The life of Tahiirah Habibi is the journey from the deadly streets of North Philly to homecoming queen AND president at Penn State to sommelier in Miami to founder of the Hue Society in Atlanta, a curated community that serves as a lifestyle hub to all things Black wine culture. A tribute to her smarts, magnetism, intuition and excellence, Tahiirah has created a space for her community, no assimilation necessary. Listen in to hear all she learned along the way. Image courtesy of Andrew Thomas Le...
Nov 23, 2020•47 min•Ep. 141
Star chef Nancy Silverton of Los Angeles's Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza and Chi Spacca overcame her fears about baking to become one the greatest pastry chefs in the world. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Silverton describes how obsession born of fear can be motivating: "I figured out how to make what I think is the perfect chocolate chip cookie, therefore, I decided I'd learn how to make the perfect baguette. That was really very stupid thinking, I'll let you know. In any case, I became o...
Oct 28, 2020•44 min•Ep. 140
Ellen Yin of Philadelphia's Fork , is one of America's best-loved restaurateurs who is a gifted and giving mentor, partner and boss. Listen in to hear how she has navigated the closing and moving of one of her restaurants during COVID, her relationship with the talented chef-partner who was injured in a life-changing accident, as well as the challenges and opportunities of running a business for the last two decades. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more c...
Oct 14, 2020•35 min•Ep. 139
Lisa Marie Donovan struggled against poverty, sexism, insecurity, family history to achieve success on her own terms and to tell her story in the recently published book, Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger . Listen in to hear how she went from single mom to world famous baker to published first time author. Most rewarding of all, perhaps, learn about Lisa's supernova of female friendships, a model for community, love, and support. Photo Courtesy of Eric England Want to stay up to date on the latest Sp...
Sep 20, 2020•54 min•Ep. 138
Carolina Saavedra is a chef, activist and educator who works both at Stone Barns Center in Westchester and at La Morada, her family's restaurant in the South Bronx. Every day she addresses interconnected issues that affect her underresourced community, including food apartheid, immigration reform, police brutality. Her voice is strong and filled with love, anger, hope and commitment as she talks about a life of service through feeding others. Listen in to hear her compelling story of learning fr...
Aug 17, 2020•39 min•Ep. 137
Is failure the best teacher? In this episode of Speaking Broadly, writer and Director of Finance at Sea Creatures Alex Pemoulie traces the arc of her relationship with failure. She shares her first perceived failures including dropping out of a semester abroad in Paris, cutting ties with the 'good girl' within, and staying too long with an abusive boyfriend. Pemoulie then embraces failure with ferocity while working at Momofuku with Dave Chang, who is master of the art of learning from mistakes....
Aug 02, 2020•44 min•Ep. 136
Preeti Mistry , chef-activist best known for their restaurant Juhu Beach Club , has been fighting injustice since a kid named Aaron pushed them too far in middle school—and they pushed back. As the food industry cracks under the strain of COVID and reimagines ways to confront systemic racism, Preeti offers a holistic view of the way forward. They share refreshing and realistic views on gentrification, reflections about their own role in pay inequity, thoughts on approaching intersectionality as ...
Jul 22, 2020•47 min•Ep. 135
Philadelphia Inquirer food editor Jamila Robinson learns leadership lessons from her everyday life, whether as a violinist realizing everyone needs to be "bowing in the same direction"; as a skater, remembering to stay centered to accomplish seemingly impossible feats; or as a patient, listening to her body (and ignoring her mind's get-back-to-work rhetoric) after abdominal surgery. Robinson is in tune with ideas that both bring people together and value the needs of the individual. Listen in to...
Jul 08, 2020•42 min•Ep. 134
"That love, that passion, that authenticity you have within yourself always connects with others." Those are wise words from Dominique Crenn, chef/owner of San Francisco's Atelier Crenn and author of a new book, Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters . Known as one of the greatest chefs in the world, Crenn's gift is connecting with all humanity through her poetic cooking. It is her philosophy, not technique that brought her to the top. And it's a philosophy that's necessary at this moment of disc...
Jun 23, 2020•50 min•Ep. 133
In a special double interview, listeners will hear how teenage dreams become a reality at Food & Finance High School , the only 4-year public high school culinary program in NYC. Executive Director of the non-profit Food Education Fund that supports culinary-focused high school programs, Eliza Loehr, shares stories of internships, externships and networking opportunities, in addition to discussing the implications of systematic racism on educational institutions. And star student Gabby Womac...
Jun 11, 2020•48 min•Ep. 132
In these so-called "unprecedented times," historian Megan Elias explains that there is in fact no such thing. Everything has a precedent. In this wide-ranging interview Elias, the Director of the Gastronomy Program at Boston University , looks at parallels between today's food voices, meat shortages, community cookbooks and past disruptions. Will the experience of COVID-19 change us? History—and Megan Elias—will tell us. Listen in for a glimpse at the future through the past. Want to stay up to ...
May 26, 2020•46 min•Ep. 131
Photographer-philanthropist Melanie Dunea has produced some of the most iconic images of chefs in America and is always pushing herself into new territory both in images and in work. During the COVID pandemic, she launched Treats Help to bring a moment of joy in the form of sweets to exhausted hospital workers. Her enterprising spirit and relentless drive have helped her cold-call for a range of potential jobs, photo subjects and assignments. On episode 130, Dunea explains what it takes to be a ...
May 13, 2020•46 min•Ep. 130
Rozanne Gold is likely best known for cooking for her series of books that taught us how to cook with 3 ingredients—ideal in the time of COVID19. But what might be even more powerful now, is her current work: acting as an end of life doula and writing poetry. As we deal with an unprecedented disruption from a global pandemic, eternal questions about the meaning of life and death come into focus. Listen to epi 129 to hear from a person whose humility and humanity serve as inspiration in troubled ...
Apr 29, 2020•51 min•Ep. 129
Claudette Zepeda is a Mexican and American star chef who's lived at the border of two countries, two food traditions, two ways of life. Instead of creating a bridge between all of her experiences, Zepeda created a parachute. Jumping into new situations, packing up what she learned, and bringing them along on her adventures. She was a mother at 18, which helped her become a great leader and listener in the kitchen. She worked in Italian and French restaurants, and uses those techniques in her coo...
Apr 16, 2020•50 min•Ep. 128
One of the best-respected food stylists in the country, Susan Spungen doles out advice for gorgeous meals to make from your freezer, pantry, farmers' market and more on episode 127 of Speaking Broadly. Author of the recently published Open Kitchen, Spungen also describes her approach to her career: "When you're driving, you can see the road ahead of you for a little bit, and then you can't really see it anymore. Well, I never really tried having a five year plan, but I just tried to see that bit...
Apr 02, 2020•41 min•Ep. 127
Pretty pressed flowers in shortbread cookies launched the career of Loria Stern . On this week's episode, host Dana Cowin discovers why Stern's early life as a tennis champion translates into her success as a baking entrepreneur. Plus, learn about the perks of cooking with everything from weeds to daisies, and the many medicinal benefits nature has to offer. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her fierce guests, subscrib...
Mar 04, 2020•40 min•Ep. 126
The intersecting ideas in feminism, food and fashion are underscored in this fascinating conversation between Dean of The School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons, The New School, Rhonda Garelick , and Speaking Broadly host, Dana Cowin. Up for discussion: why women are dressed in bows like candy ready to be unwrapped, why eating salad with a comb can be a powerful feminist statement, and why luxury equals leisure. Plus: Rhonda shares what she learned about gastronomic societal prej...
Feb 13, 2020•44 min•Ep. 125
How safe is our food? On this episode of Speaking Broadly, host Dana Cowin talks to one of the foremost investigative reporters of food crimes in America, Christine Haughney . For six months as a Boston Globe Spotlight Fellow, she researched a deadly e coli outbreak in leafy greens, embedded with an affected family, and published her alarming findings. Christine shares what she learned about the food system through her reporting, including her pieces for Rotten , the show she created, now on Net...
Feb 03, 2020•42 min•Ep. 124
She launched H.A.P.P.Y. , a non-profit teaching kids about food and nutrition when she was just 12 years old, and now, 7 years later, Haile Thomas is a voice for her generation and beyond, exhorting her fans to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. Magnetic, generous, kind, funny, Haile is an old soul who speaks in memes and motivations, travels the world sharing her message, and is on a mission. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Thomas talks about the responsibilities we all share to heal t...
Jan 24, 2020•46 min•Ep. 123
Teacher, scholar, cook, author, historian, traveler, curator, lecturer, Dr. Jessica B. Harris is an expert on everything from the foods of the African diaspora to the history of enslavement. On this episode, Harris explains the importance of the "table" for “commensality” and shares stories from a life of extraordinary meals, encounters, voyages, and friendships. Listen in as she schools host Dana Cowin on the dishes that serve as the thrumming heartbeat of American cuisine, and on the people wh...
Dec 28, 2019•43 min•Ep. 122
What happens when two food industry people meet, fall in love over Michelin starred meals, then come back to earth, launch separate, ambitious restaurant businesses and get married? Listen in to hear Jen Pelka of The Riddler and Charles Bililies of Souvla discuss their romance, finances, egos and opportunities. Plus, learn why Bililies calls BS on being excluded from certain women-only events. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana C...
Dec 18, 2019•44 min•Ep. 121
In light of the onslaught of articles calling for cutting back on meat consumption, host Dana Cowin talks to one of the country's pre-eminent butchers, Philadelphia-based Heather Thomason of Primal Supply Meats about her chosen career. Thomason describes her transition from dancer to designer and finally to butcher in a way that makes this windy path seem inevitable. She also explains the importance of rotational grazing, and how this approach to farming can, in fact, improve the land rather tha...
Dec 08, 2019•47 min•Ep. 120
The exquisite variety of pasta today is because of the ingenuity of women in Italy who experimented with semolina and water every day, according to Evan Funke , renowned chef-owner of Felix and author of “ American Sfoglino ”. Listen in to hear how this master learned from a meastra in Bologna and found his life’s work rolling dough and preserving centuries of tradition. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her fierce gue...
Nov 24, 2019•36 min•Ep. 119
What is it like to be one of the most beloved pastry chefs in America, to step away from the spotlight to prioritize your new husband's dream of opening a seaside table and inn, and to have that dream unexpectedly and devastatingly shattered? In this episode, host Dana Cowin speaks to Claudia Fleming about her life since leaving Gramercy Tavern, the reissue of her landmark book, " The Last Course ", and her reinvigorated perspective on life and travel. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speak...
Nov 15, 2019•43 min•Ep. 118
Mega stars Dave Chang , Rene Redzepi and Richard Hart all rely on her expertise in making dream bespoke tea blends. But more remarkable than her clients are “Tea Lady” Henrietta Lovell's adventures visiting plantations from Fujian to Malawi. Listen in to hear about how Lovell's father's death led her to life-affirming work sourcing tea directly from sustainable growers around the world. And also about her excellent new book, Infused. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episode...
Nov 06, 2019•46 min•Ep. 117
Honest, direct, real. Clay Williams and Colleen Vincent of Black Food Folks sit down with Speaking Broadly host Dana Cowin to talk about their collaboration with each other and their powerful relationship with the large, varied and prospering black food community. Tune in to hear their vision for how to change media and embrace the deep and diverse stories of the African diaspora. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her ...
Oct 27, 2019•44 min•Ep. 116
At the moment of "peak Israeli food" in America, host Dana Cowin interviews one of the great American-born experts on the topic, Adeena Sussman . Sussman's just published cookbook includes delicious recipes inspired by the market of beachy, laid-back Tel Aviv. This book is Sussman's 12th and it’s the first one on her own, after co-authoring books with Chrissy Teigen and more. Listen in for a little gossip and a lot of insight into the making of a cookbook author and culinary authority. Want to s...
Oct 20, 2019•44 min•Ep. 115
The elders had questions, the community was not entirely supportive, yet Native American winemaker Tara Gomez persisted. When her Santa Ynes Band of Chumash tribe bought land that included a parcel with a vineyard, Tara created Kita Wines . Listen in to episode #114 and hear about Tara's struggles with learning disabilities and distrust, as well as her love of Europe and its winemaking techniques. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Da...
Oct 11, 2019•31 min•Ep. 114
With mentorship, the impossible miraculously become possible. Nice to say, but what does that really look like? On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Louisville chef Edward Lee talks about his employment empowerment project, The Lee Initiative. And award recipient, Emie Dunagan describes how the program facilitated her transformation from a socially-awkward wunderkind Southern baker to a confident pastry chef. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversat...
Oct 03, 2019•35 min•Ep. 113
For winemaker Carla Rza Betts , there's a pattern and a path to personal and professional change. It's uncomfortable and it's effective. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Rza Betts describes the power of building "escape velocity,"—the energy that catapults you into the unknown—the hard parts of coming down from that crazy boost, as well as how she opened up her "brain box" to contemplate possibilities she'd never considered before. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episo...
Sep 25, 2019•37 min•Ep. 112
