This Is TASTE

Delia Cai is a journalist, the newsletter savant behind the popular Deez Links send, a Vanity Fair staffer, and the author of a great debut novel, Central Places. On this episode, we cover many excellent topics, including her Midwestern upbringing, her thoughts on the state of the Food Internet, and learning about the customs of dining out the hard way. Also on the show, international food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and is based in New York City, where we caught up in the studio for this wonderful conversation. We find out what inspired Sylvie’s new memoir, Cassoulet Confessions. We also talk about how cassoulet, a traditionally French stew, has ties to her Jewish heritage. I hope you enjoy getting to know Sylvie a lot better.MORE FROM DELIA CAI AND SYLVIE BIGAR: Is TikTok Turning Fashion into Pure Chaos [Vanity Fair] September Stuff [Deez Links] It’s Barbie’s World Now. We Just Live Here [Vanity Fair] In the Kitchen with Sylvie Bigar [WSJ] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/deeeliacai instagram.com/sylviebigar instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

The name Maya Kaimal may be familiar to many. She runs an amazing packaged foods company that sells delicious premade South Asian sauces and dals in more than 10,000 stores across the United States. She is grocery store royalty. But we wanted to have Maya on the show to talk about her time working at Saveur in the early 2000s and how she transitioned from that job to launching her eponymous food brand. We also talk about her excellent new cookbook, Indian Flavor Every Day. We really hope you enjoy our conversation.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt catch up about three things they are into right now, including Razza, tropical fruit smoothies, Lexie Park of @eatnunchi, hop tea, and Adeena Sussman’s forthcoming fall book, Shabbat.  MORE FROM MAYA KAIMAL: The Queen of Indian Sauces [TASTE] Feast of Harmony [Saveur] 3 Food & Drink Brands With Hudson Valley Roots [HV Mag] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/mayakaimal instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Rich Torrisi is a prolific New York City chef and empire builder behind some of the most buzzed-about restaurants in the United States, including Parm, Sadelle’s, The Pool, Carbone, and his newest and most personal venture, Torrisi. Matt was a fan of Rich’s breakout restaurant, Torrisi Italian Specialties, when it opened at 250 Mulberry St. in 2009. What a restaurant. That mozzarella! In this episode, we talk about those early days but also more modern times—and how the late-night dining scene in New York is starting to get its groove back. We also discuss Rich’s time working at Cafe Boulud, and what it’s like to be caught between two generations. We hope you enjoy this candid conversation.MORE FROM RICH TORRISI: At Torrisi, the Room Is Showy but the Cooking Is Subtle [NYT ⭐⭐⭐] Rich Torrisi Bets Bigger On New York [Forbes] Getting Lost in the World’s Largest Stack of Menus [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/richtorrisi instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Grabbing ingredients off a moving platform to cook a dish for Gordon Ramsay to judge truly sounds like a stress dream we’ve had before—but for Mehreen Karim, it’s a good time. Mehreen is a recipe developer and home cook who is competing on the current season of Next Level Chef, a high-stress cooking show designed to conjure up culinary brilliance from serious constraints. She’s also a close friend of Aliza’s, so we invited Mehreen onto the podcast to ask her questions like: “Why did you want to do this?” And: “What’s it really like to cook for the most feared judge in food?” MORE FROM MEHREEN KARIM: Olive Oil Is the Cake Cheat Code [TASTE] Next Level Chef [Official] Crispy Salmon Curry [Official] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/reeniekarim instagram.com/alizarae instagram.com/taste

It’s a great day when our friend Alison Roman turns up at our New York City studio. We’ve really enjoyed reading and cooking through her new baking book, Sweet Enough, and we wanted to ask her about what it’s like to write three cookbooks in five and a half years, as well as talk about the TV show she made, her spirited newsletter writing, kosher salt wars, sheet pan shortcake, and where to eat in New York City right now. Alison is one of our all-time favorite guests, and we simply love the way she writes—and talks—about food. We hope you enjoy this conversation.Check out Alison’s tour dates: alisoneroman.com/tourMORE FROM ALISON ROMAN: A Newsletter [Substack] I Love Baking, I Hate Baking [Youtube] A Cabinet Full of Crunch [TASTE] Alison Roman on Resy, Air Fryers, and Erewhon [Interview] TASTE Podcast 02: Alison Roman [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/alisoneroman instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

There is no food writer we would rather talk to about Italy—and, really, talk to about food in general—than Katie Parla. Her mind, her spirit, and her willingness to drive around the wonderfully off-the-grid cow towns of Puglia for the sake of a book project—it’s all really special. In this episode, we talk about her decades-long obsession with Italian food and culture, and what has gone into her latest book, Food of the Italian Islands. We also discuss her TV work and her tours of Rome that have become legendary around the world. It’s so good catching up with Katie Parla, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.MORE FROM KATIE PARLA: Italian Culinary Guides [official] Skip the Flight and the Ferry With ‘Food of the Italian Islands’ [NYT] Drinking With Italian Food and Wine Expert Katie Parla [PUNCH] Buy: Tasting Rome and Food of the Italian South

How does a venture capitalist working in and around food actually grocery shop? Elly Truesdell, founder and managing partner of New Fare Partners, joins us on the show to tell us all about it. Elly got her start working in the corporate office of Whole Foods, and we find out about her nearly 10 years there discovering some of our favorite food brands. We also find out what a VC actually does, and how she hunts for the next big thing in CPG—short for consumer packaged goods, i.e., the products lining the shelves of your local grocery store. This is a cool conversation with one of the sharpest minds in food.Also on the show, we catch up with cookbook collaborator, podcast host, and former Food & Wine editor Kristin Donnelly. We discuss all things cookbooks, including some exciting projects she has in the works. We also go back to her time at Food & Wine and talk about changes in food media. It’s so great having Kristin on the show.MORE FROM ELLY TRUESDELL and KRISTIN DONNELLY: New Fare Partners is latest female-led VC to close first fund [Tech Crunch] Grocery Wars: A Natural Foods Reckoning [Food Tech Connect] Writing a Bestselling Cookbook in Your 80s [Everything Cookbooks] Modern Potluck: Beautiful Food to Share [Amazon] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/ellytruesdell instagram.com/kristincdonnelly instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Gail Simmons is a very cool human being—had to say that from the jump! While many know her best from Top Chef, Gail’s career in food expands way beyond a judge’s table. She trained at culinary school and went on to assist legendary food writer and columnist Jeffrey Steingarten. She also worked the line in busy New York City restaurants and is the author of two books, including her latest, Bringing It Home. We wanted to have her on the show to talk about her past in New York City restaurant kitchens and what we can expect on the new season of Top Chef.And, hey, this is our 200th episode! While this is simply a round number and that’s it, Matt wants to acknowledge the team who helps bring the show to the feed many times a week. This show does not happen without cohost Aliza Abarbanel; our amazing producers, Shalea Harris and Pat Stango; our incredible editor, Clayton Gumbert; our amazing illustrator, Ellie Skrzat; and, most of all, all of you listeners out there. Thanks for tuning in each week. Thanks for all the messages on IG and the emails. And thanks for telling your friends about the show.MORE FROM GAIL SIMMONS: Make chicken schnitzel with Gail Simmons of ‘Top Chef’ [Today] Inside the ‘Top Chef’ Industrial Complex [New York Times] TASTE Podcast 05: Gail Simmons [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/gailsimmonseats instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Chef and budding TV personality Daniel Harthausen is one of the most exciting voices in food, having just won the first season of HBO’s very good cooking competition show The Big Brunch and running the roving pop-up Young Mother in Richmond, Virginia. Harthausen was raised by a Korean mother and a half-Korean father and “had a baseline of what really good Korean food tasted like, without really knowing it at the time,” he told Matt during a Zoom conversation earlier this year. He was visiting New York recently, and we asked him to stop by the studio for a really cool conversation about his travels, his loot (he won $300,000 on the show), and the delicate topic of Korean-Japanese relations. He’s got a lot to say, and we were so excited to have him in.MORE FROM DANIEL HARTHAUSEN: Daniel Harthausen’s Big Korean-Japanese Brunch Is Special [TASTE] Brunch Time [Richmond Magazine] Richmond’s Daniel Harthausen wins big [Richmond Times Dispatch] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/danielharthausen instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste

Trigg Brown is the chef and co-owner of Win Son and the coauthor of a really great new book, Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook. Trigg and Matt share many mutual friends, and it was really cool for them to meet for the first time on the mic. We talk about Trigg’s early cooking career in Charlottesville, Virgina, and working in New York City with the Colichio crew at Craft and Colichio & Sons (shout-out to Damon Wise) before opening his own restaurant, Win Son, to great acclaim. We also discuss his time traveling through Taiwan and what makes a modern restaurant work. Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Rani Cheema. Rani is the founder of Cheema’s Travel, a boutique travel agency specializing in food trips. We talk about some of the destinations that are trending around the globe and get into how we can all travel better (with food on the mind). It’s a great conversation as we gear up for summer travel planning.MORE FROM TRIGG BROWN: Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2020: Trigg Brown [Food & Wine] Trigg Brown – Taiwanese Food through American Lens [Flavor Unknown] How Win Son Bakery Makes One of Brooklyn’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches [Food52] TASTE Podcast 191: Cathy Erway [TASTE] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW: instagram.com/trigg.brown instagram.com/mattrodbard instagram.com/taste