4 - Just Try the Special

Big AG, corporate systems dominated by global goliaths, generally prioritize profit over all else. But there’s a better way forward for our culinary ecosystem. Good ingredients make good food. In State of Plate’s final episode, Matthew talks with Colorado-area food producers and purveyors about the importance of sustainable agriculture systems and supporting local growers and ranchers. Guests are Mike Callicrate (Ranch Foods Direct), Jennifer Gomez (Sawatch Artisan Dairy), Dan Hobbs (Rocky Mountain Farmer’s Union) and David Cook (Gather Food Studio). We discuss a better path forward not just for supporting small businesses and preserving farmlands, but for creating better flavors on the plate via superior products. Echoing episode three, we look hopefully into the future. The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. We strive to have a positive impact on our beloved community by making the Pikes Peak region a more informed, more tolerant, more ecological and a more fun place to live. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006. Catch Matthew’s cover story, Dishing on Colorado Springs' Food Scene, and his reviews at: https://www.csindy.com/users/profile/matthew%20schniper/ LINKS: Sawatch Artisan Dairyhttps://sawatchartisanfoods.com/ Gather Food Studiohttps://www.gatherfoodstudio.com/ Ranch Foods Directhttps://ranchfoodsdirect.com/ Rocky Mountain Farmer’s Unionhttps://rmfu.org/ Thank you to these community organizations for underwriting this podcast: Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collectivehttps://communityculturalcollective.org/ Downtown Colorado Springshttps://downtowncs.com/ Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance ®https://www.fountain-crk.org/

Three notable Colorado Springs chefs give the lay of today’s landscape, pitfalls and all, from mental health matters to celebrity burnout. Building off the look back in episode two and the look ahead in episode three, we return to present-day realities with guest chefs Brother Luck (Four, Lucky Dumpling, Top Chef Season 15-16, Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped), Eric Brenner (Red Gravy, Meals to Heal) and Noah Siebenaller (Cheyenne Mountain Resort). Topics include post-pandemic woes, the double-edged chef’s knife that is third-party delivery services, military veterans in the kitchen, mental health across the industry and the importance of mentorship and leadership. We continue the refrain of examining the state of our local scene today and seeking improvements.  The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. We strive to have a positive impact on our beloved community by making the Pikes Peak region a more informed, more tolerant, more ecological and a more fun place to live. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006. Catch Matthew’s cover story, Dishing on Colorado Springs' Food Scene, and his reviews at: https://www.csindy.com/users/profile/matthew%20schniper/ LINKS: Fourhttps://fourbybrotherluck.com/ Lucky Dumplinghttps://luckydumplingco.com/ Red Gravyhttps://redgravyco.com/ Noah Siebenallerhttps://chefnoahsiebenaller.com/ Cheyenne Mountain Resorthttps://www.cheyennemountain.com/ Thank you to these community organizations for underwriting this podcast: Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collectivehttps://communityculturalcollective.org/ Downtown Colorado Springshttps://downtowncs.com/ Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance ®https://www.fountain-crk.org/

What does the new wave of chefs think about today’s current culture, and what the future holds? Guest chefs Chantal Lucas (Luchals), Hannah Cupples (Private Chef) and Ian Dedrickson (Ephemera at COATI) come on State of Plate to offer a perspective from the young generation of the Springs’ culinarians. The kitchens they’ve grown up in and operated are a different beast than the hospitality landscapes of Club 9’s era. The industry’s had many reckonings since. We discuss sexism behind the scenes, being a Black-owned business, low pay, high expectations and what the new guard wants to see in the future of Colorado Springs’ food and drink world. The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. We strive to have a positive impact on our beloved community by making the Pikes Peak region a more informed, more tolerant, more ecological and a more fun place to live. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006. Catch Matthew’s cover story, Dishing on Colorado Springs' Food Scene, and his reviews at: https://www.csindy.com/users/profile/matthew%20schniper/ LINKS: Luchalshttps://www.eatluchals.com/ Ephemera at COATIhttps://www.ephemeradinners.com/ Hannah Cuppleshttps://www.forchefssake.com/ Thank you to these community organizations for underwriting this podcast: Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collectivehttps://communityculturalcollective.org/ Downtown Colorado Springshttps://downtowncs.com/ Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance ®https://www.fountain-crk.org/

How did a casual drinking club of nine ambitious young cooks turn into a legit chefs collaborative tackling the betterment of Colorado Springs’ food scene 20 years ago? Matthew’s joined by longtime Springs chefs Brent Beavers (Immerse Cuisine, BFD), Jay Gust (Tapateria, Pizzeria Rustica, Homa Café Bar), and James Africano (The Warehouse). We discuss part of the Springs’ food history, specifically a time 20 years ago when these chefs were part of a chefs collaborative called Club 9. We learn about their intent then and now, and their more experienced (old guard) viewpoint on today’s food and drink scene.The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. We strive to have a positive impact on our beloved community by making the Pikes Peak region a more informed, more tolerant, more ecological and a more fun place to live. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006. Catch Matthew’s cover story, Dishing on Colorado Springs' Food Scene, and his reviews at: https://www.csindy.com/users/profile/matthew%20schniper/LINKS:The Warehousehttps://www.thewarehouserestaurant.com/Immerse Cuisinehttps://carterpayne.se/immersecuisine/Tapateriahttps://www.tapateria.com/Pizzeria Rusticahttp://pizzeriarustica.com/wp/Homa Café Barhttps://www.homacafe.com/ Thank you to these community organizations for underwriting this podcast:Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collectivehttps://communityculturalcollective.org/Downtown Colorado Springshttps://downtowncs.com/Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance ®https://www.fountain-crk.org/

What’s the state of Colorado Springs’ food scene? Are we overhyped or underrated? Matthew introduces State of Plate’s intent to do a deep dive on Colorado Springs’ food and drink scene. Guests are Springs natives Shane Lyons and Jarod Boyer. Lyons is a chef and food consultant who’s worked across the country, including in New York and L.A. Boyer is a sommelier at Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago. We introduce the core questions: Where are we now, where do we want to go and how do we advance? We discuss everything from chain-drain and local development impacts to service excellence and the Springs’ sophisticated drink scene.The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. We strive to have a positive impact on our beloved community by making the Pikes Peak region a more informed, more tolerant, more ecological and a more fun place to live. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006. Catch Matthew’s cover story, Dishing on Colorado Springs' Food Scene, and his reviews at: https://www.csindy.com/users/profile/matthew%20schniper/   LINKS:Shane Lyonshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_LyonsAlineahttps://www.alinearestaurant.com/ Thank you to these community organizations for underwriting this podcast:Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collectivehttps://communityculturalcollective.org/Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance ®https://www.fountain-crk.org/Downtown Colorado Springshttps://downtowncs.com/

The Colorado Springs Indy’s longtime Food and Drink Editor and critic Matthew Schniper (https://muckrack.com/matthewschniper) critically examines Colorado Springs’ culinary culture along with guest chefs, restaurateurs and industry insiders.State of Plate does a deep-dive on Colorado Springs’ food and drink scene, asking the core questions: Where are we now, where do we want to go, what are we doing right and wrong, and how do we advance? Throughout five episodes, we hear from more than a dozen chefs, restaurateurs, industry experts and food producers, talking everything from local culinary history and current marketplace challenges to celebrity TV culture, mental health in kitchens, cultural concerns and food-production ecosystems. State of Plate examines the scene from every angle, striving to make sense of a complex system, and offering a critical take on potential paths forward.The Colorado Springs Indy has been the alternative newsweekly voice for the Pikes Peak Region since 1993. Matthew Schniper has been a writer and editor at the paper since 2006.  Read the Indy at https://www.csindy.com