Lunch Therapy

Laurie Woolever spent the past decade working as Anthony Bourdain's assistant. She's now the author of two books, one the NYT bestselling Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography and the other, co-written with Bourdain before his passing, World Travel: An Irreverent Guide. In today's session, Laurie opens up about her time working with Tony, explains how her voice is present in the biography without giving her own testimonial, and offers up her insight into what happened in his final days. We also zero in on Laurie herself: her journey from Cornell to culinary school to being a private chef to working for Mario Batali -- spending time in the Babbo kitchen -- before landing her job as Anthony Bourdain's lieutenant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Halloween's coming up this Sunday and as we all shop for candy to give out (and inevitably eat ourselves), the question arises: which Halloween candy is the best and which is the worst? In today's bonus episode, LA Times cooking columnist Ben Mims joins me to rank our least favorite Halloween candy and our most favorite Halloween candy. Will you agree or disagree? Only one way to find out.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hetty McKinnon is one of the most prolific food writers out there. She's the author of four bestselling cookbooks, including her most recent, TO ASIA, WITH LOVE. She also creates recipes for The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Delicious, Food52... the list goes on and on. In today's session, Hetty and I fly right out of the gate with a conversation about "authenticity" as an anachronistic word, how far she feels she can stray from her family's recipes, and how far she can stray from MY concept of what should go on a bagel. (It gets very intense, but in a fun playful way.) We also cover Australia as an influence on her cuisine, what she thinks about when she thinks about "home," and what it was like living through the pandemic in New York with three children. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My patient this week, Vallery Lomas, has been through a lot! The winner of the first season of The Great American Baking Show -- and the first black winner of the entire Baking Show franchise -- Vallery never had her victory air on TV because the show got cancelled after one of the judges was accused of sexual harassment. Vallery had the last laugh, though; she sold a baking book, Life Is What You Bake It, that's out now in stores and it's winning raves... Publisher's Weekly called it "an inspiring collection" and I've been telling everyone I know to buy it. In today's session, Vallery walks us through the entire Baking Show experience: what it was like cooking in England (metric system!), how it felt getting judged by Paul Hollywood, and what her emotions were like when she found out the show was cancelled. We also cover her childhood in Louisiana, how she transitioned from the law to a career in food (just like me), and how she goes about developing a recipe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's bonus episode, I asked my Instagram followers to ask me questions that I could answer in a Q&A. How do you cook a duck breast? Does buttermilk really tenderize meat? What's the most overrated food trend right now? And what do I think of this season of The Great British Bake-Off? Find out in this week's episode and if you'd like to submit a question, give me a follow on Instagram (@amateurgourmet) or send a question to lunchtherapist@gmail.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of my all-time favorite cookbooks has always been The Gift of Southern Cooking, co-written by the iconic and legendary Edna Lewis -- who blazed the trail for black chefs everywhere with her cooking and her writing -- and my patient today, her friend and colleague, James Beard award-winning chef, Scott Peacock. It was such a thrill to get to talk to Chef Peacock about his time with Ms. Lewis (as he calls her), to hear how she impacted his life, helped him embrace his Southern roots, and taught him about the importance of quiet in the kitchen. We go deep about Scott's original ambivalence about the South, how it was tied to his grandmother's poverty, his sense of shame, and how all of that changed after that first meeting with Ms. Lewis over coffee at Dean & Deluca in New York. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this very special Thursday episode of Lunch Therapy, my parents -- Heidi and Bradley Roberts -- talk about how they lost sixty pounds each (!!) during the pandemic. Hear all about what they ate, how they exercised, how they stayed the course, how they rewarded themselves on the weekends, and how they got back on the horse when they slipped. I found it inspiring, maybe you will too! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John deBary is the author of DRINK WHAT YOU WANT, a mixology book that demystifies the art of creating cocktails at home, a skillset that John perfected first as a bartender at New York's legendary PDT and then for nine years as bar director for the Momofuku group. In today's session, we talk to John about washing lettuce, serving others. vs himself, being "a courtly bartender," performance anxiety, and studying drinks on flashcards. We also talk about the first successful cocktail that he invented at PDT (The Norman Inversion), the elements of a cocktail, rhubarb Amaro, how he chooses a drink at a restaurant, and raising $7 million for restaurant workers during the pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's apple pie season... but what if you don't know how to make an apple pie? Let me be your apple pie therapist and walk you through it. There are lots of things to think about: butter vs. shortening, food processor vs. fingers, Granny Smith vs. an assortment of apples. In this session, I walk you through the entire process: from keeping your butter cold (I say that a lot), to peeling your apples, to rolling out your pie dough, to getting it beautifully brown in the oven. Take it from me, a former pie wimp... if I can make a gorgeous apple pie, so can you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chelsea Peretti is a comedian, writer, actress (she played Gina Linetti on Brooklyn 99) and she's our patient this week on Lunch Therapy. in today's session, Chelsea talks about her dad's cooking, whether she's an extrovert or introvert, her issues with fish skin, her mom's tart and tangy salad dressing, and why she loves artichokes. We also talk about looking for something spiritual when hunting for food, an actor she once met who ate a cup of broccoli on their birthday, how she got into stand-up comedy, where she likes to eat on the road, and whether or not I could kill a cow. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices