

Andrew Talks to Chefs
Andrew Friedman
Our top chefs, as you’ve never heard them before. Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation's chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 3, 2026 • 1h 15min
Mavis-Jay Sanders (Chef & Activist)
[**New episodes of ATTC are now available in video! You can watch on Spotify, or YouTube Or you can just keep on listening in all the same places you usually do.**]Today’s guest is Mavis-Jay Sanders. Mavis-Jay is a chef and activist who works to uplift disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, and cares deeply about social justice. In their conversation, Mavis-Jay tells Andrew about her nomadic childhood, which took her everywhere from the American South and Southwest, to Alaska and Italy, and about the events that spun her culinary career towards its current focus. She also discusses the Community Kitchen project for which she served as chef in fall 2025.Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.Thanks also to Gage & Tollner for providing our location. Please keep Gage & Tollner in mind for drinking and/or dining in Downtown Brooklyn, and for special and private occasions. And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.Episode host/producer: Andrew FriedmanProducer: Roderick AlleyneVideographer/editor/mixer: Victor Michael Thelian
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 27, 2026 • 1h 13min
Sohui Kim (Gage & Tollner and Insa--Brooklyn, NY)
**OUR FIRST VIDEO EPISODE!!**It’s a big day here at Andrew Talks to Chefs as we share our first video podcast with you.(You can watch on Spotify or YouTube, or you can just keep listening in all the same places you always have.)Our guest on this momentous occasion is Sohui Kim, chef and co-owner of Gage & Tollner and Insa in Brooklyn, NY. Sohui tells Andrew all about about her early childhood in South Korea, move to the United States as a preteen, diversion from academics to the pro kitchen, and the genesis of her current restaurants as well as the first place she and husband-partner Ben Schneider opened, the fondly remembered Good Fork in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It’s no coincidence that we selected Sohui as our first video guest, because our video episodes will be filmed in the private dining rooms at Gage & Tollner. Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod. Thanks also to Gage & Tollner for providing our location. Please keep Gage & Tollner in mind for drinking and/or dining in Downtown Brooklyn, and for special and private occasions. Episode host/producer: Andrew FriedmanProducer: Roderick AlleyneCinematographer/editor/mixer: Victor Michael Thelian
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 1h 30min
Chef Jiho Kim (New York City)
Jiho Kim discusses his gravitation toward the pro kitchen, love of pastry-making, and evolution on the savory side of cuisine.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 1h 42min
Chris Jaeckle (Kitchen Connect Consulting)
Accomplished chef turned consultant, Chris Jaeckle discusses his career in restaurants and shift to his consultancy, Kitchen Connect.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 1h 3min
Samir Dhurandhar (Nick & Sam's - Dallas, TX)
Samir Dhurandhar discusses his childhood in India, training in the US, and his long run at Nick & Sam's steakhouse in Dallas, TX.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 49min
Samaya Boueri Ziade (Sawa - Brooklyn)
Samaya Boueri Ziade shares the origin story of her acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant Sawa.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 60min
Anthony Scotto (Luogo & Pelato--Nashville, TN)
Anthony Scotto discusses his early life and career in New York City,, and current success with Luogo and Pelato restaurants in Nashville, TN.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 22, 2026 • 1h 1min
Julia Sullivan (Henrietta Red and Judith -- Tennessee)
Julia Sullivan discusses her restaurants Henrietta Red (Nashville, TN) and Judith (Sewanee, TN), and her career to date.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 17, 2026 • 1h 18min
Michael Twitty (author, Recipes from the American South) on Regionality, Heritage, and His New Book
Author Michael Twitty discusses his fascinating new book, Recipes from the American South, the genesis of the project, and the mission between the recipes.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jan 5, 2026 • 1h 13min
David Schuttenberg (Beautiful South & Kwei Fei--Charleston, SC) on Blooming Late, Culinary School, and Staying True to Yourself
Charleston chef and restaurateur David Schuttenberg (Beautiful South, Kwei Fei) discusses his NYC training and how he found his way to South Carolina, as well as the origin stories of his two restaurants. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!


