Cheftimony Episode 027 – Coffee in Vegas
“On today’s show, Sonja shares some of her top food picks in Las Vegas, including some neighbourhoods you may not have explored yet plus Sonja’s number one, first-choice Korean restaurant in the city!”
For today’s episode, I’m back in my favourite city to visit, Las Vegas. My wife and I flew down for a quick weekend trip, and it was so full of friends and wonderful food experiences that I didn’t have time to gamble! Which means, of course, that I must return all the sooner…
One of the great people we met is Sonja Swanson – food writer, podcaster, freelance journalist, world traveler, UC Berkeley Fellow, and the list goes on. Together with her podcasting partner Kristy Totten, Sonja produces the Spicy Eyes Podcast, a fantastic show about food and culture in Las Vegas, one I absolutely recommend.
Sonja’s written works have appeared in the New York Times, Serious Eats, Food 52, Eater, the Los Angeles Times, and again …the list goes on!
Sonja and I met for coffee at Vesta Coffee Roasters in the Arts District, a rapidly-developing area between the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas. Vesta is one of many great food stops in the neighbourhood, also home to Esther’s Kitchen, Hop Nuts Brewing, Velveteen Rabbit, Garagiste and many more.
On today’s show, Sonja shares some of her top food picks in Las Vegas, including some neighbourhoods you may not have explored yet plus Sonja’s number one, first-choice Korean restaurant in the city! You’ll have to hear the interview to learn the name.
Sonja also talks about some of the many projects she has underway beyond her freelance work, including Bburi Kitchen, a project in which Sonja partners with a chef to explore the roots of Korean cuisine. Another is Sonja’s 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. The program was established by Michael Pollan (yes, that Michael Pollan), and through it, Sonja is developing a story on a fascinating grey-market food in Korea. You’ll hear about that story today.
To the interview now! Join me and Sonja for some coffee and conversation in the Arts District of Fabulous Las Vegas.