Today is Nicole Enayati Day on the TASTE Podcast, and we’re so happy to welcome one of our favorite voices in food to the program. Nicole is one half of the popular food podcast A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich , and she can be found all over the Mythical Kitchen YouTube page serving as senior culinary producer. We debate and discuss some of food’s biggest controversies, and we dig into her background as a young eater growing up in Los Angeles. We also talk about “geriatric cereals” and the book she wrot...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 118
Today, we have a really fun conversation with Jonathan Kung , a Detroit-based chef and TikTok creator we’ve fallen hard for over the past couple years. We wanted to reach out to Jonathan to talk a little bit about TikTok , but also to get to know a bit about his history with Chinese home cooking and with working and living in one of America’s great food cities: Detroit. We talk about the bounty of Michigan agriculture, which can be a chef’s secret weapon. We also discuss the cookbook he’s writin...
Jun 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 117
Today on the show, we have the pleasure of getting to know cookbook author and food TV icon Alton Brown . Brown is behind popular and pioneering food television shows like Good Eats and Iron Chef America , which has returned with a new season on Netflix. We talk about how Alton has evolved over the years as a writer and food educator, and what inspired his unique play-by-play announcer style. We also discuss his background in theater and how Pee-Wee’s Playhouse has inspired both his live shows a...
Jun 16, 2022•40 min•Ep. 116
Today is Jesse Sparks day on the TASTE Podcast. Do you know Jesse Sparks? Do you love Jesse Sparks? We certainly do. Jesse is a senior editor at Eater and the host of a really terrific new podcast, The One Recipe , a sister to the long-running Splendid Table . We talk about Jesse’s life growing up in Houston and how his college days in Chicago molded him as both a writer and an eater. We also discuss his weekend baking projects and what excites him about food and restaurants today. This is such ...
Jun 10, 2022•26 min•Ep. 115
Today we have a really cool conversation with Andrea Nguyen , the author of many popular cookbooks, including Vietnamese Food Any Day , The Pho Cookbook , The Banh Mi Handbook , Asian Dumplings , and Asian Tofu . Andrea is a writer we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the years, and this conversation dives into her incredible history as a cookbook author and food educator. We talk about the story behind her first book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen , with then indie publisher Ten Speed P...
Jun 07, 2022•53 min•Ep. 114
Today we’re excited to welcome Dawn Davis to the show. Dawn is the editor in chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious and a really fun person to get to know a little better. Before joining Condé Nast in August 2020, she was a longtime book editor, most recently at Simon & Schuster. So what was it like to move from the relatively glacial world of books to always-on digital and print media? It’s been a transition, no doubt. We find out how Dawn edits a modern food publication and what the modern ho...
Jun 02, 2022•52 min•Ep. 113
Today we’re so excited to be speaking with the Michigan chef Ji Hye Kim . We’ve followed Ji Hye’s incredible career in Ann Arbor, where she runs the wonderful Korean restaurant Miss Kim . Ji Hye is a Food & Wine Best New Chef and has been nominated for multiple James Beard Foundation Awards. But what makes Matt most excited about this conversation on Korean food is the chef’s deep knowledge of Korean food’s modern (and less modern) history. We talk about some of our mutual favorite Korean di...
May 27, 2022•58 min•Ep. 112
Today on the show, we welcome Molly Stevens into the studio. Molly is the cookbook author behind the “All About” trilogy—that would be All About Braising , All About Roasting , and All About Dinner . Molly is also a food educator and one of the cohosts of an amazing podcast, Everything Cookbooks , that covers the ins and outs of writing cookbooks—the highs, the lows, and the many edits. Stevens has great insight into the cookbook industry, and we were thrilled to share the mic with her. Also on ...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 111
Today we have some serious pizza talk—Chicago pizza talk, specifically—with a legitimate Chicago pizza expert. His name is Steve Dolinsky , and in Chicagoland, he’s known simply as the “Food Guy” (formerly the “Hungry Hound”). Steve is an absolute legend in the food writing game, and Matt talked to him about his two books on Chicago pizza, as well as diving into some other cool spots in the Windy City, one of America’s greatest food cities. We also smash a slight beef between Dolinsky and TASTE’...
May 19, 2022•39 min•Ep. 110
Today on the show, Matt is speaking with Rick Martínez , a chef, Youtube food creator, and author of the wonderful New York Times Bestselling book Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture From My Kitchen in Mexico . We’ve long followed Rick’s career at Bon Appétit and Food52, but we got to know him a lot better during this candid conversation. We talked about what food was like growing up in Austin, Texas, and how he switched from working a high-flying career in advertising (and living a very Mad Men –sty...
May 13, 2022•51 min•Ep. 109
When Yellow Rose opened shop in the East Village in 2020, the fresh flour tortillas and silky bean-and-cheese filling took the city by storm—never mind the early-pandemic limitations that left restaurateurs juggling between takeout and outdoor dining. In this episode of the TASTE Podcast, we talk to co-owner and chef Dave Rizo about some of these challenges, and why he and co-owner Krystiana Rizo decided to bring their style of Texan cooking to the East Village. Also on this episode, hosts Anna ...
May 10, 2022•49 min•Ep. 108
We’ve long admired the work of chef and author Einat Admony , who is behind one of America’s best falafels (New York’s Taïm) and the cookbooks Balaboosta and Shuk . In this lively conversation, we talk about Einat’s life growing up in Israel and the fine-dining career that led her to working at some heavy institutions in New York City. We also discuss her frequent television appearances and why she is the ultimate balaboosta, which is the Yiddish word that translates to “perfect housewife.” What...
May 05, 2022•38 min•Ep. 107
To the Last Bite is home cook and Tasty video star Alexis deBoschnek ’s homage to her home region of New York, the Catskills! In this really fun episode, we talk about Alexis’s life growing up in a rural mountain town and how that upbringing informed the way she cooks. We also discuss her career at Tasty, where she worked on some of the internet’s most popular cooking videos of all time, including the legendary “Can This Chef Cook a 3-Course Meal With Power Tools?” video stunt. Spoiler: The chef...
Apr 29, 2022•35 min•Ep. 106
For Peter Reinhart , life is just one big pizza quest—a journey of flavors and textures that he encapsulates in his latest cookbook, Pizza Quest . The book offers at-home riffs on some of the most inventive, original pizzas from around the country, remixing classic regional styles with lowcountry seafood boils, bagel toppings, and (why not) potato chips. We talked about the convivial, collaborative nature of the pizza community and the pitfalls of trying to pick a favorite pie. Also on the show,...
Apr 26, 2022•58 min•Ep. 105
Andy Baraghani started his professional cooking career as a teenager at the legendary Berkeley, California, restaurant Chez Panisse, and he was truly just getting started. After working as a line cook at Estela in New York City, he was hired as the food editor at Tasting Table and eventually found his way to the Bon Appétit test kitchen, where he worked for over six years and won the hearts of many with his exceptional cooking instruction and kind heart. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writin...
Apr 21, 2022•34 min•Ep. 104
We’ve been talking a lot about food TikTok in the office, and we’ve written about TikTok, too, but we haven’t had a bona fide TikTok star on the show until now. Eitan Bernath has over two million followers on the platform, and we talk about what makes a great TikTok video, what he ate growing up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and how his first cookbook, Eitan Eats the World , expresses his love of many foods, including a deep interest in Indian cuisine. It’s a really great conversation. Buy : Eitan Eat...
Apr 15, 2022•33 min•Ep. 103
It was such a treat to have Sara Jenkins on the TASTE Podcast, and this conversation really delivers. Matt has followed Sara’s career for over a decade, dating back to her amazing restaurants Porchetta and Porsena in New York’s East Village. We talk about her childhood growing up in Beirut and Italy—and how, to this day, she returns to the Tuscan farmhouse her family bought in the 1970s for their annual olive harvest and some of her recent writing on TASTE. Also in this episode, TASTE editors An...
Apr 12, 2022•56 min•Ep. 102
On this episode of the TASTE Podcast, we talk to chef, writer, and activist Jenny Dorsey. Jenny has beat Bobby Flay on Beat Bobby Flay and shown the internet how to make Spam-filled wontons , but she’s also the founder of the nonprofit Studio ATAO, which creates educational tools for food publications and organizations to think inclusively and equitably about their work. We talked about how VR goggles can shift the social dynamics at a dinner table, what makes a good neighborhood restaurant, and...
Apr 07, 2022•32 min•Ep. 101
We’ve made it to 100 episodes, and it feels like we’re just getting started. Thank you for listening—we have some amazing things in the works and can’t wait to share them with you. Our guest this episode is a legend in the food podcasting world. Dan Pashman is the creator and host of the long-running podcast The Sporkful . In this fun conversation, we learn about how Dan pivoted his career from producing radio (including a stint with Marc Maron at Air America) to launching his own series that di...
Apr 01, 2022•34 min•Ep. 100
For coffee fans and professionals, there is no more critical resource than the website and media company Sprudge , and we were really happy to have a lively conversation with Sprudge’s cofounder Jordan Michelman . While we do discuss the evolution of the so-called third-wave coffee bar around the globe, we also dive into Jordan’s career in journalism and discuss some of his memorable stories for TASTE and beyond. He won a James Beard Award for his PUNCH story on mineral water, and we talk about ...
Mar 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 99
For many followers of the home cooking internet, Jenny Rosenstrach ’s Dinner: A Love Story has been a steady hand holding the whisk for the past decade. She recently released the New York Times best seller The Weekday Vegetarians . As the name suggests, Jenny’s vision is of a world where plant-based eating becomes more of a Monday-through-Friday habit than a life-altering stricture. In this fun conversation, we talk about cookbooks, writing a weekly newsletter, and what’s next for one of our fav...
Mar 24, 2022•42 min•Ep. 98
If you’re a fan of recipes that make clever use of a handful of ingredients and a few swift moves in the kitchen, then chances are, you’ve probably cooked an Ali Slagle recipe. Maybe it was her margherita pizza reimagined as beans on toast , or maybe it was her oat milk chocolate pudding . Ali’s new book, I Dream of Dinner , is full of these types of recipes that manage to be both wildly efficient and gently playful at the same time. In this episode, we talk about the book and Ali’s life on the ...
Mar 18, 2022•28 min•Ep. 97
We’ve long been fans of Jenny G. Zhang ’s incisive journalism and podcasting, and we couldn’t wait to have the current Gawker editor and writer on the show. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about food in the time of TikTok, Zhang’s memorable 2018 Eater story about Pizza Hut in China, and the regular food she covers in her Gawker column Regular Food Reviews . We also talk about the world of NFTs in food. Additional Reading and Listening: American Pie [Eater] Why do people on TikTok Chew...
Mar 15, 2022•33 min•Ep. 96
On today’s episode, we have a great conversation with Emily Weinstein , the Food and Cooking editor of the New York Times . We’ve been great admirers of the work at NYT Cooking, and we took the opportunity to cover many subjects in home cooking and food media. We talk about what makes a great story and some of the cooking trends Weinstein is most interested in covering. We also discuss Weinstein’s long journey working at the paper, starting as a dining listings fact-checker and rising to various...
Mar 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 95
Today on the TASTE Podcast, we’re talking to Nisha Melvani , the author of Practically Vegan . Nisha is the creator of the website and Instagram account Cooking for Peanuts, a source for colorful, practical, no-nonsense plant-based recipes. We talk about how much range cashews have as an ingredient for creamy dishes, and about why tempeh has such a bad reputation (and how to make it taste truly delicious). We also discuss how using less salt can actually make you a much better cook. Also on the ...
Mar 04, 2022•34 min•Ep. 94
On today’s episode, we have a really fun conversation with the one and only J. Kenji López-Alt . As the author of The Food Lab , Kenji has been a guiding force in home cooking for over a decade. He’s back with a new book, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques , and we discuss creative ways to cook with one of the best tools around. We go all the way back to the heady days of early Serious Eats, a time when food blogging was starting to find its footing, and Kenji reflects on his time working at the sc...
Mar 01, 2022•40 min•Ep. 93
On today’s episode, we’re sitting down with longtime food writer and cookbook author Cathy Barrow . Cathy’s the author of Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry , Pie Squared , and When Pies Fly . Her most recent book, Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish , makes the case for bagels at home. As she points out, if you throw together the dough before bed and proof it in the refrigerator overnight, boiling and baking in the morning is a complete breeze. We discussed some of the biggest bagel myt...
Feb 24, 2022•22 min•Ep. 92
Today on the show we are speaking with one of the clearest and most singular voices in Italian cooking in New York City, Missy Robbins . In the episode, we turn back the clock to the heady days of Missy running two major NYC restaurants in the late aughts, as well as discuss her current hit Brooklyn restaurants Lilia and Misi. We also talk about her new cookbook, Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food, with Recipes , which she wrote with our former TASTE colleague and friend Talia ...
Feb 17, 2022•34 min•Ep. 91
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Mark Canha , the biggest food personality in Major League Baseball. Mark is an itinerant diner who documents his eating and cooking on Instagram as @bigleaguefoodie . We asked him about his pregame eating rituals, as well as some of the restaurants in New York that he’s most excited to check out as a new player for the New York Mets. We also talked about some untapped markets for Italian stadium food served in plastic souvenir helmet bowls. Later in this ...
Feb 10, 2022•31 min•Ep. 90
For the past year and a half, Daniela Galarza has written one of our favorite things on the internet: a four-day-a-week cooking column for the Washington Post food section, Eat Voraciously . In this episode, we hear about Daniela’s journey from pastry cook and private chef to holding down editorial jobs at LA Weekly , Eater, and the Post . We also talk about some of the great work she’s done as a writer for TASTE, particularly focusing on pastry and desserts. And she answers the burning question...
Feb 03, 2022•30 min•Ep. 89
