PODCASTS
INTRODUCTION - The Food Origins Podcast
The podcast was created because of my passion and experience with food. I want talk to people from many areas of life about their origin stories. What they ate growing up, some of their culture, favorite foods, recipes, family traditions, awesome tools, best & worst restaurant experiences any where in the world and of course; their current projects & businesses.
Food connects us all, so let’s learn more about it together.
HOST - DAVE SANDS
Dave was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. Growing up Japanese and Caucasian , Dave was exposed to many cultures and cuisines immediately. Watching and learning from his late Mother set the seeds of his pure joy of cooking. As a graduate of the City College of San Francisco’s Hotel & Restaurant program, Dave cooked professionally all over the San Francisco Bay Area for five years working in numerous restaurants, catering and corporate food services. With some unfortunate burn out, Dave went on work as a service advisor for a high end car dealer. While working there, he transitioned to one of his dream jobs as a San Francisco Police Officer. After 15 years in Law Enforcement, injuries have caused Dave to retire. Cooking became therapy after his Mother passed away. Dave was always cooking throughout his careers, sharing many dishes with family, friends and coworkers. Dave has been fortunate to have met a wide range of people from many aspects of life and can't wait share their food origin stories!
Dave brings his passion for food and culinary experience as host of the Food Origins Podcast.
*Music and beats created by Uli Bella of Ozomatli
EPISODE 001- Courtney Henderson
Welcome to the premiere episode of the Food Origins Podcast!
Recorded on location at Hendo Studios in San Diego, CA. I sat down with my friend Courtney Henderson @courtneyhendo who provided me with inspiration to start this podcast. Courtney is a professional photographer from a small agricultural town in Albany, Georgia.
EPISODE 002 - Michael Sands
This podcast is dedicated to our Mother, Yuriko who passed away in 2019.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with my brother Michael Sands. Mike is a self-employed tech consultant and an accomplished martial artist in the styles of Judo, Kuk Sool Won, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
EPISODE 003 - Papachay Coffee
Max and Juliana Gambirazio are the owners of Papachay Peruvian Coffee in San Carlos, CA.
Max tells us about his origins of immigrating to the US. On a trip back to Peru, his motorcycle broke down in the rainforest and a chance to buy a 30 acre coffee plantation arose. Juliana , Max's wife who is from Saul Paulo Brazil, also joins us on the podcast telling us about her love for coffee since she was a little girl and how she met Max through the coffee business.
EPISODE 004 - SAIPAN with Chef TJ Villagomez and Jose Palacios
TJ Villagomez is a Chef at Google specializing in catering , grab n go, and working their food truck program. Jose Palacios is a QA software engineer. I'm fortunate to have trained the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with these guys at One World Jiu Jitsu under Mike Prudencio. We have shared a passion for food along with some great meals and many barbecues together. I initially was recording a podcast with Jose and a power outage caused the recording to be lost. Hence having both TJ and Jose on together made it epic! Both of them were born and raised on the island of Saipan.
Hafa Adai!
EPISODE 005 - Bobby Takahashi
Bobby Takahashi is the fourth generation member of the Takahashi family. Bobby was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently manages Takahashi Market in San Mateo, CA. Bobby provides insight into the history of the market, allergies to chocolate , parents cooking, dealing with the pandemic pivot , local eats, food favorites and travel experiences. I have been going to this market for over ten years and super excited to share this with you all!
EPISODE 006 - Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson is a police officer for the City and County of San Francisco Police Department. Officer Olson is currently a bomb technician assigned to the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) division of the SWAT team. Chris has worked numerous positions in the SFPD for over fifteen years. Some of them include: all aspects of patrol, mayor's detail, undercover plainclothes investigations, and the Specialist team.
EPISODE 007 - Ulises Bella
Ulises Bella is one of the founding members of multi Grammy award winning band Ozomatli. “Uli” grew up in South East Los Angeles, CA. Uli developed a passion for music at a young age and went to the LA High School of the Arts. Subsequently Uli spent some time in college and playing in punk bands. Later he met the now founders and members of Ozomatli. Uli dropped out of college and pursued his dream of becoming a full time musician and spent many years traveling over fifty plus countries and becoming a cultural ambassador in the process.
EPISODE 008 - Dave Williamson
Dave Williamson aka “Meat Dave” is a comedian, pitmaster and host of the Meat Dave podcast. Dave is also a water polo coach and a co host of the Tony Azevedo podcast. Dave was born and raised in Miami, Florida. After working in his family’s car business ; Dave knew he loved making his customers smile and laugh. Excelling in many comedy festivals and being named “Best Comedian in Miami” , Dave packed up his family in a 25 foot trailer and toured for eighteen months before settling in Los Angeles. Dave can be seen touring with Bert Kreischer and headlining his own comedy shows.
EPISODE 009 - Geoffroy Raby
Born and raised in Northern France in the town of Lille, Geoffroy has worked in restaurants since he was 15 years old. Geoffroy is the owner of Cuisinett French Bistro & Market in San Carlos, CA. Cuisinett offers a casual, family-friendly restaurant with great quality French comfort food and now incorporates a Epicurie with wine, cheese, charcuterie, sweets, and other products from France.
EPISODE 0010 - Andy Moeckel
Andy Moeckel aka the “ Flip Flop Guy” known for his delicious wild game cooking style and family marinade recipe. Andy is an accomplished hunter/fisherman & was born and raised in West Marin, California. After a troubled youth, Andy turned his life around and began sharing his Grandfather’s cooking when it was passed down to him by his father on his 25th birthday. Andy’s Grandfather Al Giddings was a Fish & Game warden, WWII Veteran and responsible for adopting a Portuguese sheep rancher “flip flop” style of cooking with venison and crafting a delicious marinade recipe.
EPISODE 0011 - Joe Costarella
Born and raised in Petaluma California in Sonoma County; Joe Costarella comes from an all Italian Neapolitan and Sicilian family. With heavy roots also in San Francisco, Joe grew going to the city for the family business and dinners. Joe also spent a lot of time in the outdoors hunting and fishing which exposed him to great variety of food by his family especially his La Nonna and Mother’s great cooking.
EPISODE 0012 - Ken Turner
Ken was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Ken grew up in a family of great cooks which stoked his passion for food. Traveling abroad and cooking professionally in Australia furthered his knowledge and repertoire. After returning to the states, Ken simultaneously went to culinary school and worked at Zuni Cafe under Judy Rogers in San Francisco working through all the ranks of the kitchen to Chef de Cuisine.
EPISODE 0013 - Esa Yonn-Brown
Esa Yonn-Brown was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. Raised in a family of passionate cooks that were an early part of the slow food movement and using as many fresh ingredients as possible in their meals. Esa has been working in the restaurant industry since she was sixteen years old.
EPISODE 0014 - Benjamin Robert
Ben grew up in in the small town of Perkinsville along the Connecticut River in the state of Vermont. With a French background and Ben's family based out of New Hampshire and New Orleans he saw many different great dishes such as crawfish boils and fresh shellfish. Ben started early in the culinary world by working in a small NY and Sicilian style pizzeria in Vermont at the age of 14. Progressing through other pizza restaurant opening Ben started working at a more upscale French Polynesia restaurant called Tilley's Cafe and later moved to San Francisco working at Bar Bambino learning under Top Chef Alum Chef Elizabeth Binder.
EPISODE 0015 - Guy Crims
Guy Crims, or “Guy the Butcher,” as he’s generally known, is a veteran of the butcher business and a legend in the world of Japanese Wagyu. In 2017 alone, Crims was responsible for bringing 4.3 metric tons of Wagyu beef into the U.S.
Crims, a California native, became fascinated with the butcher business when he was 14 after reading The Jungle, Upton Sinclair’s novel depicting the American meatpacking industry in early 20th century. His first job was at a family-owned butcher shop in Pacifica. Crims followed the original owner to a butchery in San Francisco, where he continued to hone his craft.
EPISODE 0016 - Timothy Koide
A builder and storyteller, my guest today is Timothy Koide. Tim was born in Berkeley, CA of Japanese and Caucasian descent. Tim’s great grandparents immigrated from Japan and settled in the Bay Area.
At a very young age, Tim’s family moved to the East Coast and he spent the majority of his childhood there, but would spend parts of his summers back in California. Tim later embarked on a very impactful Mission with his Church to Tokyo, Japan for two years, spending time in the towns of Hachioji and Kichijoji which allowed him to dive into his rich Japanese heritage.
EPISODE 0017 - Christine Sebastian
Christine Sebastian is the owner of Treatbot Karaoke Ice Cream Truck along with her husband Ryan. Also they are founders of a food truck gathering and consulting firm called Moveable Feast.
Christine and I know each other from attending the City College of San Francisco’s Hotel & Restaurant Program together. Christine talks about her process of working at a traveling catering company, her Filipino upbringing and culture along with family dishes and the struggles to get where they are today.
EPISODE 0018 - Lars Smith
Lars Smith was born and raised in Palo Alto, CA part of a 3rd generation family in the Bay Area. This podcast was recorded on location at the State of Mind Slice House, their second location, which coincidentally Lars lived and grew up with down the street.
EPISODE 0019 - MAC BBQ
MACBBQ. Established in the California Bay Area in 2014 as a competition BBQ team. Chris, John, Nick, Bruce, Gary and Dominic are all featured on this podcast.
EPISODE 20 - Guillaume Bienaime - Zola + Bar Zola
Chef Guillaume Bienaimé was born and raised in Paris, France and moved to the U.S. at an early age but traveled back to France every summer. Guillaume was learning French cooking techniques from his “quintessential French grandmother” who cooked all the time and family meals were a great influence. Guillaume not only was interested in cooking from his family his first cooking job was in a small Pennsylvania pizza restaurant. Guillaume enjoys every aspect of hospitality.
EPISODE 21- Adrian Hoffman - Four Star Seafood & Provisions
Born and raised in Boston, Adrian started working in kitchens as a young teenager. Adrian is the CEO/Co-Founder of Four Star Seafood and Provisions based in San Francisco, CA. After cooking his way through the Boston area, and a obtaining degree in Philosophy from Brandeis University, Adrian’s taste for adventure led him to cook in San Francisco, New York, London, Israel, France and Tokyo before he landed back in San Francisco as the chef at One Market Restaurant. In this role, he received top accolades from the San Francisco Chronicle before becoming the culinary director at Lark Creek Restaurant Group. While eating gorgeous seafood in Half Moon Bay with Ismael Macias, the two wondered why they weren’t getting such high quality seafood in San Francisco. And thus, Four Star was born. With close ties to chefs in San Francisco, Adrian and Ismael began buying fish at the pier and selling it to restaurants, quickly finding a loyal fan base with the help of their pristine, freshly caught sardines. They’ve since grown out of their space on Pier 45 and have expanded their offerings to include provisions.
EPISODE 22- Loren Poncia - Stemple Creek Ranch
Loren Poncia was born and raised in Tomales, CA. Loren follows in the footsteps of his parents, Al and Cathie Poncia, as the 4th generation of his family to steward their land. A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a major in Dairy Science and Ag Business, Loren always dreamed of coming back to the ranch to pursue his passion in agriculture. Loren oversees the entire ranching operation, and spends countless hours carefully studying genetics with the goal of raising grass-fed and finished beef that is tender, well-marbled, and tastes just as good as, if not better than, grain finished meat.
EPISODE 023- Tracy Desmond - Cruz Kombucha
Tracy Desmond was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. Tracy has been working in the hospitality and tech industry. But it all started with a visit to a kombucha bar on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The kombucha was light & refreshing. There was also a sense of connection and community that created a very special experience. That feeling stuck with Tracy and she knew she wanted to create something like that back home.
EPISODE 0024- Dap & Be‘Anka Ashaolu - Nirvana Soul Coffee Purveyors
Nirvana Soul is a San Jose-based coffee company bringing exciting flavor, bold inspiration, and undeniable joy to Silicon Valley and beyond. Founded by sisters and best friends, Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu, Nirvana Soul’s mission is to bring people together using the power of coffee and tea.
EPISODE 0025 - Wyatt Fields - Breakwater Barbecue
After five jam packed years of full-service, catering for weddings, and some of the biggest tech companies in the Bay Area and everything in between, Wyatt decided to take the next step in his journey and open a small store front in the coastal town of El Granada, California right before the start of the global pandemic of 2020. Located right where the Princeton Harbor Jetty meets the Coast Highway, hence the name Breakwater.
EPISODE 0026 - Joey Camacho - Konjoe Burger Bar
Joey Camacho is the owner and managing partner of Konjoe Burger Bar. Born in Saipan and raised on Guam with a diverse Japanese/Chamorro and multi-ethnic background. Konjoe currently has four locations in the City of Los Altos at State Street Market, Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium , SAP Center and another cloud kitchen in San Jose, California.
EPISODE 0027 - Paul Arihara - Daafambam
Paul Arihara was born in Japan and moved to California at age 5. Paul was orphaned at 8years old and institutionalized till he was 25. Paul has worked in the hospitality industry for over 34 years starting at McDonald’s at the age of 15 in San Diego,CA. Paul only completed the 9th grade and was homeless at 18 shortly after being released from incarceration. Paul’s worked in almost every position from dishwasher to bartender. Working in restaurants from fast food, Chinese buffets, seafood, sushi, American, breweries and to steakhouses! After being released from Federal Correctional Facility he moved to New York City in 2000 and got his first server and bartending job at Houlihan’s in the Empire State Building. Paul has worked all over the USA in NYC, Miami, Hawaii, San Diego, Sacramento, Tallahassee, Key West, Half Moon Bay & San Francisco.
EPISODE 0028 - Howard Bulka - Howie’s Artisan Pizza
Howard Bulka was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Howard studied economics in college in San Francisco but suddenly realized he hadn’t found his calling until a friend suggested he become a chef.
EPISODE 0029 - John Ferrando
John Ferrando was born and raised in the Bay Area specifically in Pacifica and San Francisco, CA. John is 100% Italian half Sicilian and half Genovese. I met John when we worked as police officers for the San Francisco Police Department. John learned a lot about cooking from his Grandmother and Father who is a retired San Francisco Firefighter. John has also traveled to Italy frequently to cook along side his cousins. Food was a common conversation especially when it came to cooking for our colleagues and talking about all the restaurants in the City. After retiring from department, with no formal training; John worked as a chef running the kitchen for the first responder service network & working closely with the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California.
EPISODE 0030 - Monica Wong & Quynh Ngyuen - Little Green Cyclo
Little Green Cyclo began in 2010 with one gourmet food truck serving up healthy & delicious Vietnamese meals throughout the Bay Area. Since then, we have built out our 5,000 square ft commercial kitchen/commissary.
EPISODE 0031 - Franco Finn - Hypeman / Brewvino SF
Franco Finn is a first generation San Francisco native. Growing up, Franco attended a bi-lingual French-American school where he learned to speak fluent French and that’s where he began his passion for the arts. Franco graduated with a B.A. in Communications at Santa Clara University, studying television & film production. Franco has been working in the aviation industry for the past decade, working in a variety of capacities during his aviation career, from Brand Marketing, Partnerships, Communications, External Relations & Employee Engagement. Currently, Franco manages the Community Relations & Engagement efforts for the state of California at Alaska Airlines, while also serving as their company media spokesperson, host, and travel influencer.
EPISODE 0032 - Judy Tan - Purely Drinks
Judy Tan is the CEO & Founder of Purely Drinks. Judy was born in Taishan in Southern China . Judy and her family immigrated to the USA when she was six years old and grew up in Portland, Oregon. A graphic designer by trade working for some very big companies; Judy took the leap to start her own business.
EPISODE 0033 - Matthew Kosoy - Rosalind Bakery
Matthew Kosoy from Mt. Laurel New Jersey is the founder & owner of Rosalind Bakery in Pacifica, CA. The bakery is named after Matthew’s grandmother, a nod to his family roots. The tech-worker-turned-baker started making sourdough as a side hustle, but his loaves quickly became a staple of the local farmer’s market. Matt had enough demand to open a storefront in 2019, where he continues to draw carb-hungry fans of his delicious baked goods.
EPISODE 0034 - Sean Nguyen - PapaWagyu
Sean Nguyen is the founder/owner of PapaWagyu. Sean is of Vietnamese descent and born and raised in San Jose,CA.
We discuss how we became friends through food and began working events together. Going over his family meals growing up like : Bun Bo Hue & Pho noodle soups. After traveling to Japan, the dream was planted to somehow work in the hospitality industry with food.
Sean continued to work for his family’s furniture business and later took a job in the Tech industry always finding ways to help people.
EPISODE 0035 - Franchesca Duval - Alchemist Farm
Alchemist Farm is a small family farm team headed up by Franchesca & Ryan Duval along with their two children in Northern California. Known for being pioneers of humane breeding and hatching, no male chicks are killed on their farm as they are at large scale hatcheries and all of their heritage breeding groups are free to roam on their separate pastures.
EPISODE 0036 - Justin Gill - Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce
Justin Gill is the founder and CEO of Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce. Justin was born and raised in Sebastopol, CA and of Japanese, Portuguese, French and Irish descent.
Justin dreamed of bringing his family sauce to market since he was a kid during the holidays. Justin, Grandmother Judy and his family would brew batches of their sauce to give out to clients of their family landscape business. Many rave reviews and requests for more and offers to purchase always followed. Justin started working on his business back in 2013 making sure that he would keep the integrity of the sauce and making it a way to truly honor his family heritage and values. We talk about the many struggles , iterations of getting through the difficulty of bringing a consumer packed goods product to market. Six years later, his childhood dream was a reality in 2019. Justin created by Bachan‘s Japanese barbecue sauce, which is a true representation of the sauce that his family made during the holidays for so many years.
EPISODE 0037 - Rhasaan Fernandez - Boffo Cart
Rhasaan Fernandez is the owner of Boffo Cart and Sam’s Log Cabin. Rhasaan was born and raised in San Francisco of Puerto Rican and Caucasian descent.
Growing up in the 90s, Rhasaan was exposed to all the diverse cuisine in San Francisco. Rhasaan worked his way through the hospitality industry from California to Colorado and back. Rhasaan decided to start cooking his own style of food for everyone and began Boffo Cart. Circumstances also allowed him to become apart of an old roadhouse/speakeasy Sam’s Log Cabin in Albany, CA which serves breakfast and home style Americana & Mexican cuisine.
EPISODE 0038 - Elizabeth Binder -Hand-Crafted Catering
Chef Elizabeth Binder was born and raised in South Africa, inspired by her fisherman father and great entertaining grandmothers, she attended the internationally recognized Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in her hometown of Durban.
EPISODE 0039 - Emily Winston -Boichik Bagels
Emily Winston is the CEO and founder of Boichik Bagels. Born and raised in central New Jersey, she grew up eating a LOT of bagels. When her father had business take him to the Upper West Side, he would stop by Zabar's for lox, sable, whitefish, and chive cream cheese, then H&H for bagels, which her family would have as a special treat. These bagels were on a whole different level of unique deliciousness.
EPISODE 40 - Petra Higby - The Caviar Co.
Petra Higby is the CEO and co/sister founded Caviar Co. Petra was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and her father is from Holland, and mother is from Texas. Immediately after college graduation, Petra moved out to Carmel, CA to take an internship with Coastal Luxury Management, assisting with putting on L.A. Food & Wine, and Pebble Beach Food & Wine events. This opened up my eyes to the culinary industry and the passion to work in hospitality. After this internship, she moved to San Francisco and got a job working for a local caviar company.
EPISODE 41 - Mohammad Abutaha - Shawamaji
Mohammad Abutaha is Palestinian but grew up in Amman, Jordan and moved to America when he was 20 years old to study mechanical engineering. In 2015, he dropped out of university in his final year to pursue his dreams of owning a restaurant. Mohammad started as a dishwasher and worked his way up the kitchen ladder, working in iconic kitchens around the Bay Area including Reem's California.
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EPISODE 42 - Ryan Gallego of Trifecta Cooks
Chef Ryan Gallego is a highly accomplished sushi chef with an impressive 20 years of experience in the art of Japanese cuisine. Graduating from the prestigious California Culinary Academy in 2005, he embarked on a culinary journey that would shape his expertise. His training at renowned establishments, including Morimoto Napa, Nobu in Palo Alto, and Village Sake in Marin, enriched his skills and refined his palate. Inspired by his father, he developed an unwavering passion for creating exquisite sushi dishes with a meticulous attention to detail. Chef Ryan Gallego continues to leave a lasting impression on diners with his culinary creations, crafted with both technical expertise and heartfelt devotion.
Some of My Favorite Things - EPISODE 43 - A solo podcast with Host Dave Sands
On this episode of the podcast I talk about some of my favorite tools, sauces and goods that I've come to love over the years. Although I'm not sponsored by any of these brands, some of the products have become friends of mine, guests on the podcast and affiliates. (Looking to sponsor the podcast? Please feel free to email me.)
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EPISODE 44 - Healthy eating & Habits with Greg Lapin
Greg Lapin has made a living for the past two decades in Law Enforcement Special Operations and Government special operations, deploying to war zones throughout the world. Greg started his Jiu-Jitsu journey in 2005 when he was a New Orleans Police Officer because he understood what violence was and what skills he needed to have to go home at the end of the day. After leaving the police department and going to work for the U.S. Government, Greg trained on and off for several years in between deployments. Greg was what is known as a 10-year white belt due to not being able to train at a school consistently. During assignment in the United Arab Emirates, Greg began training seriously under Tiago Bravo where he received his blue belt in 2016. He is currently a black belt under Professor Erick Raposo. Jiu-Jitsu has changed Greg’s life and his main goal is to expose as many people to the art as possible.
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