Nan Cole is a foraging expert based in San Luis Obispo, California, and the resident forager for Ventana Big Sur. She leads foraging walks, both urban and rural, she educates people about the do’s and don’ts of wildcrafting, and she cooks and bakes with her finds. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to Nan’s work was a photo on her Instagram page, @foragerslo, featuring a beautiful macaron made from redwood needle sugar and lemon zest. We walked up to a cozy spot on the side of Cerro San Luis to chat, and she pointed out native plants along the way, sharing how coyote brush is an antidote for poison oak and how mustard plant tastes like broccoli. Then, a couple weeks after our talk, I opened Sunset Magazine to find a full-page spread about Nan and her foraging program at Ventana Big Sur. A rock star! If you don’t feel inspired to join one of her foraging walks after listening to our conversation, you might want to check your pulse, because this woman is inspiring.
Website: ventanabigsur.com
Instagram: @foragerslo
Nate’s on Marsh, Nathan Long, San Luis Obispo
Wine writer Natalie MacLean, Ottawa, Canada
Kitchen designer Ariana Lovato, Honeycomb Home Design, Arroyo Grande
Hidden Kitchen + 7th Generation Design, Amanecer Eizner + Wes Cooke, Cayucos + Cambria
Food illustrator Anna Takahashi, Japan, Sicily, and California ✈️
San Luis Oriental Market, Fani + Peter Gau, San Luis Obispo
Winemaker Matt Dees, Jonata, The Hilt, and The Paring, Santa Barbara County
Momotaro Ramen chefs Mateo Rogers + Brittney Yrecheta, Paso Robles
15 Degrees C Wine, sommelier + owner Ali Rush, Templeton
Bonus episode: Daniel Sinton, Avenales Ranch and Winery + Jensen Lorenzen, Larder Meat Co.
Winemakers Eric + Cait Johnson, Ann Albert Wines, San Luis Obispo
Registered dietician Sherry Elliston, MS, RD, CDE, San Luis Obispo
Central Coast Distillery, Eric Olson, chef + distiller, Atascadero
City of San Luis Obispo Tourism Manager Molly Cano
Bladesmith Cameron Alarcio, Alarcio Knives, Pismo Beach
Brewers Jacque + Ryan Fields, Wild Fields Brewhouse, Atascadero
Eleven-Twenty-Two Speakeasy owner Donovan Schmit, Paso Robles
Winemaker Janell Dusi, J. Dusi Wines + Paper Street, Paso Robles
Ash Management, Jason Gable + Eric DeMatteo, San Luis Obispo County
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