Andrew Talks to Chefs

Julia Turshen joins Andrew to discuss her new book Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food, as well as her life and career as a food writer, podcaster, and activist. And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and commentary segment, Rebecca Mason of Houston, Texas' Fluff Bake Bar discusses the governor's lifting of mask mandates and what it means for restaurateurs and foodservice owners.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 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 information. 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!

Chicago's chef Beverly Kim (Parachute and Wherewithal) joins Andrew to discuss a wide array of subjects, from her personal journey to chefdom to the challenges of being a woman and Korean-American in the pro kitchen, to the coming restaurant reset. And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and commentary segment, designer Glen Coben helps us imagine what restaurants might look like post COVID.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 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 information. 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!

For four decades Jesse Cool has owned and operated the beloved Menlo Park restaurant Flea Street Cafe, and been a devoted proponent of organic cooking and dining. She joins Andrew to discuss her road from Pennsylvania to California, the ups and downs of running a restaurant over such a long timespan, and her dislike of the word chef, among myriad other subjects. (Listen to Jesse's earlier appearance on the pod.)And a trio of experts from Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions, a Southern California-based recruiting firm, share their observations about the emerging post-pandemic hospitality jobs market, from traditional pursuits to new and evolving options.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 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 information. 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!

The great Chicago chef Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, et. al.) recently wrote a deeply personal essay for Medium about the roller coaster of personal and professional milestones that comprise his year of coping with the human and economic costs of COVID. On this week's show, Rick expands on the universal themes and observations of the piece in an unscripted, unguarded conversation with Andrew. We think this will be a very cathartic listen, whether or not you are in the industry.Here's the YouTube channel Rick talks about on the pod.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 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 information. 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!

This is the shortest month of the year, so we're packing as much as we can into each episode!Our headline guest this week is Wylie Dufresne, in our opinion one of the most influential American chefs of the past few decades. He shares what he's been up to during the pandemic (including the pizza experiments that have dominated his Instagram feed), opens up about the future; and kicks around the historical context of "modernist cuisine."We are also thrilled to welcome back Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia. She and her business partner John O. Morisano discuss their new book Black, White, and The Grey, which combines their two distinct voices and points of view in an examination of race, the hospitality business, and friendship.And in this week's current events segment, a trio of chefs and owners--Jef Edwards of Ration Food Lab in Toronto; Roni Mazumdar of the forthcoming Dhamaka in lower Manhattan; and Jeff Miller of Rosella on New York City's Lower East Side--who have opened or are about to open during the COVID pandemic, trade notes and offer advice about how to navigate this difficult time.Links mentioned in episode:Our 2019 interview with Mashama Bailey at the Philly Chefs Conference (starts at 1 hour, 3 minutes)Our Toqueland interview (2 parts) with Wylie DufresnePlease consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page--we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 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 information.(photo of Wylie Dufresne by Evan Sung) 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!

It's Inauguration Day in the United States, and we open this week's episode with a moving conversation with Aquavit chef and Swedish native Emma Bengtsson, who became a US citizen on January 6, 2021, the day of the horrific insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Emma shares the mix of emotions she felt on that day, and where her subsequent soul-searching led her.And our feature interview this week is with Helene Henderson, another Swedish woman (we swear this is a coincidence), who founded the successful restaurant collection Malibu Farm, with outposts in California, Florida, and New York. Helene takes us through her early life in Sweden, the odd jobs she worked in New York and California, her catering and private chef career, and the evolution of Malibu Farm from a quirky pop-up to a bi-coastal enterprise. Listen to our earlier, feature interview with Emma Bengtsson.Support Aquavit restaurant!Support Malibu Farm in California, New York, and Florida!Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 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 information. 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!

We're kicking off 2021 with two new features: A current events segment at the top of every episode, and an accompanying blog post on our site. Today, we celebrate the new Summerlong Supper Club with founder/director Vinay Gupta, and forecast food trends to look for in 2021 with Food Network Magazine's founding editor in chief Maile Carpenter. Then, we're delighted to present a full-length biographical interview with Terrance Brennan--formerly of the influential NYC restaurants Picholine and Artisanal--who joins Andrew to talk about his life and career in a conversation recorded pre-pandemic.LINKS PROMISED ON AIRSummerlong Supper Club (sign up by January 17)Maile Carpenter's 2021 trends story Terrance's Instagram feedToqueland Post - "Every Little Bit Helps"Charlie Needs a KidneyPlease consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 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 information. 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!

We're closing out 2020 in style, with three hours of entertainment to keep you busy until we return in January.First, a quartet of our favorite guests--Dan Kluger, Allison and Matt Robicelli; and Erick Williams--check in from their respective home bases. Dan discusses his great new cookbook Chasing Flavor; Allison & Matt join Andrew for the first Shelter en Place review since the summer--a look at the holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut; and Erick  phones in from his Virtue Restaurant in Chicago to reflect on 2020.Then first-time visitor Harold Moore discusses his life and career, including an under-the-radar chefs potluck holiday party he used to host, which was Andrew's favorite night of the year.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 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 information. 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!

Legendary chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer (Aureole, et.al) joins Andrew from his home in Northern California to discuss how he and his team have been adapting during the COVID crisis, and his thoughts on where the industry goes from here. Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 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 information. 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!

Joshua Smith took a long and winding road to his current role as Director of Culinary Innovation for Alltown Fresh. A tumultuous home life led him to move out at age 16; he spent 8 years as a vagabonding cook, traveling the United States in search of new influences and experiences; and a passion for charcuterie drove him to found his former businesses, New England Charcuterie and Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions. A fascinating and very personal dialogue with a chef who's forged his own, singular path to successPlease consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 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 information.  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!