Eat It Florida cover art

Eat It Florida

Eat It Florida

Written by: Jesse Blanco
Listen for free

Eat It Florida explores the food, drink, and culture of the Sunshine State — starting with the small towns most people drive past on the way to somewhere else. Road Trip Diary follows a real 4.5-day, 14-town journey across Central Florida, one stop per episode, from Orange City to Cedar Key and Crystal River. Conversations sits down with the restaurant owners, chefs, and food-scene locals who make Florida worth exploring. Built on decades of firsthand Florida knowledge, not a drive-through outsider's take.© 2026 Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Jacksonville's Chancho King: The $7 Pork Sandwich that has become the Talk of the Town

    Jacksonville's Chancho King: The $7 Pork Sandwich that has become the Talk of the Town
    Oct 12 2026
    From $5 days at pop-ups to a James Beard Award finalist nod, Chason Spencer and Maria La Motta of Chancho King in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill built a following one slow-roasted pork sandwich at a time. Jesse talks Ecuadorian roots, Friday night fried chicken, and why Jacksonville’s food scene is still flying under Florida’s radar.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Diary of a Road Trip, Ep. 2: DeLand, the “Athens of Florida”

    Diary of a Road Trip, Ep. 2: DeLand, the “Athens of Florida”
    Oct 9 2026
    Everybody sees the DeLand signs on I-4. Very few by comparison actually exit. Jesse Blanco does, meeting a friend for a pint at Persimmon Brewing, then finding a tiny taproom hidden inside a converted church in the “Athens of Florida.” Episode 2 of Diary of a Road Trip. Real Florida. Great Eats.
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
  • New Smyrna Beach: Coastal Catch and "Orlando's Beach"

    New Smyrna Beach: Coastal Catch and "Orlando's Beach"
    Sep 30 2026
    October is one of the few months you can have New Smyrna Beach almost to yourself. That’s also the month the city’s chefs picked to show off. Jesse talks with Debbie Meihls of the New Smyrna Beach CVB about Coastal Catch, the city’s month-long dining program. It’s back for its third year with a smaller, hand-picked lineup of restaurants. And despite the name, the catch isn’t all seafood. They also get into why people in Orlando call this stretch of coast their beach, and what someone once compared it to that you might not expect. Then Jesse puts Debbie on the […]
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet