This Is TASTE

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. On today’s episode, we have an amazing conversation with Tammie Teclemariam. Tammie writes as the Underground Gourmet at New York magazine and combs the city for the most exciting new and historical restaurants. We cover so many topics in this episode, including New York City’s frozen yogurt boom, international chain restaurants, and whether Gen Z is really opposed to keeping a bar tab going. We also talk about the recent New York Times 100 Best Restaurants list as well as what Tammie is enjoying in the NYC food scene. Featured on the episode: 7 New York City Slices in 5 HoursThis City Is Ready for Some Fro-YoGen Z Doesn’t Want to Start a Bar TabA Chain Opening That’s Worth Getting Excited About100 Best Restaurants in New York CitySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Woldy Reyes is a New York–based chef and founder of the boutique catering company Woldy Kusina. He’s become known for creating modern, fashionable, plant-based food, and now he’s sharing it in a debut cookbook: In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking. Today Woldy talks about the inspiration behind In the Kusina, his Filipino pantry essentials, karaoke, and more. 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: The Meadow in Portland is our perfect store, a visit to Brooklyn’s Taquería El Chato, Mush peanut butter and an overnight oats conversation. Also: Exceptional Thai tea at Naur in Manhattan, In for Dinner by Rosie Kellett is out in August and giving 1990s Jamie Oliver, and Coqodaq knows what people want in NYC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we have a very fun episode highlighting one of the country’s emerging culinary cities: Traverse City, Michigan. Located in Northern Michigan on the stunning shores of Lake Michigan, Traverse City has a restaurant and wine scene that attracts visitors from around the globe. And this August marks the debut of the Traverse City Food & Wine, running August 20–24. In this episode, we speak with some of the people who make Traverse City such a special place. First up we speak with Sarah Welch, a Top Chef finalist who ran the acclaimed restaurant Marrow in Detroit before moving to Traverse City to open a forthcoming restaurant with her husband, Cameron Rolka of Detroit’s Mink. Next, we hear from Traverse City Food and Wine director Whitney Waara about the amazing event, with a lineup of chefs including Tyler Florence, Ji Hye Kim, Mei Lin, and Kate Williams. To close, we learn about Traverse City’s growing wine region from Patrick Brys of Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery. For Traverse City Food & Wine tickets visit traversecityfoodandwine.com. This very special episode is supported by Traverse City Tourism and Pure Michigan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Adam Roberts is back on the show, and we couldn’t be happier to speak with him about his terrific debut novel, Food Person. You may know Adam from his pioneering food blog (now on Substack), The Amateur Gourmet, but we know him now as a fiction writer digging into the world we talk about often here on the show: food media, cookbooks, collaborations, and all the behind-the-scenes drama that can pop up therein. Adam has written an incredible universe in the novel, and we discuss how he wrote it and how cookbooks truly informed the writing process. 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: Chicago's Lao Peng You has an incredible house noodle soup, Overcompensating is our favorite new show, Betweener is an interesting energy drink alternative. Also: A visit to the new Mission Chinese in Manhattan’s Chinatown, Lula Cafe remains a Chicago legend, Askinosie Chocolate is a favorite new chocolate company and puts the farmer front and center. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mehreen Karim a Brooklyn-based pop-up chef, recipe developer, and food writer. You may know her from seeing her compete on Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, but today she’s coming back on our show to talk about writing her first cookbook, Make It Plant-Based! Southern, and editing a larger plant-based cooking series. I always have so much fun catching up with our friend Mehreen, and this episode is no exception. Also on the show, TASTE contributor Vrinda Jagota stops by the studio to talk about two of her recent stories about the real-world effects of going viral: The Expansive, Absurdist Canvas of Tiramisu and Indian Pizza Is Extremely Online. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you to all of our listeners for helping us get to 600 episodes. If you like what we are doing, drop us a review on Apple or Spotify. Besha Rodell is a restaurant critic, columnist, and freelance reporter based in Melbourne, Australia. She is a James Beard Award winner and served as a critic at Creative Loafing, LA Weekly, and The Age. It was really great to have Besha in the studio to talk about her life as a critic, which she details in all its guts and glory in a terrific memoir, Hunger Like a Thirst. We talk about her time working in New York City restaurants and writing in the shadow of Jonathan Gold, who she followed as critic at LA Weekly during her time in Los Angeles. We also discuss the current restaurant reviewing scene and so much more. 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: Nepali Bhanchha Ghar is our momo rec in Queens, AOOA is our go-to Hudson Valley farm stop this summer, Aliza shares a home cooking update. Also: Blue Cove Preserves is doing great tinned branzino, we're pro-honey in a salad dressing, and Yes Plz and Camber is the coffee you should be subscribing to. 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: Leave Beets and Goat Cheese AlonePeanut Butter BeautifulHow We Chose the World's Best Restaurants See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is queer food? Today we’re having a special roundtable discussion with the authors of two great new books unpacking the topic in exciting and unexpected ways: John Birdsall is the author of The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard and the wonderful new book What Is Queer Food?: How We Served a Revolution. Erik Piepenburg is a reporter and the author of Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants. I loved both of these books, and I’m so grateful for this lively conversation that looks to the past, present, and future of queer community. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Rodbard invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. On today’s episode, we have an amazing conversation with Jaya Saxena. Jaya is a correspondent at Eater, covering many topics including labor, queer food culture, and “why American potato chips are so boring.” She also serves as the series editor for the Best American Food and Travel Writing anthology, which has a new edition edited by Bryant Terry dropping in the fall. In this great episode, we talk about Jaya’s career writing about the world of food, including her memorable piece for Eater, “The Food That Makes You Gay.” We also go over some recent stories and play the game “What would you pitch 1997 Graydon Carter?” That is, Jaya considers her dream no-budget reporting assignment. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. Featured on the episode: Thomas Keller asked me to leave the French LaundryWe’ve All Been In Thomas Keller’s CourtyardThe 22 Best Pizza Places in New York Right NowThe Food That Makes You GayThe Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025TASTE on YouTube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ali Domrongchai is a writer, recipe developer, and baker in Brooklyn. She’s passionate about researching and uplifting Thai culinary traditions, from teaching luk chup workshops to popping up with pandan lemongrass mochi cake and other treats at restaurants around the city. It’s so fun having Ali on the show to talk about the exciting state of Thai food in NYC, including her upcoming Thai Takeover at New York’s Museum of Food and Drink on May 29. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Geraldine DeRuiter, author of a terrific essay collection, If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury. We talk about Mario Batali’s cinnamon rolls, writing food into video games, and her truly unique way of writing about food and culture. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tasteland is a very cool podcast that offers creative takes on media, marketing, and technology from Daisy Alioto and Francis Zierer. Daisy is the CEO of Dirt Media, a next-generation entertainment brand using emerging technology to tell the coolest stories about culture and collecting. Francis is the editor of Creator Spotlight, a weekly newsletter about creators across the world of newsletters. Matt joins Daisy and Francis to talk all about media, the power of the podcast, and some of the work we do at TASTE. On this episode we hit many topics, including: Robert Sietsema on Substack, our fondness for Eater’s editorial, the fast death of “text on the page”, the podcast is blogging/newsletters, Rob Martinez on YouTube, MacKenzie Chung Fegan’s work at the San Francisco Chronicle, caring about “text on the page”, TASTE’s Horses story, Big Art, MONEY, How Long Gone is a great food podcast, Camilla Marcus on payroll tax, cool NYC restaurants, visiting a restaurant week three. Also: Restaurant pop-up culture, old (good) evergreen stories, The Most by Jessica Anthony, Bad Waitress by Becca Schuh, Stissing House, Jordan Michelman’s novel. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Betsy Andrews is a James Beard Award–winning journalist who edited at Saveur magazine during some of its most fruitful years. She’s been traveling the Central California coast and staying there with family since childhood, and these travels are the topic of the terrific book she coauthored with the chef Scott Clark. Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip is a wonderful read, and we talk about how Betsy turned road-tripping into such a colorful book. We also dig into Betsy’s journalism career, reviewing restaurants for the New York Times, and her work at Saveur. 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 very special salad, Primis Imports is selling incredible Greek products, Momofuku Soy & Scallion Noodles leads to many possibilities. Also: Non-alcoholic sparkling cider from Rose Hill Farm, The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse playing off-Broadway is a riot, and Nice Cans is a new tinned fish of the moment. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. Check out more episodes: This Is TASTE 323: We ❤️ Saveur with Dorothy KalinsThis Is TASTE 324: We ❤️ Saveur with Colman AndrewsThis Is TASTE 325: We ❤️ Saveur with Kat Craddock See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We had a great time catching up with Leah Cohen. She’s the chef-owner of the terrific Pig & Khao restaurants in New York City, with locations on the Upper West Side and Lower East Side. On this episode, we talk about her career and appearing on an early season of Top Chef. We also get into her struggles with identity as a kid, and how her Filipino and Jewish upbringing made her the chef she is today. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Barbara Costello. She of the popular @BrunchwithBabs social accounts and the new cookbook: Every Day with Babs: 101 Family-Friendly Dinners for Every Day of the Week: A Cookbook. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Casey Elsass is a food writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author living in Brooklyn, New York. Known among his collaborators as the cookbook doula, Casey has helped birth over twenty titles, as co-author, ghostwriter, friend, and unlicensed therapist. He is the author of a terrific new cookbook, What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life. Also on the show is chef and TV fixture Michael Symon. He’s the author of Symon's Dinners Cooking Out: 100 Recipes That Redefine Outdoor Cooking. Yes, my guy has some really smart ideas on how to cook outside when hosting, or just cooking solo. We talk about about getting into a grilling practice at home. Smart stuff. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meera Sodha is a cook and food writer based in London. Meera’s best-selling cookbooks and weekly Guardian column, The New Vegan, are some of my favorite sources of cooking inspiration, but like many people, she experienced burnout that led her to fall out of love with food. Today on the show, Meera talks about finding her way back into the kitchen and how that experience inspired her new book, Dinner, an honest and helpful guide to getting the most important meal of the day on the table. Also on the show we have a conversation with Susan Dominus. Susan is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine the author of a terrific new book, The Family Dynamic. We talk about how parents—and siblings—shape and fuel individual success, and focus on family a story with a Chinese restaurant at the center. We also talk about some of Susan's food-related work at the Times. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meredith Hayden is the author of the new bestselling The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook and she has quite the story to tell, which we get into in this great conversation. While working at Conde Nast, Meredith attended night culinary school and lived a double life of sorts—publishing worker during the day, line cook at night. We get into how she walked the tightrope and eventually landed as a private chef before launching a memorable, and might I say incredibly popular, TikTok account. The rest is history and it was a delight hearing Meredith talk about her story on the show. 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: An i’m donut ? report, the Hudson Valley’s Stissing House is as good as it's ever been, Jakarta Munch is a must-visit Urban Hawker stall in Midtown. Also: We book-clubbed The Most by Jessica Anthony in a weekend, it’s lychee season, The Condiment Book is super smart, and some Portland, Oregon restaurant recs. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nina Compton is the chef and owner of three highly regarded restaurants in New Orleans: Compère Lapin, BABs, and Nina’s Creole Cottage. Born in Saint Lucia, she honed her chops at many notable restaurants before appearing as the fan favorite on season 11 of Top Chef. Nina’s new cookbook, Kwéyòl / Creole, written with Osayi Endolyn, is a true standout, tracing her culinary journey from growing up in Saint Lucia to Jamaica, Miami, and her adopted home of New Orleans. It’s so special to have Nina in the studio to talk about making this book and her culinary career. 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: Pig & Khao, from Leah Cohen, is doing really interesting things on the Upper West Side, get to AbuQir in the Little Egypt section of Astoria, Menus By Brian is the coolest cookbook series. Also: A development in Aliza’s kitchen and it’s steaming, the great Yuzu Co. has a new line of drinks, NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to open city-owned grocery stores. And as a P.S.: I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong is one of the most-representative restaurant culture novels in recent times. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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, cohost Matt Rodbard invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. On today’s episode we have an amazing conversation with David Farley. Farley’s a longtime food and travel writer with stories in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Afar, and many other publications. He’s the author of An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town and we talk about some recent food writing and David’s many travels. We also played “What would you pitch 1997 Graydon Carter?” That is, David considers his dream no-budget reporting assignment. Featured on this episode: This Is the Secret Michelin-Star Capital of the WorldIs This the New Cocktail Capital of Europe?The Dish Worth Traveling to Vietnam For (and It Isn’t Pho)Welcome to Reno, the Mighty Mecca of All-You-Can-Eat SushiLucien Smith Gets a JobEveryone Who Invented the Everything BagelSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was really amazing to have Enrique Olvera in the studio. Olvera is the acclaimed Mexican chef behind Pujol in Mexico City, Cosme in New York (celebrating its 10th anniversary), and other acclaimed restaurants around the world. In this episode, Enrique shares his honest thoughts on how a global chef stays fresh, especially in the highly competitive restaurant scenes of New York and Mexico City. We also talk about the business of restaurants, which is always a hot topic with those running them. Also on the show, we catch up with Ken Concepcion, from the terrific Los Angeles bookstore Now Serving. We discuss the busy spring season and what types of books Ken is most excited about. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hawa Hassan is a chef, the founder of Basbaas Foods, and the author of the James Beard Award–winning cookbook In Bibi's Kitchen. She’s spent the past several years writing an ambitious new book, Setting a Place for Us: Recipes and Stories of Displacement, Resilience, and Community from Eight Countries Impacted by War, and we had her in the studio to talk about her research and reporting process. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Maryam Jillani talking all about her amazing debut cookbook, Pakistan: Recipes and Stories from Home Kitchens, Restaurants, and Roadside Stands. 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: Hawa Hassan Shares the Spicy Somali PastaMaryam Jillani: TASTE Cook In ResidenceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Scarr’s the best pizza in New York? Some may debate this, but if you ask anybody in the industry, Scarr Pimentel’s shop on Orchard Street takes the prize. In this episode, Scarr joins us in the TASTE studio to talk about his deep NYC pizzeria history, his dedication to ingredients (to an extent many may not recognize), and his new cookbook, The Scarr’s Pizza Cookbook. Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Craig Mod. Craig is a prolific writer, photographer, and author of a terrific new memoir, Things Become Other Things. Craig’s walks around rural Japan are legend, and we talk about how walking allowed him to tap into a much deeper story. This interview was recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City, and part of our ongoing live interview series with the bookseller. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.