Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan is a thoughtful guy with some grand ambitions. He’s working on building a big apparel company that ethically manufactures premium products at an affordable price, right in Chicago. Impossible you say? This past Monday, Jonathan Ellsworth met up with Rob at Dearborn Denim’s factory in Chicago to tour the factory with him, then record this conversation where he lays out the blueprint.TOPICS & TIMES:Why Rob started Dearborn Denim (2:47)Profitability vs Mission/Ethics (7:25)Why Chicago for Apparel Manufacturing? (13:38)Misconceptions about US Manufacturing (18:46)‘Made in the USA’ Debate & Shopping Local (22:11)Cost (28:33)Solving for Fit & Advertising Challenges (33:39)Premium -- but Affordable?? -- Products (38:03)Growth & Scale (41:11)Materials & Fabrics: What Should We Know? (49:46)New Products & Contract Work (56:08)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yia Vang is a multi-nominated James Beard Award chef; the founder & head chef of Union Hmong Kitchen, and he’s carved out time to compete on the Netflix show, “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” host the show, ”Feral” on the Outdoors Channel, host another show, “Stoked” on the Food Network, and host the excellent podcast,“Hmonglish” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, representation, and Asian excellence overall.Yia and Jonathan discuss all of the above, plus his ‘run & gun’ approach to running a restaurant; the history of the service and sacrifices made by many Hmong people on behalf of the USA; patriotism; curiosity; football; the art of Hmong cuisine; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Managing Restaurants, Flexibility, & Football (8:29)Current State of Food Culture in the USA (22:16)Being Anti "Fusion" (28:01)Hmong / US History (34:02)Hmong Cuisine & Hmong Clans (46:41)The Craft of Hmong Cuisine (51:46)Past, Current, & Future Projects (56:20)RELATED LINKSHmonglish PodcastUnion Hmong KitchenBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again? Or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this conversation about official offerings vs independent bottlings, but Matt and Jonathan also find time to talk about Scotch and spit buckets; Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands; the short lifespans of humans vs the long lifespans of craft categories; upcoming ski trips to Japan (Blister members, listen up); and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Peated Scotch & Spit Buckets (3:18)Signatory, Edradour, & Independent Bottling Co’s (6:41)Matt’s Top-3 ‘Hottest’ Scotch Producers (14:22)Country-Specific Offerings: Scotch & Skis (21:38)Blister Members: want to go to Japan? (26:15)“Consistency,” Quality, & “Craft” (29:00)Sherry (43:49)The Short Lives of Humans & Craft Products (49:45)Cheese, Gin, & Maple Syrup (56:22)Fair Warning: Things Get Loose. Stop Listening? (1:01:30)Austrian Food Review (1:01:35)Arran 10, Arran 18, & Tamdhu 15 (1:09:54)Drunken Blister Summit Offer & Ramblings (1:19:52)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberCRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 2SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of Scotch and independent bottlings. He and Jonathan compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single cask that cost $19M; debate whether you should add water to your Scotch; learn about the fanciest bottle Matt currently owns; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:What does a ski boot designer do in the summer? (4:10)Recapping our first Scotch conversation (10:08)What’s Your Fanciest & Favorite Bottle You Own? (13:23)Red Cask (16:55)Barrel & Cask Talk — plus a $19M cask (19:34)Time to start sipping! (23:56)Independent Bottlings (26:24)Adding / Not Adding Water to Scotch (30:46)Oban 14 (37:55)Back to Independent Bottlings (41:44)First Sip: Bunnahabhain 12 & the Magic Spoon (51:13)Bandaids & American Oak vs European Oak (55:16)Letting Your Pour Rest (58:50)Production volumes of Various Producers (1:06:25)More on Red Cask (1:11:39)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberCRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 3SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan Ellsworth and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form?); and finally, we discuss Troy’s Top 5 All-Time Tennis Players, which leads us back into the big question of how to think about assessing greatness in any sport.TOPICS & TIMES:Troy’s Tennis Background & Playing Andre Agassi (5:59)Tennis — the Greatest Sport? (9:07)David Foster Wallace: Roger Federer as Religious Experience (18:40)Watching Tennis on TV vs In-Person (25:32)Troy’s Top 5 Men’s Tennis Players (29:56)Troy’s Top 5 Women’s Tennis Players (49:55)Plot Twist: Re-Ranking the Top 5 (55:49)RELATED LINKSBlister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberSEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30Blister PodcastHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.