Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Fruit Riot, a product I genuinely love to eat. If you haven’t heard about it: Fruit Riot is made of real frozen fruit pieces tossed in a candy coating, just at the intersection of real fruit and sour candy.
I am a lover of sour snacks; I have been eating whole bags of these regularly (it’s low-cal). Find it in the frozen fruit aisle, or for delivery at Target. Thanks to Fruit Riot for supporting People & Food.
“People say it’s hard to do the right thing,” Stephan Madias, owner of Wario’s Beef and Pork, told me during our first interview. “But I think they’re just pieces of s***.” I’d just spent the day in the kitchen with his team. It was 2024, his sandwich shop had been open for 4 years, and not a single member of staff had left or quit.
“Leaders eat last” is Stephan’s guiding principle. But this was all relayed to me over FaceTime. When I decided to film at Wario’s Beef and Pork—on an unplanned but very fulfilling trip to Columbus, Ohio—he was on his first vacation in 8 years. Upon hearing I was interested in filming, he offered to end his vacation early and fly straight back to Columbus. I countered and offered something I never offer: We could do the interview over the phone. The video generated a cool 1.5 million views on Instagram.
But this meant that 2 years later, when Steph picked me up at the airport, it was our first time meeting in real life. I wondered: Has this place that I’ve built up in my mind still as high quality and as earnest as I remember? Do leaders still eat last?
Stephan is a swarthy, bearded gentleman who speaks slowly, in an almost monotonous tone that can be read as sardonic—but is more often sincere—wearing a backwards trucker hat. He’s Greek and Lebanese, but he’s also noticeably from Cleveland. His license plate reads: COLDCUTS. His coffee sits in the cup holder—4 espresso shots over ice that he makes at home. Adding the price of the cup, straw, and lid, he has costed it out at $1.30. Drinking one of these made me see the interconnectedness of all things; Steph seemed to have no reaction.
Over the next 3 days, he drove me and my crew around Columbus, showing us each facet of his business. First, to Goood Friends, led by his collaborator Chef Tyler Minnis. He served us their riff on french fries, called sidewinders, paired with a soft, double-creme burgundy cheese. My editor, Gabriel—normally a remote worker—took a bite and declared he needed to come along on every shoot from then on. Tyler and his team fed us very well.
Then to Matija Breads, the bakery that makes a few hundred “sticks” a day for Wario’s; Steph’s recipe for a semolina hero bread. Owner Matt Swint tacked on a focaccia for us to have at dinner, as we left with the truck full of semolina.
Then to the Hungarian Butcher, where Steph was smoking a lamb for a sandwich special. The Hungarian Butcher himself, Dan Varga, laid out a bunch of charcuterie for me to try: Culatello, duck pastrami, escargot terrine. A gourmet feast had found me, as it often does, in this most unexpected of places.
And finally, to Wario’s itself. The kitchen crew welcomed me back, chiding me for still not having been to Oaxaca, and teaching me their sobrenombres, or nicknames. It felt like a homecoming, even though I was standing in their way as they drizzled housemade cheese-whiz, deep-fried baskets of chicken cutlets, smashed potatoes, and turned out tickets faster than I’ve seen any other kitchen do.
One man, Zeferino, greeted me like an old friend. He was on the line last time I was here; now, he’s the Executive Chef of the company. “He was the first employee,” Steph told me. Zeferino has 5 siblings—plus his wife—that work with him at Wario’s.
Everywhere we went, Steph introduced me to his people. “It doesn’t matter what the f*** I know,” he told me. “If I can’t get people to buy in and teach them how to do it, it’s really not worth anything.” Leaders still eat last at Wario’s.
I captured all of this and more, in the first of a biweekly series of long-form videos featuring the chefs, street vendors, and hot dog specialists I’ve long championed on my channel. I know why I chose Columbus Ohio to kick it off. But you’ll have to watch to see:
Below the fold, I’ve included a behind-the-scenes video that we recorded while filming the documentary. I’ve also attached a map of all of my recommendations for Columbus, Ohio. Thanks so much for supporting the channel. Much more to come.
