You may think you know LeVar Burton. After starring in the seminal 1977 mini-series Roots, he hosted Reading Rainbow and starred alongside Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation. These days he hosts the podcasts LeVar Burton Reads, in which he reads his favorite short fiction, and Sound Detectives, for kids who want to explore the magic and mystery of sound. But did you know that, as a teenager, LeVar bought steaks and lobsters that “fell off the back of a truck” and brought them home to his mom? Or that he’s very particular about his PB&J sandwiches? In this episode, LeVar dishes on Sir Patrick Stewart’s weird lunches on the Star Trek set and shares his favorite children's books about food. And as proof that he can make anything he reads sound amazing, LeVar favors us with dramatic readings of recipes.This episode originally aired on September 11, 2017 and November 30, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, with editing by Dan Charles and engineering help from Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Naama Shefi remembers visiting her husband’s grandmother for the first time, and being astonished by the stories tucked into each dish on the dinner table. That moment led her to start the Jewish Food Society, an organization that preserves and celebrates the diversity of Jewish food from around the world, which as Naama is quick to point out, goes far beyond Eastern European classics like brisket, kugel, smoked fish, and potato knishes. Now, Naama and the Jewish Food Society have a cookbook out, called The Jewish Holiday Table, which includes foods from Jews with roots in Spain, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and more. Ahead of Passover, Dan talks with Naama about what she ate growing up on a kibbutz, the culture shock of moving to New York, and her favorite Passover recipes from the book — including a Mexican rendition of gefilte fish. If you’d like to support humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza, there are many organizations providing aid, including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. You can also support World Central Kitchen, a food aid organization that provides meals all over the world in crisis zones. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Psychologist Christopher Rutt discusses picky eating in kids, exploring nature vs. nurture and societal judgments. Twin sisters share their journey from picky eaters to culinary adventurers. The podcast also touches on childhood eating habits, parental challenges, and upcoming content on Jewish food and Italy food tours.

You probably know Guy Fieri from his TV shows: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and Guy's Grocery Games. Or maybe you remember Pete Wells's epically scathing review of Guy's restaurant in New York City. But what you don’t know: The real Guy Fieri wants to open an all-organic restaurant. The real Guy Fieri hates that iconic bowling shirt with the flames. The real Guy Fieri feels like he’s always trying to keep up — and that it’s really hard to do so.This episode originally aired on August 17, 2020, and October 17, 2017. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Dan Charles.  The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.Every other Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In the final episode of “Anything’s Pastable,” the recipes are done — but they’re all in Google Docs. Now Dan has to bring them together into an actual book, with a cohesive visual style. So he hires an art director who scours flea markets for just the right props to bring the book’s personality to life. Then Dan heads to the Bay Area for the photo shoot, which means cooking nearly every recipe from the book one last time. When he has to pick the most important photo of all — the cover — the pressure is on. Will his publisher, and his family, judge his book by it?Anything’s Pastable the cookbook is on sale tomorrow, March 19, but you can order it today (including signed copies), and see if Dan’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

As Dan’s cookbook deadline approaches, recipe testing kicks into high gear — and he attempts to develop a few recipes on his own. But scorched pans and sauce spills lead to frayed nerves. Can he rediscover the creative spark that got him excited about this project in the first place?Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In part two of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan embarks on an epic trip across Italy in search of lesser-known pasta dishes — and to learn about the evolution of pasta more broadly. He starts in Rome, where food writer Katie Parla reveals a shocking truth about pasta. Then an Italian food historian challenges Dan’s thinking about carbonara. Finally, he heads south to meet a chef who was there when a regional specialty called spaghetti all’assassina (“assassin’s spaghetti”) was invented. All of this leads Dan to wonder: What does evolution look like in a food culture that’s so often depicted in sepia tones? And what’s his place in that process?Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey. And if listening to this episode makes you want to go to Italy, now’s your chance! Dan has teamed up with Culinary Backstreets to create a tour that will take you to many of the same places, with many of the same people. Tour Rome with Katie Parla, take a cooking class in Lecce with Silvestro Silvestori, and eat pasta in Bari with Dan!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with editing by Tracey Samuelson, Tomeka Weatherspoon, and Julia Russo. Special thanks to Katie Parla. Original theme music by Andrea Kristinsdottir.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Join Dan on a journey to create a cookbook featuring unique pasta shapes and innovative recipes. Explore the debate between Morton and Diamond Crystal salt, recipe development challenges, and the excitement of preordering the cookbook. Follow along as Dan shares the highs and lows of his culinary adventure in Italy and the process of perfecting pasta dishes for his first cookbook.

Gary Gulman did so many food bits early in his stand-up career that he joked he was "a strictly food-based comic." But as his comedy started to evolve in new directions, the role of food in his act changed, too. Instead of observational humor, Gary now uses food in a more personal way — from talking about ice cream as a window into his clinical depression, to skewering income inequality through a discussion of Pop-Tarts. Gary joins Dan to discuss his personal and professional evolution over the past 30 years, through a survey of his three decades of food jokes. Plus Gary shares an entirely new joke about the word “spork.”The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Violence, death threats, and bagels, oh my! In this final episode of Deep Dish season one, Sohla and Ham explore the origins of bagels, and the tough-as-nails Eastern Europe immigrants who created a thriving bagel business in New York. When the mafia tried to muscle its way into the bagel business, the bagel bakers fought back — but in the process, they failed to see a bigger threat. Sohla tells the story, and she learns the secrets of hand-rolling bagels from an expert at Shelsky's Brooklyn Bagels. Make sure you listen all the way to the end to hear Sohla and Ham’s bagel taste test! And check out some behind the scenes photos from this episode on Sohla and Ham’s Instagrams.Deep Dish is a production of The Sporkful. The team includes Sohla El-Waylly, Ham El-Waylly, Andres O’Hara, Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell, with additional editing by Josh Richmond and Tomeka Weatherspoon. Original theme music by Casey Holford.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com