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.

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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.

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