This episode begins with a background on Ben's journey into professional kitchens. Joe and Ben discuss the crème brulee dish Ben created at the Dancing Marlin. They then move on to Ben's time at Band of Bohemia, his first fine-dining experience in Chicago. From Band of Bohemia, Ben moved on to Boka during the pandemic, and realizing where he wanted to take his career, left to join the staff at Gadabout last fall. Ben shares his thoughts on working in fine-dining and what lessons he learned from his time there; the guys also discuss spring produce in the midwest like ramps and asparagus. They pivot to talking about the most recent trend in the restaurant industry of pickled and fermented everything. Ben ends talking about his favorite meal to make for his wife and where he hopes to take his career in the future.

Jamie Deren joins the show to discuss Dyngus Day. We learn the history of the holiday, tracing its roots back to Poland and early Christianity in the country. We discuss the significant this holiday has in the Buffalo area and what sorts of festivities are present. Jamie shares her personal connection to the holiday tracing its place in her life from when her grandfather built his own house and started his family to today's traditions of teaching young family members how to hand make peirogi. Jamie details the scenes in Buffalo as the revelry breaks out over the course of the day. We wrap up with some Buffalo food talk, including Jamie's favorite wings in the city.

Aubrey and Billy make their triumphant return to the Joe Feed Yourself studio and fellow member of The Chinatown Project, Kim Nguyen joins as well to provide a multi-cultural look at Lunar New Year. The show begins with Joe's personal history learning about the holiday "Chinese New Year" in elementary school, and from there the guests flesh out this holiday to be one of family gatherings, special foods, gifts and community togetherness. Kim describes how her family celebrates Tết, the Vietnamese version of the holiday. All three guests discuss how the core focus of the holiday is a time to bring family together and wish well upon each other. The guests discuss red envelopes (Joe says envelope 4 times in 5 seconds), and Billy and Kim share their favorite home cooked meals for Lunar New Year. The conversation shifts towards the similarities between Lunar New Year and Christmas - the themes of family, tradition, food, gift-giving - and then Joe attempts to say "Happy New Year" in Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin.

In a truly raucous episode, Joe hosts Alex and Peter Tsipis to discuss what life is like road tripping around the country and how to keep full while doing it. We talk extensively about Waffle House and how it seems to be one of the most chaotic places with some halfway decent waffles. Alex and Peter pontificate about "Hamptonality" and how they've codified their free continental breakfasts. Peter calls Joe and Alex peasants for enjoying Starbucks before the two Tsipis boys share their love for a Carolina exclusive burger restaurant called Cook Out. We talk about regional foods including In-N-Out and Whataburger and how people always seem to have this knee jerk reaction when you tell them you like the most famous food attraction in their home city. Peter dives into his trip to Amarillo, TX that involved karaoke at a Pizza Hut and knocking on the wrong hotel door and Alex tells everyone how Shipley's makes the best donuts. Peter divulges the best kept secret from Cape Charles, VA and his love for Sting-Ray's catfish and cornbread, and the guys wrap up by talking about some of their favorite places to visit and road trip around.

Thanks for tuning in to season one of the Joe Feed Yourself Podcast - hope you enjoyed all of my conversations and guests and you'll come back for a whole new crop of shows as the Summer winds down! And if anything, I hope this episode has inspired you to get out there and go see the country this summer. Eat something good.

The show begins with a brief introduction to the Chinatown Project and how it was formed. We discuss 9-man volleyball and how that helped lead to the creation of the group. Aubrey and Billy talk about their personal relationship with the neighborhood and visiting frequently despite living outside of Boston.  The three of discuss how the neighborhood has changed within our own lifetimes, then move on to how Chinatowns have persisted better than other neighborhoods in this country. We talk about hole-in-the-wall stores including Billy's favorite Bubble Waffle Lady and Aubrey's hidden possibly nameless gift shop. Aubrey shares how she would come into Chinatown growing up to practice 9-man then go to Taiwan Cafe with her family. Billy names his favorite candies he'd get at Chinese grocery stores growing up. We talk about some regional delicacies including Billy's family's favorite "Steamed bread with sweetened condensed milk". We discuss the demographics of Chinatown, then talk about Dim Sum and the argument between China Pearl and Hei La Moon. Billy and Aubrey end the show discussing the future of Chinatown and how they expect it to evolve going forward.

This week Peter Grippo joins the show to talk about Brookyln Square, his pizzeria located in Jackson, NJ. Peter's pizzas have earned widespread acclaim as well as two major distinctions: a "Best Pizza in New Jersey" ranking from Pete Genovese, and an 8.9 from One Bite Pizza Reviews, the highest rating given to a square slice. Peter grew up in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, the son of two Italian immigrant parents from a town called Caggiano in the Campagnia region. He worked at his uncle's pizzeria, Ciccio's on Avenue U, where he made his first pie when he was 15 or 16 years old. Today we discuss how he makes his pies, the process that goes into creating a new pie, the whopping 7 different sauces he keeps on hand for his different pies, and the buzz around some of the new slices he's introduced. Peter talks about how he wants people to feel when they come into Brooklyn Square and how he staffs his pizzerias with people who will make you feel at home. We lament the loss of the Brooklyn he grew up in while looking to New Jersey as a new hotbed of Italian bakeries, delis and pizzerias. Peter shares how he's influenced by his trips to Italy, and he ends with some very high praise for the guys in Brooklyn who are still slinging pizza.

This week Michael AbouJaoude joins the show to talk about his little nation in the Levant, Lebanon. Roughly the size of Connecticut with the population of about Indiana, Lebanon is an old nation with a deep history. A sort of cross-roads for Arab and European cultures, a blend of some 15+ religious groups, and the home to some heart-breaking images from its history, Lebanon has a rich culinary tradition that will be familiar to nearly anyone in the US these days. Michael and I discuss the welcoming nature of Lebanese people and their penchant for hospitality - always making sure there's snacks, sweets and coffee if someone is coming over. We talk about some of his favorite meals including kafta kabob and cousa, and then discuss "The Paris of the Middle East", the nickname for Lebanon. We break down the troubles that have plagued the country and Michael describes the cyclical nature of Lebanon as a place that will continue to enjoy immense popularity and wealth then decline rapidly for several years. At some point we take a hard left and talk about the Lebanese interest in eating raw meat, including liver, heart, and straight up ground lamb. Michael let's us know how to find good Lebanese food in the United States, and we end with a look to the future for Lebanon.

This week Duane Swift joins the show to share his home island of Trinidad. Part of the nation of Trinidad and Tobago, this Island has joined a lot of economic prosperity throughout the years, and its resident represent all walks of life. Indian, Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern, European, you  name it, Trinidad has got it. We begin with a brief history and background of the island - once known as Irie by the natives - and it's subsequent discovery by Christopher Columbus, the influx of African people through the slave trade, then a wave of Indian immigrants from a British-rule run indentured servant program, and a more recent wave of immigrants from Syria. I learn about doubles, the Trinidadian national dish, a street food of two pieces of bara served with chick peas. Duane teaches me what it means to go "liming" in Trinidad, and how these days one of the preferred drunk foods of the country is a gyro - but with some extra scotch bonnet peppers thrown in there for a Trinidadian twist. Duane waxes about Carnival, the bands you play in, the costumes you wear, and the unification the Island feels for this holiday. Finally we talk about everyone's favorite subject, alcohol!

This week Christian Skroce joins the show to break down Croatia, a place that even I couldn't pick out on a map until recently. We talk about Croatia, the regions of the country including Dalmatian (Where the dog breed is from!) and the history of the country including its modern definition since the separation of Yugoslavia. We make some casual comparisons between Croatia and New Jersey (where we both hail from) and move on to what Croatians love to eat. Christian describes every big gathering as being centered around a whole roasted lamb, and tells me one of his favorite things is Dalmatian soup his grandma makes. That's soup from Dalmatia, not soup made with Dalamatians. He also shares a soup from the region of Lika is one of his personal favorites. Christian describes how just about any Mediterranean restaurant will have some Croatiain items on the menu, specifically pointing out squid ink risotto as a common favorite for Croatians. We talk about Croatian pizza, a thinner, brick oven type of pizza typically made in coastal cities. Christian let's me know that Pizza Town is his favorite pizza in New Jersey, and I explain how to properly pronounce the word calamari. We talk a bit about the similarities between Italy and Croatia which should make more sense because there's maybe 50 miles of water between eastern Italy and western Croatia. Christian informs me of the GREAT World Cup jerseys of all time, the magical jerseys worn by the Croatian team (timestamp around 36:25). We talk about St. Joseph's Day and St. Joseph's zeppoles which Christian describes as basically shamelessly stolen from Italians by Croatians. We end with a bit of discourse around Croatian language and how certain words mean different things based on the context and finally wrap up hoping we can one day get to Europe after the pandemic ends.

This week Andres Pinedo joins the show to talk about the Mexican table, kitchen, and attitudes towards cooking. After he spills the beans on his success running beer and chocolate milk miles, we touch on the (un)importance of Cinco de Mayo to Mexicans  while noting its significance more as a day of pride for Mexicans living in the US. Andres shares his family's background, his mother hailing from Chiapas in the south and his father from Mexico City. We discuss mole preparations and his grandma's molcajete, a precious family possession he hopes to take ownership of one day. Andres almost went to the Culinary Institute of America, which he ended up passing on at the advice of a chef he met before he came to the states for college (he ended up at college with me instead!) This chef recommended he learn his family recipes inside and out, and he took this to heart and is now learning how to cook like his grandma. We talk about pozole and the way his grandma prepares it and serves. Andres remembers going to church with his grandma and enjoying strawberry tamales as a treat after mass ended. We dive into a special chicken stew made with the entire bird including an incredible ingredient, the huevera, which is the tract that grows eggs and prepares them for laying. Andres shares his thoughts on the Latin American attitudes towards using entire animals before we shift gears to break down Mexican food in the US. I ask him about his future hopeful restaurant and his desires for a Mexican staff with a seasonal menu inspired by his cooks. Andres admits that it is correct that every Mexican man will tell you his abuela makes the best, most authentic version of a dish. We end by talking about how his journey into becoming a runner affected his relationship with food and how it pulled him away from enjoying sobremesa with his family before learning that food nourishes more than your body. He ends with some wisdom and a challenge for anyone enjoying Cinco de Mayo this coming week.