The Taste Podcast

We’re pretty sure many of you have at least heard of Cava and have possibly ordered lunch or dinner from the wildly popular Mediterranean restaurant chain. In this episode, we have a really cool conversation with Cava’s cofounder, Ted Xenohristos. We talk about the company’s early days and how Ted’s Greek heritage and detail-minded approach have made Cava one of the biggest restaurant stories in years. We discuss the group’s broad expansion, how the company’s IPO changed everything (and nothing at all), and how Ted looks at developing culinary ideas that are accessible, a little exotic, and pretty darn delicious.  Also on the show we have a great talk with actor Alexandra Metz. She plays Dr. Yolanda Garcia on one of our favorite shows of the year, the medical drama The Pitt. We talk about filming the intense emergency room scenes, and what it’s like to hit craft service after sawing off a patient’s limb (act sawing, of course). We also hear about all the food in her life growing up in a Jewish and Latina hous

We’re excited to launch a special video podcast series: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing. It’s available on the TASTE YouTube channel, so make sure to subscribe! Every couple of weeks, cohost Matt Rodbard will invite a journalist or cookbook author to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. Our first guest is a special one: Eric Kim is a writer and columnist at the New York Times and a great consumer of food writing. In this episode, we talk about Eric’s media diet, discuss a few favorite stories, Eli Sussman taking over as NYT restaurant critic, and ask the big question: What would you pitch 1997 Graydon Carter? That is, Eric considers his dream no-budget reporting assignment. You can check out the full episode on YouTube now. Featured on this episode: Steak Fries: Deservedly Reviled or Underappreciated Edible Spoons? [NYT] What Can’t Jerk Do? [TASTE] Chef Eli Sussman Named NYT Restaurant Critic [Instagram] Lessons From Germany on a Be

We have such a great episode today. Shilpa and Miro Uskokovic are the husband and wife duo behind the amazing new New York City bakery Hani’s Bakery + Café, located in the East Village. First up Matt has an amazing conversation with Shilpa about her professional cooking career, which led to a job at Bon Appétit. Today Shilpa is BA’s senior test kitchen editor, and we talk about some of the stories she is working on and how the new BA Bake Club is getting so many people to take a break and just bake. Later on, Aliza catches up with Miro to talk about his own incredible pastry career and his legacy as pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, where he worked for over a decade. Of course, they also talk about Hani’s and the amazing desserts, breads, and other items lining the bakery’s case. Shilpa and Miro are two of our favorites in food—what a power couple! I hope you enjoy this episode. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

Robert Sietsema 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. He currently publishes a really great Substack, Robert Sietsema's New York. It’s dispatched in a purely Sietsema way - full of reporting, knowledge, and lots of undiscovered restaurant gems around New York City. You should really be reading Robert’s work and our conversation covers burgers, soups, pizza, and New York as a place that has everything - and not always good.  Also on the show, Matt shares about his recent trip to Tucson, Arizona. What a great food city! Mentioned on the episode: Seis Kitchen at Mercado San Agustin, La Estrella Bakery, Presta, La Mesa Tortillas, Time Market, Casa Asada, Taqueria Juanitos, El Rustico. Check out the Tucson Google map and save for a future visit. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  Re

It was really fun having Molly Yeh back in the studio for an absolute riot of a conversation. Molly is legitimately one of the funniest writers (and guests) that we’ve encountered in a long time, and has amazing recipe writing chops to boot. We get into all sorts of topics on the show including her latest book about Midwest baking, Sweet Farm. We talk about Minnesota's deep cookie salad traditions, the genius of Furikake puppy chow, and what it’s like to live on a sugar beet farm. Also on the show it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Besha Rodell’s memoir Hunger Like a Thirst, Carolina Gelen with a hot (cold) coffee tip, Selva is an all-day cafe/wine bar doing special things. Also: Syme's Letter Writer will make you appreciate letter writing in a special way, Sing Sing didn’t get the attention it deserved, Brooklyn’s Dinner Party is a restaurant serving what we are looking for right

We recently headed out of the studio to visit Victoria, British Columbia, to check out the food and drink scene and report back on my findings. Listeners, this is a really exciting place, and we’re excited to speak with Andrea Alridge, the chef at a terrific new restaurant, Janevca, and Lori Joyce, owner of truly unique ice cream shop, Better Acres Ice Cream.  Victoria rests on the naturally stunning Vancouver Island and is located a short ferry ride from Vancouver and Seattle. We found amazing coffee, fine dining, a historic botanical garden, and fresh seafood around every corner. Throughout the episode, Aliza and Matt also catch up to talk about some of the highlights of the visit. We hope you enjoy our dive into Victoria. Save our Google Map of all the places mentioned in the episode. Visit Tourism Victoria for more information on places to eat and drink. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

Today on the show we welcome Eric Adjepong to the studio, who, along with the writer Korsha Wilson, has released one of our favorite books this spring: Ghana to the World. It’s a wonderful collection of stories and recipes that captures Eric’s deep connection to Ghana and how the country’s cuisine has shaped his career. Eric has appeared on Top Chef and various Food Network programming, and he shares his amazing story and the deep reporting that went into this special book. Also on the show are sisters Alia and Radwa Elkaffas, who have been creating food videos together for over a decade. Known online as the Food Dolls, they’ve built a following with craveable recipes that blend their Egyptian heritage with their Midwestern upbringing. Now it’s all enshrined in their new debut cookbook: Pretty Delicious. It’s so fun chatting with Alia and Radwa about finding cooking inspiration, working together as sisters, and much more. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love

Zaynab Issa is a cookbook author, recipe developer, and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. Formerly a food editor at Bon Appétit, she contributes recipes to a variety of publications and just released a great debut cookbook, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation. It’s so fun having Zaynab in the studio to talk about blending her East African and South Asian roots with Americana classics, building the perfect dinner party menu, and more.     Also on the show we have a really fun talk with Holly Brickley, author of the new novel Deep Cuts. We talk about the music scene in the early 2000s, and how the novel tackles a generation of musical vibe shifts. We also talk about the book’s exciting Hollywood future with A24. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  Read More: Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation [Abrams] Zaynab’s Substack [Substack] Saoirse Ronan And Austin Butler To Star In Feat

Camilla Marcus is a chef, restaurateur, and founder of west~bourne, a wildly progressive restaurant and products company based in Los Angeles. Camilla is one of my favorite big thinkers in food, and I so enjoyed having her in the studio to talk about some important topics of the day, including the pioneering west~bourne, her career in and out of the kitchen, and how the government can help restaurants survive during these challenging times. And before our conversation with Camilla, it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: We love Spongies Cafe in Manhattan Chinatown, early thoughts on Keith McNally’s buzzy memoir I Regret Almost Everything. Also: Visits to Kru in Brooklyn, Paul’s Pel'meni in Madison, WI, and Smithereens in the East Village. And we’re really enjoying the debut cookbook from New York City’s Scarr’s Pizza. It’s called The Scarr's Pizza Cookbook and is out March 25. Do you

Asmeret Berhe-Lumax is the founder of One Love Community Fridge, a network of ten community refrigerators across New York City and Seattle working to eradicate food insecurity. Its work is more urgent than ever, and it’s so special to have Asmeret into the studio to talk about fighting hunger and the stigma associated with it, and about One Love Community Fridge’s big plans for expansion.  Also on the show we have the big grocery news of the week. Poppi was acquired by Pepsi and we’re joined by Andrea Hernández of Snaxshot to talk about what this means for the better-for-you soda wars. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.             READ MORE: Woman Helps Feed Thousands by Putting Refrigerators Full of Nutritious Food into Communities [ABC] Pepsi Acquiring Poppi [Snaxshot]

How fun is it having Paul Carmichael in the studio? Paul is the chef of Kabawa and Bar Kabawa, which is part of Momofuku and located in the former Ko space in New York City. Paul is a Momofuku veteran, having served as chef at Má Pêche in NYC and Seiobo in Sydney, Australia. In this episode, we hear about Paul’s career, from wd~50 to his leadership position working alongside David Chang. We discuss what makes a Momofuku restaurant special and about the Caribbean food history that flows through Paul’s menus. We also get the latest updates on the opening of Kabawa, which is one of New York City’s most hotly anticipated restaurants. It was so fun catching up with Paul.   Also on the show, Aliza has a great talk with Roger Kamholz. A longtime contributor to PUNCH, he’s something of a cocktail world expert, and today he unpacks how he tapped into his mixology knowledge to create Pour Together, a book of imaginative and delicious two-ingredient cocktails.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or s

Jaeki Cho and Brian Lee are the co-founders of Righteous Eats, a multi-platform media brand spotlighting small, immigrant-run food businesses in New York and beyond. They’ve racked up millions of views with thoughtful storytelling that goes beyond the typical food porn—and they’ve got ambitions for a whole lot more, hosting events and providing resources to empower business owners. Today on the show, Jaeki and Brian go deep on Righteous Eats POV and plans for the future, plus some of their favorite spots in the city. Also on the show, it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: HI NRG coffee pop-up in San Francisco, @keithhysiu x @fruitsomm pop-up report, Pistakio has a new crunchy spread. Also: Casa Dragones Reposado, Visitor NA beer, and love for the tofu scramble. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.            

Today on the show, we welcome Fany Gerson into the studio. Fany is the chef and owner of a diverse roster of New York City food businesses, including La Newyorkina, famous for ice cream and paletas, and Fan Fan Doughnuts, which was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist. In this episode, we talk about her amazing career, her many cookbooks, and what it’s like to run a restaurant in these tumultuous times. Fany is one of my favorite people in food, and I hope you enjoy our conversation. Also on the show we present to you a spring restaurant preview of sorts. Aliza and Matt go over a number of restaurants they want to visit. They are opening their Apple Notes "Restaurants" page for all to see, and land on some good ones, including Zimmi's, Golden HOF, Sunn's, Smithereens, Rasarumah, Cafe Kestrel, and many more. Mixteca has been at the forefront of supporting thousands of newly-arrived asylum-seekers. Visit: mixteca.org Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d l

Calvin Eng is the chef and owner of Bonnie’s, a very popular Cantonese American restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He’s also the author of a great new cookbook: Salt Sugar MSG, an introduction to his unique style of home cooking, cowritten with his partner, Phoebe Melnick. It’s so fun to have Calvin in the studio to talk about growing up in New York’s many Chinatowns, developing recipes for home cooks (instead of line cooks), and more. Also on the show, Matt has a fun conversation with Substack’s Austin Tedesco. We love Substack and talked about the upcoming Grubstack virtual festival, running from March 13-15. We also talked about how Substack is helping writers reach wide audiences, and go over some of our favorites. Mentioned on the episode: Bangers and Jams, Alison Roman, Feed Me, Vittles, Sweet City,  The Best Bit, Perfect City, Bite Sized, The Angel, Cake Zine, Sook, A Small & Simple Thing, Snaxshot, Why Is This Interesting? Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify

Laurie Woolever is a longtime journalist and has written a memoir for the ages. Care and Feeding covers her time working as a dutiful assistant for both Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain (let that sink in for a moment), and how her life was entangled in and around the Most Important People in Food for over two decades. It’s a wild ride, and Laurie covers her ups and downs with a strong voice and biting wit. In this episode, we hear all about her work, from booking flights to writing magazine features, and how her addiction to drugs and alcohol nearly brought it all down. This is a modern recovery story and a must-read for anybody interested in her megawatt former bosses. I so loved catching up with Laurie. Also on the episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Flint Marx. Rebecca is Eater’s home editor and leads the publication’s cookbook coverage. She just published a massive spring preview, and we go over so many wonderful books being published this season. You can find information about 12-step programs in your area o

Today on the show we return to the world of New York City restaurants with two great conversations. Just because Michael Stillman’s father is Alan Stillman, founder of the Smith & Wollensky and TGI Fridays chains, doesn’t mean he grew up wanting to go into the family business. Indeed, Michael grew up in the business, but it took some time for him to get to where he is today: operating Quality Branded, the restaurant group behind Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Don Angie, Bad Roman, and many more. We talk about the current restaurant climate and what inspires Michael to dive headfirst into a restaurant concept. It’s a really cool talk. And before that, we speak with the incredible chef Emma Bengtsson. Emma is the chef and partner of Aquavit, which is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. Emma joined us in the studio to talk about her cooking career, which started in Sweden and landed in New York City. We discuss Emma’s expert baking, what she enjoys about running a busy kitchen, and much more with one of

What a terrific episode dedicated to the world of bread. First up is a conversation with Richard Hart, an icon in the clubby world of sourdough. Richard has an amazing story to tell, and we get into his London upbringing and how he ended up in California working at Tartine—but that’s where the story just starts to get good. He then teams up with René Redzepi to open a humble bakery, Hart Bageri, in Copenhagen, and the rest is history. Richard Hart, my friends, is a wonderful guest, and we also talk about his first cookbook, the terrific Richard Hart Bread. But the bread fun doesn’t stop there. I also have the talented writer and recipe developer Lukas Volger on the show to talk about his book, The Bread Machine Book. Yes, the iconic bread machine now has its own cookbook, with recipes that cover so many different styles. Lukas and I dig into his process for writing recipes for the machine and so much more. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you

Tavel Bristol-Joseph is pastry chef and partner at Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Canje, and many other acclaimed restaurants in Austin, Texas, and beyond. He’s also just opened a really cool dessert bar, Nicosi, in San Antonio. In this episode, we talk about Tavel’s early cooking life in New York and how he grew a cheesecake mini empire out of his Brooklyn apartment—well, there were many apartments involved. It’s a great story. We also discuss his move down to Texas and how his unique skills with pastry and restaurant hospitality have made him one of our country’s most important chefs. I really enjoyed getting to hear Tavel’s story. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt preview some really exciting cookbooks being released this spring. And stay tuned, as we will be back with many more exciting titles hitting bookstores in the next couple of months. Books mentioned on the episode: In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking by Woldy Reyes, Pakistan by Maryam Jillani, Fat + Flour by Nicole Rucker, Salsa Daddy by Rick Martíne

Cake Zine is an independent literary food magazine cofounded by pastry chef Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor Aliza Abarbanel. The newest issue, Daily Bread, explores how bread impacts our lives through ritual, religion, and routine. Today on the show, Aliza invites Tanya into the studio to talk about the editorial process behind this sixth issue and the many cultural meanings baked into bread.  Also on the show, it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Adam Robert's debut novel, Food Person, is a riot, Odd One Out is our new favorite boba shop, Craig Mod's memoir Things Become Other Things takes a long walk in Japan. Also: Kiki's has long been a favorite restaurant of ours, and you should visit the American Treasure Tour Museum outside Philadelphia. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  MORE FROM CAKE ZINE: Da

Jason Stewart is a DJ (playing as Them Jeans) and cohost of How Long Gone, a podcast that dips in and out of the food world with surprising and entertaining frequency. It was so great to have Jason back on the show to talk about where he’s been dining out in Los Angeles and New York, his home cooking stylings, and some of his recent writing for TASTE.  Also on the show we have a great conversation with Tejal Rao, a critic at large for the Food section of The New York Times. Tejal is based in Los Angeles and wrote a terrific story about Pasadena’s Panda Inn, the parent restaurant of Panda Express. We talk about the restaurant’s legacy while digging into some of Tejal’s recent favorite Los Angeles restaurants. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  MORE FROM JASON STEWART: A Year of Los Angeles Dining [TASTE] Horses Wakes Up From a Very Bad Dream [TASTE] Craig’s Isn’t Fun or Fancy. It’s Forgettable. [TASTE] Los Angeles Restaurants Right