Phil Meyer: He Set Out to Prove NH Food Was Good | Ep. 54

When Phil Meyer first got online during the COVID lockdowns, he found people trashing New Hampshire food. His response? Prove them wrong. That mission -- plus a conversation that happened right here at Cask and Vine in Derry -- turned into New Hampshire Eats, a Facebook group now 200,000 members strong. Carol sits down with Phil at Cask and Vine for one of our At the Plate episodes -- out of the studio and right inside one of NH's favorite spots. In this episode: • How NH Eats grew from 4,000 to 200,000 members and why the no-negativity rule was everything • The full circle moment: the original founder handed Phil the group right here at Cask & Vine • How Nourish New England was born from COVID conversations and what it is doing for food insecurity in NH • The NH World Christmas Market -- 80 vendors, 12,000 people, all volunteers • "NH Eats is not just for reviews" -- Phil on what it is really for • And yes -- Phil is a HUGE Red Arrow Diner fan 🍳 Find Nourish New England: nourishne.org Find NH Eats: search "New Hampshire Eats" on Facebook Cask & Vine: caskandvine.com | 1 East Broadway, Derry NH NOTE: Carol misstated the website as "nourishnh.org" during the outro. The correct website is nourishne.org -- see pinned comment below. Subscribe to Beyond the Plate with Carol on YouTube 🔔 Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @beyondtheplatenh New episodes every Tuesday -- find us everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH This episode is sponsored by Red Arrow Diner. 4 NH locations: Manchester, Concord, Londonderry, and Nashua -- open 24/7. redarrowdiner.com | Instagram: @redarrow24diner | Facebook: Red Arrow Diner ABOUT BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL Carol Erickson, owner of Red Arrow Diner since 1987, sits down with the people behind New Hampshire's food and hospitality scene. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. Follow Beyond the Plate -- find us everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH Follow Carol: Instagram @carolsew24 TIMESTAMPS - 0:00 -- Intro + Carol at Cask & Vine 0:57 -- Phil intro + NH Eats hits 200,000 members 1:17 -- The full Eats network (New England Eats, RI Eats, Maine Eats, Vermont Eats) 2:33 -- COVID lockdowns origin story 3:41 -- "I set out to prove people wrong about NH food" 3:58 -- The Cask & Vine handover story -- it happened right here 4:30 -- Why Phil chose this place + Cask & Vine history 5:14 -- Winery, distillery, brewery -- Cask & Vine does it all 5:50 -- Server Zoe + drink orders 😄 6:02 -- Phil's old-fashioned has a story behind it 12:02 -- The no-negativity rule -- why it matters for NH restaurants 15:31 -- Why NH Eats goes hard for small businesses 33:11 -- "This is just volunteers" -- the Nourish New England team 38:02 -- Phil reveals he is a HUGE Red Arrow Diner fan 🍳 38:14 -- How Nourish New England got started 39:17 -- What food insecurity actually looks like in New Hampshire 42:49 -- The NH World Christmas Market origin story 1:07:08 -- Poutine Fest and what's coming up for NNE 1:17:57 -- Lightning round ⚡ 1:35:03 -- Phil is a super taster -- the maple syrup story 😄 1:35:34 -- Anything we didn't cover? 1:36:53 -- "NH Eats is not just for reviews" -- what it's really for 1:37:24 -- "You get more with honey than you do with salt" 1:37:40 -- Phil thanks the Beyond the Plate community 1:38:22 -- Phil wants to come back for more episodes