The Zest Podcast

The Zest Podcast The Zest Podcast is a production of WUSF Public Media and celebrates cuisine and community in the Sunshine State.

As part of a 2019 series on honey, Dalia visited owner Jennifer Smurr at her wildly popular Born & Bread Bakehouse in La...
09/04/2026

As part of a 2019 series on honey, Dalia visited owner Jennifer Smurr at her wildly popular Born & Bread Bakehouse in Lakeland. The bakery uses local honey in many of its recipes. She checked in with Jenn again in June 2026.

Thanks to our friends at Florida Matters Live & Local for sharing this conversation. You can catch Dalia talk all about Born & Bread's goodies and more in her interview Tuesday with FMLL host Matthew Peddie.

Have you been to the popular bakery?

09/02/2026

Looking for some good food this Labor Day Weekend? Our Brand Manager Alex can talk ad nauseum about the goodness that is (friend to the show) Wicked Oak Barbeque Tampa over in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood. From their bbq to their wings to their sides, the menu is full of all hits and no misses. And who doesn't love $1 wings on Wednesdays?!

What are your Tampa foodie plans for Labor Day Weekend?

08/25/2026

ICYMI: Dalia caught up with Cameron of 360 Eats remotely in July of this year. The segment aired on yesterday's Florida Matters Live and Local but you can catch the whole thing this Thursday when a new epiosde of our "Where Are They Now?" series airs.

We're currently working on something new for season 14 and we're so excited to finally get the chance to you all what it is before it airs. Stay tuned!

08/24/2026

This is the last week to vote The Zest for "Best Podcast" in this year's Creative Loafing Tampa 's Best of the Bay Awards. Get your last minute votes in once a day, every day until August 30th.

You can cast your ballot at vote.cltampa.com and find the "Best Podcast" category under the Entertainment section.

Stay tuned for season 14. We're working hard on it and we can't wait to release it.

In 2022, we met Ellen and Cameron Macleish. They’re a mother-and-son duo working to reduce food waste while tackling foo...
08/21/2026

In 2022, we met Ellen and Cameron Macleish. They’re a mother-and-son duo working to reduce food waste while tackling food insecurity in Northern Pinellas County. Their nonprofit, 360 Eats , turns surplus food donations into meals for the hungry and compost for gardeners.

Cameron is the executive director and Ellen, a professional chef, works her magic in the kitchen to turn random ingredient donations into delicious meals. The Macleishes and their team then distribute the meals via a food truck, where hungry people can eat for free.

Dalia caught up with Cameron remotely in July of this year. Stay tuned to Florida Matters Live and Local this Monday to see what's new with the duo.

08/11/2026

Back in 2020, Dalia Colon spoke with former St. Pete Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin about her cookbook "St. Pete Eats", which was a collection of healthy recipes from some of the city’s best-known chefs— including a few from Tomalin’s own kitchen and one that paid tribute to her late husband, former Tampa Bay Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin.

They spoke about what inspired Tomalin to write the cookbook, some of her favorite recipes and St. Petersburg restaurants that belonged on everyone’s radar at the time.

This week, they're back for a redo. Today, Dr. Tomalin is the president and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. They caught up again in July of this year at her office in South St. Pete.

Listen to what Dr. Tomalin is up to now Thursday when a new episode drops. We're still on a production hiatus but we'll be back for all-new episodes for season 14. Stay tuned.

In 2020, St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin (Dr. Kanika Tomalin) released a cookbook called St. Pete Eats. Today...
08/06/2026

In 2020, St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin (Dr. Kanika Tomalin) released a cookbook called St. Pete Eats. Today she is the president and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.

Tomalin, who holds a doctorate degree in law and policy, chatted with Dalia Colón in 2020. They caught up again in July of this year at her office in South St. Pete.

You can check out Dalia's interview with Florida Matters Live and Local on Monday. She'll be talking with host Matthew Peddie on what's going on with Tomalin and what she's been up to since the last time she was on The Zest.

07/27/2026

The Zest is nominated for "Best Podcast" at this year's Creative Loafing Tampa's Best of the Bay Awards *cue celebratory horns*! Find our category under the "Entertainment" section. You can vote every day from now until August 30th at vote.cltampa.com.

With your vote, we can continue to make the foodie content and episodes you know and love.

07/10/2026

Coming up on Monday's episode of WUSF Public Media's daily live show "Florida Matters Live and Local", host Dalia Colon and FMLL host Matthew Peddie catch up with Chef Marques Clark to see what he's been up to since his last visit on The Zest.

Marques Clark grew up in South St. Petersburg, in a neighborhood considered to be a food desert. He went on to study culinary arts and as an adult founded the nonprofit YES CHEF Village. Dalia first spoke with Chef Marques when he visited the WUSF studio in 2024.

The Zest is on a production hiatus but we hope you're enjoying us catching up with beloved guests and friends of the show.

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