This week, we’ve got suggestions to start your summer reading list. First, we sit down with bestselling author and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil to talk about her upbringing and the nature of her poetry. She writes about her parent’s gardens and their food, and how she carries her childhood experiences with her today. Her latest book is Bite By Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees. Then, we learn about the life and legacy of the iconic book editor Judith Jones through her biographer Sara B. Franklin. S...
May 02, 2025•50 min
This week, we’re bringing you two guests that will get you excited about cooking and baking. First, New York Times food desk reporter Priya Krishna tells us about her food writing career, building connections through her stories and travels and her most recent book, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures: A Cookbook for Kids. In her book, she draws recipes from different cuisines worldwide and tells us what working with kids as recipe testers was like. She leaves us with a recipe for Life Changing Udon . Th...
Apr 25, 2025•50 min
This week, we’re shining a light on the absolutely magical, life-changing, the world-changing thing that you already have in your kitchen. The refrigerator. Maybe nothing in your home has changed the world more. Historian Jonathan Rees author of Refrigeration Nation: A History of Ice, Appliances, and Enterprise in America talks about its origins and influence on cultures worldwide. Then, Editor in Chief of Cooks Illustrated, Dan Souza, teaches us how to get the most out of the fridge we already ...
Apr 18, 2025•50 min
We're back on the road to celebrate our 30th Anniversary! This week, we’re headed to Los Angeles, in partnership with LAist , to talk about the world-influencing food scene in LA and the community that brings it together. First, we dig into how LA dining influenced the country and the world with KCRW's very own Evan Kleiman, Host of Good Food , and Gab Chabrán, Associate Editor of Food and Culture at LAist . Then we talk community and the restaurants that foster those connections with ch...
Apr 11, 2025•50 min
This week, it’s the food journeys of two chefs. First, TV Star and author Carla Hall joins us to talk about her latest show, Chasing Flavor . She brings us stories about her filming and travels and the connection between people and their food. She sticks around to answer some of your cooking questions. Carla Hall hosts the MAX series, Chasing Flavor , and is the author of Carla's Soul Food: Every Day and Celebration . Then, we sat down with Atlanta chef Todd Richards to talk about the intere...
Apr 04, 2025•50 min
We are looking at food stories from different cultures this week. First, documentarian and journalist Von Diaz joins us to talk about her latest book, Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking . She writes about island cuisine from all over the world and talks about her academic field research, the connections she feels when she is on an island, and the unique dishes she cooked and tasted for her book research. She found commonality among the islands in their cooking techniques, from grilling to ...
Mar 28, 2025•50 min
This week, we’re all about the diverse and delicious foods of Ghana and Nigeria. First, Food Network Star Eric Adjepong joins us from his childhood home to talk about the connection to food when eating with his hands, the community that happens around the Ghanain table, and his take on traditional dishes like his recipe for Roasted Banana Grits with Seasoned Shrimp. Eric is the chef and owner of Elmina in Washington DC and the author of Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward W...
Mar 21, 2025•50 min
This week, we spend the hour with cooking columnist and internet sensation, Sohla El-Waylly. We talk about her connection to food and how she got her start as a pastry chef, writer, and recipe developer. She talks about her work in restaurants and her passion for teaching people how to cook. And she answers your cooking questions, from the best way to cook rabbit to her favorite ice cream flavor. Her latest book is Start Here , filled with recipes that teach techniques, as shown in her Bisteeya ...
Mar 14, 2025•50 min
This week, we dedicate the entire episode to answering your bread baking questions with two brilliant bakers and teachers, King Arthur’s very own Jessica Battilana, Staff Editor, and Martin Philip, King Arthur’s Baking Ambassador. While King Arthur has taught millions of people to bake through their school, website, and classic cookbooks. They only now have published a book devoted entirely to bread, The King Arthur Baking Company’s Big Book of Bread . Francis, Jessica, and Martin take listener ...
Mar 07, 2025•50 min
This week, we're all about the world of restaurants and flavor. First, we talked with Andrew Friedman about his career, writing about American food culture, chefs, and the restaurant scene. He talks to us about his latest project, spending time behind the swinging doors of a restaurant and how all the kitchen roles—from the butcher to the delivery drivers to the dishwasher make the dish you sit down to enjoy. His latest book is The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food . Then we...
Feb 28, 2025•50 min
We're taking the show on the road this year to celebrate our 30th Anniversary! This week, we bring you to our first stop, Indianapolis, in partnership with WFYI. We dig into the local food scene with restaurateur Martha Hoover, founder of Cafe Patachou and the Patachou Foundation. We talk to her about her start as a prosecutor turned restaurateur and how the restaurant scene has changed over her 35-plus years running a restaurant in Indianapolis. Then, we welcome Samir Mohammad of 9th Street...
Feb 22, 2025•50 min
This week, we talk to two award-winning authors about their latest work. First, The New York Times cooking columnist Melissa Clark talks to us about her deep dive into the world of salt. From exploring salt harvesting in France to the history and revival of artisanal salts, she walks us through different types of salt and their uses in cooking. She sticks around to answer your cooking questions. Melissa Clark's latest book is Dinner in One , and for a taste of her style, check out her recipe...
Feb 14, 2025•50 min
This week, food columnist for The New York Times Magazine, Lisa Donovan, joins us to talk about what she's been cooking up recently and help answer our listeners' kitchen conundrums, from making the best tomato paste despite out-of-season tomatoes to using unsweetened chocolate in baking recipes. Lisa is the author of the memoir Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger , and she leaves us with a recipe for a lovely Tarte Tatin to add to our repertoire. Then, we head over to Philadelphia, where we me...
Feb 07, 2025•50 min
This week it’s a look at the different Lunar New Year celebrations in China, Vietnam, and Korea. First, Sarah and Kaitlin Leung talk about their Chinese New Year traditions and the symbolism behind the dishes they serve at their new year table. Sarah and Kaitlin, along with their parents, Judy and Bill, are the family behind The Woks of Life blog and cookbook, and they shared their family recipe for Poached “White Cut” Chicken . Then, Andrea Nguyen, author of Vietnamese Food Any Day , talks abou...
Jan 31, 2025•50 min
This week, we’re all about the Mediterranean dish. First, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Suzy Karadsheh. Suzy talks about “eating the Mediterranean way,” growing up in a region with a plant-forward cuisine, Levantine cooking, using dried fruits in savory recipes, and making simplified Mediterranean recipes at home like her Flaky Veggie Phyllo “Pizza.” Suzy is the founder of The Mediterranean Dish.com and the author of The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinners. Then, we step into...
Jan 24, 2025•50 min
This week, we welcome the cold with delicious soup! Food Stylist Mariana Velásquez Villegas, author of Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes and Rituals from the Soul of Colombia talks us through Colombia's biodiversity and regional identity and the unique foods it inspires like Sancocho . This hearty stew brings people together in a communal dining experience. Be sure to listen to her playlist while preparing it! Then, we talk about Haitian cuisine with award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet as ...
Jan 17, 2025•50 min
This week, we’re spending the hour with the charming and beloved Irish cooking teacher and writer Darina Allen. It’s a spirited conversation about growing up in a country kitchen, her love of eating, and the single moment she decided to pursue her career in cooking. She tells us about her organic farm at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, shares her unusual and brilliant teaching style, and explains why learning to cook and connect to nature is one of the greatest life skills anyone can a...
Jan 10, 2025•50 min
This week, we explore some of the iconic dishes of the Midwest. First, we talked to chef Paul Fehribach about Midwestern cuisine and the history of its unique dishes as they evolved from generations of immigrants. From the evolution of Midwestern-style barbecue to Cincinnati chili , considered by Paul to be one of the oldest examples of fusion cooking. Paul Fehribach is the author of Midwestern Food, A Chef’s Guide to the Surprising History of a Great American Cuisine. Then, we take a field trip...
Jan 03, 2025•51 min
This week, we have just what you need to prepare for this holiday season. First, award-winning author and food scientist Nik Sharma shares his favorite holiday traditions and food pairings that will make your vegetables shine at the table. He is the author of Veg-Table, Recipes, Techniques and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals , and he left us with his recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls . Then, the internet’s most beloved cooking star, Claire Saffitz, brings us her top holida...
Dec 27, 2024•50 min
This week, we’re all about community and coming together for the holidays. First, we talk to Lisa Kyung Gross, founder of The League of Kitchens , a unique cooking school where women from all over the world, welcome you into their homes and teach you how to make one of their family recipes. She talks about the delicious recipes she has collected in her new book, The League of Kitchens Cookbook: Brilliant Tips, Secret Methods & Favorite Family Recipes from Around the World. She leaves us with...
Dec 20, 2024•50 min
This week, we’re all about discovering the secret of cooking—and exploring an iconic French Dish. First, Award-winning food historian Bee Wilson talks to us about her latest book, The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen . She talks about how to find the joy in cooking with real-world advice, from embracing your favorite kitchen tool to considering cooking as a remedy. She left us with her recipe for Magic Pasta with Mushrooms, Garlic Cream, and Wine . Then, food writer S...
Dec 13, 2024•49 min
It’s the holiday season, and we’re kicking it off this week with some sweet treats. First, food editor and recipe developer Ben Mims joins us with his latest project, covering over 300 cookie recipes from Asia to the Levant to Scandinavia to the Caribbean. The varieties are astonishing. We get into cookie styles, the fascinating ingredients in regional cookies, and the hundreds of flavor combinations. Ben is the author of Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World . And he left us with a r...
Dec 06, 2024•49 min
It’s our favorite time of year – Fall Cookbook season! We’re joined by baker Samantha Seneviratne, author of Bake Smart , who tells us about her favorite baking techniques, including a butter trick that creates the creamy texture in her Gooey Cranberry Crumb Cake . Then, chef and content creator Jon Kung talks about his debut cookbook, Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third-Culture Kitchen . He tells us about his cultural identity as a “third-culture kid,” how he experienced multiple c...
Nov 29, 2024•49 min
Join us for Turkey Confidential , our must-listen-to annual Thanksgiving Day broadcast! This year’s guests are Andrea Nguyen author of Ever Green Vietnamese, Super Fresh Recipes Starring Plants from Land and Sea , Dallas-based chef Tiffany Derry of Roots Southern Table and The Great American Recipe on PBS, Washington Post Food Editor and author of Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking , Joe Yonan and pastry chef Paola Velez author of Bodega Bakes, Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My ...
Nov 28, 2024•2 hr 56 min
We are a week away from Thanksgiving, and this week, Award-winning authors J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman give us the best advice on making the perfect Thanksgiving spread. From gravy hot takes to best brining practices and the ideal way to cook a perfect turkey we have you covered. J. Kenji López-Alt and Deb Perelman are co-hosts of "The Recipe with Kenji and Deb" podcast. Deb left us her recipe for delicious dinner rolls, Sour Cream & Chive Fantails . Then, we move on to del...
Nov 22, 2024•49 min
This week, we are all about getting you ready for your Thanksgiving feast! First, cookbook author Amy Thielen sets us up with tips on keeping the holiday stress-free and enjoyable. She shares her remarkable thinking around “turkey secrets,” talks us through some of her favorite techniques for stuffing and starters, and leaves us with her amazing alternative to mashed potatoes, Fun House Baked Potatoes . Her latest book is Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others. Then, Chef Eric R...
Nov 15, 2024•49 min
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora This week, we talk about comfort food around the world. First, Yotam Ottolenghi tells us about his latest book, which is filled with recipes for his favorite comfort foods. He talks about what it is about specific dishes that evoke emotional reactions, from taste to texture to memory like his recipe for “Thousand” Hole Pancake. Yotam’s latest book is Ottolenghi Comfort written with his collaborators Helen Goh, Verena Loch...
Nov 08, 2024•49 min
When it comes to cooking, do you follow a recipe to a T, or do you do a little improv? This week, we learn a lot about cooking by feel with the star of the Peabody and Emmy-award-winning show A Chef’s Life, Vivian Howard. She talks to Francis about how she “deprogrammed’ herself from precision cooking and started thinking outside of a written recipe. Plus, she sticks around to help answer your cooking questions. Vivian’s latest book is This Will Make It Taste Good . Then , we take advice from th...
Nov 01, 2024•50 min
