The Yacker - Pop Culture, Columbus, Movies And Conversation Starters.

I met with Cris at her home and we talked about her life before Brigadeiros, her passion and what made her start a business making chocolates in Columbus. Outline Of The Show:  What brought her to Columbus Reason why she thought Columbus was great place to introduce Brigadeiro How do you pronounce Brigadeiro and the story behind these iconic chocolates How is it served Why Brigadeiros make for great party favors What she is working on right now  Where to find Santo Brigadeiro:  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/santobrigadeiro614/?fref=ts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santobrigadeirousa/ Website: https://www.santobrigadeirousa.com/ The Yacker is also available on iTunes :) If you like it, please subscribe :)  Cris - Owner Of Santo Brigadeiro The Best-Sellers: Coconut, Chocolate and Creme Brulee Newly Introduced Banana Nut Bread

For more pics, follow me on Instagram.  On this podcast, I sit down with Mrs. Mita Shah of Mardi Gras Homemade Icecream right here in Columbus. She talks about her journey to the US from India as a newly wed, her story, the story behind the name of the store and of course, the new summer flavors she's working on.  The Yacker is also available on iTunes :) 

                                 For more pics from the podcast..Follow me on Instagram :) I love trying out new restaurants and cuisines. Food, I feel opens your mind as much as travel and books do. It makes you think about the origin of a dish, the cultural impact it has on a country and of course, the most obvious one, it tastes delicious. On this podcast, I sit down with Chef Wycliff Nduati of Wycliffs' Kitchen right here in Columbus. I met him at his restaurant after work and after the last customer for the day had walked out, he greeted us (husband and I) with a smile still fresh, even after a long day. And we talked about his childhood, his journey as a chef and Kenyan food. I have tried to transcribe the podcast here, if you are into reading more than listening :) Is your name pronounced Y-Cliff or V-cliff? It depends on where you come from. If you speak American English, it's Y-cliff and if you speak British English, it's Wicliff. But it doesn't matter. I am fine with it, either way. Could you tell us a little bit about your family, where you grew up? I was born and raised in Kenya. I grew up in the rural areas of Kenya. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a dad who was an entrepreneur. He was a restaurateur as well. He had a restaurant, a shop and he was a butcher. So, growing up, he treated me and my siblings as his workforce and he trained. So, for me, cooking and being a restaurateur is natural. But for the most part, my dad wanted me to concentrate more on the business side and he wanted me to keep out of the kitchen. But, I admired how people could turn ingredients into something amazing, that people can eat. And I learnt most of my cooking from just watching. And because of my interest, I would try things out and I would always impress people with my cooking. And when did you come to the US? I came to the US in 2006. I came here for school. I graduated from Franklin University with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and Forensic Accounting. So, completely a different field from what you are in right now. Yes, That's because cooking and restaurant is a way of life for me. When I migrated to the US, I was in Indiana before I moved to Columbus and I was very disappointed that I couldn't find the food that I loved and was used to. And I would go to parties and would have Kenyan food and would say "This is not Kenyan food", even though, it was made by Kenyans. I knew I could cook better than that. And then, my friends would tell me to cook Kenyan food for them. And that's how I found my way back to all of this. Your friends kind of pushed you into this? Only because, they knew my background in restaurant and cooking. They would request me to make something for their parties and they would be amazed at how authentic the food was. They started ordering more quantity and would offer to pay for the food. And that is how we started. Then we started making baked goods from home. And my wife, back in Kenya, had a lot of training in cooking Kenyan food. She's one of the most amazing chefs. So, it was a perfect match. Yes. We enjoy cooking and we are both passionate about food. our concept is to keep it fresh. That's the things about Kenyan food. There's no shortcut to it. If you try to do that, the food doesn't taste as good. All our spices are from Kenya. We take our time with every dish. All our meals are made from scratch. We try to cook as less as possible and try retain all the nutrients of vegetables. And it reflects on the food. It's delicious. Thank you. And your restaurant is the first Kenyan Restaurant in Columbus? Yes, and in Ohio, Indianapolis and in this area. I think the next one you'll find is in Maryland and the DC area. It's the only East African restaurant, in terms of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Because we share our cuisine, 95% of it. If I were to go to Kenya, would I get the same flavor as I get here or do you Americanize it a little bit?   We try to keep it authentic. We try to bring the memories of Kenya into our restaurant. This has turned out to be more of a destination. Whoever has traveled to Kenya, whenever they hear about us, they want to come to our restaurant as soon as they can. And when they come here, they are never disappointed. It's like being back home.  Yes, and that's what our intention is. When you walk into our restaurant, we want you to feel like you are right in Kenya. We keep it authentic. We don't try to americanize it. But we make sure it's comfortable to everyone's palate. So, our food is not that spicy but we can add spice if you want it to be spicy. And for anyone who hasn't tried out Kenyan food, what's the dish you would recommend. Sort of a gateway into the world of Kenyan food. I don't want to give a generic answer because all of us have different taste. Our menu is not that big. We specialize on a few dishes that are signature kenyan dishes an we concentrate on them and do them very well. When you leave this restaurant, you'll definitely leave thinking "huh..what should I try next?" So, it's a little tough to tell you what you should try, but going by the numbers, beef stew and our fish is very popular. So, you can do beef stew, combine it with pilau rice, which is rice made in natural spices and not hot spices, add chappatis, which is flatbread, and these will go well together. And definitely try our samosas, if you are visiting us for the first time. What's the biggest misconception people have about kenyan food?  That african food is hot and spicy.  But african cuisine is varied and it has a lot of subdivisions, depending on the region it comes from. East Africa where Kenya is, food is not spicy. So, you use a lot of natural, non-spicy spices like cardamom? Yes, coriander, cloves...So, our food is very welcoming to a new palate. And if you go to the western or the northern part of Africa, the food is supposed to be very spicy. That's how you are supposed to enjoy that food. Kenyan food is not spicy? It's not spicy but if you request for the food to be spicy, we can make it spicy. And where do you see this restaurant in the future?  We are closing in on three years of Wycliffs' kitchen and we are happy with the way it's going. We keep growing every year. And we are very thankful to God and our customers for choosing us because there are so many restaurants in Columbus. Our motto when we started this restaurant was to make sure we don't deprave Columbus of our amazing Kenyan food. We plan on serving Columbus for a very long time. I am so glad we have an authentic Kenyan restaurant in Columbus, everyone should definitely try this amazing cuisine. Yes, infact,for people that are planning on visiting Kenya, the organizers bring their groups to this restaurant to introduce them to kenyan food before they travel. And also, the other way around. Kenyans who come to the US and who are looking for homemade, authentic kenyan food come here as soon as they hear about this place. They get a taste of the food that they are used to and have grown up eating. This place is the best cure for home sickness as well for other Kenyans. Yes, for sure. And we are happy that we are able to offer something so valuable to them. Three fun, quick questions:  - Favorite restaurant you go to on your days off :         Taqueria Guadalajara - Great mexican food         Ted Montana's Grill - Love their burgers - Favorite Food from childhood:        Beef stew, ugali (mashed corn flour meal) and collard greens . That's a kenyan staple and my comfort food. - If we were to impress our friends with our knowledge of kenyan food, what's that something we should know about?       Nyama Choma (grilled goat) with Kachumbari (salsa) We serve this every saturday at our restaurant. Wonderful. Thank you so much for taking out the time for this podcast interview.  Thank you for having me. Connect with Wycliffs' Kitchen on Facebook 

It's been a while since I have done a podcast. It's been a busy, busy year. I finally got down to recording a podcast and my Dad joins me on this one and we talk about the things he likes about America (and oh, they are visiting us!) and things he misses about India. Join us, won't you? :) Things We Talk About: Public Transport Vastness of America And the pesky problem of pennies Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing! 

Resh joins me on this episode and we mourn the death of romcoms and explore why there aren't any new romcoms. Is the genre dead or is it just evolving? Join us, won't you? :) Things We Talk About: The Romcom Formula Reasons why there aren't any good romcoms Talk about our favorite romcoms Mr Darcy Handbag Theory, one of the reasons why studios won't make any romcoms What if our beloved romcoms were to be made in 2015, fun game!  Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing! 

This episode has me and Angie talking about FOMO, the fear of missing out. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, of places we haven't visited, books we haven't read, podcast we haven't listened to, restaurants we haven't been to and the list goes on. So, how do we handle it, is what we are discussing on this podcast. And, it's not preachy at all ;) Things We Talk About: Did we have FOMO pre-social media?  Even Netflix makes us feel like we are missing out. Ways we can handle this FOMO  We counter FOMO with JOMO (It exists :))  Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

Tanvi joins me on this episode and we talk about our holiday traditions, the evolution of Deepika Padukone and wonder if social media has made us more cynical.  Things we talk about: Has Social Media made us more cynical than our real life experiences would have?  The evolution of Deepika Padukone and we discuss if Ranbir or Ranveer is the perfect match ;) We discuss about our holiday traditions and how we like to drive around and peak at holiday decorations in people's houses. We are not creepy people even though we might sound like one:p   Do take a listen and let us know how you like it :)  Join me on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

This episode has me and Resh discussing hot topics with a lot of discussion revolving around movies and we take a trip down the memory lane with all these reboots of old shows happening lately.  Things we talk about: Cosmopolitan magazine's decision to caption Kardashians as America's first family Adele and everything about Adele and her amazing letter that you can read here 20th anniversary of DDLJ and the amazing chemistry between Sharukh and Kajol Reboots of Gilmore Girls and our nostalgia afflicted world Open letters Do take a listen and let us know how you like it :)  Join me on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

This podcast has me talking about Mindy Kaling's second book, Why Not Me. I talk about the six things that I really loved about the book and I sort of recommend if you should go ahead and read it or maybe wait a bit! Things I talk About: Talking about looks is not important. It's just supposed to be fun! Why she's not a fan of potlucks Why soup snakes is the new soul mates (It makes sense, trust me:)) Scientific analysis of her brain and mostly it's about Uber Her 4 AM worries Her take on confidence Join me on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

A longtime blog-friend (Did I just create a new word?) of mine Tanvi from www.tanvii.com was sweet enough to join me on this podcast. We talk about all things style, especially our  my obsession with french style and try to break the french women's Je ne sais quoi code. Quotable Quotes: On Makeup: "My face is just 5% of my body and I can't spend an hour on that 5%. What will happen to the 95% of me?" - Tanvi On Kajal :" People ask me if I am sick if I get out of my house without kajal. I think I should start telling people that I was born looking like a sick person. That is me" - Flo "Sometimes I end up looking like a raccoon" - Tanvi On messy hair: "I never comb my hair, I just didn't realize it was a french thing" - Flo On temporary trends: "There are some trends like monochrome and brocade jackets which are good" - Tanvi Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

This episode has Resh joining me in to discuss all things pop culture. It's been a month since I have uploaded any episode, simply because I could not come up with any interesting topic. It's been one of those months! And please do excuse the crackly, statistic-y noise that comes up once in a while. We realized there was this weird sound (in a couple of places) only after we had recorded the entire podcast. And as you know, all episodes are made without any script and decided against re-recording the entire podcast because we know we can never re-create the spontaneity :)  Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) The Yacker is on itunes  and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

This episode has Resh joining me in to discuss topics that includes Sundar Pichai, Cecil the Lion. We remember  Robin Williams and discuss if remakes of classics should even be tried. Join us on this chit chat, won't you? Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

I am back with a solo podcast and in this episode you can hear me talk about how to give an honest opinion without being brutally blunt. I give some real life examples ;) Let me know how you like it. Your feedback as always is much appreciated :) The yacker is available on itunes to listen and subscribe to and it would be great if you would leave a review on itunes.  The Yacker is available on stitcher too! 

My Sister-in-law joins me on this podcast and we talk about all our favourite Tv shows and movies that we watched growing up in the era of STAR TV Network! Hope you enjoy the podcast as much as we enjoyed recording it :) Please do leave a feedback, it's much appreciated. Do you have any favourites that we have missed out on?  It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and it would be great if would leave a review on itunes. 

This episode of The Yacker's Chick Chat has me and a good friend of mine Resh tackling the hot topics of the week. And selfie sticks make an appearance too. Hope you enjoy the podcast as much as we enjoyed recording it :) Please do leave a feedback. It's always appreciated:) It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

The firsts in our lives hold such a special place in our hearts and in this podcast, we revisit them. Join us on this little trip of ours, and see if you can spot your own firsts in some of our experiences! Would love to know your firsts, do leave us a comment :) It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

Nits is back on this podcast and we talk about Bollywood, obviously! We discuss the most underrated and overrated actors of Bollywood. Let us know who you think should be on this list :) It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

Me and my friend Dimple were having one of those long phone calls and we got to talking about Maggi and Dimple suggested that I go ahead and talk about the Maggi Controversy. So here I am talking about how we just love our Maggi Noodles and can't get enough of it! It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

I go solo on this podcast and discuss my obsession with making lists! Hope you like it! List Maker - Jessica Gross It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!

We talk about Cannes Festival and involves Mallika Sherawat too, remember her? Plus we discuss our celebrity guest list for our dinner party! Do take a listen and see if it includes your favourites too :) It's on itunes to listen and subscribe to and you can also listen/subscribe to it here if Apple is not your thing!