CRAFTED

Bûcheron (French for “lumberjack”) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2025. Last month, Jonathan Ellsworth had the opportunity to attend a Bûcheron dinner, and today, he talks with owners Jeanie and Adam Ritter about their unconventional backgrounds; how they and their team created a restaurant that earned one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world; and what life has been like since.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:What is Bucheron? (3:18)Minnesota French (5:05)Jeanie’s Background (7:41)Adam’s Background (14:47)Michelin & James Beard (25:10)Travel & Learning (29:24)Boucheron's Methodology (31:09)Cooking in Unfamiliar Places (36:41)Opening Bucheron (42:58)Winning the James Beard Award (46:51)Advice for Success (51:54)Minneapolis and ICE (56:19)The Bear (1:03:02)Eating at Home (1:05:07)RELATED LINKS:BucheronBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly GiveawaysSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

For decades, Oregon’s winemakers have looked to France as the standard setter for what constitutes great wine. Brianne Day, founder of Day Wines, thinks it's time to stop doing that. Brianne has spent her career exploring what makes Oregon's vineyards unique. Today, we discuss her winemaking philosophy, biodynamic farming practices, and why Oregon's most exciting wines are the ones that aren’t trying to be from somewhere else.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:Origin Story & 1,500 Wines (4:28)Wine Exploration (15:07)Wine Making Regions (16:30)American Terroir (27:45)Creating & Managing Expectations (13:32)Natural Wine (36:22)Amaro (49:44)RELATED LINKS:Day WinesSennzaFinneBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly GiveawaysSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast

Salt Lake City shouldn’t be home to one of America’s best cocktail bars. And yet, despite Utah’s strange liquor laws and its distance from traditional cocktail meccas, that’s exactly what makes Water Witch so interesting. After the Blister team stumbled across Water Witch on a recent trip, Eli wanted to find out how owner / operator Scott Gardner built something so special in such an unlikely environment. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:About Scott (2:54)Alcohol Laws & Culinary Deserts (7:18)James Beard Award (13:16)Changes in Cocktail Competitions (17:51)Finding Mentors (21:12)Building Water Witch (24:11)Defining the Concept (31:06)Operations Management (39:14)Control State Woes (47:04)The Future of Utah’s Bars (53:14)Why Stay In Salt Lake? (57:10)RELATED LINKS:Water WitchBar NohmBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

Jonathan just got back from an incredible 12-day trip to Washington DC and Manhattan, and had a ton of notable ‘CRAFTED’ experiences. So he and Eli Brown talk about a bunch of them, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on some of the places we mention — or some additional places you think we need to check out next time we’re in DC / NYC.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:Washington DC (2:04)- The Dabney (6:08)- Death & Co DC (7:25)- Filter & Dua DC (16:54)- Karma Modern Indian Cuisine (24:01)Manhattan (26:32)- James Beard Foundation Platform Dinner: Bûcheron (31:54)- Frozen Margaritas (37:00)Coffee Spots: (41:07)- Coffee Project & Hovin He (41:07)- Hi-Collar & La Cabra (44:41)- Arcane Estate Coffee (47:09)- Park at Kim’s (48:37)- BAZU! by Superwow Coffee (49:25)- L’Industrie & Scarr’s Pizza (53:30)- Bar Contra (58:05)- Linden’s Overnight Oats (1:05:45)Theater (1:10:33)- Dog Day Afternoon (1:12:39)- Proof (1:13:32)- The Fear of 13 (1:16:32)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

How good is good enough? For those of us obsessed with any craft category (e.g., coffee, watches, wine, knives, audio gear, etc), we can find ourselves crossing the line of ‘diminishing returns,’ where we keep chasing some notion or ideal of perfection. So why do we do this? Today, our CRAFTED co-hosts, Eli Brown, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Simon Stewart discuss.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES: JE's Manifesto (1:54)Eli's Categories For Spending (11:14)MOMA NYC (16:38)Status As Return? (20:48)Rabbit Holes (26:58)Wine Price Points (30:09)Craft As Experience (35:45)Audio Space: Diminishing Returns (37:25)Headphones (41:12)Contentment and Curiosity (46:22)Hario V60 (53:16)Watches (56:12)Paying Scarcity (1:04:17)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways

Cheese can cost $12 a pound, or upwards of $100 for a wheel of the same size. So what is actually driving that difference in price, and is the most expensive option really worth it? Today, Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese breaks down how to think about value in cheese, from commodity cheddar to cave-aged, small-batch wheels. Along the way, Elizabeth and Eli also get into the history of Murray’s, their unique cave aging program, and explore why inefficiency is often exactly what makes something great.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.TOPICS & TIMES:Murrays Cheese (2:48)Flagship Cheeses (5:44)The History of Craft Cheese (7:05)Elizabeth’s Journey (13:41)Wholesale (18:00)Cheese Education (26:38)Cheese Caves in New York (37:14)Classes (42:45)Price Point Differentiation (48:00)Cheese Clubs (57:52)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastENTER OUR WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS:Enter Our Free Weekly Giveaways