Do you sip your tequila neat? If you do, there's one woman you'll want to know about: Bertha González Nieves. A true believer who thought tequila should be treated like a fine cognac, González Nieves founded Casa Dragones in 2009, right as this country was experiencing the Great Recession. She sold one product and one product only, a $275 Casa Dragones Juven, for the first 5 years of the company's existence. Listen to this episode of Speaking Broadly to hear how tequila is made, how she changed ...
Dec 19, 2018•55 min•Ep. 82
Two sisters on a mission to share the stories of their Caribbean ancestors, Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau correct common misperceptions around Jamaican food and culture in their stunning new cookbook, Provisions. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, they talk about the women who reached out to them from beyond the veil to urge them on, like their great great grandmother, Ma Briggs, who worked her way up from washerwoman to restaurateur. They honor their female forebears with vegetarian recipes b...
Dec 13, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 81
For Boston star chef Jody Adams , stepping away from Rialto , her award-winning restaurant of more than 20 years, was harder than she'd anticipated, especially as it was combined with her sister's progressing cancer and, ultimately, untimely death. "I went into a dark place," says Adams. Listen in to this episode of Speaking Broadly, to hear how Adams pulled herself out into the light, her new restaurant projects, and her excitement about the power of purpose, cycling, therapy and travel. Speaki...
Dec 05, 2018•54 min•Ep. 80
Kim Malek filled out a Small Business Association plan in secret. The idea of telling anyone her dream of opening an ice cream shop in cold and rainy Portland, Oregon, just seemed too hard. Now Salt&Straw is an empire with 17 stores across the country, including one at Disneyland, partnerships with companies like Alaska Airlines, and an investment from Danny Meyer and others. On episode 79 of Speaking Broadly, Kim speaks about how she sustained her entrepreneurial spirit despite her father's...
Nov 28, 2018•56 min•Ep. 79
When chef Jenny Dorsey creates culinary experiences, she wants the conversation to be about a whole lot more than the food. With projects such as the experimental pop up dinner series, "Wednesdays", and her "It's Disgusting" lunchboxes campaign, Dorsey wants people to be courageously present: to shed their inhibitions, open up to new and uncomfortable ideas, and ultimately leave the meal more empathetic. Her latest undertaking, "Asian in America," is a blend of VR, poetry, and food, where each i...
Nov 14, 2018•48 min•Ep. 78
Jasmine Crowe's first solo efforts at addressing the problem of hunger involved cooking for hundreds in her home kitchen in Atlanta, and bringing the food to the people. Since then she's found a way to scale up her charitable work by creating a for-profit company, Goodr . The business provides an online solution to match excess food from restaurants to institutions who share the meals. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Crowe tells host Dana Cowin how one friend's empty refrigerator catapulted...
Nov 07, 2018•38 min•Ep. 77
Victoria James started working in restaurants when she was thirteen, dropped out of college at nineteen, became the youngest sommelier in the U.S. at twenty-one, and is currently the Beverage Director and a partner at Cote Korean Steakhouse in NYC. Her trajectory has been fierce and fast and her love of wine has kept her reaching further. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, James tells host Dana Cowin about the harassment she experienced as an insecure young woman just starting out in the indus...
Oct 24, 2018•52 min•Ep. 76
Eden Egziabher’s journey has taken her from war-torn Ethiopia to the streets of New York City to become the first Eritrean-Ethiopian female food truck owner. From her bright yellow truck, Makina Cafe , she serves 'Habesha' food, a term that eliminates the distinctions between Eritrean and Ethiopian tribes and celebrates unity. Tune in to hear Eden talk about the genesis of her popular food truck including her labyrinthine path from entering the US as a 15 year old immigrant who didn’t speak Engl...
Oct 17, 2018•55 min•Ep. 75
As a star chef in Portland, Oregon, Jenn Louis won industry awards including Food & Wine Best New Chefs, published two successful cookbooks and competed on Top Chef Masters. Then, in an instant, she became better known for a very public arrest for domestic abuse. On Speaking Broadly, Louis reflects on that excruciating time—the pile up of misperception, accusations and frustration—and how she’s found a new sense of calm and purpose in its aftermath. Louis’s journey is one of talent and ambit...
Oct 10, 2018•11 min•Ep. 74
On the eve of publishing her 13th cookbook, Everyday Dorie, food world guru Dorie Greenspan talks about the joys of creating recipes with a little surprise twist, and delighting the home-cook by taking the familiar and turning it into something delicious and new. Tune in to hear Greenspan talk about how the idea for a beloved cookie recipe came to her in a dream, the irresistible intricacies of lemon "goop", and her meaningful memories in the kitchen with Julia Child. Greenspan's cookbook will b...
Oct 03, 2018•54 min•Ep. 73
Dana Cowin speaks with Bonnie Morales, the chef/owner of Kachka in Portland. From the art of toasting to the intersection between politics and restaurants, Bonnie reveals the many ways that being a child of Belarusian immigrants inspires her work—including the incredible family story that inspired her restaurant’s name. The first-generation American daughter of Belarusian immigrants, Chef Bonnie Morales (née Frumkin) grew up in Chicago in a large family that brought with them the distinctive cu...
Sep 26, 2018•27 min•Ep. 72
Emma Bengtsson and Kristen Murray may have worked at NYC’s Michelin Star restaurant, Aquavit, a decade apart and currently live on separate coasts, but HRN host Dana Cowin finds the common threads in their extraordinary careers. Tune in to hear about their influential grandmothers and pastry chef beginnings. You’ll come away with a sense of what it takes to make dreams come true in the culinary world. Chef Emma Bengtsson was named Executive Chef of Aquavit in 2014, after four years as Executive ...
Sep 19, 2018•46 min•Ep. 71
After working intensely and successfully with star chefs like David Bouley and Michael Mina, Sarah Rich and her equally accomplished husband Evan decided to open their own place Rich Table in San Francisco. It was a dream come true, but a dream with an emotional as well as economic price tag when the two had to figure out how to run the restaurant and take care of a child. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Sarah tells the story of struggling to open the business, then the difficulty of coming...
Sep 12, 2018•59 min•Ep. 70
One night, after the fall of Vietnam, Reyna Duong's father woke up his wife and 11 kids as well as the rest of his tiny fishing village and orchestrated an escape across the water to Malaysia. Duong, now owner of Sandwich Hag in Dallas, Texas, brings that same compassion, urgency and sense of community to her exquisite walk-up Vietnamese restaurant. She's an outspoken advocate for "people with all abilities," hiring her younger brother who has Downs Syndrome to prep by her side. He is, says Duon...
Sep 06, 2018•55 min•Ep. 69
In 2017, when she was just 26, Erin Schrode was chosen by super star chef José Andrés to spearhead his #ChefsForPuertoRico initiative being carried out by World Central Kitchen to help feed the island after Hurricane Maria. In this episode of Speaking Broadly, Schrode explains how, with no power, no water and no communications, World Central Kitchen prevailed, and brought nutritious, hot meals to more than 3 million people. Schrode had never run a hunger relief program, but when she got the call...
Aug 15, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 68
After a decade of humanitarian work for United Nations, Ghanian-born, American-raised Selassie Atadika has returned to her homeland to become a chef activist. Through small steps, like launching a line of elegant chocolates and hosting pop up dinners in Accra using indigenous ingredients, she is generating huge interest in the foods of West Africa. Atadika is cooking dishes that have been passed down through generations, updating them, and in the process documenting a New African Cuisine. Her go...
Aug 08, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 67
Success isn't a very good teacher. That's what chef Katie Button learned when she opened her second restaurant, Nightbell, in Asheville, North Carolina and it didn't take off right away. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Button talks about being primed for success by working for the world renowned chefs Jose Andrés and Ferran Adria before opening her award-winning first restaurant, Cúrate , as well as the challenges of shaping a second, highly-anticipated project. Button also shares her best ...
Aug 06, 2018•39 min•Ep. 66
Preternaturally peppy, Gaby Dalkin talks to Speaking Broadly host Dana Cowin about how her parents helped make her a happy person and how she's infused that personality into her mega successful brand. Her most recent book, "What's Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food," debuted at the #1 spot on Amazon and has remained there, a tribute to the do-able, enticing, bright, cheerful dishes, and the rapport that Gaby has created with her avid fans. Like her recipes, Gaby is plucky, fun and practical....
Jul 25, 2018•57 min•Ep. 65
In 2017, after five years of running Take Root, an impossible-to-get-into 12 seat, Michelin-starred tasting menu only restaurant in Brooklyn, Elise Kornack and her wife Anna Hieronimous closed their doors and moved to 2 hours north to regroup, reconnect, get re-inspired and start again. Host Dana Cowin catches up with Kornack as she is on the verge of announcing her next project. Listen in to hear how this quintessentially original chef assesses the benefits and sacrifices of leaving NYC; how sh...
Jul 18, 2018•57 min•Ep. 64
The Editor in Chief of the restaurant website Eater , Amanda Kludt, is setting the conversation around cultural topics in food that range from the serious (removing accused sexual harrasser chefs from Eater's site) to the silly (the DOH ban on activated charcoal to color food insta-black). Listen in to hear Kludt's take on today's trends as well as stories about her rise to be one of the most prominent voices in media. Spoiler alert: it involved overcoming painful shyness and also pitching her b...
Jul 11, 2018•59 min•Ep. 63
Co-founder of MPShift, Anna Polonsky launched one of the hottest branding, concept and design studio in the hospitality industry. She and her partner Amy Morris are credited with creating the defining look of the all day cafe with NYC's Gilda and De Maria and recently completed the logo for Danny Meyer's Tacocina. Polonsky grew up in a food-focused family in Paris and got to know the OG chefs like Paul Bocuse. At the beginning of her career, she took a subversive turn by joining the team at Le F...
Jul 10, 2018•54 min•Ep. 62
For Merritt Carey, the general manager of Luke's Lobster in Tenants Harbor, Maine, life-changing ideas just pop into her head. Like the time she was out jogging and realized she wanted to quit her job in publishing and become a sailor. Perhaps the more extraordinary thing is that she follows even her most outlandish instincts, which has lead to a fascinating life that includes being part of the first all-female crew competing on an America's Cup boat. On this episode of Speaking Broadly , Carey ...
Jun 25, 2018•58 min•Ep. 61
As a Brooklyn mother of two boys, a non-practicing lawyer and a reformed actor, Jessie Sheehan at age 38 offered herself up as an intern at Baked, a neighborhood bakery. A short time after being put to work bagging granola, she found her bliss among the rainbow sprinkles. "This," she thought, "feels like home." Thus began her third career baking, recipe testing and development. Sheehan now creates her own spectacular desserts, many of which are featured in her latest book, "The Vintage Baker". L...
Jun 25, 2018•49 min•Ep. 60
California-born Nancy Singleton Hachisu went to Japan in 1988 in search of sushi and stayed for love. Over these past three decases she's become an expert in the cuisine of her adopted homeland. For her latest book, Japan: The Cookbook , Hachisu spent years cultivating relationships with those who understood the traditions of Japanese cooking, from nuns to grandmothers. Listen in to this episode of Speaking Broadly to hear entertaining stories about cross-cultural understanding, food, starting o...
Jun 14, 2018•57 min•Ep. 59
Angela Dimayuga's style is entirely original, boundary-busting and holistic. Dimayuga, now Creative Director of Food & Culture at The Standard Hotels, is best known as the Executive Chef of Mission Chinese Food in NYC, but her true calling is that of tastemaker, community builder, artistic collaborator, and queer advocate. On this episode of Speaking Broadly , host Dana Cowin discovers how the second youngest child of six siblings born to immigrant parents in San Jose, California, became one...
May 30, 2018•58 min•Ep. 58
There are similarities between being a Research Associate focused on genetically-engineered yeast and being the Executive Director of a food media non profit. That's what host Dana Cowin discovered as she interviewed Caity Moseman Wadler of Heritage Radio Network, who has held both positions. On this episode of Speaking Broadly , Wadler explains that tenacity, search for workable solutions, acceptance of failure and appreciation of small victories are applicable no matter the field. Listen in as...
May 23, 2018•49 min•Ep. 57
Chef Adrienne Cheatham has worked behind the scenes at stellar restaurants including Manhattan's temple of haute cuisine Le Bernardin and Harlem's rockin' Red Rooster. After getting to the finale on Top Chef , she's come out from the kitchen to share her voice and her nuanced, evolved vision of Southern food at her pop-up, Sunday Best. Listen to this week's episode of Speaking Broadly to hear host Dana Cowin quiz Cheatham about her Mississippi roots, inspiration board and more. Speaking Broadly ...
May 16, 2018•54 min•Ep. 56
Veronica Garza, a sixth generation Texan, grew up as the middle child in a large, close-knit Mexican-American family. So when Veronica was dealing with the effects of a debilitating trio of autoimmune diseases, her four siblings and both parents joined her on a journey to wellness. They all changed their diets, and shared joyous grain-free meals. The only thing that was missed were tortillas! A lettuce wrapping just didn't cut it at Mexican feasts. Veronica experimented until she created her now...
Apr 25, 2018•47 min•Ep. 55
After years of being a renowned culinary expert, Eugenia Bone threw herself into the intense world of microbial science to write her latest book, Microbia: A Journey into the Unseen World Around You . She went back to college at age 55, and embraced the challenge of being an old student with unfamiliar material. It was, she said, a profound lesson in humility. On this episode of Speaking Broadly , Bone shares how rewarding her journey has been as she struggled to learn the role of these invisibl...
Apr 25, 2018•52 min•Ep. 54
In a moment when there's lots of conversation about diversity, food activist Ashtin Berry is committed to helping define a language to understand equity in hospitality and sharing how to take that next step into action. On this episode of Speaking Broadly , Berry reflects on how she pushed past her anger to find her own voice in order to fight the inequity and injustice she saw around her in the hospitality industry. Listen in to be moved and motivated to be a part of the change. Speaking Broadl...
Apr 09, 2018•57 min•Ep. 53
