Each year, Our State’s Made in NC Awards celebrate the talent and creativity of North Carolinians. Meet the state’s winners, honorable mentions, and judges. Check out all of this year’s winners!
Matthew Weiss. Photography courtesy of NC F&B PODCAST
In a small downtown sound studio lined with foam acoustic panels, Max Trujillo and Matthew Weiss slip on noise-canceling headphones and ready their microphones. After a quick sound check, they dive into recording the latest episode of the NC Food & Beverage (F&B) Podcast. The friends have hosted the show since 2016, interviewing restaurant and bar owners, chefs, distillers, and brewers — the key players in North Carolina’s food and beverage industry.
The pair met while working together at a restaurant in Los Angeles, where they bonded over food and wine. Weiss had learned about wine while growing up, talking to sommeliers on trips to Europe with his wine-enthusiast father. Trujillo had started working in restaurants in his hometown of San Jose, California. “At an early age in the restaurant industry, I recognized the importance of understanding that food is far more than just the thing that’s on the plate,” he says. “It’s about everything that comes together and why it’s there.”
Weiss later returned to his native New York to earn his sommelier certification. There, he ran beverage programs at high-end restaurants.
Max Trujillo. Photography courtesy of NC F&B PODCAST
Meanwhile, Trujillo, along with his wife and daughters, moved to Raleigh for a position at the upscale Midtown Grille. Realizing that the Triangle had a burgeoning food and wine community, Weiss followed suit a few years later.
In Raleigh, Weiss and Trujillo shared enthusiastic conversations about the local restaurant scene. They saw that there were stories that needed to be told, not just in the Triangle but also across the state — stories that could amplify the industry. They both had experience in acting and weren’t shy around a microphone, so they started the podcast. Two years later, they found themselves at the James Beard Awards in Chicago, interviewing nominees on the red carpet.
Six years in, Weiss is now an account executive at Winebow, a national wine importer and distributor, while Trujillo has cofounded Craften, a food hall in Knightdale. Every Tuesday, they meet in their studio to record another episode, tell another story, chronicle another chapter in the evolution of the food and beverage industry in North Carolina. “As you start hearing how [someone] did ‘this,’ and where ‘this’ came from, you start getting seduced by the story. But then you realize, well, that’s the romance of this whole industry,” Trujillo says. “It’s all about story.”
Listen to the NC F&B Podcast at ncfbpodcast.com.
Mark our words: Whether they nod to North Carolina or were penned by its residents, these notable, quotable passages remind us of the power of speech inspired by our state.
When one stream flows into another, the two chart a new course for the future — together.
When the weather outside is frightful, one chef serves loved ones dishes so delightful.
A historic Rose Bowl pitted Duke University against Oregon State in Durham. Then, in the dark days of World War II, those same football players — and a legendary coach — joined forces to fight for freedom.
