Your Mama’s Kitchen
Higher Ground
“Tell me about your mama's kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's media company. Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Conan O'Brien, Ina Garten, José Andrés, John Legend, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.Your Mama’s Kitchen is a production of Higher Ground.Produced by Sonia Htoon.Associate Producers are Jenna Levin, Stella Hartman, Itxy Quintinilla and Camila Thur de Koos.Sound design and engineering from Andrew Eapen, Ryan Kozlowski and Roy Baum.Executive producers for Higher Ground are Mukta Mohan, Dan Fierman and Michele Norris.The show’s closing song is 504 by The Soul Rebels.Editorial and web support from Melissa Bear and Say What Media. Our talent booker is Angela Peluso.Copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC / Sound Recording copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 21, 2024 • 38min
Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry – cookbook author, chef, food activist, conceptual artist and publisher – joins Michele at his University of California Berkeley art studio to discuss one of the biggest influences behind all of his work: his grandmother, Margie Bryant; or, as his family affectionately called her, Ma’dear. In Ma’dear’s Memphis, Tennessee kitchen, Bryant spent hours helping her shell peas, peel potatoes or pour sugar into the pot for her sweet fruit preserves. It was in her kitchen that Bryant learned how Ma’dear’s love for her family came in the form of what she made there, and it's that love that stays with Bryant today and drives his work.When Bryant is not penning one of his acclaimed cookbooks, like his most recent work, Black Food, he is touring the country, educating Americans about the ways in which our food system is broken, how we as consumers can make choices that help local producers and farmers get the resources they need to continue their valuable work, and about what many of us often get wrong about Black Food – a cuisine that is far more varied, healthy and complex than many people are led to believe. In this episode, Bryant recounts how a very specific 90s hip hop song led him to veganism, he shares his recipe for Ma’dear’s savory, slow-cooked leafy greens, and he sings the haunting, beautiful song Ma’dear would sing as she cooked them down until they were meltingly tender. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb 14, 2024 • 30min
Leslie Jones
Comedian and actress Leslie Jones talks about her childhood kitchen, dealing with loss, and using humor as therapy. She shares her grandmother's cornbread stuffing recipe and discusses her unique comedy style and career influences. The power of laughter and the importance of comedy shows are also explored.
Feb 7, 2024 • 44min
Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves-McConaughey
In this episode, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey bring listeners into their marriage, from how they first met over margaritas to cooking steak sushi to make amends. Matthew’s sometimes chaotic upbringing in Texas could not be more different from Camila’s family-filled, farm-to-table childhood in Brazil, but they found ways to connect and thrive together in their kitchen in Austin. Plus, Camila teaches us how to make her family’s Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff, which is apparently better the next day.Matthew McConaughey is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning actor known for his leading roles in films in a range of genres like Dazed and Confused (1996), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He authored his bestselling autobiography Greenlights in 2020 and performs the audiobook. Camila Alves McConaughey is a model, designer, and author of the New York Times bestselling children’s book Just Try One Bite (2022). She also runs the lifestyle website Women of Today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 27, 2023 • 41min
George Takei
George Takei, Sulu from Star Trek, shares his experiences living in an internment camp as a child and how he adjusted to life after. He discusses his mother's East LA-influenced tacos and her 'footballs' or Iniri that provided solace. Takei's career as an actor and activist fighting for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality is also highlighted.
Dec 20, 2023 • 43min
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste, multiple Oscar and Grammy award-winning musician and TV personality, discusses growing up in a musical family in New Orleans and their Christmas traditions. He reflects on the influence of food, family, and faith in his life. The podcast explores memories of the vibrant kitchen, the role of music in their upbringing, and adapting traditional recipes. They also discuss the healing power of the kitchen and how music transformed them from a shy kid to a confident performer.
Dec 13, 2023 • 36min
Samin Nosrat
Chef Samin Nosrat discusses her culinary journey from childhood memories in her mother's kitchen to a transformative trip to Iran. She reflects on the impact of family traditions, immigrant influences, and the pursuit of flavor. The podcast also covers her experiences in the restaurant industry, finding belonging, and reconnecting with her Persian roots through food memories.
Dec 6, 2023 • 41min
Jeff Tweedy
Singer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy discusses cherished memories from his childhood kitchen in Illinois, and the invaluable time he spent at his kitchen table with his mother, and he explains how his favorite home-cooked dish today–known simply as The Dish–became a Tweedy family hit. Jeff Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, Tweedy started his music career in high school with Jay Farrar and their band The Plebes (which later became Uncle Tupelo). After Uncle Tupelo's fourth studio album, the band broke up in 1994, prompting Tweedy to form Wilco. Wilco found critical and commercial success on their albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born; the latter went on to receive a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2005. Across Tweedy's career, he has released fifteen studio albums: four with Uncle Tupelo, ten with Wilco, and one with his son Spencer, along with numerous collaborations with other musicians. He is the author of several books, including his memoir Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and most recently, World Within a Song.Tweedy lives with his wife, Sue Miller, in Chicago. They have two sons, Spencer and Sammy.Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode15See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 29, 2023 • 34min
Michael Pollan
Author, journalist, and professor Michael Pollan talks about the influence Julia Child had on his mother’s kitchen and the nature of kitchens in America today, and shares his unexpected favorite dish growing up. Michael Pollan is a renowned advocate for responsible farming, gardening, and slow, local eating. Pollan has been a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine since 1987 and is the author of several successful books. Pollan writes about “the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in our minds.” In 2003, Pollan was appointed Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. In 2017, he was appointed Professor of the Practice of Non-fiction at Harvard. In 2020, he co-founded the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. In his Netflix documentary series Cooked, Pollan explores how cooking transforms food and shapes the world.Michael Pollan was born into a Jewish family in Long Island in 1955. He is the oldest of four children and brother to three little sisters. His father, Stephen Pollan, was a financial consultant, and his mother, Korky, was a New York Magazine columnist, style editor at Gourmet magazine, and an avid home cook. Pollan has a son, Isaac, and lives in the Bay Area with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer. Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode14See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 22, 2023 • 39min
Al Roker
America's weatherman Al Roker shares Thanksgiving traditions and tips on perfecting his mama's oxtail stew with dumplings. They discuss food, childhood memories, mixing tape and even blackmailing siblings. Al reflects on the importance of Christmas and shares his favorite meal, Ox Tail Stew, along with tips for achieving the perfect flavor.
Nov 15, 2023 • 37min
Hari Kondabolu
In this episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, comedian, writer and TV host Hari Kondabolu talks about growing up in Queens, New York City, where his mother brought her native South India to the dinner table with an unforgettable peanut chutney. Hari also discusses his parents’ quiet activism – and how, from his mother, Hari learned to use humor to confront the world’s injustices. Hari Kondabolu is a comedian, writer, TV host, and podcaster based in Brooklyn, New York. His comedy covers subjects including race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. The latter was the basis of Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary, “The Problem with Apu,” a cultural critique of The Simpsons’ character, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. His 2018 Netflix special “Warn Your Relatives” was named in several Best Of Year lists including Time, Paste, and Cosmopolitan. He is a former writer and correspondent on the FX show “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” and regularly appears on NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” and WNYC’s “Midday on WNYC.” Kondabolu attended both Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University and earned a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.Kondabolu's newest comedy special and album, “Vacation Baby”, is available worldwide free on YouTube. He previously released two chart-topping comedy albums, Waiting for 2042 and Mainstream American Comic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
