This Is TASTE

In a terrific new book, Taste in Music, musician Alex Bleeker (of Real Estate) and food and travel journalist Luke Pyenson (former drummer of Frankie Cosmos) cover the world of music through the foods bands eat while touring the world. In this episode, we speak with Alex and Luke about a book that brings a lot of heart and empathy to a subject that has been covered since the advent of food blogging. Any working band worth its salt cod enjoys food as much of the rest of us, filling their touring riders with subtle culinary flexes. Sure, food is the new rock and roll—and rockers love their food—but as we find out, this collection of essays from legends like Mark Ibold of Pavement, Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, and Natalie Laura Mering of Weyes Blood is more than a collection of “where bands eat”; it’s an essential addition to the music writing canon and one of our favorite books of the year. 

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MORE FROM ALEX BLEEKER AND LUKE PYENSON:

• Robin Pecknold: My Savior, My Destroyer, the Subway Veggie Patty [Rolling Stone]
• Our Pop-Up Could Be Your Life [TASTE]

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For years, Ryan Sutton was the chief restaurant critic at Eater New York, before his position was recently eliminated. Ryan is one of the most respected critics in the game, and we wanted to invite him to the studio to talk about the LO Times, his Substack covering the New York City restaurant scene. We talk about modern pizza by the slice, the economics of sushi, and some of his favorite restaurants in this great restaurant city. We also dig into the state of restaurant criticism, and how social video accounts and changing the way we get our restaurant intel.

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MORE FROM RYAN SUTTON:

• NYC’s Best Slice Pizza: The New Wave [The LO Times]
• This is TASTE 193: Ryan Sutton [TASTE]
• The Best Sushi Spots to Splurge on This Fall [The LO Times]

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Many of us subscribe to NYT Cooking, the decade-old recipe emporium and offshoot of the venerable New York Times Food desk. This week marks the release of a new cookbook from the New York Times, Easy Weeknight Dinners, and we were thrilled to speak with Ali Slagle and Emily Weinstein, two core members of the NYT Cooking crew. Emily is the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking and Food and the author of the New York Times recipe newsletter Five Weeknight Dishes, which reaches millions of readers every week. Ali Slagle is a cookbook author and a key contributor to NYT Cooking. We spoke with them at a recent live event we hosted at Talea Beer Co. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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Franco Fubini is the founder and CEO of Natoora, a high-end greengrocer connecting chefs and home cooks with some of the world’s best heritage produce through direct grower relationships. He’s also a professor of sustainability management at Columbia University and the author of the book In Search of the Perfect Peach, detailing Natoora’s quest to find flavor-first food and impact food systems in the process. 

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MORE FROM FRANCO FUBINI

• This Chef-Favorite App Is Now Delivering Fresh Produce to New York City Doorsteps [Vogue]
• A Passionate Rallying Call for a Change of Mindset [Daily Mail]

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Sarah Fennel is the self-taught baker and photographer behind the widely popular Broma Bakery, a “mostly” baking blog that she launched in 2010. In this episode, we are introduced to Sarah’s incredible exuberance for baking, sharing, and baking more. We talk about the early days of her writing and how Broma has grown to become one of the most popular food publications online. We also get into her debut cookbook, Sweet Tooth, which was more than a decade in the making and has been one of our favorites of this busy season.

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MORE FROM SARAH FENNEL:

• Irresistible Dutch Caramel Apple Pie [YouTube] 
• The Best Cheesecake Brownies [Broma Bakery]

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Today’s interview is so great. Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of Family Meal at Blue Hill in Manhattan and of the legendary Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He’s also the founder of Row 7 Seed Company, a seed company built by chefs, farmers, and breeders that is pushing the boundaries of modern agriculture. We talk about his Row 7 vegetables, including red Badger Flame beets and the semi-viral produce of the season, Sweet Garleek. We also discuss his day-to-day cooking at Stone Barns and how his aversion to tweezers has led to a philosophy that is both fresh and timeless. I so enjoyed catching up with Dan, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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MORE FROM DAN BARBER:

• Dan Barber Feeds the Farm to His Customers [Restaurant Hospitality]
• A New Nutrient-Dense Lettuce [Food & Wine]
• Katz’s Deli Debuts a Vegan Pastrami Sandwich [NY Jewish Week]

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Samantha Irby is a humorist, a TV writer, and the author of an incredible new essay collection, Quietly Hostile. In this episode, we talk about so many things: Chicago pizza, living in Michigan, Bosnian food in Grand Rapids, car wash dudes in Kalamazoo, and what it’s like to write lines for Carrie Bradshaw (as well as give her diarrhea). 

Clare de Boer is the chef-owner of Stissing House, a restaurant located in New York’s Hudson Valley that we like very, very much. Clare is also the chef-owner of two New York City restaurants, King and Jupiter. In this episode, we speak with Clare about her time cooking at the River Café in London and her journey to the United States to open some of the country’s best restaurants. We also talk about her great Subtack, The Best Bit.

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Ina Garten joins us in the studio for a really fun conversation that dips into her excellent new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, which is out this week. While the story covers Ina’s whole technicolor life—from a difficult childhood through her time working at the White House, to opening her specialty food store, Barefoot Contessa, to her cookbook and television work—we wanted to focus on Ina as entrepreneur, splitting time between 1970s New York City and the Hamptons. It was a different era, and she even tells a story about being held up at gunpoint. This is a wide-ranging conversation, and I think you will learn a lot about the Ina that came before the Ina we all know. I hope you enjoy it.  

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MORE FROM INA GARTEN:

• Ina Garten, Fig Cake, and One Fun Phone Call [TASTE]
• Ina Garten and the Age of Abundance [The New Yorker]

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Casey Lewis is an expert on Gen Z and writes the colorful Substack After School, which covers youth culture and trends. We wanted to have Casey on the show not just to talk about “how the kids are eating and drinking and shopping for food” but to dig into her reporting on today’s rapidly shifting culture. It’s a fascinating talk about CPG, restaurant trends, and how social media is changing the way we all eat and drink.

Also on the show, Matt catches up with the B.O. Boys to talk about their excellent movie box office podcast, how food movies have performed (and not performed) at the box office, some overrated/underrated food movies, and we talk about a series of live events they are doing this fall.  

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MORE FROM CASEY LEWIS:

• Don't Get Your Financial Advice on TikTok
• Camo Hoodies and Crocs Clompers
• Gatorwine and dELiA*s Zines

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Joe Yonan is the food and dining editor of the Washington Post. It’s a big job, covering an outstanding food city, so it’s pretty remarkable that Yonan finds time in the margins to write cookbooks every couple years. Much respect, Joe. In this episode, we talk about his latest cookbook, the ambitious Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, among other topics. It’s a really great talk, and we dig into the Washington, DC, dining scene, this impossible-to-figure-out Beyond Meat world we live in, and many recipes from his terrific new book. I hope you enjoy our conversation.   

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are into right now! These include: Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin, Il Totano is Harold Dieterle's big NYC return and it rules, 886 in NYC has a great new menu, Romy Gill's India is a great new cookbook, check out Rodeo, an exciting new wine bar in Brooklyn, Channels with Peter Kafka is the return of one of the best podcasters in the game.

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MORE FROM JOE YONAN:

• Beans, Beans, Let’s Talk About Beans [TASTE]
• Keith Lee (Politely) Dunks on D.C.’s Food Scene [WP]
• Big Crisp Energy [TASTE]
• Chef’s Night Out with Lucas Sin & Eric Sze [Vice]

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Jessie Sheehan is all about baking. She’s host of the baking podcast She’s My Cherry Pie on Radio Cherry Bombe and the author of four baking cookbooks, including her newest: Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes. This book ventures into all-savory territory, from biscuits and scones to what she calls “toasty handhelds,” kinda like fancy hot pockets, and this episode will have you craving them all. 

Also on the show, it’s time to talk about cool new fall cookbooks. All season Aliza and Matt are previewing some of their favorites, category by category. Next up is books by people we follow and love. These include Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson, What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities by Julia Turshen, Life's Sweetest Moments by Dominique Ansel, Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes by Carolina Gelen, Justine Cooks: A Cookbook: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen by Justine Doiron, Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel.

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MORE FROM JESSIE SHEEHAN:

• Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes
• She’s My Cherry Pie [Radio Cherry Bombe]
• How to Make Snackable Bakes [WNYC]
• TASTE Live at Rizzoli: What Goes with What by Julia Turshen

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Paola Velez is an award-winning chef, activist, and author based in Washington, DC. She’s the cofounder of the viral grassroots bake sale Bakers Against Racism and the author of a great debut cookbook, Bodega Bakes. We brought Paola into the studio to talk about her impressive career, including acting as a culinary diplomat for the State Department, and the unforgettable recipes in her book, like pecan-plantain sticky buns.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about some of the things they have been cooking in the peak produce period of late summer, as well as other kitchen adventures. These include the egg yolk saga continues, Zoë François key lime pie has a twist, the sardine deserves the tuna melt treatment, more sardines but this time as a stove-top pasta sauce, a kitchen floor renovation tip, a fun recipe from Koreaworld.

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MORE FROM PAOLA VELEZ:

• Pecan-Plantain Sticky Buns [Food and Wine]
• Selena + Chef: Paola Velez [HBO]

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Cookbook author and online personality Carolina Gelen is on a mission to share her love of food, which comes into focus in a great new cookbook, Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes. Carolina’s journey began in Transylvania, Romania, where she was born and raised. In 2021, she immigrated to the United States to pursue her passion for food full time. She is a recipe developer and food content creator with work featured in the New York Times and on the Food Network and Food52. In this episode we hear about Carolina’s journey to her debut cookbook and what makes her recipes unique and cookbook-able. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Also on the show, Matt covers four great books being released this fall that are about food, but not quite cookbooks. These include: Why I Cook by Tom Colicchio, Taste in Music: Eating on Tour with Indie Musicians by Alex Bleeker and Luke Pyenson, A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater, Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten.

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MORE FROM CAROLINA GELEN:

• Scraps [Substack]
• Seared Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes and Olives [NYT]
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake [official]
• This Is TASTE 396: Robert Sietsema & Luke Pyenson [TASTE]

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Zoë François is a professional pastry chef, recipe consultant, cookbook author, food photographer, and baking instructor and the host of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network. We recently spoke with her live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City to talk about the subject of her latest book: cookies. Her new book is Zoë Bakes Cookies, and it’s one of our favorite cookie books of all time. We get into so many great tips for baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie, snickerdoodle, peanut butter cookie, and other Midwestern favorites. We hope you enjoy our conversation.

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Today we have two great conversations with two of our favorite recent cookbook authors. Have you found your way into the world of Suzy Karadsheh and the megapopular YouTube channel and website The Mediterranean Dish? We sure have, and it’s changing the way we cook. Born and raised in the cosmopolitan Mediterranean city of Port Said, Egypt, Suzy grew up just a boat ride away from countries like Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and Israel. In this episode, we hear about Suzy’s terrific new cookbook, The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner. 

Also on the show, we have a great talk with Jeremy Salamon. He’s the James Beard Award–nominated chef behind Agi’s Counter, one of our favorite restaurants in all the land. We talk about his life as a young chef, the near-universal praise for Agi’s Counter’s unique approach to modern Hungarian cooking, and his debut cookbook, Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table. I hope you enjoy these conversations.

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MORE FROM SUZY KARADSHEH & JEREMY SALAMON:

• White Bean Shakshuka [The Mediterranean Dish]
• A Crown Heights Lunch Counter Stirs New Life Into the Nostalgic Egg Cream [Eater]
• This Is TASTE 139: Suzy Karadsheh [TASTE]

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Today on the show we are talking all about restaurants in America with two talented editors. First up is Kate Kassin who along with the staff at Bon Appétit just released their list of the best new restaurants in America. Kate talks about the rigorous process that goes into selecting the restaurants, shares stories from the road, and offers some great restaurants we should be visiting, from New York City to Columbus to Seattle.

Also on the show is Raphael Brion. He’s the Restaurant Editor at Food & Wine and a longtime reporter covering food around the globe. It was great catching up with Raphael about the magazine’s latest Best New Chefs class, and about how he personally traveled the country, tasting and tasting more, to bring this incredible group of talents to the surface.

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Elyse Inamine is a writer and editor based in New York. A former restaurant editor at Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, she’s now writing some of our favorite food stories across the internet, including here at TASTE. It’s so fun to have Elyse on the show to talk about her TASTE story on the rise of cute food, her view on restaurant reporting, and more.

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: A visit to Funke in Los Angeles, Untitled Art is maybe the best NA beer on the market today, Fluffy McCloud’s is the ice cream of our dreams, thoughts on the new memoir from Griffin Dunne, The Friday Afternoon Club, tacos at Lincoln and Rose, Industry season 3 is the best things on TV.

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MORE FROM ELYSE INAMINE

• Food Is Identity. For Korean Chefs Who Were Adopted, It’s Complicated. [New York Times]
• Everything You Need to Make Hot Pot at Home [Bon Appetit]
• It’s Cool to Care About NA Beer [TASTE]

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As the cofounder of online restaurant watchdog and chronicler Eater, as well as reservations booker Resy, Ben Leventhal has been at the center of all things dining out for nearly 20 years. On this episode we catch up with Ben about his latest company, Blackbird, a restaurant loyalty program that is rethinking the way hospitality and online culture converge. We talk about the company’s big expansion, what makes a good restaurant diner, burger nights in NYC, and thoughts on the city’s most controversial new restaurant: the good, the bad, the froggy. It’s always so great having Ben in the studio.

Also on the show, it’s time to talk about cool new fall cookbooks. All season Aliza and Matt are previewing some of their favorites, category by category. Next up is cuisines and cultures, featuring: The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls, Banchan by Caroline Choe, Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai, My Egypt by Michael Mina, The Chinese Way by Betty Liu, Moroseta Kitchen by Giorgia Goggi, Classic German Cooking by Luisa Weiss.

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Ellen Marie Bennett is the founder and chief brand officer of Hedley & Bennett, a beloved apron and kitchen gear company that’s found in top restaurants around the world. She’s also a chef and the host of Kitchen Glow Up, a new kitchen renovation show from Tastemade. It’s so fun to have Ellen on the show to talk about Hedley & Bennett’s evolution, the CPG cookware boom, her proudest kitchen renovations, and more.

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: Paola Velez’s plantain sticky buns are at all Nordstrom Cafes, Hebel & Co. is doing great halva, rejoice because Mariscos El Submarino is now open in Greenpoint, Just Salad wraps are actually good, Jake’s Gouda is now doing a new cheddar called Moo Echo, YAO in FiDi is a hidden Cantonese gem, and some thoughts on the passing of Justin Chearno.

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Fall cookbook season has arrived, and there’s nobody better to talk about the busy time than Rebecca Flint Marx, editor of Eater at Home. Rebecca just dropped Eater’s thoughtful fall cookbook preview, and we go over a number of her selections in this episode. We also talk about Rebecca’s journalism career and what she has been excited about in the world of restaurants, home cooking, and product trends as well as the changing face of food media.

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MORE FROM REBECCA MARX:

• Cooking’s New Minimalism [TASTE]
• The Untold Story of the Lady From Louisville and the Bubbe Who Wasn’t There [TASTE]
• SF Chron Critic and His Partner Become the Subject of a Major Takedown [Eater SF]

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Giada De Laurentiis is in the studio for an all-time classic conversation. She is the Emmy-Award-winning television personality of Food Network’s Everyday Italian (among many other shows) and the author of nine New York Times best-selling cookbooks, including her most recent, Eat Better, Feel Better. And check out our online retail store, Giadzy. It's really cool.

Also on the show is Julius Roberts. Julius is a chef and farmer living in the idyllic English countryside off the Dorset coast. He’s also the author of The Farm Table, a new cookbook chronicling his life cultivating crops and animals and cooking with this bounty.

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We are always so happy to hang out with Jenny Rosenstrach, the talented writer and editor behind a highly enjoyable newsletter and a series of cookbooks. On this episode, we talk with Jenny about her terrific new book, The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple. We get into some of the recipes that drive this creative cooking plan, and how the challenge to eat less meat is hardly that—it’s a fun adventure using spices and crafty plant-forward techniques. We also talk about the upcoming TASTE Travels trip to Mexico. For info on the trip write us: [email protected].

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: We wanted to not like the Honey Deuce at the US Open, Carlotto is a hidden gem for pasta in NYC, a Flushing food crawl, Trust Me, I'm a Doctor: A Visual Catalog of Generic Dr Pepper-Style Soft Drink Logos, 1995-2020, John's of 12th Street is a great choice for NYC group dining, a reminder that late-summer is the best time for apples.

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Melissa Urban is the cofounder and CEO of Whole30, a megapopular 30-day elimination diet program. She’s a six-time New York Times best-selling author and just released a new book: The New Whole30. We had Melissa on the show to reflect on the Whole30 universe and how it’s evolved alongside food culture over the past 15 years.

Also on the show, it’s time to talk about cool new cookbooks. All fall Aliza and Matt are previewing some of their favorites, category by category. First up is baking and desserts, featuring: Desi Bakes by Hetal Vasavada, Crumbs by Ben Mims, Richard Hart Bread by Richard Hart and Laurie Woolever, Breaking Bao by Clarice Lam, and The King Arthur Big Book of Bread. Tune in for more great new cookbooks.

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Matt Goulding is in the studio, and we have a great chat about his new series on Apple TV+, Omnivore. Matt has known Matt for years and really love his writing, which came to life in a series of memorable travel books as well as in the online magazine he cofounded, Roads & Kingdoms. We talk about Spain, Italy, Japan, and how he covered each country with memorable prose. And we discuss his extremely cool collaboration with René Redzepi. Omnivore is food TV at its most visually stunning, and we talk about the process of getting the show made. It’s a fun conversation with Matt, and I hope you enjoy it.

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MORE FROM MATT GOULDING:

• This Is TASTE 435: René Redzepi
• Rice Noodle Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture [KAL]

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Pearl Jones is a food stylist based in New York City. She’s spent over a decade making food look delicious in commercials, magazine editorials, cookbooks, and more, and she’s also one of Aliza’s close friends. I’ve obsessed over the contents of Pearl’s food stylist kit and kitchen for years, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to pull back the curtain on food styling as a career. 

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MORE FROM PEARL JONES:

• A Cookbook Shoot Recap! It Takes a Village. [Colu Cooks]
• Pearl Jones [Instagram]

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Oddball is an exciting new product that aims to reinvent jelly snacking, taking away market share from the dominant Jell-O with a vegan superfood snack. On this episode, we catch up with Oddball's amazing founder, Sophia Cheng. We met Sophia earlier this year on the floor of the Natural Products Expo West trade show, where she was hustling the pouches of berry, mango, and grape jelly out of her backpack. I was impressed and invited her into the studio to talk about her journey to bringing this traditional Asian dessert to the masses. I love the product as well as catching up with the company’s founder. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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MORE FROM ODDBALL:

• BTS: Behind the Snax with Oddball [Snaxshot]
• Meet Sophia Cheng [Canvas Rebel]
• Oddball breaking the Jell-O mold [Food Business News]

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Priya Krishna is a reporter and video host for New York Times, where she’s currently acting as the co–interim restaurant critic. She’s the author of the best-selling cookbooks Indian-ish and Priya’s Kitchen Adventures: A Cookbook for Kids and the host of the YouTube series “On the Job.” We’ve all been admirers of Priya’s work for years, and it’s so special to have her back on the show to talk about stepping into the role of restaurant critic, and much more, the char siu

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: Long Island Compromise is the top of Taffy Brodesser-Akner Mountain, Osakana in the East Village is great for a picnic, Kato in Los Angeles is serving the country's best NA cocktails, the Frozmopolitan is the Cosmo in its best form, congratulations to Yes Plz on your 300th coffee, Brooklyn's Montague Diner is our new favorite diner in Brooklyn, the char siu pineapple bao at Mei Lai Wah is a perfect food.

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MORE FROM PRIYA KRISHNA:

• No More Butter Chicken: Where Indian Food Finally Gets to Be Itself [NYT]
• Why Do American Grocery Stores Still Have an Ethnic Aisle? [NYT]
• Was Cast Iron Almost Canceled? [TASTE]

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Today on the show we’re sharing two singular conversations, one with chef and cooking personality Ham El-Waylly and one with novelist C Pam Zhang. Ham is a staple on the NYT Cooking YouTube channel, with an all-star restaurant résumé from Momofuku’s Ando to the new Fort Greene seafood destination Strange Delight. C Pam Zhang is the author of the transportive novels How Much of These Hills Is Gold and Land of Milk and Honey, and she writes about food like no one else.

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MORE FROM HAM EL-WAYLLY & C PAM ZHANG:

• Chicken Stroganoff [New York Times Cooking]
• The World’s Smelliest Fruit? Sohla and Ham Try Cooking With Durian [Mystery Menu]
• See It Slant [The Cut]

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Robert Maleski opened Milly’s Pizza in the Pan in 2020 as a way to show Chicago pizza fans that there was more going on in their city than deep-dish. Now, of course, any true Chicago local knows this, but nonetheless, when Matt first tasted Robert’s pie at his Uptown location, he was blown away by its understated excellence. In this episode, Robert shares his story and discusses how the legendary pies of Burt Katz as well as his grandmother’s cooking inspired what many consider the city’s top pie. 

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: Stone fruit in the summer of 2024 is working, Dog Day Afternoon is doing Chicago-style hotdogs in Brooklyn in the best way, Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a great summer read, brown sugar boba at Xing Fu Tang in the East Village, Langer's in Los Angeles might be the pastrami GOAT, double yolks are amazing, Daisy Alioto of the great publication Dirt gave an incredible talk about the Taste Economy. Watch it!

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It’s so much fun when Alison Roman drops by the studio. We recently had her in to talk about her excellent newsletter writing—you should be subscribing—and her newly relaunched YouTube show, Home Movies. We also talk about where she’s been dining out in New York City, her life upstate in rural New York, who she is reading on Substack (Jason Stewart, Clare De Boer, Christina Chaey), and all the things you wanted to ask Alison about what is good in and out of the kitchen. Also, cookbooks! It’s a really fun catch-up, and we hope you enjoy it.

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MORE FROM ALISON ROMAN:

• Alison Wants You to Eat the Shells on Your Shrimp [YouTube]
• Spanish Tortilla with Aioli and Friends [official]
• Alison Makes The Best (and Easiest) Tomato Tart You’ll Eat This Year [YouTube]

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Nicholas Morgenstern is the owner and operator of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, a beloved small-batch ice cream parlor in New York City with nationwide delivery. After a decade of operations in the city, he stopped by the show to talk about how the cult-followed ice cream gets made, and how ice cream tastes have shifted over the past few years.

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MORE FROM NICHOLAS MORGENSTERN:

• Nick Morgenstern Explains Each of His Shop’s 40 New Flavors [Grub Street]
• Nick Morgenstern Goes ‘Bananas’ for Dairy-Free Soft Serve [New York Times]

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Jon Fine is here! He’s a longtime journalist, cultural critic, and touring musician, and now he’s the editor in chief of The New Wine Review, an exciting publication that digs into the world of low-intervention wine. In this conversation we talk about what’s exciting in wine today and how The New Wine Review is changing the way wine is written about—the voice, the language, the attitude. I hope you enjoy this talk.

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MORE FROM JON FINE:

• If The Bear Was a Real Restaurant, It Would Be a Wine Bar [NWR]
• What’s Wine Really Worth? [NWR]
• How Good Wine Rewards Your Attention [NWR]

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Priyanka Mattoo is the author of Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones, a wonderful memoir about food and place and how moving around the world inspired volumes and volumes of stories. We so loved having Priyanka into the studio, and we covered some serious ground. We discuss her upbringing in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and her journey to Hollywood, where she worked as a talent agent and studio executive. We talk about food on TV, The Bear (naturally), but also what excites her on television today.

Also on the show, Matt talks about his recent trip to India with chef Meherwan Irani of restaurants Chai Pani and Botiwalla. They visited Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmednagar and experienced so much including stops at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, Cafe Yezdan, and Parsi Dairy Farm.

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MORE FROM PRIYANKA MATTOO:

• The Best Restaurant in Town [TASTE]
• ‘We Never Moved Back to Kashmir, Because We Couldn’t’ [NYT]
• The Monday Media Diet with Priyanka Mattoo [WITI]

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Sahra Nguyen is the founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, a progressive coffee company that is bringing Vietnamese coffee into focus in the coolest way. On this episode we talk with Sahra about why she decided to focus on robusta, a species of coffee that is grown widely in southeast Asia but lesser known in the United States. This is rapidly changing thanks to Sahra and we get into why her work at Nguyen is bringing this delicious coffee to the mainstream.

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. On this episode: The Formosa Cafe in Los Angeles got a reboot, Hark is our new favorite podcast app, Eel Bar is one of the NYC restaurants of the year, Bar Contra is very intriguing, we really like Haven’s Kitchen aioli, Phoebe Tran is making moves with Bé Bếp, Martha: The Cookbook is Martha Stewart’s 100th cookbook!     

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MORE FROM SAHRA NGUYEN:

• You’ve Probably Drunk Vietnamese Coffee Without Ever Knowing It [TASTE]
• A Bond Built Over Coffee Leads to Success in Love and Business [NYT]
• This Is TASTE 338: Haven’s Kitchen [TASTE]
• This Is TASTE 25: Jeremiah Stone & Fabian Von Hauske [TASTE]

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Today on the show we have two conversations from two of our favorites from the cookbook and online world, Claire Saffitz and Andy Baraghani. Claire is the author of a great recent cookbook, What’s For Dessert, and she’s truly one of our favorite cooking instructors and personalities on the internet. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writing chops come together so beautifully in his book, The Cook You Want to Be, published two years ago. So what has Andy been up to this year? It turns out, plenty—both online and offline.

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MORE FROM CLAIRE SAFFITZ & ANDY BARAGHANI:

• I Tried Making Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Bars [YouTube]
• Challah Bread [NYT Cooking]
• Warm Chickpea Bowl with Lemony Yogurt [official]

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Cree Myles is the curator of the Black literature community All Ways Black and the host of The Baldwin 100, a new podcast from Vintage Books examining James Baldwin’s life and words to commemorate one hundred years since his birth. She’s also one of our favorite sources of book recommendations, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to go deep on the intersection of food and literature. 

Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. On this episode: Indian snack attack from Doosra and Confusion Snacks, Island Creek Oyster Farm’s tinned clams are our home cooking go-to, Hey Champ hand-dipped snacks, a visit to Brooklyn’s Montague Diner, Lexington Bakes has a new brownie format and it rules, Strange Delight might be the NYC restaurant of the summer, and long live the Seashore Flats.      

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MORE FROM CREE MYLES

• How One Book Influencer Championing Black Authors Is Changing Publishing [NPR]
• The Baldwin 100 [Apple Podcasts]
• Strange Delight Channels New Orleans in All the Best Ways [The New Yorker]

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We welcome back our good friend Akira Akuto to the show. Akira is the Los Angeles–based chef who was behind the acclaimed LA sandwich and pastry counter (and so much more) Konbi, which closed up shop in early 2023. In this episode we speak with one of the more clairvoyant voices in the restaurant world. Akira is brutally honest about why a seemingly successful restaurant was anything but. We talk about the difficulties chefs and operators face on a daily basis and why California in particular is a challenging landscape for small-business owners. We also chat about what he’s been up to recently and the Japanese citrus he’s backing in a major way. 

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MORE FROM AKIRA AKUTO:

• Konbi, Home to the Best Egg Salad Sandwich in L.A., to Close Both Locations [LA Times]
• America's Best New Restaurants 2019 [Bon Appetit]
• This Is TASTE 164: Akira Akuto [TASTE]

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Olive Odyssey is a Palestinian olive oil collective working to build demand, supply chains, and economic power for Palestinian farmers since 2022. Today cofounder Aya Faour, a professional olive oil taster, is on the show to share how Olive Odyssey is working to build collective power and partnering with groups like Rose Los Angeles to create special collaboration products that are funding aid in Gaza.

Los Angeles listeners! Reserve a ticket for Koreaworld x Caldo Verde on August 15. Matt will be joined by chefs Deuki Hong and Suzanne Goin for a really fun collaboration dinner.

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MORE FROM OLIVE ODYSSEY:

• Olive Odyssey [official]
• Foragers [official]
• High-Minded Edibles for the Farm-to-Table Era  [TASTE]

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The title of this episode is “the last original food blogger,” and this is no exaggeration. Titus Ruscitti has been writing his influential blog Chi BBQ King for more than a decade, publishing dispatches from the Chicago food scene on the no-frills Blogspot platform. It’s a throwback publication, tipping to Chowhound and the original Serious Eats, and it’s so fun catching up with Titus about all the exciting restaurants he’s visited around the Midwest. We talk about Chicago beef, tavern pizza, tacos, barbecue, The Bear (naturally), and his intense interest in Midwestern foodways that has had him visiting Wisconsin, Indiana, and West Michigan regularly. This is a great conversation about one of the world’s greatest food cities, and I hope you enjoy it.  

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MORE FROM TITUS RUSCITTI OF CHI BBQ KING:

• Empanadas in Chicago
• Big Eating in Southwest Michigan
• Indienne

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Jim Meehan is here for a wide-ranging and highly entertaining conversation. Jim is the legendary barman and pioneer in the modern cocktail movement. He's also a journalist and the author of three excellent books, including The PDT Cocktail Book, Meehan’s Bartender Manual, and the brand-new The Bartender’s Pantry. In this episode, we go back in time to the dawn of the modern cocktail movement and relive some of the big openings and stories of the age. Jim also reflects on his book writing career, and how there’s much more to a cocktail pantry than you think. It’s fun catching up with Jim, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. 

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MORE FROM JIM MEEHAN:

• Celebrity Booze Tasting with Danny Brown and Jim Meehan [YouTube]
• Jim Meehan’s Deep Dive into the Cocktail Kitchen [Portland Monthly]

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This one is a long time coming, and we're thrilled to welcome Sam Sifton into our studio. Sam has held various key roles at the New York Times including food editor, culture editor, national editor, and restaurant critic. He’s also the founding editor of New York Times Cooking, which has become one of the paper’s biggest financial successes in decades. In this episode, Sam talks about the world of food media, his appetite for news and culture, his prolific newsletter output, and some of his most memorable reviews when he was working as a critic. Sam is a true one of one, and it was such fun to have him in for a conversation.

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MORE FROM SAM SIFTON:

• Cherries for Black Forest Cake, Tomatoes for Gazpacho [NYT]
• The Reviewing Life [NYT]
• Nello [NYT]
• Torrisi Italian Specialties [NYT]

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Today we’re revisiting two of my favorite conversations with food folks who make their own rules. DeVonn Francis is a chef, recipe developer, and events producer based in Brooklyn. His culinary events studio, Yardy World, has developed a cult following around vibrant, lush experiences rooted in Caribbean cuisine with some of the best vibes and playlists around, and now they’re joining the CPG boom. 

Arielle Johnson is a flavor scientist who advises some of the top restaurants and chefs in the world on how to turbocharge their cooking with chemistry. She’s currently the science director of Noma Projects, and she’s sharing all her wisdom in a new book: Flavorama. It’s a delight having her on the show to answer all our questions about the science behind what we eat—truly a must-listen episode for anyone interested in food.

MORE FROM DEVONN FRANCIS AND ARIELLE JOHNSON

• Welcome to the DeVonn Francis Dinner Party Multiverse [TASTE]
• How This Jamaican American Chef is Redefining Hospitality [LA Times]
• Do You Know How Flavor Works? [NY Times]

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Today on the show we have a great double episode. First up is the Los Angeles–based chef, recipe developer, and writer Chloe Walsh, author of Anchovies and Soup, a terrific Substack that muses about food life in LA, in the writer’s native England, and at points in between. 

Also on the show, we catch up with our old friend, the amazing photographer and director Eyal Yassky-Weiss. We talk about some of Eyal’s recent travels, our collaboration while on assignment in Ethiopia, and his new travel recommendation project, Unnamed Traveler. I hope you enjoy these two great conversations.  

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MORE FROM CHLOE WASH & EYAL YASSKY-WEISS:

• Honey Poached Strawberries [Substack]
• Me, Myself & Milan [Substack]
• The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah [TASTE]
• From the Mouth of the Gods [TASTE]

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Cake Zine is an independent print magazine exploring society through sweets, cofounded by Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor and the show's co-host Aliza Abarbanel. Their fifth issue, Candy Land, explores candy’s connections to the natural and unnatural world. On the show, Aliza and Tanya unpack how they made the issue and the many cultural connotations of candy. Also on the show, Amy Rose Spiegel reads a piece from the latest issue.

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MORE FROM CAKE ZINE

• Candy Land [official]
• This Is TASTE 329: Cake Zine’s Tough Cookie [TASTE]

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Kareem Rahma is a comedian and media host based in New York City. He’s the mind behind several popular online series, like Subway Takes and Keep the Meter Running, where he provides an insider look into the hot takes and taxi driver dining destinations that power the city. It’s so fun to have him on the show to talk about his new show The Last Stop, his media POV, and his past as a teenage delinquent McDonald’s employee. 

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt discuss what they are loving in the world of produce. What's great at the farmer's market, Row 7's exciting garleek, and how it all works into recent cooking projects.

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MORE FROM KAREEM RAHMA

• How a Subway Talk Show Won Over the Internet (and Olivia Wilde) [GQ]
• The Empath: How Kareem Rahma Took Over Your Feed [Brooklyn Magazine]
• Baby Boomers have ruined the world..it's time for REVENGE! [YouTube]

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It was fun having chef René Redzepi in the studio to talk about his great new (and first) television show, a sweeping food documentary series called Omnivore, streaming now on Apple TV+ and perfect for a weekend binge. In this episode we hear about the future of Noma, Jeremy Allen White and René’s workout routine while filming The Bear in Copenhagen, and why coffee is truly one of the food world’s greatest miracles. We also dig into some of the big topics covered on Omnivore, including how tuna went from trash fish to Japanese treasure, and why bananas are one of the most misunderstood foods.

Also on the show Aliza and Matt cover three things they each are into right now. These include: Edith's and Cait's Key Lime Pies collaborating on the best slushy of the summer in Brooklyn, Matt finally visits new NYC Korean restaurant Kisa and is blown away, support restaurants in the summer! Also: Nico Villasenor popping up at Little Egg, Philadelphia's Mighty Bread Company might make the best cherry pie, scene report from Mag Culture, and Gary He's McAtlas is a book about McDonald's that says so much more. It's very cool and you can pre-order it now.

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MORE FROM RENE REDZEPI:

• Omnivore Takes a ‘Planet Earth’ Approach to Food [FDL]
• Apple TV+ Food Series Has the Right Ingredients [Observer]
• Noma, Rated the World’s Best Restaurant, Is Closing Its Doors [NYT]

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Khushbu Shah is a journalist and the author of a terrific new book, Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora. She was most recently the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, where she crisscrossed the United States several times over on the hunt for the country’s best new chefs. In this very impressive debut book, Khushbu covers Indian-American home cooking through a very personal lens, offering recipes that blend South Asia with suburban Michigan sensibilities. In this episode we talk about what inspired her to take this journey, and about her deft recipe development chops. And, of course, we talked a little bit about restaurants, something we both share a great deal of love for. It’s so great having Khushbu on the show.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are into right now. These include Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn hitting new gears, the Gjelina pop-ups in New York City, and an early look at the terrific upcoming Ina Garten memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. And more: it’s cold noodle season at Noodlecraft in Queens, Sufjan Stevens’s Illinoise on Broadway is incredible, the final issue of MOLD magazine has arrived, and Cake Zine’s new issue is here!   

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MORE FROM KHUSHBU SHAH:  

• Khushbu Shah Wants Her Seltzer Bubbles to Hurt [Grub Street]
• Cheesy Masala Corn Pizza [Food & Wine]
• Get to Know Masa, the Bedrock of Mexican Cuisine [Food & Wine]
• Fudgetown, USA [TASTE]

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What a fun conversation we have with Caroline Chambers, the author of the popular Substack What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, as well as an upcoming cookbook of the same name. Caroline has had such an interesting career in food media, and we dig into how she went from relative obscurity to running the number one ranked Substack in the competitive food category. We talk about what makes a great Internet recipe, and how she worked social media hard during the pandemic to speak with an audience that was looking for just what she was cooking - when many didn’t feel like cooking. We also talk about her life in California, her time living in New York City, and sneak a little sports talk into the mix as well. Caroline is a new favorite of ours and we hope you enjoy this talk.

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MORE FROM CAROLINE CHAMBERS:

• The WTC vacation house meal plan [Substack]
• Tuna cottage cheese avocado salad [IG]

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Today on the show we have two great conversations. First up is Molly Baz. With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills, Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide and she talks about her latest book, More Is More, which taps into the food world’s more maximalist urges. Also on the show is Dwight Garner. Dwight has been a book critic at the New York Times since 2008, and he has now written one of our favorite food books in years (not an exaggeration). The Upstairs Delicatessen is a book about “eating, reading, reading about eating, and eating while reading.” This is completely, 100% Matt’s bag, and Dwight’s style and rhythm had us reading until we were full (and then some). In this extremely fun episode, Dwight shares the book’s origins and digs into some of his most memorable meals and books, and books about meals, and meals…you get the point. 

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The Chicago Hospitality Accountability and Advocacy Database, or the CHAAD Project, is an organization created by and for hospitality workers in Chicago to advance accountability and end labor abuses within the industry. On this episode Aliza speaks with cofounder and director of communications Raeghn Draper on the show to talk about CHAAD’s work and about building a more equitable hospitality industry. It’s essential listening for anyone who loves food and restaurants.

Also on the show we talk about these booming NA beer times we are living in. TASTE columnist Jordan Michelman returns to the show to talk about the NA beer story he dropped this week. Jordan tasted over 60 alcohol-free beers from around the world. Which came out on top? Listen to find out.

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READ MORE ABOUT CHAAD AND NA BEER:

• The CHAAD Project [official]
• Chicago Hospitality Workers Have New Digital Tool [BCC]
• It’s Cool to Care About NA Beer [TASTE]

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Today on the show we feature conversations with two extremely cool authors. First up is Jess Damuck, author of the new cookbook Health Nut. We catch up with Jess about a pivot away from salads, what she’s cooking at home in Los Angeles, and how she brought a lot of color to the book’s recipe development and striking photography. Also on the show we have a great talk with Sara B. Franklin. We discuss her new book on legendary cookbook editor Judith Jones, and how Jones’ great influence is still felt in cookbook publishing today. 

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MORE FROM JESS DAMUCK & SARA B. FRANKLIN

• Coconut Tahini Toast Is the Only Thing We Want To See Before 8 a.m. [Well + Good]
• How to Make an Excellent Salad Dressing [FT]
• My Lunches with Judith Jones, the Queen of Cookbooks [TASTE]
• She Was More Than the Woman Who Made Julia Child Famous [NYT]

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Katherine Lewin is the founder of Big Night, an entertaining-focused home goods store with two locations here in New York City. She’s also the author of Big Night, the cookbook, which is a truly excellent new back-pocket hosting companion, with recipes and menu ideas. It’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about summer cooking, entertaining as an introvert, and more.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt discuss three things they each are interested in right now. These include: The vibes at Greenpoint’s Million Goods, Korean drinking food at Bushwick’s Orion Bar, The Old Town Bar, a legend in Manhattan, Achilles Heel has a great new chef, Carolina Gellen’s debut cookbook Pass the Plate, The Bean Book by Rancho Gordo’s Steve Sando.       

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MORE FROM KATHERINE LEWIN:

• Big Night, the Cult-Favorite Party Store, Now Has Its Own Cookbook [Vogue]
• I Own a Store Dedicated to Dinner Parties—Here’s Hos I Fight Pre-Company Stress [Domino]
• Welcome to the Shoppy Shop [NY Mag]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the show we welcome Steven Rinella. He’s an American outdoorsman, conversationalist, writer, and TV personality responsible for introducing the outdoor lifestyle to millions of fans. It was great talking with Steven about his latest work, the MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook, and how he likes to think about summer outdoor cooking. It’s not what you expect.  

Also on the show we have a great talk with Darin Bresnitz. He’s the co-host of the long-running podcast Snacky Tunes, and a great guy to know in Los Angeles. We talk about his career working in early food television, and how he’s been at the center of food and drink for nearly two decades. 

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MORE FROM STEVEN RINELLA & DARIN BRESNITZ:  

• A Texas Hog Hunt [MeatEater]
• Quarter Sheets & Wilderado [Snack Tunes]
• Matt Rodbard & False Prpht [Snacky Tunes]
• Los Angeles Plugs: Matt Rodbard [The Angel]
• This Is TASTE 48: James Murphy & Nick Curtola [TASTE]

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Valeria Socorro Velazquez Lindsten is the owner and head baker of Loba Pastry + Coffee, a beloved Chicago café. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Valeria worked in pastry at several lauded spots across Chicago before creating her very own bakery with delights like green mole croissants and pineapple sourdough muffins. It’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about her pastry perspective, the struggles and successes of opening a small business, and more.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt chop it up about three things they are excited about in food and drink, including: The new Cake Zine issue is dropping, Minhwa Spirits is opening a tasting room in Atlanta, the gelato carts are out in NYC, Peskesi Farm in Crete, Queer Aperitivo pop-ups, Mathimata Mageirikis cooking school in Athens.     

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MORE FROM VALERIA SOCORRO VELAZQUEZ LINDSTEN:

• What Happens When Crowdfunding Isn’t Enough? [Eater]
• Customers Help Loba, a Beloved Chicago Bakery [WGN]

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On this very special episode, it’s all about beef, and we have a number of experts talking about the subject. First up is George Motz, the chef-owner of Hamburger America, the wildly successful burger counter in New York City. George knows a thing or two about beef, but we didn’t only focus on the hamburger. We talked about all sorts of beef cuts and how George likes to shop for rib eyes and shoulders all summer long. We even got some expert advice for preparing beef before it hits the grill. 

Also on the show, we have a really great conversation with Dr. Phil Bass, a meat science professor at the University of Idaho. Dr. Bass has worked as a meat cutter and, later, in higher education, researching and teaching about the science of beef. We speak about innovations happening in the world of beef, as well as some brand-new cuts(!) that you will be finding in the grocery store in future. Finally, Matt and Clayton talk about how they like to cook with beef, including Korean stews, tacos, and slow-braising adventures. It’s a really fun episode that will certainly raise your beef IQ.

This special episode is supported by Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. Beef should be cooked to a minimum of 145°F as registered by a meat thermometer. For help determining doneness, visit beefitswhatsfordinner.com.  

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Tony “Tonx” Konecny is on the show today and we talk about the coffee company he founded with Sumi Ali. It’s called Yes Plz Coffee, and if you’ve listened to this show, you know how much love we have for what Tony and Sumi have built—the bag is part of our show’s logo too, which tells you something. On this episode we talk about how Yes Plz is bringing exceptional blends and single-origin coffees to subscribers each week. It’s a really smart business model, and we get into how it all works, and how, in the end, it’s the coffee fans who win. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM TONY KONECNY:

• The Coffee Issue [TASTE] 
• 20 Best Coffee Subscriptions [Bon Appetit]
• This Is TASTE 54: YesPlz [TASTE]

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Alice Jun is the founder and brewer at Hana Makgeolli, an artisanal Korean rice wine producer based in Brooklyn, New York. She’s dedicated her life to uplifting sool as an artisanal drink here in the US by using only organic rice, nuruk (fermentation starter), and traditional brewing methods to achieve complex flavors, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to go deep on this special, rising beverage category. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM HANA MAKGEOLLI

• American Makgeolli [Grub Street]
• Fruity, Sweet, and a Little Sour, Makgeolli Is Perfect for Springtime Sipping [Food and Wine]
• Makgeolli Magnate Alice Jun Is Spreading Korean Culture, One Bottle at a Time [Saveur]

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Dennis Lee is the iconoclastic Chicago-based food writer and newsletter daddy behind two great sends: Food Is Stupid and the Party Cut. On this episode, we have a great talk about the Chicago restaurant scene, Dennis’s unique place in food media, and how his Korean-American heritage informs so much of his work. We also dig into the Chicago hot dog and how it might just be one of the world’s most perfect foods. Also on the show, Matt, Aliza, and Clayton pay a visit to the legendary Chicago hot dog stand Superdawg for a This Is TASTE field report. What a fun, tube-steak-centric episode with a true original.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM DENNIS LEE:

• The Olive Garden Hot Dog [Food Is Stupid]
• Trot to Niles for a Deeper Cut of Korean [The Party Cut]
• The Cult Recipe Newsletter About Inedible Foods [Bon Appetit]

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How cool was it to have Joan Nathan into our studio? Joan is a longtime chronicler of Jewish food culture around the world and the author of many cookbooks on the topic, including her latest (and final) book, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories, which she put out this spring. In this episode we talk about Joan’s long journalism career, including working at the Washington Post and the New York Times, and writing across the world of food. We also get into some of her favorite lasting recipes from Jewish households discovered through her world travels.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM JOAN NATHAN:

• What Joan Nathan Taught Me About the Power of Showing Up [NYT] 
• Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer. [LA Times]
• A Warsaw Bakery Seeks to Preserve Jewish Food Where It Was Nearly Lost [NYT]

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Mike Lata is chef and co-owner of the restaurants FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of the most respected voices in Southern cooking. It was really exciting to have Mike into our studio to talk about his journey to opening FIG more than 20 years ago and how he defines Southern cuisine in 2024. It’s so great catching up with Mike, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.

Also on the show it's the return of three things, where Aliza and Matt talk about three things that gets them excited. On this episode: Jim Meehan's new book, The Bartender's Pantry, the new modern Korean diner Kisa in NYC, the amazing pizza at Chicago's Milly's Pizza in the Pan, the summer of granita, hop water is getting even better with St. Elmo and others, and horseshoe crab festival was incredible. 

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM MIKE LATA:

• Eating and Drinking Around Charleston [This Is TASTE; starts at 51:20]
• If You Want to Eat Local Seafood, You Can’t Do Better Than Charleston [FW]
• For Chef Mike Lata, Food Is Good. Really Good [Garden & Gun]

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Our great Wisconsin Cheese road trip continues! We caught up with iconic Wisconsin chefs Tory Miller of L’Etoile and Graze in Madison and Luke Zahm of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua about how they harness the power of Wisconsin Cheese to make distinctly local cuisine. We also talked with Ken Monteleone of the beloved Madison cheese shop Fromagination about selling craft cheese on the Capitol Square for over 17 years. And, we put our cheese-tasting skills to the test with American Cheese Society–certified cheese professional Shannon Berry. Finally, it’s three things, Wisconsin cheese edition.  

This very special episode is supported by Wisconsin Cheese

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On this very special episode of This Is TASTE, it’s a TASTE road trip! Aliza, Matt, and producer Clayton traveled all across the great state of Wisconsin to dig deep into the wide world of Wisconsin Cheese, from fresh to aged to blended with Indian spices. We visited Mark Crave and the farmstead creamery of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, and we peeked inside the cheese caves at Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg, where award-winning cheddars and alpine cheeses are aged by Master Cheesemaker Chris Roelli. Tandoori gouda? It’s as good as it sounds, and we spoke with Huma Siddiqui-Seitz of White Jasmine about creating her unforgettable cheese.

Also on the show, we caught up with John Jaeggi to talk about the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Program and what goes into grading and judging cheese. Finally, we spoke with Rachel Kerr, senior director of brand marketing for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, about how Wisconsin cheese got to where it is now. 

This very special episode is supported by Wisconsin Cheese.

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We welcome back into the studio James Harris, one half of Throwing Fits, a very funny podcast, Instagram account, and online community dedicated to all things menswear. TF is not just one of Matt’s favorite podcasts around, it’s a sneaky great look at the NYC food and drink scene, with James bringing big opinions about New York restaurants and nightlife culture. We hope you enjoy this very entertaining episode with one of our favorite guests around.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt are back in the studio together to talk about three things they each are into, including: Pop-ups at Callisto Farm in the Hudson Valley, Thumbody Coffee, strawberry olive oil cake from Julie Saha, Khushbu Shah's terrific book, Amrikan, collectable olive oil with Tacapae, and three great cheeses from the Hudson Valley including Cooperstown, 5 Spoke Creamery, and Jake's Gouda.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM THROWING FITS:

• Throwing Fits for Men’s Fashion [NYT]
• From Nike to Nautica, Here Are the ’90s Brands that Defined the Decade [Complex]

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Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson are the co-owners of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, two beloved Los Angeles restaurants that have won plenty of fans with the power of herbs, seasonal vegetables, and feta. They’ve recently released the first Kismet cookbook, and they stopped by the studio to talk about adapting their recipes for home cooks, their favorite ways to treat spring vegetables, and more.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM KISMET:

• In Los Angeles, a Hilltop Garden Party With a Tower of Crudités [T Magazine]
• At Kismet, Your Culinary Destiny Might Come in the Form of Rabbit Kebabs [LA Times]
• How Female Chefs Are Changing Restaurant Kitchen Culture [Vogue]

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Where has the founder of Chipotle been eating around New York City, and what does he have to say about the future of restaurants? It’s really fun having Steve Ells into the studio to cover some serious ground, including his early cooking career working with Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco and what led him to open a single burrito shop on the campus of the University of Denver in 1993. We also find out about his latest big idea, an exciting new restaurant called Kernel, that has a robotic arm in the kitchen and an amazing plant-based chicken sandwich. We talk about it all with one of the strongest minds in food.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM STEVE ELLS:

• Steve Ells Is Still Trying to Solve Lunch [NY Mag]
• Steve Ells raises $36M for new Kernel [Restaurant Business]

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Our Las Vegas week continues! Gina Marinelli is the chef and partner of La Strega, a coastal Italian restaurant charming Las Vegas’s Summerlin neighborhood. She’s worked in Las Vegas kitchens since 2006 for chefs like Michael Mina at Nobhill Tavern and Scott Conant at D.O.C.G. Enoteca, and now she’s doing Italian food her way. Also on the show, we visit Fontainebleau Las Vegas and check out the growing food and drink options at the new opening.

Lastly, it’s our recurring three things segment, where Aliza and Matt discuss the three things they each took away from their exciting week in Las Vegas. 

These very special episodes of This Is TASTE are supported by Las Vegas.

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Our Las Vegas week continues with a fun conversation with Marc Vetri. We wanted to talk with Marc about opening a restaurant in Las Vegas, Vetri Cucina at Palms. What’s it like to move his Philadelphia-based operation across the country to cook on the 56th floor overlooking the Strip? Not easy. We get into how Marc has settled in and some of the exciting regional Italian dishes he is preparing. 

Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Josh Smith, executive chef of Delilah, the Art Deco–themed supper club at Wynn Las Vegas. They talk about what it takes to maintain buzz in the desert and how there is only one Las Vegas when it comes to the showmanship of dining out. I hope you enjoy this very special Las Vegas episode of the show.

These very special episodes of This Is TASTE are supported by Las Vegas.

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Our Las Vegas week continues! Penny Chutima is the next generation of Lotus of Siam, an iconic, James Beard Award–winning restaurant serving up regional Northern Thai food in Las Vegas since 1999. The daughter of chef Saipin Chutima, Penny is dedicated to preserving and expanding Lotus of Siam’s legacy, beloved by chefs like Anthony Bourdain and just about everyone else who comes to Vegas. 

Also on the show, Matt talks with Amanda Signorelli about running the Golden Steer, an iconic Vegas steakhouse founded in 1958, frequented by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, that’s been in her family for years.

These very special episodes of This Is TASTE are supported by Las Vegas.

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Our Las Vegas week continues with a very fun interview with Michael Mina, a legendary Bay Area chef who has deep roots in Las Vegas. We talk about how the city has grown into a world-class culinary destination and get into what he is cooking up at his restaurants there, including Bardot Brasserie, International Smoke, Orla, StripSteak, and his namesake restaurant at Bellagio. This guy has serious range, and we discuss how he sources California produce and seafood and gets it to his Las Vegas restaurants in a snap. We also get a locals-only tour of restaurants off the Strip from the point of view of a world-class chef who also happens to be a local. 

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt pay a visit to Sphere, the now-legendary Las Vegas performance venue. We attended a recent Dead & Company show and wanted to check in with the food! It’s actually quite good, and we share some highlights from the concession stand, including good pizza, great pretzels, craft beer for days, and a thoughtful approach to modern stadium food. It’s yet another example of how Las Vegas is getting food right. 

These very special episodes of This Is TASTE are supported by Las Vegas.

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Influential and esoteric celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has been operating restaurants in Las Vegas for more than 25 years, earning a following through his creative cuisine and sense of showmanship at restaurants including Caramá, CUT, and Spago. On this entertaining episode, we hear how Wolfgang was initially drawn to Las Vegas when opening Spago, his first restaurant there, in 1992, and how he’s seen the Las Vegas dining scene develop into an internationally acclaimed destination.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt take a tour of Las Vegas’s bustling Chinatown, making visits to some really cool places, including Ping Pang Pong, Gäbi Coffee & Bakery, Shang Artisan Noodle, and the 24-hour cocktail bar Golden Tiki. We also experience Cantonese barbecue nirvana at Win Kee HK BBQ and Noodle and catch up with the restaurant’s owner, Ida Shek. 

These very special episodes of This Is TASTE are supported by Las Vegas.

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We’re so happy to feature two great friends: chef Deuki Hong and New York Times columnist and cookbook author Eric Kim. We had a great conversation about the new book Koreaworld, a cookbook and cultural study that Matt wrote with Deuki. This conversation was recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore and touches on many topics related to modern Korean food in both Korea and the United States. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM DEUKI HONG:

• Buy: Koreaworld
• The Seoul Train of Inspiration Runs Through Los Angeles [Eater]
• Koreaworld: A Culinary Revolution [NBC Washington]
• Chef Deuki Hong Talks New ‘Koreaworld' Cookbook [NBC Bay Area]

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St. Agrestis has had a couple very big years in the competitive nonalcoholic drinks arena, and it’s long overdue to have the brand’s cofounder Louis Catizone on the show. The Phony Negroni is a near-perfect NA cocktail, and on this episode we talk about how it was born and how NA bottled cocktails are appearing in bars and restaurants at record levels. This is a great talk for anybody interested in hearing the story of an emerging brand in the drinks world.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM ST. AGRESTIS:

• A Nonalcoholic Amaro ‘Falso’ From St. Agrestis [NYT]
• St. Agrestis Debuts the Phony Mezcal Negroni [Appetito]

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Benjamina Ebuehi is a London-based recipe developer and food stylist who rose to fame as a quarter-finalist in the 2016 Great British Bake Off. She’s also the author of three baking cookbooks, including the new release I’ll Bring Dessert, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about the differences between London and NYC bakeries, developing recipes, and more.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM BENJAMINA EBUEHI

• Double Chocolate and Mascarpone Tray Bake [Guardian]
• Sweet Things [Substack]
• Buy: The New Way to Cake

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Aaron Lindell is the chef and co-owner of Quarter Sheets, the wildly popular Los Angeles restaurant he runs with his wife, Hannah Ziskin. Now, listen, you’ve probably read about Quarter Sheets. You may have even had Hannah’s iconic princess cake. But this is a conversation about Aaron’s pizza. It’s…amazing. And it has a great backstory. On this episode we hear about Aaron’s wild career as a private chef for NBA stars and tech icons, and how the pandemic led to his amazing pop-up and restaurant. It’s such a great talk, and I hope you enjoy it.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM AARON LINDELL:

• This Is TASTE 152: Hannah Ziskin [TASTE]
• One of L.A.’s Best Pizzerias is Finally Taking Reservations [Time Out]
• How Quarter Sheets Conquered LA, One Pan Pizza and Slab Cake at a Time [Eater]

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Celina Baljeet Basra is the Berlin based author of Happy, a sweet and surreal postmodern novel released last year. It follows a young man named Happy from his family cabbage farm in Punjab to his clandestine journey to Europe, and the service jobs he works along the way. I’ve never read a book quite like Happy and it's so fun to have Celina on the show to talk about unconventional food writing, her favorite restaurants in Berlin, and more.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show! 

MORE FROM CELINA BALJEET BASRA:

• Happy [Literary Hub]
• The Tragic Exploitation that Puts Food on Our Plates [Washington Post]

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Rocco DiSpirito is an iconic Italian American New York City chef, television personality, and highly acclaimed author of 14 cookbooks, including three New York Times bestsellers. On this episode we go way back to his star turn on one of the first food reality TV shows on air, and we talk about his time in the kitchen at Union Pacific, his acclaimed New York City restaurant from the early 2000s. We also discuss what excites him about food in New York City and beyond. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ROCCO DISPIRITO:

• Where'd You Go, Chef Rocco DiSpirito? [Food & Wine]
• How Rocco DiSpirito, Chef, Spends His Sundays [NYT]

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Alan Sytsma is a longtime observer of the New York City dining scene who is behind New York magazine’s formidable food coverage. On this episode we dig into Alan’s take on the current NYC restaurant scene and hear about New York mag’s amazing “Who Ate Where” issue, which digs into the cultural history of eating out in New York City. It’s really fun talking restaurants with Alan, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ALAN SYTSMA:

• Who Ate Where [NY Mag]
• 48 Scenes From a Century of New York Dining [NY Mag]

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Aaron Goldfarb has been a journalist for over a decade, frequently writing on the subjects of cocktails and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, Playboy, and PUNCH. His latest book, Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits, digs into our ongoing obsession with old spirits and the people who chase them. We talk about the real bourbon grails and the fake ones, and if there is any remaining Stitzel-Weller juice to be drunk. It’s fun catching up with Aaron. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM AARON GOLDFARB:

• The Craze for ‘Dusty’ Liquor [WSJ]
• Why Anyone Who Loves Rare Bourbon Should Visit Japan [Matador]

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MacKenzie Chung Fegan is the new restaurant critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s a former Bon Appétit editor who returned home to the Bay Area to shape food coverage at her hometown paper, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to break down her first few months on the job, the state of modern restaurant criticism, and more. 

MORE FROM MACKENZIE CHUNG FEGAN

• Your New Restaurant Critic Won’t Be Anonymous. Here’s Why [SF Chronicle]
• I Loved My Food at S.F.’s New Waterfront Restaurant — Until Dinner Abruptly Ended [SF Chronicle]
• Are My Expectations of Restaurant Hospitality Outdated? [SF Chronicle]

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Erin Patinkin is the cofounder of Ovenly and has advised some of the food world’s most interesting brands (almost exclusively female-founded), including Kismet, White Moustache, Pop Up Grocer, Great Jones, and Seed + Mill. Erin is an old friend of ours, and she has one of the sharpest minds in the consumer packaged goods world. We talk about so many topics, including some of the brands that excite her and the common mistakes founders can’t help making. We also hear about her time running Ovenly and what is next for her. It’s great having Erin in the studio.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ERIN PATINKIN:

• This Year the Grocery Store Does Better [TASTE]
• Christina Tosi: From Artisan to Business Leader [Start to Sale]

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Giada De Laurentiis is in the studio for an all-time classic conversation. She is the Emmy-Award-winning television personality of Food Network’s Everyday Italian (among many other shows) and the author of nine New York Times best-selling cookbooks, including her most recent, Eat Better, Feel Better. On this episode we talk about her panettone chops, what running her own media company and e-commerce brand, Giadzy, is really like, and her first time on television. There’s so much to cover, and we got to it all! What a great talk. It’s our 400th episode, and we are just getting started. Thanks for following along, writing us nice notes, and being such a smart and engaged community. We really appreciate it.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM GIADA DE LAURENTIIS:

• Layer-free Lasagna [Today]
• How to Get it Right [Fast Company]

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Today on the show we have some really cool conversations about European butter from France. First up is David Lebovitz, a cookbook author and baker extraordinaire. Our lively conversation is all about cooking with good European butter and why using the good stuff is essential in baking and other kitchen adventures. David is such a pro, and we loved catching up with him about one of his favorite products.

Also on the show, we have a great interview with Charles Duque, managing director (Americas) for the French dairy board. We hear about trends in European butter and how sustainability and animal wellness are top of mind with butter production in Europe. He also answers the question “How do you actually taste butter?”

Finally, Aliza, Matt, and Shalea share some of their favorite ways to cook with quality butter, including some unexpected twists and turns.

This episode is presented by Taste Europe, Butter of France.

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Rachel Dratch is an actor, a Broadway star (and has the Tony nomination to prove it), and a comedian, and she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. She is also the host of a great podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. This is a really fun conversation, and we get a sense that Rachel is quite the fooooooodie! For real, we talk about her favorite places to eat in New York’s East Village, how her cooking skills are “nice,” and why she has been hanging out at the new Second City location in New York City. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM RACHEL DRATCH:

• Will Ferrell: Not Now, Ghosts!! [Apple Podcasts]
• Rachel Dratch on Marrying Seth in a Dream [Late Night with Seth Meyers]
• This Is TASTE 60: Donna Leonard [TASTE]

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Tama Matsuoka Wong is a renowned forager who supplies top New York City restaurants like Atoboy and Daniel with the good stuff: wild delicacies like chickweed, stinging nettles, and American sumac. She’s the author of Foraged Flavor; Scraps, Wilt, & Weeds; and her latest book, Into the Weeds; and it’s a delight to have her on the show to get real about ramps hype, gardening like a forager, and more.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are feeling right now. These include the banana ketchup char sui pork from Fruitsomm x Pica Pica, My Life In Recipes by Joan Nathan, exciting times for Hana Makgeolli, the plant-based robotic restaurant Kernel, Doritos Blazin' Buffalo Ranch, and the Flavourtown pop-up at Seoul Salon.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM TAMA MATSUOKA WONG

• Into the Weeds [Hardie Grant]
• How I Went from Finance Lawyer to Professional Forager for Top Restaurants [The Guardian]
• Meet Tama Matsuoka Wong, the Forager Who Brings Weeds to Top Restaurants [Resy]

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It’s really fun having two food writers we respect, in different sections of their careers, on the show. First up is Robert Sietsema. Robert is a longtime New York City restaurant critic and neighborhood wanderer who has written for the Village Voice and Eater and who, prior to that, ran the influential underground food zine Down the Hatch. We talk about the early days of food writing and what is exciting him in NYC right now. Luke Pyenson is a food and travel writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and TASTE, where he recently wrote about telephone menu hotlines. We talk about his career, drumming in the band Frankie Cosmos (where Starbucks was his tour stop of choice), and his upcoming book, Taste in Music.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ROBERT SIETSEMA & LUKE PYENSON:

• The Delight of the Indian Combo Platter [Eater NY]
• ‘The Best Fries I’ve Tried All Year’ Can Be Found in the East Village [Eater NY]
• Please Listen Closely, as Our Menu Options Have Changed [TASTE]

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Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day’s food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe. On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel. We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It’s so great having Ruth in the studio.

Also on the show, many listeners are starting to think about summer vacations and Aliza and Matt talk about some of their favorite destinations to visit for exciting food during the warmer months. These locations include places Chicago, Portland, OR, Kingston, NY, Los Alamos, CA, and Northern Michigan. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM RUTH REICHL:

• Power Player Past [La Briffe]
• Ruth Reichl’s Ultimate New York City Snack Crawl [The Infatuation]

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Pizza is at the center of this lively episode. First up is Ali Stafford, one of our favorite recipe writers on the internet. Ali is behind Alexandra’s Kitchen and is the author of a great new book, Pizza Night. We talk about Ali’s favorite styles of pizza and what inspired her to write an entire book dedicated to homemade pizza adventures (you need to pick this one up). Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Emily Hyland, the founder of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared, two wildly successful pizza outfits that bring Detroit-style pies (and burgers) to the masses. It’s great catching up with Ali and Emily and hearing about their cool pizza journeys.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ALI STAFFORD AND EMILY HYLAND:

• How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza [YouTube]
• Thin and Crispy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [Alexandra's Kitchen]    
• NYC Pizza Queen Becomes Santa Fe Yoga Teacher [Santa Fe New Mexican]

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Two Los Angeles food podcasters have entered the studio, and the opinions are flowing. It was so great catching up with the dynamic duo of Jordan Okun and Max Shapiro, the voices behind the Air Jordan podcast and some of the LA food scene’s spiciest takes. On this episode we hear all about what is good and what is extremely bad in the Los Angeles dining scene, before taking the TASTE check. It’s a memorable conversation.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM JORDAN OKUN & MAX SHAPIRO:

• Everything Sucks [Apple Podcasts]
• The Best Restaurant Awards [Apple Podcasts]

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Today on the show we have conversations with two exciting spring cookbook authors. First up is Tiffy Chen, the creator behind the popular Tiffy Cooks platforms and the author of a great new book, Tiffy Cooks: 88 Easy Asian Recipes from My Family to Yours. Also on the show, we catch up with Toriano Gordon, the Bay Area chef and rapper behind the popular food truck, Vegan Mob. We chat about his debut cookbook, Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food. These are great talks!

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are really feeling right now. This includes: A bridge seas avo, green beans and tinned fish salads, Hamburger America's first signature burger drop from Solly's Grille in Glendale, Wisconsin, chopped cheese in NYC, New York Magazine's Who Ate Where issue, MáLà Project hot and sour soup, Happy two years to Cake Zine!

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MORE FROM TIFFY COOKS & VEGAN MOB:

• What I Eat in a Day [Tiffy Cooks]
• Taiwanese Fried Wings 2 Ways With Creamy Green Sauce [Tiffy Cooks]
• Cookbook Review: Plant-Based Comforts, with a Hip-Hop Beat [AJC]

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today on the show we have Simon Kim in the studio. Simon is the guy behind some of the buzziest restaurants in New York, including Cote Korean Steakhouse and the new fried chicken palace Coqodaq. Simon and Matt go way back, and this conversation covers Simon’s rise through the restaurant ranks, having worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Thomas Keller before debuting with the stellar Piora in 2013. We talk about how he grew up on Long Island and helped his mom open the pioneer Tribeca Korean restaurant Kori, while finding out what the rise of Korean food in America has meant to him. 

MORE WITH SIMON KIM:

• Famed NYC Office Tower Lures Michelin-starred Chef [NY Post]
• Simon Kim Wants Coqodaq to Be the Champion of Fried Chicken [Observer]

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have a great interview that has been years in the making. Matthew Kang is the longtime editor of Eater LA and is plugged into all things in LA’s Koreatown. In this conversation, we get into the big topics of the day in Los Angeles and have a spirited NYC vs. LA Koreatown debate. 

The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release events in New York City (April 24), Los Angeles (May 4), San Francisco (May 10), and many other cities. Check out all the cities and dates. See you out there!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have two really great conversations. First is a talk with Katianna and John Hong, the chefs and co-owners of the groundbreaking Los Angeles Korean restaurant Yangban. We speak about the chefs’ paths to the restaurant industry and what makes modern Korean food in LA so exciting.

Also on the show, we have a wonderful talk with Nadia Cho, the coauthor of an excellent new book, Jang, and one of our most well-connected friends in food. Nadia and Matt have traveled to Korea many times together, and they get into their stories from the road as well as how Korean food has evolved in New York City over the past decade.

The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release events in New York City (April 24), Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 10), and many other cities. Check out all the cities and dates. See you out there!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have Susan Kim in the studio. Susan is a chef, a food stylist, and the proud Korean American business owner behind Doshi. Susan was born in Seoul and raised in California, and she cooked at Chez Panisse before moving to NYC in 2016. We get into her take on the modern Korean food scene and her journey working both in restaurants and in food editorial. It’s great having Susan in.

The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release events in New York City (April 24), Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 10), and many other cities. Check out all the cities and dates. See you out there!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have Alex Lau in the studio. Alex is a food photographer who has shot covers and magazine spreads for some of the most interesting clients in the world—including traveling to Korea multiple times to work on Koreaworld. Alex spent four years working at Bon Appétit, and we get into his truly amazing journey from fashion closet intern to one of the most gifted shooters around. What a great talk.

The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release events in New York City (April 24), Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 10), and many other cities. Check out all the cities and dates. See you out there!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

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Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. To kick things off, we are catching up with Francis Lam, editor in chief of Clarkson Potter and host of The Splendid Table. Francis is Deuki and Matt’s longtime editor, and he speaks about how they collaborated on the book. We also hear about Francis’s journey through journalism, including working in TV, in radio, and at the legendary Gourmet magazine. It’s great having Francis in the studio.

The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release events in New York City (April 24), Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 10), and many other cities. Check out all the cities and dates. See you out there!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

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Abi Balingit is the author of Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, a delightful cookbook full of maximalist personality and transfixing sweets, like the adobo chocolate chip cookie. She’s a singular force in the NYC baking scene, and it’s so fun to have her on the show today to talk about what she’s been up to since publishing her first book, her love of kitsch, and more.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ABI BALINGIT:

• Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie [NYT]
• Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cake and More Maximalist Filipino Desserts from 'Mayumu' [KCRW Good Food]
• Telling Delicious Filipino Food Stories With Chef Abi Balingit [Forbes]

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It’s a simple promise in a land of broken ones: no booze, no added sugar, no nasties. Ghia, founded by a French former investment banker named Mélanie Masarin, has played the NA spirits game straight, and we find out so much about the brand in our interview. We hear about Mélanie’s journey from banking to working with brands like Dig Inn and Glossier to working in the world of spritz. It’s a fun talk!  

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MORE FROM MELANIE MASARIN:

• This Is My New Non-Alcoholic Go-to for Weeknights [Food & Wine]
• Ghia’s Mélanie Masarin Doesn’t Define Her Sobriety [The Cut]
• Pucci Skirts, Steak Knives, and Vintage Balenciaga [Glamour]   

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Michael McCarty is the owner of two restaurants, Michael’s in Santa Monica, which opened in 1979, and Michael’s on West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, which followed a decade later. McCarty is truly the father of California cuisine, at the center of a culinary movement that produced top Los Angeles chefs like Jonathan Waxman, Mark Peel, Nancy Silverton, and many others. I had so much to ask Michael, and he was happy to go over his deep history in the American restaurant scene. We hear about how he moves between the coasts with ease and how he thinks about the legacy of Michael’s after more than 40 years in the game. Michael McCarty is a living legendy, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM MICHAEL MCCARTY:

• Did This Man Invent the Modern Restaurant? [Los Angeles Times]  
• Awkward Run-Ins, Big Deals Revealed by 27 VIPs in Dishy Oral History [HW]
• Still Busy After All These Years [Forbes]

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Felix Salmon has lived in and around NYC for over 25 years, and he’s one of the sharpest observers of food culture and trend without officially writing about food. He’s the current chief financial correspondent at Axios and host of the terrific podcast Slate Money. He’s also the author of The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal. On this episode we talk about NYC dining, in and out, and his family’s fascinating history in the London food world. We also discuss the early snark of Eater, the Keith McNally legacy, early 2000s dining trends, and what he thinks about the future of food media. What a great talk! Felix is one of our faves, and we hope you enjoy it.

Also, did you read our big story about Trader Joe’s this week? It got a lot of attention and we are joined by the piece’s terrific writer, Adam Reiner, to talk about the company’s questionable private label practices.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM FELIX SALMON: 

• The Real Reason Cocoa Prices Have Soared [Axios]
• Slate Money [official]
• We Need to Talk About Trader Joe’s [TASTE]

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It’s really great to catch up with Cree LeFavour, a novelist, cookbook author, and chef who just returned from four months at the South Pole, as documented in her excellent Substack. What is it like to bake bread at elevation in the world’s largest freezer? Her story is pretty entertaining, and we hear about how the world’s harshest environment can inspire creativity in the most interesting way. We also talk about her cookbook career and some of the cool projects she is working on since returning from the Pole. 

Also on the show, Aliza tells us all about her recent trip to New Orleans. Fewer oysters and more…roti! Visits include carrot yogurt at Molly’s Rise and Shine, the “White Claw of cheese” at Mister Mao 😭, the “fajita effect” (but with bananas foster) at Brennan’s, good hurricanes at Cane & Table, and the griddled biscuit at Panola Street Cafe.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM CREE LAFAVOUR:

• My Antarctica [Substack]
• Private Means [Grove Atlantic]

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Yes, Bill Addison is back on the show. We’ve long been a fan of Bill’s writing, going back to his well-considered restaurant criticism in Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco, for Eater as a roving national critic, and for the past four-plus years as the head restaurant critic at the Los Angeles Times. Bill is our favorite critic, writing about our favorite food city in the United States, and we catch up with him in Los Angeles about some of his recent reviews and tap into his thoughts on LA’s modern Korean food scene. It's a grab bag of topics. Bill also gamely takes our TASTE check, which is one of our favorites four minutes in audio. Bill is always welcome back on the show, and this is one for the books.

Also on the show, Matt shares details from his recent trip to Los Angeles, including some of the places he dined at including: Sicilian corners and GOAT cheesecake at Quarter Sheets, celery salad at Stir Crazy, creative banchan and the new flow at Yangban, soba at Otafuku, 💯 grilled sweet potato and miso butter at Budonoki, Majordomo is still really good, and a final stop for the ages. Or, this age.    

Send questions, comments, hot takes to: [email protected] and we may read it on a future episode.

MORE FROM BILL ADDISON:

• Inside NYC’s Korean Wave [Los Angeles Times]
• A Destination Restaurant in the High Desert [Los Angeles Times]
• 21 of the Best Bagel Shops in Los Angeles [Los Angeles Times]
• This Is TASTE 194: Bill Addison [TASTE] 

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Joshua Weissman is one of the strongest (and largest) voices on the food internet and the host of a series of YouTube shows that clock more than nine million subscribers. He has an abounding love of food and proper technique, and we get into what makes a great cooking video, how Joshua likes to spend his off time in Austin, Texas, and his great cookbook, Texture Over Taste.

Wylie Dufresne is a legendary force in the New York City chef world. As the owner of wd~50, he pioneered a form of cooking, sometimes called modernist cuisine, and brought it to worldwide attention. And now he’s turned his attention to pizza with the opening of Stretch Pizza on Park Avenue. In this lively conversation, we talk about Wylie’s pandemic pizza project that went to the next level. We also discuss cookbooks and our shared love for the New York City shop Kitchen Arts & Letters.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

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Today is JG day, and we are thrilled! Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the man behind his eponymous Midtown restaurant as well as some of the most influential dining in the canon of American gastronomy: Spice Market, JoJo, 66, Vong, Matsugen, the Tin Building. When JG stopped by the studio on Monday,, we didn’t have a detailed plan for our talk. We wanted to go back in time, mostly, but also to talk about how the guy stays fresh when operating restaurants in over 16 countries. We discuss the drive to earn back a third Michelin star at the flagship, and where he likes to dine out for inspiration. We also talk about how JG travels, creates signature dishes, and remains one of the strongest voices in food—without doing much press at all. Plus, we talk about Wendy’s. What a joy it was having Jean-Georges in the studio, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are feeling right now, including Sri Lankan milk tea from Kola Goodies, Westholme Australian Wagyu, and Potluck gochujang. Plus, Manischewitz debuts a new look, and don’t sleep on Raisinets. Lastly, Koreaworld NYC events are coming up! April 23 at Rizzoli Bookstore, with an April 24 launch party at Seoul Salon. In Los Angeles, May 3 at the Butcher, the Baker, the Cappuccino Maker. Check out the full Koreaworld world tour schedule.  

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN:     

• The Fifth Season [NY Mag]
• Jean-Georges Celebrates 50 years of Culinary Excellence [Today]
• Can Dried Fruit Get a Facelift? [TASTE]

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Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine are the authors of Hot Sheet, a delightful new cookbook dedicated to the wide world of possibilities unlocked by the humble sheet pan. They’ve conjured up seriously smart recipes for breakfasts, starters, dinners, and desserts, and today they’re going deep on their process for developing creative yet accessible sheet pan staples.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM OLGA MASSOV AND SANAĔ LEMOINE

• The Thanksgiving Sheet Pan [Voraciously]
• This Is TASTE 311: Sanaë Lemoine [TASTE]
• Hot Sheet

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Marguerite Zabar Mariscal started as an intern at Momofuku in 2011, working her way through the influential restaurant group founded by David Chang all the way to the position of CEO, which she has held since 2019. On this entertaining episode, we speak about Marguerite’s journey from growing up a Zabar (that is, New York City grocery royalty) to running Momofuku’s sprawling restaurant and consumer packaged goods business, all while working side by side with the famously difficult and impossibly genius David Chang. It’s so good catching up with one of the brightest stars in the food world today.

Also on the show, Matt shares about his recent trip to Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs has good food? Indeed! He shares his visit to French Miso Café, Bar Cecil, Billy Reed's, and some thoughts on the homes of Palm Springs via the amazing Mod Squad mid-century architecture tours.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM MARGUERITE ZABAR MARISCAL:

• Momofuku’s Secret Sauce: A 30-Year-Old C.E.O. [NYT]
• This Is TASTE 336: Eunjo Park [TASTE]
• This Is TASTE 36: Eli Zabar [TASTE]
• This Is TASTE 28: Max Ng [TASTE]

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Today on the show we have a special conversation with Emily Sundberg, the voice behind the must-read (and much-read) Feed Me, a newsletter about business, culture, food, and good gossip. Emily and Matt shared the stage at the recent Adweek Commerce Week in New York, and here they talk about all kinds of craziness, including F*og Club, probiotic sodas, Faire, Graza potato chips, the future of food media, the rise of retail media, the best and worst food retail, and so much more. Thanks to our friends at Adweek for inviting us to join the stage.

For TASTE partnerships reach out to Peter Romero: [email protected]

MORE FROM EMILY SUNDBERG:  

• Ultimate New York Beauty Black Book [Feed Me]
• The Dinner Party Is Over [NY Mag]
• Your Employees are Probably Recording You [Feed Me]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest this episode is one of our friends in the food podcasting world. Dan Pashman is the creator and host of the long-running podcast The Sporkful. He’s also the author of a great new book, Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People. In this episode, we talk about his pasta journey, from creating his own pasta shape to rigorously researching the many ways pasta can be cooked outside the Italian vernacular. It’s a great talk with Pashman.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM DAN PASHMAN:

• Everything You Need to Know About Cascatelli [The Sporkful]
• Anything’s Pastable Episode 1 [The Sporkful]
• Are Shallots Bull$#!t?  [The Sporkful]

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Arielle Johnson is a flavor scientist who advises some of the top restaurants and chefs in the world on how to turbocharge their cooking with chemistry. She’s currently the science director of Noma Projects, and she’s sharing all her wisdom in a new book: Flavorama. It’s a delight having her on the show to answer all our questions about the science behind what we eat—truly a must-listen episode for anyone interested in food.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM ARIELLE JOHNSON:

• Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness [Netflix]
• Arielle Johnson Has Flavor Down to a Science [Glamour]

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Nicolaia Rips is a true New Yorker. She grew up in Manhattan’s famous Chelsea Hotel, which served as the subject of her memoir, Trying to Float. Now she’s the features editor of HommeGirls, and she’s writing for places like Cultured, Air Mail, and the New York Times. It’s so fun to have her on the show in an all-out New York episode.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM NICOLAIA RIPS:

• When the Ghost of the Chelsea Hotel Is You [New York Times]
• Who The Hell Are 2girls1bottl3? [The Face]

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Sun Noodle is a legend in the ramen game and the company behind many of your favorite bowls around the country. Kenshiro Uki, our guest on today’s show, grew up in Hawaii working at his family’s noodle company and later helped lead an expansion throughout the United States and beyond. On this episode we hear about what goes into making noodles perfectly matched for legendary shops like Momofuku Noodle Bar and Yuji Ramen, to name a few. We also hear about Sun Noodle’s growing consumer packaged goods business, which brings bowls of miso and shoyu ramen to home cooks. It’s super fun catching up with Kenshiro.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over three things they are each feeling right now including: Eric Kim’s black sesame Rice Krispies treats, coconut and pineapple payasam at Kanyakumari, the pasta tarot deck, Mel the bakery in Hudson, NY, Happy by Celina Baljeet Basra, The Bartender’s Pantry by Jim Meehan.   

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.      

MORE FROM SUN NOODLES:

• How a Ramen Noodle Factory Makes 300,000 Noodle Orders a Day [Eater]
• Taking Flight to a Land of Noodles [NYT]

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Julius Roberts is a chef and farmer living in the idyllic English countryside off the Dorset coast. He’s also the author of The Farm Table, a new cookbook chronicling his life cultivating crops and animals and cooking with this bounty. It’s a real delight to have him on the show to talk about transitioning from cooking in restaurants to family farming, daily life on his smallholding, recipe development, and more.

Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Matt to talk about her recent trip to Mexico.

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MORE FROM JULIUS ROBERTS:

• Epic Tarragon and Roast Chicken Recipe [The Telegraph]
• Snails Appear on the Insides of Our Windows Overnight [The Times]

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The Netflix culinary travel series Somebody Feed Phil proves that food television can be both accessible and interesting, populist and highbrow. Much of the show’s success is credited to its host, the delightful human being Phil Rosenthal. Phil returns to the This Is TASTE studio for the first time in over five years and we catch up about how his show has grown in scope, we talk about some of his favorite NYC and Los Angeles restaurants, and get some info on his soon-to-open restaurant in Larchmont Boulevard, Max and Helens. Phil is always welcome on the show and it’s great catching up.

Also on the show Aliza and Matt catch up about some exciting spring cookbooks, including: Islas, Bourbon Land, Health Nut, The SalviSoul Cookbook, Keep It Zesty, Cured.    

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MORE FROM PHIL ROSENTHAL:

• Phil Rosenthal Is Opening an Old-School Diner in Los Angeles This Summer [Eater LA]
• This Is TASTE 13: Phil Rosenthal [TASTE]
• The 80 Most Exciting New Spring Cookbooks for 2024 [Epicurious]

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Crystal Wilkinson is the author of a compelling new book, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, a memoir that honors the author’s maternal ancestors, which she calls her “kitchen ghosts.” On this episode we speak with Wilkinson about life in Kentucky and what she came to learn about her family history while researching the book. 

Also on the show we catch up with Howie Kahn, a prolific journalist, sneaker expert, author, and podcast host. Howie is an old friend and a respected voice in food writing. We talk about his early magazine career and what drives him to write about food, drink, travel, and NYC as a backdrop for it all. 

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MORE FROM CRYSTAL WILKINSON & HOWIE KAHN:

• The Ghosts of Black Appalachia Visit Her Kitchen [NYT]
• Crystal Wilkinson Poetry [Academy of American Poets]
• Tom Sachs On His Cult Classic 'Mars Yard' Nikes [Esquire]
• Writer Howie Kahn Is Fascinated by the Grill [Grub Street Diet]

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Hailee Catalano and Chuck Cruz are two of our favorite social media follows (@haileecatalano and @chuckycruz). The two chefs, who met in culinary school, cooked at Chicago restaurants like Dos Urban Cantina and Cellar Door Provisions before starting to share recipes on TikTok and Instagram. Their inventive recipes and laid-back vibe have won many, many fans, and it’s so fun to have them both in the studio to talk about their shifting careers. 

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MORE FROM HAILEE CATALANO AND CHUCK CRUZ

• Earl Grey Buckwheat Chocolate Cake [Hailee Catalano]
• Chicken Adobo Au Poivre [Chuck Cruz’s Substack]
• Chuck’s Spotify Playlist

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The hamburger god George Motz is back on today’s show, and it doesn’t disappoint. George is a writer, a TV host, and the guy with the cool hair and an endless well of knowledge about the hamburger. On this episode we talk about the opening of his wildly popular new NYC restaurants, Hamburger America. The first few months has brought long lines and introduced a very opinionated city to one of the finer burgers around. He hear about it all, as well as George's take on the modern burger scene.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about the rebirth of the terrine in NYC restaurants. Terrine is an unquestionably dated dish, firmly stuck in time, a relic of 1970s dinner parties and the pages of a favorite vintage cookbook. But clearly there is new energy, a compulsion to slice off a little culinary history for eager diners. Aliza ran with the idea in a recent story on TASTE.

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MORE FROM GEORGE MOTZ:

• A New Luncheonette Serves the Hamburgers America Deserves [Eater]
• The Carolina Slaw Burger [Garden and Gun]
• How George Motz Spends His Sundays [NYT]
• The Terrine Fan Club Is Now Recruiting [TASTE]

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Today on the show we have a great double episode with two serious dudes in the restaurant game. Arjav Ezekiel is co-owner of Birdie’s, a beloved restaurant and wine bar located in Austin, Texas. On this episode we talk about Arjav’s immigrant upbringing in Portland, Oregon, and what brought him to the exciting world of wine.

Also on the show we have a really great conversation with Harris Mayer. Harris is a New York City chef and the owner of Pulkies, a really terrific restaurant serving Jewish-style barbecue to go—that would be ’cue centered around the smoked turkey leg. His “I can’t believe it’s not pork” pulled turkey leg sandwich is one of my favorite things in all of NYC.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM ARJAV EZEKIEL & HARRIS MAYER:

• The 2023 Restaurant of the Year [Food & Wine]
• The Powerhouse Duo Behind Birdie’s [Austin Monthly]
• Harris Mayer-Selinger Puts His Own Stamp on Jewish Barbecue [Tablet]

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Kanchan Koya will forever change how you look at your spice drawer. The chef, author, podcast host, and nutrition coach has a PhD in biomedical sciences from Harvard Medical School, which she uses to champion the science-backed benefits of ancient spices. We invited her into the studio for a truly fascinating conversation answering our many questions about health claims around spices—such as, what is inflammation, actually? Find out now.

Also on the show, Matt shares some highlights from his recent trip to Seoul, including stops at Buto, Sancheong Sutbul Garden, Flavourtown (100% free of spikey blonde hair), Meal-do, Honeybee, Magazine F. To name just a few! The full list will be dropping later this year.        

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MORE FROM KANCHAN KOYA

• Spice Spice Baby [official]
• Radical Vitality [Apple Podcasts]

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Matthew Schneier is currently the chief restaurant critic at New York magazine and previously reported on fashion and culture at The Cut and the New York Times. Matthew joined us in the studio to talk about the job he took over a little more than six months ago. We discuss putting his own unique stamp on the coverage, what he looks for in both old and new NYC restaurants to review, and how he came to the job in the first place. Matthew is one of our favorite writers around, and it was so great catching up.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt catch up about three things they each are into right now, including: Patita at Spoon & Pork in Los Angeles, the forthcoming cookbook from Los Angeles restaurant Kismet, Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes, clam kalguksu at Hangari Kalguksu in Los Angeles, Mom’s Touch Lab in Seoul, Little Fatty in Los Angeles, and come to France this summer with Matt and Marissa Mullen!  

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MORE FROM MATTHEW SCHNEIER:

• Will Four Twenty Five Kill the Grill [NY Mag]
• Not-So-Plain Slices [NY Mag]
• Keith McNally, to Go [NY Mag]
• The Good Used Book Edition [WITI]

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Himanshu Suri is best known by his rap name Heems. We wanted to have Heems on not just because we are a fan of his former group Das Racist (you may remember their song “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”) but because we wanted to talk to him about Punjabi food. About growing up in Queens. About his new passion for gardening. Check out his very cool new album, Lafandar. 

Also on the show is James Harris, one half of Throwing Fits, a very funny podcast and online community dedicated to all things menswear. We wanted to invite James in not just to talk about chef fashion but also to find out about where he’s eating and drinking around his hometown of New York City. We also get into Fanelli vs. Lucien, not being able to get into Gem Wine thanks to TikTok, eating fried prawn heads, Japanese food at home vs. in restaurants, and eating the miso black cod at Nobu as a kid. We also get the Throwing Fits line on Dimes Square. This is a great talk with James, a real one-of-one guest.

MORE FROM HEEMS AND THROWING FITS:

• Dosa Hunt! [official]
• Heems on Rap, Race and Identity [NPR]
• Throwing Fits for Men’s Fashion [NYT]
• From Nike to Nautica, Here Are the ’90s Brands that Defined the Decade [Complex]

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You’ve spotted their iconic squeeze bottle on the shelves of Whole Foods and seen it used by your favorite food influencers and chefs on Instagram. But do you know the story behind Spanish olive oil company Graza? On this episode, we welcome back Graza’s charismatic cofounder Andrew Benin to talk about the ups and downs of running a quickly growing food company. We hear about public drama, exploding growth, critical reviews, and how Graza remains one of the most exciting brands in not just olive oil, but all of food.

Want to partner with TASTE? Send us a note at: [email protected]. 

MORE FROM GRAZA:

• The Best Olive Oil You Can Buy at the Store [Wirecutter]
• This Is TASTE 182: Graza [TASTE]
• Olive Oil Has Never Been Cooler [Eater]
• This Week’s Tiniest Social Media Drama Is About Olive Oil [NYT]
• This Is TASTE 351: Aura Bora [TASTE]

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Christina Chaey is a writer and recipe developer based in Brooklyn. A former Bon Appétit food editor, she’s currently writing the newsletter Gentle Foods, where she shares essays and recipes rooted in cooking how you want to feel. It’s so special to catch up with Christina in the studio about her background working in magazines, expanding the concept of wellness food, and making her very own cookbook. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

MORE FROM CHRISTINA CHAEY:

• Gentle Foods [Substack]
• Green Curry Lentil Soup [Bon Appetit]

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Andy Baraghani started his professional cooking career as a teenager at the legendary Berkeley, California, restaurant Chez Panisse, and he was truly just getting started. After working as a line cook at Estela in New York City, he was hired as the food editor at Tasting Table and eventually found his way to the Bon Appétit test kitchen, where he worked for over six years and won the hearts of many with his exceptional cooking instruction and his own kind heart. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writing chops come together so beautifully in his book, The Cook You Want to Be, published two years ago. So what has Andy been up to? It turns out, plenty—both online and offline. Here we catch up about what is good in the Baraghani universe, and it’s clear Andy is the guy he wants to be.

Also on the episode, we hear from Christian Reynoso about the recent TASTE feature he wrote describing his time working at San Francisco’s Zuni Café and the legacy of the cookbook that remains an absolute classic.

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MORE FROM ANDY BARAGHANI:

• Andy Baraghani’s Essential Kitchen Tools [Bon Appetit]
• Kimchi Udon With Scallions [Bon Appetit]
• How Andy Baraghani Became the Internet Boyfriend of Our Dreams [Out]
• The Zuni Café Cookbook Is Canon [TASTE]

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What a great conversation here with David Kamp, a journalist of the highest order and author of one of Matt’s favorite books about food ever, The United States of Arugula: The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution. In this episode we talk about the book’s legacy some 15 years after its publication. We also find out what David is working on now, including a Broadway musical. It’s great catching up with David Kamp, a real legend in the game.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk discuss three things they are most interested in, including: A NYC pop-up report (Wizard Hat Pizza, Chrissy's, Shy's Burger), Hand Hospitality in the NYT, Unified Ferments Nilgiri Coomor kombucha, a great new cookbook: Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and happy birthday to TASTE!

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MORE FROM DAVID KAMP:

• Faces for Radio [Air Mail]
• I’ve Told My Last Trump Joke [NYT] 
• The Hunger Artists [NYT]
• The Elusive Restaurant Group Redefining Korean Dining in New York [NYT]

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Rachelle Hampton is a culture writer and the cohost of ICYMI, a digital culture podcast from Slate that provides funny and deep insight into the weird, wide world of the perpetually online. It’s so fun to have Rachelle in the studio to unpack some of the most pressing online food questions of the moment—Stanley cups, The Bear thirst—plus her own food media consumption, and much more.

Also on the show, Matt catches up with Suzy Karadsheh, a good friend of TASTE and the author of The Mediterranean Dish: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You'll Make on Repeat. They talk about an upcoming trip to Greece and some more exciting plans on the horizon.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

MORE FROM RACHELLE HAMPTON & SUZY KARADSHEH:

• Restaurant Wars: Keith Lee vs Atlanta [Slate Podcasts]
• The Orwellian World of Vintage Fast-Food Training Videos [Slate Podcasts]
• TASTE Travels Greece: Cooking and Eating Through Athens and Crete [TASTE]
• White Bean Shakshuka [The Mediterranean Dish] 

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We enjoyed having Jamila Robinson in the studio. Jamila is the editor in chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious, the storied Condé Nast food publications that she took over in September. There are big plans and changes afoot at One World Trade Center, and we talk about Jamila’s vision for the future and the publications’ ongoing labor dispute, while looking back at her career working in newspapers in Detroit and Philadelphia. This is a really great talk!

Also on the show, Matt shares some highlights from his recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, putting fresh eyes on one of America’s great food cities. Stops include: Vern’s, Lewis Barbecue, Palmira Barbecue, Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ, Weltons Tiny Bakeshop, The Spectator Hotel, Fig, 167 Raw, Kultura, Little Jack’s Tavern.   

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MORE FROM JAMILA ROBINSON:

• Jamila Robinson Is Named Next Editor of Bon Appétit Magazine [NYT]
• This Is TASTE 262: Lyndsay C. Green [TASTE]
• The Balthazar Cookbook: My Personal Cooking School [TASTE]
• Charleston CVB [official]

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Today we are excited to welcome award-winning director Trần Anh Hùng to the studio. His latest film, the lush and food-centered The Taste of Things, is in theaters now. It stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, who cook (and cook and cook!) for friends and visitors with a passion that transcends the idea of “foodie,” Detailed, painstaking process cooking and late-19th-century suiting are major threads, with food scenes guided by the eye of legendary international chef Pierre Gagnaire. We speak with the director about bringing this universe to life, and about the food of his childhood growing up in Da Nang, Vietnam. It’s really a great talk, and we hope you enjoy it.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

MORE FROM TRAN ANH HUNG:

• ‘The Taste of Things’ Review: Love, Loss and Loins of Veal [NYT] 
• ‘The Taste of Things’ Is a Kitchen-set Love Story. It Was Made by Exes [LA Times] 
• Our Growing Hunger for Food on Screen [FT]

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Today we have a great double episode of the show. Alex Prud’homme’s new book, Dinner with the President, is a history of American food, politics, and 26 presidents, from George Washington starving at Valley Forge in 1777 to Donald Trump’s burger banquets. It was such a good time having Alex on the show to talk about how food has been used as a diplomatic tool since the founding of the United States, and also dig into the legacy of his famous great aunt - Julia Child.

Also on the show we welcome Ali Rosen to the studio. Ali is a cookbook author, TV food host, and successful rom-com novelist, having published the hit novel Recipe for Second Chances. She is also the author of the new cookbook, 15 Minute Meals. On this episode we talk about what makes a 15 minute meal, and how she writes her food-focused fiction. It’s such a fun talk, I hope you enjoy it.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

MORE FROM ALEX PRUD’HOMME & ALI ROSEN:

• Diplomacy Is Best Conducted at the Dinner Table [NYT]
• Alex Prud’homme Wishes He Was in the Room Where It Happened [NYT]
• Potluck with Ali Rosen [official]

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Rose Wilde is the pastry chef and owner of Red Bread in Los Angeles, a pioneering microbakery that’s been championing whole grains and sustainable baking for over a decade.  

She's headed the bread and pastry programs at Michelin-starred Rustic Canyon, Manuela, and Mother Wolf, and now she’s sharing her wisdom in the wonderful baking book Bread and Roses. We loved having Rose on the show to talk about the joys and challenges of baking with whole grains, her flock of chickens, and more. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

MORE FROM ROSE WILDE:

• Red Bread Bakery [official]
• Rose Wilde's 'Bread and Roses' [Wordloaf]
• Buy: Bread and Roses

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It was a lot of fun having PJ Vogt in the studio. PJ is a recognizable figure in the world of public radio and podcast. He’s currently the host of one of our favorite shows today, Search Engine, and we talk about his recent food-related episodes, digging into sushi fraud and airplane coffee. We also chop it up about so many topics in food, including his ongoing coffee journey and some of PJ’s favorite NYC restaurants. What a great talk—we hope you enjoy it!

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  

MORE FROM PJ VOGT:

• Why Are There So Many Chicken Bones on the Street? [Apple]
• Am I the Victim of an International Sushi Scam? [Apple]
• Search Engine Is the Spiritual Successor to Reply All [Vulture]

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Aura Bora is a sparkling water that pushes the limits of sparkling water. Founded by Paul Voge, it’s a company that prides itself on spiking its cans of water with herbs, fruits, and flowers for earthly tastes and heavenly feelings. (True to the claim, we certainly had some feelings when we tried their green bean casserole concoction.) Paul, a guest on today’s show, has incredible taste and is bursting with passion for his waters. We talk about his journey and how he comes up with flavors that include chai cranberry, persimmon clove, and peppermint watermelon. If you haven’t tried Aura Bora, you don’t know what you’re missing. 

Also on the show, Matt is back from a California road trip and gives some of his highlights, including The Duchess and The Summit in Ojai, Bell’s in Los Alamos, Ad Astra Bread in Monterey, Cat & Cloud Coffee in Santa Cruz, Itani Ramen and Fentons Creamery in Oakland, the cafe at Chez Panisse in Berkeley(!), Ad Hoc and Mustards Grill in Yountville, and El Molino Central in Sonoma.

Want to partner with TASTE? Send us a note at: [email protected]. 

MORE FROM AURA BORA:

• We’ve Hit Peak Beverage [TASTE]
• Dry Guys Olive Oil Martini [official]
• This Is TASTE 303: Olipop [TASTE]

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We’re thrilled to finally have Angelo Sosa on the show. Angelo is one of the most talented chefs we've gotten to know, and he’s currently the chef at two really great restaurants in Phoenix: Tia Carmen and Kembara. Angelo was also the runner up on Top Chef and has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Stephen Starr, and Masaharu Morimoto. On this episode we talk about Angelo’s TV past and dig into his passion for Asian cuisine, including his deeply creative work with Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese flavors and techniques at his latest opening, Kembara. We really loved catching up with Angelo and hope you enjoy this conversation.

Also on the show, Matt gives his highlights from a recent trip to Phoenix. Stops include: Unos Tacos y Birria, Tacos Chiwas, the greatness of Monsoon Market, Wagyu beef rendang at Kembara, and Pizzeria Bianco.

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MORE FROM ANGELO SOSA:

• Angelo Sosa’s Kembara Is a Love Letter to His Asian Travels [Forbes]
• Must-Try Restaurants in Phoenix with Angelo Sosa [A Taste of AZ]
• This Is TASTE 251: Dale Talde [TASTE]

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DeVonn Francis is a chef, recipe developer, and events producer based in Brooklyn. His culinary events studio, Yardy World, has developed a cult following around vibrant, lush experiences rooted in Caribbean cuisine with some of the best vibes and playlists around, and now they’re joining the CPG boom. It’s a joy to have DeVonn in the studio to talk about his distinctive POV, starring in the second season of High on the Hog, his dream dinner party lineup, and more.  

Also on the show the return of three things, where Aliza and Matt go over some of the books, restaurants, and citrus fruits they are most excited about. This includes: Flan at Nenes Taqueria, al bap at AriAri, crispy shallots and fish roe from Ignacia Valdes pop-ups, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures, PSA: The pomelos are hitting in NYC right now, Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM DEVONN:

• Welcome to the DeVonn Francis Dinner Party Multiverse [TASTE]
• The 2021 Feel Good Food Plan [Bon Appetit]
• Yardy World [official]

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Our friend Jamie Oliver returns to the show, this time live from Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan as part of our TASTE Live at Rizzoli reading series. It was so great catching up with the chef and healthy eating advocate to discuss so many topics, and to dig into his great new book: 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM JAMIE OLIVER:

• Jamie Oliver Does Mediterranean [All Of It]
• Jamie Oliver Shares 5-ingredient Meals [GMA]
• How Long Gone: Jamie Oliver [Apple]

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Pizza Week continues! On this episode, we chat with the one and only Daniel Holzman, the chef and owner of Danny Boy’'s Famous Original Pizza in Los Angeles. Daniel is a good friend of TASTE and Matt’s longtime writing partner (they wrote Food IQ together). Here they catch up about all things pie, including what Los Angeles was missing when Danny Boy’s jumped into the scene a few years back. We find out about Daniel’s detailed approach to bring New York City slices to the West Coast, his upcoming expansion plans, and what excites him about pizzas around the world. It’s good catching up with our friend, as always.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM DANIEL HOLZMAN:

• This Is TASTE 69: Daniel Holzman [TASTE]
• The Dish: Daniel Holzman [CBS]
• One of LA’s Best New York City-Style Pizza Shops Expands to Westwood [Eater]
• Are You Team Ranch on Pizza? [TikTok] 

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Pizza Week continues! Noam Grossman is the founder of Upside Pizza, an NYC slice shop that breaks all the rules in the best possible way. The pizza is very legit and is made with 100-percent naturally leavened dough, with a sourdough starter that has a 72-hour rise time. It’s not your typical slice joint! On this episode, we hear about Grossman’s journey to pizza and about how Upside—along with soup and ice cream offshoots Soupside and Softside—brings personality and voice to the sometimes bland world of the NYC slice. 

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM NOAM GROSSMAN:

• The Kings of the Dollar Slice Build a Better Pizza [NYT]
• Where I Work: Noam Grossman [6sqft]

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Pizza Week continues! Franny’s is a world-class pizzeria and restaurant located at the northern tip of the Jersey Shore in Highlands, New Jersey. When the shop’s chef and owner, Mya Anitai, left a successful restaurant career in Richmond, Virginia (Mamma Zu, Dinamo) to move to New Jersey, she didn’t know exactly what to expect. What she built over the past few years is pretty extraordinary. The best grandma slice in Jersey? Some would say. In this episode, Mya shares her journey and the pizza style that has earned her the attention of many in and around the New York metro area.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM MYA ANITAI:

• A Conversation with Mya Anitai [Pizza Today]
• Franny’s Off the Beach [TikTok]

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Pizza Week continues! The title on Anthony Falco’s business card is “global pizza consultant,” and, true to form, Anthony has helped people achieve their dreams of starting pizzerias and perfecting their craft around the globe. In this highly entertaining conversation, Falco shares some of his favorite gigs and talks about his time helping launch and grow the pizza operation at Roberta’s, the singular Bushwick pizzeria that inspired the launch of thousands of Neapolitan pizza shops around the globe. Anthony is the author of Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef, and we talk about translating these big ideas to a home setting. It’s great catching up with this legend in the pizza game, and we hope you enjoy it.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM ANTHONY FALCO:

• Anthony Falco Left Roberta’s. Now He’s an “International Pizza Consultant” [BA]
• Odd Job: Meet an International Pizza Consultant [Vox]

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Welcome to Pizza Week! From time to time we like to break into a thematic groove, and this is one of those weeks. We have a bunch of fun interviews planned. First up is Dan Richer, the owner of Razza in Jersey City, New Jersey. Yeah yeah, New York Times critic Pete Wells once called Razza the best New York City pizza (not in New York), and the 2017 assessment brought a swell of pizza freaks across the river to sample Richer’s pie. In this interview, we talk about the review that changed everything, and we dig into how Richer describes his pizza, his obsession with bread, and his great cookbook, The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know. We loved having Dan in the studio to kick off our week of pizza talks.

Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

MORE FROM DAN RICHER:

• Is New York’s Best Pizza in New Jersey? [NYT]
• Dan Richer’s Everyday Pizza Dough [Ooni]
• Franco Pepe and Dan Richer Share Deep Pizza Thoughts [Appetito]

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Here are two classic conversations. Tina Choi is the Seoul-based genius behind one of our favorite food YouTube channels around, Doobydobap. Pierce Abernathy is a trained cook, a big-time TikTok and Instagram creator, and a former Buzzfeeder, and he’s been known to model and work with fashion brands in interesting ways. We hope you enjoy these talks.

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MORE FROM TINA CHOI AND PIERCE ABERNATHY:

• How Koreans Meal Prep [YouTube]
• How Koreans Kimchi [YouTube]
• Leek Butter [TikTok]

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Peter Luger is Brooklyn history and one of the most iconic New York City restaurants. Between hand-selected steaks, a signature bacon and burger service, and a tight-knit family that has run the place since 1950, it’s a rich topic to talk about. And talk we did with Daniel Turtel, who works alongside his family at the Williamsburg institution. Daniel is involved in the daily selection of steaks that are served to hungry guests each day, and we talk about the restaurant’s legacy as well as its bright future in Las Vegas. We also discuss what it took to come back from a tough New York Times review. Daniel is a really interesting guy, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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MORE FROM PETER LUGER:

• How to Get a Table at Peter Luger [Forbes]
• The One Peter Luger Dish You Can Only Get in Vegas [Tasting Table]
• Peter Luger Merch Is Good [official]

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Jermaine Stone has an extraordinary story about how a fluke job at a wine warehouse led him to his unique place in the wine world. He’s the host of Street Somm on Tastemade, a show in which he interviews some of the biggest names in hip-hop about all things wine. He’s also the founder of Cru Luv Selections, a New York–based wine branding and marketing agency dedicated to engaging hip-hop fans in the world of wine. It’s really fun having Jermaine in the studio, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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MORE FROM JERMAINE STONE:

• On His Podcast ‘Wine and Hip Hop,’ Jermaine Stone Aims to Bridge Cultures [NYT]
• Wine and Hip Hop [Apple Podcasts]

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There aren’t a lot of things on the internet that have been around since 1999. But David Lebovitz’s blog (and now Substack), full of quips, stories, and recipes from his life in Paris, is one of them. David is the author of many cookbooks, including The Perfect Scoop, Ready For Dessert, Drinking French, and the iconic My Paris Kitchen. This is such a fun conversation, full of life and stories about pastry in San Francisco and Paris. David is one of our all-time favorites, and it was so fun having him in the studio. We hope you enjoy this conversation. 

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MORE FROM DAVID LEBOVITZ:

• Chocolate Chip “Kitchen Sink” Cookies [David Lebovitz]
• TASTE Travels France: Exploring Camembert, Calvados, and The French Countryside
• This Is TASTE 323: We ❤️ Saveur with Dorothy Kalins [TASTE]
• The Making of My Paris Kitchen [David Lebovitz]

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Alison Cayne is the founder of Haven's Kitchen, a pioneering culinary school, café, and consumer brand that has been at the center of the New York City food world for nearly a decade. We absolutely loved catching up with Alison about her journey to launching the company and some of the wild events she has hosted over the years. We also talk about her pivot to the world of consumer packaged goods and how she makes it all work in this very competitive world. 

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MORE FROM HAVEN’S KITCHEN:

• How the Haven’s Kitchen Team DIY’d Their Way to a New Test Kitchen [AD]
• How Alison Cayne Handles a Cooking School, a Café, a Sauce Business, and Five Kids [BA]
• In The Sauce [Apple Podcasts]

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Banza is the chickpea pasta with the bright orange boxes that have become nothing short of a phenomenon, changing the way we think about gluten-free pasta forever. Matt is a legit fan of the rotini and the penne, as well as the brand’s expansion into pizza, and he invited Banza’s founder, Brian Rudolph, into the studio. They talk about the founding of the company, how Brian landed on the iconic branding, and what makes a great pasta sauce. We hope you enjoy this conversion.

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