For this year’s season finale, Darin sits down with Bill Addison , the LA Times Restaurant Critic, for a look back on the year that was 2023. They chat about the stories that the culinary scene shared, the evolution of new restaurants, and the 101 Best Restaurant List that just came out. Then we head into the archives for a performance from Nadia Sirota , a one-woman contemporary-classical commissioning machine. A big thank you to everyone who supported the show this year and we’ll see you all i...
Dec 17, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 582
On today’s episode, Dairn sits down with Steve Schwartz , the Founder, CEO, and Master Tea Blender at Art of Tea . They have an incredibly insightful conversation about Steve's travels around the world, how he started hand mixing tea in his living room, and how he has shared his vision of what tea can bring to people all over the world. After the break, it’s a dive into the archive for a performance by Starchild & The New Romantic . Bryndon Cook , who records as Starchild, describes his musi...
Dec 10, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 581
Today, Darin heads to his homeland of Montreal to sit down with two of his favorite people, Vanya Filipovic & Marc-Olivier Frappier of Vin Mon Lapin . They talk about their time in the local food scene, how they met, and what it means to be the number one restaurant in Canada. Then it's a live performance from Saunder Jurriaans , whose new album, Phantom Limb , is out on his own imprint, Ghost Talk Records . He chats about the holiday season, his approach to writing songs for his own album v...
Dec 03, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 580
Today we are chatting with Adam Keita , one of the owners of Daughter , a cafe, coffee shop, wine bar in Brooklyn. We chat about the social pact that all New Yorkers agree to when living in the city, his time spent as a barista in some of the great cafes of New York, and how he went from a barista to a business owner. Then it's a deep dip into the archives when the Desert Sharks stopped by the studio for a hard charging New York full flung rock and roll session. They were swinging by to talk abo...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 579
This week we're throwing it all the way back to Thanksgiving 2014 when Momma Bresnitz called into the show. Darin, Greg, and Mom (Gloria) have a wonderful conversation about the traditional family Thanksgiving, including Mom's culinary background and timeline for the turkey day prep. She gives the guys full disclosure on how she pulls together the best meal and day-of experience for friends and family, as well as expert advice to the newbie making a Thanksgiving feast for the first time. In the ...
Nov 19, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 639
Darin dips into Philadelphia to chat with Alex Kemp , the Chef and Co-Owner of My Loup . They chat about Alex’s culinary adventures across Montreal, San Francisco, New York, and eventually the City of Brotherly Love. They talk about his restaurant, which recently was on Eater’s best new restaurants in America, the work that he's done with his partner and wife, Chef Amanda Schulman , and what one can expect when they sit down for an absolutely perfect night out at My Loup. Then it's a dive into t...
Nov 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 578
Today Darin sits down with Shin Irvin and Melissa López of Cypress Park’s Shin’s Pizza , Creative Partner and Chef & Partner of the restaurant, respectively. These two, along with Last Word Hospitality, have created a deeply personal Pizza spot serving up East Coast style slices. Shin chats about growing up in Philly, how Melissa beautifully created dishes from Shin’s stories, and how the design plays an integral part in the experience. Then it's a deep dive into the archives when we had Ale...
Nov 05, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 577
Today Darin sits down with Benjamin Brown , the beverage director at Porchlight . We talk about the parallels between his love of music and bartending, his entry into the New York bar scene, and how he worked his way up to be the beverage director at Porchlight. Then it's a dip into the archives as are joined by the incredible team behind the legendary Northside Festival . They brought with them the singer and performing artist, GABI , who gave us a great chat and a fantastic in-studio performan...
Oct 29, 2023•56 min•Ep. 576
On today's episode, Darin welcomes restaurant royalty, Sophie McNally, who is the Founder and CEO of Kitchenette . We talk about growing up in the New York restaurant scene, her eventual move to the West Coast and the founding and incredible mission behind her company Kitchenette. Then it's a dive deep into the archives for a performance from the garageful duo out of Virginia now living in Brooklyn, known as The Winstons. They talk about the love for the blues, the raw energy of their live show,...
Oct 22, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 575
Darin welcomes the CEO of Cherry Bombe , Kate Miller Spencer , to chat about the brand’s recently launched WeFunder which is currently in the community round. They talk about how digital media has been shifting into the physical side to support the community's wants and desires, how to marry the business side with the content side, and what the future of the magazine’s brand, events, etc…looks like and how it's all working together. Then we're digging deep into the archives for one of Darin’s pe...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 574
This week we are dialing into two of our favorite cities, Montreal and New York, to chat with Stephanie Mercier Voyer & Ryan Gray , the co-authors of Salad Pizza Wine , the delicious cookbook from the team behind Elena . We chat about how they incorporated both the recipes and mission of the restaurant into the book, how they have found balance together, and the right way to roast an employee. Then we go back into the archives when our engineer, Jeet, interviewed the 3 Question Marks , a blu...
Oct 08, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 573
We welcome Brad Metzger , founder of BMRS and LA Chef Con , for a fun chat about his decades' long work in the restaurant industry and the upcoming conference. Celebrating its fourth iteration, the event takes place on October 30th and features some of our favorite chefs in the city. Brad also shares his deep love of reggae and a special playlist that he made just for Snacky Tunes ! Then, it’s a deep, ten year dive into the archives, when the quartet Bad Girlfriends stopped by the studio to talk...
Oct 01, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 572
We are so excited to be sharing our second edition of Snacky Tunes Salon , our live food and round-table event, hosted by ChowNow at their incredible headquarters in Culver City. Held the Monday in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we brought in two of our favorite Jewish restaurants, Yangban and Freedman’s , for discussion about Jewish food, what it means to make it your own, and how they balance tradition with their own modern approach. A big shout out to all of our sponsors, LiveWire Cock...
Sep 24, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 571
For this episode of Snacky Tunes we head across the pond to France and Greece for an all-new episode! First up, we speak with Marianne Fabre-Lanvin , co-founder of Souleil Wines , about growing up in the South of France, cooking with her Grandma, and how her company is helping to clean up the beaches of the world. Then Sonny of Sonny & The Sunsets sits down with us to chat about his new album, Self Awareness Through Macrame . He shares tales of island hopping, pulling creative ideas from the...
Sep 17, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 570
Darin sits down with Natalie Webb , the Founder and Executive Director of Cafecita Coffee , her women owned roastery, who also works with women owned coffee farms and women farmers from all around the world. Over a hot cup, she talks to him about her global adventures as a teenager, her work as a human rights advocate, and her eventual move into the coffee importing business. Then we dig deep into the archives for a musical performance from Beshken , playing their unique blend of indie-rock jazz...
Sep 10, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 569
Welcome to the Fall 2023 Season of Snacky Tunes! We are coming back fresh and with an all new episode. First up, we chat with Emmeline Zhao , the managing partner & sommelier of the Silver Apricot in New York City. We talk about her growing up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Shanghai, what brought her into the restaurant world, and the stories she is telling through what she curates on the list at her restaurant. Then we head to Brooklyn for pop-star-turned-jazz-musician Senri Oe . He tal...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 568
This week, on the last episode of the summer, Darin sits down with Woody Hambrecht & Ross Dawkins of Ami Ami to chat about their gorgeously designed, beautifully tasting wine. We chat about how they met, their road to launch, and how they are planning for the future. Then we dip into the archives for a Ramones meets Elvis vibe with a performance from Tall Juan . Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It f...
Jul 30, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 567
It’s summertime in Scotland as Darin sits down with Ooni co-founder and co-owner, Darina Garland . They have a great chat about her belief in family, community, the shows she’s seen this summer (Hello Dolly, Willie and Beyoncé), and how the future of the company is being shaped with an eye on environmentalism. Then we dig deep into the archives for a classic Brooklyn performance from Prima , Brooklyn singer songwriter Rose Blanshei ’s rock project. She played for us back in 2017 and is one of ou...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 566
Darin welcomes back our good friend, Philip Speer , to chat about life, running, and his work in the culinary community. Since we last chatted, he has opened the critically acclaimed Comedor , launched his own run club , and become a national advocate for mental health in the F&B space. We talk about the importance of having your own clubhouse, focusing on a pre-shift culture, and what he listens to when he’s out for a 5K (playlist here ). Then we dig into the archives when Ricci Swift, Bian...
Jul 16, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 565
This week we are hanging right off of Sunset, sitting down with Charles Namba and Courtney Kaplan of Tsubaki & OTOTO . We talk about their recent James Beard win, how they met during their time in the restaurant scene in New York, and what guests can expect to hear on a Tuesday night at the bar. Then we head into the archives for a frenetic, punk, jubilant performance from Brooklyn's Grim Streaker . They played live for us in the shipping containers in Brooklyn and it is the perfect soundtra...
Jul 09, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 564
Happy July Fourth Weekend! We head to Las Vegas for this week's episode, where we sit down with executive Chef Sarah Thompson , who oversees Casa Playa at the Wynn Las Vegas. We talk about her time in New York, her discovery of cooking Mexican food at Cosme, and what brought her out to Las Vegas. Then it's a dive into the archives, all the way back to 2013, for a legendary performance from Cassandra Jenkins . She talks about growing up in a musical family on New York's upper west side and shares...
Jul 02, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 563
On this episode of Snacky Tunes , Darin makes moves to Manhattan to chat with Amelie Kang about her delicious, dry pot restaurant, Málà Project . She shares her stories of growing up in Tangshan, China, making her way to the CIA in New York, and how Grandma still knows best in the kitchen. Then it’s a dip into the archives when Dead Stars visited the HRN shipping container studio to play some songs, talk about their new EP from 2013, “High Gain”, and share what they like to eat on the road. Snac...
Jun 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 562
Summer is here and we are kicking it off with a conversation with Andrew Quinn , the co-owner and Executive Chef at New York’s The Noortwyck . We chat about his road to opening, the freedom he finds in cooking from the farmer’s market, and what regulars can expect on the stereo when they sit down at the bar. We then head to the South to revisit a performance from our archives by Grammy-nominated Louisiana cajun and creole musician, Roddie Romero . Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chef...
Jun 04, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 561
Happy Memorial Day! We are celebrating the official kickoff to summer with a little bit of drinking and a little bit of dancing with our two all new guests. First up, Dane Volek of Anchor Brewing Company chats about home brewing in college and the wonderful concoctions he made, his road to becoming the Head Brewmaster at Anchor Brewing Company, and the concerts he's excited about seeing this summer. Then we are joined by a DJ bud from our DJ days, DJ Lorant , who talks about heading into the cit...
May 28, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 560
In this all Brooklyn episode, Darin bellies up to the proverbial bar with William Elliot , the Executive Bar Director and Managing Partner of Maison Premiere . William and Darin dive deep into the bar’s history as they talk about The Maison Premiere Almanac , out now on Potter. They also chat about the bar’s legendary cocktails, their approach to creating a unique atmosphere, and what one can expect to hear on the sound system. Then Darin welcomes Brooklyn artist Laura Wolf , whose new album, Sh...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 559
Darin is joined by author and legendary bon vivant, Nils Bernstein , whose new book The Joy of Oysters was released on Artisan this week. They chat about the oyster's current mainstream moment, the internal connection of this ingredient, and the perfect soundtrack to shuck to. Then it’s into the archives for a performance from Finnish songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Peppina , who has been writing and performing since she was a teenager in Helsinki. She gave us a live in-studio performance ...
May 14, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 558
This week we kicked off Snacky Tunes Salon, our new live series in partnership with ChowNow . Hosted at their gorgeous headquarters in Los Angeles, Darin sat down for a roundtable conversation with Tommy Brockert of La Sorted's and Travis Hayden of Voodoo Vin , which we are sharing with you for this special episode. The night also included delicious food and drinks from Skyduster Beer and Jumbo Time Wines . Thank you to everyone who came out and keep your eyes open for the next one! Snacky Tunes...
May 11, 2023•28 min•Ep. 557
Darin meets up with Chef Ashley Christensen , Chef + Proprietor of AC Restaurants , in advance of the Annual Hot Luck Festival happening in Austin this Memorial Day Weekend (tickets available here )! We chat about her decades plus support of the culinary community, the reopening of Fox Liquor Bar, and her plans for attending concerts this season. We then dig back into the archives to when we met up with Brooklyn bluegrass buskers, Zack Orion and Scott Murphy, better known as Mountain Animation ....
May 08, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 556
Darin welcomes back one of our first guests, George Motz , for a long overdue chat on Snacky Tunes . George, aka the Burger Scholar, shares many delicious tales about what he’s been up to for the last decade, including the launch of his new book, The Great American Burger Book , the opening of his new restaurant, Hamburger America , and how his TV show, Burger Land , still stands up today. Then it’s a trip to the archives when Brooklyn pop dance duo, Crush Club , cruised into the studio and got ...
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 555
On this episode of Snacky Tunes , Darin catches up with Chef Ryan Bartlow , whose spot, Ernesto’s , was just recognized on Pete Well’s New York Times 100 Best Restaurant list. We chat about the current dining scene in the city, his formative years cooking in San Sebastián, Spain, and the story behind his iconic plates. Then, from the archives, we share a chat and performance from garage punk rockers PowerSnap who trace their roots back to Tel Aviv where two of their three members originally hail...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 554
