This Is TASTE

Marguerite Zabar Mariscal started as an intern at Momofuku in 2011, working her way through the influential restaurant group founded by David Chang all the way to the position of CEO, which she has held since 2019. On this entertaining episode, we speak about Marguerite’s journey from growing up a Zabar (that is, New York City grocery royalty) to running Momofuku’s sprawling restaurant and consumer packaged goods business, all while working side by side with the famously difficult and impossibly genius David Chang. It’s so good catching up with one of the brightest stars in the food world today. Also on the show, Matt shares about his recent trip to Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs has good food? Indeed! He shares his visit to French Miso Café, Bar Cecil, Billy Reed's, and some thoughts on the homes of Palm Springs via the amazing Mod Squad mid-century architecture tours. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM MARGUERITE ZABAR MARISCAL: Momofuku’s Secret Sauce: A 30-Year-Old C.E.O. [NYT] This Is TASTE 336: Eunjo Park [TASTE] This Is TASTE 36: Eli Zabar [TASTE] This Is TASTE 28: Max Ng [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we have a special conversation with Emily Sundberg, the voice behind the must-read (and much-read) Feed Me, a newsletter about business, culture, food, and good gossip. Emily and Matt shared the stage at the recent Adweek Commerce Week in New York, and here they talk about all kinds of craziness, including F*og Club, probiotic sodas, Faire, Graza potato chips, the future of food media, the rise of retail media, the best and worst food retail, and so much more. Thanks to our friends at Adweek for inviting us to join the stage. For TASTE partnerships reach out to Peter Romero: [email protected] MORE FROM EMILY SUNDBERG: Ultimate New York Beauty Black Book [Feed Me] The Dinner Party Is Over [NY Mag] Your Employees are Probably Recording You [Feed Me] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this episode is one of our friends in the food podcasting world. Dan Pashman is the creator and host of the long-running podcast The Sporkful. He’s also the author of a great new book, Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People. In this episode, we talk about his pasta journey, from creating his own pasta shape to rigorously researching the many ways pasta can be cooked outside the Italian vernacular. It’s a great talk with Pashman. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM DAN PASHMAN: Everything You Need to Know About Cascatelli [The Sporkful] Anything’s Pastable Episode 1 [The Sporkful] Are Shallots Bull$#!t? [The Sporkful] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arielle Johnson is a flavor scientist who advises some of the top restaurants and chefs in the world on how to turbocharge their cooking with chemistry. She’s currently the science director of Noma Projects, and she’s sharing all her wisdom in a new book: Flavorama. It’s a delight having her on the show to answer all our questions about the science behind what we eat—truly a must-listen episode for anyone interested in food. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ARIELLE JOHNSON: Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness [Netflix] Arielle Johnson Has Flavor Down to a Science [Glamour] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicolaia Rips is a true New Yorker. She grew up in Manhattan’s famous Chelsea Hotel, which served as the subject of her memoir, Trying to Float. Now she’s the features editor of HommeGirls, and she’s writing for places like Cultured, Air Mail, and the New York Times. It’s so fun to have her on the show in an all-out New York episode. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM NICOLAIA RIPS: When the Ghost of the Chelsea Hotel Is You [New York Times] Who The Hell Are 2girls1bottl3? [The Face] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sun Noodle is a legend in the ramen game and the company behind many of your favorite bowls around the country. Kenshiro Uki, our guest on today’s show, grew up in Hawaii working at his family’s noodle company and later helped lead an expansion throughout the United States and beyond. On this episode we hear about what goes into making noodles perfectly matched for legendary shops like Momofuku Noodle Bar and Yuji Ramen, to name a few. We also hear about Sun Noodle’s growing consumer packaged goods business, which brings bowls of miso and shoyu ramen to home cooks. It’s super fun catching up with Kenshiro. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over three things they are each feeling right now including: Eric Kim’s black sesame Rice Krispies treats, coconut and pineapple payasam at Kanyakumari, the pasta tarot deck, Mel the bakery in Hudson, NY, Happy by Celina Baljeet Basra, The Bartender’s Pantry by Jim Meehan. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM SUN NOODLES: How a Ramen Noodle Factory Makes 300,000 Noodle Orders a Day [Eater] Taking Flight to a Land of Noodles [NYT] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julius Roberts is a chef and farmer living in the idyllic English countryside off the Dorset coast. He’s also the author of The Farm Table, a new cookbook chronicling his life cultivating crops and animals and cooking with this bounty. It’s a real delight to have him on the show to talk about transitioning from cooking in restaurants to family farming, daily life on his smallholding, recipe development, and more. Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Matt to talk about her recent trip to Mexico. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google MORE FROM JULIUS ROBERTS: Epic Tarragon and Roast Chicken Recipe [The Telegraph] Snails Appear on the Insides of Our Windows Overnight [The Times] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Netflix culinary travel series Somebody Feed Phil proves that food television can be both accessible and interesting, populist and highbrow. Much of the show’s success is credited to its host, the delightful human being Phil Rosenthal. Phil returns to the This Is TASTE studio for the first time in over five years and we catch up about how his show has grown in scope, we talk about some of his favorite NYC and Los Angeles restaurants, and get some info on his soon-to-open restaurant in Larchmont Boulevard, Max and Helens. Phil is always welcome on the show and it’s great catching up. Also on the show Aliza and Matt catch up about some exciting spring cookbooks, including: Islas, Bourbon Land, Health Nut, The SalviSoul Cookbook, Keep It Zesty, Cured. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google MORE FROM PHIL ROSENTHAL: Phil Rosenthal Is Opening an Old-School Diner in Los Angeles This Summer [Eater LA] This Is TASTE 13: Phil Rosenthal [TASTE] The 80 Most Exciting New Spring Cookbooks for 2024 [Epicurious] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crystal Wilkinson is the author of a compelling new book, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, a memoir that honors the author’s maternal ancestors, which she calls her “kitchen ghosts.” On this episode we speak with Wilkinson about life in Kentucky and what she came to learn about her family history while researching the book. Also on the show we catch up with Howie Kahn, a prolific journalist, sneaker expert, author, and podcast host. Howie is an old friend and a respected voice in food writing. We talk about his early magazine career and what drives him to write about food, drink, travel, and NYC as a backdrop for it all. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google MORE FROM CRYSTAL WILKINSON & HOWIE KAHN: The Ghosts of Black Appalachia Visit Her Kitchen [NYT] Crystal Wilkinson Poetry [Academy of American Poets] Tom Sachs On His Cult Classic 'Mars Yard' Nikes [Esquire] Writer Howie Kahn Is Fascinated by the Grill [Grub Street Diet] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hailee Catalano and Chuck Cruz are two of our favorite social media follows (@haileecatalano and @chuckycruz). The two chefs, who met in culinary school, cooked at Chicago restaurants like Dos Urban Cantina and Cellar Door Provisions before starting to share recipes on TikTok and Instagram. Their inventive recipes and laid-back vibe have won many, many fans, and it’s so fun to have them both in the studio to talk about their shifting careers. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google MORE FROM HAILEE CATALANO AND CHUCK CRUZ Earl Grey Buckwheat Chocolate Cake [Hailee Catalano] Chicken Adobo Au Poivre [Chuck Cruz’s Substack] Chuck’s Spotify Playlist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hamburger god George Motz is back on today’s show, and it doesn’t disappoint. George is a writer, a TV host, and the guy with the cool hair and an endless well of knowledge about the hamburger. On this episode we talk about the opening of his wildly popular new NYC restaurants, Hamburger America. The first few months has brought long lines and introduced a very opinionated city to one of the finer burgers around. He hear about it all, as well as George's take on the modern burger scene. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about the rebirth of the terrine in NYC restaurants. Terrine is an unquestionably dated dish, firmly stuck in time, a relic of 1970s dinner parties and the pages of a favorite vintage cookbook. But clearly there is new energy, a compulsion to slice off a little culinary history for eager diners. Aliza ran with the idea in a recent story on TASTE. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google MORE FROM GEORGE MOTZ: A New Luncheonette Serves the Hamburgers America Deserves [Eater] The Carolina Slaw Burger [Garden and Gun] How George Motz Spends His Sundays [NYT] The Terrine Fan Club Is Now Recruiting [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we have a great double episode with two serious dudes in the restaurant game. Arjav Ezekiel is co-owner of Birdie’s, a beloved restaurant and wine bar located in Austin, Texas. On this episode we talk about Arjav’s immigrant upbringing in Portland, Oregon, and what brought him to the exciting world of wine. Also on the show we have a really great conversation with Harris Mayer. Harris is a New York City chef and the owner of Pulkies, a really terrific restaurant serving Jewish-style barbecue to go—that would be ’cue centered around the smoked turkey leg. His “I can’t believe it’s not pork” pulled turkey leg sandwich is one of my favorite things in all of NYC. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ARJAV EZEKIEL & HARRIS MAYER: The 2023 Restaurant of the Year [Food & Wine] The Powerhouse Duo Behind Birdie’s [Austin Monthly] Harris Mayer-Selinger Puts His Own Stamp on Jewish Barbecue [Tablet] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kanchan Koya will forever change how you look at your spice drawer. The chef, author, podcast host, and nutrition coach has a PhD in biomedical sciences from Harvard Medical School, which she uses to champion the science-backed benefits of ancient spices. We invited her into the studio for a truly fascinating conversation answering our many questions about health claims around spices—such as, what is inflammation, actually? Find out now. Also on the show, Matt shares some highlights from his recent trip to Seoul, including stops at Buto, Sancheong Sutbul Garden, Flavourtown (100% free of spikey blonde hair), Meal-do, Honeybee, Magazine F. To name just a few! The full list will be dropping later this year. 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 KANCHAN KOYA Spice Spice Baby [official] Radical Vitality [Apple Podcasts] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Schneier is currently the chief restaurant critic at New York magazine and previously reported on fashion and culture at The Cut and the New York Times. Matthew joined us in the studio to talk about the job he took over a little more than six months ago. We discuss putting his own unique stamp on the coverage, what he looks for in both old and new NYC restaurants to review, and how he came to the job in the first place. Matthew is one of our favorite writers around, and it was so great catching up. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt catch up about three things they each are into right now, including: Patita at Spoon & Pork in Los Angeles, the forthcoming cookbook from Los Angeles restaurant Kismet, Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes, clam kalguksu at Hangari Kalguksu in Los Angeles, Mom’s Touch Lab in Seoul, Little Fatty in Los Angeles, and come to France this summer with Matt and Marissa Mullen! 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 MATTHEW SCHNEIER: Will Four Twenty Five Kill the Grill [NY Mag] Not-So-Plain Slices [NY Mag] Keith McNally, to Go [NY Mag] The Good Used Book Edition [WITI] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Himanshu Suri is best known by his rap name Heems. We wanted to have Heems on not just because we are a fan of his former group Das Racist (you may remember their song “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”) but because we wanted to talk to him about Punjabi food. About growing up in Queens. About his new passion for gardening. Check out his very cool new album, Lafandar. Also on the show is James Harris, one half of Throwing Fits, a very funny podcast and online community dedicated to all things menswear. We wanted to invite James in not just to talk about chef fashion but also to find out about where he’s eating and drinking around his hometown of New York City. We also get into Fanelli vs. Lucien, not being able to get into Gem Wine thanks to TikTok, eating fried prawn heads, Japanese food at home vs. in restaurants, and eating the miso black cod at Nobu as a kid. We also get the Throwing Fits line on Dimes Square. This is a great talk with James, a real one-of-one guest. MORE FROM HEEMS AND THROWING FITS: Dosa Hunt! [official] Heems on Rap, Race and Identity [NPR] Throwing Fits for Men’s Fashion [NYT] From Nike to Nautica, Here Are the ’90s Brands that Defined the Decade [Complex] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve spotted their iconic squeeze bottle on the shelves of Whole Foods and seen it used by your favorite food influencers and chefs on Instagram. But do you know the story behind Spanish olive oil company Graza? On this episode, we welcome back Graza’s charismatic cofounder Andrew Benin to talk about the ups and downs of running a quickly growing food company. We hear about public drama, exploding growth, critical reviews, and how Graza remains one of the most exciting brands in not just olive oil, but all of food. Want to partner with TASTE? Send us a note at: [email protected]. MORE FROM GRAZA: The Best Olive Oil You Can Buy at the Store [Wirecutter] This Is TASTE 182: Graza [TASTE] Olive Oil Has Never Been Cooler [Eater] This Week’s Tiniest Social Media Drama Is About Olive Oil [NYT] This Is TASTE 351: Aura Bora [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christina Chaey is a writer and recipe developer based in Brooklyn. A former Bon Appétit food editor, she’s currently writing the newsletter Gentle Foods, where she shares essays and recipes rooted in cooking how you want to feel. It’s so special to catch up with Christina in the studio about her background working in magazines, expanding the concept of wellness food, and making her very own cookbook. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM CHRISTINA CHAEY: Gentle Foods [Substack] Green Curry Lentil Soup [Bon Appetit] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Baraghani started his professional cooking career as a teenager at the legendary Berkeley, California, restaurant Chez Panisse, and he was truly just getting started. After working as a line cook at Estela in New York City, he was hired as the food editor at Tasting Table and eventually found his way to the Bon Appétit test kitchen, where he worked for over six years and won the hearts of many with his exceptional cooking instruction and his own kind heart. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writing chops come together so beautifully in his book, The Cook You Want to Be, published two years ago. So what has Andy been up to? It turns out, plenty—both online and offline. Here we catch up about what is good in the Baraghani universe, and it’s clear Andy is the guy he wants to be. Also on the episode, we hear from Christian Reynoso about the recent TASTE feature he wrote describing his time working at San Francisco’s Zuni Café and the legacy of the cookbook that remains an absolute classic. 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 ANDY BARAGHANI: Andy Baraghani’s Essential Kitchen Tools [Bon Appetit] Kimchi Udon With Scallions [Bon Appetit] How Andy Baraghani Became the Internet Boyfriend of Our Dreams [Out] The Zuni Café Cookbook Is Canon [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a great conversation here with David Kamp, a journalist of the highest order and author of one of Matt’s favorite books about food ever, The United States of Arugula: The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution. In this episode we talk about the book’s legacy some 15 years after its publication. We also find out what David is working on now, including a Broadway musical. It’s great catching up with David Kamp, a real legend in the game. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk discuss three things they are most interested in, including: A NYC pop-up report (Wizard Hat Pizza, Chrissy's, Shy's Burger), Hand Hospitality in the NYT, Unified Ferments Nilgiri Coomor kombucha, a great new cookbook: Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and happy birthday to TASTE! 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 DAVID KAMP: Faces for Radio [Air Mail] I’ve Told My Last Trump Joke [NYT] The Hunger Artists [NYT] The Elusive Restaurant Group Redefining Korean Dining in New York [NYT] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachelle Hampton is a culture writer and the cohost of ICYMI, a digital culture podcast from Slate that provides funny and deep insight into the weird, wide world of the perpetually online. It’s so fun to have Rachelle in the studio to unpack some of the most pressing online food questions of the moment—Stanley cups, The Bear thirst—plus her own food media consumption, and much more. Also on the show, Matt catches up with Suzy Karadsheh, a good friend of TASTE and the author of The Mediterranean Dish: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You'll Make on Repeat. They talk about an upcoming trip to Greece and some more exciting plans on the horizon. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM RACHELLE HAMPTON & SUZY KARADSHEH: Restaurant Wars: Keith Lee vs Atlanta [Slate Podcasts] The Orwellian World of Vintage Fast-Food Training Videos [Slate Podcasts] TASTE Travels Greece: Cooking and Eating Through Athens and Crete [TASTE] White Bean Shakshuka [The Mediterranean Dish] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We enjoyed having Jamila Robinson in the studio. Jamila is the editor in chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious, the storied Condé Nast food publications that she took over in September. There are big plans and changes afoot at One World Trade Center, and we talk about Jamila’s vision for the future and the publications’ ongoing labor dispute, while looking back at her career working in newspapers in Detroit and Philadelphia. This is a really great talk! Also on the show, Matt shares some highlights from his recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, putting fresh eyes on one of America’s great food cities. Stops include: Vern’s, Lewis Barbecue, Palmira Barbecue, Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ, Weltons Tiny Bakeshop, The Spectator Hotel, Fig, 167 Raw, Kultura, Little Jack’s Tavern. 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 JAMILA ROBINSON: Jamila Robinson Is Named Next Editor of Bon Appétit Magazine [NYT] This Is TASTE 262: Lyndsay C. Green [TASTE] The Balthazar Cookbook: My Personal Cooking School [TASTE] Charleston CVB [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are excited to welcome award-winning director Trần Anh Hùng to the studio. His latest film, the lush and food-centered The Taste of Things, is in theaters now. It stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, who cook (and cook and cook!) for friends and visitors with a passion that transcends the idea of “foodie,” Detailed, painstaking process cooking and late-19th-century suiting are major threads, with food scenes guided by the eye of legendary international chef Pierre Gagnaire. We speak with the director about bringing this universe to life, and about the food of his childhood growing up in Da Nang, Vietnam. It’s really a great talk, and we hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM TRAN ANH HUNG: ‘The Taste of Things’ Review: Love, Loss and Loins of Veal [NYT] ‘The Taste of Things’ Is a Kitchen-set Love Story. It Was Made by Exes [LA Times] Our Growing Hunger for Food on Screen [FT] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have a great double episode of the show. Alex Prud’homme’s new book, Dinner with the President, is a history of American food, politics, and 26 presidents, from George Washington starving at Valley Forge in 1777 to Donald Trump’s burger banquets. It was such a good time having Alex on the show to talk about how food has been used as a diplomatic tool since the founding of the United States, and also dig into the legacy of his famous great aunt - Julia Child. Also on the show we welcome Ali Rosen to the studio. Ali is a cookbook author, TV food host, and successful rom-com novelist, having published the hit novel Recipe for Second Chances. She is also the author of the new cookbook, 15 Minute Meals. On this episode we talk about what makes a 15 minute meal, and how she writes her food-focused fiction. It’s such a fun talk, I hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ALEX PRUD’HOMME & ALI ROSEN: Diplomacy Is Best Conducted at the Dinner Table [NYT] Alex Prud’homme Wishes He Was in the Room Where It Happened [NYT] Potluck with Ali Rosen [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rose Wilde is the pastry chef and owner of Red Bread in Los Angeles, a pioneering microbakery that’s been championing whole grains and sustainable baking for over a decade. She's headed the bread and pastry programs at Michelin-starred Rustic Canyon, Manuela, and Mother Wolf, and now she’s sharing her wisdom in the wonderful baking book Bread and Roses. We loved having Rose on the show to talk about the joys and challenges of baking with whole grains, her flock of chickens, and more. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ROSE WILDE: Red Bread Bakery [official] Rose Wilde's 'Bread and Roses' [Wordloaf] Buy: Bread and Roses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a lot of fun having PJ Vogt in the studio. PJ is a recognizable figure in the world of public radio and podcast. He’s currently the host of one of our favorite shows today, Search Engine, and we talk about his recent food-related episodes, digging into sushi fraud and airplane coffee. We also chop it up about so many topics in food, including his ongoing coffee journey and some of PJ’s favorite NYC restaurants. What a great talk—we hope you enjoy it! Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM PJ VOGT: Why Are There So Many Chicken Bones on the Street? [Apple] Am I the Victim of an International Sushi Scam? [Apple] Search Engine Is the Spiritual Successor to Reply All [Vulture] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aura Bora is a sparkling water that pushes the limits of sparkling water. Founded by Paul Voge, it’s a company that prides itself on spiking its cans of water with herbs, fruits, and flowers for earthly tastes and heavenly feelings. (True to the claim, we certainly had some feelings when we tried their green bean casserole concoction.) Paul, a guest on today’s show, has incredible taste and is bursting with passion for his waters. We talk about his journey and how he comes up with flavors that include chai cranberry, persimmon clove, and peppermint watermelon. If you haven’t tried Aura Bora, you don’t know what you’re missing. Also on the show, Matt is back from a California road trip and gives some of his highlights, including The Duchess and The Summit in Ojai, Bell’s in Los Alamos, Ad Astra Bread in Monterey, Cat & Cloud Coffee in Santa Cruz, Itani Ramen and Fentons Creamery in Oakland, the cafe at Chez Panisse in Berkeley(!), Ad Hoc and Mustards Grill in Yountville, and El Molino Central in Sonoma. Want to partner with TASTE? Send us a note at: [email protected]. MORE FROM AURA BORA: We’ve Hit Peak Beverage [TASTE] Dry Guys Olive Oil Martini [official] This Is TASTE 303: Olipop [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re thrilled to finally have Angelo Sosa on the show. Angelo is one of the most talented chefs we've gotten to know, and he’s currently the chef at two really great restaurants in Phoenix: Tia Carmen and Kembara. Angelo was also the runner up on Top Chef and has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Stephen Starr, and Masaharu Morimoto. On this episode we talk about Angelo’s TV past and dig into his passion for Asian cuisine, including his deeply creative work with Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese flavors and techniques at his latest opening, Kembara. We really loved catching up with Angelo and hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Matt gives his highlights from a recent trip to Phoenix. Stops include: Unos Tacos y Birria, Tacos Chiwas, the greatness of Monsoon Market, Wagyu beef rendang at Kembara, and Pizzeria Bianco. 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 ANGELO SOSA: Angelo Sosa’s Kembara Is a Love Letter to His Asian Travels [Forbes] Must-Try Restaurants in Phoenix with Angelo Sosa [A Taste of AZ] This Is TASTE 251: Dale Talde [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DeVonn Francis is a chef, recipe developer, and events producer based in Brooklyn. His culinary events studio, Yardy World, has developed a cult following around vibrant, lush experiences rooted in Caribbean cuisine with some of the best vibes and playlists around, and now they’re joining the CPG boom. It’s a joy to have DeVonn in the studio to talk about his distinctive POV, starring in the second season of High on the Hog, his dream dinner party lineup, and more. Also on the show the return of three things, where Aliza and Matt go over some of the books, restaurants, and citrus fruits they are most excited about. This includes: Flan at Nenes Taqueria, al bap at AriAri, crispy shallots and fish roe from Ignacia Valdes pop-ups, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures, PSA: The pomelos are hitting in NYC right now, Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM DEVONN: Welcome to the DeVonn Francis Dinner Party Multiverse [TASTE] The 2021 Feel Good Food Plan [Bon Appetit] Yardy World [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our friend Jamie Oliver returns to the show, this time live from Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan as part of our TASTE Live at Rizzoli reading series. It was so great catching up with the chef and healthy eating advocate to discuss so many topics, and to dig into his great new book: 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM JAMIE OLIVER: Jamie Oliver Does Mediterranean [All Of It] Jamie Oliver Shares 5-ingredient Meals [GMA] How Long Gone: Jamie Oliver [Apple] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pizza Week continues! On this episode, we chat with the one and only Daniel Holzman, the chef and owner of Danny Boy’'s Famous Original Pizza in Los Angeles. Daniel is a good friend of TASTE and Matt’s longtime writing partner (they wrote Food IQ together). Here they catch up about all things pie, including what Los Angeles was missing when Danny Boy’s jumped into the scene a few years back. We find out about Daniel’s detailed approach to bring New York City slices to the West Coast, his upcoming expansion plans, and what excites him about pizzas around the world. It’s good catching up with our friend, as always. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM DANIEL HOLZMAN: This Is TASTE 69: Daniel Holzman [TASTE] The Dish: Daniel Holzman [CBS] One of LA’s Best New York City-Style Pizza Shops Expands to Westwood [Eater] Are You Team Ranch on Pizza? [TikTok] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pizza Week continues! Noam Grossman is the founder of Upside Pizza, an NYC slice shop that breaks all the rules in the best possible way. The pizza is very legit and is made with 100-percent naturally leavened dough, with a sourdough starter that has a 72-hour rise time. It’s not your typical slice joint! On this episode, we hear about Grossman’s journey to pizza and about how Upside—along with soup and ice cream offshoots Soupside and Softside—brings personality and voice to the sometimes bland world of the NYC slice. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM NOAM GROSSMAN: The Kings of the Dollar Slice Build a Better Pizza [NYT] Where I Work: Noam Grossman [6sqft] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pizza Week continues! Franny’s is a world-class pizzeria and restaurant located at the northern tip of the Jersey Shore in Highlands, New Jersey. When the shop’s chef and owner, Mya Anitai, left a successful restaurant career in Richmond, Virginia (Mamma Zu, Dinamo) to move to New Jersey, she didn’t know exactly what to expect. What she built over the past few years is pretty extraordinary. The best grandma slice in Jersey? Some would say. In this episode, Mya shares her journey and the pizza style that has earned her the attention of many in and around the New York metro area. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM MYA ANITAI: A Conversation with Mya Anitai [Pizza Today] Franny’s Off the Beach [TikTok] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pizza Week continues! The title on Anthony Falco’s business card is “global pizza consultant,” and, true to form, Anthony has helped people achieve their dreams of starting pizzerias and perfecting their craft around the globe. In this highly entertaining conversation, Falco shares some of his favorite gigs and talks about his time helping launch and grow the pizza operation at Roberta’s, the singular Bushwick pizzeria that inspired the launch of thousands of Neapolitan pizza shops around the globe. Anthony is the author of Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef, and we talk about translating these big ideas to a home setting. It’s great catching up with this legend in the pizza game, and we hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ANTHONY FALCO: Anthony Falco Left Roberta’s. Now He’s an “International Pizza Consultant” [BA] Odd Job: Meet an International Pizza Consultant [Vox] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Pizza Week! From time to time we like to break into a thematic groove, and this is one of those weeks. We have a bunch of fun interviews planned. First up is Dan Richer, the owner of Razza in Jersey City, New Jersey. Yeah yeah, New York Times critic Pete Wells once called Razza the best New York City pizza (not in New York), and the 2017 assessment brought a swell of pizza freaks across the river to sample Richer’s pie. In this interview, we talk about the review that changed everything, and we dig into how Richer describes his pizza, his obsession with bread, and his great cookbook, The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know. We loved having Dan in the studio to kick off our week of pizza talks. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM DAN RICHER: Is New York’s Best Pizza in New Jersey? [NYT] Dan Richer’s Everyday Pizza Dough [Ooni] Franco Pepe and Dan Richer Share Deep Pizza Thoughts [Appetito] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are two classic conversations. Tina Choi is the Seoul-based genius behind one of our favorite food YouTube channels around, Doobydobap. Pierce Abernathy is a trained cook, a big-time TikTok and Instagram creator, and a former Buzzfeeder, and he’s been known to model and work with fashion brands in interesting ways. We hope you enjoy these talks. 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 TINA CHOI AND PIERCE ABERNATHY: How Koreans Meal Prep [YouTube] How Koreans Kimchi [YouTube] Leek Butter [TikTok] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Luger is Brooklyn history and one of the most iconic New York City restaurants. Between hand-selected steaks, a signature bacon and burger service, and a tight-knit family that has run the place since 1950, it’s a rich topic to talk about. And talk we did with Daniel Turtel, who works alongside his family at the Williamsburg institution. Daniel is involved in the daily selection of steaks that are served to hungry guests each day, and we talk about the restaurant’s legacy as well as its bright future in Las Vegas. We also discuss what it took to come back from a tough New York Times review. Daniel is a really interesting guy, and I hope you enjoy this conversation. 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 PETER LUGER: How to Get a Table at Peter Luger [Forbes] The One Peter Luger Dish You Can Only Get in Vegas [Tasting Table] Peter Luger Merch Is Good [official] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jermaine Stone has an extraordinary story about how a fluke job at a wine warehouse led him to his unique place in the wine world. He’s the host of Street Somm on Tastemade, a show in which he interviews some of the biggest names in hip-hop about all things wine. He’s also the founder of Cru Luv Selections, a New York–based wine branding and marketing agency dedicated to engaging hip-hop fans in the world of wine. It’s really fun having Jermaine in the studio, and I hope you enjoy this conversation. 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 JERMAINE STONE: On His Podcast ‘Wine and Hip Hop,’ Jermaine Stone Aims to Bridge Cultures [NYT] Wine and Hip Hop [Apple Podcasts] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There aren’t a lot of things on the internet that have been around since 1999. But David Lebovitz’s blog (and now Substack), full of quips, stories, and recipes from his life in Paris, is one of them. David is the author of many cookbooks, including The Perfect Scoop, Ready For Dessert, Drinking French, and the iconic My Paris Kitchen. This is such a fun conversation, full of life and stories about pastry in San Francisco and Paris. David is one of our all-time favorites, and it was so fun having him in the studio. We hope you enjoy this conversation. 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 DAVID LEBOVITZ: Chocolate Chip “Kitchen Sink” Cookies [David Lebovitz] TASTE Travels France: Exploring Camembert, Calvados, and The French Countryside This Is TASTE 323: We ❤️ Saveur with Dorothy Kalins [TASTE] The Making of My Paris Kitchen [David Lebovitz] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alison Cayne is the founder of Haven's Kitchen, a pioneering culinary school, café, and consumer brand that has been at the center of the New York City food world for nearly a decade. We absolutely loved catching up with Alison about her journey to launching the company and some of the wild events she has hosted over the years. We also talk about her pivot to the world of consumer packaged goods and how she makes it all work in this very competitive world. 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 HAVEN’S KITCHEN: How the Haven’s Kitchen Team DIY’d Their Way to a New Test Kitchen [AD] How Alison Cayne Handles a Cooking School, a Café, a Sauce Business, and Five Kids [BA] In The Sauce [Apple Podcasts] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Banza is the chickpea pasta with the bright orange boxes that have become nothing short of a phenomenon, changing the way we think about gluten-free pasta forever. Matt is a legit fan of the rotini and the penne, as well as the brand’s expansion into pizza, and he invited Banza’s founder, Brian Rudolph, into the studio. They talk about the founding of the company, how Brian landed on the iconic branding, and what makes a great pasta sauce. We hope you enjoy this conversion. 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 BANZA: Olive Oil and Chickpea Pasta Got Cool. You Can Blame This Agency. [TASTE] Banza’s Founder Is Growing a Household Brand by Betting Big on Chickpeas [Forbes] Solving the Pasta Problem [Emory Wheel] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eunjo Park doesn’t necessarily need kimbap, but kimbap most certainly needs her—or fans of kimbap need her, at least. When Eunjo, a veteran of Per Se and the three-Michelin-starred Gaon in Seoul, was opening the first Momofuku restaurant to explicitly focus on Korean food, Momofuku Kāwi, located on the far west side of New York in Hudson Yards, one of the very first dishes she and her boss, David Chang, wanted to focus on was kimbap. And focus she did, which we talk about on this great episode. We also talk about her amazing career, and how she is thinking deeply about modern Korean cooking. We love Eunjo and 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 EUNJO PARK: BLT Kimbap [YouTube] One of Momofuku’s Top Chefs Is Leaving the Restaurant Group [Eater] Pre-order: Koreaworld: A Cookbook [Now Serving] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rie McClenny is a video host and cookbook author who rose to acclaim in the test kitchen at BuzzFeed, where she hosted video series including Make It Fancy. On this episode, we find out about her journey from Japan to professional kitchens in Los Angeles to YouTube stardom. We also talk about her terrific debut cookbook, Make It Japanese: Simple Recipes for Everyone. We hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Matt catches up with his old friend Evan Wittenberg. Evan is passionate about the Philadelphia food scene, the Netflix works of Phil Rosenthal, Cormac McCarthy novels, and playing the drums. He is also 13. It’s fun catching up with one of our younger listeners to find out what is good. 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 RIE MCCLENNY: A Japanese Homestyle Meatball Clinches the Comfort Food Crown [TASTE] Let’s Make Gyoza [TikTok] Phil Rosenthal vs. a 7-Year-Old [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sana Javeri Kadri is the founder of Diaspora Co., an equitable—and highly useful—spice company paying an average of six times the commodity price to 150 farm partners across India and Sri Lanka. On this episode Sana unpacks exactly how Diaspora Co. has expanded their scope and scale while remaining true to their mission, plus moving back to Mumbai and much 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 SANA JAVERI KADRI: In Los Angeles, an Indian Chinese Feast Celebrating Female Founders [New York Times] It’s 2023. Do You Know Where Your Spices Come From? [Afar] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Klancy Miller is the author of For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food, a fantastic new anthology pairing recipes and reflections that began as a magazine with the same name. Klancy is also a trained pastry chef, a recipe developer, and the author of Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking for Yourself. We’ve long admired Klancy’s work, and it’s a thrill to have her on the show to talk about creating the book she wished she had access to when coming up in the industry, her love of Paris, and much 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 KLANCY MILLER: A Juneteenth Menu from Chef Klancy Miller [Vogue] Klancy Miller's Favorite NYC Spots Run By Black Women [The Infatuation] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kaitlin and Sarah Leung join us in the studio to talk about their long-running online food blog The Woks of Life. For anybody who has ever held a wok over high heat, The Woks of Life has been a steady hand helping you along the way. In this fun episode, we talk about how the pair went professional with their blog and how they wrote their debut cookbook, The Woks of Life, with their parents. That’s four authors—two parents and two siblings—for those who are counting. We also find out some answers to life’s biggest burning Chinese home cooking questions. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. Read more from the Woks of Life: How to Make Wontons [The Woks of Life] Behind the Blog: The Woks of Life [The Food Network] Pulling Noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods [Food Network] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Frommer is the founder and editor in chief of the New Consumer, an influential publication that covers the intersection of technology and consumer brands—and many of these brands live in the food world. We wanted to have Dan on the show to talk about his year-end consumer trends report, as well as just to shoot the shit about the big stories of 2023: the big moves in consumer packaged goods and retail, and what the future holds for our current United States of Ozempic. It’s so great catching up with Dan in the studio. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over some of their cooking resolutions for 2024, including making bread, working that pizza, and much 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 DAN FROMMER: Consumer Trends 2024 [The New Consumer] What Happened to Blue Apron? [The New Consumer] This Is TASTE 234: Dan Frommer [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Sundberg has a knack for writing stories that get people talking. The freelance writer and mind behind the business newsletter Feed Me has an expert eye for trends in the food space and beyond, like the return of whole milk and the rise of the “shoppy shop”—you know, those cute, curated grocery stores that all seem to carry the same made-for-Instagram products. We wanted to have Emily back into the studio to talk about the year in food and drink retail—the products, the trends, and all the media that flows around them. We also talk about the future of Bon Appétit, and how food media is struggling to fight for your "time and your tabs." Emily is truly one of our favorite voices on the food internet (and really online as a whole), and we were excited to have her on the show. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt discuss the year in new (and kind-of-new) products and call out their favorites. These include Diaspora Co. pumpkin spice mix, Confusion Snacks popcorn, Cabi Foods dashi soy sauce, OLIPOP everything, Taiwanese soy paste, and Lexington Bakes brownies. 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 EMILY SUNDBERG: Welcome to the Shoppy Shop [NY Mag] Ultimate New York Beauty Black Book [Feed Me] The Dinner Party Is Over [NY Mag] Ranked: the 42 Secret Puppet Masters of Food [The Supersonic] This Is TASTE 253: Ben Leventhal [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cake Zine is an independent print magazine exploring society through sweets, cofounded by Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor Aliza Abarbanel. Their fourth issue, Tough Cookie, presents a hearty batch of trials and triumphs, all in the context of cookies. On the show, Aliza and Tanya unpack how they made the issue, the many cultural connotations of cookies, and their latest trip to London. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt catch up about the trip to London and where Aliza ate and drank so well! MORE FROM CAKE ZINE: This Is TASTE 244: Cake Zine Fennel Fronds and Fine Lines: Food Tattoos Take Root Buy: Tough Cookie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A writer, editor, illustrator, cookbook author, children’s book author, and really fun guy to get to know, Joshua David Stein has got the goods, and we welcome him back into the studio. We catch up about all things cookbooks and food media, including his soon-to-be-published Korean cookbook, collaborating with Tom Colicchio, and his work on the wonderful Esquire Best New Restaurants list. It’s so great talking with JDS, 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 JOSHUA DAVID STEIN: Three Days on a Boat with Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio [Esquire] The Best New Restaurants in America, 2023 [Esquire] How Lilia Chef Missy Robbins Is Reimagining the Restaurant Model [Fast Company] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nasim Lahbichi is a recipe developer based in Brooklyn, where he’s built a big following creating videos that blend craveable recipes drawing from his Moroccan and Puerto Rican heritage with highly relatable dating escapades. His roots in interior design and New York City inform his work in exciting ways, and we’re excited to have him on the show today to talk about the future of food content creation. Also on the show Matt catches up with Kyle Newman, the co-author of a very cool and unique new cookbook, Heroes' Feast Flavors of the Multiverse: An Official D&D Cookbook. They talk about translating themes from the iconic game to real recipes, and how Kyle’s career in film has led to this path. We also talk about him directing several Taylor Swift videos, and what food was like on set. MORE FROM NASIM LAHBICHI: I’m a Food TikTok Star. Here’s What I Wish My Followers Knew. [Eater] Orange Blossom Snickerdoodles [Washington Post] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices