It is no secret that 2024 and 2025 have been tough years for food journalism in the United States, with a number layoffs happening across the industry. It’s against this national backdrop that at the end of March we hosted a panel discussion on the Podcast stage at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest.

Our live podcast - also a part of Treefort’s Foodfort programming - brought together voices and perspectives from across Boise’s restaurant and food media landscape to tackle topics ranging from how the rise of new local media has affected the restaurants they cover, to the question of what makes someone an expert or authority on food?

The conversation we had at Foodfort also touched on a lot of trends that are being experienced in cities all over the country. And so a few weeks after the panel, we also chatted with Dana Cowin, a former long-time editor of Food & Wine magazine, founder of Progressive Hedonist, and one of our colleagues at HRN, the Heritage Radio Network.

Guests:

• Dana Cowin (Founder, Progressive Hedonist)
• Becca Alamilla (Co-owner, Amano)
• Kara Jackson (Managing Partner & Editor, BoiseDev Eats)
• Natalie Plummer (Creator, Hello Meridian and Podcast Host, The Boise Bubble)
• Scott Charles (Moderator, Boise Food Finds Facebook group)

We are a part of HRN. Help us create a more sustainable world by shifting the way we think about food by supporting HRN's first ever two-week fundraising drive.

Exciting announcement: today Copper & Heat Radio is joining Heritage Radio Network, an independent, nonprofit podcast network with a mission to build a more sustainable world by shifting the way we think about food. To mark the occasion, we’re bringing our first episode ever back to the top of the feed.

It’s called “Brigade”, and it’s the first episode in our James Beard Award-winning first season, Be A Girl, released in 2018.

Why are restaurant kitchens organized the way they are? What is a kitchen brigade? What does a typical day of a cook look like? How does someone move up the ranks? And what do women do to work their way up the ranks in a kitchen?

Some of the stats:

• Women make up a little over 50% of students graduating culinary schools
• Women make-up over 50% of total foodservice employees
• Somewhere between 30%-50% of back-of-house employees identify as women
• 27% of line cooks are ladies
• 19% of chefs are ladies
• 7% of head or executive chefs are ladies.

Join this second panel recorded live at the Roux event in Portland, Oregon in collaboration with Xcelerate. This episode delves into the journeys of four women entrepreneurs in the food industry as they navigate cultural influences, product development, and business growth. Moderated by Viridiana Ponce, the panel features discussions on the importance of community support, unconventional strategies, cultural authenticity, financial management, and the power of persistence. Listen in to learn how these women are making their mark and overcoming challenges in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) world.

Panelists include Holly Ong (Sibeiho), Sandra Arnerich (Renata), Kim Lehn (Sue Gee's), Christina Jessie (Market of Choice) and moderator, Viridiana Ponce.

Learn more about Roux: https://www.rouxportland.com/aboutroux

Learn more about Xcelerate: https://www.xceleratewomen.org/