Restaurant Hoppen

If Omaha had a hospitality Mount Rushmore, Matt Brown's face would be chiseled onto it. The GM of V. Mertz joined me to discuss how he and his team customize the restaurant experience for each individ...

Candy may seem simple, but nailing the textures and flavors of your favorite gummies and chews is actually a deeply scientific process. That's where people like Tessa come in, as her company, Sprinkk,...

Ken Ota has a goal of bringing traditional Japanese ramen to America and, after years of teaching ramen school and consulting, he's opened his own shop in Omaha. Everything from the soups to the noodl...

Just a few years out of culinary school and already the sous chef at one of Omaha's most beloved fine dining restaurants, Witney has a passion for cooking, hospitality, and mentoring that few can matc...

Omaha's culinary landscape has changed drastically in the last 15-20 years. Jenny Coco, Glenn Wheeler, and Paul Kulik have managed Omaha restaurants through it all, and they joined me to discuss the p...

Table Grace Cafe doesn't exist solely to feed people; it exists to empower them and nourish their souls. That's why there are no prices on the menu. Matt & Simone encourage guests to pay whatever they...

One of Omaha's newest sensations is part small market, part sandwich shop, and as the massive following indicates, Omaha can't get enough of J. Gorat's Deli + Market. Owner Jeff Gorat joined the show ...

Joe has cooked in three-star Michelin kitchens, competed on two seasons of Top Chef, is a social media star with nearly 500K followers on Instagram, has created two delicious consumer packaged goods, ...

So often we talk about restaurants in terms of food, but so much of your experience at a restaurant has nothing to do with what you eat. It's all about how a restaurant makes you feel, and that's what...

Just a few years ago, Ismara Gonzalez was running a struggling health-conscious food company. Now she's the Chef/Owner of Isla Del Mar, a restaurant with three locations that beautifully blends seafoo...

Ricco's life has taken him in all kinds of directions: he served in Iraq, started a catering company in New York, worked as a private chef on a yacht, spent time at Mario Batali's restaurant... so how...

Andrew & Cheyanne aren’t just building a business together; they’re continuing the legacy of a lost friend and making some incredible and food along the way. The couple discusses running a restaurant ...

What's it like to be the Executive Chef at a comedy club? It's a question most people don't know the answer too, which is why I loved having this conversation with Brian. We talked about how to "chef ...

Bronco’s has served some of Omaha’s favorite fast food since 1959. So how did it become so beloved originally? What has allowed it to thrive when other iconic restaurants have closed? And how did Blak...

Food competition TV shows are fun, but what are they like behind the scenes? Three Omaha chefs/bakers who've competed on Food Network dish on the behind-the-scenes details that we don't see on camera ...

When Carlos decided to make tamales for his own wedding a few years ago, he had no idea he was starting down the road to a thriving restaurant. Those tamales led to a tamale delivery business, which b...

Ooh De Lally is a restaurant serving great food, but its mission goes much deeper. It partners with Metro CC to help formerly incarcerated individuals get jobs, skills, and training to get back in the...

So much of a restaurant experience is defined before a bite of food is served, as the atmosphere, vibe, and design of a restaurant set the tone for the guest. Omaha veteran restaurateurs Carlos Mendez...

When Elizabeth decided to open a donut shop in Omaha, she had no idea the trials and hardships to come. But she and her son Jack fought through tremendous hardship both in and outside the business to ...

Le Quartier has become Omaha and Lincoln's go-to spot for bread and pastries, but the path that led these brothers to open their bakery nearly 20 years ago is one neither saw coming. Hear how a random...

Tomato-free pasta sauce?! This Omaha couple never knew they'd need such a thing until they developed a heartburn-inducing sensitivity to tomatoes. Rather than swear off pizza and pasta forever, they c...

You know that good feeling you get at certain restaurants, where it just seems everyone is operating like a family? It's rare because it's a hard culture to cultivate, but it's intentional and you fee...

The Haven Express food truck comes from humble beginnings, but now DeVaute and his crew are feeding Bud Crawford and the Nebraska football team! The truck's wings, Philly egg rolls, and smoked meats h...

Bodegas were a part of Nate's daily life when he lived in New York, but after moving to Omaha, he wondered if the concept would work here, too. Three years and two locations in, it's safe to say Godeg...

Joel has cooked various cuisines all over the world. He's worked for celebrity chefs and private sports teams. He's cooked dinner for Oprah and her family in his apartment. During this episode, Joel s...

This new food truck is bringing the unique flavors of the Phillipines  and Southeast Asia to Omaha. With a great respect for traditional dishes and an obsession with umami, Chef Gerald is using his 13...

 A college semester abroad in Sydney changed Eli’s life. Enthralled with the country’s creative fusion dishes, he decided to combine two of his favorite baked goods: cookies and muffin tops. The resul...

In 2016, Brian called Katie, then working as a pastry chef in California with an idea: come back to Omaha and let's open an ice cream shop. Little did either know the impact that call would have! It l...

Few food/drink establishments in Omaha can match the vibe at Cafe Postale, which mixes the space's rich history with great coffee and modern elements to create an unforgettable coffee shop/cafe. Gener...

The restaurants and food at Arbor Day Farm (Nebraska City) were overdue for an upgrade, and leadership tabbed Chef Garrett Kasper to level up the cuisine. And despite some reservations from long-time ...

Nothing about SET The Bar is like what you'd expect at a normal sports bar. From the focus on women's sports to the elevated takes on bar food coming out of the kitchen, it's a completely different ex...

When this couple opened Cumbia in 2021, they brought two relatively unknown concepts to Omaha: Latin American food and tapas (small shared plates). But the intent wasn't just to feed people. They want...

Thursday 4 September 2025...

There's just something special about getting food from a truck, but the food truck life isn't quite as easy as it seems. The owners of 3 of Omaha's most popular food trucks (Javi's Tacos, Hyde's Slyde...

Let's pull back the curtain on Food Network cooking competitions! Michelle Alfaro, the chef/owner behind her beloved restaurant, Sauced by Alfaro, got the chance to compete on Food Network show Superm...

Outside of a high school job, Hannah had no experience in the custard/ice cream business. But her nostalgia, entrepreneurial drive, and love of frozen treats inspired her to learn the craft of custard...

Mia Matlock always enjoyed baking, especially finding ways to inject her Pilipino heritage and ingredients into common desserts. But when COVID hit and she got the opportunity to turn her side hustle ...

Granola that actually tastes good?! Believe it. People are blown away by the flavor of the products that come from The Gourmet Granola, but they're even more in awe of Nicole and Glenn's story. This c...

Bread is one of mankind's most universally beloved foods, and it just brings people together. But have you ever thought about how it's made, or what it would be like to be a professional baker? Aires ...

John was a psychologist for much of his career, and now he operates a bakery selling some of the best bread in Nebraska. The road and experiences that led him here are winding, but they've created an ...

For a decade, Clayton was the chef/owner of The Grey Plume, one of Omaha's most progressive and nationally recognized restaurants, racking up five Beard nominations during that time. But The Grey Plum...

Let's talk about the universally beloved food item: pizza! Dan (Backlot Taphouse; Backlot Pizza & Kitchen), Adam (Terrible Gerald's), and Joel (Noli's Pizzeria) talk about how they fell in love with p...

Dan gets the microphone turned on him in this one-of-a-kind live episode. Paul brings the heat, asking Dan the questions so many people ask: does he ever have a bad restaurant experience? Why is he so...

Matt blew my mind in this episode. Behind the craft of creating cocktails, making drinks based off of guests' moods and memories, and the insane in-the-moment balance of making and taking orders at a ...

Chef Djamil doesn't just want to serve great food; he wants to change the way Omaha's food community interacts. In our deep, wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how Djamil and his foundation, which ...

John Rea had limited experience with pizza and pasta when he took over the Via Farina kitchen nearly a decade ago. The move was a game changer for both parties: Via reignited John's passion for cookin...

Frios pops combine the creamy consistency of ice cream with the convenience of a popsicle... but could the concept succeed in Omaha, where it's cold nearly half the year? That's the bet that local cou...

In less than 2 years, Semo Pasta + Wine has established itself as a restaurant Omahans are more than happy to drive to Fremont for. The chefs and owners describe how the restaurant came to be, the con...

How has HomeGrown, a restaurant group with 14 locations (including one that opened in Omaha in Feb. 2025) maintained its strong culture and its love for local products as it has expanded? Omaha Genera...

If you're a wine aficionado, this is the episode for you! As the General Manager at one of Omaha's classic steakhouses, Andrew has a great depth of knowledge about wine, and he shares about sommelier ...