This Is TASTE

Samantha Irby is a humorist, a TV writer, and the author of an incredible new essay collection, Quietly Hostile. In this episode, we talk about so many things: Chicago pizza, living in Michigan, Bosnian food in Grand Rapids, car wash dudes in Kalamazoo, and what it’s like to write lines for Carrie Bradshaw (as well as give her diarrhea). Clare de Boer is the chef-owner of Stissing House, a restaurant located in New York’s Hudson Valley that we like very, very much. Clare is also the chef-owner of two New York City restaurants, King and Jupiter. In this episode, we speak with Clare about her time cooking at the River Café in London and her journey to the United States to open some of the country’s best restaurants. We also talk about her great Subtack, The Best Bit. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ina Garten joins us in the studio for a really fun conversation that dips into her excellent new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, which is out this week. While the story covers Ina’s whole technicolor life—from a difficult childhood through her time working at the White House, to opening her specialty food store, Barefoot Contessa, to her cookbook and television work—we wanted to focus on Ina as entrepreneur, splitting time between 1970s New York City and the Hamptons. It was a different era, and she even tells a story about being held up at gunpoint. This is a wide-ranging conversation, and I think you will learn a lot about the Ina that came before the Ina we all know. I hope you enjoy it.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  MORE FROM INA GARTEN: Ina Garten, Fig Cake, and One Fun Phone Call [TASTE] Ina Garten and the Age of Abundance [The New Yorker] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Casey Lewis is an expert on Gen Z and writes the colorful Substack After School, which covers youth culture and trends. We wanted to have Casey on the show not just to talk about “how the kids are eating and drinking and shopping for food” but to dig into her reporting on today’s rapidly shifting culture. It’s a fascinating talk about CPG, restaurant trends, and how social media is changing the way we all eat and drink.Also on the show, Matt catches up with the B.O. Boys to talk about their excellent movie box office podcast, how food movies have performed (and not performed) at the box office, some overrated/underrated food movies, and we talk about a series of live events they are doing this fall.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.    MORE FROM CASEY LEWIS: Don't Get Your Financial Advice on TikTok Camo Hoodies and Crocs Clompers Gatorwine and dELiA*s Zines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Yonan is the food and dining editor of the Washington Post. It’s a big job, covering an outstanding food city, so it’s pretty remarkable that Yonan finds time in the margins to write cookbooks every couple years. Much respect, Joe. In this episode, we talk about his latest cookbook, the ambitious Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, among other topics. It’s a really great talk, and we dig into the Washington, DC, dining scene, this impossible-to-figure-out Beyond Meat world we live in, and many recipes from his terrific new book. I hope you enjoy our conversation.   Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are into right now! These include: Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin, Il Totano is Harold Dieterle's big NYC return and it rules, 886 in NYC has a great new menu, Romy Gill's India is a great new cookbook, check out Rodeo, an exciting new wine bar in Brooklyn, Channels with Peter Kafka is the return of one of the best podcasters in the game.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.    MORE FROM JOE YONAN: Beans, Beans, Let’s Talk About Beans [TASTE] Keith Lee (Politely) Dunks on D.C.’s Food Scene [WP] Big Crisp Energy [TASTE] Chef’s Night Out with Lucas Sin & Eric Sze [Vice] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessie Sheehan is all about baking. She’s host of the baking podcast She’s My Cherry Pie on Radio Cherry Bombe and the author of four baking cookbooks, including her newest: Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes. This book ventures into all-savory territory, from biscuits and scones to what she calls “toasty handhelds,” kinda like fancy hot pockets, and this episode will have you craving them all. Also on the show, it’s time to talk about cool new fall cookbooks. All season Aliza and Matt are previewing some of their favorites, category by category. Next up is books by people we follow and love. These include Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson, What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities by Julia Turshen, Life's Sweetest Moments by Dominique Ansel, Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes by Carolina Gelen, Justine Cooks: A Cookbook: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen by Justine Doiron, Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.    MORE FROM JESSIE SHEEHAN: Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes She’s My Cherry Pie [Radio Cherry Bombe] How to Make Snackable Bakes [WNYC] TASTE Live at Rizzoli: What Goes with What by Julia Turshen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paola Velez is an award-winning chef, activist, and author based in Washington, DC. She’s the cofounder of the viral grassroots bake sale Bakers Against Racism and the author of a great debut cookbook, Bodega Bakes. We brought Paola into the studio to talk about her impressive career, including acting as a culinary diplomat for the State Department, and the unforgettable recipes in her book, like pecan-plantain sticky buns.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about some of the things they have been cooking in the peak produce period of late summer, as well as other kitchen adventures. These include the egg yolk saga continues, Zoë François key lime pie has a twist, the sardine deserves the tuna melt treatment, more sardines but this time as a stove-top pasta sauce, a kitchen floor renovation tip, a fun recipe from Koreaworld.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.    MORE FROM PAOLA VELEZ: Pecan-Plantain Sticky Buns [Food and Wine] Selena + Chef: Paola Velez [HBO] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cookbook author and online personality Carolina Gelen is on a mission to share her love of food, which comes into focus in a great new cookbook, Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes. Carolina’s journey began in Transylvania, Romania, where she was born and raised. In 2021, she immigrated to the United States to pursue her passion for food full time. She is a recipe developer and food content creator with work featured in the New York Times and on the Food Network and Food52. In this episode we hear about Carolina’s journey to her debut cookbook and what makes her recipes unique and cookbook-able. I hope you enjoy our conversation.Also on the show, Matt covers four great books being released this fall that are about food, but not quite cookbooks. These include: Why I Cook by Tom Colicchio, Taste in Music: Eating on Tour with Indie Musicians by Alex Bleeker and Luke Pyenson, A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater, Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.    MORE FROM CAROLINA GELEN: Scraps [Substack] Seared Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes and Olives [NYT] Lemon Olive Oil Cake [official] This Is TASTE 396: Robert Sietsema & Luke Pyenson [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoë François is a professional pastry chef, recipe consultant, cookbook author, food photographer, and baking instructor and the host of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network. We recently spoke with her live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City to talk about the subject of her latest book: cookies. Her new book is Zoë Bakes Cookies, and it’s one of our favorite cookie books of all time. We get into so many great tips for baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie, snickerdoodle, peanut butter cookie, and other Midwestern favorites. We hope you enjoy our conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have two great conversations with two of our favorite recent cookbook authors. Have you found your way into the world of Suzy Karadsheh and the megapopular YouTube channel and website The Mediterranean Dish? We sure have, and it’s changing the way we cook. Born and raised in the cosmopolitan Mediterranean city of Port Said, Egypt, Suzy grew up just a boat ride away from countries like Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and Israel. In this episode, we hear about Suzy’s terrific new cookbook, The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner. Also on the show, we have a great talk with Jeremy Salamon. He’s the James Beard Award–nominated chef behind Agi’s Counter, one of our favorite restaurants in all the land. We talk about his life as a young chef, the near-universal praise for Agi’s Counter’s unique approach to modern Hungarian cooking, and his debut cookbook, Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table. I hope you enjoy these conversations.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.MORE FROM SUZY KARADSHEH & JEREMY SALAMON: White Bean Shakshuka [The Mediterranean Dish] A Crown Heights Lunch Counter Stirs New Life Into the Nostalgic Egg Cream [Eater] This Is TASTE 139: Suzy Karadsheh [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we are talking all about restaurants in America with two talented editors. First up is Kate Kassin who along with the staff at Bon Appétit just released their list of the best new restaurants in America. Kate talks about the rigorous process that goes into selecting the restaurants, shares stories from the road, and offers some great restaurants we should be visiting, from New York City to Columbus to Seattle.Also on the show is Raphael Brion. He’s the Restaurant Editor at Food & Wine and a longtime reporter covering food around the globe. It was great catching up with Raphael about the magazine’s latest Best New Chefs class, and about how he personally traveled the country, tasting and tasting more, to bring this incredible group of talents to the surface.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices