Kochleffel (From Let's Talk About Food)

Karen Katz is a veteran executive TV producer and writer with over 1500 hours of television programming to her credit. Her illustrious career includes producing for networks such as Food Network, Discovery Networks, HBO Family, and more. 

She has worked on competition, lifestyle, documentary, reality, children's TV, and music/variety programming both domestically and internationally. Karen was the executive producer of Emeril Live during its pinnacle, and experienced firsthand the whirlwind of excitement, chaos, and creativity that unfolded behind the scenes. Karen’s new memoir, "Getting Sauced: How I Learned Everything I Know About Food From Working in TV is a backstage pass into the enthralling world of early food television, seasoned with humor, heart, and a dash of culinary magic. I loved this book! 

Karen's upbringing in Long Island, where Lipton Soup Mix and orange juice reigned supreme in the kitchen, laid the foundation for her flavorful adventures. From humble beginnings to haute cuisine, her narrative charts a course from Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks to Michelin-starred delicacies, offering readers a taste of the glutton-to-glamour transformation that defined her culinary evolution. Let’s have a listen to Karen Katz!

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Our guest today is Lisa Ekus, founder of The Ekus Group, a literary agency specializing in “representing a world of culinary talent.” She has over 40 years of experience representing a wide selection of food personalities, writers, cookbooks, restaurants, and food products. The agency she founded represents more than 350 authors and works with numerous leading publishers worldwide. A sought after expert and agent, Lisa’s media training, which was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” helps culinary professionals improve their media presentation, video, and interviewing skills, traveling globally to present seminars, workshops, and panels. She has hosted everyone from Julia Child to Emeril Lagasse in her kitchen and at her table. 

Lisa sees food as the common denominator that brings family and friends together, and she sits down for dinner as often as possible with her family, friends, and clients. Last, but not least, she also is the proud owner of more than 7,000 cookbooks. The Guinness Book of World Records just awarded Lisa the honor of holding the largest personal cookbook collection in the world. A Kochleffel of the first order! Let’s have a listen.

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We are thrilled that our very first guest on Kochleffel is none other than Joan Nathan, the doyenne, the epicenter of Jewish cooking. Joan is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and other publications. She is the author of twelve books, including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won both the James Beard Award and the IACP Award, and King Solomon’s Table, which won an IACP Award and a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. She shares her time between Washington, DC, and Martha's Vineyard. We spoke with her as she was on book tour with her new memoir, My Life in Recipes. And what a life it is! We are so proud to call her a Kochleffel!

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Welcome to Kochleffel, a special series about the remarkable contributions of Jewish women to the world of food. 

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New England lost one of the greats recently, Jasper White; chef, author, mentor, and trailblazer. He re-invented and re-invigorated New England cuisine and made it into a style of cooking that was a lot more than chowda' and lobster rolls. At 69, it was too soon to lose him. With great love and respect, and quite a bit of sadness, we re-broadcast a story he shared with us a few years back. Let’s have a listen to the great Jasper White!

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Writer, chef, and mega blogger Phoebe Lapine’s new book CARBIVORE is a paean to the joys and the nerdy science of carbs. She trashes the no-carb revolution and replaces it with easy-to-digest science -- and wonderful to ingest -- recipes that work whether you are a yes-on-carb or no-on-carbs freak. After her own challenging health issues, Phoebe studied herself and how her diet affected her body, her moods, and her well-being. Who knew normal people would wear a continuous glucose monitor just for fun? It’s a fascinating conversation with a very smart woman.

Photo courtesy of Haley Hunt Davis.

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Some people – rare people – have the knack of seeing the curves of the future and inviting the rest of us on the journey. Greg Drescher, the senior advisor for Strategic Initiatives at the CIA, Culinary Institute of America, is one of those people. A more insightful job title would be culinary visionary. Our conversation was fascinating as he traces his career arc from one insightful peak to another. You’ll enjoy the journey. Let’s have a listen.

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Our guest today is Scott Grabau, CEO of Tanimura & Antle, one of the world’s largest produce growers. I know, the phrase “large produce” stops you, passionate as you are about buying local and supporting Farmer’s Markets. But what if it turns out that large “Legacy Agriculture” has deep expertise to share? And what if a company that farms thousands of acres, ships to across the US as well as Asia and Europe––is also passionate about maintaining sustainable farming practices, and laser-focused on innovating and investing in what’s next to come in agriculture? Let’s have a listen to Tanimura & Antle’s CEO Scott Grabau, and how he educates us about Legacy Farming, or maybe just rattles a few of our prejudices. 

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Mary Ann Esposito is a legend. She is the star of Ciao Italia, a PBS show she produces in New Hampshire. Syndicated nationally for 31 years, it's the longest running cooking show in America. She has written over a dozen books focused on Italian regional cooking, and at 81, she still leads cooking tours to Italy. Fascinating, feisty, and down-to-earth, I just love her. Let's have a listen.

Photo courtesy of John W. Hession.

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Michael Crupain is an MD, an MPH, a passionate wellness advocate, and a terrific cook. When we first met, Michael was at Consumer Reports, which he then left to become the medical director of the Dr. Oz show (wow!). And now after 7 years there, he's writing fabulous cookbooks!

Photo courtesy of Michael Crupain.

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