Shows / Restaurant Hoppen
Restaurant Hoppen
Dan Hoppen breaks down the Nebraska cuisine scene one bite at a time. He talks to local chefs, media members, and just interesting people about what's going on in the Cornhusker State when it comes to food, where people need to eat, and how food relates to Nebraska sports.
Episodes
- Restaurant Hoppen
Behind Omaha's Newest Sandwich Sensation w/ Nathan Ma (Mercredi Market)
Mercredi Market has been busy from the moment it opened in Omaha in early June despite a minimal social media presence. What's led to its instant success? How…
- Restaurant Hoppen
The Start of a Gluten-Free Bread Empire w/ Bella Henry (Bella Bread)
Bella never set out to start a business. She just wanted a gluten-free bread that tasted and felt like traditional bread and didn't upset her body. So she made…
- Restaurant Hoppen
The Chef Who Sees Vegetables Differently | Rachel McGill of Dish
Chef Rachel McGill of Dish in Lincoln, Nebraska joins Dan Hoppen for an in-depth conversation about creative cooking, vegetable-forward cuisine, restaurant…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Family, Fusion, & Flavor: Exploring Indian Cuisine w/ Little India
The Antony family has been bringing Indian Cuisine to Omaha for more than a decade at several locations and restaurants, and now they've landed at Little India…
- Restaurant Hoppen
The Ins & Outs of Cottage Baking (Live Panel)
What is it like to start a bakery business out of your home? How do you balance being a parent and having a family when your work takes over your home kitchen?…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Pizza Science and the Evolution of Restaurant Hospitality w/ Tim Maides (Dolomiti)
Few people in Omaha's restaurant scene are more fun to chat with than Tim Maides, the co-owner of Dolomiti, and unpacking his brain on pizza is a true delight…
- Restaurant Hoppen
How Lola's Became One of Omaha's Favorite All-Day Cafés
What happens when you stop trying to make food more complicated—and start letting great ingredients speak for themselves? In this special Restaurant Hoppen…
- Restaurant Hoppen
People Loved Her Toffee So Much, She Had to Start a Business
What happens when a family recipe is so good that people refuse to stop asking for it? For Katie Becker, it turned into a business. In this special Restaurant…
- Restaurant Hoppen
She Dreamed of Becoming a Chef as a Kid. Now She Owns a Bakery.
What happens when a childhood love of baking turns into a career, then a business, then a bakery of your own? In this special Restaurant Hoppen segment from…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Sweet Magnolia's Turns 10! What's Next for Katina Talley?
Ten years of Sweet Magnolia's. Three-plus years of Know Good. And another restaurant project already on the way. Katina Talley is one of Omaha's busiest—and…
- Restaurant Hoppen
The 70-Year-Old Secret Behind La Casa Pizzaria's Famous Pizza
For more than 70 years, La Casa Pizzaria has been serving Omaha with a pizza recipe that's become part of the city's history. In this special Restaurant Hoppen…
- Restaurant Hoppen
The Omaha Ice Cream Shop You Can Ship Anywhere in America
What if you could send someone a pint of Omaha's best ice cream no matter where they live? In this special Restaurant Hoppen segment from Hurrdat and Yelp's…
- Restaurant Hoppen
This Omaha Culinary Program Lets Students Run a Real Restaurant
What if culinary school let you learn in a real restaurant—with real guests, real service, and real feedback? In this special Restaurant Hoppen segment from…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Why Yelp Brought Omaha's Food Community Together
What happens when you put more than 25 Omaha food and drink businesses under one roof? Omaha shows up. In this special Restaurant Hoppen segment from Hurrdat…
- Restaurant Hoppen
You Came for Pickleball… Then You Tried the Food
Most people know Smash Park for the activities. Pickleball. Duckpin bowling. Darts. Karaoke. Shuffleboard. Arcade games. But Todd Lindberg wants you to know…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Zero Social Media, All the Buzz. How Star Indian Cuisine Created an Empire by Word of Mouth
Star Indian Cuisine prioritizes treating every customer like a guest in their home, even remembering specific customers' favorite dishes so they don't even…
Restaurant HoppenStarting an Empanada Empire w/ Latin Bites
Nicole Izquierdo has deep memories of her grandmother making empanadas in Colombia for the family before moving to the United States, and that recipe is so…
Restaurant HoppenUsing a Food Truck to Introduce Omaha to African Cuisine and Cooking with Love (Chuanjui)
Hope Ngamalue picked up a love for cooking and serving others from her grandmother in Cameroon, and that desire to feed people continued when she came to…
Restaurant HoppenMeat-ing the Demands of Omaha's Best Restaurants w/ Jon Nelson (Jon's Naturals)
Jon's Naturals is the connector between local beef and pork producers and restaurants, helping chefs get their creative hands on a cleaner, more delicious…
Restaurant HoppenThe Secrets Behind Omaha's Longest-Standing Restaurants (Bronco's, Barrett's, & La Casa Pizzaria)
Bronco's Hamburgers, Barrett's Barleycorn Pub & Grill, and La Casa Pizzaria have all thrilled Omaha guests for decades. What's the secret to their families'…
Restaurant HoppenCreating Community Through Coffee & Custard w/ Cup & Cone
Bennington wouldn't be the same without Cup & Cone, the custard/coffee shop that has become a community hub since it opened in 2023. But getting the shop up…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Creating a Brand New Food & Rescuing a Business w/ Nichole Taff & Vincent Rissell (OCookieOs)
Nichole created a brilliant gluten-free cookie/donut mash-up in 2020, but the business was on the brink of collapsing earlier this year. Now it's thriving…
- Restaurant Hoppen
TV Cooking Competitions and the Culture of Food Media w/ Christian Alquiza (First We Feast)
After nearly 20 years in restaurant kitchens, Christian has transitioned to life as a media and social media chef. We discuss what the term "chef" means in…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Uprooting One's Life for the Love of Baking w/ Damie Elder-Hiscock
Fariner Bakery is a magical space, a cafe with a gravitational pull that makes you want to stay for hours. That's because of the love people like Damie put…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Bringing Jamaican Cuisine and Culture to Omaha with Shava Jackson (Jerk Makin Shack)
Shava Jackson left her home of Jamaica to attend medical school with no thoughts of entering the hospitality industry, but her food truck has become one of the…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Top Chef Takeaways and the Power of Food Memories w/ Anthony Jones
As the Executive Chef at Marcus Samuelsson's Washington DC restaurant and a contestant on the most recent Top Chef season, Anthony Jones is one of America's…
- Restaurant Hoppen
Where Omaha's Food Comes From—LIVE Panel w/ Local Producers
We hear about how important it is to shop and eat locally produce meats and vegetables, but do we really know why? Three local producers—Tiff Clifton (Long…
Restaurant HoppenDefining Hospitality & Following Restaurant Trends w/ Daniel Bello (Koji)
Daniel worked in some of America's most well-known restaurants in San Francisco and now brings those unique experiences and what he learned to Koji. We talk…
Restaurant HoppenAchieving Mom's Dream with Ma' Mona—Manuel & Juan Gonzalez
Margartia Gonzalez's food has always thrilled her family; so much so that it became a goal to open a food truck since they came to the United States from…
Restaurant HoppenDumpling, Hawaiian food, & Sharing Aloha Culture w/ Jian "Peter" Pan
He was born in China and grew up in Hawaii, so Peter has a great desire to bring those cuisines to Omaha. But it was actually his wife and their shared love of…
Restaurant HoppenDigging into Indigenous Cuisine w/ Cassie & Quentin Hinman (Tradisish; Against the Current)
For all the great food Omaha has, indigenous and Native American cuisine wasn't really available... until this food truck/pop-up arose! Cassie Hinman started…
Restaurant HoppenComfort & Nostalgia in Hand Pie Form w/ Kate Anderson (Carter & Rye)
Kate has seen customers tear up while eating her hand pies, and the warm, nostalgic feelings tied with that buttery, flaky crust are indeed powerful. Stuffed…
Restaurant HoppenInside the Life of a Restaurant Owner w/ Katina Talley, Ben Maides, & Paul Urban
We hear consistently that life as a restaurant owner is so hard... but as diners, we can't fully understand what that reality is really like. On this panel…
Restaurant HoppenPizza Culture and Craft w/ Dylan Espinoza (Very Important Pizza)
Pizza culture embedded itself in Dylan's DNA around 2009, and he always dreamed of opening a pizzeria. That dream finally came to fruition in 2006 with Very…
Restaurant HoppenAdrienne Cheatham & Joe Flamm Bring Restaurant Life to the People w/ Chef's Cut Podcast
Top Chef alums and restaurant veterans Joe and Adrienne started a podcast to bring the conversations inside kitchens to the world, and the Chef's Cut has blown…
Restaurant HoppenLearning in Omaha's Elite Kitchens w/ Collin Werner (Au Courant)
Collin Werner might only be 27, but don't let his age fool you. He's already worked in some of the most well-regarded kitchens in Omaha, now advancing to…
Restaurant HoppenThe Impossible Life of a Restaurateur w/ Paul Kulik (Le Bouillon)
Understanding and reacting to guest expectations. Reacting to and engaging with shifting staff expectations. Crafting experiences different from those found at…
Restaurant HoppenFood as Medicine and Loving on Local with Tony Ellsworth (Ellsworth Crossing)
Tony and Amber Ellsworth are farmers, store owners, and give Omahans so many ways to support local. Their store, Ellsworth Crossing, features meat, vegetables…
Restaurant HoppenCibo Vino Late Career Pivots for Don Doty & Wendy Becker
Don Doty and Wendy Becker were both comfortable in their culinary positions, but memories of a trip to Rome inspired Don to make a bold move—open a new…
Restaurant HoppenOmaha's Up-and-Coming Culinary Star Abe Vidaurre (Cattle Call)
Abe began the Executive Chef at Cattle Call at age 22, but don't think this youngster is over his head. He's creating a wide variety of amazing culinary…
Restaurant HoppenCulinary School Truths with Brian O'Malley
There are a lot of debates about the state of culinary school in America, and as Metro CC's Dean of Hospitality & Horticulture, Brian O'Malley has heard them…
Restaurant HoppenBreaking Down Omaha's Sandwich Scene (LIVE)
3 chefs from beloved Omaha sandwich restaurants joined me to discuss why sandwiches are so universally loved. Paul Urban (Block 16), Chloe Tran-Thompson (The…
Restaurant HoppenHospitality Academy w/ Matt Brown (V. Mertz)
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…
Restaurant HoppenOmaha's Candy Extraordinaire: Tessa Porter (Sprinkk)
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…
Restaurant HoppenA New Level of Ramen in Omaha w/ Ken & Aki Ota (Crafted Ramen Mi So La Do)
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…
Restaurant HoppenWitney Stanley—Sous Chef at V. Mertz
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…
Restaurant HoppenOmaha OG Chefs Discuss the Evolution of Omaha's Dining Scene
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…
Restaurant HoppenMatt & Simone Weber—Table Grace Cafe
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 &…
Restaurant HoppenJeff Gorat—J. Gorat's Deli + Market
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 +…
Restaurant HoppenJoe Sasto—Food Network star, culinary innovator, and creator of Ripi and Tantos
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…
Restaurant HoppenFront of House & Hospitality All-Stars
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 HoppenIsmara Gonzalez—Isla Del Mar
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…
Restaurant HoppenErik "Ricco" Thomas—Johnny Ricco's Brooklyn Pizza
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…
Restaurant HoppenAndrew Novak & Cheyanne Loeffler - All In Thyme
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…
Restaurant HoppenBrian Bendams—Funny Bone Comedy Club
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…
Restaurant HoppenBlake Barnes - Bronco’s Hamburgers
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…
Restaurant HoppenFood Network Competition TV w/ Clayton Chapman, Michelle Alfaro, & Larissa Codr
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…
Restaurant HoppenCarlos Cuevas & Gillian Cromwell-Cuevas—Masa Luna
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…
Restaurant HoppenDoug Case & LaRue Marcos—Ooh De Lally
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…
Restaurant HoppenHow Does Restaurant Design Affect Both the Guest and Chef Experience?
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…