Molly Baz is a ray of light. Molly Baz is building an empire. Molly Baz can not be stopped. She has two bestselling cookbooks, a wine label, an insanely popular newsletter, a video series, her very own mayo line, and she has a third cookbook, “Less Is More” slated to come out early next year. She just announced a new line of ice cream sandwiches. There’s a bit of Baz for everyone. Molly joins me today to teach me how to not cook like a coward. We talk about bad weed experiences, and mixing beer with milk. We talk babies and condiments. Molly Baz contains multitudes. We dug deep.

Our first guest is carla lalli. FKA Carla Lalli Music. She’s lived many lives. From the first GM at the first Shake Shack, to a beloved chef in the Bon Appétit test kitchen. She’s been a YouTube star, recipe developer, Substacker, and James Beard Award winner. She is a legend. She recently published her new book, Food Is A Feeling. Half cookbook, half memoir, the book tells the story of her divorce, and the healing power of food. We talked about online dating, how she could have been rich, pepper jack cheese, the pesto pasta problem, and why you should never feel guilt about pleasure. Talking to Carla was a pleasure, and I feel no guilt about it.

Food critic J Lee is back, turning food into a doorway to the bigger conversations that define how we live. Each week, J sits down with a guest to talk about food and everything around it - society, identity, culture, and the way we move through the world. Sometimes it's a chef. Sometimes it's a writer, a tastemaker, or the bartender at his favorite bar. Because everyone eats, and everyone has a story.

We always start with food. But we always wind up somewhere else - because food is culture, and everybody eats.

New season, same appetite. Season 2 drops September 17th

Expense Account is currently between seasons, but we had an opportunity to speak to culinary legend Tom Colicchio at his home in New York. We have more exciting announcements about the show later this spring, but in the meantime, enjoy this intermission episode.

This week, J Lee spoke to Tom Colicchio. The restaurateur and TV star just celebrated the 25th anniversary of his iconic restaurant Craft. You might also know him as a judge on all 21 seasons of “Top Chef,” and as a co-founder of Gramercy Tavern. This episode covers:

* What it was like to shop at Union Square Farmer’s Market in the ‘90s

* How the cost of opening a restaurant in New York City has changed over the last three decades

* Training in restaurants vs. training in culinary school

* How Tom almost ended up in “The Sopranos”

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.

It’s the season one finale of Expense Account!

This week, J Lee spoke Keith McNally, the legendary restaurateur behind Balthazar, The Odeon, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, Lucky Strike and more. He is also the author of “I Regret Almost Everything.” Topics discussed include:

* The ideal order for two people at Balthazar

* Keith’s love/hate relationship with social media

* Creating the perfect restaurant playlist

* and why restaurants are one of the last places you can achieve the American dream

If you’re interested in working with us on the next season of Expense Account, have an idea for a guest, or want to host us at your countryside farm in France, email [email protected]

This week on Expense Account, J Lee spoke to Cami Téllez and Sasha Mutchnik. Topics discussed include:

* Colostrum

* The Armani Couture bring worn and Juuls being smoked at Casa Cipriani

* Sasha and Cami’s friendship origin story on the Columbia campus

* Dinner omelettes

* And the art collection at Kappo Masa

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.

This week on Expense Account, J Lee spoke to Pete Wells, former restaurant critic for The New York Times. Topics discussed include:

* The ideal width of sandwiches.

* Why everyone is a food journalist now (social media).

* The increased emphasis on furniture and design in restaurants.

* And whether Pete misses being a critic.

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.

This week on Expense Account, J Lee spoke to chef, author, director, and writer of Canal Street Dreams on Substack, Eddie Huang. Topics discussed included:

* Getting arrested in Sicily.

* Writing his book to Sky Ferreira on repeat.

* His honest thoughts on the state of menswear in New York.

* And ChinaMaxxing.

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.

This week on Expense Account, J Lee and Emily Sundberg spoke to Sammy Nussdorf, the founder and CEO of Meadow Lane. Topics discussed include:

* Mouse-gate.

* Chicken Nugget-gate.

* Building a viral business in public, and why haters fuel growth.

* And what sets his Tribeca gourmet grocer, Meadow Lane, apart from New York’s existing establishments.

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.

This week on Expense Account, J Lee and Emily Sundberg had a special edition of Feed Me — a holiday extravaganza. Topics discussed include:

* A shortage of house parties.

* Tom Cruise’s coconut cake.

* New York’s finest holiday desserts.

* The woman with a ribbon around her neck.

Expense Account is a food podcast for everyone. Insiders, outsiders, your mom, your dad, New Yorkers, Angelenos and also people from Florida (we love you). Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food. Feed Me’s resident food critic, J Lee will be joined each week by interesting and noteworthy guests from various fields who will make you laugh, they might even make you cry, who knows. You’ll find us here each week. Subscribe to stay relevant.