In the third and final episode of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard turns to those trying to reform food service, and those trying to keep it the same. She makes the case that the media’s failure to cover reform organizations and workers’ rights has hampered efforts to improve working conditions, and strengthened the position of actors who benefit from the status quo. In conversation with Reem Assil and Stephanie Luce, she urges journalists and writers to reflect on whose perspectives they prioritize, and consider who they want to align themselves with as we move into an unpredictable political future.

The Cult of Chef is written, produced, and edited by Hannah Chouinard. It is hosted by the one and only Taylor Early.

Cover art for The Cult of Chef is designed by the incredible Michael Hampton. For more art, comedy, and silliness, you can find him here.

Listen to Reem Assil’s full interview on Why Food? Here.

To find out more about Reem Assil, you can check out her website, here.

Read her op-ed on the toxicity of chef culture here.

You can read about Stephanie Luce and find her work here.

Check out her podcast on organizing and activism here.

If you’re interested in learning more about the National Restaurant Association, check out an article from the New York Times here.

You can find more information on their funders here.

To learn more about the NRA’s efforts to weaken child labor laws, you can check a report from One Fair Wage here, and an article from the NRA’s website here.

You can read about their lobbying contributions here.

To explore the NRA’s legal efforts, you can find a list here. Their suit arguing low wage employees should be exempt from overtime pay is especially interesting – you can read it here.

You can find a UCSF study that discusses line cook COVID mortality here.

The Hill published a great rundown here. 

The Michelin Guide’s assessment criteria are listed here.

The James Beard Foundation’s are here, and information about their code of ethics is here.

Read about some of the JBF scandals here and here.

The New York Times investigation of JBF’s ethics enforcement is here.

Their sponsors are listed here and here.

You can find fiery critiques of the Michelin Guide’s effect on dining culture here and here.

For a more nuanced critique, you can find a report on the relative impact of financial capital and chef skill on awards here.

More information on One Fair Wage lives here.

You can read about the impacts of ending subminimum-tipped wages here and here.

If you want to get into the political theory weeds, you can check out Carl Boggs’ 1977 essay on prefigurative politics here.

Read about Southern Smoke, a nonprofit focused on connecting food and beverage workers with healthcare and emergency financial assistance, here.

To learn more about FIG, an organization of food service workers dedicated to pursuing collective liberation, check out their website here.

You can find more information about the Chicago Hospitality Accountability and Advocacy Database (CHAAD), here.

Learn more about Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, the nonprofit behind the HRN series Shiftwork, at their website, here.

You can read about Los Deliveristas Unidos, a nonprofit dedicated to organizing and advocating for delivery drivers, here.

For information about restaurant unions, you can read about UniteHere!, the New York and New Jersey restaurant union local, here.

You can also read about Restaurant Workers United, a worker-led restaurant union, here.

Find more about the Chipotle Workers Union here, and Starbucks Workers United here.

If you’re looking to get inspired to organize your workplace, you can find Kevin Bruce’s book on the history of NYC food service organizing here.

An extra special thank you to Joey Freeman, Roan Shea, Safieh Moshir-Fatemi, Sarah Gabrielli, and Alex Groher-Jick for all their help on this arc.

In this episode, we uncork a different kind of wine story—one rooted in joy, land, and legacy. From a biodiverse vineyard in the Midwest to a Black-owned Prosecco brand in South Carolina, we meet the innovators reshaping the wine world on their own terms. You’ll hear from Krista Scruggs of ZAFA Wines, Justin Wages of Don Luchi Prosecco, sommelier LaShea Delaney, and Cecilia Cuff of Bronzeville Winery, as they share what it means to cultivate not just grapes, but community.

Together, they’re building ecosystems—on the land and in the industry—that defy tradition and reimagine who wine is for.

Further Reading:

Interested in reading Natalie Baszile’s book, We are Each Other’s Harvest, pick it up here.

Follow ZAFA Wines new chapter on their webpage, Instagram, and sign up for their newsletter.

Read more about Dr. Elaine Ingham’s soil web research and regenerative farming. 

Live in South Carolina, North Carolina, or Tennessee? Check out Don Luchi’s Prosecco.

If you're in LA, grab a bottle from LaShea’s selection at Carla’s Fresh Market.

In or visiting Chicago? Check out Bronzeville Winery and their Wine Collective.

We are all about making the wine industry accessible. If you are a BIPOC winemaker and/or interested in breaking into the wine industry? Check out these resources given to us by our interviewees: The Hue Society,  Wine Unify, The Roots Fund, Black Wine Professionals, and The Veraison Project.

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Ash Tyler and Kiki Canuto.

Our lead producer on this episode was Ash Tyler, with special editorial support from Zariel Grullón, Jessie Nicely, and Maya Okindo.

Meat and Three is produced by H Conley and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer for this episode was Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.  

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

In episode two of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard digs into the reality of workplace abuse in food service and argues that focusing on the people in positions of power comes at a cost to everyone else who makes a restaurant run. Through interviews and features from Julia Moskin, Reem Assil, and Saru Jayaraman, she finds that the media’s disinterest in workers’ issues has enabled abuse. She calls on journalists and writers to expand their ideas about what makes a compelling story, noting that toxic systems are bad for everyone, including the chefs they privilege.

The Cult of Chef is written, produced, and edited by Hannah Chouinard. It is hosted by the one and only Taylor Early.

Cover art for The Cult of Chef is designed by the incredible Michael Hampton. For more art, comedy, and silliness, you can find him here.

You can find Julia Moskin’s work for the New York Times here.

To find out more about Reem Assil, you can check out her website, here.

Read her op-ed on the toxicity of chef culture here.

Listen to Saru Jayaraman talk fair wages on ShiftWork here.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series, which you can find here.

For more information about wage theft and how the tip credit came to be, you can download the full report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics here.

Learn about connections between racism, misogyny, and the tipped sub-minimum wage, you can read studies here, here, and here.

If you’re looking for a more personal take on these connections, you can find Michelle Alexander’s op-ed on the topic here.

To read Teófilo Reyes’s statement on the impacts of Trump administration policy on food workers, you can find it here.

You can find even more info on issues impacting the lives of food service workers on ROC United’s website, here.

More information on One Fair Wage lives here.

You can read about the impacts of ending subminimum-tipped wages here and here.

Read an overview of challenges to mental health in food service here.

For more pointed critiques, you can find a piece on the late Bernard Loiseau here, and a profile on late chef Benoit Violier here.

If you’re a hospitality worker struggling with mental health, you can get in touch with no-cost counseling through Southern Smoke here.

To get in touch with a suicide and crisis hotline, you can call 988 or visit their website here.

An extra special thank you to Joey Freeman, Roan Shea, Safieh Moshir-Fatemi, Sarah Gabrielli, and Alex Groher-Jick for all their help on this arc.

In this episode, we’re breaking format, and serving you up an audio-documentary-style entree. Our producer, Hieu Huynh takes us to her home state of Georgia, where she’s examining how water spinach has become a unifying force for the Vietnamese community – a symbol of resilience, adaptation, and the ongoing negotiation between cultural heritage and the environment.

Though not as well-known as bok choy or chinese broccoli, this vegetable is a staple in many Asian cuisines, and in Vietnamese cooking in particular.

It’s also on the USDA’s noxious plant list… and is considered a “plant pest” in Georgia. 

In true Meaty fashion, Hieu’s exploration into this complex relationship of power, identity, and privilege, ultimately asks, “What happens when upholding foodways comes into conflict with the laws of the land?”

Further Reading:

Learn more about community activist Le Doan and her work with the Vietnamese American Community of Georgia here 

Read about Dr. Sarah Kuebbing’s work with the Yale School of the Environment here

Discover State Representative Marvin Lim’s work with the Asian American community in Georgia  here

Keep up-to-date on the progress made by  Prof. Timothy Coolong and the University of Georgia’s School of Agriculture here

Want to cook water spinach? Check out these recipes!

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Hieu Huynh

Our lead producer on this episode was Hieu Huynh, with support from Bean Metcalf, Maya Okindo, and Taylor Graham.

Meat and Three is produced by H Conley and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer for this episode was Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. 

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

In this episode of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard examines America’s love affair with chefs. With HRN regular Andrew Friedman, she dives into the history of the celebrity chef, and discusses how food media idolizes those at the top – to the detriment of industry workers.

The Cult of Chef is written, produced, and edited by Hannah Chouinard. It is hosted by the one and only Taylor Early.

Cover art for The Cult of Chef is designed by the incredible Michael Hampton. For more art, comedy, and silliness, you can find him here.

You can find more data on the food service labor force here. 

For more info on issues impacting the lives of food service workers, check out research from ROC United, here.

To read more about the emergence of the celebrity chef, grab a copy of Andrew Friedman’s book, here.

An extra special thank you to Joey Freeman, Sarah Gabrielli, Roan Shea, Safieh Moshir-Fatemi, and Alex Groher-Jick for all their help on this arc.

From the Pantry is a limited series developed by HRN’s Director of Education and Creative Development Taylor Early, focusing on illuminating HRN’s two-fold mission of educating community members in response to a changing world and cultivating the next generation of food media leaders. This series is made up of four narrative arcs researched, scripted, and produced by one of alumni fellows. Each fellow pulled concepts, ideas and conversations from HRN’s archive (the pantry) and created stories that explore the personal significance and broader cultural meaning of what they found.

In episode 3 of Rice Revelations, Producer Sasha DuBose (they/she) takes us into the kitchen to make bread. Sasha’s bread baking experience makes the historical knowledge she learned in the previous two episodes become tangible. As they’re in the kitchen convening with the ancestors and saying “chile” more times than anyone could count, she hopes that listeners feel inspired to find themselves in their ancestral foods, whatever that may mean for them.

Rice Revelations was conceptualized and produced by Sasha DuBose. You also heard from the beloved Taylor Early at the top of the episode.

The Rice Revelations Logo is designed by Sasha’s sister, Kennedy DuBose.

Craving your own slice of Carolina Gold Rice Bread? Check out Anson Mills’ recipe here. 

Learn more about the history of rice bread and how some Southern bakers are bringing it back here.

Learn more about the legacy of African American bakers here.

Sasha’s okra stew recipe can be found here

From the Pantry is a limited series developed by HRN’s Director of Education and Creative Development Taylor Early, focusing on illuminating HRN’s two-fold mission of educating community members in response to a changing world and cultivating the next generation of food media leaders. This series is made up of four narrative arcs researched, scripted, and produced by one of alumni fellows. Each fellow pulled concepts, ideas and conversations from HRN’s archive (the pantry) and created stories that explore the personal significance and broader cultural meaning of what they found.

Music Licenses:
Blue Feather by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Blue_Feather/

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Brandenburg_No4-1_BWV1049/
Äitienpäivä '22 by Brylie Christopher Oxley - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Brylie_Christopher_Oxley/rational-limits-1/aitienpaiva-22/

Divertissement by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Divertissement/

For this special episode, we’re sharing a few conversations about the aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades Fires in Los Angeles. Taylor Early and Jessie Nicely discuss the thoughts behind the episode's creation and its unconventional format, before delving into Jessie’s interview with local chef and lawyer Sharon Brenner, followed by Kiki Canuto’s chat with Andrew Marco of Open Market.

Further Reading:

Check out Sharon’s instagram for more information on her work, pop ups, and cookbooks here.

Learn more about Andrew’s offerings at Open Market.

Interested in helping those affected by the fires? This spreadsheet has donation information for over 100 families in need of financial aid. 

World Central Kitchen is still active in LA and accepting donations while they help feed displaced residents.

Don’t forget to sign up for our Weekly HRN Newsletter to get all the latest news from our storytelling communities. Sign up is at the bottom of our homepage!

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Taylor Early, Jessie Nicely, and Kiki Canuto.
Our lead producers on this episode were Taylor Early and Jessie Nicely.

Meat and Three is produced by H Conley and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer for this episode was Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. 

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

In episode 2 of Rice Revelations, Producer Sasha DuBose (they/she) finally talks about rice! From grappling with the impact of enslavement to finding levity in the links between West African and Gullah Geechee cultures, Sasha uses rice as a tool to peer deeper into herself. She blends her personal experiences with research from historian Dr. Edda Fields Black and geographer Dr. Judith Carney — creating an “academic baddie link up” for your ears. 

Notes & Credits:

Rice Revelations was conceptualized and produced by Sasha DuBose. You also heard from the beloved Taylor Early at the top of the episode.

The Rice Revelations Logo is designed by Sasha’s sister, Kennedy DuBose.

Learn more about Dr. Judith Carney and her research here, and get your own copy of Black Rice here.

Learn more about Dr. Edda Fields-Black and her research here.

If you want to learn more about the fight to preserve Gullah Geechee Culture, click here.

Learn more about how climate volatility is impacting the Gullah Geechee community by clicking here.


From the Pantry is a limited series developed by HRN’s Director of Education and Creative Development Taylor Early, focusing on illuminating HRN’s two-fold mission of educating community members in response to a changing world and cultivating the next generation of food media leaders. This series is made up of four narrative arcs researched, scripted, and produced by one of alumni fellows. Each fellow pulled concepts, ideas and conversations from HRN’s archive (the pantry) and created stories that explore the personal significance and broader cultural meaning of what they found.

Music Licenses:
Blue Feather by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Blue_Feather/

Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Virtutes_Instrumenti/

Divertissement by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Divertissement/

How does food bind us to the land we call home? From pecan groves in Georgia to the datil peppers of St. Augustine, in today’s episode we explore how Indigenous plants—both wild and cultivated—help us forge deeper connections to the land and the people around us. The stories shared in this episode come from the unceded, occupied lands currently known as the United States. We recognize the profound and enduring connection that Indigenous peoples have to these lands, and how their stewardship has shaped the food systems and traditions that continue to nourish and sustain us. We honor their wisdom and amplify their voices to reclaim and preserve their traditional foodways, supporting their sovereignty and resilience in the process.

Further Reading: 

Curious about Jaskrit’s work? Check out her on IG, @innergarden. You can also visit their website for workshops and events !

Watch the documentary Harvest of Shame here

Find out more about desert plants at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Learn more about Mayhem Datil Pepper Farms here

Don’t forget to sign up for our Weekly HRN Newsletter to get all the latest news from our storytelling communities. Sign up is at the bottom of our homepage!

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Maya Okindo, Bean Metcalf, Kia Damon, and Hieu Huynh

Our lead producer on this episode was Maya Okindo, with support from Kiki Canuto, Ash Tyler, Jessie Nicely, and Taylor Graham

Our Executive Producers are Taylor Early and H Conley.

Our audio engineer is Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. 

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

Music/SFX Licenses:

stormy.wav by barrymoon -- https://freesound.org/s/48680/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

coyote2.wav by rogerforeman -- https://freesound.org/s/68068/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Forest Birds Ambience —------https://mixkit.co/free-sound-effects/ambience/ - Mixkit Sound Effects Free License 

Dances and dames.wav by kevin macleod — https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Jazz_Sampler/Dances_and_Dames/

Aim to Stay by William Ross Chernoff’s Nomads -- https://freemusicarchive.org/music/William_Ross_Chernoffs_Nomads/

From the Pantry is a limited series developed by HRN’s Director of Education and Creative Development Taylor Early, focusing on illuminating HRN’s two-fold mission of educating community members in response to a changing world and cultivating the next generation of food media leaders. This series is made up of four narrative arcs researched, scripted, and produced by one of alumni fellows. Each fellow pulled concepts, ideas and conversations from HRN’s archive (the pantry) and created stories that explore the personal significance and broader cultural meaning of what they found.

In this first episode of Rice Revelations, Producer Sasha DuBose introduces herself and how she stumbled upon her Gullah Geechee heritage through conversations with their sister, voicemails from their grandparents, and most importantly, food. In the pantry, Sasha found Dr. Edda Fields Black and Matthew Raiford, who share Sasha’s Gullah heritage and delved deeper into themselves in their own way.

Notes & Credits

Rice Revelations was conceptualized and produced by Sasha DuBose. You also heard from the beloved Taylor Early at the top of the episode.

The Rice Revelations Logo is designed by Sasha’s sister, Kennedy DuBose.

Listen to the full Meat & Three Episode where Sasha discovered her Gullah Geechee heritage through cookbooks, here.

If you’re craving your own copy of Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, click here. 

Check out Sasha’s academic work and audio storytelling here.

Listen to Dr. Edda Fields Black discuss her research in full on Fields, here. 

If you want to listen to Matthew Raiford’s story, from Gilliard Farms to his inherited foodways, check out his first episode of Jupiter’s Almanac, here.

If you have family history in the Lowcountry that you’re interested in tracking back to the boat, as Sasha and Taylor call it, click here.

Read more about Sasha’s grandparents’ Southern Sorcery, here.

Curious about the difference between fresh water geechee and saltwater geechee? Click here.

Sasha can’t give y’all their recipe for their mom’s mac and cheese, but if you want to fry okra like them, check out their recipe here.

This episode of From the Pantry was produced by Sasha DuBose, with support from Hannah Chouinard, Sam Gerardi, and Addison Austin-Lou.

Our audio engineer is Sam Gerardi.

This program is supported in part by the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

From the Pantry is powered by Simplecast.From the Pantry is a production of Heritage Radio Network, the world's pioneer food radio station. Learn more at heritageradionetwork.org and follow us at @heritage_radio and @meaty.gram.

And in case you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for our new and improved HRN newsletter.

Music Licenses:

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Brandenburg_No4-1_BWV1049/

Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre - Isolated Harp by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Danse_Macabre_-_Isolated_Harp/

Sonatina by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Sonatina/

Snowdrop by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Snowdrop/

Divertissement by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Classical_Sampler/Divertissement/