Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Ed Levine•www.thespecialsaucepodcast.com

Serious Eats' podcast Special Sauce enables food lovers everywhere to eavesdrop on an intimate conversation about food and life between host and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine and his well-known/famous friends and acquaintances both in and out of the food culture.

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Episodes

An International Pizza Consultant Explains All

Is being an international pizza consultant the world's best job? Anthony Falco explains all. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

May 09, 2025•42 min

Why Chili's and Red Lobster Matter

This episode of Special Sauce explores the surprisingly vital role that casual dining chains like Chili's and Red Lobster play in American culture. The discussion covers the history of casual dining, its importance as a "third place" for social gatherings, and the economic factors influencing its rise and potential decline. Guests Meghan McCarron and Adam Chandler delve into the appeal of these chains, their impact on class mixing, and the future of communal dining in an increasingly fast-casual world.

May 02, 2025•39 min

Lalo Garcia Redux

On this episode of Special Sauce, we revisit our extraordinary conversation with the great Mexico City-based chef Lalo Garcia and the journalist Laura Tillman, who chronicled his extraordinary journey from undocumented migrant farm worker to world-famous chef. Given everything that's happening right now in the world of immigration, we thought this episode might resonate anew. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Apr 25, 2025•39 min

Karen Washington Redux

On this episode of Special Sauce we revisit our provocative conversation with the food activist, farmer, and force of nature Karen Washington, one of the stars of the terrific documentary 'Food and Country'. In times like these, when many of our cherished institutions are coming under attack, we need more voices like hers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Apr 18, 2025•43 min

The Future of Farming with Will Harris

On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to White Oak Pastures' Will Harris about nothing less than the future of farming. Harris has become one of the leading voices of the regenerative farming movement. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Apr 11, 2025•41 min

Asheville After the Flood with Pete Wells

Last September Asheville, North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene. The damage is estimated to be $60 billion. Especially hard hit was the close-knit food community that has attracted millions of visitors to Asheville every year. The New York Times's Pete Wells did some stellar reporting last fall when he spent a few days interviewing chefs and farmers in the picturesque western Carolina city. Now, six months down the road, Special Sauce checked in with Pete and James Beard Award-winnin...

Apr 04, 2025•39 min

Bob Jones of The Chef’s Garden on Farming's Future

When the documentary Food and Country came out last year, we had Ruth Reichl on Special Sauce to talk about the film as a whole and the farmers that are actually the stars and heroes of the movie. One of those farmers is Bob Jones, CEO of The Chef's Garden in Ohio. Given the various extraordinary challenges farmers are set to face in the coming years, we thought it would be great to have Bob on the podcast to tell us his story and to tell us what the future might hold for all farmers. Learn abou...

Mar 28, 2025•39 min

Remembering New Orleans' Pableaux Johnson

The great street photographer, red beans and rice cook, and New Orleans food community organizer Pableaux Johnson died recently while doing what he was put on this earth to do: taking pictures of a second line parade. Here to talk about Pableaux Johnson and what he meant to the hundreds of people who called him a friend and the thousands of people who admired his work are my old friend New York Times food writer, Brett Anderson, and television and food writer, my good pal, Lolis Eric Elie. Learn...

Mar 21, 2025•36 min

Is the L.A. Smorgasburg the best street food festival in America?

Is the L.A. Smorgasburg the best street food festival in America? We talk to the two people most responsible for it, Zach Brooks and Fernando Lopez. Zach has the dream job of tasting all the food and choosing the vendors; and Fernando runs the beer garden at Smorgasburg in Los Angeles and also helps run his family's famous James Beard Award-winning Oaxacan restaurant Gualaguetza. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Mar 14, 2025•40 min

Laurie Woolever on Bourdain, Batali, and Herself

Today on Special Sauce we welcome back writer and former assistant to both Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever. Laurie has just published 'Care and Feeding', a candid, funny, and often devastating memoir about her adventures and misadventures making her way through the food world while navigating addiction, motherhood, a cultural reckoning, and an unexpected tragedy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Mar 07, 2025•39 min

Remembering the Pizza OG Patsy Grimaldi

With the passing of legendary pizzaiolo Patsy Grimaldi, the pizza world has lost one of its true giants. I discuss his legacy with Scott's Pizza Tours founder and pizza scholar Scott Wiener, and another great pizzaiolo, Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri on this episode of Special Sauce. For more on the show, visit thespecialsaucepodcast.com . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Feb 28, 2025•38 min

Food in the Aftermath of the L.A. Fires

On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Adddison and Jenn Harris about the calamitous effect of the recent devastating fires on the L.A. food community. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Feb 21, 2025•39 min

Adam Chandler on Work in America

On this episode of Special Sauce, Adam Chandler talks about his new book '99% Perspiration' which explores the history of work in America. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Feb 14, 2025•38 min

'Reheating' Hot Chocolate With Jacques Torres

On this episode of Special Sauce we revisit our chocolate-centric conversation with Mr. Chocolate himself Jacques Torres just in time for Valentine's Day. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Feb 07, 2025•24 min

Kenji on Super Bowl Food

The Super Bowl is coming up, so for Super Bowl party food advice who better to turn to than Kenji. The man loves chicken wings and pizza and he gives us some sage advice about making them at home. But he does not love football. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jan 31, 2025•31 min

Robert Lang On Becoming A Vintner in Italy

After falling in love with Italy, my good friend engineer and serial entrepreneur Bob Lang and his wife, environmental writer Alice Outwater, decided to buy a three acre vineyard called La Collina Delle Amici (The Hill of Friends) in Piedmont in 2021. How's it going for them so far? Well, we're going to find out in this week's episode of Special Sauce. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jan 24, 2025•30 min

Karen Washington, Food Warrior

On this episode of Special Sauce, grassroots food activist and farmer Karen Washington joins us to spread her message of food justice, the concept that healthy, nutritious food is a human right. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jan 17, 2025•43 min

Scott Wiener on the New York Pizza Slice

On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into the definition, history, and evolution of the New York pizza slice with Scott's Pizza Tours founder Scott Wiener. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jan 10, 2025•41 min

Raghavan Iyer: The Tribute Reheat

On this episode of Special Sauce we pay tribute to the great author, chef and cooking teacher Raghavan Iyer. He introduced much of America to the joys of cooking and eating Indian food. We talked to Raghavan last in March of 2023 about his life, his work, and the last book he ever wrote, "On The Curry Trail". Raghavan talked openly and movingly about his terminal Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and the work he was doing on healing comfort food. His voice occasionally wavered -- you could hear the pain ...

Jan 03, 2025•45 min

Michelle Zauner and Kenji, Reheated

With the new year fast approaching we thought we would help bring it in by re-releasing -- or should I say reheating -- one of our favorite 'Special Sauce' episodes of all time. It features both my extraordinary conversation with Michelle Zauner and a great talk about the relationship between food and music with Kenji. Michelle is the founder and lead singer of the great indie rock band Japanese Breakfast. And her NYT best-selling memoirist is titled 'Crying in H Mart'. Learn about your ad choic...

Dec 27, 2024•46 min

Roy Shvartzapel

On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will meet Roy Shvartzapel, who makes transcendent panettone at his LA online bakery From Roy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dec 21, 2024•35 min

Erin McDowell On Holiday Cookies

With the holiday season in full swing, this serious eater's attention turns to eating and baking cookies. And who better to shoot the breeze with on this rich topic than author and baker Erin Jeanne McDowell, who has been called the fairy godmother of baking. She's got some tricks for us. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dec 13, 2024•30 min

Eric Asimov Part 2

As we go about planning our upcoming holiday feasts, it's a pretty good bet that at some point we're going to pick up a bottle of wine or two to share with family and friends. That's why I'm returning to my conversation with someone who's been a guiding light for wine connoisseurs and beginners alike, Eric Asimov, the wine critic for The New York Times. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dec 07, 2024•27 min

Kenji and Deb Thanksgiving Leftovers Reheat

Thanksgiving leftovers can sometimes be a freighted topic for serious eaters. Last year, trying to quell my own Thanksgiving leftovers anxiety and confusion, I had Deb Perelman and J. Kenji Lopez Alt, longtime friends and co-hosts of their own podcast The Recipe, on Special Sauce. We covered a lot of ground in our discussion, everything from the joys of eating leftover cold pie for breakfast to the wisdom of waffling your leftover stuffing. We had so much fun that I decided it was worth reheatin...

Nov 29, 2024•19 min

Erin McDowell On Pie

Thanksgiving and the holiday season are upon us and that means this serious eater's thoughts turn to pie! And so I thought I would perform a public service by inviting perhaps our greatest pie baking teacher, Erin Jeanne McDowell from the YouTube series 'Happy Baking', to come on Special Sauce and talk about all things pie. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nov 22, 2024•32 min

Deb Perelman

If you're like me, you're probably already worrying about holiday dinners and parties that you might have to bring stuff to. And at least some of us might be a little punchy at the thought of cooking or baking for friends. So to the rescue comes friend of Special Sauce, Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nov 15, 2024•30 min

Eric Asimov: The NYT wine writer's democratic approach to his subject.

On this episode of Special Sauce The New York Times's wine writer Eric Asimov shares his democratic and unsnobby approach to both food and wine, which invites newcomers and longtime enthusiasts to explore their own wine experiences. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nov 08, 2024•28 min

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