Circling the Wagons | Pizza, Perspective & the Tri-Valley

No guest this week—just the three of us circling the wagons. In our first hosts-only episode of Through the Grapevine, we take a little time to catch up, reflect, and talk through some of the things we've been seeing in our industries and around the Livermore Valley. We start locally with a question that's been hard to ignore lately: How many pizza and ice cream shops can one town have? Beyond the jokes, it opens up a larger conversation about small business, hospitality, what consumers are asking for, and what a growing collection of similar concepts might tell us about where the industry is headed. Matt shares some reflections from traveling around the country and getting the opportunity to sit at the table with peers and colleagues in the CrossFit industry as a subject matter expert. We talk about what a privilege those invitations can be—and the years of work, relationships, experience, and credibility that often happen long before someone gets the call. Jeremy also gets candid about the Tri-Valley. He's always been one of the region's biggest advocates, but advocacy doesn't mean you can't be frustrated. We talk about why greater collaboration across events, marketing, hospitality, tourism, and our overall regional ethos matters—and why sometimes being invested in a place means being willing to challenge it to be better. And finally, we look back on our first Sunday Supper at Wingen Bakery & Restaurant. Jeremy shares some thoughts on what went right, what the night meant, and plenty of gratitude for everyone who helped bring it to life. And yes… we're already looking toward January for the next one. No featured guest. No single topic. Just three friends and hosts checking in, sharing some perspective, and having the kind of conversation that happens when you finally get a chance to sit around the table together. Welcome to a different kind of episode of Through the Grapevine. #eatlocal #drinklocal #livelocal