Dave and Chris examine the systems and criteria we use to decide who we think is going to be a winner, whether that is in sports, business, music, or beauty pageants, and why they're such terrible predictors of success. Then, they invite Matt Higgins, venture capitalist and executive fellow at Harvard Business School, to ask about what he looks for to predict success, hear about his incredible life story, and talk about his new book, ‘Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full P...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 15 min
After a drop-in visit from the Podfather, who then proceeds to rejoice in the pleasures of populist food and culture, Dave and Chris speak with Tyler Huggins—CEO and cofounder of Meati Foods. He brings his unique point of view on environmentalism and sustainable food systems to address the problem of a potential global protein shortage with Meati: a meat alternative made out of mycelium. Other topics include ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (again), backcountry splitboarding, and what to do with a year’s wor...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 43 min
After an illuminating game in which Dave asks Chris to guess which 2023 food trend listicle was written by ChatGPT vs. a real person, they debate the relevancy of food writing in a world ruled by social media and where food media will go from here. Other topics include the diet changes that aging brings, being the Tom Brady of eating, and how to update the James Beard Foundation Awards for our times. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler Learn ...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Chris and Dave have enlisted their good friends Euno Lee and Chris Bianco to trade in the cultural stock market. Euno pitches food trends that he predicts will hit the market in 2023, including high-end mortadella, experiential dining in theme parks, fried chicken skins, A5 Wagyu, and mushroom coffee, to Dave, Chris Ying, and Chris Bianco. They then have two minutes to justify why they are buying or selling the trend. Other topics include Arby’s, Musso & Frank Grill, and how to introduce your ki...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 47 min
Chris and Dave dive into the Discord to answer your burning questions, such as what to do with old cooking oil, what’s the best kind of vegetable peeler, mayo vs. butter on grilled cheese, and how to learn knife skills at home. Other topics include the proper way to brunoise a shallot, the 'Avatar' sequel, 'Top Gun: Maverick' vs. 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' culinary catfishing, kitchen shears, and Dave’s top five favorite citrus fruits. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha ...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Dave and Chris feel their age with a conversation about morning pills, how they will approach hair loss and graying when it comes for them, and the new celebrity chefs that are taking over the food world, from Mr. Beast to Keith Lee. Then, Noelle joins them to talk about the art of waiting in line and how to act when forced to wait unnecessarily, as well as ugly vitamin packs, and the new Sierra Mist reboot Starry. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Guest: Noelle Cornelio Producers: Sasha Ashall, ...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 40 min
Dave and Chris explore Dave’s thoughts from his time in a homemade sensory-deprivation chamber (a New York apartment with blackout blinds), including why stars are the ratings system of choice, Vlad the Impaler, and ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’ on Netflix. Then, they theorize about how gambling and betting could change the world of food, from the James Beard Awards to futures betting in restaurants. Other topics include Pokémon supremacy, the pure joy of Mario Bros., the best sauce...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Dave and Chris discuss the outsized response to Dave’s comments about Costco rotisserie chicken and how clickbait media distorts our views. Then, they go over everything Dave ate in Boston, including comparative oyster studies and the age-old debate of lobster versus crab. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha Ashall, Cory McConnell, Richie Bozek, and Gabi Marler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Dave and Chris are first joined by environmental wastewater treatment expert Marylee Santoro to discuss how sewage systems work and what can go wrong. Then, they talk about the recent wave of laws banning gas lines in new buildings, and the benefits and drawbacks of induction cooking, before ranking the best eating cities in the U.S. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Guest: Marylee Santoro Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 36 min
As Dave and Chris begin by predicting which U.S. cities will house the next generation of restaurants, they engage in a game of buying or selling pieces of culture. Other topics include an hour-long argument with Ivan Orkin over $50,000 meals, Dave’s betrayal at the hands of tinned fish, and the endless headache of restaurant plumbing. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha Ashall and Gabi Marler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Dave and Chris dive into the rich and complex topic of food as art and chefs as artists. As they continue their speculation about how the restaurant industry will change to meet this moment, they ask the question of why food experiences are treated differently from other forms of art. It wouldn’t be crazy to spend $60,000 on a painting, so why isn’t there a food experience at that price point and why are people stubbornly against it? Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aley...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 37 min
Dave and Chris buckle in for an odyssey across southern California, from the potentially drug-addled haze of Joshua Tree to the deal-induced fervor of Costco. Other topics of conversation include Domino's Pizza, food health and safety standards, the opening of Torrisi in New York City, and whether it’s okay to like tikka masala. Then, they discuss the differences between commercial truffle products and the real thing and how truffle has become more of a status symbol than a delicious thing to ea...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 50 min
Dave Chang shares his New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year, then Dave and Chris swap stories about their holiday celebrations. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Producers: Sasha Ashall and Noelle Cornelio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr
In Part 2 of our epic year-end MOIF, Dave, Chris, and Noelle reveal, at long last, their favorite meals of 2022—and then attempt to understand how diners and critics might reshape the conversation around the most celebrated restaurants in the world. Also: where Dave ate the most this year, the Keens-MSG combo, a Korean quadrinity, Noelle's Philadelphia picks, Cantonese pork belly, New York sushi, European BBQ, spooning with Dave, and the gang's New Year's resolutions. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris...
Dec 26, 2022•54 min
In Part 1 of a holiday-straddling year-end double episode, Dave, Chris, and Noelle review a few cultural and personal high points of our latest spin around the sun—and then leap ahead to read the tea leaves on the culinary trends of 2023. Tune in next week for their favorite meals of the year, but first, in Part 1: ugly Ewok sweaters, holiday canapés, killing your palate to make it stronger, the incredible length of 2022, Dave's top song on Spotify, predicting Noelle's response to Avatar 2, spri...
Dec 22, 2022•51 min
Fill up your eggnog cup and start peeling those roasted chestnuts, because it’s time for a guide to Christmas, the Dave Chang way: what to eat, what to avoid, and how to maneuver your way around hungry guests, restless kids, and the inner desire to spend several days prepping a duck. Assembled around the auditory Yule log: Rutger Hauer, hummus forecasting, Faviken tobacco, alternative GORP recipes, Inka Corn, how Keith Ying eats dumplings, Christmas cookies vs. gingerbread houses, huaraches that...
Dec 19, 2022•58 min
According to OpenAI’s ChatGPT program: “In this episode of the ‘Dave Chang Show,’ Dave and Chris recount their recent trip to Disneyland and share their experiences navigating the park while trying to eat turkey legs without making a mess. They also discuss the potential for AI to revolutionize the way we think about food and the culinary industry, and touch on the classic film ‘Demolition Man’ and its predictions for the future of dining. Finally, Dave and Chris talk about recent breakthroughs ...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Wedged between a week of on-set cooking and the next wave of holiday meals, Dave, Chris, and Noelle reflect on reindeer snacks, chuck-roast frontiers, and the large-format meals for which the season provides a reason. Plus: Croatia vs. Brazil, geopolitical penalty kicks, Andrew Luck, Olivia Rodrigo, armchair therapist Chris Ying, home cooking vs. pro cooking, shioyaki fish, Yorkshire pudding, hot pot vs. fondue, anti-elf sentiment, dealing with a Christmas tree in NYC, FaceTiming Santa, the Feas...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic, beloved 'Dave Chang Show' guest, and 'Art Is Life' author Jerry Saltz returns to the show to survey the state of art and food in 2022, and to deliver a bracing dose of motivation to Dave, Chris, and anyone else out there embarking on a potentially terrifying creative endeavor. Also: ancient DNA, private psyches, Chris Ofili, Laurie Anderson, zombie formalism, the end of linear time, dirty shamans, Jasper Johns, caveman cooking, F. Murray Abraham, Ai Weiwei, "Th...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 32 min
With the holiday-cooking hurricane behind them—for now!—Dave and Chris take stock of how they weathered the storm. Appraised in the post-mortem: Dave’s pie-making grade, how to make a turkey drink water, quadruple-decker puff pastry, bear-fat apple pie, the Josh Skenes potluck shock wave, 'Scarface'-ing the kitchen, forgetting your homemade feuilletine, guest list–cut day, Shandong chicken, Norman Rockwell meets Mama Chang, pancake revelations, and the excruciating beauty of brutal food honesty....
Dec 05, 2022•57 min
Dave and Chris welcome back their old friend René Redzepi, chef at the ever-adventurous and likely epoch-defining Noma, to catch up after three years apart and discuss the just-released 'Noma 2.0: Vegetable, Forest, Ocean.' Plus: the limitations of success, the fermentation pigeonhole, fear in Europe, what happens when your restaurant’s energy costs go up 700 percent, a rink on the brink, the book you want vs. the book they want, Redzepi’s first restaurant job, an epiphanic pineapple, cooking wi...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 6 min
While other podcasts take a holiday, Dave Chang delivers a last-minute motivational episode covering everything the home cook needs to remember in the hours ahead—and then recruits Chris for the return of a classic 'Dave Chang Show' debate: how to navigate the extensive temptations of an L.A -area Chinese-restaurant menu. Plus: the state of the supermarkets, putting on the eye paint, teaching your children to swear, potluck dream teams, asking your guests to bring the turkey, buying the worst po...
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 5 min
With the holiday just days away, Dave takes stock of his culinary game plan, and of the potential perils that still lie ahead—and then jumps into a gravy-soaked MOIF with Noelle and Chris. Included in the table-buckling spread: the full Dave Chang Thanksgiving Menu lineup, emptying the fridge by any means necessary, the six essential starches, za’atar-dusted kabocha with labneh, breaking down squash with a band saw, 'Dances With Wolves,' how Dave makes gravy, beurre noisette, the Big Aristotle, ...
Nov 21, 2022•50 min
Dave and Chris sit down with author and critic Hua Hsu to talk through his new book, 'Stay True'—a searing memoir of friendship disrupted by sudden tragedy, and (for Dave) an almost unsettlingly relatable portrait of 1990s life. Also: vocal aromas, circular breathing, feeling like the stuff you like is better than everything else, defining yourself through arcana, going on the internet for the first time, Berry Gordy’s 'The Last Dragon,' East Coast Asian friction, distributed Chinatowns, raw mar...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 19 min
At T-minus ten days, Dave breaks down a few of his favorite Thanksgiving strategies—from turkey prep, to fridge logistics, to the exciting but unfairly neglected world of bonus proteins. With hard lessons drawn from both home kitchens and high-end ones, this is one to listen to as you build out your own battle plan—or as you sit back and feel thankful that you're going out to eat this year instead. Plus: Gus Chang's daily routine, sumo-wrestler stew, Dave's lost Budweiser commercial, styrofoam p...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min
With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, the latest delirious #AskDave turns toward a bevy of holiday-navigation questions—while also considering Squid Game (Chris Ying Edition), the on-set artist-trailer lifestyle, a stuffing recipe to unite America, fish sauce and palm sugar, picture-book protagonist permanence, Michael Keaton, getting blocked on the Powerball app, the C+ scholarship, choosing between remodeling your kitchen and burning your house down, the Wittgenstein gambit, Thanksgiving in A...
Nov 10, 2022•58 min
In our second State of the Studio episode, Dave and Chris sit down with their MDM partner Dave “DOC” O’Connor to size up food TV from both sides of the screen—what it’s like to make it, and what’s missing by the time someone tunes in to watch it. Then, before a lightning-round of Ask Dave (but double-the-Dave), they break down the new kind of programming Dave C. wants to bring to the medium. Plus, stay tuned for: Taxicab Confessions, pitching YouTube with Tony Bourdain, HBO nondisclosure agreeme...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The quartet behind 'Black Power Kitchen', the first book from Ghetto Gastro, sit down in the studio with Dave and Chris to discuss the long road from the Bronx, and the power of breaking bread. Also: Dave’s lost cookbook collection, Clive Cussler, Thomas Kinkade, comic-con for food nerds, the pan-African pantry, takoyaki and conch fritters, chili-lime liberation, Chino-Latino cuisine, the corn pancakes at Rosetta, St. Lucia saltfish, Jamaican curry, and Hailey Bieber sea-moss smoothies. Hosts: D...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 8 min
He’s been right (and wrong!) many times before, and now Dave’s stepping up to the crystal ball once again. What sort of strategies, service styles, and so-stupid-they’re-smart concepts will restaurants reinvent themselves around in the years to come? Tune in for the blizzard of predictions, and consider stealing an idea or two to make the prophecy come true. Discussed along the way: invite-only restaurants, the end of food photography, Dave’s Korean-BBQ buffet, the point-forward model, convergen...
Oct 31, 2022•53 min
Dave calls up Will Guidara, the front-of-house half of the partnership that took Eleven Madison Park to the top of the hospitality stratosphere, to talk about Will’s new book (‘Unreasonable Hospitality’), how he reshaped EMP, and what the next generation of cutting-edge restaurants might look like. Also: coffee that tastes like soup, instant-ramen ratios, oomori servings, the fruit-medley gambit, macaroni ephemerality, waiting for grunge in the disco age, Jasper Johns, Danny Meyer, Bill Belichic...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 6 min
