Everybody Eats: Bert Weiss

By Megan Volpert

Welcome back to INtown’s new interview series where I discuss food with citizens of Atlanta who are prominent for non-food-related reasons. Let’s get to know our most high-profile residents a little more personally, shall we?

For this second installment, I spoke to Bert Weiss, namesake radio jockey for morning funny business on Q100 FM’s The Bert Show.

How do you like your eggs cooked?

► Well, I ate egg whites each and every morning for about 10 years until I just found out I have a food sensitivity to...egg whites! And a sensitivity to yolks as well. So... none.

What are your two favorite things to put in mac and cheese, other than the mac and the cheese?

► Hot dogs. Sausage.

Where’s a good place to go for a business lunch?

► Superica

Wine and beer, or the hard stuff, or none at all?

► Vodka! Tito’s specifically. Or tequila, Casa Dragones.

A lot of people with stomach sensitivities have to eat the same stuff at the same time every day. Could we set a clock by what you’re eating?

► Oh, yeah. It’s so boring. I have had stomach problems for the better part of 20 years. I had food allergy test done and I tested allergic or sensitive for 42 different foods. So, I’m learning to eat totally differently now. It’s super boring. I have never enjoyed the theater of eating so the adjustments haven’t been that big a deal.

You’re a pretty healthy eater, but what is your guilty pleasure snack food? Favorite food for a football tailgate?

► Pizza! My kids kill me. I do so well then they come in the house and it’s always pizza. It’s my food kryptonite.

What are your feelings about red velvet cake?

► Meh.

Is there any food so disgusting to you that you just won’t eat it?

► Goat cheese is my nemesis food. (See awkward photo.)

Who does most of the cooking in your house? Who cooked while you were growing up, and are you teaching your sons to cook?

► Cooking has never been a priority in my life. My mom was an awful cook. My dad was terrible. When I moved out I ate mostly frozen foods. I’ve just signed up with Blue Apron to force me into learning how to follow a recipe. For as healthy as I eat, it’s terrible how I don’t make my kids eat healthier.

Is Atlanta’s cuisine scene missing anything you loved to eat in San Diego?

► Well, those little dive Mexican restaurants are great in Atlanta, they just aren’t as abundant as they are back home. Taco Veloz, Cuernavaca and Taquito Express at the BP on Peachtree in Chamblee are my faves.

What is the most memorable food-related story you’ve got from your time on The Bert Show?

► We have food challenges every time a famous chef comes in. Everybody works so hard on them. I didn’t come in last place when I simply used the contents inside a ham and cheese Hot Pocket. The Bert Show member that came in last was so hurt that she couldn’t talk about it for years.

Atlanta chefs and restaurants have made the finalist list for the 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards, considered one of the most prestigious cooking and food awards in the world. Both Steven Satterfield of Miller Union and Ryan Smith of Staplehouse are up for Best Chef: Southeast, while Asha Gomez’s cookbook, “My Two Souths” is up for best cookbook in the American Cooking category. Meyer Davis Studio is nominated for its design of the St. Cecilia space and Miller Union is also nominated for Outstanding Wine Program. Winners will be announced in late April and early May.

Chef Eli Kirshtein closed The Luminary at Krog Street Market on March 31. Kirshstein released this statement about the closure: “I am so proud of the staff, purveyors, and partners of The Luminary, and all we have achieved together. The dedication, commitment, and effort everyone has put forth over the last two and half years has been truly humbling, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of the community support we have received. It’s becoming more and more difficult to run a successful restaurant in a city with such a high level of saturation. With costs increasing across the board, the challenges became too great for us. I always sincerely and deeply love the city of Atlanta and the people in it. Being born and raised here and having the ability to continue my career here is a dream come true. I look forward to cooking for Atlanta again - sometime soon!”

The team behind Savi Provisions markets has opened Jai Ho Indian Kitchen & Bar, a 3,700-square-foot restaurant at 560 Dutch Valley Road in Morningside. Drawing inspiration from owner Paul Nair’s upbringing in India, Jai Ho offers a blend of regional dishes in an upscale atmosphere. Partner and Chef Anish Nair and Chef Vijeesh Parayil helm the kitchen, updating traditional recipes with innovative techniques. For more information, visit jaihoatlanta.com.

The Highlander, located in the Midtown Promenade at 931 Monroe Drive, is celebrating its 25th anniversary on April 6-9 with special musical guests, DJs, multi-media art show and trivia. For more information, visit thehighlanderatlanta.com.

The first annual Atlanta Spring Wine Fest will be held on Saturday, April 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Historic Fourth Ward Park. There will be more than 100 wines as well as a selection of beer and cider to choose from along with live music, games, and food will be available for purchase. For tickets and more information, visit atlantawinefestival.com.

Atlanta’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry will take place on Thursday, April 20, at Southern Exchange at 200 Peachtree. Featured restaurants representing the Midtown and Downtown area include: 5Church, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktail, Twelve Eighty, Ted’s Montana Grill, Superica, Serpas True Food, Sun Dial and Kevin Rathbun Steak. Proceeds support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. For more information, visit ce.nokidhungry.org/atlanta.

The 8th Annual Cars and ‘Q for the Cause will be held Saturday, April 29, 4 to 7 p.m. at Choate Construction. There will be 100-plus stellar cars, tasty barbecue, continuous pours of your favorite brews, silent auction and live music, all to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. Advance tickets are $15 for event entry and dinner; $30 for entry, dinner and bar access (legal age permitting). Tickets at the door are $20 and $40. Choate Construction, 8200 Roberts Dr., Atlanta, 30350. Visit carsnq.passioncff.org for tickets and details.