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The Future of Coffee has More Flavor, reveals Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee
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The Future of Coffee has More Flavor, reveals Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee

By Charlotte Billingsley — 1 year ago

The Future of Coffee has More Flavor, reveals Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee

Just about everyone has their coffee preferences.  But the truth is, most of us aren’t enjoying coffee the best it can be and we don’t even know it.  The beans, the grinding, the flavor (or lack thereof).

 

And before you ask, nope, good coffee doesn’t need to be expensive.  Actually most great coffee is more affordable than the bad stuff you’re currently drinking.  True story.

 

But I wanted to get answers and advice from a coffee expert, so I had a conversation with Maurice Contreras from Volcanica Coffee.

Maurice Contreras Volcanica Coffee

Maurice Contreras, Volcanica Coffee

Native Costa Rican Maurice Contreras started Volcanica Coffee to import excellent-tasting coffee from volcanic regions, such as his homeland, to consumers. He started the company in his garage and now operates a coffee plant near Atlanta with 20 employees, including his wife and two adult children.

 

What is your favorite thing about coffee?

 

My favorite thing I like about coffee is really the flavor. That actually was how I got started. I’m from Costa Rica and for a long time I would do annual trips with the family. It was a family vacation. One of our trips we did a coffee farm tour. And just got to learn about coffee. And this is back in 2004. One of the things that dawned on me is how coffee in Costa Rica was so much better than coffee in the United States. I just didn’t understand why a 3rd world country had better coffee. The quality of coffee in the United States has really come down over several decades. So that’s when I thought that there was an opportunity to bring better tasting coffee or specialty coffee as it’s known today to the United States. That was really how it got started. It really was more about the flavor and just enjoying the richness of a Costa Rican coffee.

 

Is there a simple reason why first world coffee just isn’t as good?

 

Yeah, the general sense was because it became more of a highly produced, big production, big coffee house; and I’ll tell you a quick story. A lot of people don’t know this, the word Maxwell House, it actually is a chain of hotels. Some of them are still in existence. And so Maxwell House started from the Maxwell House Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. They served breakfast and they had really good coffee and it became really popular. It became very famous, and then eventually it became its own brand Maxwell House, and then it ended up getting acquired by corporate conglomerates. And that really good tasting coffee just turned into [not-great] coffee.

 

So that’s really what happened to coffee in the United States. At one time, back in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, people would really appreciate good coffee and then just kind of lost sight of what good coffee was.

 

 

From a coffee lover’s point of view, what would you say to convince them to give your coffee a try?

 

That coffee really is an enjoyable drink to be appreciated and enjoyed for the flavor of what it is. It’s not just something to wake you up. But really coffee and all the different varieties, there’s a lot of flavor notes, a lot of different flavors to be enjoyed. A lot of it depends upon the different regions. My recommendation is try it out and get some good coffee with some flavor notes that you enjoy. Like, for example, Ethiopian coffees, they have a lot of berry notes, a lot of fruit tones, even red wine notes. Some of those things can really open up people’s perspective on coffee.

 

 

Before we jump more into coffee, I wanted to ask you about your background as far as the work you did before Volcanica Coffee

 

My career was in marketing specifically I was in the wireless telephone industry. It really was just about creating a brand. I was part of the startup team at TracFone Wireless which is now a part of Verizon. I was the National Director, I created the brand. In fact, there’s still a lot of things in the brand that I created. I had a passion for marketing.

 

It was kinda like, “Hey, gee whiz, what if I created my own brand and just created a business?”

 

And so I actually was on a hunt for a couple of years thinking what would be a good business? And then I just kind of stumbled on coffee because it was staring me in the face.

 

There’s such a message in there. The success you’re currently riding is because you took industry knowledge of marketing, a personal passion for coffee, and took the risk of putting them together in a business start-up.

 

Yep, that’s true. It was a risk because I was making a good living, I had a young family, I didn’t wanna affect any of that. It was something part-time, working nights and weekends, that’s how it all started out. I

 

How did your family feel about that?  Was there anxiety?

 

It was definitely a struggle and I loved spending time with them and being with them. But part of how I resolved that was I would just wake up early in the morning and spend 1-2 hours before I had to go to work doing this. I didn’t want to neglect my family and I didn’t.

 

There’s so many people out there who aspire to take those steps and they always find reasons not to, but you found a way.  When people are drinking your coffee, they’re not just drinking delicious coffee, they’re supporting someone who took a huge chance, who followed his passions.

 

So segueing to the actual coffee part now.

Your website mentions coffee regions and how the region’s soil contributes to the taste.  A lot of our audience who’s into food and wine will realize the terroir aspect is very familiar to that.

 

 

Can you pick two or three regions and explain their soil and how it contributes to the taste?

 

I’ll start with African coffees. Their soil is very unique. Coffees from Africa tend to have a lot of berry notes, a lot more flavor of fruit which is very unique and very different compared to coffees from Indonesia.

 

Indonesian coffees tend to be lower in acidity. Acidity provides flavor but they’re still very good tasting coffees, even though they’re lower in acidity.  

 

Also the coffee in Indonesia, Sumatra, for example, Papua New Guinea, and even Hawaiian Kona coffees, those tend to have a lot of boldness. When you taste the cup, your mouth just tends to [recognize] that bold flavor, which you don’t get in African coffees. So those are a couple examples.

 

So really it is like old world wine versus new world wine. A noticeable difference in mouth feel depending on what region you’re going after.

 

When people ask, Hey, what kind of coffee should I buy? I always ask, what kind of flavors do you like? Start there. Then for people that are experimenting, try different coffees from different regions.

 

 

 

 

You mentioned that you’re from Costa Rica.  So tell us more about the Costa Rican volcanic regions.

 

It’s the most popular coffee growing region in Costa Rica, the Tarrazu area, which is very mountainous, goes up to 5,000 feet above sea level south of San Jose. Very steep. 

 

The coffee beans, because of the volcanic soil, have a lot of flavor. It’s a very mild flavor, but very flavorful as well. And because of the elevations, the beans are also very dense. They’re a harder bean. In fact, there’s a designation strictly hard bean that is used in the industry because of that. 

 

Being from Costa Rica I came here [to the U.S.] when I was a baby.  My mom would tell stories about how she would assist with her father, which is my grandfather, in the harvest. Because my grandfather was a teacher, he would work out in the rural areas of Costa Rica where the coffee bean farmers worked. They would assist during harvest time with picking coffee beans off the tree. There was the connection going back a couple generations in our family.

 

There has been a coffee influence throughout generations of your family.

 

Yes. For decades, maybe even a century, coffee was the number one product for Costa Rica. Today it’s tourism.

 

I’m glad you brought up tourism. We cover a lot of travel. If somebody wanted to visit Costa Rica, maybe even a specific coffee lover, is there a place you can recommend to come visit?

 

One of the farms that we work with actually has an Airbnb right on their plantation. We’ve had several customers that have made trips there and have gone and stayed at the house. It’s gorgeous.

 

 

More people are working from home and making coffee at home. A lot of us making coffee wrong. Can you just walk us through step by step the best way to grind and brew your coffee?

 

The single largest improvement in the freshness of your coffee is by grinding your beans at home.  A lot of people don’t know this: buying ground coffee, because it’s in smaller particles, tends to deteriorate very quickly. So you’re not enjoying the best of what coffee can be. 

So first of all, grind at home and it’s the type of grinder.

We recommend a burr grinder. The other type of grinder is a blade grinder, which is a cheap type grinder, which does not do as well as a burr grinder. 

Second thing is you wanna match your grind type to how you’re brewing. So there’s different levels, how fine or how course you want the coffee.  If you’re doing a French press, you want to have a coarse grind.  The opposite spectrum is an espresso grind. It’s almost like very fine sand. So if you had coarse coffee and an espresso maker, you’d have a bad cup of coffee. And the opposite too.  If you had a French press where you’re using espresso ground coffee, you would not have a good tasting coffee. A lot of it has to do with the extraction and this is the chemistry behind coffee.

Then in the middle of that would be like a traditional drip grind, which most people have which is a medium coarseness of a grind type. That works best to pour over or a drip grind.

 

Once you buy the equipment, you’re saving quite a bit of money by doing this all at home. More value and quality out of doing it at home?

 

Oh yeah. A cup of coffee outside can cost $3-6. At home, 50 cents per cup. Plus you’re controlling the flavor, how hot it is and how fresh it is.

 

How many cups do you think the average coffee person drinks per day?

 

The average is between one to two cups per day. Wall Street Journal says 66% of Americans have had coffee within the last day.

 

 

So with volcanic, you’ve mentioned low acid. Tell us more.

 

Low acid coffee is actually a natural occurrence. There’s no additives that need to be added, at least we don’t add anything to our coffee. It’s just how it’s sourced. How it’s brewed also affects acidity. 

 

So for example, the cold brew method tends to lower the acidity of coffee. Even more than if you brewed it traditionally in a drip grinder. It benefits people who suffer from acid reflux; and different types of indigestion abnormalities can benefit from low acidic coffee just because the pH is a higher number. 

 

We have a lot of customers thanking us because they could not drink coffee before they heard about our low acid coffee, so now they can drink coffee again. 

 

We have a blend of different coffees called the low acid coffee, plus 12 or 15 other coffees that are also rated as low acid. We rated them, we’ve done the pH levels on all of them, and all of them fall into that category of being lower in acidity.

 

 

Volcanica has built up a really strong community on your social media avenues.  What have the results been like?

 

We’re on all the major socials: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok. It’s very easy to find us.  We take customer feedback really seriously. We’re always looking for input and ideas. 

We’ll get a request [to] carry a type of coffee or coffee from a region and we’ll always look into it. 

We offer 100% customer satisfaction. We take returns, even when the customer just didn’t like a coffee, which is no fault of ours.

 

When someone does suggest a new bean, a new region, is that an easy outreach to investigate, or is that a whole process?

 

It is a whole process.

 

 

 

What’s a great online shopping strategy for finding the right coffee beans?

 

Align yourself with a brand that has a quality product. Look at customer reviews, their roasting technique.   Then it’s a matter of what type of coffee do you like? What flavor notes? Something mild? Berry notes? Lower in acidity?

 

So I go onto your website to buy some beans.  What’s a safe way to pick a bean that I’ll probably enjoy?

 

We carry over 150 different coffees, which is a lot. Visiting our website you have to know your preferences. Having some [filtering/search ] tools out there would be beneficial to people helping the selection process, that’s actually on our roadmap for the future.

 

Part of the reason why we have 150 coffees is because we’ve been listening to our customers over the years.

 

Tell us something about Volcanico Coffee that not everyone knows.

 

We love to give back. We’ve been blessed, we’ve been very successful, so we donate 1% of our website sales to an organization called Charity Water. They build water projects in impoverished communities around the world. This year we’re actually sponsoring a well in Ethiopia for a particular town. We know that we buy a lot of coffee from Ethiopia and we’d love to give back to them.

 

 

What is the future of coffee?

 

The future of coffee is specially curated lots. We call them our “Private Collection”. Farmers that are actually fermenting their coffee with mango, peach, different types of fruits. We have a few of them right now. We’re hoping to be carrying more in the near future.

 

Our audience is listening right now. What would you like them to do?

 

If you’re interested in finding out more about coffee and experiencing coffee, start exploring. We offer a great cup of coffee. Great different flavors and varieties. We even offer decafs, flavored coffees, something for everybody.

 

Website: https://volcanicacoffee.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gourmet.coffee.beans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VolcanicaCoffee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volcanicacoffee 

 

Evolution of bees: Their role in making Plant-based Honey
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Evolution of Bees: Their role in making Plant-based Honey

By Joe Winger — 1 year ago

Evolution of bees: Their role in making Plant-based Honey

Traditionally bees have a massive role in producing honey.  So, removing their support seems unrealistic, or does it?  And sure, scientists can try to explain it.  But can someone explain it in simple terms, in a way that a curious foodie could understand it?

Let’s find out in an exclusive interview with Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich.

Darko Mandich is a food entrepreneur in San Francisco. After spending almost a decade in the European honey industry as a business executive, Darko committed to reimagining the honey industry to become sustainable. Darko immigrated from Europe to California to launch Mellody, the world’s first plant-based honey brand. Darko is an advocate of saving the bees and wild pollinators.

Mellody Food's Darko Mandich

Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich

 

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko.

 

From a science point of view, how are you creating plant-based honey products?

 

The process has to start with philosophy. When people think about science, engineering and process, what comes to their mind is what’s the science? What’s the engineering behind that? What’s the process of making something?

 

But I would argue that every process, every science starts with a philosophy in the first place. So for us, our philosophy was there’s honey made by the bees in the market, the real ones, that product quality-wise is amazing, but has negative baggage in terms of how it’s made. Next to that, there’s fake honey. There’s basically adulterated honey that’s made by people taking fraudulent activities and blending a little bit of real honey and a lot of rice syrup.

That’s done outside of the US by people trying not to get caught. The third group are vegan honey alternatives, made out of tapioca, dates, maple, pure sugar. These products are just not honey. Trying to impersonate honey, but it’s not honey. It’s a legit product. It’s in the market. People can buy it.

What was missing is the fourth group, which is the category that we pioneered.

Honey, the product that has the composition of real honey but that doesn’t have any rice syrups, nothing that doesn’t belong to honey. But, it’s not made by the bees and therefore by default is vegan and plant-based. So that was the category that we started, and we didn’t start it only for vegans. Obviously vegans are our early adopters. They love what we’re doing. I’m vegan myself. But I want this to be an inclusive company and brand, and therefore we launched this for everybody. For everybody who likes delicious and nutritious foods. By choosing this you’re basically voting for those little creatures to survive on this planet.

You asked me about the process.

You wanna make honey only from something that in nature that touches bees and honey, it’s very strict. Our team studied a lot of different honeys, the different anatomy of the bees, the science behind honey production. Bees land on a flower, they suck up nectar. And there’s a couple of things in a bee’s anatomy. We came up with this proprietary process where we interact with the plants, we take different parts of the plants.

 

What’s really exciting and cool is we can take the whole plant, break it into different ingredients, and take parts of the plant that maybe bees don’t have access to, like its roots. So we take different ingredients from different plants. We have more than 30 different plants in our product that we launched and we created this process that is basically mixing all those ingredients in a food facility in a regular culinary approach, and basically create a product that looks, tastes, and behaves like honey.

Is your honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?

 

This is the product from a direct to consumer collaboration. We just launched with three Michelin star, Eleven Madison Park in New York City.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Yeah, the honey is currently available. The Specialty Tea and Honey Box launched for the Mother’s Day collection and Earth Month.

It’s a specially curated box of artisanal teas coming from different parts of the world with honey and also amazing, shortbread cookies. All plant-based, also made with our honey. That’s available right now

Sometime very soon a standalone jar [of honey] will also be available to Eleven Madison Home.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Tell us again what’s available, how to find it; and how to follow you and support you.

 

Yeah, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at MellodyFoods

In terms of purchasing, head to ElevenMadisonHome.com and you can purchase it there.

Saving the bees is learning more about them. Learning more about pollinators and you can do that on our social media.

And finally, if you’re equally passionate about bees and plants as we are, ask your favorite restaurant to reach out to us to offer Mellody in your favorite restaurant. It can be a vegan restaurant on non-vegan.

We are gonna work with all the restaurants that reach out to us where people ask to see our product offered, either on the menu, either within a meal, or just if you order a cup of tea and you want a side of Mellody.

 

DC Foodies: Curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody's Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise
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DC Foodies Top the list: Curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody’s Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise

By Joe Winger — 1 year ago

DC Foodies top the list — curious about Plant-Based Honey taste, Mellody’s Darko Mandich reveals the surprise.

DC Foodies are a different type.  Hungry and always eager to try something new. Known for its adventurous foodies and curious eaters.  Plenty of people are already in line to try plant-based honey, but what does it actually taste like?

People might worry there’s a “laboratory” flavor?  Has it lost its texture? Vibrancy? Is there a “diet” feel to it?

Exclusive Interview with Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich.

Darko Mandich is a food entrepreneur in San Francisco. After spending almost a decade in the European honey industry as a business executive, Darko committed to reimagining the honey industry to become sustainable. Darko immigrated from Europe to California to launch Mellody, the world’s first plant-based honey brand. Darko is an advocate of saving the bees and wild pollinators.

Mellody Food's Darko Mandich

Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich

 

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko for nearly an hour.

 

Let’s talk about the honey. What’s the taste profile?

 

There are three aspects of products that people care about. Number one by far is taste. Number two is price, and number three is nutrition.

In terms of the taste, what we’re really after is the best tasting honeys that are made by bees. 

The taste has to match rare honeys that you would find in parts of Europe; France, Italy. Very high quality Acacia honey, specifically.

If we talk about New Zealand, Australia, that’s Manuka honey; and we’re matching that.

So no compromise there.

Moving to the price, I grew up in poverty and I really want to make sure that everybody has access to this product at some point. But it’ll take us some time. So right now it’s premium quality, but it’s also premium price.

In terms of nutrition, we wanna do better than honey coming from bees. How? First and foremost, honey made by the bees contains a certain bacteria that’s called Clostridium. With our product, without the bees [there’s no Clostridium] bacteria.

I’m really proud to say that our product is allergen free; and that for people with allergies to honey and pollen, this is gonna be neutral.

Finally in terms of super ingredients or superfoods, our honey has more than what’s usually found in some of the honey types made by the bees.

The sugar profile is the same, the calorie content is the same, but the twist is there’s a little bit more of certain powerful active compounds that come from the plants.

 

That’s absolutely incredible. It’s enhanced honey. Is there a better word?

 

I like to call it a plant-based honey. And that category of plant-based honey is already elevated to the level of being enhanced compared to bee-made honey.

 

I’m really happy that Melody is starting this category. We are the world’s first plant-based honey.

There’s exactly one same sentence that we get to hear across 5,000 people that were involved in tasting this before it hit the market.

That sentence is: It’s honey.

People taste it, they’re amazed with it, and they say, “Oh my God, it’s honey.”

There are certain plant-based products that have their heart in best place in terms of mission and impact, but are just not delivering on [flavor] expectations. We just want to make sure that people across different categories of nutrition say that this is honey and that they love it.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Is the honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?

 

Yeah, the honey is currently available. The Specialty Tea and Honey Box launched for the Mother’s Day collection and Earth Month.

It’s a specially curated box of artisanal teas coming from different parts of the world with honey and also amazing, shortbread cookies. All plant-based, also made with our honey. That’s available right now

Sometime very soon a standalone jar [of honey] will also be available to Eleven Madison Home.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Tell us again what’s available, how to find it; and how to follow you and support you.

 

Yeah, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at MellodyFoods

In terms of purchasing, head to ElevenMadisonHome.com and you can purchase it there.

Saving the bees is learning more about them. Learning more about pollinators and you can do that on our social media.

And finally, if you’re equally passionate about bees and plants as we are, ask your favorite restaurant to reach out to us to offer Mellody in your favorite restaurant. It can be a vegan restaurant on non-vegan.

We are gonna work with all the restaurants that reach out to us where people ask to see our product offered, either on the menu, either within a meal, or just if you order a cup of tea and you want a side of Mellody.

 

DC Geek Culture: Chris Gore’s “Attack Of the Doc!” Premieres for Your April 21
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Fast, Fun, (all the) Feels – 90 mins of Geek Culture, Chris Gore’s ‘Attack of the Doc’ available April 24

By Joe Winger — 1 year ago

Fast, Fun, (all the) Feels – 90 mins of Geek Culture, Chris Gore’s Attack of the Doc Available April 24

Today I sat down with Chris Gore, the writer / director / producer of  “Attack of the Doc!”  to talk about the huge effort of editing a generation of content down to a tight 90 minutes.

“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore.  

 

Chris Gore, the writer / director / producer of  “Attack of the Doc!”

Chris Gore, the writer / director / producer of  “Attack of the Doc!”

This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, and many more! 

Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture.  Available for streaming and more as of April 24, 2023.

 

 

Your documentary ‘Attack of the Doc’ is such a detailed story. You have so much content to work from. How hard was it to edit it down to a tight 96 minutes?

 

Truthfully it’s brilliantly edited by my co-producer on it, Bobby Schwartz, the lead editor. There was a team of editors: Anthony Ray Bench, Philip Eubanks, Glenn Brown, who helped out.

We gathered hundreds of hours of footage, spent a year building a library, because we started shooting in March of 2020. And then the pandemic occurred, so I pivoted.

 

Originally we sat some people down and did some interviews on camera and realized we’re not gonna be able to do this with the pandemic.

 

So we spent that year of the pandemic building a library of every topic, every host, every person on camera.  It gave us the tools to [outline the] topics. 

 

Then I did interviews over live streams and I built an archival documentary that would put you in the world at the time. I wanted it to never kind of break. The only breaking to present day is [when] I bookend the movie, and then Zach Selwyn is like the Greek chorus. 

 

But, I wanted to give it that feel. So for the editors, it was such a challenge. We’d break them into [segments]. So the birth of G4, how do we tell that story? Well, we cut it down to 30 minutes. How do we get that down to three minutes? 

 

So we’re trying to tell 20 years of the history of the beginnings of G4 TV, the launch of ‘Attack of the Show,’ the end of ‘Attack of the Show’, and then the rebirth and where that went. 

 

So that’s 20 years in 90 minutes, and it was always ‘We’re not gonna go over 90 minutes.’

 Anything that we cut, we can put stuff on the Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray will be a collectible. 

 

But I wanted to tell this story in a quick 90 minutes, as a love letter to the show, geek culture and remind people of this era.

 

But that editing, God. It was just a constant thing. Bobby Schwartz knocked outta the park.

'Attack of the Doc' available April 24

‘Attack of the Doc’ available April 24

“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore, produced & edited by Bobby Schwartz, co-produced by Walter Areas, with additional co-editing by Anthony Ray Bench and Phillip H. Eubanks, and with an original score composed by Austin Smith. This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, Eric Andre, Jerry Stiller, Joe Rogan, Jimmy Fallen, Kel Mitchell, Anne Meara, Stan Lee, Sara Jean Underwood, Carrie Keagan, Riley Steele, Tom Green, Anthony Daniels, Michael Winslow, Joey Kern, Joan Rivers, Chris Hardwick, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, Jessica Chobot, Tony Hawk, and Alison Haislip, among others as we search for the truth.

 

“Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture. Its core audience is one of the most coveted around the globe. I think viewers of the original show will be down for learning the history of the network and the show which helped usher in the age of nerd culture. Frankly, G4TV and Attack of the Show! are responsible for making it cool to be a nerd,” states Gore. “And at the end of the day, I hope the documentary entertains fans and reminds them of a time when a TV show could be dangerous and provide some laughs without fear of being canceled. Everyone who worked on the documentary is a super fan, so this movie was made by fans for fans.”

 

Attack of the Doc! Synopsis

 


Before the rise of big tech, social media and Marvel movies, Attack of the Show! chronicled nerd culture’s unlikely acceptance as mainstream. G4TV’s flagship show launched the careers of hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira and was beloved by fans – a unique celebration of geek culture before it was cool. Diving into colossal cream pies, wearing fat suits for comedy and putting internet servers where the sun don’t shine – anything could happen on an episode of Attack of the Show! It’s been years since the show went off the air and one question has lingered: what really happened to G4TV and Attack of the Show? Enter Attack Of The Doc! — the new film written and directed by Chris Gore, promises to answer one of pop culture’s longest running mysteries.

Available as of Apirl 24 and watch the trailer here.

Follow the documentary and its journey available on Video on Demand and TVOD/Digital platforms on April 24th, 2023, which is the 21st Anniversary of the launch of G4TV.

 

DC Foodies want to know, what does Plant-based Honey Pair Well With?
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DC Foodies want to know, what Foods and Drinks does Plant-based Honey Pair Well With?

By Joe Winger — 1 year ago

DC Foodies want to know, what does Plant-based Honey Pair Well With?

You keep reading about plant-based honey. The environmental story, the nutrition.  But how does it taste?  What can you pair it with?  Let’s find out in an exclusive interview with Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich.

Darko Mandich is a food entrepreneur in San Francisco. After spending almost a decade in the European honey industry as a business executive, Darko committed to reimagining the honey industry to become sustainable. Darko immigrated from Europe to California to launch Mellody, the world’s first plant-based honey brand. Darko is an advocate of saving the bees and wild pollinators.

Mellody Food's Darko Mandich

Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich

 

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko.

 

You said you are a foodie. What are some incredible food pairings that you recommend with this honey?

 

When I like to talk about food, I always like to join food and beverage.

What does Plant-based Honey Pair Well With?

What does Plant-based Honey Pair Well With?

 

I’ll start with beverages first. I think this honey is perfect for mocktails and cocktails. It gives just enough of sweetness that someone is looking for in their alcoholic cocktail or non-alcoholic cocktail.

 

Will Plant-based Honey pair well With baklava

Will Plant-based Honey pair well With baklava

 

In terms of food, I would split it into savory and sweet. Sweet applications are my favorite, I just have a sweet tooth. My favorite dessert is Baklava because it comes from the part of the world where I come from. My wife, who’s a home chef, [used our honey to make] baklava and it was amazing.

 

We did an amazing collaboration with an upscale Italian plant-based restaurant in San Francisco Baia. They created this amazing, vegan panna cotta with our honey on top. It was culinary mastery developed by Chef Joshua Yap, who started working with Chef Matthew Kenny, who is also a well-known, plant-based chef.

 

Will plant-based honey pair well with a burger

Will plant-based honey pair well with a burger

In terms of savory applications, that opens a whole new world of opportunities. How we interact with stuff like pizza and honey, burgers and honey. Obviously honey and vinaigrette and olive oil, used as a dressing for salads, honey mustard, just name it.

 

What’s next for Mellody? What are the next steps out there for you?

 

Getting into as many restaurants as possible in this country. People are inquiring about the standalone product [separate from the speciality box] get it very soon at Eleven Madison Home.

Working on getting this product to as many people as possible, and just to invite everybody to participate in this mission of creating the sustainable future of honey.

I’m just excited about every tiny step in this journey until melody becomes the word for honey.

 

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Is the honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?

 

Yeah, the honey is currently available. The Specialty Tea and Honey Box launched for the Mother’s Day collection and Earth Month.

It’s a specially curated box of artisanal teas coming from different parts of the world with honey and also amazing, shortbread cookies. All plant-based, also made with our honey. That’s available right now

Sometime very soon a standalone jar [of honey] will also be available to Eleven Madison Home.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Tell us again what’s available, how to find it; and how to follow you and support you.

 

Yeah, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at MellodyFoods

In terms of purchasing, head to ElevenMadisonHome.com and you can purchase it there.

Saving the bees is learning more about them. Learning more about pollinators and you can do that on our social media.

And finally, if you’re equally passionate about bees and plants as we are, ask your favorite restaurant to reach out to us to offer Mellody in your favorite restaurant. It can be a vegan restaurant on non-vegan.

We are gonna work with all the restaurants that reach out to us where people ask to see our product offered, either on the menu, either within a meal, or just if you order a cup of tea and you want a side of Mellody.

 

Blink-182 is back with a visit at Capital One Arena May 23, 2023
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Blink-182 is Back on Tour with a visit to DC’s Capital One Arena May 23, 2023

By Charlotte Billingsley — 2 years ago

Blink-182 is back in Washington, DC with a visit at Capital One Arena May 23, 2023

Multi-platinum, award winning group blink-182 have announced their biggest tour ever, a colossal global outing with Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker reuniting for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Produced by Live Nation, the worldwide trek includes their first ever performances in Latin America along with stops in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand starting March 2023 through February 2024.

Blink-182 is back for their biggest tour ever

The band will also drop their new single “EDGING” Friday, October 14, marking the first time in a decade that Mark, Tom and Travis have been in the studio together.

Blink-182 at Capital One Arena May 23, 2023

Blink-182 at Capital One Arena May 23, 2023

Blink-182 tour features multiple festival appearances

he tour announcement also features multiple festival appearances in Latin America and the US, including Lollapalooza alongside co-headliners Billie Eilish & Drake and the 2023 edition of When We Were Young with Green Day among others.

Tickets on sale now on blink182.com

Languedoc Wines bring flavor and French history to NYC, led by Advanced Sommelier Erik Segelbaum
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Languedoc Wines bring Needed Flavor to Restaurant Scene, led by Erik Segelbaum

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Languedoc Wines bring flavor and French history to the City, led by Advanced Sommelier Erik Segelbaum, with the goal of more restaurant exposure and happy diners.

Langeudoc is a postcard perfect area of sloped hills, lush ocean views and deep horizons in Southern France nestled along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the famous Rhone river and Provence in the east.

Curious wine drinkers eyes just perked up.  Why?  Those who understand, know the area has a lot of magic.

While the land is not as known as illustrious neighbors Bordeaux and Rhone, its quality is competitive and its price tag is far more attractive.  

The Languedoc region produces conversation bottles.  

It’s the bottle someone reaches across the table for –  because it’s different, it’s more of a mystery –  and that person’s palate is in the mood to investigate a playful pairing.   

All these curious reasons led me to NYC’s The Winery for a masterclass of learning and tasting.

Advanced Sommelier Erik Segelbaum

Luckily we were led by Advanced Sommelier Erik Segelbaum, who has more than 30 years of experience, was named Food & Wine Magazine’s 2019 Sommelier of the Year and 2020 Wine Enthusiast 40 and 40 Tastemaker.

 

Beyond the credentials, what makes Erik great for today’s class is his unique approach.  

See, Langeudoc hopes to get their wines in more restaurants:  in today’s class more than half the people in the room work in NYC restaurants and wine bars and Erik understands that territory very well.  He has been Beverage Director, Head Somm, Wine Director at restaurants around the country – so he knows how to explain to the restaurants how to get these bottles onto their wine lists and how to sell them – smart move by Languedoc!

The History

Languedoc has a robust and varied history with winemaking proving their villages keep innovating and the world follows.

The story starts back in the 1200s (when they were discovering wine fortification) and fast-forwards to the 1700s when a twist of fate forced the vineyards to move up the hillside – which became an unexpected blessing as the grapes flourished even better in their new, windier climate.   

We keep going and in 1903, the area was a pioneer launching the world’s first organic expo.  Something that even today, over a 100 years later, many competitors around the world are still behind on.

Some wines with bold, chewy tannins? Yes.  Others with refreshing acidity? Yes.  

We’ll get to tasting shortly.  

But let’s spend a brief moment understanding the area that’s creating such vibrant flavors.   

Languedoc wines

Languedoc Land

Five large areas with over 20 AOPs  and those twenty are grouped in three very different climates:  Mediterranean Coast, Atlantic Coast, Hills and Mountains. 

Mediterranean, as you might imagine, offers long, warm summers with heavy sunshine and mild  winters harvesting grapes Piquepoul, Bourboulenc, Clairette and Muscat. 

Atlantic is quite different with consistent chills and cross-winds that deliver Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Chardonnay grapes.

Pacific, as you’d expect from the pattern emerging, is even more different.  It’s intense.  Dry and hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Warm days,  cool nights.  And this vigorous energy delivers rich, tannic reds like Mouvedre and Syrah.

Languedoc’s Future

Much like the wines themselves, Langedoc’s future continues to open up more and more showing a sense of depth, complexity  – while, yes, also being ready to go today.  

Nine of their wineries are less than 20 years old.  They are a leader in the “Old World” turning toward organic and eco-friendly treatments.  They’re excited to reach a new generation of younger wine drinkers with their message and their culture.

So, let’s have a taste.

There were over 20 wines being poured, showcasing varieties from sparkling to light white to big, bold reds.  Everything from pairing with fresh oysters to gamey pheasant.  

Here are my tasting highlights:

 

Domaine Saint-martin D’agel Le Pèlerin 2020

On the nose: juniper and fresh spices rise from the glass. 

Mouth: soft, supple mouth feel, with relaxed tannins 

The finish had an invigorating acidity. 

Delicious to pair with grilled herbs.

 

Gerard Bertrand AN 825 Cremant de Limoux Brut Rose 2019

On the nose:  effervescent, gushing with red fruit

Mouth: gush of strawberry; 

Finish is crisp and refreshing. 

Pair with citrus-dressed salads or even spicy BBQ,

 

Villa Noria La Serr Picpoul de Pinet

Nose: zesty, floral and refreshing

Mouth:  lemony and citrus aromas with a lovely texture

Finish: bright, uplifting finish.

Pair with mussels and fresh oysters 

 

Domaine de brau Cuvee Etymologie 2020 

Nose: Aromas of red and black fruits

Mouth: A delicate mix of vegetation and spices

Finish: A clean, crisp finish

Pair with tri tip and roasted pheasant

Dita Von Teese Brings the world’s biggest burlesque show, ‘Glamontrix’ to Washington DC in 2023
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Dita Von Teese Brings the world’s biggest burlesque show, ‘Glamonatrix’ to Washington DC in 2023

By Sofia Frances — 2 years ago

Dita Von Teese announced that she will be bringing the world’s biggest burlesque show, ‘Glamonatrix’ to North America next year.

Produced by Live Nation, the 21-date tour kicks off on January 7th, 2023, in Seattle, WA at the Paramount Theatre, making stops across North America in San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, and more along with a special performance on Valentine’s Day at The Chicago Theatre.

The tour hits three cities in Texas, plus Dita’s home state of Michigan, with a finale show in Southern California’s Riverside at the Fox Performing Arts Center on February 24th.

Dita’s burlesque show continues to break records as the biggest and most lavish burlesque show in history.

Dita Von Teese is back on tour

Hot on the heels of her 41-show tour overseas in historic theaters, including The London Palladium, Opera Garnier Monte Carlo, Folies Bergère and Vienna’s Burgtheatre, Dita is thrilled to bring the Glamonatrix burlesque revue to cities across the United States and Canada.

Dita Von Teese’s The Glamonatrix Tour

The Glamonatrix Tour is produced and directed by Dita Von Teese

and sponsored by Sweet Gwendoline French Gin and Lashify.com, inventor of DIY Lash extensions.

“For me, burlesque has always been about finding my own confidence,

liberating the taboo of striptease with fantastical  stripscapes,

while encouraging others to indulge in and enjoy their own sensuality.

Glamour is the art of creating mystery and allure,

and the new “Glamonatrix” show speaks to unapologetic sensual power with a fun fetishistic twist.”

says Von Teese.

She continues, “I feel so fortunate that burlesque has come to symbolize a celebration of beauty and sensuality in many forms, a place where diversified icons take the stage and inspire others. I’m proud to be a part of the modern burlesque movement and I’m grateful to have the chance to tour with performers who change people’s minds about striptease.”

TICKETS: Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday, September 16th at 10:00 AM Local Time on Ticketmaster.com.

PRESALE: Citi is the official card of the Glamonatrix Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, September 13 at 11:00 AM ET through Thursday, September 15th at 10:00 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

GLAMONTRIX 2023 TOUR DATES:

Sat Jan 07 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
Tue Jan 10 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Fri Jan 13 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts
Sat Jan 14 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts
Sun Jan 15 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts
Tue Jan 17 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium
Fri Jan 20 – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre
Sun Jan 22 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
Tue Jan 24 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Fri Jan 27 – New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theatre
Sun Jan 29 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Thu Feb 02 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
Sat Feb 4 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Tue Feb 7 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Maisonneuve
Thu Feb 09 – New York City, NY – Beacon Theatre
Sat Feb 11 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
Tue Feb 14 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
Thu Feb 16 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Sat Feb 18 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
Wed Feb 22 – El Cajon, CA – The Magnolia
Fri Feb 24 – Riverside, CA – Fox Performing Arts Center

Glamonatrix is a full evening of comedy and sophisticated striptease celebrating diverse beauty and individuality. Far from being a typical burlesque show, Dita elevates and modernizes the classic 1940’s variety show in an inspiring and uplifting way. Always ahead of the curve, Dita’s show casting has consistently been inclusive and multi-faceted, showcasing the talents of male, female, and gender-fluid performers from around the world to create a body-positive, celebratory show like no other.

As the consummate performer in modern burlesque, Von Teese’s exhilarating live shows are world-renowned and draw fans from every corner of the globe. With over a million tickets sold, and an unprecedented quality of production in burlesque, it is clear why Von Teese’s self-produced tours are the gold standard of the modern burlesque revival, with devoted fans that include A-list celebrities.

The uber-glamorous variety show presents extravagant new production numbers from Dita and the cast, with costumes created by Jenny Packham, Mister Pearl, Alexis Mabille, Catherine D’Lish and more. Shoe aficionados will delight in the extraordinary bespoke fetish footwear by Christian Louboutin, some of which are currently on display as part of the Louboutin  “L’Exhibition(iste)” in Monaco.

The Glamonatrix show showcases the most revered performers in burlesque, including the legendary Dirty Martini. Dita’s dapperVontourage and choreographer Alek Palinski returns to the stage, along with fan-favorite Zelia Rose, one of the lead performers of Hamilton Australia. Dita is also pleased to introduce showstopping newcomer Lana Kai Fox, along with Tosca Rivola and Laszlo Major. Jonny McGovern of “Hey Qween!” and “Go-Go for the Gold” returns as host, due to popular demand from fans around the world. Dita will also be joined in select cities by special guests, including three time ballroom world champion Umario Diallo partnering Dita in a fiery striptease Latin dance.

Napa's Heitz Cellar congratulates Master Sommelier Erik Elliott
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Napa’s Heitz Cellar congratulates Master Sommelier Erik Elliott, MS

By Sofia Frances — 2 years ago

Napa Wine Country’s Heitz Cellar congratulates Erik Elliott, MS

Heitz Cellar is excited to announce that Estate Director Erik Elliott has passed the Masters Exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas.

Erik is one of 10 individuals who successfully met the qualifications to be awarded the title of Master Sommelier. The results were announced at the Krug Reception on August 31, 2022, at the Royal Sonesta in Portland, Oregon.

Heitz Cellar  Newest Master Sommelier Erik Elliott

The Master Sommelier Diploma is the highest distinction a professional can attain in the beverage service industry.

The Master Sommelier Diploma Examination consists of three sections:

a verbal theory examination,

a wine assessment exercise using the Deductive Tasting Method,

and a practical component that focuses on hospitality, beverage service, salesmanship, and overall business acumen.

Candidates must receive passing scores in each section to earn the highly coveted Master Sommelier title.

“I AM SO PROUD OF ERIK FOR PUTTING IN THE HARD WORK AND ACHIEVING THIS SPECIAL HONOR.

IT’S A JOY TO SEE MY CLOSE FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE JOIN THE COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS.

I HAVE WATCHED HIM GROW FROM A BARTENDER TO A SOMMELIER, A

ND EVENTUALLY A HOSPITALITY DIRECTOR TO ESTATE DIRECTOR,

ALL WHILE DEMONSTRATING HIS TIRELESS WORK ETHIC AND DEEPENING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF FINE WINE AND HOSPITALITY.”

 

Carlton McCoy, MS.

(Lawrence Wine Estates, CEO)

Comedian Brian Regan Performs April 7-8 2023 at Washington DC's The Kennedy Center
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Comedian Brian Regan Performs April 7-8 2023 at Washington DC’s The Kennedy Center

By Charlotte Billingsley — 2 years ago

Comedian Brian Regan Performs April 7-8 2023 at Washington DC’s The Kennedy Center

Considered one of the best stand-ups in the country by critics, fans and fellow comedians,

Brian Regan announces new theater tour dates through the spring of 2023.

Since 2005, Brian’s non-stop theater tour has visited the most beautiful venues in North America.  Produced by Live Nation, the 30-city tour kicks off on Saturday, December 31st at Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth making stops across the U.S. in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Washington and more before wrapping up in Jacksonville at the Florida Theater on May 14th. For full tour dates and links to purchase tickets visit Brian’s website.

Tickets go on sale starting Friday, September 16th at 10am local time on BrianRegan.com

BRIAN REGAN NYE & SPRING 2023 TOUR DATES:

Saturday, December 31, 2022 – Fort Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium

Thursday, January 12, 2023 – Burlington, VT – The Flynn

Friday, January 13, 2023 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater

Saturday, January 14, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – Miller Theater- PA

Sunday, January 15, 2023 – Charlottesville, VA – Paramount Theatre- Charlottesville

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 – Edmonton, AB – Winspear Centre

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 – Calgary, AB – Jack Singer Concert Hall

Thursday, February 2, 2023 – Surrey, BC – Bell PAC

Friday, February 3, 2023 – Tacoma, WA – Pantages Theater

Saturday, February 4, 2023 – Salem, OR – Elsinore Theatre

Thursday, February 23, 2023 – Grand Junction, CO – Avalon Theatre

Saturday, February 25, 2023 – Billings, MT – Alberta Bair Theater

Thursday, March 2, 2023 – El Cajon, CA – The Magnolia

Friday, March 3, 2023 – Thousand Oaks, CA – Bank of America PAC

Saturday, March 4, 2023 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live

Sunday, March 5, 2023 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Hall at The Eccles

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – Sioux Falls, SD – Washington Pavilion

Thursday, March 30, 2023 – Dubuque, IA – Five Flags Arena*

Friday, March 31, 2023 – Omaha, NE – Holland PAC

Saturday, April 1, 2023 – Rapid City, SD – Rushmore Theatre*

Thursday, April 6, 2023 – Norfolk, VA – Harrison Opera House

Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, 2023 – Washington DC – The Kennedy Center^

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – Morgantown, WV – The Metropolitan Theatre

Thursday, April 27, 2023 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate PAC*

Friday, April 28, 2023 – St Charles, IL – The Arcada Theatre*

Saturday, April 29, 2023 – Saint Joseph, MO – Missouri Theatre

Sunday, April 30, 2023 – Manhattan, KS – McCain Auditorium (KSU)*

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – Coral Springs, FL – Coral Springs Center for the Arts

Friday, May 12, 2023 – St Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theater

Saturday, May 13, 2023 – Fort Pierce, FL – Sunrise Theatre ^

Sunday, May 14, 2023 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre Jacksonville

^Already on sale

*Not a Live Nation date

Brian premiered his second Netflix stand-up special, Brian Regan: On The Rocks, on February 23, 2021.  Brian’s first Netflix special, Brian Regan: Nunchucks And Flamethrowers, premiered to rave reviews on November 21, 2017, and is also available as a vinyl album.

In 2021, Brian returned for his third season in Peter Farrelly’s TV series, Loudermilk, which is streaming on Amazon Prime.  Farrelly personally cast Brian in the series alongside Ron Livingston, Anja Savcic, Will Sasso and Mat Fraser.  Brian received praise for his portrayal of “Mugsy,” a recovering addict who is estranged from his family.

Comedian Brian Regan stars in his own Netflix series, Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan, which premiered on Christmas Eve 2018.  Brian and Jerry Seinfeld Executive Produce the four-episode original half-hour series that combines sketch comedy and stand-up.

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