Michael Nguyen - The Juiciest of The D Triple C

It's February, and it's raining, so be careful out there with the sinkholes and flash floods. And that's the weather portion of this Podcast. Before I introduce my next pcast guest. I want to give a massive shout-out to Asia SF. I am so sad they are closing. Such a loss to South of Market, a loss to cabaret drag performers, such a trans and queer staple. This one hurts. 
So, my next guest is Michael Nguyen. I met him at a meet and greet at the beginning of the month at a Chinatown New Year celebration at the Rose Pak Democratic Club. I should back up; I'm volunteering for Jackie Feilder's campaign for supervisor D9.
I've volunteered for many political campaigns in San Francisco and attended many political functions. Many of the same people are there, saying the same things and trying to get something out of you, usually money, sometimes votes.
But when Michael asked to join our table, he had a bubbly personality and wanted to talk. And get to know people at our table. It was a real conversation. We didn't talk long because he was getting ready to sing karaoke, but I learned that he is a drag performer and his drag persona is Juicy Lui. And I learned that he was running for a seat on the DCCC. I knew I wanted to have him as a guest because a drag queen who is super political is my kind of person. And as you'll hear, Michael's sense of humor shines.
And we're bouncing right in.

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Donate to Michael Nguyen

Hasting Law School

#JuicyLui

#castro

The Look Out

Queen

Jolene's

#encore

#turtletower

#littlesaigon

Kevin's Noodle House

Gao Kitchen

Bodega

DCCC

#janiceli

#vickchung

Evan Low

#socialhousing

Alex Lee

#londonbreed

Dean Preston

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Oasis

Angela Tabora - The Bitch of Swag

It's January 2024. Happy New Year! By the time this episode is out, it will be at the end of the month, but happy New Year. I hope the start of 2024 has been smooth and the transition from 2023 to 2024 wasn't too hard for you. I'm just kidding - all transitions are usually rocky - so get used to it. And that's my advice section of the Podcast.

My guest today is one of the co-hosts of Bitch Talk Podcast, Angela Tabora. In my previous episode with Erin of bitch talk, I talked about how I discovered the BT podcast in March of 2020 - but here is a quick rundown of my discovery of Erin and Ange - I was scrolling on Instagram when San Francisco was about to go into lockdown. I saw Ange and Erin drink their way into a pandemic at a bar in North Beach. That was so encouraging and uplifting.

And when you listen to Ange and Erin, that's really who they are: uplifting and encouraging people. 
That's why I was soooo thrilled when they agreed to be guests on my Podcast. And I have a little bit of a confession. I would have interviewed Ang and Erin at the same time; I mean, that's what makes sense, but I didn't know how to interview two people via Zoom. 
So that's why this is a two-parter cause I only know how to interview and record one person at a time. But in 2024, one of my goals is to learn how to interview more than one person at a time. I'm going to do it. Right now, I'm jumping into the interview.

The Nomadic Family Project

The Bitter End

Bender's

Sweetie's Art Bar

Sundance Film Festival

The Fig

Bubba Gump

The Showdown

#maddoginthefog

Planned Parenthood

#tessathompson

#bewater

Ali Wong

#thegreatestnightinpop

Lionel Richie

Casements Bar

Erin Lim - The Connoisseur of Bitches and Podcasts

This is my final episode of 2023, and I'm closing out the year with Erin Lim, a fellow bartender and podcaster who co-hosts the spectacular Bitch Talk podcast with Angela Tabora.
I discovered Bitch Talk at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020
It was that fateful Sunday pretty boy Newsome had announced the shutdown of the restaurant and bar industry to try and curb the rise of coronavirus.

I was scrolling on Instagram, not really freaking out about what was happening but not knowing what to do. And Bitch Talk podcast popped up on my feed, and Erin and Ange were at a bar in North Beach, The Saloon; in real-time, they were drinking and dancing. They were having so much fun in the wake of a pandemic.
I thought, 'Wow, they don't care what pretty boy Newsome said two hours ago they are at a bar.'
 And they are going big. 
That was my introduction to Erin and Ang and Bitch Talk podcast. Here is Bitch Talk's tagline, 
 - Bitch Talk is a podcast that boldly highlights the ongoing need for BIPOC women's representation in media, film, and the arts. 
Hell Yeah, there's a need for more representation. I 100 % agree with that!
Long story short, we became podcast friends and real-life friends, which I still can't believe a little bit because they are so legit.
They have been in the podcast game for some time. They just had their 10th anniversary. I love it. 

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Specs Bar

540 Club

The Social Study

#royalcuckcoo

The Front Porch

The Rock Bar

Bitch Talk Podcast

Storied SF

#thesaloon

Ali Wong

Sundance Film Festival

#gasolinerainbow

Ross Brothers

#bloodynoseemptypockets

Storied SF - Traci Ramos

#sfpodcaster #sfpodcast #nodoomloop #supportsmallbusiness #womanpodcasters #innerrichmond #coolestneighborhood

#supportlocal #missionsf #sfrestaurants #sfbars #representationinmedia #bipoc #sundancefilmfestival #womeninmedia #pandemictalk

John Espejo - The Man, The Myth, The Uncle Boy

Welcome back. I discuss everything related to bartenders, the bar industry, San Francisco, and beyond. I want to give a solid shout-out to Rosamunde, West of Pecos, Media Noche, and the Uptown Bar. So sorry to see these establishments closing. I wish the best for everyone involved, and please know that so many people in this city appreciate you all. It's still hard out there in this "post" pandemic world for bars, restaurants, and small businesses.

My next guest is John Espejo, owner of Uncle Boys restaurant on Balboa and 3rd in inner Richmond. I learned about uncle boys through Instagram, and I was instantly taken with John's story. There is a link on the Uncle Boys website to a YouTube video where John tells his story and the story of Uncle Boys, some of which we will get into in a bit, but I love how John credits the women in his life for his success - his mom and wife. His mom instilled resilience, and his wife believed in his work ethic; I love how he credits them. He opened Uncle's Boys when he was 21, so young, to learn all the ins and outs of running a business, which is not easy, especially in SF. When I was 21, I planned where I could get my next 40. So you can see why this is sooooo impressive to me.

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#cheesburgers #missionsf #sfrestaurants #sfbars

 

Dan Vasquez - The Quintessential San Francisco Treat

Update about the last episode with Patrick Machel of Anchor Brewery. Anchor Brewery has raised over $100,000 on their GoFundMe account. To try and buy back the brewery. Go Anchor! I love to see that. I will put the link for the GoFundMe in the show notes.

My next guest is a bartender about town, Dan Vasquez. Dan is someone new to me, and I don't know why because Dan and I know so many of the same people and many of the same bartenders. So we should have met a while ago, but he,y better late than never. He came to a bar where I was working about a month ago, and we started chatting, and we talked for about 2 to 3 hours about bars that we worked on: Bartenders or bad bar managers, bad bar owners. Just about everything, and he was so funny and had such a great sense of humor. I laughed throughout my shift, which is always good - when you, the customer, make me, the bartender, laugh.

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Amado's

Millennium

#Above Ground

#Mikkeller

#Molotovs

#Mini Bar

Horsefeather Bar

Pagon Idol

Zombie Village

Baia

New Belgium

Magnolia Brewing

Kilowatt Bar

Mothership

#nodoomloop #sfbartender #driverlesscarssuck #aisucks #sfpodcast #sfpodcaster #sfcommunity #sf#lagunitas #heineken #craftbeer 

#mothership Kilowatt #magnoliabrewing #newbelgium #baia #paganidol #zombievillage #molotovs

Patrick Machel - The Beating Heart of Anchor

It's August, and it's still freezing in San Francisco. Sorry to the rest of California. And devastating news about Maui, please keep Maui in your thoughts I'm assuming there will be a lot of fundraisers in the city, and I'll be posting about the fundraisers when I find out.

• On July 12, about a month ago, we discovered that Anchor Brewery was closing and shutting its doors. I was shocked. I think many people in the beer, bar, and San Francisco were as well. I took Anchor Brewery for granted; I thought it would operate in San Francisco forever. 

• 2017 - Sapporo buys Anchor - 100% ownership.

• 2023 - closure.

• "It's pretty frustrating to see their press release take the typical SF cop-out and blame it on "high production costs" to piggyback off of people thinking sf is in a state of decay. When in reality a big huge foreign business bought a local staple, tried to brute force it through their own business practice, failed almost immediately and now have to liquidate a 130-year-old brand. Classic." Dave Hahn Madrone Bartender.

• Thank you, Dave - He fucking nailed it. And today, I am talking to Patrick Machel of Anchor Brewery; Patrick is part of the Local 6 warehouse union - union strong and a shop steward. We will get his take on all things related to Anchor Brewery.

Calvin Landrum - The Smile Behind The Combative Queer

My guest today is Calvin Landrum.
When I met Calvin, he was the GM at Sluts the Wine Bar - in SOMA.
I went to Sluts back in March. It was fairly new. 
And the bar was sexy, funky, and a perfect amount of weird.
And what San Francisco needed after three years of closures, reopening more closures - I thought this bar was it. 
Calvin was behind the bar and was so nice and engaging about the newness of the bar and the natural wine selections and even had something to say about the non-alcoholic wine on the menu, which I thought was surprising because we're talking about non-alcoholic wine, right?
We chatted for a few minutes, and he went to speak to other guests and get the show and dancers going. I like this in a manager - the ability or consciousness to chat with the bar's guests to ensure that many customers know someone is in charge and holding down the fort. 
Calvin looked new to me, meaning I hadn't seen him behind the bar or I hadn't served him. Yes, when you've been in the industry long enough, you have those categories you start putting people in. And it turns out Calvin is newish to the bar industry, and we'll find out what he was doing before getting behind the bar. 

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www.castrotheatre.com

www.thelastcallbar.com

www.the440.com

www.pinkbootssociety.org

#twinpeakstavern

Instagram Service party @serviceprty 

#gaywitches #castro #castrotheater #supremecourt #federalgovernment #winebars  #naturalwine #pinkbootssociety #combativegays #twinpeaks #440 #lastcall #serviceprty #somagays #castrogays #nodoomloop #unityincommunity

Bea Herrera - The Beacon of Light in the Hideout

I'm Traci Ramos, and this is BoozeNation the Podcast. I talk to bartenders, servers, baristas, and owners in the bar and restaurant industry of San Francisco about all bar-related issues - the pandemic, “post” pandemic, the aftermath of the 2016 election.
You can find BoozeNation on Spotify, iHeart radio, stitcher, and Apple Podcast. Also, Boozenation is on the socials on Instagram and Twitter or Shitter. It's June and freezing in San Francisco - usual, and we're still in a pandemic - be careful out there.

And today's guest is bartender Bea Herrera - soon to be a nurse. Yay, nurses - we love nurses. I met Bea at an event sponsored by the WAAC coalition at Wildhawk the Bar.

The WAAC coalition hosted the event, which stands for Workers Against Abuse Coalition. I took it to mean that this organization is against any abuse in the bar/hospitality industry.

Bartender to bartender
Manager to bartender
Customer to customer
Customer to bartender

Unfortunately, there are many ways to abuse one another in the bar world. And during this event, we got into groups and discussed the many issues that are a part of the industry, and Bea was in my group discussion. It was such a good event - I got to see many people I hadn't seen in a while and met new people, new bartenders, or new bartenders to me - like Bea.

Bea was also willing to discuss the aftermath of the 2016 election, family members that are tangerine nightmare supporters, and the threat of the invasion of ICE into the restaurants and bars where we worked.

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www.wildhawksf.com

www.dalvasf.com

https://safebars.org

#WAAC

www.whitechapelsf.com

www.novelasf.com

www.thebeehivesf.com

www.lolosf.com

www.abvsf.com

Sara Payan - It’s Weed O’Clock Somewhere

This is my first interview as podcast host to podcast host. I love it.
My guest, Sara Payan from the Planted With Sara Payan podcast, is up next, and we talk about the possibility of a cannabis cafe opening in San Francisco and many more topics.
Sara and I met long ago when we drank at a bar in the mission.
We spent so much time drinking, figuring out the world's problems, and fixing the world's problems, which happens when you've been drinking for about six-seven hours in a session. Yes, drunk talk fixes so many things.
Thinking back to those conversations with Sara, she was always fighting the good fight. And fighting with her intelligence, 
Which is so important and almost unheard of these days. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned she is also a podcaster and we reconnected. And as I've mentioned, Planted with Sara Payan is about cannabis and all the things that come along with cannabis in the world of legalization.

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#cannabis #cannabiscafes #podcasthost #plantedwithsarapayan #oldschool #sanfranciscopodcast #oaklandpodcast #weed #pot #davidcrosby #petercoyote #statecannabisadvisorycommittee #medicinalyouthsubcommittee #cancer #cancersurvivor #amsterdam #spain #westhollywood #britishcolombia #bluntbrothers #LBGTQ #AIDS #radiomisfitsnetwork #congresswomanbarbaralee #congressmanearlblumenauer 

Olga Boiko - All About The Everything Croissant

Hello, and welcome back.
Introducing - Olga Boiko; she is the co-owner of two coffee shops in the mission appropriately called Coffee Shop.
I first read about Olga and her cafes in May 2022 when Mission Local ran a story about the fundraisers Olga and her Coffee Shops were promoting to help aid Ukraine as they had been invaded by Russia.
Yes, Olga is originally from Ukraine, and as we know, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. (most recent invasion)
I mean, Putin what a joke. 
Though she isn’t a bartender, or in the bar business she’s in the business of serving the public and dealing with a lot of people who are probably freaking out because they haven’t had their caffeine yet. So Olga gets the biz, for sure.
I wanted to hear first hand what someone goes through living so far away from their family with war back home. At the time of the Mission Local article back in May 22, Olga and a lot of Ukrainians hoped the war would be over soon. Unfortunately it’s not looking like it.

Organizations that aid Ukraine;

savelife.ua

Misto Dobra

Press about Olga;

Mission Local - Olga Boiko

Coffee Shop - instagram @sfcoffeeshop

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#nowarinukraine #helpukraine #coffeeshop #coffeeshopmission #coffeeshopsf #supoortlocal #supportsmallbuisness #drinkmorecoffee #sfpodcaster #podcastersf #missionlocal #readlocalmedia #supportlocalmedia

Bonnie Awesu - The English Rose of the Mission

It’s February, and we are in Black History Month, technically still in a pandemic, so wear a mask and get vaxxed.
 
A shout-out to one of the first renowned African American bartenders Tom Bullock. He bartended at the the St. Louis Country Club. Tom is responsible for about 150 cocktail recipes, and he wrote a guidebook that contained these recipes  - the Ideal Bartender, which was Published in 1917. The book has now been republished. Thank you, Tom Bullock, for contributing to the bartending world. 

My first international guest, Bonnie Awesu! All the way from London. I met Bonnie when she lived in San Francisco. We both worked at this disgusting restaurant and bar in the Mission neighborhood. The restaurant is Cha Cha Cha - which is no longer there. We reminisce about working together and discussing lockdown in the UK and wage theft.

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#blackhistorymonth #tombullock #idealbartender #podcasters #sanfrancisco #london #pandemic #wagetheft #rats #cockroaches #missiondistrict #mannersmatter #sangria #smallplates #friendscatchingup #descript

Joshua James - Riding The Mindful Waves

Happy New Year!

Happy Dry January - However, there is more of a mindful drinking outlook.
And the term mindful drinking is a term that I learned from my guest Joshua James. Josh is the owner of Ocean Beach Cafe, one block away from the ocean on the Richmond side of golden gate park. Josh uses the term mindful drinker or mindful drinking when he speaks about nonalcoholic beverages and a nonalcoholic lifestyle.
I started hearing about Josh and Ocean Beach Cafe around 2021. There were articles about the first nonalcoholic cafe, bar, and bottle shop in San Francisco. And I was intrigued because I wasn't familiar with any establishment with a NA bottle selection and beer selection. So I finally made it to Ocean Beach Cafe and tried the Good Buzz Daisy NA cocktail. I was impressed; it's good. The cafe itself is a mellow and cool, friendly vibe out there. Please go check it out.

https://www.friendshiphousesf.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA1A0MiHqVQ

https://www.oceanbeachcafe.com/

#mindfuldrinking #mindfuldrinker #HeyBartender #Friendshiphouse #Joshthenonalcoholic #dryjanuary #oceanbeachcafe #nativeamerican #TolowaDee-ni #hawaii #newyork #awakebar #ceriabrewing #northcarolina #athleticbarandpopup #sansbar #rehab #pandemic #sanfrancisco #richmonddistrict

DJ Phraze Vader - Stuck on the East Coast Couch

It’s New Year’s Eve 2022.

Another year come and gone. I hope this past year has been a good one for you all. I hope you’ve been safe and healthy. For me, I was back behind the bar, and It had been almost two years away from bartending; it was a little weird slinging behind the stick, but overall a good feeling for me. I want to thank my guests of 2022 for taking the time to be a part of BoozeNation. Thank you, Fredric, Krystal, Sydney, Scottie Jeanette, Lauren, and Freedom. For my last episode of 2022, I’m switching gears a bit. I’m talking to my first Dj on the p-cast. Phrase Vader, I’m talking to the person who makes us want to move, to dance, shake our bodies - the DJ. You have to have a solid sound in your bar in your establishment - it’s a make or break for me. I met Dj Phrase Vader this year when he was spinning at a bar I work at. I instantly loved his sound. It’s soulful, groovy, and funky with a little bit of old school. So cool. In this interview, you’ll hear a bunch of cackling in the background, which is me laughing because Fraser is pretty funny.

Happy New Year!!!

Lauren Jameison - Serving It Up Like A Boss

Happy Pride and Happy Juneteenth.
And yes, we're still in a pandemic, and on June 2nd of 2022, Alameda county has issued a mask mandate, so please wear masks; I mean, it's the least you can do. Thank you!
My next guest is bar owner Lauren Jamieson owner of Lofi Laboratories, from my old neck of the woods, where I grew up - Modesto. Yes, Lauren is my first guest with an operating business in the Central Valley. And since I started this podcast, I've wondered about the restaurant/bar industry in other parts of California, the States, and the world. And now, after a year of podcasting, I finally get to talk to an owner outside of the city. I want to read a quote from Lauren when we were first talking about the Industry and the podcast.

"I would argue that we are the oldest profession—preparing/offering food & drink. I believe in this Industry, and it is a pleasure to support and promote it in any way."

Cheers!

Instagram - @loficocktails

Freedom Rains - It’s Raining Freedom

Today's episode is about #TheBear. It’s on #Hulu, and so many people in the restaurant and bar industry have been talking about this show. I have to say I was late to The Bear. Basically, I don't trust anything on TV to get it right. There have been a few movies and a few tv shows here and there about the restaurant industry, and they miss it by a mile. You know every chef is spotless, the kitchen is super clean, no one is dirty, no spills. And that is bullshit. So I was skeptical of the show. Then I started to see articles in the Atlantic, Bon Appetite, and the New York Times about how #TheBear showed the manic and toxic environment that restaurants can have. And I got hooked on the show and binged it one setting. That’s how good I thought this show was and, more importantly, how I thought this show got so much right. 

So today, I’m talking to San Francisco Chef Freedom Rains.
Freedom has worked at restaurants such as; Boulevard, Incanto, Flour and Water and now is Executive chef at Amano in Hayes Valley. And we get his take on the show and on restaurants in San Francisco.

www.amanosf.com/chef/

www.chefchriscosentino.com

www.chezpanisse.com/1/

#alicewaters

www.acmebread.com

www.laurachenel.com

www.zunicafe.com

#jeremiahtowers 

Scottie Jeanette Madden - Storyteller Extraordinaire

Happy July - which means we are in a post-Roe world right now. I don't know where to begin with about the decision and what it is going to mean for the future of women in this country. I'm saddened, disgusted and pissed!!! Having said all that I am now going to switch gears and switch this into a positive note. And talk about the highlight of my week. And the highlight of that awful week was my discussion with my next guest, Scottie Jeanette Madden. And usually I speak with people that are directly connected to the bar and restaurant industry, bartenders servers, front of the house, back of the house, all those peeps.

But this episode, I'm doing something a little different because Scottie Jeanette is a television writer, director and produce. She directed the documentary, Proud In A Pandemic, which is about the pandemic and how it affected some of the queer bars and queer community of downtown LA. Now, having said that Scottie Jeanette worked in bars as a bar back back in the day. So I felt that that gave her a lot of street cred in the bar industry world. She's also on the board of directors of DTLA proud.

What I appreciated so much about Scottie Jeanette is that she is just so honest about her journey professionally and personally, which showcases her strength and intelligence throughout the interview and beyond the interview as well.

www.zuzubean.com/ted-talk.html

www.dtlaproud.org

www.dtlaproud.org/proud-in-the-pandemic

www.colesfrenchdip.com

www.barfranca.com

www.precinctdtla.com

www.redlinedtla.com

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Sydney Croskery - Mad Love for The Big Mouth Beers

My next guest is my first out-of-town guest. Los Angeles resident – Sydney Croskery. Sydney is a server at a five-star hotel in LA, can’t and won’t say which one. She is also an awesome artist who has a show coming up in Santa Monica and we’ve been friends forever. We met way back in the day in San Francisco when life was good and gas was cheap kind of time frame. And we had so much fun with the group of friends that we hung out with, it was seriously a special time in San Francisco. I’m so happy I got to see and experience San Francisco with this certain group of people. And Sydney and I worked together for a brief moment at an Italian restaurant in North Beach. So happy to reunite with Sydney and there may be a couple of times when we get off-topic and start talking about the “olden days” but so what. Also, Sydney and I are both Californians, and you may not be able to tell us apart when we are speaking in the Californian way. But again, too bad.

Krystal Jackson - She Is For Real

Welcome back to BoozeNation The Podcast!

In honor of Woman's History Month - I'm talking to bar manager Krystal Jackson. Krystal is the bar manager of Victory Hall in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. We talk about our early days in the restaurant business, what it's like to work in a corporate restaurant, and the lack of diversity of bartenders in San Francisco.

I met Krystal while working at the Hotel Utah Saloon, which is South of Market on 4th and Bryant. Krystal was working across the street at Mestizo, which was a restaurant and taqueria and bar with a lovely little patio.

Krystal would come into the Utah after her shift maybe during her shift and have some well-deserved Jameson. Krystal has such a mellow and calm demeanor, just real chill I always enjoyed her company and her energy when she was in the bar.

Then the pandemic hit and everybody went in so many directions and I lost track of my coworkers, my neighbors and customers. So when I was walking in my neighborhood which is in the Inner Sunset and peeked into Pacific Catch and saw Crystal working there I was so surprised and so happy to see her. Again, loving this reuniting thing!!

St. Patrick’s Day Special - St. Patrick Was A D**k

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!

It is a big day for drinkers and a big day for bartenders!!!!!!

Listen up as I give a very brief history of St. Patrick, shout out a few facts about the day and listen to a few of my friends recount their St. Patrick's Day memories.

Also, an Irish proverb is in the episode for my friend EB. Happy St. Patrick's Day EB.

Have fun and drink a lot for me, I won't be going out this year!!

Remember no blood, no vomit!!!

Frederic Tarmis - Viva La Frederic

Happy New Year!!!!

Ok, I'm a bit late. So what!

My guest today is sweet Frederic Tarmis!! We chop it up about growing up in Paris, vacationing to Guadelope, traveling to Montreal, and crossing the border from Canada.

I met Frederick when I was working at this bar called the Buck which was on Market Street, it's no longer there and it was long gone before 2020, so it was not a casualty of the pandemic. Frederic lived above the bar and would come down and hang out and shoot the shit and drink his luscious Belgium beer and he was always so polite and great manners and I just really appreciated. Manners matter! And one of the nice things about this podcast is that I've been able to reconnect with people I haven't seen in a while. Even though it was on Zoom, I still felt like we got to catch up in a meaningful way.

Best French accent out there. Merci Frederic.