This Is TASTE

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, special events, and what’s exciting her on the scene. This includes an Italian restaurant renaissance and wine bars opening in unique spaces. Deanna also answers this simple question: Which steakhouse should I book in New York? A few of the restaurants mentioned on the episode: Borgo ICavallini  Lei Bridges  Odre Atoboy Dynamo Room The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers – not Resy – and do not constitute professional business advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices