Before throwing herself into her one-of-a-kind sleep podcast, Pepperoni Pizza Dreams: food whispers for sleep, late last year, Victoria-based host Julie Gauthier made a name for herself around town with her Hero Sandwiches pop-up.

So what is a “food whisperer”, exactly? Good question! Armed with only her voice and a selection of restaurant menus to read from, Gauthier’s abilities to induce relaxation and sleep begin to work their magic on listeners. (Of course, it’s a combination that is admittedly very subjective; and drifting off into sweet dreams is not fully guaranteed!) In order to find out more about the woman behind the mic, we reached out to Gauthier to find out more. Warning: this interview contains super-sleepy (and appetite-inducing) content!

Based on the combination of your background and podcast concept, you clearly know a thing or two about food, and seem to enjoy dining out and travelling… But where does the sleep part of the concept come in? What inspired you to combine food/menus and sleep into a podcast concept, and what is it about food menus in particular that is conducive to sleep, in your opinion?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had friends tell me I have a soothing voice. So I’d been thinking about doing some kind of voice work for a while. A few years ago, I was struggling with nighttime anxiety and I started listening to sleep podcasts. I quickly discovered that that was something I wanted to do as well. But it was important for it to be different from what’s already out there, like the host reading old books or guided meditations. I also wanted the subject matter to be of interest to me, because I’m someone who can easily get bored. I have always loved restaurant menus; they’re one of my favourite things to read. And one night, while I was in bed reading a menu on my phone, I had a lightbulb moment. If people are falling asleep to someone reading old books or even dishwasher manuals, why not restaurant menus?!

Speaking of the menus: have you actually visited all of the places featured in each episode? Or else how do you choose which menus to read and where do you find them?

Often I haven’t eaten at the restaurant (just because of the sheer number of menus I read, and the diversity of locations/themes…) but there are instances where I have frequented the restaurant (for example: Rabbit Rabbit, Old Spaghetti Factory, Cactus Club, Wind Cries Mary, and The Vicious Poodle, all in Victoria; Fritomania and Suzy Q in Ottawa; Their There in Vancouver; as well as a handful of restaurants in NYC and Portland). Hoping to read my own Hero sandwich menu for an upcoming episode as well!

And there are various sources for the menus: sometimes it’s a paper menu that I’ve picked up at the restaurant (if I’ve been there), sometimes it’s from the restaurant’s website or a photo of an old menu that I’ve found online somewhere (because some restaurants don’t publish their menus), and other times it’s from delivery apps.

Recently, I had someone offer to lend me their collection of old paper menus they’ve been collecting since the 70s… so there will be a series of “Gone but not forgotten” episodes later this year!

What kind of sleeper are you?

Not a great one. As much as I enjoy sleep, I don’t get as much of it as I would like. I still sometimes struggle with nighttime anxiety, making it difficult to fall asleep (and stay asleep).

What puts you to sleep?

Honestly, weed. A little edible goes a long way to quiet my busy brain. Lately I’ve also been listening to The Daily podcast before bed.

What keeps you awake at night?

Often it’s anxiety — about all the things! This is a year of change for me; and while I enjoy change (and most of it is self-imposed), it still scares the shit out of me.

Any tricks for the insomniacs (like myself!) out there, besides listening to your podcast, that you can recommend to readers?

Breathwork has helped me a lot. I like the 4-7-8 method (inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale through your mouth for 8).

Who is your favourite voice to listen to – any time and/or place?

I’ve always got music on while I’m out walking or driving. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Doechii.

Favourite bedtime snack?

My current hyperfixation snack is fresh mango with some dark chocolate.

Favourite late night spot to hit – to hangout and have a bite to eat/something to drink – when sleep isn’t a priority?

I’m old — sleep is always a priority! But my favourite late night out with friends involves going to 365 Pro Wrestling, followed by Wind Cries Mary for their late-night Birdman (fried chicken) menu.

What’s the sleepiest place in the world that you’ve visited?

It’s obviously not the sleepiest place in the world, but Victoria feels pretty sleepy to me after living here for more than nine years. I’m a sleepy girl, though, so I’m not complaining!

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Prior to PPD you were doing a sandwich pop up in Victoria. What are your all-time and current sandwich faves – that you make yourself and out around town?

Right now, my favourite to make at home is a simple soppressata sandwich on fresh ciabatta. Paper thin salami, lightly-dressed arugula, good olive oil, and creamy fior di latte. Favourite around town: I love the honey ham pretzel sandwich from Working Culture. Butter, honey, mustard: it’s delightful.

Okay, I have to ask: Why aren’t you “dreaming” of sandwiches, instead of pizza?

Ha! Touché.

What’s the dreamiest food, in your opinion?

Italian food: pasta, panino, pizza. There’s nothing better than simple food made with a handful of quality ingredients.

How about the food you are currently (literally or figuratively) dreaming about?

Cannoli. They’re hard to come by in Victoria. I recently picked up some cannoli forms and I’ll be making a batch this week.

What are your favourite pizza toppings?

Fave toppings: Castelvetrano olives and fennel sausage, or potato and fresh rosemary.

Brooklyn slices or Neapolitan-style?

Neither, actually. My fave pizza is a tavern or bar pie. I love a thin, crispy crust, with some chew. The closest I’ve found to that here in Victoria is at Emmaline’s. Their fungi pie is real nice. I’ve also been enjoying my neighbourhood pizza shop: Seal Point Pizza — they’re making Neapolitan-style pies and offer dairy-free cheese (which is sadly what I normally stick to!).

For readers just tuning into PPD for the first time, where should we start?! Is there an ordering of listening that you can recommend?

I’m an orderly kind of girl — so, I think the first episode is a good place to get started since I provide a bit of context around how I choose and read the menus. But there’s no continuity from one episode to the next; you can start with whatever episode interests you the most and bounce around as you please.

What’s your favourite episode, to date, and why?

The hometown (Ottawa) episode was really fun for me to work on. It was nostalgic reading the simple menu from my favourite chip wagon back home (Fritomania).

Finally, any more food-related projects in the works that we should know about?

There is, actually! I’m going to be having a Hero popup at Standard Pizza (1515 Cook St, Victoria) on Monday, June 16th. It’ll be my first popup since December 2023.