Best Anna Hezel and Matt Rodbard Podcasts (2025)

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663: Restaurant Chef Life with Sara Kramer (Kismet) and Sarah Thompson (Casa Playa) 59:05

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1d ago59:05

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Today we have a really great episode where we go behind the scenes with two incredible chefs, Sara Kramer and Sarah Thompson. Sara Kramer is co-chef and co-owner of Kismet in Los Angeles, a restaurant that blends Mediterranean and Californian sensibilities flawlessly. Kismet has been a go-to for LA diners for nearly a decade, and we talk about the …

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662: Pastry Diplomacy with David Lebovitz 1:08:01

1d ago1:08:01

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David Lebovitz is a cookbook author and pastry chef based in Paris. After spending 13 years in the pastry kitchen at the legendary Chez Panisse, he embarked on a prolific blogging and cookbook writing career. His latest is an all-new edition of the classic Ready for Dessert, a revised and expanded collection. It’s so fun to talk with David about li…

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661: Ruby Tandoh Knows Why We All Eat This Way 1:00:26

4d ago1:00:26

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Ruby Tandoh is a writer and baker based in London. A finalist on season four of The Great British Bake Off, she’s written several smart and singular books, including the fantastic new book All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now. It’s an incredible exploration of taste as a social construct that traces the historic and cultural context behind …

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660: Muse Is a Los Angeles Restaurant Scene Secret with Fardad Khayami 1:13:38

8d ago1:13:38

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Fardad Khayami, the chef-owner of Muse in Santa Monica, has a really great story. Raised in London, and a restaurant fan basically from birth, Fardad attended University of Southern California and started hosting his own pop-up dinners, first for friends and then for ticket holders. The waiting list reached over 6,000 names, and he eventually chann…

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659: The Jake Cohen Experience 1:27:18

8d ago1:27:18

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Jake Cohen returns to the studio for a really fun conversation. Jake’s a talented cookbook author who is most certainly in the modern social media mix. His new book, Dinner Party Animal, is honestly a joy to read. It offers complete party plans with recipes in the Jake Cohen style—smart, a little sweaty, and with fun and creativity at the center. W…

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658: Novelists Ed Park & Jason Diamond Get the Food Details So Right 1:21:52

12d ago1:21:52

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Today is a really special episode for Matt in that we dive into two of his great loves: food and fiction. In this episode, he catches up with two authors and journalists he has deep respect for: Ed Park and Jason Diamond. Ed is the author of the terrific new short story collection An Oral History of Atlantis and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. W…

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657: Eater’s Fall Cookbook Preview with Bettina Makalintal 52:08

12d ago52:08

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Bettina Makalintal is a senior reporter at Eater and helps lead the publication’s cookbook coverage. Today Eater released a list of its favorites from the busy season, and we talk all about it, as well as some trends Bettina is seeing in book publishing. I always look forward to Eater’s robust and well-considered lists of books each season, and thi…

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656: Real Talk About Cervos and Eel Bar with Aaron Crowder 1:16:00

13d ago1:16:00

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Today on the show, we have a great conversation with Aaron Crowder. Aaron is the chef-partner at two of New York’s buzziest restaurants, Cervos and Eel Bar. In fact, these restaurants are often mentioned on this show’s TASTE check segments. I had a wonderful talk with Aaron about his Florida upbringing and what he is excited to cook this fall. At t…

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655: Top Chef Melissa King Doesn’t Need a Restaurant 42:37

16d ago42:37

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Melissa King is a chef, entrepreneur, television personality, activist, model, tastemaker, and author of the incredible new cookbook Cook Like a King. She is the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. and holds more challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of Top Chef. As mentioned previously on the show, I love Cook Like a King.…

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654: Who Made Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants List? Joseph Hernandez Helped Make the Tough Calls. 48:39

20d ago48:39

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Today on the show, we have a great conversation with Joseph Hernandez. He’s the associate director of drinks & lifestyle at Bon Appétit and Epicurious, and we talk about BA’s best new restaurants of 2025 list that drops today. It’s a terrific list that covers the United States with ambition and great taste, including stops in Pittsburgh, Honolulu, …

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653: Evan Funke Makes up With the Pasta Machine 1:09:07

21d ago1:09:07

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Evan Funke is a Los Angeles chef and roller of pastas, starring on Netflix and in the dining rooms of Felix Trattoria, Mother Wolf, Funke, and other restaurants in his expanding empire. It was such a pleasure sitting down with Evan in Los Angeles to talk about his wild ride of a career, the good word on the restaurant Funke in Beverly Hills, and ho…

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652: How to Party Like Dan Pelosi 1:02:41

22d ago1:02:41

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You may know cookbook author and culinary personality Dan Pelosi as GrossyPelosi, a self-proclaimed “Italian meatball making meatballs.” Dan’s approachable recipes and warm personality, and his debut book, Let’s Eat, have won him lots of fans online and off, and his second cookbook, Let’s Party, delivers more comfort—and lots of smart entertaining …

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651: Understanding AI in the Grocery Store, Sweetgreen's Dip, and Tariff Chaos with Dan Frommer 1:15:14

27d ago1:15:14

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Dan Frommer is the founder and editor in chief of The New Consumer, an influential publication that covers the intersection of technology and consumer brands—and many of these brands live in the food world. We wanted to have Dan back on the show to talk about his new trends report. As Dan writes: “Between tariffs, geopolitics, DOGE, egg prices, mea…

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650: New Fall Cookbooks with Alexis deBoschnek & Miyoko Schinner 1:03:58

28d ago1:03:58

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Alexis deBoschnek is a cookbook author, recipe developer, and writer based in the Catskills in upstate New York. Her latest book, Nights and Weekends, is extremely cool, and we talk about how she brings her deep recipe writing chops to help people cook better and faster. We also discuss her upstate life and some of the memorable recipes from the bo…

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649: The Art of Clocking Restaurant Critics with Drew Nieporent 57:57

30d ago57:57

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Drew Nieporent is the guy behind legendary New York City restaurants Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, Nobu, and nearly 40 more, and he joins me in the studio today for an amazing conversation. He’s written a memoir, I’m Not Trying to Be Difficult: Stories from the Restaurant Trenches, and it’s one of Matt's favorite restaurant books in recent years. In o…

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648: From Buzzy Food Brand to the Menu at Taco Bell with Zab’s Miles Soboroff 1:11:19

1M ago1:11:19

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What does it take to build a buzzy food brand in 2025—a brand gushed about online, used by legit chefs around the country, and found on the shelves of Erewhon? It’s a tough question, but Zab’s Datil Pepper Hot Sauce cofounder Miles Soboroff is pretty qualified to answer it. In this great conversation, Miles shares how he discovered the datil pepper…

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647: Baking Hits, Flops, and Absolute Keepers with Sally's Baking 101 44:50

1M ago44:50

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Sally McKenney is the creator of the wildly popular website Sally’s Baking Addiction. She is known for providing clear, concise instructions, tips, and tutorials to make every recipe approachable for home bakers of all skill levels. In this episode, we talk about her great new cookbook, Sally's Baking 101, and what she is excited to bake this fall.…

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646: Hot Takes and Hotter Copy with Khushbu Shah 1:05:50

1M ago1:05:50

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Khushbu Shah is one of our favorite writers online, and she’s the voice behind the great Substack Tap Is Fine. She’s the former restaurant editor at Food & Wine, and we go over so many topics bubbling over in the world of food, media, recipes, restaurants, and her hometown of Los Angeles, where we recorded this interview. We could speak with Khushb…

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645: Cake Zine: Forbidden Fruit 45:02

1M ago45:02

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Cake Zine is an independent literary food magazine cofounded by pastry chef Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor Aliza Abarbanel. The newest issue, Forbidden Fruit, explores how fruit fuels temptation, transgression, and fantasy. Today on the show, Aliza invites Tanya into the studio to talk about the editorial process behind this seventh issue…

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644: Please No More “Burrata Restaurants" with Jeff Gordinier 57:58

1M ago57:58

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It was so fun having Jeff Gordinier in the studio. Jeff is a journalist, an author, and one of the more prolific writers in the food world. He’s currently Esquire’s food and drinks editor, leading their restaurants and bars coverage. Before that he was a reporter at the New York Times and held various roles at Entertainment Weekly. In this episode …

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643: Union Square Cafe at 40 with Danny Meyer 1:38:37

1M ago1:38:37

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It was truly a blast to have Danny Meyer in the studio. Danny is a great spokesperson for the restaurant industry and a hell of a storyteller. In today’s episode, we focus on his most near and dear restaurant, New York’s Union Square Cafe, which turns 40 this year. We talk about the early years, the legendary customers, and what it was like to pack…

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642: Yasmin Khan Takes Us to Sabzi School 39:11

1M ago39:11

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Yasmin Khan is an author, broadcaster, and human rights campaigner based in London. After releasing The Saffron Tales, Zaitoun, and Ripe Figs, she has a new cookbook: Sabzi, a collection of over 80 vegetarian recipes drawing from her travels and her Iranian and Pakistani heritage. It’s so special to have Yasmin on the show to talk about adapting tr…

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641: London Loves the Mystery of a Pain Au Chocolat with Rosie Kellett 58:27

2M ago58:27

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Rosie Kellett is a chef, food writer, and supper club host based in London. She’s the author of a terrific debut cookbook, In for Dinner, and we really enjoyed catching up with her about the current London restaurant scene, her deep interest in pain au chocolat, and what cooking in a shared space in East London taught her about her own cooking skil…

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640: Tariffs, Trends, and Keeping a Brand Spicy with Fly By Jing’s Jing Gao 1:02:23

2M ago1:02:23

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Fly By Jing is one of the most exciting brands in food today, and we were lucky to have the company’s founder, Jing Gao, return to the studio for a great conversation. We talk about the company’s incredible trajectory, and how growth (and expansion into new product lines) comes with its own challenges. We also tap into what it’s like to make chili …

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639: Sami Tamimi’s Palestinian Garden 44:57

2M ago44:57

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Sami Tamimi is a Palestinian chef and cookbook author based in London. He is the cofounder of the Ottolenghi restaurant group and the coauthor of the award-winning cookbooks Jerusalem and Falastin, and now he has a new cookbook of his very own: Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine. It’s a pleasure to have Sami in the studio to ta…

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638: Meet Your New New York Times Restaurant Critic, Tejal Rao 53:34

2M ago53:34

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How fun it was to have Tejal Rao in the studio. Tejal is the co–chief restaurant critic at the New York Times, a role where she shares the mic with Ligaya Mishan. Newly elevated to this important job, we talk about how she views her role as a critic and go over many of her memorable stories. We also look back on her days working at the Village Voic…

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637: The Korean Restaurant Family Novel with Jinwoo Chong 47:53

2M ago47:53

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Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novels I Leave It Up to You and Flux, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. We really enjoyed I Leave It Up to You. It’s a family story set in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and it features a Korean family working in a Japanese-Korean restaurant, with a family dynamic t…

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636: Life at the Top of the Masthead with Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis 57:21

2M ago57:21

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Hunter Lewis joined us in the studio for an entertaining conversation about his career working in food media. Hunter has led Food & Wine as editor in chief since 2017, and before that he held editorial roles at Cooking Light, Southern Living, Bon Appétit, and Saveur. That is some résumé, and we talk through his various stops as well as digging into…

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635: Taiwan #1 with Eric Sze 1:09:15

2M ago1:09:15

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Eric Sze is the chef-owner behind the Taiwanese restaurants 886 and Wenwen in New York City. He’s also working on a debut cookbook, Taiwanese?, and he recently returned from a whirlwind trip conducting research and taking photos for the book. Eric is one of our favorite voices in food, and it’s so fun having him in the studio to unpack his culinary…

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634: Inside the Mind of a Former Whole Foods Buyer with Cathy Strange 1:06:30

2M ago1:06:30

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What a special episode we have today with Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market’s ambassador of food culture and a world-renowned cheese expert, buyer, and consumer packaged goods tastemaker, among many other things. Matt invited Cathy to join in a walk around Whole Foods’ Columbus Circle location. We wanted to get her take on several categories of gro…

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633: Do You Really Know Your Favorite Condiment? Claire Dinhut Will Take You to School. 58:12

2M ago58:12

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Claire Dinhut is known as Condiment Claire online, but as we find out in this entertaining conversation, Claire’s knowledge about food goes well beyond spotting the perfect mustard for sandwiches (though, of course, she has thoughts). She is the author of a terrific book, The Condiment Book, which is sneaky in its brilliant discussions on food scie…

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632: Padma Lakshmi, Live and Unfiltered 1:00:35

2M ago1:00:35

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Does Padma Lakshmi really need an introduction? The Emmy-nominated producer, television host, food expert, and New York Times best-selling author is in a league of her own, and she recently joined us for a live conversation at the Bell House in Brooklyn. She shared her take on how Top Chef has impacted food culture, shooting Taste the Nation, and w…

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631: Lei Is an Exciting, Singular Chinese Wine Bar in NYC with Annie Shi 1:25:31

2M ago1:25:31

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Annie Shi is the co-owner and beverage director of the West Village’s French-Italian restaurant King and its uptown Rockefeller Center sibling Jupiter. Now she’s opened a spot of her very own: Lei, a Chinese wine bar on the historic Doyers Street in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Lei is such a special and singular spot, and it’s great having A…

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630: Is Akhtar Nawab New York City’s Most Respected Chef? 1:21:44

2M ago1:21:44

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Akhtar Nawab is today’s guest, and we dig into his influential career in New York City dining. He’s the chef-owner of the terrific restaurants Wayward Fare and Alta Calidad in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and he previously ran the kitchen at La Esquina. Akhtar moved to New York in 1998 and worked under chef Tom Colicchio at Gramercy Tavern for sever…

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629: It’s Always Maine Lobster Season with Ham El-Waylly 59:49

2M ago59:49

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Today on the show we are talking all about one of the world’s great foods: Maine Lobster, harvested directly from the cold waters of Maine, which give it its unique and sweet taste. First up is a great conversation with Ham El-Waylly. Ham is the chef-owner of the buzzy Brooklyn restaurant Strange Delight, and he tells us how Maine Lobster has been …

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628: The Bold Flavors of Fujian with Jess Eng 51:01

2M ago51:01

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Jess Eng is a food writer based in New York City. She’s a regular contributor here at TASTE alongside a great roster of publications like the Washington Post and the New York Times. It’s so fun to have her on the show to expand on some of her favorite stories, her latest experiments with home fermentation, and her recent reporting trip in Fuzhou, C…

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627: An Epic NYC Pizza Tour with Maurizio Leo. Plus, Anthony Falco’s Italian Pizza Adventures. 1:22:28

2M ago1:22:28

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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 throug…

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626: B. Dylan Hollis Took the Wildest Roadtrip Across America to Make the Sweetest Cookbook 48:23

3M ago48:23

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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…

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625: Marc-Kwesi Farrell Made Ten to One The Buzziest Rum Brand 53:41

3M ago53:41

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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…

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624: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing with Mahira Rivers 57:17

3M ago57:17

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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…

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623: Jodi Moreno Shares Her Mexico City Recs and Simple Pleasures in the Kitchen 1:17:03

3M ago1:17:03

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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 s…

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622: Basque Restaurant Blowout: The Good, The Bad, and the Pil Pil with Max Shapiro 50:13

3M ago50:13

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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 an…

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621: Unpacking Swedish Candy’s Viral Success with BonBon’s Leonard Schaltz 43:38

3M ago43:38

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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 dema…

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620: Hailee Catalano Shares Her Hearts For Chicago, Red Sauce Classics, The Jersey Shore, and Rachael Ray 1:33:35

3M ago1:33:35

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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 h…

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619: Aimee France Has The Internet’s Attention 1:00:38

3M ago1:00:38

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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…

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618: If You Can Kill It, Swamp Dogg Can Cook It 43:42

3M ago43:42

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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 …

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617: Masala y Maíz Is Rooting Deep in Mexico City 59:27

3M ago59:27

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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, s…

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616: Meet Your New New York Times Restaurant Critic, Ligaya Mishan 56:48

3M ago56:48

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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 …

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615: Eddie Huang, an NYC Restaurant Pioneer, Is Back in Town Baby 42:59

3M ago42:59

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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…

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614: Is Substack the Most Exciting Place For Food Writing? Austin Tedesco Has Thoughts. 57:15

3M ago57:15

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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 …

Anna Hezel And Matt Rodbard Podcasts