Peggy Pirro

At Sweet Schmitt’s Artisan Candies in Evansville, owner Mike Schmitt creates gourmet caramels, chocolate truffles, dessert marshmallows, and memories.

Scot Mangold is the head chef at Old National Events Plaza, in charge of a busy kitchen that caters performances, conferences and conventions, and hosts the monthly Dinner on the Bridge events in downtown Evansville.

Becky and Ginger Woods are the owners of Woods & Stems, an Evansville mushroom farm that grows gourmet mushrooms and produces extracts, lion's mane coffee, and mushroom jerky following low-waste, sustainable practices.

Rachel Rainey is a third generation fudge-maker who inherited her grandmother's fudge kettle and used it to start 3 Chicks Fudgery in her home kitchen. The business now has a storefront, a wholesale operation, and a food trailer for bringing her fudge and her mini-donut fryer to local events year round.

In Part Two of this conversation with the owner of the popular Facebook page Fingers, Fork, Knife & Spoon, we talk about the state of fine dining in Evansville and elsewhere, remember some dearly departed local favorites, and meet Brian’s traveling companion, a cute little terrier named Riley.

Brian Buxton runs the popular Facebook page Fingers, Fork, Knife & Spoon, where more than 20,000 followers get regular updates on local and regional dining. This episode is Part One of our two-part conversation.

Britni & Troy Teeters raise pigs and goats and chickens and grow herbs and vegetables on their rural Vanderburgh County homestead. Moonlight Hollow Farm hosts a metal shop, a soap-making facility, an herb garden, and an AirBnB camper for guests. It’s a bit of renaissance farming on Evansville’s west side.

Jubilee Woolley Fly hosts foraging classes and an eclectic mix of events on her small farm in Northern Vanderburgh County. In this episode we talk about how she interacts with the energy of her farm, how agro-tourism fits into the picture, and how she creates her “yard pesto.”

Chef Bonnie gives us a quick course in fusion cuisine, including a history of one of its earliest examples, the Nikkei cuisine of Peru. We talk restaurant work, cooking for friends, and what happens when you don't like the traditional foods of your childhood.

Roaster and cafe owner Alex Gale joins us to talk about his New Harmony shop, his devotion to providing a quality experience to his customers and his community, and what it means to offer someone a really good cup of coffee.