This Is TASTE

Chris Black, a writer and podcast host, shares his unique takes on restaurant culture, home cooking, cookbooks, and living in New York and Los Angeles. The podcast dives into discussions about dining out preferences, the cultural significance of restaurants, memorable meals at legendary places, and favorite restaurants in both cities.

Robert Simonson, NY Times writer and creator of The Mix With Robert Simonson newsletter, discusses his new book 'The Encyclopedia of Cocktails'. They cover a range of topics, including the history of cocktails, his years of experience covering the scene, and the fading tradition of Wisconsin's supper clubs. They also explore San Antonio's culinary scene and highlight the Pearl neighborhood.

We’ve long been fans of cookbook author and creative thinker Molly Baz, and many of you have too. With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills (as well as years of professional cooking under her belt), Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide. Her debut book Cook This Book was a New York Times Best Seller, and she’s back with a new one, More Is More, that taps into the food world’s more maximalist urges. This is a really fun talk with one of the strongest voices in cookbooks.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 MOLLY BAZ A Cacio e Pepe Gets Drunk and Breaks the Rules [TASTE] This Is TASTE 143: Molly Baz [TASTE] Molly Baz Shares the Must-Have Recipe of the Season [Glamour] Baz to Basics [TASTE]

Dwight Garner, a noted New York Times book critic, dives into his delightful new food book, 'The Upstairs Delicatessen.' He shares the inspirations behind his work, highlighting the intersection of food and literature. Garner recalls memorable meals and discusses the joy of cookbooks filled with personal stories and recipes. He also humorously reflects on quirky drink preferences and explores profound themes like last meals and culinary nostalgia. His insights illuminate how food connects us to memory, culture, and personal history.

Hillary Dixler Canavan is Eater’s restaurant editor and the author of the publication’s debut book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes From the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters. On this lively episode we talk about Hillary’s reporting for Eater’s debut cookbook, and how one wrangles recipes from chefs without going nuts. We also hear about Hillary’s work covering the national restaurant scene, and, of course, get her favorites in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond. This is a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it.Also on the show, Matt recaps a recent trip to Virginia Beach, VA and the surrounding area. There's great food down there! He discusses visits to: Love Song, The Pink Dinghy, a fried chicken vibe check starring BoBo's Fine Chicken and Pollard's. He also stopped by Four Eleven York in Norfolk, Heirloom, and Gelati Celesti.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 HILLARY DIXLER CANAVAN: Turn Your Kitchen Into a Proper Bistro with Frenchette’s Tartare Frites [Eater] How a Veteran Food Editor Adapted 100 Beloved Restaurant Recipes [Cultured] 15 Best New Restaurants in America [Eater]

Laurent Dagenais is one of our favorite chefs online today, and many others agree. He has grown his following to more than three million across his social media accounts and carved out a really cool space that blends streetwear, French Canadian cooking, and good vibes. Laurent was born and raised in Montreal, and in this episode, we find out about his path from journeyman line cook to blowing up on TikTok and IG. We find out what makes a great video and what inspired his new cookbook, Always Hungry!, and we dig into his life online and offline. We also talk about one of Canada’s other great exports: the rapper Snow. 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 LAURENT DAGENAIS: Laurent Dagenais Keeps the Cooking Real [Fine Dining Lovers] Stacked Ham and Brie Sandwich [Today] Steak Sandwich [YouTube]

Chris Shepherd is a chef and writer based in Houston, Texas, and the cofounder of Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit geared toward helping members of the restaurant community. On this episode we have a lively conversation about the food scene in Chris’s hometown, what it was like leaving his restaurant group, and his cookbook: Cook Like a Local. This is such an inspiring talk, and we hope you enjoy it.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about Matt’s trip to Houston, where he had an incredible 48 hours, making stops at: Kâu Ba, Trill Burgers, Tatemó, Tres Chiles, The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, Villa Arcos, Blacksmith, and Crawfish & Noodles.   The TASTE Texas Tour was supported by our friends at Travel Texas. See our dispatch from Austin, and stay tuned for San Antonio.MORE FROM CHRIS SHEPHERD: Houston Chef Chris Shepherd Is Enjoying His New Season [Eater] Southern Smoke Festival [official]

How much do you know about olive oil? After this episode, a lot more. Skyler Mapes, cofounder of EXAU Olive Oil and coauthor of the new book The Olive Oil Enthusiast, joined us from her home in Calabria, Italy, to drop invaluable olive oil knowledge from harvest to bottle, plus Italy travel tips and more. It’s a fun episode, and we hope you’ll enjoy it.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt go over three things they each are enjoying, including: The Neon Croissant, JJ Johnson's great new book The Simple Art of Rice, IG of note @haileecatalano, Dwight Garner's The Upstairs Delicatessen, C Pam Zhang's How Much of These Hills Is Gold, the TikTokers are coming!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 SKYLER MAPES: Meet the Woman Bringing Calabrian Olive Oil to the U.S. [Conde Nast Traveler] Forbes 30 Under 30, 2021 [Forbes] Demystifying Extra Virgin Olive Oil With Skyler Mapes and Giuseppe Morisani [Italy Magazine]

Pat LaFrieda is one of the world’s most celebrated butchers and sells ground beef, strip steaks, and rib eyes to more than a thousand New York City restaurants alone. On this episode we talk about the birth of the boutique burger blend, tracing its lineage back to Minetta Tavern, and dig deep into the meat business. We also discuss Pat’s own personal favorite way to cook a steak, roast a chicken, and dress a hamburger, with a couple of very specific choices. It was really fun getting to know the one and only Pat LaFrieda, and we hope you enjoy this 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.   MORE FROM PAT LAFRIEDA: Pat LaFrieda on Expanding His Meat Empire [CBS Saturday Morning] How Pat LaFrieda Produces $270 million of Meat Per Year [Insider] Budget Grilling Ideas [Rachael Ray]

Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is the chef and co-owner of Birdie’s, an Austin, Texas, restaurant that is innovative and exciting, and by far one of our favorite meals of the year. On this episode, we speak with Tracy about her journey from cooking at Lula Cafe in Chicago to working the line at some of New York’s most acclaimed places—Del Posto, Blue Hill, and Gramercy Tavern—and how she met her partner in life and business, Arjav. We talk about what excites her about restaurants and dig into some of Birdie’s most popular dishes. Also, stick around for Matt’s thoughts on a recent trip to Austin, Texas—featuring some of the restaurants and trucks that got him most excited, including Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop, Distant Relatives, Franklin Barbecue, Cuantos Tacos, Birdie’s, Canje, and Nido. The TASTE Texas Tour was supported by our friends at Travel Texas. Stay tuned for dispatches from Houston and San Antonio. MORE FROM TRACY MALECHEK-EZEKIEL:    Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year: Birdie's [Food & Wine] Food & Wine names East Austin spot Restaurant of the Year [Austin American-Statesman]  Inside Birdie’s Journey [Tribeza]