This Is TASTE

Snaxshot, the curatorial and slightly mercurial grocery newsletter and community, has grown into an industry force, read by CPG executives and members of food media on a near-religious level. (We are one of these people.) There’s real Blackbird Spyplane energy with the work that founder and solo writer Andrea Hernández creates, and we had her in the studio to talk about what is interesting to her in the grocery store. We also discuss the major changes afoot in the trillion-dollar grocery industry and how she views the rapidly changing retail space. Is the grocery store as we know it dying? Andrea has some thoughts. Also: "Walmart is the new pantry Kith." You heard it from Andrea first.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt cover some of their recent favorite grocery store finds, including Mama Lam's curry paste, Heyday Canning Co. harissa lemon chickpeas, Talkhouse Encore, Little Sesame hummus, and something to drizzle.MORE FROM SNAXSHOT: A 2021 Prediction [Twitter] TASTE Podcast 127: Pop Up Grocer [TASTE] Foxtrot [official] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/thesnaxshot instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Did you catch longtime New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells dropping a monumental story this week, the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City? This is the first time in Pete’s 12-year career that he’s published such a list, and we had him back in the studio to talk about his method and some of his favorite places. We also dove into his reviewing career, as well as how he schedules all the meals and keeps tabs on the trends. We get some quick hits from Pete, including the best pizza, the best Midtown lunch, and the best ice cream. Pete is one of our favorite critics writing today, and it was such fun having him back.MORE FROM PETE WELLS: Mam Serves the Most Exciting Vietnamese Food in New York [NYT] In Queens, Kimchi Is Just the Start [NYT] TASTE Podcast 41: Pete Wells [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/pete_wells instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

We’re big fans of Marissa Mullen, and we are really super excited to have her in the studio to talk about her career working in the music industry (she worked at both The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert), but mostly to talk about cheese. She’s the author of two books revolving around modern entertaining and the art of the cheese plate. Her latest, That Cheese Plate Wants to Party, is a sharp and highly enjoyable guide to buying cheese for all sorts of occasions, including a solo evening at home. Also on the show we catch up with Daisy Alioto, the co-founder of innovative media company, Dirt, which has been called the "Village Voice of the Internet" (a big compliment). We talk about how food lives and breathes on the Internet, and dive into Web3’s influence on the restaurant industry. Are we ready for a "post-food" reality?Get your tickets for Matt Rodbard and Daniel Holzman live at the Los Angeles Public Library on April 23.MORE FROM MARISSA MULLEN:  How to Cut Every Type of Cheese [Salon] Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cheddar [F52] Death of the Podcast [Dirt] A-List Mukbang [Dirt] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/thatcheeseplate instagram.com/daisandconfused instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Comedians writing books about food is nothing new, and in some cases, we are pretty allergic to the practice. But with Dan Ahdoot’s smart and candid memoir, Undercooked, the Cobra Kai actor and longtime stand-up comedian has written with truth and wit, and we couldn’t put the book down. In this episode, we talk with Dan about his time working at the infamous Spotted Pig in New York, and we ask for some of his go-to spots for Persian and Korean food in Los Angeles. We also find out what pops on the craft service table and how a recent encounter with Jerry Seinfeld was just as you would expect it: awkward and hilarious. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt join producers Pat Stango and Shalea Harris for what can only be described as a fantasy football-style draft of the farmers market produce. With the number one pick in the 2023 fruit and vegetable draft…tune in to find out where strawberries, Golden Crisps, and concord grapes land.Get your tickets for Matt Rodbard and Daniel Holzman live at the Los Angeles Public Library on April 23.MORE FROM DAN AHDOOT: Dan Ahdoot Is Sticking With Grocery Delivery [Grub Street] TASTE Podcast 171: Zosia Mamet [TASTE] Green Eggs and Dan [Apple Podcasts] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/standupdan instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste Buy: Undercooked

It’s a good day when we can get an expert at the top of their game to join us in the studio. Writer and editor Jon Bonné is just that in the wine game—but he’s also an erudite observer of food and culture trends. In this action-packed episode, we talk about his monumental new book, the two-volume The New French Wine. We discuss France as a source but also a construct, and we dive into some of Jon’s restaurant reporting at Resy, where he serves as managing editor. We also talk about his work at TASTE, including his longtime obsession with salade composée.Also on the episode, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are each liking, including Anna Hezel's new book, Eric Kim's gochujang noodles, Dan Ahdoot writing a cool thing, GT's Synergy classic kombucha, save the diner!MORE FROM JON BONNE: Americans Now Own the Salade Composée [TASTE] Midtown’s French Legends Are Gone, But La Bonne Soupe Ladles On [Resy] The Great Regression [TASTE] Buy: The New French Wine

There are some restaurants where skipping dessert is just not an option—and if you’re in New York City, Gage & Tollner is at the top of that list. Pastry chef Caroline Schiff has created an all-star lineup of sweets that nod to the chop house’s historic past—it dates back to the late 1800s—while feeling totally fresh. On today’s episode, she shares with Aliza her pastry philosophy, her take on the most iconic desserts in the city, the origin behind her book, The Sweet Side of Sourdough, and more. Caroline is a true pastry wizard, and I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Also on the show, Matt has Ellie Skrzat into the studio. Ellie is an illustrator, director, and the creative force behind much of the visual work we publish on TASTE, including all of the podcast illustrations that pop out in your feed. Some of her favorite guests to draw include Zosia Mamet, Ayo Edebiri, and Bartees Strange. Who does she want to draw? We find out in this run conversation. MORE FROM CAROLINE SCHIFF: Sourdough Has a Surprising Sweet Side [TASTE] Pastry Chef Caroline Schiff Ends Her Day with Sourdough Pancakes [Grub Street] A Day at a 143-Year-Old Restaurant With NYC's Most Iconic Desserts [Bon Appetit] Best New Chefs 2022: Caroline Schiff [Food and Wine] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/pastryschiff instagram.com/skrzat instagram.com/alizarae instagram.com/mattrodbard

Chanie Apfelbaum is the author of a really cool new book, Totally Kosher, and the force behind Busy in Brooklyn, a go-to resource for kosher recipes and thoughts on modern Jewish living. We wanted to have Chanie into the studio to talk about the many nuances of modern kosher cooking, and to ask her some pointed questions about her modern Orthodox life. Chanie was super game to talk about many topics, including how the recipes in her book are not only for the religious set. We hope you enjoy this talk.Also on the show, we catch up with Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, founders of Brooklyn restaurant Shalom Japan. They speak about their great new book, Love Japan.MORE FROM CHANIE APFELBAUM: Busy in Budapest [BIB] This Streusel-Topped One Might Be My New Favorite [The Kitchn] A Brief Chat With the Author Who Wants to Modernize Kosher Cooking [NY Mag] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/busyinbrooklyn instagram.com/shalomjapan instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Today is a special episode devoted to our love of the SPAM® brand—the multifunctional and influential canned meat that is used creatively in kitchens around the world every day. Whether it’s Korean budae jjigae or musubi rolls spotted in the 7-Eleven in Hawaii, SPAM® is an American heritage food brand that we want to celebrate. Up first, we speak with New York City chef and Iron Chef competitor Esther Choi. We discuss her childhood love of SPAM® products and how she cooks with them at her restaurants today. Next, we catch up with SPAM® brand director of marketing, Jason Baskin, who offers fun facts about the brand and answers some questions we fried up just for him. How does the brand team develop recipes in their Minnesota test kitchen? And how does the SPAM® brand spot exciting trends around the world? We hope you enjoy this very fun episode.This episode was produced in partnership with our friends at Hormel Foods, makers of the SPAM® brand. FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW:   instagram.com/spambrand instagram.com/choibites instagram.com/mattrodbard

Nobody makes cake—or cookies, or tarts, or anything else in the pastry case—quite like Natasha Pickowicz. The former pastry chef at Flora Bar and Altro Paradiso, who now helms the acclaimed pop-up Never Ending Taste and organizes mega bake sales raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for reproductive health justice, Natasha makes extremely cool pastries, like crackly shoyu peanut cookies and cakes crowned with radicchio. Now she’s releasing a debut cookbook to share her recipes with the world, More Than Cake, and we’re stoked to have her back in the studio to talk about bringing her distinct pastry style to life, baking as activism, and the state of dessert in restaurants right now.MORE FROM NATASHA PICKOWICZ: How I Protest with Pastries [Bon Appetit] How to Make Delicious Scones at Home [Desert People] TASTE Podcast 16: Natasha Pickowicz [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/natashapickowicz instagram.com/alizarae instagram.com/taste

Alex Prud’homme’s new book, Dinner with the President, is a history of American food, politics, and 26 presidents, from George Washington starving at Valley Forge in 1777 to Donald Trump’s burger banquets. It was such a good time having Alex on the show to talk about how food has been used as a diplomatic tool since the founding of the United States, as well as some underrated cooks living in the White House. Finally, Grace Coolidge gets the respect she deserves. We also talk with Alex about his journalism, how he wrote a New Yorker article that would go on to inspire the Soup Nazi character on Seinfeld, and the book he wrote with his great-aunt Julia Child that would inspire many movies and TV shows. Alex is such a great guest, and I hope you enjoy our talk.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about their recent trips to Miami and Tel Aviv, while discussing the value of fresh-cut tropical fruit and raspberry yogurt.MORE FROM ALEX PRUD’HOMME: The Man Behind the Soups [The New Yorker]     Alex Prud’homme Wishes He Was in the Room Where It Happened [NYT] Jacques Pépin and Alex Prud'homme on entertaining Julia Child-style [GBH] The Israel Issue [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/alex.prudhomme instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste