Enlightened Omnivore Podcast

About Enlightened Omnivore Podcast

A weekly podcast that serves up a delicious mix of food, sustainability, and travel. Host, Steve Sabicer, explores the wonders of mindful eating, digging into stories about our food system, ways to eat more sustainably, and culinary adventures around the globe or right in his very own kitchen. Get ready to expand your palate and your mind. One bite at a time. enlightenedomnivore.substack.com (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Steve Sabicer

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jun 2024

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

38 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Maybe I’m a Forest and Not a Tree

   Heather Thomason and I have an increasingly strange number of things in common. We both started our careers doing marketing things—me in public relations and Heather as a graphic designer—before we made unlikely pivots into whole-animal butchery. We both eventually opened neighborhood butcher shops built around sourcing meat from small, local farms raising animals more responsibly. We both ran those businesses for exactly seven years. And we both eventually closed them. In the years since, we’ve each found ourselves trying to figure out what happens when something that wasn’t just your job, but also a significant part of your identity, suddenly ends. This content ain’t cheap. Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. For a cup of coffee, become a paid subscriber to keep the articles, podcasts, and classes coming. Heather is an Enlightened Omnivore podcast veteran, and this visit is #4, a record. And that’s because she’s the perfect guest. She’s honest, interesting, doesn’t take herself too seriously, and lets me interrupt with my own stories on occasion. When we last spoke, she described herself as “wintering”—resisting the urge to immediately replace one ambitious project with another, and allowing herself to sit with not knowing what came next. Now that it’s fall, I wanted to know: What season are you in? “I did not have my spring and summer growth yet,” she told me. “So maybe I’m not going in order.” Maybe none of us are. What grows in the empty spaces? Heather closed her Philadelphia butcher shop, Primal Supply Meats, three years ago. Since then, she has deliberately tried to slow down. After years of believing that if she just worked hard enough she could solve problems, she realized she needed some space. Eventually, she got it—and picked up a paintbrush. Painting has become an increasingly important part of how she spends her time, and that’s because she’s good at it, and has made the effort. Which brings up a bunch of questions we try to wrestle with on the Podcast. What happens when you finally get the time and space you’ve been asking for? Does creativity automatically fill the vacuum? What makes someone an artist? And who gets to decide? Check out more of Heather’s work on her website (http://hmtart.com/). Who are you when you’re no longer what you did? A chat with Heather wouldn’t be complete without talking about food. How simple food can sometimes be the best choice for entertaining. Our new obsession with beans, cooking techniques, and several recipes to include more beans in your diet, and of course some extraordinary pancakes I got to enjoy thanks to her partner Brad, when they hosted us at their Poconos cabin this summer. But underneath our conversations about seasons, painting, pancakes and beans was a much bigger question. Heather and I both spent years being publicly identified by our butcher shops. People knew what we did. More importantly, we knew what we did. There is a certain comfort in being able to answer the question What do you do? with something tangible. I’m a butcher. I own a butcher shop. Closing the business changes that answer overnight. It doesn’t necessarily change the business owner quite as quickly. What happens to all of those experiences when you move on? Do you leave that identity behind? Carry it with you? Write about it? Turn it into something else? And at what point are you allowed to claim whatever comes next? That’s eventually how we arrived at the phrase that became the title of this episode: “Maybe I’m a forest and not a tree.” I’m not going to explain what Heather meant. You’ll have to listen. And when you’re done, I’d love to know: Are there parts of your own identity you’ve left behind—or are they still growing somewhere in the forest? Don’t forget to leave comments and questions at instagram.com/enlightened_omnivore (http://instagram.com/enlightened_omnivore). Links & Resources * Heather art portfolio (https://hmtart.com/) * Boonville Barn Collective article on cooking dried beans (https://www.boonvillebarn.com/blogs/recipes/how-to-cook-dry-beans-on-the-stove) * Foodocracy (https://shopfoodocracy.com/) * Smitten Kitchen: (https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans/)Pizza Beans anyone? (https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans/) * The Great Bean Awakening (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/p/the-great-bean-awakening) — my guide to pressure-cooking dried beans (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/p/the-great-bean-awakening) * Brad’s go-to cornmeal pancake recipe (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-pancake-recipe_n_3379426) Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. CookStack Collective October: Nicki Sizemore Each month, you can attend a LIVE cooking class with the CookStack Collective. Paid subscribers get access to some of the most talented people on Substack! CookStack brings together 12 amazing food writers (myself included) to teach you a dish or two LIVE. It’s like having your own personal chef teaching you how to cook some amazing dishes. Together, we’ve created a year-long series of live cooking classes that are all about cooking with and learning from one another. The October class is hosted by my good friend Nicki Sizemore (https://open.substack.com/users/11105931-nicki-sizemore?utm_source=mentions)! She’s sharing how to make two fall staples — a whipped ricotta dip and a grain-free pumpkin apple cake. Nicki’s class is Friday, October 16, 2026, 10am PT / 1pm ET. All events are recorded. This class is free for you as a paid subscriber! Be sure to register at the link below: This post has bonus content for paid subscribers. Upgrade to get full access. Substack Live! October 24th: Catching Up I’m hosting an Ask Me Anything Substack Live on Saturday, October 24th at 9am PT/112am ET. I’ll be sharing some behind the scenes Podcast conversations, talking a little more about what I’m writing this fall, what I’ve been reading, and answering your questions, so come ready to pry. Help Enlightened Omnivore This season, I want to hear from you, too. What questions do you have about food, farming, meat, sustainability, cooking—or where our food comes from? Leave a comment here or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/enlightened_omnivore/) and I’ll get back to you. I plan to use your questions in upcoming episodes, and your suggestions may even help determine who I invite on the show. And if you enjoy the podcast, please follow Enlightened Omnivore on your favorite podcast platform, leave a rating, or post a review. I’ll be reading reviews on future episodes to thank you for your support. Every little bit helps other people discover the show. You can also watch the full video conversations on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@EnlightenedOmnivore), as well as episodes from previous seasons. Most importantly, if someone came to mind while you were reading or listening today, send them this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Can Regenerative Agriculture Grow Up Without Selling Out?

   More than a decade ago, when I co-owned Electric City Butcher, we started buying chickens from a little Southern California farm called Pasturebird (http://pasturebird.com). And when I say little, I mean little. Founder Paul Greive and his family had started out raising 50 chickens in the backyard because they couldn’t find the kind of pasture-raised chicken they wanted to eat. Eventually they started selling a few birds to friends and family. Then a few more. Then a few more. Paul had grown big enough to start selling wholesale, and Electric City Butcher became one of its very first customers. The chicken was great. The farming made sense to us. The birds actually lived on pasture and were moved onto fresh ground every day. This was exactly the kind of farm we wanted to support, and we did for almost seven years. Then, I heard Pasturebird had joined forces with Perdue. And I’ll admit what went through my head: Paul sold out to the evil empire. We did keep carrying Paul’s birds but then COVID happened, and the butcher shops closed. I didn’t connect with Pasturebird again until I saw their products on the shelves at my local grocery store. A small farmer had finally made it to the big show. But was it the same chicken that I’d fallen in love with so many years ago? So naturally, when Paul agreed to join me for the first episode of Season 3, I had to ask him what happened. His answer made me reconsider some of my own assumptions about what it actually means to build a better food system. What happens when the little guy gets big? We love small farms. We love the folksy farmer at the farmers market who knows your name, the pasture you can actually visit, and the chicken that costs more because you understand exactly how it was raised. I built an entire butcher shop around that idea. But there’s a problem. If these farming systems really are better—for the animals, the land and the people eating the food—do we actually want them to remain small? How does an everyday consumer trying to put food on the table reconcile supporting a favorite brand once it’s no longer small? And more importantly, what if partnering with members of the industrial food system that I—and countless others—have spent years fighting, actually becomes a way to change it for the better? Better doesn’t have to mean perfect Paul said something during our conversation that stuck with me. Years ago, he was much more absolutist about farming. If it wasn’t regenerative or pasture based, he wanted nothing to do with it. It may not surprise you that now working with Big Ag, his thinking has changed a bit. He still believes deeply in regenerative agriculture. He still wants chickens on pasture. But he’s become much more focused on demanding transparency from a food system that likes to hide its processes and details in the shadows. I appreciate that. It’s also a conversation I very much what to expand on for this new season of the Enlightened Omnivore Podcast. I’m not particularly interested in finding the one perfect way to eat. I’m interested in the messy middle. The tradeoffs. The contradictions. The compromises that happen when an ideal encounters economics, infrastructure, and eight billion hungry people. This season I’ll be talking with regenerative agriculture experts and pasture-raised farmers, journalists and food writers, leading climate experts, people working on alternative meat and new food technologies, and some old friends I’ve met over the years who’ve devoted their lives to making our food system better, with our without the help of Big Ag. We’ll talk about how food is made, where it comes from, who produces it—and why all of that matters. And, of course, there will be a few surprises along the way. So, did Paul sell out? You’ll have to listen and decide for yourself. But I came away from our conversation thinking that “selling out” might be the wrong question. Maybe the more interesting question is what happens when the little food company we love actually succeeds. Does regenerative agriculture have to remain small, local, and expensive to remain authentic? Or can we take some of its best ideas and bring them into the industrial food system without losing the integrity that made those ideas worth supporting in the first place? That’s a tension we’re going to return to again and again this season. Watch the full conversation above, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And welcome to Season 3. I’m glad you’re here. Links & Resources * Pasturebird website (http://pasturebird.com) * Pasturebird’s Coop Live Feed (https://www.pasturebird.com/pages/live-feed) * GetRealChicken.com (http://getrealchicken.com), a great resource for local, pasture-raised chicken * USDA Guide to Animal-Raising & Environmental Label Claims (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/guidelines/2024-0006?utm_source=chatgpt.com) * American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (https://apppa.org/) Help Enlightened Omnivore This season, I want to hear from you, too. What questions do you have about food, farming, meat, sustainability, cooking—or where our food comes from? Leave a comment here or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/enlightened_omnivore/) and I’ll get back to you. I plan to use your questions in upcoming episodes, and your suggestions may even help determine who I invite on the show. And if you enjoy the podcast, please follow Enlightened Omnivore on your favorite podcast platform, leave a rating, or post a review. I’ll be reading reviews on future episodes to thank you for your support. Every little bit helps other people discover the show. You can also watch the full video conversations on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@EnlightenedOmnivore), as well as episodes from previous seasons. Most importantly, if someone came to mind while you were reading or listening today, send them this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   LIVE: The Seasonal Table; Fall; with Nicki Sizemore and Steve Sabicer

   Fall arrived twice for me this last week. First, Nicki Sizemore (https://substack.com/profile/11105931-nicki-sizemore) and I sat down for our latest Seasonal Table Substack LIVE to talk about changing routines, darker days, what we’re cooking, and what we’re ready to carry forward—or leave behind. Then I found myself writing about many of those same things in yesterday’s newsletter (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/p/the-season-of-letting-go). So rather than recap the conversation here, I thought I’d simply invite you to pull up a chair and listen to the recording. Nicki makes her crispy Parmesan-crusted delicata squash. I show you how I preserve the absurd number of lemons coming off my backyard tree, and somewhere in between, we get into family, grief, hunting, composting, changing appetites, and why Fall might be an invitation to let a few things go. Watch the conversation, visit Nicki’s Mind, Body, Spirit, Food (https://open.substack.com/pub/mindbodyspiritfood) for her recipe and scroll down for my lemon curing recipe. If you enjoy this article, please consider liking it or sharing with a friend. Your engagement helps more people find Enlightened Omnivore. Enlightened Omnivore Preserved Lemons Salty, intensely lemony and ridiculously easy to make. A little preserved lemon adds brightness to roast chicken, fish, lamb, stews, salads, vinaigrettes, and sauces. Ingredients * 4–6 lemons, preferably unwaxed * 4–6 tablespoons kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed * 1–2 tablespoons sugar, optional * Fresh lemon juice (about four lemons), to cover * Optional aromatics: bay leaf, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, or juniper berries Method Wash the lemons well and scrub the jars thoroughly. Trim the ends from each lemon. Working from one end, cut each lemon lengthwise into eighths, stopping about 1/4 inch from the bottom so the wedges remain attached. Gently open the lemon and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of salt into the cuts. Sprinkle another tablespoon of salt into the bottom of a large mason jar. Pack the lemons tightly into the jar, pressing them down firmly enough to release some of their juice. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar per lemon, and layer in optional aromatics between the lemons. Continue packing until the jar is full. Pour in enough fresh lemon juice to completely cover the lemons. Keeping the fruit submerged prevents oxidation or spoilage during curing. Seal the jar and leave it in a cool place out of direct sunlight for about three weeks, gently turning the jar every few days to redistribute the salt and juice. Once the rinds are soft and translucent, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. To use, remove a piece of lemon and rinse off excess salt (if desired). You can remove the pulp and finely chop just the rind, or use the whole thing. Remember to taste your dish before adding additional salt—these little buggers are salty. For big lemons: Instead of leaving the lemon whole, slice it into thin half-moons and layer them tightly in the jar with salt and aromatics. This is particularly useful for the big, thick-skinned lemons or if you only have small containers for curing. Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Stay Connected * Follow along on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@EnlightenedOmnivore), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/enlightened_omnivore/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@enlightened_omnivore) for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/enlightenedomnivore) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesabicer/). * Say hi on Substack Notes (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/notes)—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life. * Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app (https://substack.com/app?utm_campaign=app-marketing&utm_source=enlightenedomnivore&utm_content=author-post-insert), tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe (https://enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 25 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

37

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Enlightened Omnivore Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.