Good Food

By KCRW

What's Good Food about?

Everything you wanted to know about good cooking and good eating from LA chef, author, radio host and restaurateur Evan Kleiman.

4.6

785785 ratings

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Good Food episodes:

04.26.2024
Koreaworld, gas station cookies, vegan pie, pasta shapes
Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard think the worldwide appeal of K-pop and Korean cinema has boosted modern Korean food. Operating out of a gas station, how does Arezou Appel make some of LA's best cookies? Jennifer Yee of Baker's Bench...
04.19.2024
Apple pie, green almonds
With only a week left until PieFest, baker Nicole Rucker shows us how to make a scrumptrilescent apple pie. From Baghdad and Buenos Aires to Montreal and Mexico City, Naama Shefi taps the Jewish diaspora to fill her holiday table....
04.12.2024
Recipes from Gaza, berry pie, green almonds
Journalist, activist, and founder of the blog Gaza Mom, Laila El-Haddad discusses how she keeps the cuisine of Gaza alive as she tries to find solace during Ramadan. After struggling with drugs and addiction, Toriano Gordon hit reset and became...
04.05.2024
Onions, hand pies, Bangladeshi cuisine
Author and illustrator Mark Kurlansky peels back the cultural, historical, and gastronomical layers of onions. Journalist Shane Mitchell won two James Beard Awards for shining a light on the exploitation in America's onion fields. Pastry chef Sherry Yard has tips...
03.29.2024
Orange yolks, French omelets, backyard chickens
Marian Bull weighs in on the popularity of orange egg yolks. Chef Ludo Lefebvre details what goes into his famous omelet, which is on the menu at Petit Trois. Lisa Steele is a fifth-generation chicken keeper and the founder of...
03.22.2024
BONUS: Arielle Johnson talks Flavorama (Extended Interview)
Life is driven by flavor. The seductress that is flavor often leads us down the rabbit hole of food studies. If you run a restaurant or you're in the food business, you know that flavor is power and it needs...
03.22.2024
The science of flavor, the taste of tap water, Asian vegetarian
Explaining how taste and smell interact, why smell is related to emotion, and the patterns of flavor, Arielle Johnson chases deliciousness by taking science and making it fashion. Christy Spackman tracks how municipal water systems have spent billions eliminating taste...
03.15.2024
Ramadan, plastic bags, gluten-free cooking, feminist restaurants
Sous chef Kamran Gill discusses the challenges he faces while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Laura Strange develops recipes and travel guides for those living a gluten-free life in a gluten-centric world. Reporter Susanne Rust explains why California's...
03.08.2024
Black Appalachian cooks, Maydan, shochu
Crystal Wilkinson recounts stories and recipes from five generations of Black Appalachian cooks. Poised to open a restaurant complex in Los Angeles, Rose Previte traveled spice trade routes to see how cooking traditions informed each other. Food writer Bill Esparza...
03.01.2024
Gene editing, condiments, chai as compassion, corn as fuel
Dr. Lauren Crossland-Marr explains how the gene editing technology CRISPR is impacting our food chain. Scholar and editor Darra Goldstein detonates the flavor bombs of preserved condiments. Kevin Wilson, aka the CEO of Chai, describes how a simple cup of...
02.23.2024
Food of Tigray, reality show contestants, the life of a dish
Saba Alemayoh shares her mother's story of civil war, migration, and divorce — all of it bound up with Tigray culture and food. What happens to food reality show contestants once the cameras stop rolling? Derek Corsino weighs in after...
02.16.2024
Water in Tulare, where to eat with Memo Torres, Market Match in jeopardy
What does the Tulare Lake Basin water crisis mean for the future of farming in California? Carolyn Quick Tillery celebrates the 25th anniversary of a cookbook that pays homage to the Tuskegee Institute. Memo Torres has ideas about where to...
02.09.2024
Juliette Binoche on 'The Taste of Things,’ Asian food at Costco, chocolate
Director Tran Anh Hung and actress Juliette Binoche discuss the recipe for subtle seduction in The Taste of Things. Foley artist Olivier Thys reveals which foods he uses to simulate the on-screen sounds of bones breaking and vampires biting necks....
02.02.2024
Rice, tainted applesauce, Texas barbecue
With restaurants dedicated to global rice dishes, JJ Johnson explores 28 varieties in his latest cookbook. Chef Eric Adjepong explores assimilation, culture and home in a new children's book. Reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich unravels issues with the global food chain...
01.26.2024
Afghan cuisine, LA restaurant closures, Hmong cooking
Zarghuna Adel learns classic recipes from older Afghans living abroad and reintroduces them to a younger generation living in the country. LA Times reporter Stephanie Breijo reflects on the closure of some of the city's most cherished dining destinations. Yazeed...
01.19.2024
Soil, the future of farming, policing avocados
Journalist and author George Monbiot has a radical idea for fixing farming's environmental devastation — but can a post-agricultural world feed the planet? Once a social scientist and now a farmer, Chris Smaje offers a defense of small-scale farming and...
01.12.2024
Eating for mental health, hospitality, tipping, new food laws
Erewhon sells an $18 dollar smoothie named after Hailey Bieber. Mary Beth Albright considers how drinking it will make us feel.
01.05.2024
Encore: The life and times of Lalo García: Immigration, deportation, reconciliation
Journalist Laura Tillman phoned Máximo Bistrot, a restaurant riding the wave of Mexico City's popularity as a fine dining destination, in hopes of interviewing its chef, Eduardo "Lalo" García Guzmán. Tillman had covered immigration for the past 10 years and...
12.29.2023
Best of 2023 — Spearfishing, unconventional winemaking, (kinda) camping
Terrified of the ocean in her youth, Valentine Thomas is now a champion spearfisherwoman. Maggie Harrison describes the "maniacal rigor" with which she seeks out beauty through winemaking. "The McSatan" and "The Bruja" are on the menu at Evil Cooks,...
12.22.2023
The history of Chinese food, Cantonese cuisine, Genghis Cohen
Fuchsia Dunlop distills the history of Chinese food through a menu of 30 dishes. Kevin and Jeffrey Pang cook up some father-son bonding over plates of Mongolian beef and General Tso's chicken. Marc Rose and Med Abrous prepare for Christmas...
12.15.2023
Heirloom grains, Filipino bakes, Bill Addison picks LA's best restaurants
Rose Wilde encourages bakers to develop a relationship with heirloom grains and alternative flours. Abi Balingit, a self-described "dork who baked," turned her passion into a cookbook of Filipino desserts. Restaurant critic Bill Addison runs down his selections for the...
12.08.2023
Baking with Nancy Silverton, chili crisp, extracts
With a competitive spirit, Nancy Silverton sets out to make the best versions of classic baked goods. James Park grew up on kimchi, but when he discovered chili crisp, his world changed. Paul and Jill Fulton embarked on a vanilla...
12.01.2023
Best cookbooks of 2023, memories of Nigeria, cooking through grief
Bookstore owner Celia Sack shares her list of notable cookbooks of 2023 — perfect for gift-giving. Yewande Komolafe connects the dots of her Nigerian past, visiting Lagos and returning with a new cookbook. Cooking through grief, food writer Bee Wilson...
11.24.2023
"High on the Hog" returns, streaming leftovers, kombucha
In High on the Hog's second season, producers Fabienne Toback and Karis Jagger continue to explore how Black hands in the pot influence what America eats. Screenwriters Seth Reiss and Will Tracy tackle issues of class, consumerism, and privilege in...
11.17.2023
Thanksgiving — Sides turned mains, turkey, wine, stuffing, and pie
Molecular biologist turned cookbook author Nik Sharma joins Evan Kleiman to talk turkey and all the trimmings. Hetty Lui McKinnon has led a life surrounded by vegetables and shares a riff on a potato gratin. Fahara Zamorano promises nobody will...
11.10.2023
Cuyama carrot boycott, Indian in Artesia, how to cook pasta
Melinda Burns reports on the water wars in Cuyama, where small farmers are boycotting carrot behemoths Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms. At the farmers market, Karen Beverlin explains why carrots taste sweeter in cooler temps. Brothers Mario and Sal Marino...
11.03.2023
That's Entertainment! — Cocktails, cubes, company, cake
Toni Tipton-Martin spotlights the creativity, hospitality, and excellence of Black drinking culture. Leslie Kirchoff gives boring, square ice cubes a '70s-inspired remodel. Amy Thielen wants dinner parties to be less formal and more frequent — and she'll show you how...
10.27.2023
Murder mystery dinner menu, processed foods, pathogens
When detective-fiction devotee Karen Pierce couldn't find a cookbook devoted to Agatha Christie, she decided to write her own. Professor Chris van Tulleken explores the effects of ultra processed food in a world where profit is the goal and purposeful...
10.20.2023
Indigenous Food Lab, West African cuisine, farmer's market edibles
As he keeps racking up awards while shining a light on Native foodways, chef Sean Sherman hasn't forgotten his roots on the Pine Ridge reservation. Virginia Sole-Smith says the rise in Ozempic use as a weight loss tool exacerbates an...
10.13.2023
Playing Venba, the history of veganism in America, passion fruit
Through trial and error, KCRW recording engineer PJ Shahamat learns to cook biryani in the new video game, Venba. Designed and developed by Abhi, the goal of Venba was to create an emotional connection to food. Alicia Kennedy unpacks the...
09.29.2023
Religious diets, Indigenous baby food, native California ingredients
Food historian Christina Ward documents the practical and spiritual ways that religion shapes what we eat. From toilet to tap, John and Sommer Decker fight off the Arizona heat with beer brewed from treated wastewater. Gustavo Arellano reveals the Fuerte...
09.22.2023
Bus stop tacos, tortillas, Sukkot, quince
Memo Torres hops on Metro's 33 bus line to seek out tacos from Santa Monica to downtown. The field narrows for the 2023 Tortilla Tournament as Gustavo Arellano reveals the Eso Eight, who are still in the running for the...
09.15.2023
The life and times of Lalo García: Immigration, deportation, reconciliation
Journalist Laura Tillman phoned Máximo Bistrot, a restaurant riding the wave of Mexico City's popularity as a fine dining destination, in hopes of interviewing its chef, Eduardo "Lalo" García Guzmán. Tillman had covered immigration for the past 10 years and...
09.08.2023
Pasta shapes and sauces, Jews in Italy, eggplant
With temperatures dipping below 80 degrees, it must be pasta weather in Southern California. This week, Good Food heads to Italy. Rachel Roddy combines 50 pasta shapes with sauces, creating iconic dishes of everyone's favorite carb. When Saghar Setareh landed...
09.01.2023
The Twisted History of School Lunch in America
It's that time of year. Summer is officially over and kids are back in school. And sending kids to school means figuring out what they're going to eat for lunch… unless your child eats the lunch provided by their school....
08.25.2023
Bread, zero waste cooking, Korean fine dining
Who owns Taco Tuesday? Gustavo Arellano weighs in on the legal skirmish around the phrase. Using slices, pieces, and crumbs, baker Rick Easton treats bread as an ingredient. Sisters Margaret and Irene Li crack the code for using wilted, nearly...
08.18.2023
The state of salmon, tandoor at home, etymology of food words
Meliz Berg praises the overlapping cultures of the slow-cooked meats and herby salads of a Cypriot diet. Third-generation Alaskan Julia O'Malley reports on salmon fishermen trying to keep their head above water amid a lawsuit and starving orcas. Maunika Gowardhan...
08.11.2023
Kitchen design, food & identity, marinades, mangos
Sophie Donelson looks at modern kitchens, leaving plenty of wiggle room for comfort and realistic living. Anya von Bremzen travels to six food capitals in search of the connection between cuisine and identity. Learning the tricks of the trade, journalist...
08.04.2023
Under-the-radar eats, veggie burgers made of actual veggies and the Jell-O revival
Memo Torres shares three under-the-radar dining destinations on his monthly Apple Maps list. Gloria Swanson is ready for her close-up as a health food advocate (with a little help from LA historian Hadley Meares). Forget meat alternatives. Lukas Volger develops...
07.28.2023
Spearfishing, bluefin tuna and the Moonies, oysters
Terrified of the ocean in her youth, Valentine Thomas is now a champion spearfisherwoman. An obsession with a bluefin tuna named Amelia led journalist Karen Pinchin on a deep dive into the future of fish. Saltie Girl owner Kathy Sidell...
07.21.2023
Behind the scenes of The Bear, gelato, cheese
Culinary producer Courtney Storer and actor Liza Colón-Zayas from The Bear show us how they prepped for Season 2. When Uli Nasibova found ice cream and gelato too sweet, she decided to make her own. Dominick DiBartolomeo started working at...
07.14.2023
Ice, birria tacos, fried chicken
Historian Amy Brady chips away at the 200-year-old history of ice in America. Martin Riese's fascination with the taste of water began as a child in Germany, where more than 500 brands are sold. Memo Torres namechecks a dozen must-try...
07.07.2023
Good Food v. Mother Nature — The one where they go camping
What happens when you equip three podcast producers and a host with two tents, an egg spoon, and some marshmallows? We decided to find out. We sent the Good Food team camping but we knew they'd need a little help....
06.30.2023
James Beard Award-winning cookbooks
This week, Good Food highlights conversations with authors and journalists who took home a 2023 James Beard Media Award . Irina Georgescu hungered for familiar Easter recipes while baking her way through the overlapping cultures of Romania. Professor Psyche A....
06.23.2023
Celebrating Pride at The Abbey, pies, peaches
David Cooley reminiscences about The Abbey, the West Hollywood cafe and bar he opened in 1991. Rax Will discusses gender-neutral greetings and recommends a few queer pop-ups in LA. Stacey Mei Yan Fong bakes pies to represent all 50 states,...
06.17.2023
Vegetables, daughters and sons, global soul food
Hetty Liu McKinnon navigates grief with an ode to her father and vegetables. Chef José Andrés says the pickiest eater in his family wasn't one of his three daughters, but his wife. Chef Alisa Reynolds travels the world finding food...
06.10.2023
Parenting in a diet culture, Sri Lankan cuisine, farmland water
Virginia Sole-Smith exposes society's anti-fat bias and the issues surrounding childhood obesity. Restaurateur Karan Gokani revels in his first tastes of Sri Lankan food and traditional hoppers made of fermented rice and coconut. Mark Arax looks at the future of...
06.03.2023
Chinese doughnuts and comfort food, vegetarian Vietnamese
Jean Trinh shares the story of her refugee family's connection to Chinese crullers. Cookbook author, teacher, and omnivore Andrea Nguyen offers vegetarian Vietnamese recipes for the home cook. Bill Addison finds comfort at Luyixian in Alhambra. Chef Evan Funke shops...
05.27.2023
Cooking with fruit, cherries, bananas
Abra Berens, a native Michigander, uses peak-of-the-season fruits in a wide array of preparations. From the Underground Railroad to the Oregon Trail, KCRW's Tyler Boudreaux traces the history of the Black Republican cherry. High in sugar and acid, cherries are...
05.20.2023
El Cholo turns 100, inside Taco Bell’s innovation kitchen, asada
Ron Salisbury reminisces on 100 years of El Cholo, California's oldest Mexican restaurant, opened by his grandparents in 1923. Antonia Hitchens reports from the Taco Bell innovation kitchen on the frontlines of the stunt food wars. Bricia Lopez and Javier...

What's Good Food about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Good Food episodes:

Koreaworld, gas station cookies, vegan pie, pasta shapes

Apple pie, green almonds

Recipes from Gaza, berry pie, green almonds

Onions, hand pies, Bangladeshi cuisine

Orange yolks, French omelets, backyard chickens

BONUS: Arielle Johnson talks Flavorama (Extended Interview)

The science of flavor, the taste of tap water, Asian vegetarian

Ramadan, plastic bags, gluten-free cooking, feminist restaurants

Black Appalachian cooks, Maydan, shochu

Gene editing, condiments, chai as compassion, corn as fuel

Food of Tigray, reality show contestants, the life of a dish

Water in Tulare, where to eat with Memo Torres, Market Match in jeopardy

Juliette Binoche on 'The Taste of Things,’ Asian food at Costco, chocolate

Rice, tainted applesauce, Texas barbecue

Afghan cuisine, LA restaurant closures, Hmong cooking

Soil, the future of farming, policing avocados

Eating for mental health, hospitality, tipping, new food laws

Encore: The life and times of Lalo García: Immigration, deportation, reconciliation

Best of 2023 — Spearfishing, unconventional winemaking, (kinda) camping

The history of Chinese food, Cantonese cuisine, Genghis Cohen

Heirloom grains, Filipino bakes, Bill Addison picks LA's best restaurants

Baking with Nancy Silverton, chili crisp, extracts

Best cookbooks of 2023, memories of Nigeria, cooking through grief

"High on the Hog" returns, streaming leftovers, kombucha

Thanksgiving — Sides turned mains, turkey, wine, stuffing, and pie

Cuyama carrot boycott, Indian in Artesia, how to cook pasta

That's Entertainment! — Cocktails, cubes, company, cake

Murder mystery dinner menu, processed foods, pathogens

Indigenous Food Lab, West African cuisine, farmer's market edibles

Playing Venba, the history of veganism in America, passion fruit

Religious diets, Indigenous baby food, native California ingredients

Bus stop tacos, tortillas, Sukkot, quince

The life and times of Lalo García: Immigration, deportation, reconciliation

Pasta shapes and sauces, Jews in Italy, eggplant

The Twisted History of School Lunch in America

Bread, zero waste cooking, Korean fine dining

The state of salmon, tandoor at home, etymology of food words

Kitchen design, food & identity, marinades, mangos

Under-the-radar eats, veggie burgers made of actual veggies and the Jell-O revival

Spearfishing, bluefin tuna and the Moonies, oysters

Behind the scenes of The Bear, gelato, cheese

Ice, birria tacos, fried chicken

Good Food v. Mother Nature — The one where they go camping

James Beard Award-winning cookbooks

Celebrating Pride at The Abbey, pies, peaches

Vegetables, daughters and sons, global soul food

Parenting in a diet culture, Sri Lankan cuisine, farmland water

Chinese doughnuts and comfort food, vegetarian Vietnamese

Cooking with fruit, cherries, bananas

El Cholo turns 100, inside Taco Bell’s innovation kitchen, asada

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