Radio Cherry Bombe

Earlier this month, Maui Chef Lee Anne Wong lost her restaurant, Papa’aina, in the fires that swept through the historic town of Lahaina. The Top Chef alum had opened the restaurant, located at the 122-year-old Pioneer Inn, almost four years ago and was happy to finally have the pandemic behind her. Today, Lee Anne is helping with the relief effort in Maui as part of Chef Hui, a culinary collective making tens of thousands of meals each week for those in need. 

She joined host Kerry Diamond via Zoom to talk about the relief efforts, how listeners can help, and her desire to rebuild. 

More on Lee Anne: Instagram, Papa’aina & Pioneer Inn GoFundMe, Chef Hui, Maui Relief Funds

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here.

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Gayle Pirie has been co-owner and co-executive chef of San Francisco’s iconic restaurant Foreign Cinema for more than two decades. In today’s episode, she talks with host Kerry Diamond about how she and her husband took over the struggling business after the dot-com bubble popped, and made it into a restaurant that reflected their own passion for food and the arts. Foreign Cinema’s name comes from the 35-millimeter films they show every night, starting at dusk, on the outdoor patio; diners can sit outside and watch while enjoying favorites from Gayle and John’s local, seasonal California-Mediterranean menu. 

Gayle also talks about her friends and mentors— Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Edible Schoolyard and the late Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe—and shares her take on life in San Francisco right now. 

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Gayle: Instagram, Foreign Cinema, website

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

For more than two decades, Caroline Styne has been a force in the L.A. restaurant world. She and her business partner, Chef Suzanne Goin, opened restaurants including Lucques and a.o.c. that defined what we think of as California food today: small plates, market-driven menus, relaxed elegance, and organic wines. She’s a business whiz with a lot on her plate: she’s the President and Wine Director of her hospitality company The Lucques Group, which manages two a.o.c. locations, a baking business, two restaurants at The Proper Hotel in Downtown L.A., and the concessions for the 17,000-seat Hollywood Bowl. 

In today’s episode, Caroline talks with host Kerry Diamond about her career, her hospitality group, and how the L.A. restaurant scene is fairing in the midst of the writers’ and actors’ strikes. They also talk about something very close to her heart: L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, an event spearheaded by Caroline, Suzanne, and Chef David Lentz that has raised more than $8 million to fight childhood cancers. The upcoming L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade is taking place Saturday, Sept. 23rd, and tickets are on sale right now. 

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Caroline: Instagram, L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade 2023, A.O.C, Hollywood Bowl food and wine

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Chef Juliana Latif and her team at Zou Zou’s are turning out some of the best restaurant dishes in Manhattan, from the dip towers to the Strawberry Shirazi salad with cucumber and mint, Smoked Cherry Baby Lamb Chops, and Kataifi Cheesecake. She got her start at a young age, helping out at her parents’ specialty grocery shop, Tangiers in West Hartford, Conn., then went on to attend culinary school, intern at Disney World in Florida, and rise to the level of sous chef at the Michelin-starred NoMad in Manhattan. 

Juliana, Zou Zou’s executive chef, joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her family (she’s the youngest of 11), how cooking for others became her love language, the story behind her tattoos, and why she’s happy being a low-key culinary personality.

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. This episode was recorded at Newsstand Studio in New York City and Outpost Studio in San Francisco. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Juliana: Instagram, Zou Zou's Restaurant

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Amanda Turner was drawn to kitchen life and wanted to move from front of house at Olive Garden to back of house, but was turned down because she “was a woman and didn’t speak Spanish.” So she headed to culinary school (“out of spite”) and found her calling. Today, Amanda is the chef de cuisine at Olamaie, a fine-dining restaurant in Austin where the menu is reflective of her upbringing, autonomy is prized, and the Pokémon theme song kicks off every service. 

Amanda joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her early days at corporate culinary concepts like Chuck E. Cheese, her time in Japan, and working with Olamaie’s chef/owner Michael Fojtasek. She also shares more about her love of gaming and how Dungeons & Dragons factors into one of her pop-ups. 

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. Learn more about the Cherry Bombe + OpenTable Sit With Us community dinner series here. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. This episode was recorded at 5th Street Studio in Austin. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Amanda: Instagram, Olamaie Restaurant, The Fiery Talon pop-up

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Lena Ciardullo is the executive chef at Manhattan’s Union Square Cafe, the much-loved restaurant and cornerstone of Danny Meyer’s legendary Union Square Hospitality Group. Lena has worked for USHG ever since she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and has had an impressive career. She joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about the road to becoming a chef, translating her dreams about food to the plate, motherhood, and more. 

In the second half of the show, it’s Camilla Velasquez and Emily Weinstein from The New York Times. Camilla is the General Manager of New York Times Cooking and Emily is the Food and Cooking Editor, and they join Kerry to chat about The New York Times Cooking Emoji Line. Text your fave fruit or veg emoji to 361-COOK-NYT and you will get a free recipe in exchange. Don’t try to outsmart The Times with an ice cream or pizza emoji. (We did that for you. The Times will politely shut you down.)

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting today’s show. Learn more about the Cherry Bombe + OpenTable Sit With Us community dinner series here. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Our show is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Lena: Instagram, Union Square Cafe, Union Square Hospitality Group
More on NYT Cooking: Instagram, website

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Cakes are in the midst of a makeover and Lucie Franc de Ferriere of From Lucie is one of the cake artists leading the charge. Her creations are topped with buttercream, festooned with flowers and herbs, and have a charming handmade quality to them. She just opened her first bakery, a tiny spot in the East Village, where she and her team make layer cakes, sheet cakes, brownies, cookies, and other confections, as well as custom cakes. 

Lucie joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her cakes, her career pivot, and her fascinating family (her British grandmother was arrested for being part of the French resistance when she was a teenager and she later went to Le Cordon Bleu; she’s 99!). 

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. Learn more about the Cherry Bombe + OpenTable Sit With Us community dinner series here. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Our show is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Lucie: Instagram, From Lucie, website

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Who is behind Allez Celine, the Instagram meme account known for skewering chef bros, wealthy restaurant owners, and badly behaved customers while trafficking hilariously in the stereotypes that surround the hospitality world? It’s Ivy Knight, the writer and filmmaker who is also a fierce champion of the hardworking back-of-house underdog.

Ivy joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her cult meme account; why she loves Celine Dion and Anthony Bourdain, but hates brunch, ramps, and the patriarchy; and why she still believes in restaurants. 

Content note: this episode includes strong language and topics some may find upsetting.

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Our show is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Ivy: Instagram, Allez Celine

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

On her Magnolia Network show, “Recipe Lost & Found,” Casey Corn helps people recreate family recipes and, in the process, connect with their family history. The Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef is a culinary anthropologist who sees food as the ultimate universal language. “Everybody eats,” she says. “Food should be the thing that brings us together.”  

On today’s episode, Casey and host Kerry Diamond talk through her life and career path——from her college anthropology major to culinary school in London, working as a personal assistant for legendary L.A. chef Susan Feniger, and landing a show on Magnolia. They also chat about Casey’s love of travel, mac & cheese, and Anthony Bourdain.

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. Learn more about the Cherry Bombe + OpenTable Sit With Us community dinner series here. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. This episode was recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center and Bravo Ocean Studios in Atlanta. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Casey: Instagram, Recipe Lost & Found, Magnolia Network, recipes

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Jenna Sadhu
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Music by Tralala, “All Fired Up”

Jamila Norman is the founder of Patchwork City Farms, a 1.2-acre urban farm in Atlanta where she grows more than 80 varieties of fruits, herbs, and vegetables; host of “Homegrown” on Magnolia Network; and current Cherry Bombe Magazine cover star. She began farming as a hobby more than a decade ago and pursued it full-time when her job as an environmental engineer for the state was eliminated.

Farmer J, as her friends call her, has learned first-hand that growing food locally is healing for people, communities, and the planet. Through her work in Atlanta and on her TV show, Jamila encourages folks to garden, plant their own food, and take an interest in farmers’ markets. She joins host Kerry Diamond to share her story, how her surprise career in TV came about, and her plans for the future of Patchwork City Farms. 

Thank you to OpenTable for supporting this episode. Learn more about the Cherry Bombe + OpenTable Sit With Us community dinner series here. 

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Our show is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. 

More on Jamila: Instagram, Homegrown, Magnolia Network, website