Radio & Podcast

Multiple ways to be in the know about all the deliciousness happening locally, nationally, and internationally. Tune in to the food variety show, Foodie & The Beast, with David & Nycci Nellis on Federal News Network, or take a deep dive with Nycci on Industry Night on Real Fun DC.

FOODIE & THE BEAST

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Foodie & The Beast: June 6, 2026
This week's Foodie & The Beast was one of those shows where every guest opened the door to a completely different world. It's the exact way to kick off a Sunday.First up was Chris Swonger, President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org. Chris joined us to talk about the current state of the spirits industry, consumer trends, and DISCUS' new Spirit Forward initiative celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Chris offered a fascinating look at one of the country's most dynamic industries.Ready to sharpen your knife skills and elevate your home cooking? Kelly Singer, founder of the upcoming Georgetown's Skillette, talked about her innovative cooking school and culinary lifestyle house designed for serious home cooks and aspiring culinary pros alike. Kelly is creating a space where learning and community come together around food.Then things got a little wild!Chef Daniel Perron, owner of Fredericksburg's acclaimed Locavore Restaurant, and Gabrielle Cerberville, better known to many as Chaotic Forager or Mushroom Auntie, took us into the fascinating world of foraging. We talked mushrooms, edible plants, patience, safety, and the incredible connection that happens when you learn to see the natural world through a different lens.Hospitality is constantly evolving, and William Grace, Director of Sales and Marketing at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve, joined us to explain how hotels are thinking beyond traditional events and overnight stays. Today's hospitality world is increasingly focused on creating memorable moments rather than simply providing a place to sleep.And because no Foodie & The Beast show is complete without something delicious in our glasses, we welcomed back Happy Endings Hospitality CEO Tuyet Nhi Le and NUE Beverage Director Kevin Lim from NUE Vietnamese Restaurant in Falls Church. The pair shared and poured some of NUE's newest cocktail creations, showcasing the restaurant's elegant Vietnamese perspective on modern mixology and proving once again that some of the most exciting drinks in the region are being crafted right here in the DMV.This week's show was a reminder that food is never just about what's on the plate. It's about the people, ideas, and experiences that bring us together.Catch the replay and get ready to be inspired.
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INDUSTRY NIGHT

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Industry Night: Holocaust Survivor Legacy, Maryland Wine & Historic Meadmaking with Rachel Loew Lipman
A fifth-generation mead maker carries a Holocaust survivor's legacy forward, one bottle at a time.Some stories start in a vineyard. This one starts in 19th-century Poland, survives a concentration camp and a death march, and lands in a tasting room in Mount Airy, Maryland. Rachel Loew Lipman didn't just inherit a winery. She inherited a reason. And if you've ever wondered whether a bottle of wine can hold memory, grief, and joy all at once, this episode of Industry Night, the DC food and hospitality podcast, is your answer.Maryland wine gets overlooked. It shouldn't. Winemaking here dates to the 1600s, and today more than 100 wineries are producing everything from cab francs to Vidal Blancs. But what Rachel is doing at Loew Vineyards goes beyond the glass. She's a DC food and hospitality insider's dream guest: a young head winemaker running Maryland's fourth oldest existing winery, its first kosher winery and meadery, and one of the longest continuous mead-making traditions in the world. This is the DC dining guide and hospitality podcast conversation you didn't know you needed.Rachel Loew Lipman is a fifth-generation mead maker, granddaughter of Holocaust survivor William Loew, and the force behind Loew Vineyards in Frederick County, Maryland. Her family's mead-making roots trace to 1800s Poland. She holds degrees in plant science and communications from the University of Maryland, a winemaking certification from Washington State, and experience in France. In 2025, she launched Maryland's first Star K certified mead. Watch the episode here, and listen to it here.
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