Andrew Talks to Chefs

Andrew Friedman
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Apr 14, 2023 • 1h 12min

Episode 217: Travis Swikard (Callie restaurant, San Diego, CA)

It's been nearly 2 years since Travis Swikard opened his smash success Callie in his hometown of San Diego, California. Prior to returning to his native state, he spent several years in New York City, several of them as chef of Daniel Boulud's Boulud Sud. Andrew and Travis have been pals for some time, so when he was in NYC in December, Travis paid a visit to Andrew's Brooklyn home to talk about what he's learned as a relatively new restaurant owner, finding his own style after years in the world of fine dining, and his advice to young cooks and aspiring chefs. Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Apr 12, 2023 • 32min

Launching Greywind with Chefs Dan Kluger & Caitlin Giamario (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

One of the pod's good friends, Chef Dan Kluger (Loring Place, et. al.), joins us today to discuss the genesis and development of his new Greywind restaurant, accompanied by Caitlin Giamario, the project's Executive Chef.  Dan and Caitlin take us through the origin of the restaurant, which opens today, as well as its accompanying components (a bakery, chef's counter, and cocktail lounge), the challenges of opening at the tail end of a pandemic, and some favorite opening dishes. If you are in or near New York City, be sure to check out Greywind (we attended friends and family last week and loved it). Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Mar 25, 2023 • 42min

Lunch with Barkha Cardoz (an Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

On this date, the third anniversary of our losing chef Floyd Cardoz to COVID, we remember him and his legacy with his wife, Barkha Cardoz. A few weeks ago, Barkha generously invited Andrew to visit her home, even though they'd never met before, to enjoy a lunch prepared in part with the masalas she and Floyd developed several years ago (and which are still sold by Burlap & Barrell). Barkha shared her own personal journey to the restaurant world, and recalls how she and Floyd met in cooking school in India and were reunited by chance in the United States. She also explains how she's carving out a greater public identity for herself as she moves forward with her life and career. Hope you'll give a listen to this extraordinarily open and moving conversation.Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Mar 25, 2023 • 51min

Episode 216: Ron Yan (Parcelle wine bar, NYC)

As executive chef of Parcelle wine bar in lower Manhattan, Ron Yan serves a menu informed by myriad cuisines and some of the places where he's lived around the world. In this conversation recorded outside the restaurant in late 2022, Ron describes his initial interest in food and cooking, his gravitation to New York City, and his  experience in a range of New York restaurants, from the glitzy Le Cirque in MIdtown to the smaller and more intimate Jewel Bako and Degustation downtown.(As you'll hear in the interview, we're still not sure if Ron wants you to check out his YouTube channel, where he did cooking demos during the pandemic, but have a look if you like; they're charming.)Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Feb 28, 2023 • 33min

Meet (some of) the Women of MAPP (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

What began as a labor of love for documentarian and former journalist Joanna James--making the documentary A Fine Line, about her mother Val--turned into an organization, MAPP, that supports women in food organizations through mentorship and advocacy. After a recent kick-off event for their coast-to-coast programming and events for 2023 at New York City's Union Square Cafe, Joanna, Val, and three MAPP ambassadors/board members--Mo Carter, Amanda Mack, and Georgeann Leaming--gathered to discuss the organization's genesis, its multi-pronged approach to a variety of challenges that women in the industry continue to confront today, and share a few personal success stories facilitated by MAPP. Visit MAPP's website.Learn about the Conference in Miami, Florida (May 1, 2023).Follow MAPP on Instagram and/or follow A Fine Line.Listen to Joanna's conversation with Andrew from 2020.Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Feb 25, 2023 • 1h 18min

Episode 215: Thomas Allan (The Modern, NYC)

Thomas Allan, chef of New York City's The Modern, a Union Square Hospitality Group restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art, has achieved a lot in his thirty-five years. A young veteran of Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, and a former Bocuse d'Or competitor, he currently oversees a kitchen that has dependably earned two Michelin stars. In this deeply personal conversation, Thomas details a peripatetic childhood that found him living in England, Canada, and Texas by the time he reached high school; why he chose cooking as a career; and the changes he's made to The Modern's kitchen culture as the restaurant defines itself in the later stages of the pandemic.Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.  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!
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Feb 21, 2023 • 33min

Cannabis on the Menu with Travis Petersen (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

Travis Petersen, a.k.a. The Nomad Cook, joins Andrew to discuss the rapidly evolving attitudes toward culinary cannabis, the growing culture of pop-up cannabis dinners and events, and what the future of cannabis in restaurants might look like. As the legal stance toward cannabis changes from state to state in the U.S., and country by country around the world, this is a fascinating conversation with a chef on the front lines of the movement.For details about/tickets to Travis' next Nomadic Nights dinner, click here. Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Feb 11, 2023 • 26min

Getting the Band Back Together with Norman Van Aken of Orlando, Florida's Norman's restaurant (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

It's a rare thing for a restaurant, even a beloved one, to be reconstituted years after its original iteration, let alone after two prior versions. This weekend, in Orlando, FL, the legendary Norman Van Aken introduces the third rendering of his landmark Norman's to the world. On this Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation, Norman calls in from Orlando to discuss what's new about this Norman's, mingling the classic and the contemporary, whether or not he still experiences pre-opening nerves, and to share his thoughts on creativity and evolution. Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.    * Photograph by Castaldo Studios 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!
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Feb 10, 2023 • 1h 16min

Episode 214: Rob Connoley (Bulrush; St. Louis, MO)

On a recent trip to New York City, Rob Connoley of St. Louis, MO's Bulrush restaurant, made time to sit down with Andrew and discuss his culinary career, which mingles elements of scholarship, history, and of course, cuisine. It all comes together at Bulrush, where he takes inspiration from the food and history of the Ozarks. We promise you: It's a fascinating conversation unlike any we've aired before. Settle in and enjoy!Andrew's next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!
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Feb 5, 2023 • 32min

Credit Where It's Due? with Amanda Cohen & Andrew Duong (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

Our second Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation: In recent years, there's been an intermittent debate in the industry about whether or not team members should be credited on restaurant menus for their contribution to dish ideation. Classicists wave away the notion, while more progressive cooks and chefs often express an openness to the idea, if not an outright endorsement of it. Regardless of all the chatter, very few chef-restaurateurs have actually implemented a program to credit anyone other than the chef on their restaurant's menus. Last year, Amanda Cohen of New York City's Dirt Candy restaurant began doing it regularly, so we invited her and Andrew Duong, a Dirt Candy sous chef who's been cited on the menu for his dish development, on the pod to discuss their experience to date.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news. 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!

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