" became the kosher king of Miami, and the role of food in the life and work of Florida author Zora Neale Hurston.
I've always enjoyed feasting on a good story, from weekly library visits with my mother, an elementary school teacher, to dissecting Motown song lyrics with my father, a professional musician.
My first "big girl" job was as assistant editor for Cleveland Magazine in my hometown. But after college, grad school and one too many Ohio winters, I moved to the Sunshine State and became a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times (now called the Tampa Bay Times). I eventually made the leap from print journalism to broadcast when I signed on with WUSF, becoming a health reporter and later covering features.
In addition to working on The Zest Podcast, I'm associate producer and co-host of WEDU Arts Plus on Tampa Bay's PBS TV channel. I also do quite a bit of freelance writing, and I'm working on my first book — a vegetarian cookbook for the University Press of Florida.
"I'm writing a book" is a pretty good icebreaker at parties. But "I host a food podcast" tops them all.
I live in Riverview with my husband and kids.
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Yelp recently released its list of the Top 100 Florida Restaurants 2023, as determined by users’ rankings and reviews. -
Lee Karlins, co-owner of Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant in St. Petersburg, and sommelier/beverage director Jackie Eash talk all things tapas.
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If you have an idea for your own cottage food business, this episode will inspire you to take the next steps.
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Steinhoff gives advice on spending less time on food prep and cleanup, and more time enjoying your guests.
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Third-generation owner Roland Yee explains how his grandparents started the farm as a way to supply bok choy, napa cabbage and other vegetables to restaurants in New York City's Chinatown.
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From Florida to France: Food writer Jamie Schler on cooking with oranges, French hotel life and moreSchler talks about her favorite ways to cook and bake with oranges, as described in her cookbook "Orange Appeal."
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Meet entrepreneur Nichole Dube. In 2019, she learned that the Dave Matthews Band wanted locally sourced food to eat during a Tampa tour stop. She rose to the challenge and was inspired to start Dube's Mobile Market.
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Head south of the border for a conversation about Mexican food with Claudia Johnson of Grand Hacienda restaurants. She discusses global influences on Mexican cuisine and how the minor Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo became such a big deal in the United States.
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They discuss how the industry has evolved over the years, and the challenges of being dairy farmers in a world full of milk alternatives.
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He shares how being a firefighter has made him a better chef, and the advice Alton Brown gave him that helps him cook faster.
