Barbara Lynch put the Boston restaurant scene on the national radar. The 2014 James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur has eight restaurants in her home city, including a collaboration with Eataly Boston, and recently published a memoir, Out of Line, in which she details how she rose from Southie to become a major figure in the restaurant world. Just last week, she was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of the year. The chef and restaurateur sat down in the Upsell studio with hosts Hele...
Apr 24, 2017•53 min
Wolfgang Puck is America’s first celebrity chef. The man behind Spago, Cut, and the eponymous airport restaurants you hope to find during layovers, among others, shaped California cuisine as we know it, the pizza included. Fittingly, his celebrity status has been set in stone with his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Puck stopped by the Eater Upsell to chat with hosts Helen Rosner and Greg Morabito about creating celebrity hangouts, what’s wrong with restaurant criticism today, and w...
Apr 17, 2017•53 min
Naomi Pomeroy’s Portland restaurant Beast turns 10 this year, and over the past decade, the self-made chef has mellowed. Ten years of running the restaurant, which, so far, has stuck to a six-course menu and set seating times, has taught the Pomeroy to yell less, adapt more, and consistently prioritize fun in the kitchen. “The key to my success has always been empowering the people around me,” she says. Another likely contributor: fan-favorite appearances on two TV shows. After getting her start...
Apr 10, 2017•57 min
Flynn McGarry is still a teen chef, but three years after he came onto the scene as a 15-year-old fine dining wunderkind, he is no longer, technically, a kid. McGarry has spent time in some of the world’s most renowned kitchens, including Geranium in Copenhagen, Alinea in Chicago, Eleven Madison Park in New York, and at the Modernist Cuisine lab in Seattle. More recently, the teen chef (who expects that label to stick long after his teens) has hosted his tasting menu pop-up, Eureka, in Los Angel...
Apr 03, 2017•46 min
José Andrés is the chef that helped America fall in love with tapas. Now, he runs an empire of some 26 restaurants and is a passionate advocate for immigration reform (for which Obama awarded the chef a National Humanities Medal). Andrés is everywhere: D.C., Vegas, Miami, and even in the crosshairs of a legal battle with the current president, who sued after Andrés pulled out of a restaurant project at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. The superstar chef recently sat down in the Eater Upsell...
Mar 27, 2017•55 min
Ken Friedman, the music industry hot shot turned restauranteur, has that kind of cool you just have to be born with. Together with chef April Bloomfield, he has reshaped the New York dining scene with his particular take on the English gastropub. Ken stopped by the Upsell studios in LA to chat with Greg about how he ended up in the restaurant business, the origins of The Spotted Pig, how to be cool at parties, and how much he hates staring at exposed filament lightbulbs. Get the full transcript ...
Mar 20, 2017•57 min
Melissa Clark is one of America’s greatest recipe scribes. Over the last two decades, she's worked on nearly 40 cookbooks and contributed countless recipes to the New York Times food section, where she's a columnist. One of her NYT contributions, a recipe based on a Manhattan restaurant’s guacamole with peas, ignited a firestorm, with both Barack Obama and Jeb Bush weighing in on the controversial dish. During her chat with Helen and Greg, Melissa gives the full story behind Pea GuacamoleGate, a...
Mar 13, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Tim Ferriss built his career on finding the sweet spot between effort and outcome. The podcaster and bestselling writer — you probably know him from The Four-Hour Workweek or The Four-Hour Chef — uses his books as opportunities to teach himself how to be a better human being, whether it’s holding his breath for 4 minutes, or searing a perfect steak. Tim stopped by the Upsell studios to chat with Helen about his relationship with fine dining, the path that led him to writing a cookbook, and how t...
Mar 06, 2017•50 min
JJ Johnson is the acclaimed chef behind Minton’s in Harlem. After working his way through several big kitchens in New York City, JJ first earned raves from the critics at Minton’s sister restaurant, the Cecil, where the served a menu that drew inspiration from the foodways of the African diaspora. In this candid chat wit Helen and Greg, the chef talks about culinary school, his experiences cooking around the world, and the importance of having — and becoming — a mentor in the kitchen. Learn more...
Feb 27, 2017•51 min
Frank Bruni is a New York Times op-ed columnist and author of several books about subjects ranging from the Bush administration to the college admissions system, but most food lovers know him as the paper’s chief restaurant critic from 2004 to 2009. Bruni stopped by the Eater Upsell studios to talk about the current President of the United States, Frank's tenure as the most powerful critic in the world, and the creation of his new cookbook with Jennifer Steinhauer, “A Meatloaf in Every Oven.” Le...
Feb 20, 2017•56 min
Nathan Myhrvold is the wildly successful businessman/scientist/tech guru behind Modernist Cuisine, a self-published culinary encyclopedia that demystifies the world of high-end gastronomy. Nathan also released a spinoff, Modernist Cuisine at Home, and he’s working on another volume focusing entirely on bread. During his chat with Helen and Greg, Myhrvold drops some knowledge about baking bread, building nuclear reactors, and barbecuing dinosaurs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Feb 13, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Helen, Greg, and AP Dan discuss their favorite moments from season 2 of the Eater Upsell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 19, 2016•29 min
Francis Lam’s cookbooks always do more than dinner. The editor and writer has ushered some of the best and most inventive cookbooks of the last few years to publication, all of which stand out as better than just a list of recipes — for their introspection, research, and often their humor. Lam dropped by the Eater Upsell studios to talk about the immigrant experience, the writer-editor relationship, and how to spend three perfect hours in the Atlanta airport. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Dec 12, 2016•54 min
Fuchsia Dunlop is a big proponent of the “I’ll have what they’re having” school of restaurant ordering. The cookbook author and veritable historian of Chinese culinary culture has made a career of introducing the country's gastronomic traditions to a Western audience — without dumbing anything down. Fuchsia dropped by the Eater Upsell studios to talk about her latest book, Land of Fish and Rice, as well as 12th century Chinese foodies, and how to make the best of long-distance travel (chocolate ...
Dec 05, 2016•52 min
For anyone who’s ever asked, “Why?” in the kitchen, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is your man. After getting his start in restaurant and test kitchens in Boston, Kenji created The Food Lab, a column on Serious Eats dedicated to lassoing the laws of science and riding them to home cooking success every time. In the subsequent six years, the “Kenji method” has blown up, but despite being a cult phenomenon and bestselling cookbook author, Kenji himself is just about as cool and down to earth as you can get. H...
Nov 28, 2016•59 min
Evan Sung didn’t think he’d be a photographer — let alone one of the most sought-after food photographers in the country. Armed with an undergrad degree in psychology and an insatiable curiosity about people and the world, Sung set out to tell the most honest visual stories he could, his success at which landed him on the pages of 35 cookbooks (shooting with the likes of chefs Paul Liebrandt and Marc Forgone) and a myriad of publications. Sung visited the Eater Upsell studios to talk LA’s incred...
Nov 21, 2016•53 min
Vivian Howard’s new cookbook Deep Run Roots weighs as much as a newborn, but if you think you’ll find a fried chicken recipe on one of its nearly 600 pages, you are gravely mistaken. The eastern North Carolina-based chef, restaurant owner, and Peabody Award-winning co-creator and star of A Chef’s Life on PBS, swung by the Eater Upsell studios to chat with Helen and special guest host Amanda Kludt (Eater's editor-in-chief) about homemade ketchup, the price of tea, and Hollywood's eye roll-inducin...
Nov 14, 2016•48 min
Filmmaker turned chef Preeti Mistry cooks Indian food with a distinctly Bay Area sensibility. Think big flavors built from the best ingredients, served in a casual, fun setting. On a recent trip to New York, Mistry stopped by the Eater Upsell studios to talk about her Top Chef days, her stint in a Google cafeteria kitchen, her love of Do The Right Thing, embracing her heritage, and building something new out of her past. But first, Greg and Helen shoot the shit about why some flavors of seltzer ...
Nov 07, 2016•56 min
Ashley Christensen is a Raleigh-based chef and restaurateur who was shot into the culinary spotlight after opening Poole's Diner, both because of her unique take on Southern cooking and the way the space brought new life to the community. Now, her work is synonymous with city of Raleigh, but her network and influence can be felt all across the South, and the nation at large. Christensen stopped by the Eater Upsell studios to chat with hosts Helen and Greg about teamwork, kale fatigue, and what m...
Oct 31, 2016•57 min
Don't ask Anthony Bourdain to limit himself to other people's assumptions. It's been sixteen years since Kitchen Confidential blew up the food world; in the time since, he's built a career as a full-time expectation-upending maverick. Bourdain's books, television shows — and his not insignificant renegade charisma — have catapulted him into the kind of badass cross-genre celebrity that results in bros geeking out over him (though he doesn’t love that) and fans accosting him in the bathroom (he d...
Oct 24, 2016•54 min
Why does everyone want to work with Julia Turshen? She's been known to turn book drafts in entire years before their due date — and also strongly believes there’s no such thing as too much bourbon. A noted cookbook collaborator and writer whose first title of her own, Small Victories, was published this fall, Julia is all about dispelling home cooking fears, making the task approachable, practical, and rewarding. Julia dropped by the Upsell studios to discuss the brilliance of Beyoncé, how to ge...
Oct 17, 2016•46 min
Mario Batali is more than a household name — he's a Croc-wearing, Vespa-riding, salumi-slicing force of nature. On today's episode of the Eater Upsell, Mario stops by the hallowed halls (his words) to chat with Helen and Greg about his favorite celebrity guests, whether or not he’s a CEO, and how much what you eat is affected by where you eat it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2016•47 min
Australian-born chef Curtis Stone is giving LA’s fine dining scene a kick in the pants right now at his tasting menu Maude, and its meat-centric spinoff Gwen. In his chat with Helen and Greg, Curtis touches upon all the major moments of his unusual career — including cooking under Marco Pierre White and starring on The Celebrity Apprentice. But first, Greg and Helen shoot the shit about Greg's move to LA, and the city's exploding food scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Oct 03, 2016•50 min
Amanda Cohen, the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, is a trailblazer in the world of vegetable-forward cooking and an outspoken advocate for going gratuity-free. The chef, writer, and cookbook author dropped by the Eater Upsell studios to talk with Greg and Helen about shrugging off the “healthy” label, the current status of vegetable driven cuisine and getting Google alerts from her mom. But first, Greg and Helen shoot the shit about whether or not delivery has gone too far. Learn more about your a...
Sep 26, 2016•49 min
In this episode, chef Eric Ripert stops by the Upsell studios for a candid conversation with Upsell co-host Greg Morabito. Ripert shares the story of how he rose through the ranks of the New York City fine dining world, and he reveals how he keeps Le Bernardin fresh after all these years. The chef also discusses the path that lead to the writing and publication of his excellent new memoir, 32 Yolks. But before all that, Greg and Helen shoot the shit about how everyone thinks they're restaurant c...
Sep 19, 2016•41 min
According to Marc Summers, the beloved game show host, Food Network OG, and powerhouse producer, his whole career arc was a mistake. The magician and pizza fanatic went from a life of judging wet t-shirt contests and selling wholesale smoked salmon to being one of the architects of modern food television—but of course, he claims he's never worked a day in his life. Check out his conversation with hosts Greg Morabito and Helen Rosner on this week's episode of the Eater Upsell. Learn more about yo...
Sep 12, 2016•48 min
(Ep 21) Want to hear someone tell it exactly like it is? Talk to Alex Stupak. The chef and restaurateur behind New York's growing Empellón empire is totally candid about cooking Mexican food as a white guy, the need to stay relevant, and Nine Inch Nails — not to mention the grind he's on to outperform his idols. New York City's resident taco king is redefining creativity, and perfecting his soundproofing game in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 06, 2016•1 hr
(Ep 20) Carla Hall is a badass, culinarily and otherwise. The two-season Top Chef finalist, host on ABC’s The Chew, cookbook author, and chef and owner at Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen drops some major wisdom on this week’s episode of the Eater Upsell, chatting with hosts Greg and Helen about about food shaming, catchphrases, fighting for exposure, and racial bias in the cookbook industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 29, 2016•51 min
(Ep 19) Who knew helping clueless dudes learn a thing or two about food and wine would pave the way for this now Emmy-award-winning host, writer, and cookbook author? On the latest episode of The Eater Upsell, Chopped and Chopped Junior host Ted Allen dishes on how that little Bravo pilot project paved the way to his career as referee for one of primetime’s most challenging cooking competitions — and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 22, 2016•52 min
(Ep 18) Andrew Zimmern on Taking Risks. The Chef & TV Host delves into his culinary past — and the history of modern American cuisine — in a freewheeling, candid conversation with the hosts of The Eater Upsell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 15, 2016•1 hr
