We've started a new series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up how we eat and drink - and the way we think about food and drink.
Kicking it off is a discussion with two well-known Sacramento restaurateurs -- Andrea Lepore of Hot Italian, and N'Gina and Ian Kavookjian of South. While one restaurant focuses on pizza and the other on down-home Southern cooking, the three owners share a common trait: they wanted to serve food they've since childhood that is rooted in their cultural heritage. They're also now branching out into different, new-to-them areas (a Jewish deli and the Food Factory business incubator for Lepore, the Quinn vintage retail shop and an "urban country club" called the Good Saint for the Kavookjians).
Hear them talk about how they got started, where they're going now, what food means to them, and how they want to change up Sacramento with their restaurants and future endeavors.
PODCAST TIMELINE
* O to 5:55 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers and the "Food for Thought" series
* 5:55 min - Panelists introduce themselves - and the food/drinks they're currently craving
* 10 min - How did food fit into your childhood, and how did it play a role while you were growing up?
* 17:35 - What made you decide to open a restaurant focused on your childhood-favorite cuisine?
* 27:05 - Lessons learned about opening up a restaurant
* 35:30 - The importance of design and sustainability in your restaurants and other projects
* 44:20 - Plans (or not) for the new Jewish delis
* 50:40 The Kavookjians' new "urban country club"
* 58 min - The Food Factory, Andrea Lepore's new business incubator
* 1 hr, 3 min - What does food innovation mean to you?
* 1 hr, 12 min - Adapting traditional recipes to make them healthier and more wholesome but still "real"
* 1 hr, 17:20 min - Molecular gastronomy: Truly innovative or tech just gone plain wild?
* 1 hr, 21:35 min - How do you feel about serving boxed wine and canned beers in your restaurants?
* 1 hr, 27:20 min - What are the opportunities and the skill gaps in the food industry around here?
* 1 hr, 33:15 min - What you would love to see added to the Sacramento region's food scene?
