Special Sauce with Ed Levine

By Ed Levine

Arts Food

What's Special Sauce with Ed Levine about?

Serious Eats' podcast Special Sauce enables food lovers everywhere to eavesdrop on an intimate conversation about food and life between host and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine and his well-known/famous friends and acquaintances both in and out of the food culture.

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High on the Hog's Jessica H...

06.02.2023

This week on Special Sauce, we’ll revisit my conversation with one of our greatest food writers, Jessica Harris, who introduced many of us to the food of the African Diaspora. Jessica was awarded the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in ...

Special Sauce with Ed Levine episodes:

06.02.2023 High on the Hog's Jessica Harris Redux This week on Special Sauce, we’ll revisit my conversation with one of our greatest food writers, Jessica Harris, who introduced many of us to the food of the African Diaspora. Jessica was awarded the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in ...
05.26.2023 Kenji and Deb on the movie Fresh On this episode of Special Sauce we're talking about the film ‘Fresh’, which Amy Nicholson in the New York Times described as a wickedly funny cannibal romance. The movie stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan and Jonica T. Gibbs Helping me ...
05.19.2023 Jing Gao Redux On this episode we revisit our conversation with Fly by Jing founder Jing Gao. Jing has not been idle since we spoke to her last August. She's getting ready to open Sua, a restaurant/market in LA in July. And in ...
05.12.2023 Beverly Kim Part 2: From Cooking to Parenthood to Activism On this episode of Special Sauce James Beard Award Winning Chicago Chef Beverly Kim tells us how how she went beyond serving food to serving her community. Kim explains how she juggles motherhood, running two restaurants, and her activism.
05.05.2023 Beverly Kim: A Chicago Chef's Delicate Balancing Act This week on Special Sauce Ed Levine talks about the difficulties of work-life balance in the restaurant biz and much more with the James Beard Award-winning chef Beverly Kim. Her first restaurant Parachute is the critically acclaimed contemporary Korean restaurant ...
04.28.2023 The Menu: Kenji and the NYT's Glenn Kenny This week on Special Sauce, Kenji and film critic Glenn Kenny dig into The Menu, the satirical horror comedy film set in an exclusive restaurant on a private island. The film, starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy, skewers foodies, ...
04.21.2023 Anthony Mangieri & Brian Koppelman Redux This week on Special Sauce, we're revisiting a great 2022 episode about pizza featuring the great pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri and his friend and fellow pizza lover Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman. At the time pizza purist Mangieri had just reopened Una ...
04.14.2023 Kenji on Foolproof Pan Pizza This week on Special Sauce Kenji goes deep into his foolproof pan pizza recipe, which is one of Serious Eats' most popular posts of all time.
04.07.2023 Kenji on Thin Crust Chicago Pizza Kenji created quite a stir recently with his column on Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in the New York Times. We're gonna talk about that column and many other pizza related topics on this episode of Special Sauce.
03.31.2023 Raghavan Iyer: The Healing Power of Comfort Food *It is with much sadness that we acknowledge the passing of this week's guest on Special Sauce, Raghavan Iyer. Raghavan died just after we posted the second part of our extraordinary conversation. Iyer was a passionate, fierce advocate for Indian ...
03.24.2023 Raghavan Iyer: The Curry Whisperer Raghavan Iyer has written 6 influential cookbooks on Indian food, including the all-time classic 660 Curries. On this episode of Special Sauce we’re going to hear about his own personal food journey, from the family table in Mumbai to a ...
03.17.2023 Kenji on Potatoes This week on Special Sauce Kenji waxes (pun intended) poetic on the secrets to both seriously delicious french fries that taste just like McDonald's when they are fresh out of the fryer (that's when you have to eat 'em). He ...
03.10.2023 JJ Goode: America's Best Worst Cook This week on Special Sauce hilarious cookbook author JJ Goode is back to go into detail about why he insists he's "America's best worst cook." JJ explains why and how he's ruined innumerable grilled cheese sandwiches at home. And yet ...
03.03.2023 The Korean Vegan Redux This week on Special Sauce, we're revisiting my conversation with Joanne Lee Molinaro, AKA The Korean Vegan. When we last spoke Joanne had already gone from corporate litigator to writing the James Beard Award-winning ‘The Korean Vegan Cookbook’. Now less ...
02.24.2023 JJ Goode Part 1: A Cookbook Writer with No LImits On this episode of Special Sauce we talk chef cookbook collaborations with the extraordinary James Beard Award-winning food writer JJ Goode. JJ has collaborated with everyone from Iron Chef Morimoto to Sam Kass, who cooked for the Obamas at the ...
02.17.2023 Christina Tosi Redux When I interviewed Milk Bar co-founder Christina Tosi last summer we talked about her extraordinary journey from home baker to pastry chef to entrepreneur. Tosi had an inspirational story to tell, and we thought it was a story worth repeating. ...
02.10.2023 'The Bear' Part 2 with Kenji and Helen Rosner On this episode of Special Sauce Kenji, The New Yorker's Helen Rosner, and I dig further into the first season of ‘The Bear’ and also muse about what we'd like to see in the second season of the show, which ...
02.03.2023 The Bear Reflections Kenji and The New Yorker's Helen Rosner reflect on the first season of the compelling TV show The Bear, now streaming on Hulu. J. Kenji Lopez Alt is of course the author of bestselling cookbooks like the Food Lab and ...
01.27.2023 Grace Young Redux With An Update This week I decided to revisit my interview with the extraordinary Grace Young, Why? Well, for starters Grace, cookbook author, cultural anthropologist, and wok therapist, is a wonder, a Chinese-American treasure. And when someone else might be resting on their ...
01.20.2023 Kenji on Scrambled Eggs On this episode of Special Sauce we take a deep dive into scrambled eggs with eggspert egg maker J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. He tells us about his latest eggprerimentation with one of the world's favorite egg preparations.
01.13.2023 Restaurants Now: Critic's Roundtable Part 2 On this episode of Special Sauce The New York Times’s Pete Wells and Brett Anderson, and The New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield all weigh in on what serious eaters are likely to see (and taste) when they walk into restaurants in ...
01.06.2023 Restaurants Now: Critic's Roundtable Part 1 On this episode of Special Sauce I talk to The New York Times's Pete Wells and Brett Anderson, and the New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield about what and where they ate in 2022, and where they think restaurants and the food ...
12.30.2022 Eric Kim Redux In 2022 I got a chance to chew the fat with so many interesting people on Special Sauce. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite episode to leave you with, but I can certainly say with confidence that my conversation with ...
12.23.2022 Kenji on the Holidays On this episode of Special Sauce I talk holiday food with Kenji. In Kenji's case we get to hear about holiday traditions in his Colombia-born wife's family. And we also get to hear about his own family's holiday traditions growing ...
12.16.2022 Tami Treadwell Part 2: Her Success is Bittersweet On part 2 of our extraordinary conversation with Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell you will hear that Tami's success is bittersweet. Why? Because she's had to overcome so many heartbreaking obstacles to discover that being on the street, and feeding ...
12.09.2022 The Harlem Seafood Soul Story Food truck Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell tells her truly remarkable story in this week's episode. I first heard part of her story on the N.Y. episode of Netflix's ‘Street Food’ series. It's a story that features so many setbacks ...
12.02.2022 Claire Saffitz Part 2 - Holiday baking This week on Special Sauce it's Claire Saffitz part two. She gives us her take on holiday baking. Cookies will be discussed, of course. Purple Black and White cookies, anyone? Claire also digs deep into her new book ‘What's For ...
11.24.2022 Claire Saffitz Part 1: What's for Dessert? With the holiday season upon us I thought it would be great to talk to the great baker and YouTube star Claire Saffitz, whose new book is called What's For Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People.
11.18.2022 Special Sauce: 2022 Kenji on T-Day This time on Special Sauce we talk turkey and everything else Thanksgiving-related with Kenji just in time for the holiday this year. He adds a little bit of soy sauce to his gravy! And he gives us his unexpected takes ...
11.11.2022 Special Sauce Classic: Kenji & Stella's Thanksgiving Advice This time on Special Sauce, another helping of Thanksgiving cooking tips from our podcast archive. This was a special call-in episode with Kenji and Stella Parks, who intelligently and empathetically handled every question from serious eaters. We talk turkey of ...
11.04.2022 Special Sauce Reserve: Kenji & Stella on Thanksgiving On this episode of Special Sauce I’ve gone into the podcast vaults to fetch you this classic Thanksgiving themed episode of Special Sauce. Listeners emailed us vexing Turkey Day questions that Kenji and Stella Parks answered in typically wise and ...
11.02.2022 Christine Ha Part 2: Life After Winning MasterChef On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will hear all about Christine Ha's post MasterChef life. That life includes owning or co-owning two restaurants in Houston and advocated on behalf of people suffering from NMOSD.
10.14.2022 Christine Ha Part 1: A Blind Chef Wins MasterChef? On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will hear the first part of blind chef-restaurateur Christine Ha's incredible story. She wins Gordon Ramsey's MasterChef competition TV show without being able to see.
09.30.2022 Kenji on Avocados & the Magic of Mayo On this episode of Special Sauce we check in with Kenji, who tells us about the magic of mayo as a marinade. He also talks about all things guacamole and avocados. Plus he explains his love affair with the mortar ...
09.16.2022 Glenn Roberts on the Freighted History of Rice in America On this episode of Special Sauce Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts takes us on his wild journey through the preservation of Ancient Grains that started with his family losing everything.
09.02.2022 Kristina Cho: Sweet & Savory Recipes Inspired By Chinese Bakeries On this episode of Special Sauce food blogger Kristina Cho (Eat Cho Food) details her unlikely career path from architectural designer to two time James Beard Award-winning author. In her book, Mooncakes and Milk Bread, Kristina re-creates re-imagines both sweet ...
08.19.2022 Vish Bhatt: How A Southern Chef Connects to his Indian Roots On this episode of Special Sauce Vishwesh Bhatt, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of ‘I Am From Here: Recipes and Stories from a Southern Chef’, details his remarkable journey from India to Oxford, Mississippi.
08.05.2022 Entrepreneur Jing Gao: Finding Herself Through Food On this episode of Special Sauce Fly by Jing founder Jing Gao talks about finding herself through the foods her company makes, things like chili crisp and soup dumplings.
07.26.2022 Chef & Track Star Dawn Burrell: The Leap From the Olympics to Top Chef On this episode of Special Sauce chef (Late August in Houston) and former world champion track star Dawn Burrell talks about her greatest leap of all, from Olympic broad jumper to Top Chef finalist.
07.23.2022 We'll Be Right Back If you are listening to this, you realize that we haven't posted a new episode of Special Sauce this past Friday, as we normally do. Believe me, it is not for lack of trying. Please know that we are working ...
07.08.2022 NYT's Eric Kim on his book Korean American:Food That Tastes Like Home On this episode of Special Sauce the NYT's Eric Kim talks about his new book ‘Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home’. Besides being a terrific cookbook it's also a moving tribute to his Korean-born mom.
06.24.2022 Milk Bar's Christina Tosi on the Power of Dessert On this episode of Special Sauce Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi talks about her new book Dessert Can Save the World, which really is her guiding philosophy in both life and business.
06.10.2022 Pizza Talk w/UPN's Anthony Mangieri & Billions' co-creator Brian Koppelman On this episode of Special Sauce we continue the pizza conversation with Una Pizza Napoletana founder and pizzaiola Anthony Mangieri and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman, who loves UPN so much he put Mangieri in the show.
05.27.2022 Provocative Takes on Pizza From Former Microsoft CTO and Current Pizzaiolo Nathan Myrvhold Some health problems derailed our Special Sauce production schedule this week, so serious eaters will just have to wait two more weeks before you get to listen to more fresh pizza talk with Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri and Billions ...
05.13.2022 Razza's Dan Richer on the Joy of Pizza On this week's Special Sauce Dan Richer, chef and owner of Jersey City's Razza, one of the country's best pizzerias, talks to us about his obsessive Joy of Pizza, which just so happens to be the title of his new ...
04.29.2022 Devita Davidson, Food Lab Detroit and Ji Hye Kim On this week's Special Sauce Detroit food activist and Food Lab Detroit founder Devita Davidson has a lot to say about how government, entrpreneurs, and the private sector can and should work together to form a better food system. Plus ...
04.15.2022 Kenji Live 2: We Cooked And A Wok Q&A On Part II of our live Special Sauce, Kenji and I successfully cooked eggs and tomatoes in a wok onstage and I didn't get fired as his sous-chef for inadequately chopping the scallions. We also revived the Ask Kenji feature ...
04.01.2022 Kenji Live on the Wok, Family & McCartney For our first ever live Special Sauce Kenji and I talked about his new #1 NYT Best-Seller The Wok, how family life has become the center of his existence, and how Sir Paul McCartney gave him an autograph after McCartney's ...
03.18.2022 Justice Activist Jessica Ramos On the Dignity of Work & Kenji On His Wife's Favorite Soup On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, NY State Senator and Food and Labor Activist Jessica Ramos returns to talk about the next set of problems she's tackling. And Kenji tells us about the Colombian soup that is his wife's ...
03.04.2022 Michelle Zauner on Screenwriting and her Grammy Nominations & Kenji Weighs in on the Kinship Between Food & Music On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner returns to talk about her two Grammy nominations and writing the script for a Crying in H Mart feature film. Plus, Kenji weighs in on the natural kinship between ...

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