Communal Table

Food & Wine has led the conversation around food, drinks, and hospitality in America and around the world since 1978. Tinfoil Swans continues that legacy with a new series of intimate, informative, surprising, and uplifting interviews with the biggest names in the culinary industry, sharing never-before-heard stories about the successes, struggles, and fork-in-the-road moments that made them who they are today. Each week, you'll hear from icons and innovators like Guy Fieri, David Chang, Mashama Bailey, and Maneet Chauhan, going deep on their formative experiences, the dishes and meals that made them, their joys, doubts and dreams, and what's still on the menu for them. Tune in for a feast that'll feed your brain and soul — and plenty of wisdom and quotable morsels to savor later. For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswanspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like many of us, Nigella Lawson has spent the last 13 months hunkered at home, in an endless cycle of cooking, eating, washing up (reluctantly), and doing it all again just hours later. Unlike the rest of us, she's adapted her practices into a glorious cookbook—called Cook, Eat, Repeat—that celebrates and elevates this cycle into something contemplative and pleasurable. The renowned author and TV star joined Communal Table for an intimate conversation about isolation, grief, keeping house, re-entering society, the nature of gathering, and the pleasures of a long and non-photogenic braise. Nigella Lawson https://www.nigella.com/ Cook, Eat, Repeat https://www.amazon.com/Cook-Eat-Repeat-Ingredients-Recipes/dp/0063079542?&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwnigellalawsoncommunaltablepodcastshownoteskkinsman0421-20&linkId=816e0 Antara's Mom's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pal_dough_pal/ Tadka Dal with Roti https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tadka-dal-with-roti Nigella's Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-in-a-pot-with-lemon-orzo Best Practices: Nigella Lawson https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/best-practices-nigella-lawson Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're living in a golden age of Preeti Mistry and the world is so much more delicious for it. The Juhu Beach Club chef, cookbook author, speaker, and podcaster (among other things) can currently be seen teaching kids and puppets alike about the marvelous universe of herbs and spices on the Netflix show Waffles and Mochi; heard on their new podcast Loading Dock Talks in conversation with food and justice activists; read on their super feisty and smart social media feeds; and channeled via their vibrant and joyful recipes and spice blends. Mistry joined Communal Table from amid the California redwoods to talk about thoughtful representation, who gets to be called a chef, how to monetize talent, and why joy is so essential. Preeti's Site https://www.preetimistry.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/chefpmistry Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chefpmistry/ Waffles and Mochi https://www.wafflesandmochi.org/ More about Preeti's spice blends https://www.foodandwine.com/seasonings/spices/chef-spice-blends Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Listen to these great podcasts: Loading Dock Talks: https://loading-dock-talks.simplecast.com/ Copper & Heat: https://www.copperandheat.com/ Afros & Knives: https://www.afrosandknives.com/ Home Cooking: https://homecooking.show/ Extra Spicy: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/podcasts/extra-spicy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When chef Sam Fore sees something she can fix, she jumps in to help. As the restaurant industry was devastated by COVID-19, she joined The LEE Initiative to help make sure that workers were being fed—and help create a system where the whole community could benefit in the long term. That's just who she is as a person, but it wasn't until recently that she offered that kind of care to herself, in the form of starting therapy. In part two of this two-part conversation, Fore talks about the nitty-gritty of building sustainable relationships between restaurants and farms, how stigma gets in the way of mental healthcare (especially in the South Asian community), and what it means to have your food on the cover of a magazine. Listen to Part One https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/communal-table-podcast-sam-fore Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites http://www.tuktuklex.com/ Follow Sam on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tuktuklex/ The LEE Initiative https://www.leeinitiative.org/ Sam on Medium https://heated.medium.com/no-appetit-tuktuk-a3e708cb7427 Roasted Tomato Curry Pie https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-curry-tomato-pie This Spicy Mango Pork Noodle Dinner Comes Together in Just One Skillet https://www.foodandwine.com/fwcooks/spicy-mango-pork-noodles-samantha-fore These Tempered Curry-Ginger Sweet Potatoes Are Perfect for Fall https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/fw-cooks-samantha-fore-tempered-curry-ginger-sweet-potatoes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to calling out cruddy behavior, chef Sam Fore has never been afraid to speak her mind. Growing up as a first-generation Sri Lankan American in North Carolina, she had a supportive community (and a mom who always warned her about how her mouth would get her in trouble—not that she listened) but outside of it, she began to question why the rules and standards were different for her than for her white peers. Fore's sense of justice and fearlessness has only strengthened over the years, and she joined Communal Table for a lively and frank discussion about growing up brown in the South, why it's important to question your preconceived notions, accidentally becoming a chef, and standing up for vulnerable people. Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites http://www.tuktuklex.com/ Follow Sam on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tuktuklex/ The LEE Initiative https://www.leeinitiative.org/ Sam on Medium https://heated.medium.com/no-appetit-tuktuk-a3e708cb7427 Roasted Tomato Curry Pie https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-curry-tomato-pie This Spicy Mango Pork Noodle Dinner Comes Together in Just One Skillet https://www.foodandwine.com/fwcooks/spicy-mango-pork-noodles-samantha-fore These Tempered Curry-Ginger Sweet Potatoes Are Perfect for Fall https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/fw-cooks-samantha-fore-tempered-curry-ginger-sweet-potatoes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pinky Cole has always known that she would lead an extraordinary life. As a girl growing up in East Baltimore, she wasn't sure what form that would take, but when her friends were outside playing, she was setting goals for herself, like "earn my first million by age 30." Which she did. Next goal—a billion by 40. She's got time. The restaurateur and philanthropist joined Communal Table from her secondary office in Atlanta—a.k.a. her car—to talk about the extraordinary growth of her Slutty Vegan empire, learning from mistakes, taking care of her "inside customers," and how she's empowering generations of color to build wealth and pursue their dreams. Slutty Vegan https://sluttyveganatl.com/ The Pinky Cole Foundation https://pinkygivesback.com/ Pinky Cole on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pinky907/ Slutty Vegan on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sluttyveganATL/ An Invitation to Vegan Comfort Food https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/slutty-vegan-pinky-cole Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When city planner and architect Adrian Lipscombe visited a cafe in La Crosse, Wisconsin for a business meeting, little did she know she'd end up moving her family up all the way from Austin, Texas, running the cafe herself, and revitalizing a whole section of the city. And if running a restaurant during a pandemic isn't a full-time-plus job, Lipscombe also developed an initiative—40 Acres and a Mule—to preserve, research and celebrate Black foodways and support Black land ownership, makes hundreds of free meals for families in need, and got certified as a sake expert. Lipscombe took time from her busy schedule to talk about all of that, as well as what's going on in her native Texas (spoiler alert: plenty), what farmers are up against, and how she ended up with 40 avocado plants in her home. Uptowne Cafe https://uptownecafe.com/ This Juneteenth, Chef Adrian Lipscombe Aims to Preserve Black Foodways https://www.foodandwine.com/news/adrian-lipscombe-40-acres-mule-juneteenth The 40 Acres and a Mule Project https://www.gofundme.com/f/forty-acres-project Follow Adrian on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adie_eats/ The Food & Wine Pro Guide to Mental Health and Sobriety Resources https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-food-wine-pro-guide-to-mental-health-and-sobriety Texas Restaurants, Bars to Reopen at Full Capacity; Workers Not Yet Eligible for Vaccine https://www.foodandwine.com/news/texas-restaurants-bars-to-reopen-at-full-capacity Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day Matt Jennings woke up on his bathroom floor, he knew something had to change, or else he'd die. Five years later, the chef and cookbook author is sober, happy, healthy, and on a mission to help other people in the industry find their way forward—even if it looks nothing like they'd imagined. Jennings joined Communal Table to talk about the obsessions that drove him, what "chef" means now, his hopes for the future of restaurants, and why grocery stores matter so much. Full Heart Hospitality https://fullhearthospitality.com/ Red Barn Kitchen https://redbarnkitchenvt.com/ Matt on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/matthewjennings/ Healthy Living Market https://healthylivingmarket.com/ Get Off Your Phone and Go to Your Neighborhood Restaurant https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/communal-table-matthew-jennings Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Homegrown: Cooking from My New England Roots https://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Cooking-New-England-Roots/dp/1579656749?&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwpodcommunaltablepodcastmattjenningskkinsman0221-20&linkId=32960ae2ed50a3b25fdcfb311ca0e601&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day after Vinny Eng was named as one of Food & Wine's 2019 Somms of the Year, he said his thank yous for the accolade, then promptly announced that he was stepping away from the industry for a while to work on a political campaign. For those who know Vinny, this wasn't a surprise, because the industry veteran has always made it his business to act with intention, infusing every act of hospitality with an eye toward making the world a more equitable place. He joined Communal Table to talk about the COVID relief efforts he's working on for SF New Deal, explain what community organizing and mutual aid actually are, how he sees restaurants' role in a more equitable future, and what's feeding his soul throughout. SF New Deal https://sfnewdeal.org/ Sommelier Vinny Eng’s California Winemaker Roll Call https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/sommelier-year-2019-vinny-eng We Should All Be Empathetic to Restaurant Workers, Especially Now https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/empathy-for-restaurant-workers Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Little did she know at the time she was writing it, but Anita Lo's Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One became, for many, the ideal guide for this time in history. The 2001 Food & Wine Best New Chef and much-lauded chef, author, and TV personality joined Communal Table from her home on Long Island to talk about the ever-changing role of chefs, cooking for pleasure, coping in a tough kitchen, and the free online cooking classes she's teaching to celebrate the release of the film A Writer’s Odyssey and the Year of the Ox. Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro The free cooking class will be hosted through Anita’s Instagram Live (@anitalonyc) on Thursday, 2/11 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 pm E.T. in collaboration with CMC Pictures (@cmc_pictures) to celebrate the release of A Writer’s Odyssey and the Year of the Ox. Anita on IG: https://www.instagram.com/anitalonyc/?hl=en Trailer: A Writer’s Odyssey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yDeipqy-ys&list=PLDZhLHLye-cUT-frXYxSIuGPcOP6WlMBN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Claudette Zepeda was at her most stressed-out, as she puts it, "my neck went away." Her shoulders were in a permanent state of hunch and she'd been advised at a new job to bring her "knives and anti-anxiety medication." But she learned along the way to advocate for herself, for people who'd always been marginalized in the world of food, and for the Mexican dishes that generations of her family held dear. The Top Chef alum and executive chef of the Alila Marea Beach Resort joined Food & Wine for a conversation about breaking bad patterns, communing with her ancestors, being completely humbled by her teenagers, and mentoring the next generation of chefs. Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about Claudette https://chefclaudettezepeda.com/ Follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/claudetteazepeda/ Mother, Militant, Empath, Hard-Ass https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/claudette-zepedas-tijuana Make Claudette's birria tacos https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/birria-tacos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's hard to open a restaurant. It's indescribably stressful to have to open your restaurant four separate times, for reasons (earthquake, local government corruption, pandemic) out of your control. But Norma Listman and Saqib Keval believe in the vision of Masala Y Maiz, their Mexico City restaurant and co-op, so fiercely that they keep on working. They joined Communal Table for a fascinating conversation about recipes as documentation of a culture, the impact of white supremacy on food media, the might of masa, and their blueprint for a restaurant culture that is built for the health of the workers. Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Editor's Note: Why a Recipe Is More Than a Recipe https://www.foodandwine.com/news/editors-note-why-a-recipe-is-more-than-a-recipe Mole Verde con Pollo with Corn Tortillas https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mole-verde-con-pollo-with-corn-tortillas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

January is a particularly cruel month. The days are short, the holidays past, and hey—we're still living in a freaking pandemic. But we've all got to find joy where we can, and this comes in the form of the recipes and stories we're running this month, celebrating the particular pleasure of sopping up stews and soups with bread, making perfect flank steak (and other things) under the broiler, and getting as much citrus into your life as physically possible. Plus: We're adding something pretty special to the end of the episodes from here on out, so be prepared to get blissed. Food & Wine Pro: https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Get the Recipes: https://www.foodandwine.com/holidays-events/recipes-make-in-january Citrus Is My Therapist: https://www.foodandwine.com/fruits/growing-citrus-trees-indoors Remembering Lulu Peyraud, a Quiet Legend in the World of French Food and Wine: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/remembering-lulu-peyraud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restaurateurs live their lives by the numbers, and when Carl Sobocinski saw COVID-19 case rates racking up in Greenville, SC, he knew he had to take action. Even though it wasn't mandated by local or state law, he voluntarily closed down all but one of his restaurants for a period after the holidays in an effort to keep his team and his diners safe. It was a tough decision that carried a price tag, but for him, it was the right thing to do. He joined Communal Table for a discussion about the mechanics and money behind this move, the efforts he's making to give his team members a path to ownership, and what keeps him grounded in tough times. Learn more about Carl https://table301.com/ Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year ago, Kiki Aranita was in Hong Kong for a cousin's wedding when she heard the first rumblings about a virus that was highly contagious and beginning to spread. There's no way she could have known that just months later, she'd have to shut down her much-loved Philadelphia restaurant Poi Dog because of its impact. It was an agonizing decision, but the multi-talented chef, writer, and artist is finding purpose in the pivot with a line of condiments that are based in her Hawaii heritage, making objects that soothe her soul, and finding new ways to keep the Poi Dog dream alive and thriving. She joined Communal Table for an in-depth conversation about the practical, financial, emotional, and intellectual work it takes to be a chef in an age of unrest. How It Feels to Close Your Restaurant for Good https://www.foodandwine.com/news/how-to-close-your-restaurant-permanently-kiki-aranita-poi-dog-coronavirus Buy Kiki's Sauces at Gotham Grove https://gothamgrove.com/pages/poi-dog Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one on earth needs to be told that this is a holiday season unlike any other because we're all living it. If you're a listener of this podcast you are painfully aware of the kind of year it's been, and that no one quite knows the way forward. In this year, more than any other, joy, rituals, and traditions matter—especially if we can't be together to celebrate. In this episode, the Food & Wine team and friends joined forces to talk through some of the foods that keep them feeling warm and bright. You'll hear Paola Briseño-González and Khushbu Shah getting deep on tamale making, Josh Miller talking with Melanie Hansche about her beloved Bavarian-Austria spitzbuben and Paige Grandjean on the gloriously geeky art of candymaking, and Sarah Crowder delving into the rites of her family's flaming "Flambo Jambo." Christmas Time Is Tamal Time https://www.foodandwine.com/holidays-events/christmas/how-to-make-homemade-tamales-from-scratch-masa Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/brown-butter-cardamom-spitzbuben How to Make Candy Magic at Home https://www.foodandwine.com/desserts/candy/how-to-make-candy-at-home-fudge-caramels-brittle This Year I Have to Set the Ham on Fire Myself https://www.foodandwine.com/holidays-events/flaming-ham-holiday-tradition Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1999, Food & Wine named Rocco DiSpirito as one of its Best New Chefs—a vote of confidence in the future of a brilliant young cook who earned the esteem of his peers as well as a rabid fanbase of diners captivated by the handsome fella who quickly became a staple of the gossip pages. Just a few years later at the height of his fame, DiSpirito walked away from the restaurant world, leaving colleagues and fans scratching their heads and spinning theories. DiSpirito shared his story with Food & Wine last year after returning to the restaurant world, opening up about his physical and emotional struggles, and taking care of his mother in the years before her death. A lot has changed in the months since the article came out, so we got on the phone with DiSpirito for a very frank and open conversation about the importance of mental health care (and how to get it), weathering loss and change, and feeling like a chef again even if circumstances are keeping you out of a restaurant kitchen right now. Learn more about Rocco https://roccodispirito.com/ Where'd You Go, Rocco DiSpirito? https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/rocco-dispirito-standard-grill Keto Comfort Food https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Comfort-Food-Diet-Pounds/dp/1984825216/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwpodcastroccoketocookbook1220-20&linkId=0a7887496506e23e6fbcf22777df3442&language=en_US The Food & Wine Guide to Mental Health and Sobriety https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-food-wine-pro-guide-to-mental-health-and-sobriety Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan Washington's extraordinary new novel 'Memorial' shares the story of two men in love and at a crossroads in their four-year relationship, when some family dynamics shift and they have to reevaluate who they are in the world, and to one another. There's also a ton of great food on every other page. Washington joined Communal Table on a call from Houston, TX to talk about the care and feeding of loved ones, writing a place for himself in the contemporary fiction landscape (it helps when Barack Obama is already a fan of your work), and what Thanksgiving looks like in communal isolation. Buy "Memorial" https://www.amazon.com/Memorial-Novel-Bryan-Washington/dp/0593087275/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwpodcastbryanwashingtonmemorial1120-20&linkId=ed01e7d3d590ea7071cd09bad16a9f75&language=en_US Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays this year will look a lot different. With COVID-19 still raging across the country, celebrations will be smaller, sometimes huddled around a Zoom screen or FaceTime, but there are still things to celebrate. In a special episode of Communal Table, Food & Wine's Senior Food Editor Mary-Frances Heck, Food Editor Josh Miller, Associate Food Editor Kelsey Youngman, and longtime (we're talking since 1982!) Test Kitchen Deity David McCann gather around a virtual table to talk through the stars, sides, and sweets in the November issue, and share their best advice for any crises that may arise. Get all of the recipes in the episode: https://www.foodandwine.com/monthly/november-2020 Read The One Dish https://www.foodandwine.com/holidays-events/thanksgiving/the-one-dish Follow David on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thisoldchef/ Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It took leaving home for Vivian Howard to appreciate where she'd come from. The chef, restaurateur, TV star, and author of the new cookbook This Will Make It Taste Good is the daughter of an Eastern North Carolina tobacco farmer, and everything she saw on TV told her that she shouldn't be especially proud of that, that southernness was somehow the butt of a joke. She moved away to New York City, started working in restaurants, and came to realize how special the food and culture of her birthplace are. As an evangelist for her region, she's gained a battalion of fans of her books, shows, and restaurants, but politics have made her feel pretty isolated right now. Howard joined Food & Wine for an honest, intimate conversation about business during a pandemic, the power of home cooking, and the pain of political division. Learn more about Vivian Howard https://www.vivianhoward.com/ Buy 'This Will Make It Taste Good' https://www.amazon.com/This-Will-Make-Taste-Good/dp/0316381128/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwprintvivianhowardinterview1020-20&linkId=03b0a2d1b350908e8bace351b5d9fc05&language=en_US Buy 'Deep Run Roots' https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Run-Roots-Stories-Recipes/dp/0316381101/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=fwprintvivianhowardinterview1020-20&linkId=8856c84a361504877e8ffe6a8e2cc417&language=en_US Read her business advice https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/best-practices-how-vivian-howard-is-launching-new-businesses-during-the-pandemic Food & Wine Pro https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices