Blister Reviewer BadgeJonathan Ellsworth

Chef Yia Vang on Hmong Cuisine & Culture; ‘Run & Gun’ Restauranteering; & Spreading Appreciation (Ep.34)

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Yia Vang is a multi-nominated James Beard Award chef, the founder & head chef of Union Hmong Kitchen; he competed on the Netflix show, “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend”; hosts the show, ”Feral” on the Outdoors Channel; hosts another show, “Stoked” on the Food Network; and hosts the excellent podcast, “Hmonglish” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, and representation.
How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again, or is it producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this CRAFTED podcast conversation about official offerings vs independent bottlings, but Matt and Jonathan also find time to talk about Scotch and spit buckets; Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands; the short lifespans of humans vs the long lifespans of craft categories; upcoming ski trips to Japan (Blister members, listen up); and more.

Amateur Hour: Atomic’s Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 3 (Ep.33)

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How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again, or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question underlies our talk of official offerings vs independent bottlings, and we also talk about Scotch and spit buckets, Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands, and more.
Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists (Ep.31)

Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists (Ep.31)

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Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form). Then we discuss Troy’s Top 5 all-time tennis players, which serves to help us assess greatness in any sport.
Ep.269 OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz on Smoke Forecasting, Wildfire Tracking, Common Mistakes, & Best Practices for Adventuring Outdoors

OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz on Smoke Forecasting, Wildfire Tracking, Common Mistakes, & Best Practices for Adventuring Outdoors (Ep.268)

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Before you head out to bike, hike, run, camp, or climb, wildfire, lightning, and smoke exposure are factors that need to be well understood. OpenSnow founder and meteorologist, Joel Gratz explains the science of smoke forecasting and wildfire tracking, and shares some of the most common mistakes and best practices for adventuring outdoors.
On our latest Blister Podcast, we ask the question: Why do we need centers of art in mountain towns and places of great natural beauty? It’s a question that any of us who live in or visit mountain towns ought to consider — and perhaps especially if you are someone who hasn’t typically sought out the art programming and events in the mountain towns you frequent. Last week, Jonathan was in Sun Valley, Idaho, to discuss this topic with Courtney Gilbert, the curator of the Sun Valley Museum of Art. They also discuss the history of the arts in Sun Valley; the current work of the SV Museum of Art; and the Sun Valley Wine Auction, which is a remarkable event put on by the Sun Valley Museum of Art to raise scholarship funds and to support a very broad range of arts in and around Sun Valley — and beyond.

Art & the Outdoors (Ep.267)

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Why do we need centers of art in mountain towns and places of great natural beauty? It’s a question that any of us who live in or visit mountain towns ought to consider, and Jonathan discusses it with Courtney Gilbert, the curator of the Sun Valley Museum of Art.
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