Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Tim Carman, a seasoned food reporter at The Washington Post, and Warren Rojas, a local dining expert, dive into the heavy impact of ICE raids on immigrant restaurant workers in D.C. They discuss the precarious choices workers face between safety and employment. The duo also reveals how fear and enforcement tactics are reshaping the city’s vibrant food scene, with stories of community resilience amid turmoil. Listeners get a glimpse of the chilling effects of policy on the faces behind beloved eateries and learn ways to support these vital community pillars.

Kenji Lopez-Alt and Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman discuss (what else) how they deal with Thanksgiving leftovers in this classic Special Sauce episode from 2023. Leave the meat on the bone or in the fridge or slice it off right away? Stuffing waffles, anyone? Is pie the only thing to have for breakfast after Thanksgiving? They don't always agree, but Kenji and Deb always have a great time when they get together.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Join culinary wizards Kenji Lopez-Alt and Stella Parks as they tackle Thanksgiving cooking dilemmas! Kenji shares tips on the reverse-sear technique for turkey and warns against stuffing it with the bird. Stella offers invaluable advice on perfecting pie crusts, recommending optimal salt and butter choices. They also discuss ingenious ways to manage holiday cookie decorating and reduce sweetness with toasted sugar. Tune in for expert insights that'll elevate your Turkey Day feast!

Many beloved candy bars are now being made without cocoa butter and here to tell us why and how the likes of Rolo, Mr. Goodbar and Almond Joy have been reformulated to exclude the plant-based fat is The New York Times climate reporter, Claire Brown. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Over the summer we checked in with LA Taco's Javier Cabral about the scary ICE raids  in L.A. and their terrifying effect on the food community there. But the situation in Chicago is in many ways equally dire. ICE raids as part of Trump's Operation Midway Blitz have terrified Latino neighborhoods in Chicago. Street vendors are scared to set up shop and many restaurants find themselves with many empty tables that were previously filled. Here to keep us up to speed about what's happening in the Windy City is the Chicago Tribune's Zareen Syed and Marcos Carbajal, the second generation Mexican-American owner of Carnitas Uruapan. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Are Yemeni coffee shops the next big thing? On this episode serious eaters will meet Mokhtar Alkhanshali, who has braved gunfire and jail and AK-47s as he tries to bring single origin Port of Mokha Yemeni coffee to the world. His story is the stuff of movies.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to Kenji Lopez-Alt and his partner concert violinist Tessa Lark about their Reese's obsession. Just in time for Halloween.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Former Serious Eats editor and writer Sho Spaeth talks to us about his new book, Homemade Ramen. Sho is the most passionate and knowledgeable Ramen geek I know. He truly believes in the power of ramen.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

How and when and why did sushi become one of America's most popular convenience foods? The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times food reporter Julia Moskin explains all on this episode of Special Sauce.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to the terrific Southern food writer John T. Edge about his memoir House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home. His journey from a childhood in a small town in Georgia that in many ways still celebrated the Confederacy to running the Southern Foodways Alliance is a remarkable one.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices