Priyanka Mattoo is the author of Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones , a wonderful memoir about food and place and how moving around the world inspired volumes and volumes of stories. We so loved having Priyanka into the studio, and we covered some serious ground. We discuss her upbringing in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and her journey to Hollywood, where she worked as a talent agent and studio executive. We talk about food on TV, The Bear (naturally), but also what excites her on ...
Aug 14, 2024•55 min•Ep. 448
Sahra Nguyen is the founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply , a progressive coffee company that is bringing Vietnamese coffee into focus in the coolest way. On this episode we talk with Sahra about why she decided to focus on robusta, a species of coffee that is grown widely in southeast Asia but lesser known in the United States. This is rapidly changing thanks to Sahra and we get into why her work at Nguyen is bringing this delicious coffee to the mainstream. Also on the show it’s the return of three ...
Aug 12, 2024•42 min•Ep. 447
Today on the show we have two conversations from two of our favorites from the cookbook and online world, Claire Saffitz and Andy Baraghani . Claire is the author of a great recent cookbook, What’s For Dessert , and she’s truly one of our favorite cooking instructors and personalities on the internet. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writing chops come together so beautifully in his book, The Cook You Want to Be , published two years ago. So what has Andy been up to this year? It turns out, pl...
Aug 10, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 446
Cree Myles is the curator of the Black literature community All Ways Black and the host of The Baldwin 100 , a new podcast from Vintage Books examining James Baldwin’s life and words to commemorate one hundred years since his birth. She’s also one of our favorite sources of book recommendations, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to go deep on the intersection of food and literature. Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on the...
Aug 09, 2024•38 min•Ep. 445
We welcome back our good friend Akira Akuto to the show. Akira is the Los Angeles–based chef who was behind the acclaimed LA sandwich and pastry counter (and so much more) Konbi, which closed up shop in early 2023. In this episode we speak with one of the more clairvoyant voices in the restaurant world. Akira is brutally honest about why a seemingly successful restaurant was anything but. We talk about the difficulties chefs and operators face on a daily basis and why California in particular is...
Aug 07, 2024•44 min•Ep. 444
Olive Odyssey is a Palestinian olive oil collective working to build demand, supply chains, and economic power for Palestinian farmers since 2022. Today cofounder Aya Faour , a professional olive oil taster, is on the show to share how Olive Odyssey is working to build collective power and partnering with groups like Rose Los Angeles to create special collaboration products that are funding aid in Gaza. Los Angeles listeners! Reserve a ticket for Koreaworld x Caldo Verde on August 15. Matt will ...
Aug 05, 2024•29 min•Ep. 443
The title of this episode is “the last original food blogger,” and this is no exaggeration. Titus Ruscitti has been writing his influential blog Chi BBQ King for more than a decade, publishing dispatches from the Chicago food scene on the no-frills Blogspot platform. It’s a throwback publication, tipping to Chowhound and the original Serious Eats, and it’s so fun catching up with Titus about all the exciting restaurants he’s visited around the Midwest. We talk about Chicago beef, tavern pizza, t...
Aug 02, 2024•52 min•Ep. 442
Jim Meehan is here for a wide-ranging and highly entertaining conversation. Jim is the legendary barman and pioneer in the modern cocktail movement. He's also a journalist and the author of three excellent books, including The PDT Cocktail Book , Meehan’s Bartender Manual , and the brand-new The Bartender’s Pantry . In this episode, we go back in time to the dawn of the modern cocktail movement and relive some of the big openings and stories of the age. Jim also reflects on his book writing care...
Jul 31, 2024•56 min•Ep. 441
This one is a long time coming, and we're thrilled to welcome Sam Sifton into our studio. Sam has held various key roles at the New York Times including food editor, culture editor, national editor, and restaurant critic. He’s also the founding editor of New York Times Cooking , which has become one of the paper’s biggest financial successes in decades. In this episode, Sam talks about the world of food media, his appetite for news and culture, his prolific newsletter output, and some of his mos...
Jul 29, 2024•48 min•Ep. 440
Today we’re revisiting two of my favorite conversations with food folks who make their own rules. DeVonn Francis is a chef, recipe developer, and events producer based in Brooklyn. His culinary events studio, Yardy World , has developed a cult following around vibrant, lush experiences rooted in Caribbean cuisine with some of the best vibes and playlists around, and now they’re joining the CPG boom. Arielle Johnson is a flavor scientist who advises some of the top restaurants and chefs in the wo...
Jul 27, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 439
Today on the show we have a great double episode. First up is the Los Angeles–based chef, recipe developer, and writer Chloe Walsh , author of Anchovies and Soup , a terrific Substack that muses about food life in LA, in the writer’s native England, and at points in between. Also on the show, we catch up with our old friend, the amazing photographer and director Eyal Yassky-Weiss . We talk about some of Eyal’s recent travels, our collaboration while on assignment in Ethiopia, and his new travel ...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 438
Cake Zine is an independent print magazine exploring society through sweets, cofounded by Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor and the show's co-host Aliza Abarbanel . Their fifth issue, Candy Land , explores candy’s connections to the natural and unnatural world. On the show, Aliza and Tanya unpack how they made the issue and the many cultural connotations of candy. Also on the show, Amy Rose Spiegel reads a piece from the latest issue. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple ...
Jul 24, 2024•56 min•Ep. 437
Kareem Rahma is a comedian and media host based in New York City. He’s the mind behind several popular online series, like Subway Takes and Keep the Meter Running, where he provides an insider look into the hot takes and taxi driver dining destinations that power the city. It’s so fun to have him on the show to talk about his new show The Last Stop , his media POV, and his past as a teenage delinquent McDonald’s employee. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt discuss what they are loving in the world...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 436
It was fun having chef René Redzepi in the studio to talk about his great new (and first) television show, a sweeping food documentary series called Omnivore , streaming now on Apple TV+ and perfect for a weekend binge. In this episode we hear about the future of Noma , Jeremy Allen White and René’s workout routine while filming The Bear in Copenhagen, and why coffee is truly one of the food world’s greatest miracles. We also dig into some of the big topics covered on Omnivore , including how tu...
Jul 19, 2024•55 min•Ep. 435
Khushbu Shah is a journalist and the author of a terrific new book, Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora . She was most recently the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, where she crisscrossed the United States several times over on the hunt for the country’s best new chefs. In this very impressive debut book, Khushbu covers Indian-American home cooking through a very personal lens, offering recipes that blend South Asia with suburban Michigan sensibilities. In this e...
Jul 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 434
What a fun conversation we have with Caroline Chambers , the author of the popular Substack What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking , as well as an upcoming cookbook of the same name. Caroline has had such an interesting career in food media, and we dig into how she went from relative obscurity to running the number one ranked Substack in the competitive food category. We talk about what makes a great Internet recipe, and how she worked social media hard during the pandemic to speak with a...
Jul 15, 2024•40 min•Ep. 433
Today on the show we have two great conversations. First up is Molly Baz . With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills, Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide and she talks about her latest book, More Is More , which taps into the food world’s more maximalist urges. Also on the show is Dwight Garner . Dwight has been a book critic at the New York Times since 2008, and he has now written one of our favorite food books in years (not an exaggeration). The Upstairs De...
Jul 13, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 432
The Chicago Hospitality Accountability and Advocacy Database, or the CHAAD Project , is an organization created by and for hospitality workers in Chicago to advance accountability and end labor abuses within the industry. On this episode Aliza speaks with cofounder and director of communications Raeghn Draper on the show to talk about CHAAD’s work and about building a more equitable hospitality industry. It’s essential listening for anyone who loves food and restaurants. Also on the show we talk...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 431
Today on the show we feature conversations with two extremely cool authors. First up is Jess Damuck , author of the new cookbook Health Nut . We catch up with Jess about a pivot away from salads, what she’s cooking at home in Los Angeles, and how she brought a lot of color to the book’s recipe development and striking photography. Also on the show we have a great talk with Sara B. Franklin . We discuss her new book on legendary cookbook editor Judith Jones, and how Jones’ great influence is stil...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 430
Katherine Lewin is the founder of Big Night, an entertaining-focused home goods store with two locations here in New York City. She’s also the author of Big Night , the cookbook, which is a truly excellent new back-pocket hosting companion, with recipes and menu ideas. It’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about summer cooking, entertaining as an introvert, and more. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt discuss three things they each are interested in right now. These include: The vibes at Gre...
Jul 08, 2024•53 min•Ep. 429
Today on the show we welcome Steven Rinella . He’s an American outdoorsman, conversationalist, writer, and TV personality responsible for introducing the outdoor lifestyle to millions of fans. It was great talking with Steven about his latest work, the MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook , and how he likes to think about summer outdoor cooking. It’s not what you expect. Also on the show we have a great talk with Darin Bresnitz . He’s the co-host of the long-running podcast Snacky Tunes , and a great guy ...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 428
Valeria Socorro Velazquez Lindsten is the owner and head baker of Loba Pastry + Coffee , a beloved Chicago café. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Valeria worked in pastry at several lauded spots across Chicago before creating her very own bakery with delights like green mole croissants and pineapple sourdough muffins. It’s so fun to have her on the show to talk about her pastry perspective, the struggles and successes of opening a small business, and more. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt ch...
Jul 03, 2024•52 min•Ep. 427
On this very special episode, it’s all about beef , and we have a number of experts talking about the subject. First up is George Motz , the chef-owner of Hamburger America, the wildly successful burger counter in New York City. George knows a thing or two about beef, but we didn’t only focus on the hamburger. We talked about all sorts of beef cuts and how George likes to shop for rib eyes and shoulders all summer long. We even got some expert advice for preparing beef before it hits the grill. ...
Jul 01, 2024•51 min•Ep. 426
Tony “Tonx” Konecny is on the show today and we talk about the coffee company he founded with Sumi Ali. It’s called Yes Plz Coffee , and if you’ve listened to this show, you know how much love we have for what Tony and Sumi have built—the bag is part of our show’s logo too, which tells you something. On this episode we talk about how Yes Plz is bringing exceptional blends and single-origin coffees to subscribers each week. It’s a really smart business model, and we get into how it all works, and...
Jun 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 425
Alice Jun is the founder and brewer at Hana Makgeolli , an artisanal Korean rice wine producer based in Brooklyn, New York. She’s dedicated her life to uplifting sool as an artisanal drink here in the US by using only organic rice, nuruk (fermentation starter), and traditional brewing methods to achieve complex flavors, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to go deep on this special, rising beverage category. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple , or star us on Spotify . We’d...
Jun 28, 2024•37 min•Ep. 424
Dennis Lee is the iconoclastic Chicago-based food writer and newsletter daddy behind two great sends: Food Is Stupid and the Party Cut . On this episode, we have a great talk about the Chicago restaurant scene, Dennis’s unique place in food media, and how his Korean-American heritage informs so much of his work. We also dig into the Chicago hot dog and how it might just be one of the world’s most perfect foods. Also on the show, Matt , Aliza , and Clayton pay a visit to the legendary Chicago hot...
Jun 26, 2024•58 min•Ep. 423
How cool was it to have Joan Nathan into our studio? Joan is a longtime chronicler of Jewish food culture around the world and the author of many cookbooks on the topic, including her latest (and final) book, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories , which she put out this spring. In this episode we talk about Joan’s long journalism career, including working at the Washington Post and the New York Times , and writing across the world of food. We also get into some of her favorite lasting ...
Jun 24, 2024•48 min•Ep. 422
Mike Lata is chef and co-owner of the restaurants FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of the most respected voices in Southern cooking. It was really exciting to have Mike into our studio to talk about his journey to opening FIG more than 20 years ago and how he defines Southern cuisine in 2024. It’s so great catching up with Mike, and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show it's the return of three things, where Aliza and Matt talk about three things that g...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 421
Our great Wisconsin Cheese road trip continues! We caught up with iconic Wisconsin chefs Tory Miller of L’Etoile and Graze in Madison and Luke Zahm of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua about how they harness the power of Wisconsin Cheese to make distinctly local cuisine. We also talked with Ken Monteleone of the beloved Madison cheese shop Fromagination about selling craft cheese on the Capitol Square for over 17 years. And, we put our cheese-tasting skills to the test with American Cheese Society–certi...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 420
On this very special episode of This Is TASTE, it’s a TASTE road trip! Aliza, Matt, and producer Clayton traveled all across the great state of Wisconsin to dig deep into the wide world of Wisconsin Cheese , from fresh to aged to blended with Indian spices. We visited Mark Crave and the farmstead creamery of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, and we peeked inside the cheese caves at Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg, where award-winning cheddars and alpine cheeses are aged by Master Che...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 419
