Both in her childhood and her early professional life, Carolina Quijano moved around a lot. “Living on planes” — especially when she was working as a management consultant — led her to all kinds of food. She joined Mike Beltrán on this episode of Pan Con Podcast to talk about how that led to her love of chocolate, how she taught herself (with some help from YouTube videos) to make her own, and what it took to eventually launch Exquisito Chocolates, a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Miami’s Litt...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 50 min
Katherine Manning and Tung Nguyen and widely regarded as the restaurateur duo responsible for popularizing Vietnamese flavors in Miami at Hy Vong. The two met when Katherine, then a University of Miami grad student, volunteered herself and her home to help resettle refugees after the end of the Vietnam War. Their new memoir, Mango and Peppercorns (published by Chronicle Books), tells the story of their odd-couple friendship, their pioneering restaurant, and a refugee experience that’s as unique ...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 39 min
It took 23 years for the brewery Manny Portuondo dreamed of opening to become a reality. It took patience, passion, and some legal battles with the Cuban government, but Cervecería La Tropical — Cuba’s first beer brand — has been revived in Miami with an investment from Heineken. On this episode of Pan Con Podcast, Manny and Mike talk about the history behind La Tropical beer, how the brand’s current form takes cues from and interprets its own Cuban legacy, the brand’s significance to the Cuban ...
Mar 04, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Lucy López has been a Miami radio fixture since she joined Power 96.5 FM back in 1996; she’s been with the station all this time and now hosts Power 96’s morning show. She joined Mike Beltran on Pan Con Podcast to talk about the state of her industry, Miami’s music, and how Miami mayor Francis Suárez’s efforts to lure tech industry transplants to Miami might change the city. The two also discuss brunch, bread service, being Cuban outside of Miami, and past guest Carlos Frías’ takes on sandwiches...
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 42 min
A chance encounter with a great burger at a Miami pizza joint led Sef González to snap a photo of it on his Motorola Razor. That grainy flip phone photo was the beginning of Burger Beast, one of Miami’s first and best known food blogs. Sef joined Mike on this episode of Pan Con Podcast to talk about food media, his burger museum, his burger book, his events, frita history, skydiving, and the Chug Burger, that Ariete burger that topped Sef’s list of the best burgers in Miami, launching a new chap...
Feb 22, 2021•2 hr 45 min
Derek Kaplan had a decade-long career as a firefighter, but he started honing his dessert skills in high school when, as he told Mike Beltrán on this episode of Pan Con Podcast, he would make pies for himself and his friend when they had the munchies.Today, Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop has two Miami locations and delivers baked goods nationally. On this episode, Derek and Mike discuss the business of dessert, hospitality, food TV, new media, and the cultural value of sports. In the Patreon-only ext...
Feb 13, 2021•2 hr 26 min
Drew Estate is one of the biggest names in premium cigars. And Willy Herrera, the company’s master blender, is the man responsible not only for developing new cigar blends, but also for ensuring that the blends in the company’s portfolio maintain consistency year over year. In this conversation with chef Michael Beltran on Pan Con Podcast, Willy talks about how he got into the cigar business at his family’s Little Havana factory, El Titán de Bronze, his experience moving to Estelí, Nicaragua whe...
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Simon Kim is the restaurateur behind Cote, a one-of-a-kind, Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse in New York City, which is set to open its Miami location in early 2021. In this conversation with chef Michael Beltrán on Pan Con Podcast, Simon talks about how visiting fine dining restaurants with his dad in South Korea and his adolescence in his family’s Korean restaurant in Tribeca led to his falling in love with hospitality and restaurants. Simon and Mike also get into their respective experience...
Feb 01, 2021•2 hr 14 min
Carlos Frías is the James Beard Award-winning food editor at the Miami Herald. Before moving into food at the Herald, Carlos was covering sports at The Palm Beach Post, where he also wrote a series about his first trip to Cuba that would later become the framework for his memoir, “Take Me With You: A Secret Search for Family in a Forbidden Cuba.” He joined Michael Beltrán on Pan Con Podcast to talk about his career in journalism, covering the restaurant industry through the COVID-19 pandemic, de...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 45 min
Dave Arvelo is the director of MMA athlete development at First Round Management, which represents some of the biggest names in combat sports (e.g., Jorge Masvidal, Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Yoel Romero), along with a roster of NFL clients. Dave joined Mike (who also happens to be his neighbor) on Pan Con Podcast to talk about about his recent move to Miami, how he got his start in the fight business, the impact of the COVID pandemic on sports, and how his dog got the name Jorge. In the Pat...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 58 min
Larry Carrino, president of Brustman Carrino Public Relations, is the Miami publicist with the stress-inducing distinction of having our host Michael Beltran as his client. Ove the time Larry has been working with Mike, the two have become friends. On this episode of Pan Con Podcast, Mike and Larry talk about food journalism, influencers, social media, food festivals and the ghost kitchens. In the Patreon-only extended cut, Mike poses an extra five questions to Larry. Brustman Carrino Public Rel...
Jan 11, 2021•2 hr 1 min
Our "Ask Mike Anything" episode is the last of 2020, and we opened it up to questions from listeners for chef and eighth grade basketball MVP Michael Beltran. There are even more questions and answers in our extended Patreon-only episode. Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Facebook: www.facebook.com/panconpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/panconpodcast/ Twitter: twitter.com/panconpodcast Follow Mike Beltran: Instagram: www.instagram.com/piginc...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 3 min
David Foulquier is the restaurateur behind Fooq’s, a Miami restaurant built on French-Persian cuisine, and Sushi Noz, the Michelin-starred Manhattan sushi restaurant named for its chef, Abe Nozomu. Pan Con Podcast’s last guest of 2020, David joined Mike at the Ariete Patio for a conversation about his culinary influences, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, how he found his way into the restaurant business, and the significance of having earned a Michelin star. In a Patreon-exclus...
Dec 24, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Ryan Pfeffer of Infatuation Miami joined Michael Beltran and Nicolás Jiménez to talk about his writing career, what he’s learned from covering the Miami restaurant scene and the ethics of freebies. Also on the agenda for the night: butthole tattoos, pasta, and what it might take for Miami to further mature as a food city. Finally, we ask our listeners to give what they can to The Hungry Post’s #FeedTheChain campaign in the memory of a friend of the podcast as the Miami restaurant community by us...
Dec 13, 2020•2 hr 21 min
Mike Betrán and Nick Jiménez got together to offer their ham-handed, but hopefully helpful update on the protests and repression that have continued after the Nov. 9 arrest of Cuban dissident rapper Denis Solís and other members of Havana's San Isidro Movement. If you missed our initial discussion of these events, check out this episode from Nov. 30. http://www.dademag.com/features/2020/11/30/pan-con-podcast-cuba-protests-san-isidro-movement-denis-solis Follow Movimiento San Isidro on Instagram:...
Dec 08, 2020•41 min
Marcus Rivero fell into the shoe customization business almost by accident. Nine years after creating Soles By Sir, athletes in every major sport can be seen wearing his work on their feet on a weekly basis. In fact, during that time, every Super Bowl has had at least one pair of Soles By Sir cleats on the field. Marcus joined Mike Beltran to talk about his business, his design process, what it's like to work with elite athletes — from Marshawn Lynch to Conor McGregor — on their custom gear, the...
Dec 06, 2020•1 hr 32 min
Mike and Nick got together to record this special dispatch to provide a summary of and some clumsy reflections on the protests in Cuba sparked by the arrest of Havana artist Denis Solís and the ensuing hunger strike by his fellow members of the San Isidro Movement. Follow Movimiento San Isidro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mov_sanisidro/ Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Facebook: www.facebook.com/panconpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram...
Nov 30, 2020•41 min
After some charcuterie at the Ariete bar, Brett Romberg joined Michael Beltrán on Pan Con Podcast to talk about his time playing football at the University of Miami, stories from nine years as an NFL offensive lineman, the Fort Lauderdale bikini contest that changed his life, and the adjustments he's made since making the move from Canada to South Florida, where — aside from becoming a national champion — married into a Cuban family, dialed in his Miami Spanish. Become a patron: https://www.patr...
Nov 24, 2020•2 hr 25 min
It had been a while since we recorded an episode with no guest, so we took this episode to get caught up with Mike on a range of things from business to politics to his overpriced CBS All Access subscription. Also, Nick doesn't throw parties, but they would probably be bad if he did. Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Facebook: www.facebook.com/panconpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/panconpodcast/ Twitter: twitter.com/panconpodcast Follow Mik...
Nov 15, 2020•2 hr 6 min
A native of Puerto Rico, José Mendín arrived in Miami at 19 years old and fell in love with the city. HIs sushi concept, Pubbelly Sushi, was supposed to be a simple fast casual spot, but circumstances led to an elaboration on the idea and it became one of Miami's favorite dining experiences. It also helped make José — now a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist — one of the most celebrated young chefs in the city and catapulted his career as a restaurateur. José is the chef-owner of restauran...
Nov 07, 2020•57 min
Rosa María Payá is the Cuban activist behind Cuba Decide, a campaign to bring change to Cuba through a plebiscite — that is, a direct vote by Cubans on a transition to democracy. Her father Oswaldo Payá was one of the most prominent Cuban dissidents of his generation. He founded the Christian Liberation Movement (or Movimiento Cristiano Liberación), which sought to bring legislation to Cuba's National Assembly through a signature-gathering mechanism laid out in the Cuban Constitution. In 2002, h...
Oct 28, 2020•2 hr 13 min
Peter Santa-María, best known for his brand Attack Peter, is a Miami-based printmaking artist whose Japanese-inspired work depicts monsters, superheroes and other characters, including at least one that he’s created himself named Takoro. In this episode, Mike Beltran talks with Peter about their high school alma mater, their shared commitment to old techniques, and the things that motivate and fuel creativity. Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Fa...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Gio Fesser is best known to Miami diners as the Pastelito Papi (though there's an extra i in Papii on social media). A longtime colleague and friend of our intrepid host chef Michael Beltran, Gio has been there every step of the Ariete Hospitality Group journey, and his pastelitos — traditional Cuban pastries that he's gotten more creative with than Miami thought possible — have caught the attention of everyone from local press to world class chefs like Thomas Keller, helping catapult Chug's Din...
Oct 17, 2020•1 hr 33 min
[This episode was first published July 5, 2019] Pablo Zitzmann (of No Name Chinese and the forthcoming Alcalde) joins Mike and Nick in the patio at Ariete to talk about his own journey to food and how he fell in love with Asian cuisine growing up in Colombia. Pablo and Mike discuss the communication of culture through cooking, leading teams, dealing with burnout, and the development of Miami's food community. Follow Pablo Zitmann on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zitzzitzzitz/ Follow Alcal...
Oct 12, 2020•57 min
After Ariete's third Versos Sencillos tasting menu dinner, Mike and Nick (who finally got around to having one of these dinners himself) get together to talk about the experience, how it's developed, the impact it's had on the Ariete team and where it's heading in the future. We run through most of the dishes on this most recent menu, some of the backstories on how they came together, and a bit of the origin story of the experience that was created (led by Ariete director of operations and past ...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Zak Stern, better known as Zak the Baker, is — as the eponymous business suggests — a baker. Based in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, Zak's bakery makes some of the city's favorite breads. He fell in love with baking even after having initially rejected it as a career path (he pursued a life in cheese first, spending time on a goat farm in Israel). He started his business in Miami baking in a used oven in a friend's garage and selling his bread at farmer's markets until he opened Zak The Baker in ...
Sep 27, 2020•1 hr 58 min
Our guests on this episode are Melanie and Jason Schoendorfer, the couple behind Babe's Meat & Counter, a butcher shop and sandwich joint in Miami's Palmetto Bay neighborhood. They joined Mike to talk meat, Canada, ketchup chips, and how they've adjusted for the peculiar challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Visit and follow Babe's: https://www.instagram.com/babefroman305/ http://www.babefroman.com/ Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Faceboo...
Sep 20, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Ricardo Ricardo Pau-Llosa is a poet and art critic whose life's work has centered on Cuba and Latin American art. When his family fled Cuba in 1960 after Fidel Castro's co, he ended up in Chicago, spending years there before heading south to Miami. From Ricardo's own website bio: "His first book of poetry, Sorting Metaphors (Anhinga Press, 1983), won the first national Anhinga Prize,[citation needed]. He published a second book of poetry in Bread of the Imagined (Bilingual Press, 1992). His thir...
Sep 15, 2020•2 hr 17 min
Mike Beltran and Nick Jiménez took this guest-free episode to get caught up on Ariete's monthly tasting menu dinner series and what it's significance has been to Mike and his crew during the strange circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. After that discussion (and a surprise visit from Matt Kuscher), the podcast's attention turned to widespread protests, racism, rampant rioting, and the moral questions we have to confront when armed citizens — including a minor — take it upon themselves...
Sep 05, 2020•1 hr 58 min
In this special joint episode, Mike is joined by David Verjano, a branding creative and host of Step Into The Sandbox, a DADE podcast about the creative process. Check out Step Into The Sandbox: http://www.dademag.com/stepintothesandbox Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Facebook: www.facebook.com/panconpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/panconpodcast/ Twitter: twitter.com/panconpodcast Follow Mike Beltran: Instagram: www.instagram.com/piginc/ ...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 45 min
