Cooking and Connecting, Digitally

In the final episode of season 2, we’re speaking with trained chef and “Breakfast with Besser” host Elena Besser. This episode serves up a Pineapple favorite: the convergence of digital and food where Elena has long occupied the space. Elena shares her journey from kitchen to on-camera, her passion project “The Lineup,” her food trend predictions for 2021, and how she balances digital and personal life.

Claudette Zepeda is no stranger to the culinary spotlight. Having centered Mexican cuisine on shows like Top Chef and restaurants like El Jardín in San Diego, Zepeda pays homage to the food of her home, both the one she grew up in and the one she is building for her children. We’ll chat with Claudette about building an online cooking community, the culinary anthropology of her home city of San Diego, the balance of motherhood and her forthcoming concept, VAGA Restaurant & Bar.

Minneapolis, Minnesota has become an epicenter of social unrest and racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd. As the co-owner of two Minneapolis outposts, Hola Arepa and Hai Hai, Christina Nguyen shares with us what it’s like to operate establishments and uphold community during this radical time in history. We’ll dive into conversation with Christina about her favorite Vietanemese ingredients, what inspires her about the Twin Cities, and the importance of social consciousness within hospitality. Powered & distributed by Simplecast.

Over the last few months, the wine industry has been critiqued for being an elitist and exclusive industry. While some tastemakers are seeking to make changes as a result, others -- like Lauren Friel of Rebel Rebel in Somerville -- have been at the forefront of integrating intersectionality within the wine space. We’ll be speaking with Lauren about what it means to build radically-intentional concepts, opening a new space within the pandemic, and how she continues to challenge the traditional conventions of the wine industry.

COVID-19 has presented restaurant owners with several challenges, but also an opportunity to showcase resilience. We’re chatting with NYC’s Moonlynn Tsai, owner, and operator of Kopitiam, and Yvette Lepper-Bueno, proprietor of Vinatería, on how they’re using their respective restaurants as a resource to feed and fuel their communities.

Najmieh Batmanglij is "the grande dame of Iranian Cooking”. She’s spent the past 35 years cooking, traveling throughout Iran, and adapting traditional Persian recipes to tastes and techniques in the West. Her book Food of Life was dubbed “the definitive book on Iranian cooking” by the Los Angeles Times, and we couldn’t agree more. From her advice to dance while cooking (her favorite tunes are created or produced by her son Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend) and connect with others through food, Najmieh makes us feel right at home in her world of beautiful ingredients and delightful flavors rooted in Persian culinary culture.

In the studio with Holly Liss- a veritable social media magnate who built Goop and the Infatuation's social followings. She’s now growing her own company Enlisst where she leads social storytelling for her clients, such as Misi, sweetgreen, and other amazing brands we #pinefor in food, fashion and beyond. Tune in for her thoughts on the age of influence, how food and style intersect, and the next great social frontier.

In the studio with Camilla Marcus, founder of west~bourne, NYC’s all-day cafe we #pinefor and investor extraordinaire, chatting about launching social enterprises that last and funding other women-owned businesses, such as The Wing, Ramona and Great Jones

Here at pineapple we literally go to bed dreaming about breakfast. One of the highlights of our pineapple LA launch was waking up to LA's breakfast scene. In LA, breakfast is more than the most important meal of the day - it’s an opportunity to give gratitude for what we appreciate most about what's on our plates: the soil growing the delicious ingredients, the people harvesting the food, and the nourishment, flavor, and California bounty we all #pinefor. This episode in collab with Full Service Radio is a breakfast of champions--Caitlin Sullivan of Honey Hi, Ally Walsh of Canyon Coffee, and Nicole Rucker of Fiona--and broadcasted live in front of a 30+ person audience from The Line Hotel in Koreatown.

How sustainable is sustainable agriculture when it comes to economic and community needs in addition to environmental considerations? We discuss the founding of DC-based Three Part Harmony Farm, one of the only for-profit production farms in the district, and its mission to grow food for people, while challenging our assumptions on how urban farms should look and the role they play in our cities.