Andrew Talks to Chefs

Chef Suzanne Cupps stepped out on her own in a big way this week, with her new 232 Bleecker restaurant in New York City. The launch comes after Suzanne's years with Union Square Hospitality Group, as executive chef of Untitled at The Whitney, and before that, a member of the kitchen brigade at Gramercy Tavern. A career-changer, Suzanne also cooked at Anita Lo's Annisa for several years. A few months back, while simultaneously winding down at Untitled, and ramping up at 232 Bleecker, the first full-service restaurant from Dig Food Group, Suzanne sat down with Andrew to discuss her life and career to date, and the evolution of her vegetable-forward style.EPISODE GUIDE0:00 - 4:05 Intro4:05 - 47:15 Suzanne Cupps, part 147:16 - 48:29 Show notes and housekeeping48:30 - 1:23:35 Suzanne Cupps, part 21:23:36 - end Outro***LINKS***Andrew Talks to Chefs Official Website232 Bleecker restaurant site   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!

Last month at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition North American regional semifinals in New York City, a soft-spoken chef by the name of Rafael Covarrubias blew the judges away with his Mole-spiced Muscovy Duck dish, which combined the flavors of his Mexican heritage with influences from the work and travels that led him to his current position at Hexagon restaurant in Oakville, Canada. The morning after the competition, Andrew sat down with Rafael to discuss his childhood in Mexico, his path to the professional kitchen, and what made his deceptively simple looking competition dish such a powerful personal statement.S.Pellegrino is a promotional partner of Andrew Talks to Chefs.Episode Guide0 - 4:55 Intro4:55 - 27:43 Rafael Covarrubias, segment 127:44 - 29:02 Show notes and updates29:03 - 43:42 Rafael Covarrubias, segment 243:43 - Wrap upLINKS:Andrew Talks to Chefs official WebsiteS.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition WebsiteHexagon Restaurant 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 our 100th episode, we have a special report from the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition North American regional semifinals. Andrew sat down with all of the emerging chefs who faced off in New York City a few weeks ago, for the right to represent North America at the Grand Finale in Milan, Italy, in 2020. In a series of short (10 minutes or less) conversations, he profiles this wildly talented and wonderfully diverse group. You’ll hear the stories of chefs who are plying their trade in New Orleans and Los Angeles, Calgary and Vancouver, New York and Ottawa. You’ll hear from sous chefs and executive chefs; those who work in restaurants and those who work in country clubs; those who are still in their home regions and those who moved to them from countries like Colombia and Italy. (The winner of the North American Semifinals, Chef Rafael Covarrubias, will be the featured guest on our next episode.)S.Pellegrino is a promotional partner of Andrew Talks to Chefs.Episode Guide0 - 10:52 Intro10:53 - 1:00:12  Pre-competition interviews (Jenny Dorsey, Yoann Therer, Camila Olarte, Kathryn Ferries, Francesco Di Marzio)1:00:13 -  1:03:03 Show notes and updates1:03:04 - 1:39:10 Post-competition interviews (Marvin Palomo, Jeremy Stephens, Vincent Gilliard, Garrett Martin)1:39:11 - Wrap upLINKS:Andrew Talks to Chefs official WebsiteS.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition Website  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!

Andrew drove out to Southold, NY, this summer to visit influential pastry chef Claudia Fleming at her North Fork Table & Inn. They spoke about Claudia's Italian-Irish upbringing, her early days as an aspiring dancer, her transition to restaurant work (starting in the front of the house), and ascension to opening pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, where she inspired generations of colleagues. Claudia worked in such seminal restaurants as the original Jams, Tribeca Grill, and Union Square Cafe, all of which are discussed in detail, as is the reissue of her cookbook The Last Course, just published last week.Joining Andrew for the intro this week is his colleague and neighbor Jeff Gordinier, food & drinks editor of Esquire magazine, whose 2019 Best New Restaurants list recently debuted. Jeff shares his extensive selection process, as well as some highlights from the list.Episode guide:1:25 - 33:40  Intro with Esquire magazine food & drinks editor Jeff Gordinier33:40 - 1:28:10 Claudia Fleming, part 11:28:40 - 1:39:28 More with Jeff Gordinier (mid-Show break)1:39:28 - 2:10:10 - Claudia Fleming, part 22:10:10 Wrap up with Jeff GordinierLinks:Andrew Talks to Chefs official websiteNorth Fork Table & Inn (Claudia's restaurant & inn)The Last Course (Claudia's book)Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2019Hungry (Jeff Gordinier's latest book)Please tell a friend about Andrew Talks to Chefs and/or rate/review us on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening![photo of Claudia Fleming by Eric Striffler] 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!

A fun episode for both professional cooks and chefs, and "civilian" food geeks alike: Christine Muhlke, co-curator and writer of the new Phaidon book Signature Dishes That Matter, joins Andrew to kick around the notion of signature dishes, how she and her collaborators made their selections, and even some dishes that didn't make the cut. Joining them is acclaimed pastry chef Michael Laiskonis, currently of Recolte, and a food scholar in his own right.The conversation ranges from the 1600s to 2018, from street food to haute cuisine, from nouvelle to New American, and touches on chefs ranging from Claudia Fleming to Wolfgang Puck, Paul Bocuse to David Chang, Alice Waters to Dan Barber.Special thanks to Benno restaurant for hosting this conversation.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening! 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!

Whitney Otawka, whom some listeners might remember from her stint on Top Chef, just released a new cookbook, The Saltwater Table, based on her exploration and interpretation of the terroir of Georgia's Cumberland Island. It's a fascinating read, and Whitney's story--she grew up as a wannabe archeologist in Southern California, discovered cooking in a first job in a two-person kitchen in Berkeley, and flowered as a chef after moving to Athens, Georgia--is compelling, to say the least.In our second interview, Andrew visits with husband-and-wife chef-restaurateurs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz of San Francisco's hit restaurant Noosh. They share the story of how they met and how their stories and sensibilities--one's a lifelong cook, the other a career-changer--complement one another, and how Noosh came to be.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening! 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!

Andrew welcomes one of the founders of modern Israeli cuisine, Erez Komarovsky, to New York City, where he recently opened his first US restaurant, Mint Kitchen. The two discuss Komarovsky's culinary awakening in Tel Aviv, his development in Paris and San Francisco, and his storied, multifaceted career in Israel.In our second interview, Andrew visits with Nicholas Stefanelli of Washington DC's Masseria and Officina. They track how Stefanelli migrated from baseball to fashion to cooking, the similarities and differences between the two sides of his heritage (Italian and Greek), food history and its place in contemporary dining, and restaurant management.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening! 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!

After a long hiatus, Andrew Talks to Chefs is back with two interviews featuring chefs at the forefront of the New York City dining scene: First, Andrew sits down with Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli of the red-hot, red-sauce-inspired Don Angie, which draws on their shared and distinct Italian-American heritage and myriad New York City influences. Then, he catches up with Victoria Blamey (whom you already met in a deep-dive, late-night interview in Episode 9), who recently took the helm at the legendary Gotham Bar and Grill.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening! 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!

While in Milan, Ohio, to partiticpate in a dinner at The Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef's Garden, Andrew grabbed the opportunity to interview one of his favorite people in the industry, the CVI's Executive Chef & Chef Liaison Jamie Simpson. Hear the story of how this young chef found his way to a unique six-year (and counting) stint at one of the most esteemed farms in the world, and what the the rewards of flowing to to the rhythms of a working farm are. Then, meet Jamie's kitchen team, a passionate group of chefs of varying ages and lengths of tenure who share a common enthusiasm for their surroundings and teammates.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening!Andrew Talks To Chefs is powered by Simplecast. 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!

As he readies his new restaurant Pasjoli for a fall debut, Dave Beran--who's already enjoying great success in Santa Monica, California, at Dialogue--takes us back through his life and career, from his formative days in Upstate New York and Michigan, to his early kitchen years at Alinea and Next (he served as chef de cuisine at both) to his decision to migrate to the West Coast. A far-ranging conversation about education, creativity, and finding one's professional home and wheelhouse.Visit the official Andrew Talks to Chefs website to explore past episodes, join our mailing list, leave a voicemail or comment, and keep up with Andrew's blog.Here's a thought: If you like what you hear, please tell your chef-fascinated friends, subscribe to Andrew Talks to Chefs (it's free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, follow us on your favorite social media platforms @ChefPodcast, and/or rate or review us on Apple's Podcast store. Thanks for listening!Andrew Talks To Chefs is powered by Simplecast. 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!