We welcome back into the studio James Harris , one half of Throwing Fits , a very funny podcast, Instagram account, and online community dedicated to all things menswear. TF is not just one of Matt’s favorite podcasts around, it’s a sneaky great look at the NYC food and drink scene, with James bringing big opinions about New York restaurants and nightlife culture. We hope you enjoy this very entertaining episode with one of our favorite guests around. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt are back in...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 418
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson are the co-owners of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, two beloved Los Angeles restaurants that have won plenty of fans with the power of herbs, seasonal vegetables, and feta. They’ve recently released the first Kismet cookbook, and they stopped by the studio to talk about adapting their recipes for home cooks, their favorite ways to treat spring vegetables, and more. Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? ...
Jun 12, 2024•45 min•Ep. 417
Where has the founder of Chipotle been eating around New York City, and what does he have to say about the future of restaurants? It’s really fun having Steve Ells into the studio to cover some serious ground, including his early cooking career working with Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco and what led him to open a single burrito shop on the campus of the University of Denver in 1993. We also find out about his latest big idea, an exciting new restaurant called Kernel , that has a robot...
Jun 10, 2024•46 min•Ep. 416
Our Las Vegas week continues! Gina Marinelli is the chef and partner of La Strega , a coastal Italian restaurant charming Las Vegas’s Summerlin neighborhood. She’s worked in Las Vegas kitchens since 2006 for chefs like Michael Mina at Nobhill Tavern and Scott Conant at D.O.C.G. Enoteca, and now she’s doing Italian food her way. Also on the show, we visit Fontainebleau Las Vegas and check out the growing food and drink options at the new opening. Lastly, it’s our recurring three things segment, w...
Jun 07, 2024•30 min•Ep. 415
Our Las Vegas week continues with a fun conversation with Marc Vetri . We wanted to talk with Marc about opening a restaurant in Las Vegas, Vetri Cucina at Palms . What’s it like to move his Philadelphia-based operation across the country to cook on the 56th floor overlooking the Strip? Not easy. We get into how Marc has settled in and some of the exciting regional Italian dishes he is preparing. Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Josh Smith , executive chef of Delilah , the Art Deco–themed...
Jun 06, 2024•27 min•Ep. 414
Our Las Vegas week continues! Penny Chutima is the next generation of Lotus of Siam , an iconic, James Beard Award–winning restaurant serving up regional Northern Thai food in Las Vegas since 1999. The daughter of chef Saipin Chutima, Penny is dedicated to preserving and expanding Lotus of Siam’s legacy, beloved by chefs like Anthony Bourdain and just about everyone else who comes to Vegas. Also on the show, Matt talks with Amanda Signorelli about running the Golden Steer , an iconic Vegas steak...
Jun 05, 2024•47 min•Ep. 413
Our Las Vegas week continues with a very fun interview with Michael Mina , a legendary Bay Area chef who has deep roots in Las Vegas. We talk about how the city has grown into a world-class culinary destination and get into what he is cooking up at his restaurants there, including Bardot Brasserie , International Smoke , Orla , StripSteak , and his namesake restaurant at Bellagio. This guy has serious range, and we discuss how he sources California produce and seafood and gets it to his Las Vega...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 412
Influential and esoteric celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has been operating restaurants in Las Vegas for more than 25 years, earning a following through his creative cuisine and sense of showmanship at restaurants including Caramá , CUT , and Spago . On this entertaining episode, we hear how Wolfgang was initially drawn to Las Vegas when opening Spago, his first restaurant there, in 1992, and how he’s seen the Las Vegas dining scene develop into an internationally acclaimed destination. Also on the...
Jun 03, 2024•48 min•Ep. 411
We’re so happy to feature two great friends: chef Deuki Hong and New York Times columnist and cookbook author Eric Kim . We had a great conversation about the new book Koreaworld , a cookbook and cultural study that Matt wrote with Deuki. This conversation was recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore and touches on many topics related to modern Korean food in both Korea and the United States. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to sha...
Jun 01, 2024•54 min•Ep. 410
St. Agrestis has had a couple very big years in the competitive nonalcoholic drinks arena, and it’s long overdue to have the brand’s cofounder Louis Catizone on the show. The Phony Negroni is a near-perfect NA cocktail, and on this episode we talk about how it was born and how NA bottled cocktails are appearing in bars and restaurants at record levels. This is a great talk for anybody interested in hearing the story of an emerging brand in the drinks world. Got a question, comment, future guest ...
May 31, 2024•42 min•Ep. 409
Benjamina Ebuehi is a London-based recipe developer and food stylist who rose to fame as a quarter-finalist in the 2016 Great British Bake Off . She’s also the author of three baking cookbooks, including the new release I’ll Bring Dessert , and it’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about the differences between London and NYC bakeries, developing recipes, and more. Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and...
May 29, 2024•37 min•Ep. 408
Aaron Lindell is the chef and co-owner of Quarter Sheets , the wildly popular Los Angeles restaurant he runs with his wife, Hannah Ziskin. Now, listen, you’ve probably read about Quarter Sheets. You may have even had Hannah’s iconic princess cake. But this is a conversation about Aaron’s pizza. It’s…amazing. And it has a great backstory. On this episode we hear about Aaron’s wild career as a private chef for NBA stars and tech icons, and how the pandemic led to his amazing pop-up and restaurant....
May 27, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 407
Celina Baljeet Basra is the Berlin based author of Happy , a sweet and surreal postmodern novel released last year. It follows a young man named Happy from his family cabbage farm in Punjab to his clandestine journey to Europe, and the service jobs he works along the way. I’ve never read a book quite like Happy and it's so fun to have Celina on the show to talk about unconventional food writing, her favorite restaurants in Berlin, and more. Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to sha...
May 24, 2024•43 min•Ep. 406
Rocco DiSpirito is an iconic Italian American New York City chef, television personality, and highly acclaimed author of 14 cookbooks, including three New York Times bestsellers. On this episode we go way back to his star turn on one of the first food reality TV shows on air, and we talk about his time in the kitchen at Union Pacific, his acclaimed New York City restaurant from the early 2000s. We also discuss what excites him about food in New York City and beyond. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? D...
May 22, 2024•36 min•Ep. 405
Alan Sytsma is a longtime observer of the New York City dining scene who is behind New York magazine’s formidable food coverage. On this episode we dig into Alan’s take on the current NYC restaurant scene and hear about New York mag’s amazing “Who Ate Where” issue, which digs into the cultural history of eating out in New York City. It’s really fun talking restaurants with Alan, and I hope you enjoy this conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple , or star us on Spotify ...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 404
Aaron Goldfarb has been a journalist for over a decade, frequently writing on the subjects of cocktails and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times , Esquire , Playboy , and PUNCH. His latest book, Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits , digs into our ongoing obsession with old spirits and the people who chase them. We talk about the real bourbon grails and the fake ones, and if there is any remaining Stitzel-Weller juice to be drunk. It’s fun catching up with Aaron. Do ...
May 17, 2024•49 min•Ep. 403
MacKenzie Chung Fegan is the new restaurant critic at the San Francisco Chronicle . She’s a former Bon Appétit editor who returned home to the Bay Area to shape food coverage at her hometown paper, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to break down her first few months on the job, the state of modern restaurant criticism, and more. MORE FROM MACKENZIE CHUNG FEGAN Your New Restaurant Critic Won’t Be Anonymous. Here’s Why [SF Chronicle] I Loved My Food at S.F.’s New Waterfront Restaurant — Unti...
May 15, 2024•49 min•Ep. 402
Erin Patinkin is the cofounder of Ovenly and has advised some of the food world’s most interesting brands (almost exclusively female-founded), including Kismet, White Moustache, Pop Up Grocer, Great Jones, and Seed + Mill. Erin is an old friend of ours, and she has one of the sharpest minds in the consumer packaged goods world. We talk about so many topics, including some of the brands that excite her and the common mistakes founders can’t help making. We also hear about her time running Ovenly ...
May 13, 2024•49 min•Ep. 401
Giada De Laurentiis is in the studio for an all-time classic conversation. She is the Emmy-Award-winning television personality of Food Network’s Everyday Italian (among many other shows) and the author of nine New York Times best-selling cookbooks, including her most recent, Eat Better, Feel Better . On this episode we talk about her panettone chops, what running her own media company and e-commerce brand, Giadzy , is really like, and her first time on television. There’s so much to cover, and ...
May 10, 2024•41 min•Ep. 400
Today on the show we have some really cool conversations about European butter from France. First up is David Lebovitz , a cookbook author and baker extraordinaire. Our lively conversation is all about cooking with good European butter and why using the good stuff is essential in baking and other kitchen adventures. David is such a pro, and we loved catching up with him about one of his favorite products. Also on the show, we have a great interview with Charles Duque , managing director (America...
May 08, 2024•40 min•Ep. 399
Rachel Dratch is an actor, a Broadway star (and has the Tony nomination to prove it), and a comedian, and she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. She is also the host of a great podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch . This is a really fun conversation, and we get a sense that Rachel is quite the fooooooodie! For real, we talk about her favorite places to eat in New York’s East Village, how her cooking skills are “nice,” and why she has been hanging out at the new Second Cit...
May 06, 2024•40 min•Ep. 398
Tama Matsuoka Wong is a renowned forager who supplies top New York City restaurants like Atoboy and Daniel with the good stuff: wild delicacies like chickweed, stinging nettles, and American sumac. She’s the author of Foraged Flavor ; Scraps, Wilt, & Weeds ; and her latest book, Into the Weeds ; and it’s a delight to have her on the show to get real about ramps hype, gardening like a forager, and more. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are feeling right now. ...
May 03, 2024•52 min•Ep. 397
It’s really fun having two food writers we respect, in different sections of their careers, on the show. First up is Robert Sietsema . Robert is a longtime New York City restaurant critic and neighborhood wanderer who has written for the Village Voice and Eater and who, prior to that, ran the influential underground food zine Down the Hatch. We talk about the early days of food writing and what is exciting him in NYC right now. Luke Pyenson is a food and travel writer based in New York City. His...
May 01, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 396
Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day’s food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe . On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel . We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It’s so g...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 395
Pizza is at the center of this lively episode. First up is Ali Stafford , one of our favorite recipe writers on the internet. Ali is behind Alexandra’s Kitchen and is the author of a great new book, Pizza Night . We talk about Ali’s favorite styles of pizza and what inspired her to write an entire book dedicated to homemade pizza adventures (you need to pick this one up). Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Emily Hyland , the founder of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared , two wi...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 394
Two Los Angeles food podcasters have entered the studio, and the opinions are flowing. It was so great catching up with the dynamic duo of Jordan Okun and Max Shapiro , the voices behind the Air Jordan podcast and some of the LA food scene’s spiciest takes. On this episode we hear all about what is good and what is extremely bad in the Los Angeles dining scene, before taking the TASTE check. It’s a memorable conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple , or star us on Spot...
Apr 24, 2024•51 min•Ep. 393
Today on the show we have conversations with two exciting spring cookbook authors. First up is Tiffy Chen , the creator behind the popular Tiffy Cooks platforms and the author of a great new book, Tiffy Cooks: 88 Easy Asian Recipes from My Family to Yours . Also on the show, we catch up with Toriano Gordon , the Bay Area chef and rapper behind the popular food truck, Vegan Mob. We chat about his debut cookbook, Vegan Mob: Vegan BBQ and Soul Food . These are great talks! Also on the show, Aliza a...
Apr 22, 2024•53 min•Ep. 392
Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today on the show we have Simon Kim in the studio. Simon is the guy behind some of the buzziest restaurants in New York, including Cote Korean Steakhouse and the new fried chicken palace Coqodaq . Simon and Matt go way back, and this conversation covers Simon’s rise through the restaurant ranks, having worked for Jean-Georges Vongerich...
Apr 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 391
Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have a great interview that has been years in the making. Matthew Kang is the longtime editor of Eater LA and is plugged into all things in LA’s Koreatown. In this conversation, we get into the big topics of the day in Los Angeles and have a spirited NYC vs. LA Koreatown debate. The Koreaworld crew is hosting book release even...
Apr 19, 2024•53 min•Ep. 390
Koreaworld is here! It’s a new cookbook from Deuki Hong and TASTE’s Matt Rodbard, and this week we are looking at the modern Korean food movement from all angles. Today we have two really great conversations. First is a talk with Katianna and John Hong , the chefs and co-owners of the groundbreaking Los Angeles Korean restaurant Yangban . We speak about the chefs’ paths to the restaurant industry and what makes modern Korean food in LA so exciting. Also on the show, we have a wonderful talk with...
Apr 18, 2024•59 min•Ep. 389
