This Is TASTE

On this episode we bring together some of the smartest and most opinionated voices in the world of drinks. We welcome Jon Bonné, Alice Feiring, Jancis Robinson, and Talia Baiocchi. Jon Bonné is an erudite observer of food and culture trends and the author of a monumental new book, the two-volume The New French Wine. Alice Feiring is a journalist and celebrated wine writer, and she’s also the author of many great wine books, including 2019’s Natural Wine for the People, a prophetic look at the natural wine movement that has swept the drinking world. Jancis Robinson is a legendary wine critic and the host of a pioneering wine show on the BBC. And, last but not least, Talia Baiocchi is the founding editor of PUNCH and the author of books about drink and food. Talia is one of our go-to resources for all things drinking. What a lineup! We hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final episode of a weeklong tribute to Saveur, we speak with the magazine’s current editor and CEO, Kat Craddock. Kat has a long history at the publication, including serving as Culinary Director. In 2022 she was able to buy the publication full stop, and she is currently in the process of bringing back a print edition. We were so happy to hear this news, and Kat shares with us what the next generation of Saveur will look like, as well as some of her favorite stories. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM KAT CRADDOCK: Print Is Back! [Saveur] How I Got My Job: Editing Legendary Food Publication Saveur [Eater] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next up in our weeklong tribute to Saveur is Colman Andrews, one of the publication’s founding editors, who also served as editor in chief from 2001 to 2006. Colman’s travel writing and recipe-based reporting had him traveling the world in search of the “good stuff” (well before Anthony Bourdain coined the term), and he served as the publication’s beating heart for nearly a decade. He’s a former Gourmet restaurant columnist and the author of a great memoir, My Usual Table: A Life in Restaurants, among other titles. On this episode we talk about some of Colman’s earliest stories at Saveur and how he and his fellow editors changed the face of food writing forever. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM COLMAN ANDREWS: 25 Best Bars in the World [24/7 Wall Street] Book Review: My Usual Table [NPR] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off a weeklong tribute to Saveur magazine, past and present, with a colorful interview with the one and only Dorothy Kalins, Saveur’s founding editor. Dorothy’s career in magazines and cookbooks is hall-of-fame-worthy—and in fact, she was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame in 2018. She was founding editor in chief of Metropolitan Home, a leading baby boom design publication that inspired many magazines to follow. She launched Saveur in 1994, and the publication went on to receive 17 nominations and three National Magazine Awards while inspiring a generation of food editors and writers, as well as the founding of food magazines like TASTE. In this conversation we speak with Dorothy about her career and what led her out of the photo studio and into real life with the documentary-style journalism that made Saveur so important. We talk about creating the Saveur 100 and hear many stories from her decades in food media. We hope you enjoy following along this week as we pay tribute to Saveur. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM DOROTHY KALINS: A Founding Editor of Saveur Shares What She Learned [NYT] Dorothy Kalins Elected to ASME Hall of Fame [ASME] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we have a really, really, really great conversation with two of the most respected people in food: Ruth Reichl and Nancy Silverton. We came together earlier this week at Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan to talk about Nancy’s great new cookbook, The Cookie That Changed My Life. Ruth and Nancy have been friends for decades, and we cover a wide variety of topics including what is in fact the best cookie ever, as well as favorite restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and Italy. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM RUTH REICHL AND NANCY SILVERTON: What’s Cooking With Nancy Silverton [Beverly Press] Who Decides Style? [La Briffe] The Sushi Effect [La Briffe] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we have a really great conversation with Alice Luo and Elaine Mao, two staffers at the New York City–based nonprofit Send Chinatown Love. As the name suggests, the volunteer-run organization provides financial and resource-based aid to NYC’s Asian businesses. Alice and Elaine have helped put out one of our favorite cookbooks of the year, Made Here: Recipes and Reflections From NYC’s Asian Communities. It’s a super savvy book, beautifully photographed and featuring recipes from some of NYC’s institutions, including Cho Dang Gol, Punjabi Deli, and Pecking House. Best of all, ​100% of this cookbook’s net proceeds will fund Send Chinatown Love’s community-building efforts. You should buy a copy of the book now, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. This episode is supported by Parmigiano Reggiano USA. MORE FROM SEND CHINATOWN LOVE: Make a Year-End Donation [official] “Made Here” Is a Love Letter to NYC’s Asian Communities [Print] A New Book Explores the Delicious Diversity of NYC’s Asian Restaurants [Vogue] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa King is a Top Chef icon—but she’s also much more. The champion turned judge is also the host of Tasting Wild, a far-out outdoor cooking show, and she still finds time to be in the kitchen with pop-ups. It’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about cooking with her Top Chef crew, plus career-defining gigs like appearing on Sesame Street and cooking for the Met Gala. Also on the show Matt has a live interview with British author and TikTok chef Julius Roberts. He’s releasing his debut cookbook, The Farm Table, in February and we were lucky to get a preview at a recent live conversation in New York City. Julius will be back in our studio next year, so let this serve as just the beginning of our interest in this extremely talented and cool star in food. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MELISSA KING AND JULIUS ROBERTS: Hong Kong Milk Tea Tiramisu [Food & Wine] Tasting Wild [YouTube] Leek, Potato and Chorizo Stew [TikTok] A Lunch With: Julius Roberts [Inigo] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re big fans of Marissa Mullen and super excited to have her back in the studio to talk about the keys to winning the holiday entertaining game (mostly through cheese), and also reveal some details about an exciting trip to France we are planning for next summer. Our latest TASTE Travels has Marissa joining TASTE editor Matt Rodbard for a week of cheese, wine, and castles in Normandy. Limited spots are filling up quickly. Marissa is the author of two books revolving around modern entertaining and the art of the cheese plate. Her latest, That Cheese Plate Wants to Party, is a sharp and highly enjoyable guide to buying cheese for all sorts of occasions, including a solo evening at home. We hope you enjoy this talk. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MARISSA MULLEN: TASTE Travels France: Exploring Camembert, Calvados, and The French Countryside [TASTE] That Cheese Plate Turns 10! [Ticket link] How to Cut Every Type of Cheese [Salon] Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cheddar [F52] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shelly Fireman is the owner of several New York City restaurants of acclaim and heritage, including Redeye Grill, Bond 45, and Cafe Fiorello. He’s also a very accomplished sculptor with a studio in Tuscany. On this truly amazing episode, we hear some great stories from an industry legend, like about opening the first stand-alone bagel shop in New York in the early 1960s, the Hip Bagel, as well as many more from over 50 years in the business. Get to know Shelly Fireman in this great episode. Also on the show we have a fun interview with Lorenzo Espada, a 25 year old self-taught chef who has blown up on TikTok and has a cool debut cookbook, Somethin' Outta Nothin': 100 Creative Comfort Food Recipes for Everyone. MORE FROM SHELLY FIREMAN AND LORENZO ESPADA: Why Shelly Fireman Is the King of Pre Theater Dining [Town and Country] The Hip Bagel Menu Is AMAZING [Vintage Menu Art] Local Chef Turned His Cooking Into a Viral Sensation [Spectrum] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan Washington is a writer from Houston whose latest novel, Family Meal, is an intimate portrayal of friendship, queerness, and pastries. He also writes about things like Japanese curry bread and queer bars for the New Yorker, and today we’re thrilled to have him on the show to talk about food as a plot device, his favorite okonomiyaki spots in Osaka, and more. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM BRYAN WASHINGTON: Server [The New Yorker] In Bryan Washington’s ‘Family Meal,’ Food Is a Language [Eater] Buy: Family Meal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we have a really fun conversation with Jon Kung, a Detroit-based chef and TikTok creator we’ve fallen hard for over the past couple years. We wanted to have Jon in the studio to talk a little bit about his cooking videos on YouTube and his life online and off, but mostly we wanted to dig into his terrific new book, Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third-Culture Kitchen. We hope you enjoy this conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us onSpotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM JON KUNG: Baba Ghanoush: The Perfect Twist for Your Toast [YouTube] Jon Kung, the Self-Taught Chef Who Went Viral [Financial Times] Marriage Proposal Hidden in the Detroit Chef’s Debut Cookbook [Hour Detroit] This Is TASTE 223: Abra Berens [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leah Koenig is the author of six cookbooks, including The Jewish Cookbook and Modern Jewish Cooking. Her latest book, Portico, is one of my favorites of the busy fall and taps into the rich history of Jewish food in Rome. On this episode Leah and I talk about the iconic dishes from Rome's Jewish ghetto, and talk about the years she took reporting this wonderful book. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Also on the show, Matt has a great talk with New York Times reporter Amelia Nierenberg. Amelia has long written compelling pieces that tie together food and current events, and we speak about her journalism career before digging into her latest story: How to Hijack a Quarter of a Million Dollars in Rare Japanese Kit Kats. It’s great catching up with Amelia. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM LEAH KOENIG: This Cookbook Is a Must-Read Love Letter to Roman Jewish Cuisine [Saveur] Stop Being a Snob and Use Onion Powder [TASTE] Beef and White Bean Stew With Cumin [Bon Appetit] Abambar [Epicurious] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show, we have Claire Saffitz back in the studio for a really entertaining conversation. Claire is the author of a great recent cookbook, What’s For Dessert, and she’s truly one of our favorite cooking instructors and personalities on the internet. We talk about how to visualize a recipe before baking it, as well as some of the common bakeware mistakes we are all making. Dark bakeware is a big no-no! We also hear a little bit about her journey from Harvard to the kitchens of France to millions of YouTube streams. We all love Claire Saffitz at TASTE, and we hope you enjoy this talk. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. More from Claire Saffitz: Claire Saffitz Makes Tiramisu Icebox Cake [Youtube] The Life and Death of Tart Frozen Yogurt [TASTE] Claire Saffitz Goes Outside Her Comfort Zone to Embrace Ours [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maurizio Leo is the big bread brain behind The Perfect Loaf, an incredibly popular online community of bread fans and home bakers. He’s also the author of The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More, winner of both James Beard Foundation and IACP awards and an instant classic. On this episode we talk about what excites Maurizio in bread today, and his unique journey to teaching and writing cookbooks. Also on the show Aliza and Matt go over three things they each are feeling, including: New releases from Alaya Tea, McDonald's Crocs, the many birthdays at 99 Flavor Taste, New York's Don Don is the Korean barbecue restaurant of our dreams, the Send Chinatown Love cookbook, Abi Balingit's Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, and happy 10 years to our friends at PUNCH. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MAURIZIO LEO: 7 Easy Steps to Making an Incredible Sourdough Starter From Scratch [official] The Case for Making Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough [Salon] Meet the Man Behind the Sourdough Bread Craze [YouTube] A Look Back at 10 Years at PUNCH [PUNCH] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fly By Jing is one of the most exciting brands in food, and we were lucky to have the company’s founder, Jing Gao, live in conversation at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City. This conversation was part of our TASTE Live at Rizzoli author series, and we had Jing speaking about her amazing new cookbook, The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM FLY BY JING: Sleek Suá Superette From the Chile Crisp Queen Is Now Open in Larchmont Village [Eater LA] Fly By Jing and Shake Shack Ready a Chili Crisp Menu [Hype Beast] This Chili Oil Is So Good, Even My Taiwanese Mom Is Obsessed With It [F&W] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sanaë Lemoine is a novelist and cookbook author whose work is united in its ability to make you very, very hungry. Before she wrote her novel The Margot Affair, Sanaë was a cookbook editor at Martha Stewart Books and Phaidon Press; now she combines her love of food and literature in her own writing and through cowriting cookbooks, like Make It Japanese with Rie McClenny. It’s a joy to have Sanaë on the show to talk about her creative process, her favorite spots for croissants in the city, and more. MORE FROM SANAE LEMOINE: Mathilde’s Tomato Tart [Smitten Kitchen] A Japanese Homestyle Meatball Clinches The Comfort Food Crown [TASTE] Buy: The Margot Affair, Make It Japanese, Hot Sheet This episode is supported by Parmigiano Reggiano USA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we welcome Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar, the cofounders of Burlap & Barrel, a very well-regarded spice company that might just play a starring role in your kitchen. We wanted to have these guys in to talk about the early days of their company and how both left successful careers in restaurant cooking and advertising to launch it. We also find out about their meticulous approach to sourcing Guatemalan cardamom and Turkish black Urfa chili, as well as digging into more spices they think we should be cooking with. We hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Brad Metzger discusses some of the big themes that arose during the latest LA Chef Conference. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM BURLAP & BARREL: How Burlap & Barrel is Shaking up the Spice Industry [Fast Company] New Spice Company Sells Seasonings From the Source [NYT] The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abena Anim-Somuah is the James Beard Award–winning host of The Future of Food Is You, a Cherry Bombe podcast network show in which she interviews rising talent in the food space. She’s also behind the Eden Place, a food-focused community series, and always has her eye out for what’s new and next. We had her on the show to talk about the future of food podcasting, spending time in Mexico City, and much more. Also on this show Matt catches up with Margie Nomura. Margie is a UK chef and the host of a great podcast and Instagram, Desert Island Dishes. We talk about what is good right now in London, and what makes a great desert island dish. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM ABENA ANIM-SOMUAH & MARGIE NOMURA The Future of Food Is You [Cherry Bombe] Cool Stuff NYC: Abena Anim-Somuah [Cool Stuff NYC] Dinner Tonight [Substack] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we are featuring three classic conversations from some big names in coffee: James Hoffmann, Nigel Price, and James Freeman. Each has carved out a unique place in specialty coffee, and I really hope you enjoy getting to know some of the most interesting people in the business. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE ABOUT COFFEE ON TASTE: Meet the CEO of Coffee YouTube A Strong Case for Slow Coffee The Coffee Issue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yossy Arefi is a master of the one-bowl bake. The recipe developer behind cookbooks like Sweeter Off the Vine and Snacking Cakes is back with Snacking Bakes, a treasure trove of truly simple recipes designed to take you from zero to cookie in no time. In this episode, we talk about the advantages of developing accessible recipes in a cramped New York City kitchen, what to do with fall fruit, and more. Natasha Kravchuk is the creator of the popular website Natasha’s Kitchen, and the author of the NYT Best Seller of the same name. Through approachable, budget-minded recipes and a sense of style and place, Natasha has won over millions of fans, and has become one of the leading voices in food. But do you really know Natasha? On this episode we answer many questions, and get a sense of what inspires the Ukraine-born, Idaho-residing home cook, recipe developer, and entrepreneur. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM YOSSY AREFI AND NATASHA'S KITCHEN: Peach Crisp [NY Times] Cocoa Yogurt Snacking Cake [Washington Post] Homestyle Chicken Soup and Milk Bread Rolls [GMA] Easy Pumpkin Cake Roll with Creamy Filling [YouTube] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christina Ward is the author of Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat. It’s a fascinating book that digs deep into how the fringe and mainstream spiritual practices of Americas past shaped modern food culture, from trends to products still in the grocery aisle today. It’s a conversation you won’t soon forget and we hope you enjoy. MORE FROM CHRISTINA WARD: A New Book Shows How Chicago’s Food History Intertwines With Cults, Communes, and Religious Movements [Eater Chicago] In the Name of the Fork: How Religion Shaped What America Eats [KCRW] Buy: American Advertising Cookbooks: How Corporations Taught Us to Love Bananas, Spam, and Jell-O Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Rea is the man with the sharp knives behind Binging with Babish, a wildly popular YouTube channel and series of food and food-adjacent productions (we can call them short films). On this episode we catch up with Andrew about his great new book, Basics with Babish. We also go back to find out about the founding of his community and what he’s been cooking and eating around New York City. It’s a lot of fun catching up with Andrew, and I hope you enjoy this talk. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM BABISH: The Perfect Burrito-Cheeseburger Fusion [YouTube] Binging with Babish: Tyler’'s Bullsh*t from The Menu [YouTube] Babish Breaks Down His Tattoos [GQ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’d call yourself a “fruit person,” you’ll eat this episode up. William Mullan is a photographer and marketing manager whose book, Odd Apples, documents the stunning, strange world of heirloom apple varietals. His love of fruit extends to caring for urban apple trees in South Brooklyn and brewing his own cider—clearly there’s a lot to discuss! It was so fun to have William on the show to nerd out on fall fruit, the wine harvest, and more. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt are joined by producer Clayton Gumbert to dig into the sometimes maligned, oftentimes overlooked grocery store sandwich. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM WILLIAM MULLEN: The Apple Expert Who Turned New York City Into His Personal Orchard [Grub Street] The Apple-Picking Apocalypse of Upstate New York [NYT] Buy: Odd Apples Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over a decade Ben Goodwin, the cofounder of Olipop, has been building a better-for-you soda that aims to change the soda game, disrupting the big boys at Coca-Cola and Pepsi and offering a high-fiber, unusually addictive beverage to discerning millennials. Well, dang, 2023 was most certainly the year of Olipop and Ben joins us in the studio to talk about it all. He details how he developed flavors like Vintage Cola, Crisp Apple, and Tropical Punch, and digs into the challenges facing beverage founders. It’s really fun getting to know Ben. I hope you enjoy this episode. Also on the show, Aliza shares about her first trip to Costco! Has she been bitten by the big-box bug? Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM OLIPOP: We’ve Hit Peak Beverage [TASTE] We Built Olipop: A $20 million a Month Soda Company in 5 years [CNBC] Lessons from Scaling Olipop [The New Consumer] What Your Local Costco Says About You [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joshua Weissman is one of the strongest (and largest) voices on the food internet and the host of a series of YouTube shows that clock more than eight million subscribers. He has an abounding love of food and proper technique, and we get into what makes a great cooking video, how Joshua likes to spend his off time in Austin, Texas, and his great new cookbook, Texture Over Taste. We also talk about how he ranks fast-food burgers and foods from all 50 states. It’s really fun having Joshua in the studio, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are feeling. In this episode, Bolivian Llama Party, Panettone Season, J. Kenji López-Alt's Garlic Noodles, good book alert: Negatives: A Photographic Archive of Emo (1996-2006), the fried paw paws and more at Hainan Chicken House in Sunset Park, good fish alert: Hudson Valley Steelhead Trout. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM JOSHUA WEISSMAN: I Tried Food From Every State In America [YouTube] 100 Food Hacks I Learned in Restaurants [YouTube] Making the Burger King Whopper Meal at Home [YouTube] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How fun it was to have our old friend Chris Ying on the show. Chris is a cookbook author, podcast host, and the cofounder and former editor in chief of Lucky Peach. He’s currently running point at Majordomo Media, and he cohosts the podcast The Dave Chang Show with you can guess who. On this episode we find out about Chris’s cookbook writing career, including the fact that he’s authored one of our favorite books of all time (no joke). We talk about what makes great “food content” in 2023, working on a show with David Chang, Koreatown's LA expansion, and Chris’s big plans at Majordomo Media. Also on the show we have a lively conversation with the authors of a great new book, But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar. Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are old friends, and run the influential coffee publication, Sprudge. We talk about all things coffee, including making it at home and drinking better in cafes. Make sure to check out their new book, as well as The New Rules Of Coffee, published by Ten Speed Press in 2019. This conversation is part of our ongoing TASTE Live at Rizzoli series in New York City. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM CHRIS YING: Meat and Threes, Underappreciated Po’boys, and Dave’s Boba Order [David Chang Podcast] Recipe Club: Instant Potato Flakes [The Ringer] This Is TASTE 194: Bill Addison [TASTE] Buy: The Wurst of Lucky Peach, Ivan Ramen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re thrilled to welcome Sohla El-Waylly back to the show. Sohla is a prodigious recipe developer, a fixture of food YouTube, and a judge on HBO’s cooking competition The Big Brunch. Next week she will release her debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. It’s a terrific book, and we discuss many of the recipes and techniques, and how Sohla photographed the book in her New York City apartment. We also talk about her love of Top Chef, her own reality cooking show turn, and what excites her most—including breakfast at Veselka. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM SOHLA EL-WAYLLY: Pizza Salad [NYT Cooking] Mystery Menu With Sohla and Ham El-Waylly [NYT Cooking] This Is TASTE 189: Sohla El-Waylly [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yewande Komolafe is a recipe developer, food stylist, and author of the New York Times “10 Essential Nigerian Recipes”. She also has a terrific new cookbook out now, My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora. On this episode we talk about Yewande’s journey to writing this groundbreaking work, and how the book's recipes cover the converging cuisines of her hometown of Lagos. We also talk about her life in and out of the kitchen. It’s a great talk and we hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM YEWANDE KOMOLAFE: The Plantain Has Your Back [TASTE] In ‘My Everyday Lagos,’ Yewande Komolafe Searches for Home [Eater] Nigerian Clay Pot Chicken [F&W] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are two classic conversations with two of our favorite people in food. Jamie Oliver returns to the show, and we could not be happier to talk with him about so many things. For those who didn’t grow up watching food TV, here’s the deal. Jamie pioneered a form of food television that brought cameras into the home in a way not previously seen. When The Naked Chef debuted on BBC Two in the UK and the Food Network in the United States in 1999, home cooking on TV was a stand-and-stir affair. Here, a young and floppy Oliver was cooking real food from a cool East London flat, talking viewers through the relative simplicity of making dinner. Oliver has gone on to write numerous cookbooks (selling 50 million in the UK alone) and create food TV that expanded beyond cooking, producing documentaries about the sugar industry and school lunches that transitioned his work from dude food evangelist to heartier activism. His latest book, One: Simple One-Pan Wonders, is out now. And it’s a great day when our friend Alison Roman turns up at our New York City studio. We’ve really enjoyed reading and cooking through her recent baking book, Sweet Enough, and we wanted to ask her about what it’s like to write three cookbooks in five and a half years, as well as to talk about the TV show she made, her spirited newsletter writing, the kosher salt wars, sheet pan shortcake, and where to eat in New York City right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luke Fortney is a reporter at Eater New York, where he keeps an eagle eye on openings and closings, plus trends like the city’s burgeoning breakfast burrito scene. Aliza had him on the show to talk about what it’s like staying on top of New York’s ever-shifting dining landscape. Whether you live in New York City or you’re thinking about taking a trip there, it’s a must-listen. Also on the show Matt catches up with British cookbook author, journalist, and chef Ravinder Bhogal to speak about her great new cookbook, Comfort and Joy: Irresistible Pleasures from a Vegetarian Kitchen. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM LUKE FORTNEY & RAVINDER BHOGAL: New York’s Illegal Weed Market Is Propped Up by Imported Chips That Taste Like Tacos [Eater] New York’s Most Exciting Restaurant Openings This Fall [Eater] Ravinder Bhogal’s Pumpkin and Squash For Autumn [The Guardian] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a fun time it is having Max La Manna in the studio. Max is a recipe developer and former NYC and Los Angeles line cook. He’s also big on TikTok and various other social media channels, and we get into what makes a great food video as well as hearing about Max’s journey. We also talk about Max’s new cookbook, You Can Cook This! Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MAX LA MANNA: Sun-Dried Tomato “Meatballs” [official] Vegan Tofu Butter Chicken [YouTube] 10 Tips For Reducing Food Waste [Veg News] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As writer and podcast host Chris Black tells it, he sits at the heart of American culture. “The bridge between the high and the low; the very high and the very low.” This is a very good—and often entertaining—place to live, and in this episode we get to know Chris a bit better through his particular takes on restaurant culture, home cooking, cookbooks, and the two cities he spends the most time in: New York and Los Angeles. Chris is the cohost of How Long Gone (along with Noma beat reporter Jason Stewart) and consults for brands like J.Crew, Thom Browne, Stüssy, Balenciaga, and Reigning Champ. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM CHRIS BLACK: ‘How Long Gone’ Is in It for the Long Haul [NYT] Bring Back the Power Lunch [GQ] This Is TASTE 163: Jason Stewart [TASTE] How Long Gone 306: Matt Rodbard [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Simonson writes about cocktails, spirits, bars, and bartenders for the New York Times and is the creator and author of the Substack newsletter The Mix With Robert Simonson. In this episode we talk about his terrific new book, The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars & Drinks, with More Than 100 Recipes. The book is amazing in that it covers the world of modern drinking (the people, places, and watering holes) without being dry or overly earnest. Simonson cuts to the heart of the past 100 years of the cocktail, and we go over many of the entries and also dive into Robert’s history of covering the scene for nearly 20 years. It’s a great episode, and we hope you enjoy it. Also on the show, Matt talks about his recent trip to San Antonio, which included stops at the Jerk Shack, Landrace, Cured, Con Huevos Tacos, and Ray’s Drive Inn. The TASTE Texas Tour was supported by our friends at Travel Texas. Check out Matt's dispatches from Austin and Houston. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM ROBERT SIMONSON: Montana’s Great Lost Barman [PUNCH] Your Favorite Classic Cocktails Are More Modern Than You Think [TASTE] Making Sense of the Maximalist Cocktail [PUNCH] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve long been fans of cookbook author and creative thinker Molly Baz, and many of you have too. With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills (as well as years of professional cooking under her belt), Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide. Her debut book Cook This Book was a New York Times Best Seller, and she’s back with a new one, More Is More, that taps into the food world’s more maximalist urges. This is a really fun talk with one of the strongest voices in cookbooks. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MOLLY BAZ A Cacio e Pepe Gets Drunk and Breaks the Rules [TASTE] This Is TASTE 143: Molly Baz [TASTE] Molly Baz Shares the Must-Have Recipe of the Season [Glamour] Baz to Basics [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dwight Garner has been a book critic for the New York Times since 2008, and he has now written one of our favorite food books in years (not an exaggeration). The Upstairs Delicatessen is a book about “eating, reading, reading about eating, and eating while reading.” This is completely, 100% our bag, and Dwight’s style and rhythm had us reading until we were full (and then some). In this extremely fun episode, Dwight shares the book’s origins and digs into some of his most memorable meals and books, and books about meals, and meals…you get the point. It’s a fun conversation with one of the sharpest minds in the media. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM DWIGHT GARNER: Dwight Garner Always Has a Muffuletta in the Freezer [Grub Street] A Remembrance of Diet Cokes Past [FT] A Lightning Rod Defends His Legacy (and Has a Few Regrets) [NYT] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hillary Dixler Canavan is Eater’s restaurant editor and the author of the publication’s debut book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes From the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters. On this lively episode we talk about Hillary’s reporting for Eater’s debut cookbook, and how one wrangles recipes from chefs without going nuts. We also hear about Hillary’s work covering the national restaurant scene, and, of course, get her favorites in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond. This is a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it. Also on the show, Matt recaps a recent trip to Virginia Beach, VA and the surrounding area. There's great food down there! He discusses visits to: Love Song, The Pink Dinghy, a fried chicken vibe check starring BoBo's Fine Chicken and Pollard's. He also stopped by Four Eleven York in Norfolk, Heirloom, and Gelati Celesti. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM HILLARY DIXLER CANAVAN: Turn Your Kitchen Into a Proper Bistro with Frenchette’s Tartare Frites [Eater] How a Veteran Food Editor Adapted 100 Beloved Restaurant Recipes [Cultured] 15 Best New Restaurants in America [Eater] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laurent Dagenais is one of our favorite chefs online today, and many others agree. He has grown his following to more than three million across his social media accounts and carved out a really cool space that blends streetwear, French Canadian cooking, and good vibes. Laurent was born and raised in Montreal, and in this episode, we find out about his path from journeyman line cook to blowing up on TikTok and IG. We find out what makes a great video and what inspired his new cookbook, Always Hungry!, and we dig into his life online and offline. We also talk about one of Canada’s other great exports: the rapper Snow. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM LAURENT DAGENAIS: Laurent Dagenais Keeps the Cooking Real [Fine Dining Lovers] Stacked Ham and Brie Sandwich [Today] Steak Sandwich [YouTube] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Shepherd is a chef and writer based in Houston, Texas, and the cofounder of Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit geared toward helping members of the restaurant community. On this episode we have a lively conversation about the food scene in Chris’s hometown, what it was like leaving his restaurant group, and his cookbook: Cook Like a Local. This is such an inspiring talk, and we hope you enjoy it. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about Matt’s trip to Houston, where he had an incredible 48 hours, making stops at: Kâu Ba, Trill Burgers, Tatemó, Tres Chiles, The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, Villa Arcos, Blacksmith, and Crawfish & Noodles. The TASTE Texas Tour was supported by our friends at Travel Texas. See our dispatch from Austin, and stay tuned for San Antonio. MORE FROM CHRIS SHEPHERD: Houston Chef Chris Shepherd Is Enjoying His New Season [Eater] Southern Smoke Festival [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much do you know about olive oil? After this episode, a lot more. Skyler Mapes, cofounder of EXAU Olive Oil and coauthor of the new book The Olive Oil Enthusiast, joined us from her home in Calabria, Italy, to drop invaluable olive oil knowledge from harvest to bottle, plus Italy travel tips and more. It’s a fun episode, and we hope you’ll enjoy it. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over three things they each are enjoying, including: The Neon Croissant, JJ Johnson's great new book The Simple Art of Rice, IG of note @haileecatalano, Dwight Garner's The Upstairs Delicatessen, C Pam Zhang's How Much of These Hills Is Gold, the TikTokers are coming! Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM SKYLER MAPES: Meet the Woman Bringing Calabrian Olive Oil to the U.S. [Conde Nast Traveler] Forbes 30 Under 30, 2021 [Forbes] Demystifying Extra Virgin Olive Oil With Skyler Mapes and Giuseppe Morisani [Italy Magazine] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pat LaFrieda is one of the world’s most celebrated butchers and sells ground beef, strip steaks, and rib eyes to more than a thousand New York City restaurants alone. On this episode we talk about the birth of the boutique burger blend, tracing its lineage back to Minetta Tavern, and dig deep into the meat business. We also discuss Pat’s own personal favorite way to cook a steak, roast a chicken, and dress a hamburger, with a couple of very specific choices. It was really fun getting to know the one and only Pat LaFrieda, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM PAT LAFRIEDA: Pat LaFrieda on Expanding His Meat Empire [CBS Saturday Morning] How Pat LaFrieda Produces $270 million of Meat Per Year [Insider] Budget Grilling Ideas [Rachael Ray] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is the chef and co-owner of Birdie’s, an Austin, Texas, restaurant that is innovative and exciting, and by far one of our favorite meals of the year. On this episode, we speak with Tracy about her journey from cooking at Lula Cafe in Chicago to working the line at some of New York’s most acclaimed places—Del Posto, Blue Hill, and Gramercy Tavern—and how she met her partner in life and business, Arjav. We talk about what excites her about restaurants and dig into some of Birdie’s most popular dishes. Also, stick around for Matt’s thoughts on a recent trip to Austin, Texas—featuring some of the restaurants and trucks that got him most excited, including Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop, Distant Relatives, Franklin Barbecue, Cuantos Tacos, Birdie’s, Canje, and Nido. The TASTE Texas Tour was supported by our friends at Travel Texas. Stay tuned for dispatches from Houston and San Antonio. MORE FROM TRACY MALECHEK-EZEKIEL: Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year: Birdie's [Food & Wine] Food & Wine names East Austin spot Restaurant of the Year [Austin American-Statesman] Inside Birdie’s Journey [Tribeza] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are three classic conversations from This Is TASTE with three key members of the New York Times food desk. Melissa Clark is a prolific cookbook author, longtime NYT columnist, and one of the most respected food writers in the game. In this interview, we talk about her days collaborating with great chefs including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, and Claudia Fleming, as well as her action-packed cookbook career. Genevieve Ko is a deputy editor of New York Times Cooking and the Food section, as well as a prolific cookbook author and collaborator. Here we have such a great time catching up about all things cookbooks, food media, and what it’s like to help run one of the best, and most popular, sections at the NYT. Lastly we sit down with Emily Weinstein, the food and cooking editor of the New York Times. We’ve been a great admirer of her and her colleagues’ work at NYT Cooking, and we took the opportunity to talk about what makes a great story as well as some of the cooking trends Weinstein is most interested in covering. We also discuss Weinstein’s long journey working at the paper, starting as a dining listings fact-checker and rising to various editorial roles, eventually taking the top spot. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clare de Boer is the chef-owner of Stissing House, a restaurant located in New York’s Hudson Valley and one we like very, very much. Clare is also the chef-owner of two New York City restaurants, King and Jupiter. On this episode, we speak with Clare about her time cooking at the River Cafe in London and her journey to America to open some of the country’s best restaurants. We also talk about her writing career, a forthcoming King cookbook, and some of the restaurants she is excited about right now. Also on the show, Matt catches up with Brad Metzger, a Los Angeles–based restaurant recruiter and the creative force behind the LA Chef Conference, a gathering of chefs and food media members taking place October 30. We talk about the role of recruiting in the restaurant industry and hear about Brad’s journey to launch the conference. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM CLARE DE BOER: Hello From My Island [Substack] A Manhattan Chef Heads Upstate. A Country Tavern Follows. [NYT] LA Chefs Conference [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Symon is the star of Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out and the author of a great new cookbook, Simply Symon Suppers, as well as a longtime TV host, Iron Chef, and food commentator. But we know Michael best as a really, really great chef who’s run well-regarded restaurants in New York City and Cleveland, where he was born. On this action-packed episode, we talk about Symon’s Greek and Sicilian background and how he hosts raucous dinner parties in all seasons. We discuss his star turn and what celebrity chefdom has meant for this true Midwesterner. It’s a great talk, and we hope you enjoy it. Also on the show, we have a great conversation with The Bear's set decorator, Eric Frankel. Eric, along with his team, is responsible for creating the kitchen and restaurant spaces on the hit show, and we find out how building the set was very similar to opening a real restaurant (with real fire and flame). We also learn about how he selected the many cookbooks featured on the show. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM MICHAEL SYMON AND THE BEAR: 2 Easy Recipes For Fall [Good Morning America] Michael Symon’s Deviled Eggs [Food Network] Here’s the Complete List of Every Cookbook Featured on ‘The Bear’ [Eater] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Hammel is the executive chef and owner of award-winning Lula Cafe in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. Jason grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and is the product of a tight-knit Italian family. He studied writing at Brown University and then traveled in Italy, where an accidental stay in an apartment above a produce market left a lasting impression and presaged his career as a chef. In this episode we hear about the 24-year run of Lula Cafe, and about how Jason’s instinct to write blends with his culinary background. We also talk about his debut cookbook, The Lula Cafe Cookbook. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are feeling, including a memorable Table of Contents event in Brooklyn, speaking at the Chow Chow Festival in Asheville, NC, the nostalgia of Save Me the Plums, Helen Rosner is on a roll at The New Yorker, Birdie’s pasta extruder in the dining room is a baller move. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM JASON HAMMEL: Jason Hammel’s Dear Chicago [Star Chefs] Still Setting the Standard in Logan Square [Chicago Tribune] Konbi Has a Secret Croissant Machine [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer, podcaster, and cookbook collaborator Andrew Friedman has a unique vantage point in talking about chefs and food writing as a profession. He’s worked with some of the most interesting voices in the restaurant world (going back a decade and longer), including Daniel Boulud, Alfred Portale, Michelle Bernstein, Bill Telepan, and David Waltuck. In this episode we talk to Andrew about his most recent work, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food, a page-turning, behind-the-scenes look at what makes a single restaurant dish. We discuss the book’s unique reporting process and how Andrew views his work in the larger context of food media. We also get some restaurant picks—and pay tribute to one of the industry’s most influential and frankly forgotten players. Also on the show, Aliza shares some highlights from her recent trip to Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. Stay for a report from the LA bagel wars, a camping beer hack, and what is exciting her on the the west coast. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM ANDREW FRIEDMAN: Andrew Talks to Chefs [official] Who Let the Cool Chefs Write Cookbooks? [TASTE] The Secret Lives of Private Chefs [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sue S. Chan is an expert marketer, brand builder, and all-around busy bee on the global food scene. She was Momofuku’s first brand director, and in this episode we go back to her time helping to build the David Chang empire (and figuring out how to tell DC what to do). She later founded her own agency, Care of Chan, which has become a go-to for major fashion and retail brands looking to engage with the food world. Her current clients include A24, NYT Cooking, Gucci Osteria, Nike, J.Crew, and Hermam Miler. This conversation is fast and furious, but we always pause when Sue has a restaurant to talk about. We so enjoyed catching up with a real food-world one of one, and we hope you enjoy it too. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM SUE CHAN: The Food-World Entrepreneur Who Loves Clear Heels [The Cut] Mermaid Spa Brooklyn [CoC] Breaking Down with Sue Chan [Busyboy] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/sueperchan instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a thrill it is to have our friend Adeena Sussman back on the show. Adeena is the author of numerous cookbooks, having cowritten three with Chrissy Teigen, and the voice behind the best-selling Israeli food tome Sababa. Sussman is back with a great new book, Shabbat, and in this episode we talk about the multitudes of Jewish food around the world. We discuss what is so exciting about food in her home base of Tel Aviv and also go over some of the comforting and innovative new recipes in Shabbat. MORE FROM ADEENA SUSSMAN: Embracing My Whole Self, Through Food [Tablet] The Perfect Shabbat Dinner Meets You Where You Are [Conde Nast Traveler] Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook includes Shabbat recipes from around the world [NPR] Mike and Adeena’s Excellent Israeli Culinary Adventure [Via Sabra] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/adeenasussman instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellen Yin is the founder and co-owner of Philadelphia’s High Street Hospitality Group. She’s behind some of the best restaurants in not just Philly but the entire country, including Fork, High Street on Market, and High Street Provisions. On this episode we speak with Ellen about her journey to hospitality, what’s special about the Philly restaurant scene, and what it was like to win a James Beard Award for America’s top restaurateur. We also talk about the incredible cookbook festival she's organized, Cookbooks and Convos, which runs from late September through late October. It’s so great catching up with Ellen, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Andrew Tarlow, the author of a new book, Diner: Day for Night, which pays tribute to his legendary Brooklyn restaurant. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. More From Ellen Yin: Ellen Yin Talks Pineapple Pizza and 25 Years of Fork [Philadelphia Mag] Philly Chef Wins Big at the James Beard Awards [Billy Penn] Cookbooks and Convos [Philadelphia Inquirer] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Park is a content creator and the author of Chili Crisp, a sharp look at one of America’s favorite ingredients today. On this episode we speak with James about the different types of chili crisp to buy and make at home, as well as some unexpected discoveries he’s made. We also talk about his upbringing in Korea and dig into the exciting things happening in Korean food these days. We hope you enjoy this talk with James, one of our favorite dudes in food. MORE FROM JAMES PARK: Yes, Chile Crisp Deserves a Whole Cookbook [Eater] Does Chili Crisp Go With Everything? This Author Thinks So [Epicurious] Chili Crisp Compound Butter [Material] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/jamesyworld instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices