The Taste Podcast

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 our conversation, we cover a lot of ground: opening in Tribeca in the early ’80s, collaborating with Robert De Niro on multiple restaurants, and why Keith McNally isn’t the only New York City restaurant man with a good story to tell. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 by near accident and how he think about growing his amazing company. Matt is a major fan of Zab’s as well as of Miles, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Also on the show Matt has a great conversation with Tyler Sharp, editor in chief of Modern Huntsman. The award-winning publication has released a really terrific cookbook and they talk all about it, as well as what it means to hunt and fish today. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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: We visited some New York City restaurants! Checking in on I Cavallini, Eel Bar, Cervo’s, Bridges, and Bong. Also: Jason Diamond’s debut novel, Kaplan’s Plot, gives Boardwalk Empire chased with a glass of prune juice, checking out Greensickle green juice popsicles, and a great visit to Traverse City, Michigan including visits to Common Good Bakery and Mode’s Bum Steer. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠   Learn more about yo

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 Khushbu for hours, and we actually do that when we hang out offline. But here’s our on-the-record conversation, and you shouldn’t miss it. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Julie Wolfson. Julie is an editor and writer covering the exciting California coffee scene. We talk about roasters, cafes, cold coffee, and her new Golden State of Coffee work on Substack. Read: 26 Of My Strongest Opinions About Food Read: Are You a Restaurant Regular? Listen: Los Angeles Coffee Professionals Spill All Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ 

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 and fruit’s many cultural meanings. Pre-order the new issue of Cake Zine: Forbidden Fruit Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ 

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 we have a great conversation about his work, the current dining scene, and his award-winning article in Food & Wine about rice in Charleston that he cowrote with George McCalman. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 everything up and move a couple of blocks over in 2016. What a great conversation.  Also on the show, I have a great talk with Lena Ciardullo, the current executive chef of Union Square Cafe. We talk about what it’s like to shepherd this iconic restaurant, and we get into her own personal style and tastes. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 traditional recipes for a plant-based diet, motherhood and the power of culinary lineage. Shop: Canaan Palestine Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 skills. Read: Rosie Kellett on Substack Watch: London's Best Pain Au Chocolat Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 crisps in China, and how the yo-yoing tariff dynamic is keeping the company on its toes. I have so much respect for what Jing is building at Fly By Jing. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Hailee Catalano and Chuck Cruz, recorded live at The Bell House. We talk about softboy foods, beach sandwiches, and what the DMs are looking like. Buy: The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 talk about his path to writing Boustany and the rich Palestinian traditions of agriculture and foraging. Read: The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah Read: Sami Tamimi Wrote the Book He Wanted to Write Watch: Foragers Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 Voice and discuss how that era of internet reporting (or, dare we call it, blogging) informed her well-respected journalism career. Tejal is one of our favorite voices in food. 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: Zimmi’s knows its way around aioli, Melissa King’s Cook Like a King is a true standout in a busy cookbook season, and Samin Nosrat knows how people want to eat with her new book, Good Things. Also: Ed Park’s new short story collection, An Oral History of Atlantis, is such a trip to the ’90s. Spea

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 that feels quite realistic. Jinwoo talks about the research that went into writing so colorfully about restaurant culture as well as his own food memories from growing up in New Jersey.  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: David Lebovitz has revised Ready for Dessert, a visit to Pavé NYC, Coffee Project NY is roasting exceptional coffee. Also: One Love Community Fridge launched a CSA, Van Leeuwen is king of non-dairy, and Muteki Udon is serving one of our favorite salads. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Ap

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 the terrific work currently being done at Food & Wine. We also asked him about the general health of editorial in 2025. It’s an interesting time to be doing what we do, and he doesn’t hold back. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 career, the tricky task of defining Taiwanese food, operating restaurants in NYC, and more. Also on the show Matt catches up with journalist Elizabeth Dunn to talk about her terrific story in the New York Times about the protein bar arms race. What is up with the David bar, and the age protein era we are living in? Elizabeth has many thoughts and we had a great time talking esterified propoxylated glycerol. Wild stuff. Read: The Protein Bar Arms Race Read: Consumed Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 groceries, including beverages, snacks, and, of course, cheese. We go over what’s exciting her lately and how she thinks about the future of groceries. After our walk, Cathy joins us in the studio to talk about her amazing career, which spans both pre- and post-Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods nearly a decade ago. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 science, terroir, history, and flavor pairing. The book is really great, and it was fun to talk with Claire about her life in and out of the kitchen. Also on the show we catch up with Anna Hezel to discuss her latest writing on TASTE, a close look at the exciting, multidimensional tinned fish era we are currently living in. Anna is this show’s former co-host, and the co-editor of Best Food Blog and it’s always great catching up with her. Read: The Tinned Fish Backlash Was Inevitable

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 writing her new cookbook, Padma’s All American—plus her memories of ’90s New York, her epic cookbook collection, and the rush of doing stand-up comedy. 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: It’s corn ice cream season at Malai, Campo Grande is selling exceptional Ibérico pork, a Canadian pizza pop-up at F&F in Brooklyn, Fungi Decoded by Britt A. Bunyard is the mushroom book for us. Also: Leggio's Deli in Bayshore, Long Island makes the perfect beach sandwich, and America’s Sweethearts Dallas Cowboys Cheer

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 Annie in the studio to talk about growing up in New York, pairing wine with Chinese food, and the evolution of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Also on the show Matt has an amazing conversion with Austin Hennelly. He’s the bar director at the Taiwanese restaurant Kato in Los Angeles. Kato is one of the most well-reviewed and respected restaurants in America, and the bar program shines with innovation and style. We talk about how Austin thinks deeply about NA beverage service before we hear about this wild professional career.  Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 

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 several years. He was part of the opening staff of Craft, and in 2002 he helped open Craftbar, later serving as executive chef. He’s mentored many stars in the industry, including David Chang, who credits him as a major influence. While he’d never say it himself, those who follow NYC restaurants understand that Akhtar is a giant in the industry. Humble and hardworking, it was a real pleasure to have him in the studio to talk about his amazing work. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Javier Cabral. He's the editor in chief of L.A. Taco. We discuss the publication's important work covering Los Angeles ICE activity, while offering readers a needed resource t