Matt was so excited to invite his friend Maurizio Leo to New York City to walk the streets and eat a lot of pizza. Maurizio is the author of The Perfect Loaf , an incredible cookbook and online community dedicated to all things sourdough. Matt and Maurizio visited seven pizzerias and, along with lead producer Clayton Gumbert, tasted their way through the city’s best (and maybe not best) slices. So what did they think of Joe’s , L’industrie , Mama’s TOO! , Lucia , Upside , Scarr’s , and F&F ?...
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 627
Have you ever eaten prune whip pie? How about pickle cheesecake? Well, B. Dylan Hollis absolutely has. The popular TikTok and YouTube creator has racked up millions (and millions) of views by baking his way through vintage cookbooks that fit his “three Ws”: wacky, weird, and wonderful. Dylan is back with a new book, Baking Across America , which had him visiting dozens of states to track down recipes and stories from America’s amazing baking past. We talk about the crazy travel that went into th...
Jul 19, 2025•45 min•Ep. 626
Marc-Kwesi Farrell is the founder of Ten to One , a contemporary Caribbean rum brand. Born in Trinidad, he’s passionate about broadening and celebrating global perceptions of rum through premium blends and storytelling, including drawing from his experience as the youngest vice president in Starbucks history. Today on the show, Marc goes deep on rum distillation and culture, bringing on the legendary singer Ciara as a co-owner, and plans for the future of the brand. And, at the top of the show, ...
Jul 18, 2025•50 min•Ep. 625
It’s the return of a special video podcast series: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing . It’s available on the TASTE YouTube channel , so make sure to subscribe and check out the video version of this podcast. Every couple of weeks, Matt invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. On today’s episode, we have an amazing conversation with Mahira Rivers . Mahira is a journalist and former Michelin Guide inspector. Sh...
Jul 16, 2025•54 min•Ep. 624
Jodi Moreno is a chef, culinary consultant , and food stylist based in Mexico City. She’s the author of the James Beard–nominated cookbook More with Less and a new cookbook, Simple Pleasures . It’s so fun to have Jodi on the show to talk about developing Simple Pleasures in Mexico City, the joys of summer salads, entertaining, and more. Also on the show is Tim Spector . He’s a professor of epidemiology at King’s College London, a cofounder of the science and nutrition company ZOE, and the author...
Jul 14, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 623
This is such a great conversation with Max Shapiro , co-host of the Air Jordan podcast and a guy who knows what he likes. We’ve enjoyed Max’s very active, and sometimes blessedly candid, Instagram reviews of restaurants around the world. While he’s based in Los Angeles, his recent trip to Spain, particularly a dozen stops at legendary restaurants and new places around San Sebastián, got us interested. Max shares an action-packed road trip around the Basque region, including stops at Gresca , Cas...
Jul 12, 2025•47 min•Ep. 622
Leo Schaltz is a cofounder of BonBon , a Swedish candy store with five locations in New York City (six total) and a cult following on TikTok. The pick-and-mix bulk candy selection is entirely imported from Sweden, from salty licorice to sour strawberry cream skulls. Today on the show, Leo talks about growing BonBon’s candy empire, meeting viral demand, and building a candy library. And before that, Matt shares some of his discoveries from the recent Fancy Food Show in New York. These aren’t the ...
Jul 11, 2025•40 min•Ep. 621
Hailee Catalano is a trained chef, a former restaurant cook, a recipe developer, and one of our favorite voices in all of food. She is the author of a great new cookbook, By Heart . In this episode, we talk about her early years in Chicago, growing up in an Italian American household, and her later years working the line as a cook before launching her social media account on a lark. If you follow Hailee, you know her unique take on home cooking is absolutely mesmerizing, and we discuss how she t...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 620
Aimee France is a cake baker and internet personality based in Brooklyn. Her distinctly bumpy cakes and elaborate eating habits have won over many fans online, and it’s so fun to have her in the studio to go deep on her singular perspective on food, from her three-drink-minimum breakfasts to her unexpected sources of inspiration. And, at the top of the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt talk about what is exciting them in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food...
Jul 07, 2025•57 min•Ep. 619
Jerry Williams Jr. has performed under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg since 1970 and has been described as “one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music.” I would agree, and it was an absolute honor to welcome the R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer to the studio to talk about visiting restaurants on the road while touring in the Jim Crow South and working with iconic artists like Patti LaBelle, Doris Duke, and Dr. Dre. We also discuss his new cookbook, which is a real trea...
Jul 04, 2025•40 min•Ep. 618
Norma Listman and Saqib Keval are the chefs and co-owners of Masala y Maíiz , a Mexico City restaurant rooted in a mestizaje exploration of culinary traditions from India, East Africa, and Mexico. It was great to have them in the studio to talk about creating a more equitable restaurant that puts their workers first, expanding into a new location, shooting an episode of Chef’s Table , and their favorite spots in Mexico City. Also on the show, Aliza shares her first visit to Houston! What a town....
Jul 02, 2025•56 min•Ep. 617
We’ve all long been major fans of Ligaya Mishan , who last month was named co–chief restaurant critic at the New York Times . Working alongside Tejal Rao, Ligaya will be reviewing restaurants in New York City as well as around the country—and compiling the now iconic (and much-debated) 100 Best Restaurants in New York list. So what does it feel like to take over for Pete Wells? We went right to the source for this wonderful conversation. We discuss personal taste, mining history books, and what ...
Jul 01, 2025•53 min•Ep. 616
Eddie Huang hardly needs an introduction, but here’s a shot. Eddie is a gifted writer , rap encyclopedia, film director, podcast host, best-selling author, and a pretty nice chef , too. Matt has known Eddie since his days coming up in New York City in the 2000s, running the iconic Baohaus and shaking up the food writing world in the process. Today he’s back living in New York after spending years in California, and we get into his new restaurant project, Gazebo , which is running as a monthly po...
Jun 30, 2025•39 min•Ep. 615
Today on the show, we have a great conversation with Austin Tedesco . Austin is head of business development at Substack, but we think of him even more as an infinitely curious restaurant superfan. He’s worked as a line cook and dines out with the frequency of our best critics. He writes about it all on his own Substack, Bangers & Jams , and we talk about his journey from NBA reporter to restaurant professional to helping promote the growth of authors on the Substack platform. Is Substack th...
Jun 28, 2025•54 min•Ep. 614
It was a lot of fun having Bill Oakley in the studio. Bill is a writer and “ professional food enthusiast ,” as he says. He’s also a former head writer for The Simpsons and has also written for The Cleveland Show and Portlandia and created the series Mission Hill . We loved talking with Bill about all kinds of food topics and his latest obsessions. We discuss writing food into memorable episodes of The Simpsons and his unique way of touring the country for highly entertaining live events. Bill i...
Jun 27, 2025•48 min•Ep. 613
Kelly Mencin is the pastry chef and co-owner of Radio Bakery , a cult-followed destination for filled croissants and focaccia sandwiches with two locations in Brooklyn. Radio’s offerings—and its lines—are legendary, and today on the show Kelly talks about opening Rolo’s, transitioning to Radio, and their continued efforts to try and meet demand. Get your tickets to our live event on July 23 at the Bell House in Brooklyn . Featuring conversations with Padma Lakshmi, Hailee Catalano & Chuck Cr...
Jun 25, 2025•42 min•Ep. 612
Noor Murad is a Bahrain-born, New York–trained, London-based chef and the author of the wonderful new cookbook Lugma . You may know her recipes from her time running the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and contributing to the books Falastin, Shelf Love , and Extra Good Things . Now it’s time to get to know Noor herself through this delicious collection of traditional and re-imagined dishes from Bahrain and beyond. Also on the show we catch up with Brian Voll , the creative force behind the innovative co...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 611
It was so much fun having Chris Morocco in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about cooking, media, and his nearly two decades working at Condé Nast. Chris is the food director of Bon Appétit and Epicurious , overseeing the test kitchen team and the recipes they develop. In this episode, we go back to Chris’s early career working at Vogue before landing an assistant job in the BA Test Kitchen. We go over how he currently leads the team and how they think about seasonality, taste, and get...
Jun 20, 2025•51 min•Ep. 610
Dan Giusti is the founder and CEO of Brigaid , an organization bringing restaurant chefs to school cafeterias and senior centers. Formerly the head chef at Noma, he’s now dedicated to providing delicious and healthy meals to 40 institutions across the country. This year alone, Brigaid expects to serve over a million meals. It’s so special to have Dan in the studio to talk about growing up on Italian American classics, pivoting from Noma to Brigaid, and how all the work happens. Also on the show ...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 609
Today’s episode is really special: an eating and drinking survey of the wonderful city of Portland, Oregon. Matt visited recently and shares all his dining experiences, which span regional Thai, tasting menus, incredible pour-over coffee, and some ’90s nostalgia. He also catches up with two legendary Portland chefs who share why their city is one of the nation’s best. First up is Gabriel Rucker . He is the chef-owner of Le Pigeon and Canard and the winner of two James Beard Awards. He’s also a c...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 608
Rebecca Firkser is a writer, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Brooklyn. Her debut cookbook, Galette! , celebrates the highly riffable, always buttery pleasures of free-form tarts. In this episode, Rebecca and Aliza go deep on developing foolproof pastry recipes for nervous bakers like me, making a debut cookbook after years of working on others, and more. Also on the show, Matt catches up with Mitchell Davis to talk about the Great Nosh , a Jewish food and culture festival taking plac...
Jun 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 607
We’ve been covering the nonalcoholic beer scene at TASTE for a minute, and it was a lot of fun having one of the most exciting names in the industry, Tate Huffard , in the studio. Tate is the founder of Best Day Brewing , which makes one of our favorite NA beers available today. Tate shares the story of the company, and how he’s bringing NA versions of Kolsch and IPAs to the masses. We also zoom out and talk about the future of NA drinking and how craft beer drinkers are embracing cans and bottl...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 606
It’s the return of a special video podcast series: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing . It’s available on the TASTE YouTube channel, so make sure to subscribe and check out the video version of this podcast . Every couple of weeks, Matt invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. On today’s episode, we have an amazing conversation with Tammie Teclemariam. Tammie writes as the Underground Gourmet at New York magaz...
Jun 11, 2025•58 min•Ep. 605
Woldy Reyes is a New York–based chef and founder of the boutique catering company Woldy Kusina . He’s become known for creating modern, fashionable, plant-based food, and now he’s sharing it in a debut cookbook: In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking . Today Woldy talks about the inspiration behind In the Kusina , his Filipino pantry essentials, karaoke, and more. And, at the top of the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt talk about what is exciting them in the world...
Jun 09, 2025•56 min•Ep. 604
Today we have a very fun episode highlighting one of the country’s emerging culinary cities : Traverse City, Michigan . Located in Northern Michigan on the stunning shores of Lake Michigan, Traverse City has a restaurant and wine scene that attracts visitors from around the globe. And this August marks the debut of the Traverse City Food & Wine , running August 20–24. In this episode, we speak with some of the people who make Traverse City such a special place. First up we speak with Sarah W...
Jun 06, 2025•53 min•Ep. 603
Adam Roberts is back on the show, and we couldn’t be happier to speak with him about his terrific debut novel, Food Person . You may know Adam from his pioneering food blog (now on Substack), The Amateur Gourmet , but we know him now as a fiction writer digging into the world we talk about often here on the show: food media, cookbooks, collaborations, and all the behind-the-scenes drama that can pop up therein. Adam has written an incredible universe in the novel, and we discuss how he wrote it ...
Jun 04, 2025•37 min•Ep. 602
Mehreen Karim a Brooklyn-based pop-up chef, recipe developer, and food writer. You may know her from seeing her compete on Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef , but today she’s coming back on our show to talk about writing her first cookbook, Make It Plant-Based! Southern , and editing a larger plant-based cooking series. I always have so much fun catching up with our friend Mehreen, and this episode is no exception. Also on the show, TASTE contributor Vrinda Jagota stops by the studio to talk about...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 601
Thank you to all of our listeners for helping us get to 600 episodes. If you like what we are doing, drop us a review on Apple or Spotify . Besha Rodell is a restaurant critic, columnist, and freelance reporter based in Melbourne, Australia. She is a James Beard Award winner and served as a critic at Creative Loafing, LA Weekly , and The Age . It was really great to have Besha in the studio to talk about her life as a critic, which she details in all its guts and glory in a terrific memoir, Hung...
May 31, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 600
What is queer food? Today we’re having a special roundtable discussion with the authors of two great new books unpacking the topic in exciting and unexpected ways: John Birdsall is the author of The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard and the wonderful new book What Is Queer Food?: How We Served a Revolution . Erik Piepenburg is a reporter and the author of Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants . I loved both of these books, and...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 599
It’s the return of a special video podcast series: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing . It’s available on the TASTE YouTube channel, so make sure to subscribe and check out the video version of this podcast. Every couple of weeks, Matt Rodbard invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. On today’s episode, we have an amazing conversation with Jaya Saxena . Jaya is a correspondent at Eater, covering many topics in...
May 28, 2025•47 min•Ep. 598
