The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

It’s a conversation with Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. We talk to Nicole Bermensolo about her book, Kyotofu: Uniquely Japanese Desserts, and we get kitchen design and philosophy from Gabrielle Stanley Blair, creator of the blog and book Design Mom. Cara Nicoletti, author of Voracious, shares dishes from her favorite novels, while Andrew Moore, author of Pawpaw, explains the forgotten fruit.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 11, 2015 (originally aired)September 9, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to chef Pierre Thiam about his new book on modern Senegalese cuisine, Senegal, and Melanie Dunea, author of My Last Supper, explains the art of capturing chefs on film. Writer Elissa Altman is having a difficult time feeding her aging mother, and the Sterns seek out the best pimiento burgers. We also revisit an old segment with award-winning chef Daniel Patterson, who tells us what tools a cook really needs.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 28, 2015 (originally aired)August 26, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to Leanne Brown, author of Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day. Wendy Suzuki, author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life, shares recent evidence that you can benefit your brain by giving it a smell and taste workout. In his latest project, “To Live and Dine in L.A.,” Josh Kun looked at a collection of over 9,000 menus dating back to 1875. And Cathy Erway, author of The Food of Taiwan, shares the distinctive tastes of Taiwanese cuisine.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 14, 2015 (originally aired)August 12, 2016 (rebroadcast)

We talk to Darra Goldstein, editor of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets; we meet Douglas Quint, one of the founders of New York City's Big Gay Ice Cream Truck; and we learn the simple art of Italian dumplings with chef Jenn Louis, author of Pasta By Hand. Keith Wilson, curator of the exhibit "Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes" at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., explains ancient Chinese wine vessels.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 31, 2015 (originally aired)July 29, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Will Allen tells us how he feeds 10,000 people a year from a three-acre farm in the poorest part of Milwaukee. We talk to Amy Bentley, author of Inventing Baby Food. Adam Leith Gollner explored Abruzzo, Italy, which he says is "hidden in plain sight," and Barbara Mazur discovered The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook in the rare book room at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Sterns share their soul food picks -- in Orlando, Florida.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 17, 2015 (originally aired)July 8, 2016 (rebroadcast)

We're in the New York City kitchen of legendary chef Daniel Boulud for another installment of The Key 3. David Tanis tries to convince us to eat seaweed, and we play Stump the Cook with Frank DeCaro, author of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 23, 2012 (originally aired)June 15, 2013 (rebroadcast)July 1, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College, and student Chanson Goodson tell us why the Dallas school converted its football field into a garden. Contributor Noelle Carter looks at the world of sake making with sake brewer Gordon Heady. Contributor Melissa Clark talks to food critic Robert Sietsema about his new book, New York in a Dozen Dishes. Freelance journalist Jason Strother takes us to a restaurant serving Mexican-Korean food in Seoul. And in celebration of The Splendid Table’s 20th anniversary, we revisit an interview with Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish, about the history and health of the four species of fish that dominate our menus.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 19, 2015 (originally aired)June 17, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Guest host David Leite talks to Augusten Burroughs about the latter's new memoir, Noelle Carter explores the food of Lima with Virgilio Martinez, and Shauna Sever discusses Italy's history of food preservation with Domenica Marchetti. Plus, David builds the perfect pie crust with Art of the Pie's Kate McDermott, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper checks in with Jekka McVicar on the wonders of lemon balm.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 10, 2016

This week we hear about the eating strategies of the world’s healthiest people with Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People. We look at the past, present and future of the most popular fruit, the banana, with Nicole Vitello, president of Equal Exchange Bananas. Chef Rick Bayless gives us a lesson in the Mexican way with vegetables. His latest book is More Mexican Everyday. Nongkran Daks, author of Nong's Thai Kitchen, shares how to make curry paste at home, and research scientist Heidi Appel says plants can hear when they are being eaten.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 5, 2015 (originally aired)June 3, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Brian Wansink, author of Slim by Design, shares the latest findings on why we eat what we do, beer expert Greg Engert gives us a taste of the delicious world of spontaneous fermentation and Maryann Tebben joins us to talk about her book, Sauces: A Global History. Carla Seidl visits the mill Carolina Ground, and Richard Wrangham, author of Catching Fire, explains the role cooking played in the evolution of humans.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 22, 2015 (originally aired)May 20, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Journalist Barry Estabrook exposed the dark side of Florida’s tomato crop in his best-selling book Tomatoland. He now takes on the pork industry with his latest book, Pig Tales. We get exuberant and professional help with our picnics from Jen Stevenson, a member of The Portland Picnic Society and co-author of the book The Picnic. Robyn Lea, author of Dinner with Jackson Pollock, shares how she discovered Jackson Pollock's recipes, and Shauna Sever, author of Real Sweet, has alternatives to refined sugar. The Sterns are at Honey from the Rock Café in Augusta, Georgia.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 8, 2015 (originally aired)May 6, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to David Gelb, creator of the Netflix series Chef's Table. We get indoor gardening advice from Elizabeth Millard, author of Indoor Kitchen Gardening. Diana Henry shares ideas for cooking chicken, and Tara Whitsitt explains Fermentation on Wheels, her mobile fermentation project. We also revisit a piece about Nikolai Vavilov, a Russian botanist who collected seeds, with author Gary Nabhan.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 24, 2015 (originally aired)April 22, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Contributor Melissa Clark digs into the fragrant food of Lebanon with Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms. Jeremy Nolen, author of New German Cooking, says German food is more than sauerkraut and schnitzel. Kimberly Jung co-founded Rumi Spice, a business that buys saffron directly from Afghan farmers. We meet up with a man with synesthesia -- he tastes what he hears -- and learn about his project to map out the tastes of the London Underground. Neil Kelley, a research fellow at the Smithsonian, explains what we can learn about animals' diets from studying their skull and teeth. The Sterns visit The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant in New Orleans.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 10, 2015 (originally aired)April 8, 2016 (rebroadcast)

We’re talking to journalist Tom Philpott of Mother Jones about the dark side of everyone’s favorite nut, the almond. Sarah Copeland, author of Feast, explains what it means to eat 90 percent vegetarian. The Sioux Chef's Sean Sherman specializes in Native American food with indigenous ingredients. Jane and Michael Stern share a regional treasure from Pennsylvania, the zep.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 27, 2015 (originally aired)March 25, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week we hear about a group of renegade Montana farmers and their quest to change the farming industry from Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America. We talk to chef Eric Ripert about his recent travels, and we have an encore performance of the day Lynne taught violinist Joshua Bell how to cook pasta.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 13, 2015 (originally aired)March 4, 2016 (rebroadcast)

We are looking at the history of the chicken with Andrew Lawler, author of Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? Lynne blind tastes California olive oils, and Edd Kimber explains the proper way to make scones. In honor of our 20th anniversary we’re revisiting a 2008 interview with David Lett, the groundbreaking American winemaker behind The Eyrie Vineyards.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 27, 2015 (originally aired)February 26, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Perfumer and chef Mandy Aftel explains the connection between scent and emotion. Her book is Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent. The Sterns have found a first-rate gluten-free bakery at Mama’s Cheese Bread Factory in Brookfield, Connecticut, and Lisa Gross talks about The League of Kitchens, an organization where immigrants teach others to cook. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt debunks five myths about cast iron, while Fuchsia Dunlop cooks Gong Bao Chicken.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 13, 2015 (originally aired)February 12, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to Kat Kinsman, editor in chief of Tasting Table, about the ethics of food journalism. We turn to Michael Ruhlman, author of Ruhlman's How to Roast, about the essentials of that cooking technique, and meet Azalina Eusope, a fifth-generation street vendor from Malaysia who is setting San Francisco’s food scene on fire.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 30, 2015 (originally aired)January 29, 2016 (rebroadcast)

This week it’s Jennifer McLagan with her book Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes, Jimi Yui, one of the world’s leading restaurant kitchen designers, explains how he works with chefs to make their kitchens their own, and Food & Wine magazine's Ray Isle talks about American wines. The Sterns are in Idaho, and the BBC's Lucy Hooker has the story of one man's mission to save the Mangalica pig.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 16, 2015 (originally aired)January 15, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Chinese chef Ming Tsai joins us with his Asian-influenced take on one-pot cooking. His book is Simply Ming One-Pot Meals. The Sterns are in Atlanta at Mary Mac's Tea Room, Tom Owen of the coffee website Sweet Maria's shares his guide to home roasting and Harold McGee talks pasta. Plus James Oliver Cury shares highlights from his vintage food- and drink-themed record collection.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 15, 2011 (originally aired)January 14, 2012 (rebroadcast)December 31, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Noelle Carter talks to chef Sean Brock about his new book, Heritage, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift trade ideas for easy holiday dishes. Artist David Ligare explains the relationship between food and gratitude in the ancient world, and the Sterns are at Bobke’s Bread Basket in Sierra Vista, Arizona.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 19, 2014 (originally aired)December 24, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we dig into chef Marcus Samuelsson’s ethnic pantry. His latest book is Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home. We look at the decline of traditional French cheese in France, we match junk food with wine for a lesson in wine pairing with Anthony Giglio and we talk to the duo who documented Cuban home cooking in their new book, The Cuban Table.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 5, 2014 (originally aired)December 11, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week, chef John Besh teaches us how to fry an egg in The Key 3. We take an adventure in sustainable eating with the duo from The Perennial Plate, and we look at the spread of Japanese food in America with Daisuke Utagawa of Sushiko.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 6, 2012 (originally aired)October 11, 2013 (rebroadcast)November 27, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Turkey Confidential is The Splendid Table's annual live call-in show on Thanksgiving, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Guests for the 2015 edition included Jacques Pépin, Dave Isay, Nigella Lawson and Andrew Zimmern.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 26, 2015

This week we're looking at the resurgence of cooking with lard with Charleston, S.C., chef Sean Brock. Chef Susan Feniger joins us with her book Street Food, and The New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov, author of How to Love Wine, shares his observations from the wine world.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 20, 2012 (originally aired)October 25, 2013 (rebroadcast)November 13, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to comedian Jim Gaffigan about vegetables. Journalists Jane Black and Brent Cunningham spent 7 months in Huntington, West Virginia, the town whose food system Jamie Oliver tried to remake. Contributor David Leite talks to Andrea Slonecker, author of Pretzel Making at Home, and we visit Thai Park, a market/picnic in a Berlin park that serves authentic Thai food that flies in the face of German code and culture.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 31, 2014 (originally aired)October 30, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week Seattle chef Tom Douglas joins us for another installment of The Key 3. His book is The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. Award-winning photographer Penny De Los Santos talks about what she really captures when she snaps a food photo. And we talk to Todd Selby about his unusual book, Edible Selby.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 3, 2012 (originally aired)November 8, 2013 (rebroadcast)October 23, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We talk to Mexican food scholar Margarita Carrillo Arronte, author of Mexico: The Cookbook, about what modern Mexican food is really made of, Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell dreamed up Twelve Recipes, a book to teach his adult sons how to cook, and Lynne tastes her way through the best and worst of vegetable stock. Broadcast dates for this episode:October 17, 2014 (originally aired)October 16, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Mario Batali joins us with his ode to the American farmer, America Farm to Table. We talk about the cider-drinking trend with Amy Traverso, author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, the Sterns give us a tutorial on Canada’s poutine, and we learn to make a ginger bug with Jennifer McGruther, author of The Nourished Kitchen.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 3, 2014 (originally aired)October 2, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we talk to chef Dan Barber about ethical eating. His book is The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. We meet Von Diaz, a woman cooking her way through Cocina Criolla, the Puerto Rican Joy of Cooking, and The Kitchn’s Faith Durand brings us the best in vegetable slow cooker recipes.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 19, 2014 (originally aired)September 18, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We’ve a fresh take on home-packed lunches with Asian food authority Andrea Nguyen and her book, The Banh Mi Handbook, we get a primer in cocktails from bartenders David and Lesley Solmonson, the folks behind The 12 Bottle Bar, and we talk to Kate Krader of Food & Wine Magazine about whether today’s big-flavored foods are wrecking the American palate.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 5, 2014 (originally aired)September 4, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We learn the art of pickling fish with Paul Lowe, author of Sweet Paul Eat and Make, and we look at the tradition of eating frog legs in Detroit with author Bill Loomis. Ari Daniel observes chemistry in the kitchen of Kimball House, and Remodelista's Christine Hanway gives us some easy kitchen updates.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 22, 2014 (originally aired)August 21, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we look at why the restaurant world is still run by men with chef Amanda Cohen of New York City’s beloved vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy. Lynne invites the authors of Cooking From the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America into her kitchen for a lesson in Chicken Larb and the Sterns are heading to Newport, Oregon, to Local Ocean Seafoods.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 8, 2014 (originally aired)August 7, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we check in with the hilarious columnist Jolie Kerr about keeping kitchens clean. She is the author of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag … and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha. The duo behind The Perennial Plate takes us to Ethiopia for a look at the super grain teff, and we get a sense of modern Greek food with Maria Elia, author of Smashing Plates.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 25, 2014 (originally aired)July 24, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We are looking at how we will feed the world with National Geographic magazine’s Dennis Dimick, we take on homemade boozy summer drinks with Andrew Schloss, author of Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits, and we talk to Roy Choi, the chef who went from a fancy restaurant to feeding the masses $2 tacos and jump-starting the L. A. food scene. He is author of L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 11, 2014 (originally aired)July 10, 2015 (rebroadcast)

David Sedaris joins us this week with his stories about family dinners. His latest book is Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. We look at an alternative and ancient way to bake -- on the grill -- with Paula Marcoux, author of Cooking with Fire, and learn the art of pairing beer with cheese from Steve Jones, owner of Cheese Bar in Portland, Oregon.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 27, 2014 (originally aired)June 26, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We learn some unconventional grilling techniques this week from Adam Perry Lang, author of Charred and Scruffed. Travel + Leisure magazine's Peter Jon Lindberg reports on the affordable food scene in Hawaii, and food scientist Harold McGee brings us some surprising news about the best way to thaw frozen meat.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 9, 2012 (originally aired)June 1, 2013 (rebroadcast)June 12, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we ask the question, “Who owns the world’s superfoods?” It’s the battle over quinoa with journalist Lisa Hamilton, we hear the story of wine entrepreneur Jess Jackson of Kendall-Jackson Vineyard Estates from the author of A Man and His Mountain and the duo from the award-winning Perennial Plate takes us to Argentina for the tradition of mate.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 6, 2014 (originally aired)May 29, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We are talking about fried chicken this week with Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman, authors of Fried & True: More than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken and Sides, Food & Wine Magazine’s Ray Isle explores a re-imagined wine bottle and we look at rice through a Persian cook’s eyes with Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Kitchen.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 23, 2014 (originally aired)May 15, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We are looking at mindfulness in the kitchen this week with Dan Harris, best-selling author of 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge and Found Self-Help that Actually Works -- A True Story. We talk to the Martha Stewart of Australia, Donna Hay, chef Ronna Welsh tells us how to reduce waste in the kitchen, and the Sterns fill us in on Arkansas fried pies.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 9, 2014 (originally aired)May 1, 2015 (rebroadcast)

It's a look at the real world of the professional kitchen with chef April Bloomfield of New York City's The Spotted Pig and The Breslin, The Perennial Plate heads to South Africa to learn about biodynamic wines, and historian Frederick Douglass Opie takes us on a musical journey through the South's chitlin' circuit.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 25, 2014 (originally aired)April 17, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week it’s a look at real ramen with Ivan Orkin, author of Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession and Recipes from Tokyo’s Most Unlikely Noodle Joint, the Sterns are in North Garden, Va., at Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie, we talk to Gustavo Arellano of the syndicated Ask a Mexican! column about the latest in American-Mex cuisine, and David Rosengarten of davidrosengarten.com is just back from Sicily and brings us a primer in capers.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 4, 2014 (originally aired)April 3, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We’re looking at the world of wine tasting with an unusual guide, Hoby Wedler, the blind host of the Tasting in the Dark seminars at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Chef Daniel Patterson of San Francisco’s famed Coi talks about the philosophy behind the vegetable emphasis on his menu, and could cactus be the next kale? We check in with Modern Farmer’s Sam Brasch.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 21, 2014 (originally aired)March 20, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week we play another round of Stump the Cook with Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi. We meet Erin Byers Murray, author of the memoir Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm, and we look at low-alcohol wines with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, author of Drink This: Wine Made Simple.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 18, 2012 (originally aired)February 16, 2013 (rebroadcast)March 6, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Investigative journalist Christopher Leonard takes us inside the meat industry with his book The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, wine expert Joshua Wesson brings us his picks of wines to pair with charcuterie, and we look at the food from Macau with the duo behind Chicago’s Fat Rice.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 21, 2014 (originally aired)February 20, 2015 (rebroadcast)

This week it’s a very private look at the restaurant business with chef John Gorham of Toro Bravo in Portland, Ore., the duo from The Perennial Plate take us into the jungles of Mexico for an inside view of cacao, we look at the history and origins of culinary diplomacy, and get a lesson in Italian pasta from the author of Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 7, 2014 (originally aired)February 6, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We take a look at regional Thai food with chef Andy Ricker, author of Pok Pok, chef Jenn Louis of Lincoln Restaurant in Portland, Ore., brings some inspiration for winter salads, and what exactly is a meal like in space? Astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield, author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, fills us in.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 24, 2014 (originally aired)January 23, 2015 (rebroadcast)

World-renowned chef René Redzepi of Copenhagen’s Noma joins us with a conversation about his latest book, A Work in Progress, Katie Workman of The Mom 100 Cookbook takes on picky kids, and we talk to Michael Anthony, chef of New York City's Gramercy Tavern, about bringing chefs' tricks into the home kitchen.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 10, 2014 (originally aired)January 9, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is featured in our series The Key 3. Jane and Michael Stern are eating classic Mexican in Mesilla, N.M., and we talk to Crescent Dragonwagon about her latest book, Bean by Bean.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 17, 2012 (originally aired)March 16, 2013 (rebroadcast)January 2, 2015 (rebroadcast)

We are taking on the Christmas goose with Hank Shaw, author of Duck, Duck, Goose, master baker Alice Medrich takes on chocolate with her book Seriously Bitter Sweet, Jane and Michael Stern bring us the best in holiday pies, and Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine talks about what it takes to capture the best food photos.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 20, 2013 (originally aired)December 26, 2014 (rebroadcast)