The Taste Podcast

Jesse Burgess is behind Topjaw, the wildly popular, restaurant-centric social media account covering the food scene in London and beyond. Jesse is also the host of a cool new series on Apple TV+ called Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, which is streaming now. The show follows several restaurants, including Coqodaq, Nōksu, and the Musket Room (in New York) and Feld and Esmé (in Chicago), as they sweat it out during Michelin Guide season. Jesse reveals how he views these star-worthy restaurants and what it’s like being at the center of food influencing.    Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rosie Grant is the creator of Ghostly Archive, a project documenting the real-life phenomenon of recipes inscribed on tombstones in cemeteries around the world. After years of seeking out these immortalized dishes, she’s released a truly singular cookbook, To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes. Today on the show, we chat about the project, creating the book, and some of Rosie’s favorite gravestone recipes. Also on the show, Matt catches up with Vanessa Anderson, known widely online as Grocery Goblin. Vanessa writes a terrific Substack and posts video clips on social media, all in celebration of international grocery stores. Vanessa is based in Los Angeles, home to a great grocery store scene, and we talk about her work and some of her favorite places to shop. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one is a long time coming, and we’re thrilled to welcome Joshua McFadden to the studio. Joshua is a chef based in Oregon and the author of one of the most beloved cookbooks of all time, Six Seasons. He’s back with a new one that is equally incredible. Six Seasons of Pasta takes the same six-seasons principle (discussed in the episode) to pasta cookery, and it might just break your brain. We talk about some simple tricks for cooking pasta at home before digging into Joshua’s career, his consulting work, and the kale salad, something that he’s (unbelievably) credited with inventing. No, for real, you gotta stick around for the kale salad update.  Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Nunn is the London-based founder and coeditor of Vittles, a food and culture newsletter based in the UK and India. Vittles is a singular source for incisive writing about contemporary food culture, from deep dives to restaurant reviews, and it’s a pleasure to have Jonathan in the studio to talk about what’s shaping its ever-growing coverage.  And, at the top of the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt talk about what is exciting them in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: A great visit to Elbow Bakery, Eng’s Restaruant in Kingston, NY is all mid-century vibes and a Chinese-American gem, Russian Samovar makes for a real NYC evening, we made the Hetty tomato salad, Heydoh is a great new soy sauce, remembering journalist Marian Burros.    Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antoni Porowski is best known as the food and wine expert on the Netflix series Queer Eye, which will be airing its final season later this year. He’s a best-selling author and the host of a terrific food travel show, No Taste Like Home. Matt joined him onstage at the Traverse City Food & Wine festival for an amazing conversation. The event was hosted by the National Writers Series, a terrific organization bringing authors to stages around Traverse City, Michigan. Also on the show we have a really great conversation with Lindsey Baruch, author of the new book Something Delicious. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 as a whole. In today’s episode, we have a great conversation with Elyse Inamine. Elyse is a journalist who worked at Tasting Table and Food & Wine before serving as restaurants editor at Bon Appétit. She’s also the coauthor of For the Love of Kewpie: A Cookbook and Celebration, which, as the name suggests, is a celebration of one of the world’s finest condiments. We talk about Elyse’s journalism career and book work before digging into some of her recent stories.

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 restaurant’s Resy Standby status.  Sarah Thompson is the chef at Casa Playa in Las Vegas, a gem of a coastal Mexican restaurant that really impressed me on a recent visit. We talk about Sarah’s work at Cosme in New York that eventually led her to Las Vegas. What’s it like cooking in such a high-octane environment? We find out. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers – not of Resy—and do not constitute professional advice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 life and pastries in Paris and about updating this classic book. And before that Matt, along with the show’s lead producer Clayton, laced up their shoes to run the inaugural New York City Bakery Half Marathon. They have a field report from all those miles, and all that laminated pastry dough while visiting 8 bakeries around NYC over the course of the run.   Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 contemporary food culture. Today on the show, we go deep on Ruby’s research and reporting process, plus her take on where we’re at in food culture today. Also on the show Aliza and Matt talk about some exciting fall cookbooks landing in bookstores soon. These include: Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor: A Cookbook, Measure with Your Heart: Southern Home Cooking to Feed Your Family and Soul, Padma's All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond, Good Things, Bad Bitch In the Kitchen, Something from Nothing, Everything's Good: Cozy Classics You'll Cook Always and Forever. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotif

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 channeled that love for hospitality into his own restaurant—all before the age of 25. Muse is creative, a little cheffy, and a name to remember. We talk about Fardad’s journey and one crazy first year of operating. At the top of the show, Eric Valdez completes the Resy Questionnaire. Eric is the chef at Naks, a high-energy Filipino restaurant in New York’s East Village. We talk about food movies, dream dinner parties, and the best pizza in NYC. It’s part of a new segment where Resy’s editors, writers, and partner chefs will share compelling stories and discuss the latest in food and dining culture. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers – not Res

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. We talk about what makes a great party and how to think creatively while in the heat of a dinner party kitchen. Also on the show, Aliza catches up with Griffin Owens and Basil Beshkov of YUZUCO, an exciting food brand importing Japanese citrus that has often ended up in some of our favorite bakery pastries and cocktails.   Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. We talk about the 1990s and Ed’s past life working at the Village Voice. Food is at the center of Ed’s life (it’s why we love Ed so much), and we talk about his Korean American household in Buffalo and the modern Korean restaurant scene.  On to Jason Diamond. The guy wrote a terrific debut novel, Kaplan’s Plot. It’s a story set in Chicago in both modern times and the 1920s, and yes, there are gangers—but also some amazing food scenes. We get into what drives Jason to write deeply researched scenes that celebrate Chicago’s Jewish diaspora. Yes, liverwurst and the classic Chicago hot dog get some ink. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Yo

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 this one is no different. Bettina fills us in, and I hope you enjoy our talk. And, at the top of the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt talk about what is exciting them in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Some Hudson Valley fall recommendations, including the Hudson Valley Apple Project, Zinnia’s Dinette, and fresh eyes on Tivoli including stops at GioBatta Alimentari and Fortunes Ice Cream, and Club Sandwich looks great. Also, Eyval might be our favorite NYC restaurant meal of the year, the Library 180 image archive is for true magazine lovers, and Ninhao in South Park Slope is worth a visit

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 the top of the show, Gilberto Cetina, chef at the iconic restaurant Holbox in Los Angeles, completes the Resy Questionnaire. We talk about desert island kitchen appliances, food movies, and the best taco in LA. It’s part of a new segment where Resy’s editors, writers, and partner chefs will share compelling stories and discuss the latest in food and dining culture. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers – not Resy - and do not constitute professional advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. It really speaks to me, and Melissa shares about what inspired the recipes as well as why she is 100% okay with not working in restaurants.  Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over some of their favorite chef and restaurant cookbooks from this busy fall season. These include: Soju Party, Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing,The Pasta Book, Six Seasons of Pasta, House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite Chinese Restaurant, Family Thai, Franco Pepe: Pizza Chef, Le Bistrot Paul Bert: French Comfort Food from the Parisian Restaurant.  Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices

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, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Who made the list? We go over all of it. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over some of their favorite baking cookbooks from this busy fall season. These include: Pastry Temple, The Art of Gluten-Free Bread, Lebanese Baking, Baking and the Meaning of Life, The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, Dobre Dobre, 108 Asian Cookies. This is a really fun episode, and we hope you enjoy it. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 how he collaborates closely with his staff to make sure the pasta is always right.  We also get an update on his long-held pasta machine sentiment. Evan is honest here, and he reveals the many complexities of running multiple restaurants.  At the top of the show, it’s the Resy Hit List, where we speak with a Resy editor to hear about what is exciting them in the world of restaurants. It’s part of a new recurring segment where Resy’s editors, writers and partner chefs will share compelling stories and discuss the latest in food and dining culture. On today’s show, we catch up with Deanna Ting. Deanna is the New York editor at Resy, and we talk about new openings, sp

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 tips. It’s so fun to have Dan on the show to talk about building a brand that still feels personal, actually stress-free entertaining, and more. And after the interview, Aliza and Matt share about their recent trips to Los Angeles, with visits to: Kuya Lord, Found Oyster, Holbox, Muse, Rustic Canyon, AWAN, Kettl. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, measles, fires, floods, and more, the US consumer has had a chaotic start to the year.” What does it all mean for brands like Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and Starbucks? We dig into each, and we have a great conversation about that not-so-great topic on all of our minds: inflation. I loved catching up with Dan, and I hope you enjoy the conversation. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Stella Drivas, author of the new book, Hungry Happens: Mediterranean. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 book. Also on the show, Aliza talks with Miyoko Schinner, the trailblazing plant-based chef, cookbook author, and founder of the vegan cheese brand Miyoko’s Creamery. Her seventh cookbook, The Vegan Creamery, shares everything you need to make milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and more without dairy. We also talk about big shifts in the plant-based eating world. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices