Our guest today is the Chili Queen of Texas, Diana Anderson, Diana does a wonderful job of discussing how she and her husband John started JD’s Chili Parlor. She will also discuss what she was cooking today on “Let’s Just Talk.”
JD’s was born out of true love for each other and chili! On Diana and John Anderson’s first date over 10 years ago, he made her a pot of chili. As it was far too spicy for her to eat, he made her a milder batch on the spot, and the rest is history! Well, not quite. In truth, it was thanks to their son, Wade, who wanted to start a business and share his family’s amazing chili with the world.
Since then, chili has become a great passion of Diana and John’s, inspiring them to explore the origin and evolution of chili, which just so happen to have started right in San Antonio, Texas. They began by serving chili to the public through the New Braunfels Farmers Market and quickly developed a following of loyal chili heads. From there, they expanded into other markets and special events, such as the Folklife Festival and Fiesta.
Soon, they needed their own commercial kitchen, so they became a part of the Local Sprout Food Hub family, a group of independent local food companies with a shared vision of sustainability and creating the highest quality artisan products for their community.
It wasn’t long before Diana and John’s customers asked how they could make their chili at home, which is why they created their Chili Fixin’s so that everyone could easily make a gourmet pot of their Americana fusions on their own. As you might have guessed, the Chili Queen & King of Texas have spent many late nights sitting around the campfire dreaming up other delicious ways to “chilify” your world, and they are just getting just started! To order their products go to www.jdschiliparlor.com/ and visit them on their Facebook page at JdsChiliParlor
Georja Umano is a vegan animal activist who has organized, spoken, and written about animals and animal causes in the US, Italy, and Kenya, especially in the fields of elephant and wildlife conservation and canine companions. Today we will
be discussing Terriers In The Jungle, this is Ms. Umano’s first novel. Georja is a SAG-AFTRA actress and has been seen in film, TV, and theatre. She has performed around the country as a stand-up comedian and works as a feature journalist. She is a credentialed adult education teacher and a children’s nature docent. She created, produced,, and co-hosted the YouTube series, “The Georja and Marcello Show with her dog.” She holds an MA degree in Educational Theatre from New York University, and a BA degree in English Literature from LeMoyne College. For more information please go to GeorjaUmano.com