Andrew Talks to Chefs

A special double-header with one chef from the Catskills and one who cooks there today: Ruth Rogers of London’s iconic River Cafe joins us to discuss her path to the kitchen, the restaurant’s 30-year trajectory, and her new cookbook; then Ryan Tate shares the story of how he almost joined the Army before discovering the kitchen, moving from Michigan to Manhattan, and slowly developing his own deceptively simple style. 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!

In New York City, Andrew’s irked at the angle a restaurant critic adopted to review his book Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll in the New York Times. After he and Caitlin hash that out, we cut to a much happier scene: sun-drenched Los Angeles, where Andrew recently sat down with the super-talented Chef Timothy Hollingsworth of Otium restaurant, and before that, chef de cuisine of The French Laundry. Andrew and Tim have some history: Tim was the main character in Andrew’s book about the Bocuse d’Or competition in which Tim competed back in 2009. The two of them kick around Tim’s unique life and career (he spent most of his formative years—more than a decade—working at The French Laundry), his feelings about LA’s food scene, and other topics of life and work. An intimate conversation recorded in Tim’s LA home a few Saturdays ago. 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 iTunes 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!

In what might quietly be one of our best interviews, Mary Sue Milliken--one half (with biz partner Susan Feniger) of TV’s legendary “Too Hot Tamales"--and one of the major characters in Andrew’s book Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll discusses cooking in LA; what a female-dominated industry might have looked like; her midwestern roots; and chefs and travel. Pull up a seat and listen in. 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 iTunes 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!

Chef JJ Johnson and Andrew are both very much on the go this spring as they promote their respective books. (Pro tip: Check out JJ's From Harlem to Heaven--it's wonderful!) But they found a few minutes to comandeer a table at The Mermaid Inn and catch up--comparing notes on the book writing/publishing/promotion experience, discussing JJ's exploration of the African diaspora in restaurants and writing, and kicking around JJ's new restaurant concept and how he's enjoying a break from the pro kitchen. Pull up a chair and join them for a fast-moving hour of shop talk. 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 iTunes 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!

What's more fun than volleyball and as entertaining as a great summer read? Why, a podcast interview on the beach, of course. When Andrew met Suzanne Tracht, chef-owner of JAR restaurant, at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market recently, Suzanne suggested they have their conversation on the mostly deserted beach. The two of them commandeered a lifeguard tower and got to it, discussing Suzanne's kosher upbringing in Arizona, her migration to the pro kitchen and to California, the genesis and evolution of her beloved restaurant (now in its 18th year), and how she stays current while also honoring her longtime regulars. Lay down a towel, kick off your flip-flops, and join them. 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 iTunes 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!

Maybe it's because they have Florida in common, or maybe because they both write, or maybe it's something more simple and special than that, but Andrew has always felt a kinship with Chef Norman Van Aken, who's been making his mark on Florida dining since his his first at-bats in Key West in the early 1980s. Norman recently welcomed Andrew to Miami to help him promote Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll at Norman's new cooking school, In the Kitchen with Norman Van Aken, and his beautiful new Downtown Miami restaurant, named Three. During the visit, the two sat down at one of Norman's favorite hangs, Palacio de los Jugos, and gabbed about Florida, cooking, writing, and Norman's great career over lunch. 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 iTunes 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!

From '21' to the dear, departed Windows on the World, to his current longtime home at Porter House Bar and Grill, Chef Michael Lomonaco has made a career of finding new registers in the classics of American cuisine. Andrew sat down with his good friend (they collaborated on a book years ago) to discuss the trajectory of Michael's career, how he finds creative expression and satisfaction in the traditional mode he cooks in, and the very personal Italian-American influence that's found its way into his menu in recent years. 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 iTunes 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!

At his restaurants Zahav, Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, Rooster Soup Company, Goldie and others, Philadelphia-based chef and restaurateur Mike Solomonov has established himself as the standard-bearer of modern Jewish/Israeli cuisine. While at the Philly Chef Conference recently, Andrew and Mike borrowed a conference room for an impromptu rap session about what it means to be Jewish in the industry, the pitfalls of modern communication, where new restaurant ideas come from, and the secrets behind Philadelphia’s burgeoning restaurant scene (hint: it’s a good place for cooks to live). 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 iTunes 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!

At Williamsburg's popular Four Horsemen, Chef Nick Curtola brings a young lifetime of experience to bear in creating a concise but diverse menu that complements the restaurant's thoughtful wine program. The resulting offerings draw a steady steam of both civilian and industry diners. Nick shares the path that led him here, including his Bay Area childhood, time spent cooking in Italy, and at Franny's in New York, and his thoughts on menu development, collaboration, and management. 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 iTunes 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!

At Shuka restaurant in downtown Manhattan, chef Ayesha Nurdjaja subtly makes Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine her own. Over coffee one recent morning, she and Andrew kicked around her unique approach to her culinary education, favoring time spent in home kitchens around the world. She also shares a lot about her Brooklyn upbringing and her path to the professional kitchen after considering careers in gemology and music. 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 iTunes 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!