Tastemakers
Interviews with the tastemakers + creatives at the intersection of dining + culture + sound.
Haema Hospitality announces their first brick-and-mortar in a spring move to Hudson. They’re taking over the former Bar Bene wine bar on Warren Street and building owner, Marie Wong, is thrilled.
Hillary Zio, sommelier and owner of Isola Wine Bar in Kinderhook talks about her love of teaching, women in wine, and designing a balanced life on her own terms.
Diamond Life: Abby Puca + Sean Meagher talk cut, clarity, balance + why you should care about the ice in your glass.
Cheesecake Machismo’s Lynn Beaumont + Bam Lynch talk about 23 years of cheesecake innovation, tattoos, global community + being an Albany icon.
Nigerian Chef Tayo Ola of the bi-coastal Ebi-Ayo Supper Club is the culinary inspiration for Albany-based Nigerian fashion designer, Mo Rabiu. Chef Tayo brought his supper club from L.A. to NYC and he talks with The Dishing about growing up in America through food and sharing culinary identities through seats at his table.
Brian Plutchok, creator of Pizza by Plu, talks pizza drops, pasta, DJ-ing + why some people can’t handle The Rules.
Filipino Chef Champ Peralta talks taste memories, culinary collabs + finding balance by swapping his tiny shop for a food truck in 2026.
Klocke Estate Head Distiller Caleb Gregg talks land stewardship, the romance of brandy production, and the key role of time.
Restaurateurs + parents Lily Tang + Khalil Shabib talk work/life balance, global travel + opening two restaurants in 5 years.
Exec. Chef Dan Bagnall talks native American heritage, the meaning of Sonder + why wine is here to stay.
Exec. Chef Noah Frese talks leadership, loss, the art of pizza + going for his James Beard dream.
Bashir Chedrawee talks Lebanese mezza, wing wars, wellness-first hospitality, and Saucy Hospitality.
Tania Shelow, baker-owner of Bitchin Donuts talks to us about the fire, business expansion, her evolving health journey + taking on Dunkin, one donut at a time.
Kizzy Williams-Francisco, chef-owner of Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen in Arbor Hill, talks Harlem beauty, deep sea fishing, fried chicken + the importance of her annual gala to celebrate community success.
Exec. Chef Elliott Vogel talks foraging, creativity + the benefits of a simple life.
Rachael Petach, founder of C. Cassis blackcurrant liqueur and the C. Cassis Tasting Room in Rhinebeck, talks hospitality, dreaming up her logo, preserving blackcurrants + crafting green tomato cocktails.
DJ and events promoter, Shane Stiel of All Of Us, talks Jess King, Chubby’s burritos, the healing frequency of sound, and why clubs are not dead.
Chef Miles Murphy talks Jamaican bickle, X-box, discovering the sweet side of culinary + becoming chef de cuisine at 21-years old.
The Wild Honey Pie talks about new music discovery, summers upstate, climate change + getting back to live music events.
Pretty Pig Provisions talks about his roving pop ups, coffee-cured bacon + Polish ferments.
The Seasoning House talks Cote d’Ivorian flavors, cocktail culture, upstate diversity + their move to Troy.
Executive chef Éfrén Hernandez of Casa Susanna at Camptown in Leeds and Rivertown Lodge in Hudson, talks masa, movies, James Beard noms + his passion for modern Mexican cuisine.
Christy Counts, the founder of Neverstill Wines, talks about the Finger Lakes, wine cocktails, opening in Hudson + her passion for animal welfare.
Haema Hospitality has been popping up all over the Hudson Valley from breweries to bookstores with chef Hannah Wong and her partner SJ McLaughlin reimagining Asian street food with a Hudson Valley farm twist.
Jenny Love Lee + Tommy Ballinger opened Tommy Boy, a seasonal Korean food cart in the waterfront River Garden of The Stewart House, as a love letter to Korean culture through the lens of Hudson Valley farms.
August Rosa, music promoter and bar owner, talks Dive Presents Pint Sized, analogue living, and where to get the best Jamaican beef patties on earth.
Wine Director, Paula Patterson, and chef-tattoo artist Tony Angelicola, of The Pony Show talk travel, tattoos + why they like to cook on a farm.
Collin Badger, the creative behind Oktah’s sound and vision, talks records, merging audio + visual art, his favorite Chinese spots in Glens Falls, and the future of DJing.
Chef Robert Finn talks travel, tattoos, comfort food + finding balance in the kitchen at Saint Florian, Hudson.
Catarina Bill, Chief Mission Officer for Southern Smoke Foundation, supervises their Emergency Relief Fund and Behind You, a no cost mental health program for F + B industry workers. She talks with us about the need for the programs and how they’re available throughout New York State.