The Sporkful

A couple years ago, Abigail Keel started having debilitating attacks of vertigo. Once she got a diagnosis, the treatment seemed simple enough: reduce your salt intake to 1500 milligrams per day. But that change upended Abigail’s life in ways she never expected, altering her relationship with food, and leading her to question the way we think about medical diets in the first place. After all that, would the treatment at least help her vertigo?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo, with production this week by Abigail Keel. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

"White people are comfortable anywhere," says restaurateur Andy Shallal. "In order for a Black person to walk into a space, there need to be signals that say, 'You're welcome.'" In this week's show we decode those signals, which include the decor and music, the staff and other customers, and more. These codes tell you what kind of place a restaurant is, and whether it's for you. So what happens when a restaurant uses these signals to bring certain people in, and keep others out? This week we visit three very different restaurants in Washington D.C. to talk with the owners and customers about the different signals these places send, and what those codes can tell us about larger questions of race and culture. This episode is co-hosted by writer and reporter Kat Chow, formerly of the NPR podcast and blog Code Switch.

This episode originally aired on October 9, 2016, and was repeated on May 20, 2020. It was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini. Edited by Rebecca Carroll, Lee Hill, and Arwa Gunja. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

What do Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Diary of Anne Frank have in common? A woman named Judith Jones fought for both of them to be published. Judith was an editor with a vision, someone who was able to see the potential in books that so many others dismissed. This week Dan talks with Sara B. Franklin, author of the new biography The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America. Sara met Judith a little over a decade ago, when she was hired to do a series of oral history interviews with Judith. That project grew into this biography, in which Sara tells the story of one of the most influential people ever to work in the world of cookbooks, or any books.

Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this episode stated that Judith Jones had two sisters. In fact, she only had one sister. The episode has been updated.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Jake Cohen didn’t care much about Jewish food when he went to culinary school and worked in high end restaurants. But when he met his future husband, Jake was introduced to the Middle Eastern Jewish recipes of his in-laws, like tahdig and kubbeh. Soon, he was mining his own family’s Eastern European Jewish recipes, and putting his spin on matzo ball soup and kasha varnishkes. Earlier this year Jake published his first cookbook, Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes From A Modern Mensch, and he’s become a social media star. Ahead of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), Dan and Jake talk about the controversial ingredient Jake adds to tahdig, whether Rosh Hashanah brisket is overhyped, and why personality is so important in online food videos.

This episode originally aired on August 30, 2021, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O'Hara. Edited by Tracey Samuelson. Mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Before the James Beard Awards, there was the man himself. Beard was the first celebrity chef of the TV era, preaching home cooking and fresh, local food even as frozen TV dinners gained popularity. But he also had to navigate the complexities of being a closeted gay man in a time when the kitchen was considered a place for women. Dan talks with food writer John Birdsall, author of the Beard biography The Man Who Ate Too Much, which traces Beard’s life from his start at queer cocktail parties in 1930s New York, to his winks to the queer audience as he became more famous. Eventually he needed to change his public persona into a professorial bachelor, too obsessed with food to have time for a wife. As we hear, even today, James Beard remains one of the most misunderstood people in the food world.

John has a new book coming out this spring called What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution — you can pre-order it now.

This episode originally aired on October 12, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, and Tomeka Weatherspoon. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson and mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Sam Kass shares stories of his time as the Obama family’s chef — cooking on Air Force One, smuggling special ingredients into the White House, and creating a dish that came to be known as 'lucky pasta.'

This episode originally aired on October 29, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Aviva DeKornfeld, edited by Gianna Palmer, and mixed by Dan Dzula. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Bobby Flay has competed in more than 700 TV cooking challenges and written a dozen cookbooks. But at heart, he still thinks of himself as a restaurant chef. In his new book, Chapter One, Bobby looks back on his career, from dropping out of high school and working as a busboy in New York City, to opening his first restaurants in the ‘90s, to competing on Iron Chef and Beat Bobby Flay. We discuss how he got to where he is today, including the key to his longevity and how he deals with losing — on TV and in life.

We are giving away one copy of Chapter One! To enter to win a copy, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter by November 18. If you’re already signed up, then you’re already entered to win. Open to US and Canada addresses only. Sign up now at sporkful.com/newsletter.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

We cook up a Diwali feast with a Trinidadian mother and daughter and discuss straddling cultures with the Indian-American DJ who introduced a blend of hip hop and Punjabi folk music to the club scene.

This episode originally aired on November 1, 2015, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, with help from Tim Rujerry. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Twenty years ago, Morgan Spurlock released his low-budget documentary Super Size Me, and achieved success that most documentary filmmakers can only dream about. The film made millions at the box office, it was nominated for an Academy Award, and it turned Morgan into a star. To this day, the film is still shown in middle school and high school health classes across the country. But in 2017, Morgan made a shocking confession that derailed his career and called into question Super Size Me’s original claims. Earlier this year, Morgan died of cancer. In this week’s show, Sporkful senior producer Andres O’Hara talks with some of the people closest to Morgan to figure out: Who really was Morgan Spurlock? How did Super Size Me become such a huge hit? And after all these years, should we still be showing it to kids?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Editing by Kameel Stanley. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Food Network star Jet Tila’s parents opened the first Thai market in the US in 1972. Now he’s trying to introduce people who aren’t Thai to the foods he grew up with. He tells the story of protecting his family’s store during the LA riots and explains why he considers himself more a businessman than a chef.

This episode originally aired on July 15, 2017, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Dan Charles. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Comedian Ed Gamble calls himself a “very greedy boy.” That’s because he’s always loved food, from the diary entry he wrote at six years old about his passion for calamari and pastitsio, to the desserts he now critiques as a judge on the BBC show Great British Menu. But his relationship with eating has taken many twists and turns in his life: first when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and then when he decided to lose weight as an adult. Dan and Ed discuss all of that and more, live on stage at the London Podcast Festival. And Ed answers the question that’s become a staple of his own podcast, Off Menu: popadams or bread?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo, with help this week from Kimmie Gregory. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Dan eats fresh mozzarella with the former Van Halen frontman and drinks beer out of paper cups with the legendary French chef. It turns out neither of these guys is who you think they are. 

This episode originally aired on November 22, 2015, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini and Jason Isaac. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

In honor of National Pasta Month, Dan shares the story of how his pasta shape, cascatelli, ended up in a design museum in Germany. When he travels with his family to see the exhibition, al dente: Pasta & Design at the HfG Archiv-Ulm, he finds it’s more incredible, and powerful, than he ever expected. Listen to find out why. Then, later in the episode, Dan talks with the founders of a highly selective club called “The Glutamates”: cookbook author Andrea Nguyen and bread nerd extraordinaire Andrew Janjigian. They each contributed one very special recipe to Dan’s cookbook, Anything’s Pastable — and fundamentally changed the way Dan thinks about pasta in the process. Hear the stories behind these recipes, and how they helped set Dan’s cookbook on a different course.

A few links:

• Sfoglini’s Sporkful Pasta & Anything’s Pastable Gift Set (20% off through Oct. 17, 2024)
• Sichuan Magic Dust Popcorn recipe

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, we’re talking with two cookbook authors about how Jewish food around the world has evolved, and where it’s going next. For decades, Jewish home cooks have turned to Joan Nathan for a taste of the familiar, and for a window into what Jews in other parts of the world eat. Dan talks with Joan about why her first cookbook was initially rejected by 16 publishers, and the Arab chicken dish she ate in Israel that changed her life. Then, Dan talks with Jeremy Salamon, part of a new guard of Jewish chefs pushing the cuisine forward. His Hungarian-Jewish restaurant in Brooklyn, Agi’s Counter, has received national acclaim, but he’s also heard from some unhappy Hungarians who came in looking for an old world approach. He tells Dan about his first restaurant job when he was 11, and why his grandmother is his best publicist. 

Joan Nathan’s new book is My Life In Recipes: Family, Food, And Memories. Her upcoming book, A Sweet Year: Jewish Celebrations and Festive Recipes for Kids and Their Families, is available for pre-order. Jeremy Salamon’s book is Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table. We are giving away a copy of My Life in Recipes and Second Generation! To enter to win a copy, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter by October 18. If you’re already signed up, then you’re already entered to win. Open to US addresses only. Sign up now at sporkful.com/newsletter.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

We explore the history of an iconic American food couple — cereal and milk — with help from New York Times food correspondent Kim Severson and author Mark Kurlansky.

This episode originally aired on December 17, 2018 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Aviva DeKornfeld, edited by Gianna Palmer, and mixed by Dan Dzula.  The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Today we're bringing you a rare behind-the-scenes look at a collaboration between two giant American food brands: Taco Bell and Cheez-It. (And no, they’re not paying us to do it — we’re just obsessed with how big companies come up with new foods!) This past summer, Taco Bell debuted the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and the Big Cheez-It Tostada. These menu items may sound like they were dreamt up in a dorm room, but getting them to market was actually a yearslong process, involving hundreds of people, and the launch didn’t quite go as planned. Two food product developers — one from Taco Bell and one from Cheez-It — walk us through how it all went down. Then we head to Taco Bell for a taste test of our own.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

In 2016, Jack Daniel’s announced the company would make changes to its official history. They planned to honor Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved man who taught the real Jack Daniel to make whiskey in the 1860s. They didn’t realize, however, that this announcement would cause an uproar — or that it would inspire a woman named Fawn Weaver to set out on a quest to unearth the full story of Nearest Green. This week, we talk with Fawn about what drew her to this story and what she’s doing to honor Green’s legacy, with help from his great-great-granddaughter Victoria Eady Butler.

This episode originally aired on October 5, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, and Tomeka Weatherspoon. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson and mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

In cooking and eating, sound is the forgotten sense. But you can tell whether you're cutting scallions correctly, or how good your chocolate is, by the sounds they make.

This episode originally aired on January 17, 2016 and April 2, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini with engineering help from Tom Glasser, Chase Culpon and Bill O’Neill. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

Dan brings his whole family on the podcast this week to answer your questions, just as they did in an episode six years ago. When a couple in South Dakota calls in with a disagreement over menu planning, can Dan and his wife Janie offer a workable solution? And the disputes keep coming with couples arguing over deli meat, cucumbers, and ketchup on mac and cheese. Plus, one listener asks: How does Dan react when his family doesn’t like what he cooks?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Thank you to Subaru for sponsoring today's episode. Visit subaru.com/forester to learn more.

José Ralat’s job at Texas Monthly magazine is so unique that when he got it five years ago, it made national news. One headline read: “The Job You Wish You Had: Taco Editor.” Yes, taco editor. Back in 2020, José traveled more than 10,000 miles around the state eating tacos in preparation for Texas Monthly's Taco Issue, that comes out only once every five years. In this week’s podcast, we tag along as he hits the road in search of the best that Texas has to offer. Plus he explains why Tex-Mex deserves more respect, and why America’s regional tacos are just as legit as Mexico’s. Buckle up!

This episode originally aired on November 15, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Andres O’Hara and Emma Morgenstern. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

Dan and Radiolab's Jad Abumrad explore the new frontier of weed-infused foods with a pastry chef. They'll tell you how it tastes. They'll tell you how it makes them feel. And they'll tell you what happens when you eat way, way too much of it.

This episode originally aired on June 7, 2015, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Talia Ralph, and the Radiolab team, with editing help from Shoshana Gold. Sound design by Alex Overington. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

As the Minnesota State Fair kicks into high gear, we’re talking with one of the state’s most iconic food personalities. Beatrice Ojakangas, who turned 90 this year, has Minnesota roots going back to the 1800s. She grew up milking cows and churning butter on a family farm, before her first blue ribbons at the State Fair launched her on a path to culinary innovation. She wrote the first Finnish cookbook published in the U.S. and invented one of the most iconic snack foods in the American frozen food canon. Bea tells Dan about what it was like trying to become a writer as a woman in 1950s Minnesota, the huge risk she took when she entered a nationwide baking competition, and how a call from Julia Child changed her life. 

Check out Bea’s recipe for Chunk o’ Cheese Bread at sporkful.com. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

Why are politicians trying to ban lab-grown meat? Is Chipotle secretly serving smaller portions? And just how good is that new cereal mix by Jason and Travis Kelce? We dig into these questions and more in this edition of the Salad Spinner, our rapid-fire roundtable discussion of the hottest and oddest recent food news. Joining us in the Spinner are Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati, co-hosts of the Mythical Kitchen podcast A Hot Dog Is A Sandwich. Nicole and Josh have lots of opinions on 7-Eleven egg salad sandos, age restrictions in restaurants, and whether it’s okay to define a taco as a sandwich in court.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

The founder of Milk Street hates celebrations and says pleasure is annoying. This week, Chris Kimball tells us why he thinks cooking is supposed to be hard, and how he got this way. Plus, he and Dan bond over their shared food obsessiveness and clash over their differences in the kitchen -- and in life.

This episode originally aired on August 25, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Jameela Jamil may be best known for her role on the NBC show The Good Place. On the show, her character’s nonprofit work is a punchline, but in real life, Jameela’s activism on issues of fatphobia and sexism is no joke. She’s spoken in UK Parliament and successfully lobbied social media companies to change how they operate. Now, she hosts the podcast I Weigh where she talks with experts and celebrities about mental health, body image, and activism. This week on The Sporkful, Jameela talks with Dan about her struggles with disordered eating, and how a car accident helped her reframe her relationship with food. They also argue over whether to dunk or not to dunk, and Jameela reveals how she once knocked down a very famous actor to abscond with a stash of stolen steaks. 

Please note: This episode contains discussion of eating disorders. If you or someone you know are affected by an eating disorder, get more information from the National Eating Disorders Association online or by calling their helpline: 800-931-2237.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. The SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts, and you can listen to over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era. Plus, live sports coverage, interviews with A-list stars and more. It’s everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one. For three months free, go to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

Pretty much every restaurant has salads, and yet how often do you get really excited to eat one? In restaurants and at home, most salads seem to be there because the person making the meal felt obligated to offer them. And diners eat them for the same reason. This week we set out in search of salads that you’ll still be talking about weeks later. We hear from Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja of Shuka and Shukette in New York City, who makes Dan’s favorite salad. Then Emily Nunn, who writes the newsletter The Department of Salad, shares why she believes that “anything that you can eat can be a salad” — with one important exception -- and why she does “not by any means consider salad a ‘diet’ food, so get that out of your head this instant.”

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Thank you to Subaru for sponsoring today's episode. Visit subaru.com/forester to learn more.

Is it unethical to sample an ice cream shop's flavors and not buy anything? A married couple calls in for advice, and Cooks Illustrated's Dan Souza reveals the artisanal ice cream industry's biggest secret. Plus, two listeners who run a French fry stand together call in to debate the definition of a condiment.

This episode originally aired on February 26, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, with editing by Peter Clowney. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Celery doesn't get a lot of love these days. But it was the avocado toast of the late 1800s and early 1900s. People thought it had magical powers, and the hottest chefs in New York City were making celery-fed duckling, mashed celery, fried celery, and celery tea. So why did celery fall from grace? And can this once vaunted vegetable make a comeback? Reporter Maya Kroth and our friends at the podcast Proof, from America’s Test Kitchen, investigate. 

This episode originally aired on January 7, 2019, and was reported by Maya Kroth and produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini. It was edited by Gianna Palmer and mixed by John DeLore. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Food writer Khushbu Shah and chef Edy Massih each released their first cookbooks this spring. Both works are part of a new generation of cookbooks that take inspiration from specific cuisines without being beholden to them. These books aren’t about preservation — they’re a reflection of their authors’ specific experiences. Which is why Khushbu and Edy may not do it the way your grandmother does it. They join Dan live on stage at Cookbook Fest in Napa to reflect on what they learned writing their first cookbooks, the perils of choosing which salt to use in recipes, and what happens when you decide to pick a fight with the publisher. 

Khushbu’s book is called Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora and Edy’s book is Keep It Zesty: A Celebration of Lebanese Flavors and Culture from Edy’s Grocer. If you want to win a copy of one of these books, sign up for our newsletter by August 19. If you’re already on our mailing list, you’re already entered to win. Open to US and Canada addresses only.  

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In this episode of the Sporkful, a former Shea Stadium food vendor tells Dan about the worst gig in the ballpark. Plus a North Carolina peanut man tells us how they get the salt inside the shell, and Mike Pesca from The Gist tells us how much free advertising Cracker Jack got from being included in "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".

This episode originally aired on July 29, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Kristen Meinzer. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We’re back with our annual game show Two Chefs And A Lie! Here’s how it works. Dan talks with three “chefs.” Two of them are real chefs, one is an imposter. Dan can ask each of them just five questions, and then has to guess who the liar is. And you can play along too! Dan lost the first two games, but he won last year. Can he start a streak? Can he, and can you, spot the fake chef?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen. 

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Recently, a friend of restaurant critic Tim Hayward called him a glutton. This week, our friends at the Life and Art from FT Weekend podcast dig into that label with Tim — and he explains why he embraces the label. Then, Life and Art host Lilah Raptopoulos speaks with food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little about dinner parties. What’s the perfect vibe — and the perfect soundtrack? How can you throw a dinner party that both guests and hosts will actually enjoy? And can you still host even if you’re a bad cook? They answer all these questions and more.

Additional links:

• “As God is my witness, gluttony is not a sin” by Tim Hayward
• “Who’d invite their boss to dinner?” by Anjli Raval
• “‘No effort’ dinner parties are a delusion” by Tim Hayward
• Harriet Fitch Little’s dinner music recommendation is A Piano and A Microphone by Prince

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

After months of searching, we finally meet Ted Ngoy, aka "the Donut King", and learn what happened to him. He's returned to the Cambodian community seeking redemption. But will he find it?

(This is part two of a two-part series; scroll back in your feed for part one.)

This episode originally aired on April 30, 2018, and was produced by Anne Saini and Dan Pashman, with editing by Peter Clowney. The Sporkful team now includes Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Jared O’Connell, Nora Ritchie, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

After escaping Cambodia's Killing Fields, Ted Ngoy built a donut empire in California. Then he lost it all, and disappeared. This week we're searching for the Donut King and his legacy. (This is part one of a two-part series. The second part comes out on Friday.)

Additional info:

• Chad Phuong's Cambodian-Texas Battambong BBQ (Southern California)
• Dary and Sreyrot Chan's gourmet donut shop Sweet Retreat (Long Beach, CA)
• Greg Nichols' piece, "Dunkin and the Donut King" (California Sunday Magazine)
• Frank Shyong's piece, "In Cambodia Town, moving beyond the ‘killing fields’ and into success" (The Los Angeles Times)

This episode originally aired on April 23, 2018, and was produced by Anne Saini and Dan Pashman, with editing by Peter Clowney. The Sporkful team now includes Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Jared O’Connell, Nora Ritchie, and Ella Barnes. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Everything Molly Baz puts out — from her best-selling cookbooks Cook This Book and More Is More, to her Instagram pics and YouTube videos, to her wine brand — seems so perfectly cool and stylish, so carefully considered, so intentional. But also, so authentically HER. How does she do that? Well, as she tells Dan when he visits her at her home in Los Angeles, a lot of it has to do with her “innate confidence” in who she is and what she likes. As she puts it, “It’s just not that hard to decide whether you like something.” She explains what makes a quintessential Molly Baz recipe, and how she thinks about her signature visual aesthetic. Plus she takes Dan inside her recipe development process as she bakes the sixth version of a cornbread that will either end up in her newsletter, or in the trash.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Ella Barnes.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In 2016, the Library of Congress posted Rosa Parks' personal documents online for the first time. Buried under postcards from Martin Luther King and lists of volunteers for the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pancake recipe, written on the back of an envelope — which included the addition of peanut butter to the batter. On this week's episode, we visit Adrienne Cannon, a specialist in African-American history at the Library of Congress, to see the recipe firsthand. Then we travel to Detroit to share a meal with Mrs. Parks' nieces, who published their aunt's favorite recipes in their book, Our Auntie Rosa. Finally, Dan heads to Nicole Taylor's kitchen to make those peanut butter pancakes.

This episode originally aired on May 1, 2017, and April 12, 2021, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Shoshana Gold, with editing by Dan Charles. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Jared O'Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

For years, chef Yia Vang operated his restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen in a trailer outside of a brewery in Minneapolis. Last year, he finally opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, and it already feels like a neighborhood institution — especially in the region of the U.S. with the largest community of Hmong refugees from southeast Asia. Over a meal of whole grilled branzino, Hmong sausage, purple sticky rice, and a lot more, Yia tells Dan about his mission to tell his parents’ story — and the story of the Hmong people — through his cooking. Yia also talks about his own journey: he was born in a Thai refugee camp, moved with his family to Amish country, and then worked as a church “lunch lady” before breaking out on his own. Now he’s fighting tooth and nail to open a new restaurant that will fully celebrate Hmong food the way he envisions.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In the second half of our Best of the Book Tour series, we’re answering your questions! We’ll tackle the most frequently asked questions Dan got on the tour, and the ones he never saw coming. Plus we’ll hear from other folks who worked on Anything’s Pastable about the recipes that were cut from the book, and the ones that created the most conflict between Dan and his collaborators. Finally, Dan answers the question on everyone’s mind: Now that he’s conquered pasta, which food will he take on next?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Johanna Mayer and editing by Tomeka Weatherspoon. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The comic, actor, writer, and podcast host, best known as Conan O’Brien’s late night TV sidekick, tells us why he chose a really nice refrigerator over a sports car. And he traces his issues with weight back to a childhood ice cream outing with his grandmother. 

This episode originally aired on July 29, 2019 and January 31, 2017, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

For six weeks this spring, Dan hit the road for the biggest tour in Sporkful history, all in celebration of his cookbook Anything’s Pastable. He traveled to ten cities and spoke with a stacked line-up of chefs, comedians, and journalists in front of live audiences. In this first of two episodes we’re releasing of the best moments from the tour, Claire Saffitz, Sam Sanders, Lindy West, Joanne Lee Molinaro, Pati Jinich, Andy Richter, Kae Lani Palmisano, Kim Severson, Dan Souza, and Ann Kim sit in the host chair and ask Dan questions about the book, his strongly-held food opinions, and more, covering ground we didn’t get to in our original series about the cookbook. Nothing is off the table. Claire Saffitz admits to ruining her pan making spaghetti all'assassina. Pati Jinich processes her shock over Dan’s pasta enchiladas. And Lindy West plays a game with Dan that’s definitely not appropriate for the whole family.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Johanna Mayer and editing by Tomeka Weatherspoon.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

"Natural flavors” show up on ingredient lists for all kinds of foods. But what does that mean exactly? We get a peek into the secretive science of flavoring when we talk with Marie Wright of ADM, who’s created more than 1,000 flavors in her 30+ years as a flavor chemist. She explains how natural flavors are made, why lemon flavor doesn’t contain lemon juice, and why flavoring plant-based burgers is so hard. Then she walks Dan through a series of experiments to teach him to taste food the way she does. (You can do your own versions with instructions at sporkful.com.) Plus, Marie responds to criticism about the rise of natural and artificial flavors in processed foods, and their role in the obesity epidemic.

This episode originally aired on June 26, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O’Hara. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson and mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O’Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Comedian and Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. is known for his thoughtful and pointed takes on race. He joins us to discuss McRib conspiracy theories, the dangers of touring the South as a black comic, and the advantages of bad service and Confederate flags. Plus Roy talks about what he learned about food from his father over the course of their conflicted relationship.

This episode originally aired on February 11, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Gianna Palmer and mixing by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

“Tell me about your mama’s kitchen.” That’s how Michele Norris, former host of NPR’s All Things Considered, starts conversations with the likes of Michelle Obama and Matthew Broderick on her podcast Your Mama’s Kitchen. So naturally, Dan turns the tables and asks Michele about her own mama’s kitchen — and how those earliest food memories shape us. Then Michele and Dan take a call from a woman who’s struggling with her mother’s food choices since her mom developed dementia, and they respond to listeners’ hot takes and food disputes, including from a caller who has strong feelings about cooked fruit.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Shantel Holder, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Actor Claudia Jessie is just as nonconformist as Eloise, her character on the hit Netflix show Bridgerton. She lived on a houseboat for three years, doesn’t have social media, and opposes multi-tasking. She likes living at a slower pace — and she has the same attitude when it comes to food. Claudia chats with Dan about chip butties, “shelf sweeping” (think: Chopped), and why she sort of wishes she waited until she was a bit older to go vegan. Then, she embodies Eloise to take a BuzzFeed quiz that promises to tell you which Bridgerton character you are based on the desserts you choose. Does the quiz know Eloise as well as Claudia does?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Grace Rubin, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

How do parents who adopt kids from other countries use food to connect their children to their birthplace? And what happens when those kids grow up and feel like it wasn't enough? 

This episode originally aired on July 31, 2017. It was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, and edited by Dan Charles, with additional editing by Rebecca Carroll, Nicole Chung, and Peter Clowney. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Sotheby’s is about to put a trove of Georgia O'Keeffe items up for sale. While the auction will include paintings likely to go for millions of dollars, we're interested in something less valuable, but to us, way more exciting — O'Keeffe's box of grease-stained, handwritten recipes. This week Dan goes to see the recipes himself and talks with art experts, O’Keeffe scholars, and a woman who cooked for O'Keeffe towards the end of her life to find out what the recipes say about the artist. As for the auction? Well, it doesn't go exactly as planned.

To see all of Georgia O'Keeffe's digitized recipes, visit Yale's Beinecke Library website.

This episode originally aired on March 29, 2020, and was produced by Emma Morgenstern and Harry Huggins. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson, and mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Music producer and artist benny blanco has credits on 29 number one songs, working with stars such as Katy Perry, SZA, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Halsey, and more. But he’s long been as obsessed with food as he is with music. Now, benny’s releasing Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends. It’s not just a collection of recipes, it’s also a manual for throwing a great party -- a topic that benny takes very seriously. He dishes with Dan on his affection for the George Foreman grill, the dessert that endeared him to SZA, and why he’s like a duck on a pond.

If you want to win a copy of Open Wide, sign up for our newsletter by May 24. If you’re already on our mailing list, you’re already entered to win. Open to US and Canada addresses only.

On Thursday, May 9, Dan will be teaming up with Café Mars in Brooklyn for a seated dinner featuring dishes inspired by Anything’s Pastable. See the full menu here. Anything’s Pastable will be for sale and Dan will be there to chat and sign copies. Reserve your spot here (scroll down to Experiences). One night only! 

Can’t make it to Brooklyn? You can catch Dan the following week, Thursday, May 16. He will be hosting a virtual cooking class with Milk Street. As we get ready for summer, he will be featuring two super flavorful, super easy dishes from the chapter of Anything’s Pastable entitled, “Pasta Salads Redeemed: Fresh and Bright, Hold The Mayo.” Watch Dan cook or cook along! Get 50% off with code PASTABLE50 (only for the first 30 people). Then use code COOKWITHDAN for 15% off.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Shantel Holder, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The food-obsessed comic discusses eating with his five children, navigating birthday parties and buffets, his dad's steaks, and when it's OK to lie to your kids. Plus he explains why he's the Jean-Claude Van Damme of eating on television.

This episode originally aired on July 4, 2016, and July 20, 2015. It was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, with editing help from Shoshana Gold. Special thanks to Paula Szuchman. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Shantel Holder, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Cookbook author Priya Krishna was a world traveler as a kid. Because of her mom’s job in the airline industry, Priya was able to go to China, Egypt, France, and more, chronicling all of the new foods she tried on her travels in her journal. Now, as an adult, she’s turning her childhood travelogs into the cookbook she wishes she had growing up — Priya’s Kitchen Adventures. She tells Dan why she thinks anyone who wants to become a better recipe writer should write recipes for kids, and we hear from some of the young recipe testers she worked with on the book.

If you want to win a copy of Priya’s Kitchen Adventures, sign up for our newsletter by May 10. If you’re already on our mailing list, you’re already entered to win. Open to US and Canada addresses only.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. 

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Dips are having a moment — from a dips-only restaurant in Atlanta to Martin Short playing a character who only eats dips. But TV host and Cosmo columnist Alyse Whitney was a self-described Dip Queen long before they got hot, and she proves it in her new cookbook, Big Dip Energy: 88 Parties in a Bowl for Snacking, Dinner, Dessert, and Beyond. She joins Dan in the studio to share her royal decrees on the right shape for a dipper, using raw vegetables to dip, and the ethics of double dipping. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with help this week from Shantel Holder. 

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

You may think you know LeVar Burton. After starring in the seminal 1977 mini-series Roots, he hosted Reading Rainbow and starred alongside Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation. These days he hosts the podcasts LeVar Burton Reads, in which he reads his favorite short fiction, and Sound Detectives, for kids who want to explore the magic and mystery of sound. But did you know that, as a teenager, LeVar bought steaks and lobsters that “fell off the back of a truck” and brought them home to his mom? Or that he’s very particular about his PB&J sandwiches? In this episode, LeVar dishes on Sir Patrick Stewart’s weird lunches on the Star Trek set and shares his favorite children's books about food. And as proof that he can make anything he reads sound amazing, LeVar favors us with dramatic readings of recipes.

This episode originally aired on September 11, 2017 and November 30, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, with editing by Dan Charles and engineering help from Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Naama Shefi remembers visiting her husband’s grandmother for the first time, and being astonished by the stories tucked into each dish on the dinner table. That moment led her to start the Jewish Food Society, an organization that preserves and celebrates the diversity of Jewish food from around the world, which as Naama is quick to point out, goes far beyond Eastern European classics like brisket, kugel, smoked fish, and potato knishes. Now, Naama and the Jewish Food Society have a cookbook out, called The Jewish Holiday Table, which includes foods from Jews with roots in Spain, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and more. Ahead of Passover, Dan talks with Naama about what she ate growing up on a kibbutz, the culture shock of moving to New York, and her favorite Passover recipes from the book — including a Mexican rendition of gefilte fish. 

If you’d like to support humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza, there are many organizations providing aid, including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. You can also support World Central Kitchen, a food aid organization that provides meals all over the world in crisis zones. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. 

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Laura and Beth Winters are fraternal twins who come from a family of proud picky eaters. But after high school, Laura left home for college and started exploring new foods, while Beth stayed close to home and continued to eat the same way she did growing up. What does their story tell us about nature vs. nurture, and the kinds of judgments we make about picky eating? Then later in the show, we talk with psychologist Christopher Rutt about picky eating in kids, and we ask: Is picky eating actually a problem?

This episode originally aired on January 21, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Emma Morgenstern. It was edited by Gianna Palmer and mixed by John DeLore. The Sporkful team now includes Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Jared O’Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

You probably know Guy Fieri from his TV shows: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and Guy's Grocery Games. Or maybe you remember Pete Wells's epically scathing review of Guy's restaurant in New York City. But what you don’t know: The real Guy Fieri wants to open an all-organic restaurant. The real Guy Fieri hates that iconic bowling shirt with the flames. The real Guy Fieri feels like he’s always trying to keep up — and that it’s really hard to do so.

This episode originally aired on August 17, 2020, and October 17, 2017. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Dan Charles.  The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In the final episode of “Anything’s Pastable,” the recipes are done — but they’re all in Google Docs. Now Dan has to bring them together into an actual book, with a cohesive visual style. So he hires an art director who scours flea markets for just the right props to bring the book’s personality to life. Then Dan heads to the Bay Area for the photo shoot, which means cooking nearly every recipe from the book one last time. When he has to pick the most important photo of all — the cover — the pressure is on. Will his publisher, and his family, judge his book by it?

Anything’s Pastable the cookbook is on sale tomorrow, March 19, but you can order it today (including signed copies), and see if Dan’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

As Dan’s cookbook deadline approaches, recipe testing kicks into high gear — and he attempts to develop a few recipes on his own. But scorched pans and sauce spills lead to frayed nerves. Can he rediscover the creative spark that got him excited about this project in the first place?

Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In part two of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan embarks on an epic trip across Italy in search of lesser-known pasta dishes — and to learn about the evolution of pasta more broadly. He starts in Rome, where food writer Katie Parla reveals a shocking truth about pasta. Then an Italian food historian challenges Dan’s thinking about carbonara. Finally, he heads south to meet a chef who was there when a regional specialty called spaghetti all’assassina (“assassin’s spaghetti”) was invented. All of this leads Dan to wonder: What does evolution look like in a food culture that’s so often depicted in sepia tones? And what’s his place in that process?

Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson, Tomeka Weatherspoon, and Julia Russo. Special thanks to Katie Parla. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

After Dan’s pasta shape, cascatelli, went viral, people everywhere were cooking with it and sending him photos of what they were making. As exciting as that was, he was disappointed that most folks were only making a handful of well-worn dishes with this new shape. So Dan decided to write a cookbook to show the world that there’s so much more you can and should be putting on all your pasta shapes, cascatelli and beyond! There’s only one problem: he’s never written a recipe in his life. In this four-part series, Dan shares the inside story of creating his first cookbook, Anything’s Pastable — from the highs and lows of recipe testing, to a research trip across Italy, to the agonizing decisions over the design of the cover. By the end, you'll never look at a cookbook the same way again.

Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests. And follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey!

This is Episode 1 of Anything’s Pastable, and Episode 2 is available in your feed right now! 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson, Tomeka Weatherspoon, and Julia Russo. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Gary Gulman did so many food bits early in his stand-up career that he joked he was "a strictly food-based comic." But as his comedy started to evolve in new directions, the role of food in his act changed, too. Instead of observational humor, Gary now uses food in a more personal way — from talking about ice cream as a window into his clinical depression, to skewering income inequality through a discussion of Pop-Tarts. Gary joins Dan to discuss his personal and professional evolution over the past 30 years, through a survey of his three decades of food jokes. Plus Gary shares an entirely new joke about the word “spork.”

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Violence, death threats, and bagels, oh my! In this final episode of Deep Dish season one, Sohla and Ham explore the origins of bagels, and the tough-as-nails Eastern Europe immigrants who created a thriving bagel business in New York. When the mafia tried to muscle its way into the bagel business, the bagel bakers fought back — but in the process, they failed to see a bigger threat. Sohla tells the story, and she learns the secrets of hand-rolling bagels from an expert at Shelsky's Brooklyn Bagels. Make sure you listen all the way to the end to hear Sohla and Ham’s bagel taste test! And check out some behind the scenes photos from this episode on Sohla and Ham’s Instagrams.

Deep Dish is a production of The Sporkful. The team includes Sohla El-Waylly, Ham El-Waylly, Andres O’Hara, Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing by Josh Richmond and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Casey Holford.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com

One table in New York's Adda Indian Canteen is underperforming the others. And in a business with razor-thin margins, that's a real problem. In this special collaboration with Sally Helm and NPR's Planet Money, we enlist the help of a tape measure-wielding professor to try to turn the loser table into a winner. It turns out that how a restaurant treats its real estate might be more important than how it cooks its food — at least when it comes to how much customers spend.

This episode originally aired on February 24, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Sally Helm, Emma Morgenstern, Harry Huggins, and Anne Saini, along with Darian Woods, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, Alex Goldmark, Bryant Urstadt, and Isaac Rodrigues of Planet Money. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson and mixed by Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Jared O’Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Stanley cups are all the rage, but did you know they’ve been around for decades? So what happened to make them go viral? We chat about that and much more, including the internet’s love affair with Josh wines, competitive hot pepper eating, and a food-based test of true love, in this edition of the Salad Spinner. This week’s rapid-fire roundtable discussion of the latest food news features the TV host, chef, and restaurateur Vivian Howard, and Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Tacos al pastor are an iconic Mexico City dish — but a relatively new addition to Mexican cuisine. And they only came to be with influences from halfway around the world. Ham and Sohla share the surprising story of al pastor’s origins, then Ham visits Taquería Ramírez, one of the most talked about taco spots in Brooklyn, to learn their unique method. Make sure you listen all the way to the end of the episode to hear Ham cook up tacos al pastor with a twist! You can find that recipe on Ham’s Instagram.

Deep Dish is a production of The Sporkful. The team includes Sohla El-Waylly, Ham El-Waylly, Andres O’Hara, Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing by Josh Richmond and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Casey Holford.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells has been called the most feared food writer in America. He can make or break a restaurant with the power of one of his reviews. When he goes out, he does so in secret, making reservations under fake names because he doesn't want restaurants to know that he's coming. This week Pete takes Dan on an undercover mission to a New York restaurant. Then they talk about the nuts and bolts of Pete’s life as a critic. He eats out five nights a week, meaning he has plenty of bad meals — so how does he decide which places warrant bad reviews? And how does he account for the fact that different people have different tastes?

This episode originally aired on May 13, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Jared O'Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In 1964 Rocky Aoki, a Japanese immigrant, created hibachi restaurants in America when he opened his first Benihana. Rocky later said that he based his concept on the idea that "Americans enjoy eating in exotic surroundings, but are deeply mistrustful of exotic foods.” The restaurant took off, but Rocky's legacy is complicated. In this week's show we hear from people who knew Rocky, and we talk with a hibachi chef who's one of the more daring performers you'll find. We also hear from a former hibachi chef who says he was pushed to act "more Japanese" — and how that affected the way he thought about himself. And we answer the question of why certain cuisines are seen as “perpetually foreign” with the help of Professor Robert Ku.

This episode originally aired on March 11, 2019. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Gianna Palmer, Jared O’Connell, and Harry Wood. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Today on Deep Dish, Sohla and Ham explore the history of Korea through the story of a rice cake. Tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) are as popular in Korea as hot dogs are in the U.S. Ji Hye Kim, the chef and owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, fell in love with tteokbokki as a kid in South Korea. When she moved to Michigan, her attempt to recreate a taste of home led her to tteokbokki’s surprising history as a delicacy of the royal court. Hear how Ji Hye reclaimed this beloved dish, and make sure you listen all the way to the end of the episode to hear Sohla cook up tteokbokki with a twist. You can find that recipe on Sohla’s Instagram. 

Deep Dish is a production of The Sporkful. The team includes Sohla El-Waylly, Ham El-Waylly, Andres O’Hara, Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing by Kameel Stanley and Josh Richmond. Original theme music by Casey Holford.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Introducing Deep Dish, a new podcast from The Sporkful hosted by Sohla and Ham El-Waylly! Sohla and Ham are chefs, recipe developers, YouTube stars — and they’re married. In each episode, Sohla and Ham uncover the surprising story behind a dish, then go back to their kitchen to see what they’re inspired to cook up. All episodes of Deep Dish will run here in The Sporkful feed.

In this first episode, Sohla and Ham dive into the story of Delta tamales. When Detective Charles Sledge answered a call about a fatal car crash on a highway in Mississippi, he had no idea it would set him on a path to becoming the Tamale King, helping to preserve a type of tamale unique to the Mississippi Delta. Listen all the way to the end to hear Ham create a recipe inspired by Delta tamales, which you can find on Instagram. 

Deep Dish is a production of The Sporkful. The team includes Sohla El-Waylly, Ham El-Waylly, Andres O’Hara, Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing on this episode by Kameel Stanley and Josh Richmond. Original theme music by Casey Holford.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Over the past few years there has been an explosion in new products in grocery stores, from barbecue sauces to nut butters to seltzers. Big brands have dominated the shelves for decades, but small startups have elbowed their way in thanks to a surprising strategy, which reveals something about how supermarkets actually make money. Dan goes to a grocery store with John Stanton, a professor at St. Joseph’s University, to see this battle for shelf space in action. Then he talks with Steven Vigilante of the beverage brand Olipop about how the little guys are fighting against the established brands. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing this week by Kameel Stanley.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Ben Abbott wants to pair his meals with drinks, but as a Mormon, he doesn't drink alcohol. So Dan journeys to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, an offbeat soda shop in Los Angeles, to find Ben some beverages. Plus, linguist John McWhorter explains why some people say soda, coke, or pop.

This episode originally aired on January 21, 2015, and again on March 25, 2019. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Gianna Palmer, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The most common New Year’s resolution Americans make is to lose weight. For many years, that was Aubrey Gordon’s resolution, too. But one conversation with a friend led Aubrey to rethink the way we talk about fat people and weight loss. Now, as a fat activist, Aubrey writes about anti-fat bias and the physical and emotional realities of being a fat person in the world. This week she tells us why she went from writing anonymously on her blog Your Fat Friend to going public in 2020. Aubrey also pushes back on the idea of an “obesity epidemic” and argues that drugs like Ozempic are worsening anti-fat bias — both topics that she’s covered on her podcast Maintenance Phase.

Please note: This episode contains discussion of body image, weight loss, and eating disorders. If you or someone you know are affected by an eating disorder, get more information from the National Eating Disorders Association online or by calling their helpline: 800-931-2237.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Grace Rubin.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

From tortilla chips to tree bark, from fancy cheese to toe cheese, there’s a world of smells all around us that tells us a lot about food, drink, and everything else. So says legendary food scientist Harold McGee in his new book, Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells. Harold joins us to explain the connection between wet dog smell and fermented cabbage, and why we should have more “smell empathy” for others. Then we chat with Nik Sharma, whose new cookbook, The Flavor Equation, lays out the six components of flavor: aroma, sight, taste, emotion, sound, and mouthfeel. Why does tomato juice taste better on an airplane? Nik explains. Plus, Dan and Nik bond over their potato chip selection strategy.

This episode originally aired on December 7, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tomeka Weatherspoon, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

What foods do Sporkful listeners resolve to eat more of in the new year, and why? And what’s Dan’s New Year’s food resolution for 2024? All is revealed in our annual year-end spectacular. Plus we replay one of the Sporkful crew’s favorite episodes of the year, with the comedian Zarna Garg, who found her voice during turbulent times in her life. Zarna spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom. Now she sells out shows across the country and has her own special on Prime Video. In her stand-up and her social media videos, food is often a main character. But Zarna has mixed feelings when it comes to cooking. As a teenager, she wasn’t always sure where her next meal would come from. And as a parent, she came to resent the burden of feeding her family of five. She talks with Dan about her frustration with American parenting, why her kids eat steamed broccoli for breakfast, and how Indian Americans fought to bring back Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Samin Nosrat, author of the best-selling cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, joins Dan to talk about feeling like an outsider, sexism and pretentiousness in food, and the finer points of toast.

This episode originally aired on October 8, 2018. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Aviva DeKornfeld, with editing by Gianna Palmer, and mixing by Dan Dzula. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Since the Michelin Guide was created in 1926, it has awarded about 3,000 stars to select restaurants around the world. And while Michelin has a ton of brand recognition, the system it uses to rate restaurants is also famously secretive. Today on The Sporkful, we pull back the curtain on the guide and speak with a former Michelin inspector about his experience handing out stars. Then we talk with Erika Adams, editor of Eater Boston, about the surprising reason why her city has no restaurants with stars. It’s not because Boston restaurants aren’t up to snuff — and in fact, the answer reveals bigger questions about Michelin’s approach. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We are back with another Salad Spinner, and this time it’s our year end edition! Remember when Starbucks debuted olive oil coffee? Or when Grimace, the McDonald’s mascot that looks like a purple blob, became a queer icon? This rapid-fire roundtable discussion covers all the biggest, strangest, and most surprising food stories of 2023, with our panelists: Jaya Saxena, correspondent at Eater, and Zach Stafford, co-host of the podcast Vibe Check. 

Have you sent us your New Year's food resolution yet? We want to hear it! Email us at [email protected] with your first name, your location, and tell us the food you resolve to eat more of in the new year and why. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The native Minnesotan explains why a little internal bleeding can't keep her from a treat, and why the way she eats salad is like the way she deals with depression.

This episode originally aired on April 24, 2016, and again on April 15, 2019. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing help from Gianna Palmer and special thanks to Paula Szuchman. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at [email protected], and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.

Fuchsia Dunlop has written some of the best known English-language books on Chinese cooking, spending years at a time immersing herself in different regions of China in order to learn the area’s dialect and culinary specialties. But as she tells Dan, that wasn’t her original plan. She moved to Chengdu in her 20s because she wanted to live abroad and knew the food there would be great. Still, she says it took years before she stopped eating “like a European.” Her latest book, Invitation to a Banquet, tells a sweeping story of Chinese food through dishes like sweet-and-sour pork balls (an English takeaway standby) and fire-exploded kidney flowers (one of her favorite dishes of Chengdu).

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo, with production this week by Johanna Mayer.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When Jody Scaravella lost his grandma, his mom, and his sister within a few years, he opened a restaurant in their honor, as a way of dealing with his grief. But the restaurant, Enoteca Maria on Staten Island, NY, had a twist: the chefs were all Italian grandmas, or nonnas. After a few years, Jody started inviting grandmas from all over the world to cook at his restaurant. In this week's show, we attend Enoteca Maria's annual holiday party, one of the few days when all the nonnas come together. Dan is besieged on all sides by grandmas trying to feed him, and we find out whether the restaurant has done for Jody what he hoped it would.

This episode originally aired on December 9, 2019 and was produced by Dan Pashman and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Starting this week we're pulling one classic Sporkful from the deep freezer every other Friday and sharing it with you! We're calling these episodes "Reheats." If you have one you want to hear, email us at [email protected]! This week to kick things off: We discuss the beauty and tyranny of tradition, as well as the Wheel Of Infinite Thanksgiving Anxiety, with legendary food writer Mimi Sheraton, Milk Street Kitchen's Christopher Kimball, and cookbook author Kian Lam Kho. And yes, we're serious. (Here's Kian's recipe for leftover pumpkin pancakes.)

This episode originally aired on November 13, 2017, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Margaret Kelley. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Tiffanie Barriere is an award-winning bartender and cocktail educator who goes by the title “The Drinking Coach.” As the holidays approach, Tiffanie joins us to share some cocktail inspiration, talking with Dan about drinks for every season. She’s also created a cocktail perfect for this season — find it on Dan’s Instagram and in our newsletter! Tiffanie reflects on going from bartending at Applebee’s to being the beverage director at a place known as one of the best airport bars in the world, and discusses her collaboration with the esteemed food journalist Toni Tipton-Martin on Toni’s new book, Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. 

Get your Sporkful collection pastas, a signed copy of Dan's cookbook, and limited edition cascatelli posters in time for the holidays!

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

How did the U.S. military create a pizza that soldiers could eat on the battlefield? Our friends at the podcast Proof from America’s Test Kitchen follow the five-year journey to create the world's most shelf-stable pizza. In the process, they learn about ration bars made with ultrasonic technology, and how to keep cheese the right color in extreme conditions.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Sohla El-Waylly — chef, recipe developer, YouTube star — just released her first cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. She sees the book as an antidote to the pitfalls of culinary school (which she calls “a scam”), and she wrote it to help home cooks learn in their own kitchens. Sohla tells Dan why she always knew that she wanted to cook for a living, how she fell in love with her husband over a pile of butchered chickens, and why she still makes sprinkles individually, by hand. 

If you want to win a copy of Sohla's cookbook, sign up for our newsletter by November 19. If you’re already subscribed, then you’re already entered to win. Open to US/Canada addresses only.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo, with production this week by Grace Rubin.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Major announcement! Dan’s first cookbook, Anything’s Pastable, is available for preorder wherever books are sold starting today! This collection of non-traditional pasta sauces is not your nonna’s cookbook. It has kimchi carbonara, cacio e pepe with chili crisp, roasted artichoke with preserved lemon, and a dish called spaghetti all’assassina, or assassin’s spaghetti, which is pan fried until the pasta turns charred and crispy crunchy. Plus much more. Preorder Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People right now -- there’s also an option to preorder a signed copy as part of a holiday pasta gift box from Sfoglini!

Back in 2018, we talked with chef and recipe developer Yewande Komolafe about her experience as an undocumented immigrant. She grew up in Nigeria, but after immigrating legally to the U.S. a clerical error led to her losing her immigration status. For years she felt she had to hide parts of herself, for fear of being outed as undocumented. And because of her status, she couldn’t go back to Nigeria. This week we’re replaying that episode, followed by a new conversation with Yewande in which she updates her story, and talks about the release of her first cookbook, My Everyday Lagos.

If you want to win a copy of Yewande's cookbook, sign up for our newsletter by November 12. If you’re already subscribed, then you’re already eligible to win.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo. The team that originally produced parts of this episode was Anne Saini, Aviva DeKornfeld, Rob McGinley Myers, and John DeLore.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We are back with the Salad Spinner! This is our rapid fire roundtable discussion of the latest food news, from significant to silly, surprising to strange. And in the Spinner this week are Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic, and Doug Mack, who writes the newsletter Snack Stack. They discuss the genius of Bass Pro Shops, the truth behind Van Halen’s brown M&Ms story, and the weirdness of brand collaborations, like Van Leeuwen’s Hidden Valley Ranch Ice Cream.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Curtis Chin was practically raised at Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, his family’s restaurant in Detroit. It was a restaurant that served everybody, from the mayor (who was a regular) to sex workers to business executives. Within the walls of the restaurant, the Chin family saw the rise of Detroit as a multicultural, industrial city, and its decline in the wake of white flight and the crack epidemic. Chung’s was also the place where Curtis started to figure out his own identity and sexuality — while also learning how to make the Detroit Chinese-American specialty, almond boneless chicken.

Curtis’s memoir is Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. If you want to win a copy of the book, sign up for our newsletter by October 23. If you’re already subscribed, then you’re already eligible to win.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

School is back in session. And for kids, lunch period is the closest you get to being on your own at school. So what do kids actually talk about at lunch? Dan goes to one elementary school to find out. Then we hear from parents dealing with the high-stakes daily routine that is packing a lunch. Food writer J. Kenji López-Alt joins Dan to talk about his tips and tricks for using a bento box to pack lunch for his kids every day. And we hear your stories about school lunch triumphs and tragedies.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Jared O'Connell, and Julia Russo.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Husband-and-wife comedians and podcast hosts Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher often perform standup together. In their Netflix special they offer couples relationship advice, and the occasional roast. This week on The Sporkful, Natasha and Moshe help Dan and his wife Janie resolve their long-simmering marital conflicts involving hand soap and hosting dinner parties. Can Dan and Janie figure out how to work together before a big party?

This episode originally aired on September 2, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Peter Clowney. 

The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Back in 2017, a far-right politician in France angered his supporters and caused a small scandal. The faux pas? Enjoying a plate of couscous. Couscous is one of the most popular dishes in France, and it’s also a symbol of North African immigration. So how does the food of a former colony become “French” — and how much credit should France get for its culinary influence on former colonies? Reporter Samia Basille tells the story of two dishes that have crossed borders as a result of French colonialism: couscous and banh mi. Samia is an Algerian-French woman whose mother grew up in a French colony, so for her, these stories are personal.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Samia Basille and voiceover by Isabelle Duriez.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

On today’s show, we’re featuring two new cookbooks that we’re excited about, and the stories of the authors behind them. James Park’s new cookbook Chili Crisp: 50+ Recipes To Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings is a testament to how he’s never really followed the rules — and why that’s his secret weapon. Then we talk with Adeena Sussman, whose new book is Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals From My Table To Yours. Adeena spent years helping to write recipes for other peoples’ best-selling cookbooks, including Chrissy Teigen’s. Only recently did she start putting her own name on the cover — we talk about why.

Sign up for our newsletter by September 29 for a chance to win one of these cookbooks! If you’re already subscribed, you’re automatically entered to win.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Breeders at Washington State University spent 20 years developing a completely new variety of apple: Cosmic Crisp. What exactly does it take to create a new kind of apple? And how do they come up with a name for it? We team up with Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist podcast to learn about this apple innovation — and to heap a deserving amount of scorn on the ubiquitous, flavorless Red Delicious. Then we ask, four years after the apple’s launch, was it a success?

This episode originally aired on September 30, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Harry Huggins, John DeLore, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We asked for your food fights and hot takes, and you delivered! We hear about a 20-year dispute over a garlic aversion (with unsavory origins), get to the bottom of the best way to eat a pint of ice cream, and challenge Dan’s long-standing feud with spaghetti. Joining Dan to dish out wisdom are two opinionated, food-obsessed women of letters: Jiayang Fan and Samantha Irby. Jiayang and Sam also come with their own hot takes on Sichuanese beef jerky, mayo, and store-bought vs. homemade food.   

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with help this week from Nick Liao and Casey Holford.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Foraged ingredients have become all the rage in high end restaurants, part of the move toward hyperlocal, farm-to-table ingredients. Of course, we humans have been foraging pretty much forever. And though it’s less common in America today, Jay Marion’s family never really stopped. Now he’s carrying on that family legacy in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where he searches the woods and fields for all kinds of wild ingredients, to sell, and to eat. Dan joins Jay for a foraging walk, and hears the story of how his business got to where it is today. Jay might have gotten in early on a growing trend — but he never expected what happened next.

This episode originally aired on November 11, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Harry Huggins, Tracey Samuelson, Hali Bey Ramdene, and Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

While the villages to the east and west have charming Main Streets, the small town of Greenlawn, sandwiched in between, has pickles. Dan stops by the annual Pickle Festival before diving into the story of Samuel Ballton, the formerly enslaved man who became Greenlawn’s Pickle King. Dan meets some of Samuel’s descendants as they celebrate the recognition he’s started to receive, and hears how learning about his story has affected them.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Johanna Mayer and editing this week by Kameel Stanley.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Today we tackle news in the world of food that’s at turns substantive, silly, and surprising in a new series we’re calling Salad Spinner! Take a spin with us as Dan chats with journalists Amanda Mull (The Atlantic) and Dennis Lee (The Takeout) about Instant Pot’s parent company declaring bankruptcy, Burger King’s rollout of a cheese sandwich monstrosity in Thailand, and what it means that the World Health Organization now deems aspartame “possibly carcinogenic.” Then the Spinner speeds up for a lightning round.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

A few years ago, Tommy Pico, a queer indigenous American poet, and lover of junk food, set out to learn how to cook. He wanted to get healthier, but also, he wanted a food culture to replace the one that was wiped out when the federal government forced his ancestors onto a reservation. Rather than turn to the past to connect with that culture, Tommy turned to friends to build a new one. His book Feed, an epic poem, is the result of that journey. Tommy and Dan chat about the horrors of airport vegetarian options (pesto-basil-mozzarella with soggy bread smh), what it’s like when the food you grow up with is connected to trauma, and how queerness and looking to the future creates an opportunity to make your own legacy. Tommy also reads his poem, “I See The Fire That Burns Inside You.”

This episode originally aired on November 4, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Peter Clowney, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When the first Barbie Dreamhouse came out in 1962, it didn’t have a kitchen. Fast forward to today and there are a dozen chef Barbies. What does that say about Barbie, and about American food culture? We talk with Helene Siegel, author of The Barbie Party Cookbook (1991), about why Mattel resisted having Barbie cook for so long. Then Dan dines with food writer Helen Rosner at the pop-up Malibu Barbie Cafe in New York City. They debate whether a breakfast burrito is Barbie food and receive a show-stopping pink dessert.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Once known for its glacial pace, ice news today is breaking. In the wake of Starbucks’ recent announcement that they’re changing their ice, we’re devoting an entire episode to the drink chiller in all its forms: pellet ice, giant ice cubes, bagged ice, and more. Ice cube reporter Camper English, author of The Ice Book, tells us about his breakthrough method for making crystal-clear ice, and which shapes work best for which drinks. Plus he helps us distill the Starbucks news, and we carve out some time to learn about ice history.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production this week by Johanna Mayer.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

It’s time for our annual game show, 2 Chefs And A Lie! The game is simple. Dan talks with three “chefs.” Two are real, and one is an actor with a made-up resume. He’s gotten no info on these people in advance and cannot look online while playing. He can ask each participant just five questions, then he has to guess which chef is the impostor. The best part: You can play along! Dan has lost the game both times we’ve played before. Can he finally redeem himself? Can he, and can you, spot the fake chef? 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with help this week from Katherine Moncure.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

This week in honor of July 4th, we’re exploring an important part of American history – the contributions of enslaved Black chefs, whose work influences American cuisine to this day. In 1784, Thomas Jefferson brought the enslaved chef James Hemings, brother of Sally Hemings, with him to France to train under the French culinary masters of the day. Hemings created a cuisine that was half French, half Virginian, and brought it back to Jefferson's plantation, Monticello. This week, Dan tours the kitchens at Monticello with three descendants of enslaved Virginians: Michael Twitty, culinary historian and historical interpreter; Niya Bates, public historian of slavery and African American life at Monticello; and Gayle Jessup White, community engagement officer at Monticello.

This episode originally aired on October 21, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Peter Clowney. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

How do you feed yourself on a hike that’s more than 2,200 miles long and takes six months to complete? Every summer, hundreds of people attempting to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, are faced with that question. This week senior producer Emma Morgenstern heads to Pine Grove General Store, the trail’s halfway point, and enters a world where most typical rules of eating seem not to apply. Hikers tell her about trash potatoes, ramen bombs, and a famous ice cream-eating challenge. Then we continue on the rest of the journey with Cricket, a hiker from Ohio. When things get tough, Cricket has to rethink her approach to food.

This episode contains some discussion of disordered eating.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The stand-up comedian Zarna Garg spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom. Now she sells out shows across the country and has her own special on Prime Video. In her stand-up and her social media videos, food is often a main character. But Zarna has mixed feelings when it comes to cooking. As a teenager, she wasn’t always sure where her next meal would come from. And as a parent, she came to resent the burden of feeding her family of five. She talks with Dan about her frustration with American parenting, why her kids eat steamed broccoli for breakfast, and how Indian Americans fought to bring back Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with production on this episode by Grace Rubin.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Remember that time you bought an apple in Canada or a piece of cheese in France and “forgot” to declare it when you crossed the border into the U.S.? That makes you a food smuggler. It can feel pretty innocent, but sometimes, food smuggling can have big consequences. On today’s show, we talk with a small-time haggis smuggler in Toronto, learn about the Mexican bologna racket, and meet a contraband-sniffing beagle at JFK Airport.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons never thought she’d have a career in food. Sure, her mom ran a cooking school in their home growing up. Yes, she worked in the kitchen on a kibbutz in Israel. And it’s true, she wrote restaurant reviews for her college paper. But was food really what she wanted to do? It turns out: yes. Once Gail snagged a job on that as-yet-unknown reality TV cooking competition, she never looked back. Now, ahead of the Top Chef season 20 finale, Gail talks with Dan about how she’s become a better judge on the show while letting go of judgment in other parts of her life.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Jared O'Connell, and Nora Ritchie, with production on this episode by Abigail Keel.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In the 1980s, six women on an island off the coast of Massachusetts began selling lobster rolls as a church fundraiser. Today people travel by car, boat, and plane just to taste these hallowed summer treats. This week, one of those people is Dan. He travels to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover Grace Church's secret recipe. Plus, Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats breaks down the science of why frozen lobster might be better than fresh.

On Saturday, June 3, Dan will be moderating a panel at a food festival on Martha’s Vineyard called Martha’s Vineyard Flavors. It’s a weekend of talks, demonstrations, and delicious meals. You can buy tickets to part of the event or the whole thing here.

This episode originally aired on June 17, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Peter Clowney. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Jared O'Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Comedian and podcaster Jamie Loftus set out on a cross-country road trip to try to figure out: Why do hot dogs have such a hold on American culture? And why does she continue to find them so damn delicious? Over the course of her Hot Dog Summer, she tried all kinds of regional American dogs, from a bacon-wrapped Sonoran dog in Tucson, to a bologna-wrapped dog in Baltimore, to one that involved SpaghettiOs. She also visited the famed Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, where she learned there was a darker story behind the celebrated ritual. The trip changed the way she thought about hot dogs — but also how she felt about America and herself. Jamie’s new book is Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When the California government stepped in to try and prevent abalone from going extinct, it also criminalized the food traditions of indigenous people in the region. In this episode from our friends at the podcast Copper and Heat, we look into the history of this now luxury ingredient — a tale that involves San Francisco bohemians, Japanese fishermen, and a Pomo-Paiute woman who has risked jail time and fines in order to keep these food traditions alive.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

This week we're exploring the musical history of jelly, from the Harlem Renaissance to Beyoncé and beyond. Along the way, we hear the story of a famous moment in internet history, explore depictions of Black women in music, and learn how jelly became an affirmation for LGBTQIA+ identity. And then, for our grand finale, we write an original song about JELLY!

This episode originally aired on August 12, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with editing by Peter Clowney. Original music by the Reverend John DeLore and Allison Leyton-Brown. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Jared O'Connell, and Nora Ritchie.

Info and tickets available here for Dan’s appearance at Martha’s Vineyard Flavors.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

ChatGPT can use artificial intelligence to generate high school essays, emails, cover letters, and a lot more. But can it write an episode of The Sporkful? Eater senior reporter Bettina Makalintal joins us to discuss, and to tell us what happened when she asked ChatGPT to write a “stinky lunchbox immigrant memoir.” Do the results reveal something about the way immigrants and food are represented in media today? And what does all this mean for creativity in food and beyond?

Bettina’s story for Eater is called “Great! AI Can Generate All the Diaspora Food Writing Tropes.”

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Cookbook author Andrea Nguyen helped change the tone of Vietnamese cookbooks when she published her first in 2006. “They had these long, long ingredient lists that kind of exoticized the cuisine,” Andrea tells Dan. “But we're here in America. Why can't we talk about Vietnamese food in America?” Several cookbooks later, Andrea has continued to demystify Asian cooking without dumbing it down. Over lunch at Sidestreet Pho in Alameda, California, Andrea talks with Dan about her approach to writing recipes, including for her new vegetable-centric cookbook Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea. They also meet Hanh Nguyen, owner of Sidestreet Pho and daughter of some of the first Vietnamese restaurant owners in the U.S.

To enter to win a copy of Ever-Green Vietnamese, subscribe to our newsletter by May 8. Open to US/Canada only.

Info and tickets available here for Dan’s appearance at Martha’s Vineyard Flavors.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Crunchy, creamy, squishy, slimy… the list goes on. Texture might not be the first thing you think of when describing your favorite foods, but it plays a big role in the foods you love and the foods you hate. And it’s not just an individual preference; culture can help determine whether you love crunchy or squishy foods. On today’s show, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Gastropod that dives into the world of food texture and the scientists who study it.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Bill Nye is a goofball nerd to the core, and he’s built a career on making science fun and accessible for everyone. So can Bill give Dan some satisfying answers to big, and small, food science questions? Like what’s the deal with the five second rule? And how should we think about GMOs? Then, Bill and Corey S. Powell, his co-host on the podcast Science Rules!, chat with listeners to explain the science of salting pasta water, and what the deal is with lab-grown meat. 

This episode originally aired on July 22, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

How do you eat ice cream on a first date? When should you start meal prepping when you’re in a new relationship? What’s the perfect tailgating food? Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford, the hosts of the podcast Vibe Check, join us to chat about food issues and obsessions in their lives. And they help us settle some listener food disputes about repeat recipes, and Chipotle bowls. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Hip hop records as placemats. A sneaker chandelier, reminiscent of shoes hanging on telephone lines. A bouillabaisse overflowing with seafood from the south of France. That was the scene at one of the high-end events put on by Ghetto Gastro, a Bronx-based culinary collective. Jon Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serrao formed Ghetto Gastro a decade ago, with a mission to present Bronx culture as high culture. Their first cookbook, Black Power Kitchen, co-written with Osayi Endolyn, is “part cookbook, part manifesto. Created with big Bronx energy.” Dan takes a tour of the Bronx with Ghetto Gastro’s founders, hitting up some of the spots that make the borough so special: Kingston Tropical Bakery, Feroza’s Roti Shop, and Green Garden Juice Bar and Health Food Store.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Zahra Tabatabai’s parents grew up in an Iran that would be unrecognizable today. “The pictures I see of my family in Iran in the sixties and seventies, they're in bikinis at the beach, drinking beer,” she says. Now, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women are legally required to wear hijabs and alcohol is banned. A few years ago, Zahra became interested in the long history of beer brewing in Iran — a tradition that included her own grandfather. She began brewing her own beer, experimenting with traditional Iranian ingredients like sumac, black lime, and barberries. Now she’s using her company, Back Home Beer, to change the narrative about Iranian people and culture. And one day, she hopes to bring her beer to Iran without fear. Nowruz Mobarak!

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

A year ago we spoke with a young woman we’re calling Raina, who felt she was on the verge of developing an eating disorder. For context and perspective, we spoke with comedian Margaret Cho, who's struggled with eating disorders much of her life. This week, we get an update on how Raina is doing one year later.

This episode originally aired on January 9, 2017, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Shoshana Gold, with editing help from Dan Charles. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The Copenhagen restaurant Noma has consistently topped lists of best restaurants in the world. People fly in from all over the globe to pay $500 per person for the hyperlocal tasting menus dreamed up by chef/owner Rene Redzepi. But a couple months ago, Redzepi announced the restaurant will close next year because it had become unsustainable, “financially and emotionally.” The announcement came as many high end chefs have spoken out about how hard the business has become, and others have shined a light on the industry’s use of unpaid interns. So is it possible to run a high end restaurant that turns a profit and treats people fairly? And is there a point in trying – or should these places just disappear? Adam Platt, former restaurant critic for New York Magazine, and Vivian Howard, owner of the restaurant Chef & the Farmer in North Carolina, weigh in on the challenges for fine dining and the labor practices in high-end kitchens. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When Alexandra Yingst plopped down at a bar in Reykjavik after a 10-hour drive through a blizzard, she saw something unexpected: a Big Mac, in seemingly perfect condition, under a glass dome. It turns out that Big Mac tells us a lot about Iceland’s economy and national identity. Our friends at the Atlas Obscura podcast explore the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places — and this week they’re bringing us two of their best food stories. You’ll hear about Iceland’s last Big Mac, and the world’s oldest edible ham, located in Smithfield, Virginia. (The fact that it’s 120 years old might not even be the weirdest thing about it.)

Special thanks to the Atlas Obscura team. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

"Flirting over food is really the best way to flirt," says actor Alan Alda, and he would know. He met his wife, Arlene, at a dinner party in college. A rum cake fell off the top of a refrigerator, and Arlene and Alan were the only ones to grab a fork and eat it off the floor. More than sixty years later, they’re still married. Their secret? Good communication. Alan and Arlene advise Dan on how to communicate with his own family about food, why a dinner party is about so much more than the meal, and why short memories help build long relationships. 

This episode originally aired on July 2, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Aviva DeKornfeld, and Rob McGinley Myers. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When the French chef Jean-Robert de Cavel died in December, hundreds of chefs wore their white coats to his memorial service in downtown Cincinnati. It was a testament to how many people Jean-Robert had inspired in the thirty years he lived in the city. So how did this fancy French chef end up in Cincinnati — and why did he stay? We hear about Jean-Robert’s unlikely love affair with his adopted city, and we talk with food writer Keith Pandolfi about how the chef’s legacy has inspired Cincy’s food scene to reclaim its local pride. Then Dan and Keith come up with a new Super Bowl food craze just for Cincinnati.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. The first half of this episode originally aired on November 5, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Aviva DeKornfeld, with editing by Gianna Palmer and mixing by Dan Dzula.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The number one question Dan has gotten since inventing cascatelli is: Are you going to invent another pasta shape? The answer is probably not — the sequel is never as good as the original. Instead, he gets a better idea: find some old, obscure shapes that he loves, make a tweak or two, and team up with Sfoglini to produce them. But first he has to figure out which shapes, and how to get his hands on them. That requires a lot of taste testing and a trip to Italy. Plus, an accident threatens to derail Sfoglini’s production, and we get an update on cascatelli.

Click here to shop all Sporkful pastas and products at Sfoglini.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing this week by Hali Bey Ramdene, Abigail Keel, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When cascatelli first went viral, Dan heard from dozens of listeners who wanted to try it, but couldn’t because they were gluten-free. Well, challenge accepted: Dan sets out to make a version of cascatelli without gluten, a project that’s now nearly a year in the making. Along the way, he learns about the science of starch with an Italian pasta researcher; he cold messages pasta execs on LinkedIn; and he meets a kindred spirit pasta maker who tries to make his gluten-free dreams come true. If you thought regular ruffles were a challenge, just wait until you try to make them gluten-free.

Buy Banza cascatelli made from chickpeas here! 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell, with help this week from Mary Diduch, Gianna Palmer, and Nora Ritchie.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Mandy Naglich is an award-winning home brewer who also writes and teaches about beer. Now she wants to become a Master Cicerone — basically the beer equivalent of a master sommelier. There are only 19 in the world, and just three are women. If Mandy wants to be number 20, she’ll need to pass a grueling two-day exam that includes identifying beers by taste and smell, pairing beers with food, and fixing a broken draft line. Dan selflessly offers himself up as Mandy’s beer-tasting study buddy, and we get a glimpse of the depth of her knowledge. But will it be enough for her to become a Master Cicerone?

To sign up for one of Mandy Naglich's virtual beer workshops, go to BeersWithMandy.com. //

Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL).

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We’re back with the latest on Cascatelli, the new pasta shape that Dan invented. Now that the chaos around Cascatelli’s launch has died down, Dan has to make some big decisions about what to do next — with help from his cousin Carrie and die maker Chris Maldari. Then while Sfoglini upgrades their factory and tries to get the pasta into stores and restaurants, Dan explores other opportunities. Can he land the kind of deal he’s hoping for? Plus: Dan puts his mom to work developing recipes for Cascatelli.

Order your limited edition cascatelli gift box now at Sfoglini.com! And use The Fresh Market’s store locator to find cascatelli in a store near you. //

Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL).

Transcript available at  www.sporkful.com

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The first run of cascatelli sold out almost immediately. In the weeks that followed, the pasta basically went viral. In this update, you’ll hear how Dan and his family reacted. Then, Dan weighs his options for the future of cascatelli. For help, he turns to die maker Chris Maldari, and Cara Nicoletti and Ariel Hauptman from Seemore Meats & Veggies.

For more information on cascatelli ordering and shipping, check out these FAQs from Sfoglini. //

Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL).

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

After months of revisions, Dan thinks he’s got his shape. But he’s been working on this for so long, he’s not sure he knows what’s good anymore. So he brings in an all-star panel of taste testers, including Sohla El-Waylly, Francis Lam, Dorie Greenspan, Christopher Kimball, Claire Saffitz, Jet Tila, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Then J. Kenji López-Alt, Justin Warner, and Samin Nosrat help Dan pick a name for his shape before, finally, it’s production day!

The shape is on sale right now! Get it at Sfoglini, and use promo code SPORKFUL for 15% off your whole order.

Want to see photos and videos from Dan’s journey? Follow @thesporkful on Instagram! //

Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL).

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The first test batch of Dan’s pasta rolls off the presses, but problems crop up almost immediately. In order to save his shape, Dan has to make some big decisions that come with a high price tag. Then just as things start coming together, a die redesign goes very wrong.

Want to see photos and videos from Dan’s journey? Follow The Sporkful on Instagram! //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Dan dusts himself off and goes on the hunt for a pasta company to partner with. Plus, he edges closer to a design for his shape. But the real challenge is convincing pasta industry insiders to take him seriously.

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Dan seeks inspiration for the design of his new pasta shape, a process that includes an epic pasta tasting and a chat with an architect who points him to a very radical concept. But after a meeting with a pasta maker, Dan learns exactly how much these big ideas will cost him.

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Spaghetti doesn’t hold sauce. Angel hair goes from zero to mush. Wagon wheels are gimmicks. These are just a few of Dan’s many frustrations with classic pasta shapes. Three years ago he set out to do better when he embarked on a quest to invent a new pasta shape, actually get it made, and actually sell it. And things have not gone as planned. Starting today, we’re telling the story of Dan’s quest in a five-part series; part 2 is also up now. Will the world have a new pasta shape? Or will Dan’s dreams fall as flat as an overcooked rigatoni?

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For the last three years, Dan has been on a quest to invent a new pasta shape, actually get it made, and actually sell it. And things have not gone as planned. Starting this Monday, March 1, we’re telling the story of this quest in a five-part series.//

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When the spotlight goes away… In the wake of allegations about systemic racism at Bon Appétit, people of color there were hopeful things would change. Nearly two months later, are they changing? How are Bon Appétit and its parent company, Condé Nast, dealing with this turmoil — employees speaking out, a refusal to produce videos until negotiations are settled, and an internal investigation into pay equity? We spoke with six people at BA, all of whom asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, to find out. After the headline-grabbing scandal comes the time when people have to make real change. Those in power have to act.

UPDATE: We published this episode Monday morning, August 3rd. On Thursday, three stars of the BA Test Kitchen— Priya Krishna, Rick Martinez, and Sohla El-Waylly—announced that they would no longer be participating in videos for Bon Appétit.

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A beloved brand with a toxic workplace... The videos shot in the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen are among the most popular food videos on YouTube, beloved for their depiction of a workplace that feels cool, fun, and diverse, full of chummy editors who have become celebrities. But that all changed this week when a photo of Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport in brownface was posted to Twitter. It brought to the fore long-simmering anger about a lack of diversity among the staff and the cuisines that get highlighted, as well as pay inequities and hostile treatment for people of color at BA. We speak with reporter Rachel Premack, former staffer Nikita Richardson, and current BA assistant editor Sohla El-Waylly to find out what it’s like to work at Bon Appetit, and what it will take to change it.

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The word "plantation" pops up a lot in the food world – Plantation Mint Tea, Plantation Chicken, Plantation Rum. But it's not a culinary term. It doesn't indicate certain spices or cooking methods. So what are white people in food who use this word trying to evoke? Inspired by a piece by food writer Osayi Endolyn, we go on a mission to find out. In the process, we try to learn something about whiteness in America.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

This episode is from The Sporkful's archives. Normally, this episode and hundreds like it are only available with Stitcher Premium. But in these difficult times, we're releasing it for free — both to help our listeners through quarantine, and to say thanks for continuing to support our show. If you'd like to have access to our entire archive, you can sign up for Stitcher Premium at www.stitcherpremium.com/SPORKFUL, and use the promo code SPORKFUL for a special discount.

This podcast isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. We have a ton of fun obsessing about food to learn more about culture, science, history, and most importantly—people. In every episode of The Sporkful you’re going to learn something, feel something, and laugh. Winner of the James Beard and Webby Award for Best Food Podcast. Hosted by Dan Pashman, inventor of the pasta shape cascatelli. Subscribe, follow, or favorite now and join us!