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Cody Wilson is the former owner of George's Liquor and current co-owner of Modern Liquor, but for this episode, he's the guy who is the new brand ambassador for Prairie With Love, the line of Delta 9 beverages from Prairie Artisan Ales.

We talk with Denzel Akuffo, the creator of Supper Club OKC.

Ross Crain is a Binger, Oklahoma native -- yes, the hometown of Johnny Bench, and Bench has been a guest in Crain's eponymous restaurant on OKC's northwest side. The Crain opened in late 2024, and was instantly popular, driven by Ross Crain's 30-plus years of hospitality experience, including 21 years at the helm of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Bricktown, and the talents of Chef Garrett Myers, a Yukon kid who made good via the National Restaurant Association's and Oklahoma Restaurant Association's ProStart Program. Crain tried college, but was drawn more strongly to the hospitality world, joining Hal Smith before the formation of Hal Smith Restaurant Group, back when Smith had the Oklahoma Outback Steakhouses. Crain never looked back.

You know him from Chick N Beer and Bungalow 23, but his latest venture is going to change the way we eat out.

James Leewright is a former state representative and senator from the east side of the state, and we've already forgiven him for that because he's doing fantastic work as the head of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association. His official list of titles includes leadership in the ORA, Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation, Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association, and Oklahoma Travel Industry Association.

Chef Erick Jones isn't 21 yet, but he's been an entrepreneur since he and his fraternal twin brother were 8. The born-and-raised NEOKC chef did his culinary training at Metro Tech under the auspices of previous podcast guest Chaya Pennington while still in "high school" -- in quotes because he and his two siblings were homeschooled, a reality he chafed at while a preteen and teenager but now recognizes was a good path for him. We met at Eastside Eatery, where he's technically executive sous, but Pennington, who is officially the executive chef says it's Chef Erick's kitchen. I was there because another up-and-comer Chef Breya Smith told me the oxtails were a must-try. They are. They're incredible, and to borrow a thought from Pennington, "This is the best soul food in OKC."

California-born Cally Johnson is currently the executive chef at Lorena Southern Twist, Lori Burson's Midtown sister restaurant to Stella Modern Italian. She came back to Oklahoma after a long hiatus in California to help Burson with her Southern concept. This necessitated Johnson digging into a genre of food she knew a little about, because growing up in Bakersfield, California means you are exposed to Okie cookie from when our great and great great grandparent fled the Dust Bowl for the green valleys of California's agriculture belt. In this episode, Johnson gives us an overview of her surprisingly fascinating and diverse backstory, including her time as a Christian music sensation, although she'd probably quibble about "sensation." She came to cheffing later in life, and quickly established herself as a creative wizard of sorts, and along the way she and Chef Kathryn Mathis started Big Truck Tacos. Her CJ's green chile pork taco is still the only gringo taco to haunt my dreams.  

Chef Andy Bruch is an Iowa native who made his culinary reputation in Denver. We ate at his Point Easy last time we were in Denver, and it was the best meal we had that trip, so it was great to see 5280 had the same level of respect for his spot as we did. When we learned Bruch was coming to OKC to open the first of at least two concepts, we were understandably excited, and the food at Superfly has justified our excitement, especially the burger. Dear lord -- get the burger!

It's rare that I sit down with an operator or chef and don't know anything about their backstory, but such was the case with Provision Concepts founder and CEO Jeff Dixon. To be clear, I've known him for more than a decade but we've always just talked business, so I was very curious to hear about his upbringing. (Weatherford? Weatherford. Who is from Weatherford?) Once we get the bio, including his history with Hal Smith Restaurants, we get to what is clearly one of the more successful hospitality companies in the state, one that will shortly be in four states: Oklahoma, Colorado (already open), Texas (this year), and Arizona (this year). He has new openings in Tulsa later this year, but he also has much good to say about OKC's urban core and the corner where it all started.

This is a year-end recap more than anything, but we wanted to take some time to talk through our list of Best New Restaurants and look at what's coming for 2026. James Frazier finally gets behind the mic and contributes to this episode, so you have that year-end perk if you listen. And since we're wrapping up the year, here are the numbers that matter.

Eric Smith is the mastermind behind The Crown and The Crown Room, which happens to be one of the most amazing dining experiences in Oklahoma. In this episode we talk about food, the restaurant industry, Michelin Stars and influencers as well as a host of other topics.

You know the pizza, the ramen, the burgers and now the Italian. Now meet the Rachel Cope.

Bryan Kerr is the owner of Moore Liquor, which, to use a phrase of his, is in the "blast radius of Total Wine" in Moore. The chain behemoth opened their first Oklahoma location in September, and the impact on Kerr's business was immediate, as it was on all small operators in its immediate vicinity. It's likely to scoop up regulars and occasional visitors well beyond Moore, though. As a fan of all things local -- especially local ownership -- I was curious about its impact on Moore Liquor, because just as the alcohol laws changes in 2018 had a net negative effect on local package stores, so too will Total Wine. The reasons are largely economic, but there are other motives for people changing up their habits, including our culture's weird obsession with convenience.

Chef Taylor Desjarlais left OKC right before the COVID lockdown after successful stints at several spots in the metro including Café Cuvée in the Ambassador Hotel and Chae, which remains one of the most painfully missed spots in town. A heads up that this episode contains a frank discussion of addiction and suicide in the hospitality industry. Desajarlais agreed to talk about these subjects, at least where his path intersected these two seemingly epidemic issues in the industry, and it's worth noting up front that he left OKC to enter a treatment program. After completing the program, he moved to a sober living center in Houston, where he continued to cook, but he also pursued other interests unrelated to his career, a move that helped him achieve the healing and wholeness he was seeking when he left OKC.

Jamie (Fritts) Winteroth is one of the founders of Shared Plate Hospitality, along with her husband Jordan. She has been in hospitality most of her life, including stints at some locally famous and infamous spots from the days when she worked for Deep Fork Group at its peak. As owners, Shared Plate has had Aurora, Social Deck & Dining, and RevMex, the latter of which they purchased from Rachel Cope's 84 Hospitality. Last year, they combined Aurora and Social, and moved a block west to the former Mexican Radio spot in Plaza District. (We also discuss how well that district has done, and Shared Plate's role in that.) They hired executive chef Jerrod Driskill in 2023, and he's helped transition Aurora from a breakfast-brunch spot to an all-day restaurant with some of the city's best dinner dishes, including the snapper tacos, which I rave about in this episode.