The Splendid Table

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For decades, we’ve sat down with some of the greatest culinary minds — and now we’re re-sharing a few of those remarkable conversations as a part of our Culinary Masters series. This week, we're visiting the home of one of the world's great ambassadors of Indian cuisine, author of 30 books, and award-winning actress, Madhur Jaffrey.

This week, we get some seasonal Italian inspiration and delicious Italian sweets. First, we sit down with chef and cookbook author Hillary Sterling to talk about some of her signature dishes, how her obsession with Italian cooking began, and what it takes to get an exquisite dish on the table. Famous for her Creamy Parmigiano-Braised Beans, Hillary Sterling is the chef of Ci Siamo in New York City and author of Ammazza! Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again.
Then, we are on to Italian sweets with award-winning writer Domenica Marchetti. Domenica has written a book that is kind of a cookie travelogue! She joins us to talk Italian cookies, from North to South, everything from soft macaroons to crunchy amaretti, ready for dunking. Domenica is the author of Italian Cookies, Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region, and she left us with her recipe for Amaretti from Sardinia.

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Broadcast dates for this episode:
May 8, 2026 (originally aired)

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Every week on our show, we celebrate the intersection of food and life. And this month, we’re highlighting some of the most iconic people in the food world. It’s a new collection called Culinary Masters. We revisit interviews with some of the people who have fundamentally changed how many of us cook and think about food. This week, the man who brought Chinese cuisine into the homes of millions of Americans, the one and only Martin Yan.

Every week on our show, we celebrate the intersection of food and life. And this month, we’re highlighting some of the most iconic people in the food world. It’s a new collection called Culinary Masters. We revisit interviews with some of the people who have fundamentally changed how many of us cook and think about food. People like Martin Yan, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, and Anthony Bourdain, to name a few.
This week, we're all about the iconic Claudia Roden, who helped introduce the food of the Middle East and Mediterranean to the English-speaking world. Have a listen.

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This week, we’re excited to get cooking! First, two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author and the internet’s favorite Italian, Dan Pelosi, joins us to staff the phone and answer your cooking questions. We get into his top hosting tips, the how-tos of building menus for all kinds of gatherings, and his favorite springtime recipe, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Sauce. Then, Francis and Dan jump into your cooking questions. Dan Pelosi is the author of Let's Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart & Home - A Cookbook, and his latest book is Let's Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day. Then, we dive into Caribbean cooking with Brooklyn-based chef Rawlston Williams. Rawlston talks about growing up in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and his introduction to that island’s foodways. He talks about the diverse and delicious culinary traditions of the Caribbean, and we take an in-depth look at the different seasonings and marinades that are the foundation of Caribbean cooking. Ralwston Williams is the author of The Caribbean Cookbook, and he left us with recipes for Green Seasoning, Jerk Marinade, and Sofrito from Puerto Rico.

Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!
Broadcast dates for this episode:
April 24, 2026 (originally aired)

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This week, we talk about Mexican street food and the sometimes surprising foods that make us happy. Masienda founder, Jorge Gaviria, gives us a quick lesson on Vitamina T,aka those delicious masa-based Mexican street foods. Jorge is co-author, with Fermin Nunez, of Vitamina T, Your Daily Dose of Tacos, Tamales, Tortas and More Mexican Street Food Classics. He leaves us with a delicious recipe for a soon-to-be classic, Beet and Avocado Tostada. Then, pastry chef and writer Tanya Bush talks about her latest book, a memoir-cookbook documenting a year of experimental baking & living that ultimately led to delicious desserts like her Dark Chocolate and Toasted Coconut Birthday Cake. Tanya Bush is the author of Will This Make You Happy, Stories and Recipes from a Year of Baking.

Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!
Broadcast dates for this episode:
April 10, 2026 (originally aired)

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This week, we amp up your home cooking with nostalgic dishes, perfect recipes, and pro cooking techniques. First, we talk with Chef Ham El-Waylly about his favorite dishes that were inspired by his wildly international upbringing and what draws him to comfort foods. From his mom’s cheesy empanadas to his riff on cinnamon toast cereal, he gets imaginative with recipes like his Tahini Roasted Swordfish. Ham El-Waylly is the author of Hello, Home Cooking: Do-Able Dishes for Every Day. Then we dive into the brilliant mind of food writer Ella Quittner, who shares her obsessive search for the perfect techniques to make the very best recipes. She traveled the world to learn how to make buckwheat soba noodles and find the secret to getting the best flavor in tsukune, Japanese chicken meatballs. Ella Quittner’s latest book is Obsessed with The Best, and she left us with her recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Insurance Cheese.

Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!
Broadcast dates for this episode:
March 27, 2026 (originally aired)

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This week, we get into the history, craft, and techniques of homemade Ramen with the brilliant author, Sho Spaeth. We talk about its origins in Japan, the introduction of ramen to the US, and the recent innovation that gave rise to what we know as instant ramen. We learn about the five elements that  go into a bowl of ramen: broth, tare, fat, noodles, and toppings, and how these have been refined over the years to create endless variations, including the kind that can be enjoyed in our own homes. Sho Spaeth is the author of Homemade Ramen. He left us his recipe for Niboshi Shoyu Ramen.
Head to our YouTube channel to watch our interview with Sho Spaeth. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!
Broadcast dates for this episode:
March 13, 2026 (originally aired)

Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

This week, we’re joined in the studio by food superstar and philanthropist Jamie Oliver. We talk about his start in food, growing up above a small-town pub, and finding himself at the iconic River Café with Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, and later becoming the TV persona behind The Naked Chef. He talks about his travels, his admiration for women cooks, and the use of his platform to champion nutrition programs and job-skills training for underserved communities. Jamie Oliver is a restaurateur, TV personality, and the author of over 30 cookbooks, including the best-selling 30-Minute Meals, 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food, and Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone. His latest book is Eat Yourself Healthy: Food to Change Your Life. He left us with his recipe for Harissa Tuna Bean Parcels.
Head to our YouTube channel and watch this extended cut of our interview with Jamie Oliver. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!
Broadcast dates for this episode:
February 27, 2026 (originally aired)

Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

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This week, we’re all about mindfulness in our kitchens. First, we explore a whole new meaning of fancy with author and recipe developer Jerrelle Guy. She shares her unusual thinking and creative recipes that can transform your everyday eating. The little extras that can make a dish a bit more celebratory. Jerrelle Guy’s latest book is We Fancy: Simple Recipes to Make the Everyday Special, and she left us with her recipe for Olive Oil Brownie Pudding. Then we talk with Bee Wilson about the surprisingly sentimental nature of kitchen objects. In Bee’s latest memoir, The Heart Shaped Tin, she dives deep into the emotional relationships many people have with their kitchen tools, from a mother’s rice cooker to learning to eat off the best china rather than saving it. She shares her personal relationship to her most cherished kitchen items with stories of people who share the connection. Bee Wilson’s latest book is The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects.
Broadcast dates for this episode:
February 13, 2026 (originally aired)

Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!

Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.