"Mendocino Farms with Avital Ash" is Episode 313 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Mendocino Farms with Avital Ash" was released on August 12, 2021.
"Tomorrow… with Avital Ash" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Avital Ash (Cake, Antisocial Distance) joins the 'boys to discuss kosher eats and Letterboxd before a review of Mendocino Farms. Plus, a McDonald's edition of Jingle All The Way.
Nick's intro[]
Skew's Teriyaki: this long-forgotten micro-chain formed the foundation for one of the emerging powers in fast-casual dining. In 2000, Mario Del Pero, the owner of Skew's, attracted a new investor, Ellen Chen, via a mutual friend, and this attraction would soon become personal as the two dated and later married.
Skew's continued chugging along, growing to three Los Angeles-area locations at its height, but the now doubly-partnered Del Pero and Chen thought their bento-box concept was too niche to become a true hit, and so they conceived a new concept centered on two emerging trends: fast-casual and farm-to-table.
Opening their first store in 2005 in Downtown LA, across the street from a Skew's in the husk of a shuttered Starbucks, their new sandwich shop hit a sweet spot between budget hoagies and artisan deli; later described by Restaurant Business writer Jonathan Mays as "an upscale Panera Bread without breakfast."
The eatery was a quick hit with the work-lunch crowd and Skew's was sold off as Del Pero and Chen went all-in on the sandwich shop; though the sandwiches are still meant to be the star, in carb-conscious California, entree-sized salads comprise a quarter of their revenue.
Named after a rural county in Northern California to emphasize the company's connection to local agriculture, the chain doesn't actually have any restaurants in said county, but it does now have about thirty locations in major centers of habitation across the Golden State (and now in the Lone Star State).
And as at least superficially healthy eating continues to grow in popularity, it's likely we'll see further expansion of the empire founded by the husband-and-wife team that brought you Skew's.
This week on Doughboys, Mendocino Farms.
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4.5 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
4.5 forks |
| Avital Ash |
|
4 forks |
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Summer Street Corn with Chicken Sandwich.
With these scores, Mendocino Farms joins the Golden Plate Club!
Jingle All The Whey 🎶[]
In this segment, Nick plays a fast-food jingle and Mitch and the guests guess which year it came out.
The closest guess, without going over, wins that question. If you guess it exactly, you get two points (aka. the Arden Myrin Rule).
The theme for this episode was McDonald's jingles. This was also the theme for Jingle All The Whey in this episode.
| jingle | Mike Mitchell | Avital Ash | actual |
|---|---|---|---|
| jingle 1 | 1980 | 1991 | 1979 |
| jingle 2 | 1989 | 1982 | 1985 |
| jingle 3 | 2005 | 2001 | 2019 |
| jingle 4 | 1975 | 1982 | 1983 |
| jingle 5 | 1993 | 1989 | 1992 |
| 1 pt | 3 pts |
Avital is the winner! (Mitch is good at this, though.)
Roast Spoonman[]
Charleston Chew
| “ | Charleston Ah-choo | ” |
–Brad | ||
| “ | Ebesneezer Scrooge | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | You're the Boo-Boo to my Yogi. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell to Nick | ||
| “ | Call us the Cookie Crew because I also got a Chocolate Brownie Cookie; if you're ready for your mind to be fuckin' blown... I got the same damn cookie! | ” |
–Nick Wiger re: everyone getting the same cookie | ||
| “ | Avital: Thank you for giving me a reason to eat better than I have in the last year. That was really satisfying. Mitch: Usually, the opposite of a Doughboys experience. |
” |
–The Doughboys experience | ||
The Feedbag[]
| guest / host | human food for pets |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | (doesn't have pets) |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
| Avital Ash |
|
| Emma Erdbrink | meat |
Related Episodes[]
Photos[]
