Boise Foodies Discuss The State of Idaho Food on New ‘The Table Rock’ Podcast
Story by Lex Nelson
Every 30-minute episode of the “The Table Rock” podcast starts with the hosts biting into a treat. Molly Tevis, the nutritionist from Alberstons, brought crisp firecracker slaw, brisket poutine, and Chilean plums to the Speak Boise podcast studio for her episode. Tara Morgan of Wild Plum Luncheonette arrived with a signature “graze board.” And when it was his turn, Dan Balluff, the owner of City Peanut Shop, offered Carolina reaper pepper peanuts that made host Alexander Milles’ face go numb.
The laughter and food-focused conversation that follows each bite was exactly what Milles hoped for when he came to co-host Julie Robinson with the idea for “The Table Rock.” He wanted to bring people from all corners of the Treasure Valley food community to the table.
“Of course everyone expected me to do a podcast on food since I’m running a food blog,” said Milles, who is the talent behind popular Boise food platform @boifood. “But I wanted to tackle more real issues than the yummy Instagram food I create. Instagram is a platform where hard conversations aren’t necessarily had.”
On “The Table Rock” Milles and Robinson use food as a vehicle to have those deeper discussions. The first two six-episode seasons of the podcast are titled “State of Food,” and in season one guests talk about everything from pandemic flour shortages to restaurant advocacy and food insecurity.
While the topics can be heavy, the podcast itself is a joy to listen to. It’s a high-quality production, and Milles and Robinson are old hands at co-hosting. They previously hosted the spirituality podcast “Retired and Recently Graduated,” and their contrasting ages, genders, and backgrounds keep discussions on “The Table Rock” fresh. Milles comes across as a young, hip foodie deeply embedded in the local scene, while Julie is the sweet grandmother next door.
“Julie is newer to food,” Milles explains. “She worked in healthcare and her husband is a doctor, so she comes at it from more of a new perspective in the podcast with the things she asks.”
Ideally, Milles says, listeners will also literally dig into what “The Table Rock'' has to offer. The podcast provides details on the food guests bring and where to find it so the audience can “share the table,” and Milles is working on a partnership with Boise Co-op that will make that easier (stay tuned to @boifood on Facebook and Instagram to learn more). Milles and Robinson are also brainstorming season three, which will focus on neighborhood food communities and their hyper-local “flavor.”
Ultimately, Milles sees food as a way to bridge the political, social, and cultural divides that we all struggle with, and hopes to enable that on “The Table Rock.”
“We’ve gone to a very far place recently in history where we don't allow others to have differing opinions from us. That’s the backlight to our podcast. We try to invite everyone to the table and show what difficult conversations look like,” he says.
You can listen to “The Table Rock” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other podcast platform. If you check it out, don’t miss the episode starring FARE Idaho Executive Director Katie Baker discussing restaurant advocacy and the state of our local food system.
