The Sporkful

When the spotlight goes away… In the wake of allegations about systemic racism at Bon Appétit, people of color there were hopeful things would change. Nearly two months later, are they changing? How are Bon Appétit and its parent company, Condé Nast, dealing with this turmoil — employees speaking out, a refusal to produce videos until negotiations are settled, and an internal investigation into pay equity? We spoke with six people at BA, all of whom asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, to find out. After the headline-grabbing scandal comes the time when people have to make real change. Those in power have to act.

UPDATE: We published this episode Monday morning, August 3rd. On Thursday, three stars of the BA Test Kitchen— Priya Krishna, Rick Martinez, and Sohla El-Waylly—announced that they would no longer be participating in videos for Bon Appétit.

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

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A beloved brand with a toxic workplace... The videos shot in the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen are among the most popular food videos on YouTube, beloved for their depiction of a workplace that feels cool, fun, and diverse, full of chummy editors who have become celebrities. But that all changed this week when a photo of Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport in brownface was posted to Twitter. It brought to the fore long-simmering anger about a lack of diversity among the staff and the cuisines that get highlighted, as well as pay inequities and hostile treatment for people of color at BA. We speak with reporter Rachel Premack, former staffer Nikita Richardson, and current BA assistant editor Sohla El-Waylly to find out what it’s like to work at Bon Appetit, and what it will take to change it.

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

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The word "plantation" pops up a lot in the food world – Plantation Mint Tea, Plantation Chicken, Plantation Rum. But it's not a culinary term. It doesn't indicate certain spices or cooking methods. So what are white people in food who use this word trying to evoke? Inspired by a piece by food writer Osayi Endolyn, we go on a mission to find out. In the process, we try to learn something about whiteness in America.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

This episode is from The Sporkful's archives. Normally, this episode and hundreds like it are only available with Stitcher Premium. But in these difficult times, we're releasing it for free — both to help our listeners through quarantine, and to say thanks for continuing to support our show. If you'd like to have access to our entire archive, you can sign up for Stitcher Premium at www.stitcherpremium.com/SPORKFUL, and use the promo code SPORKFUL for a special discount.

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This podcast isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. We have a ton of fun obsessing about food to learn more about culture, science, history, and most importantly—people. In every episode of The Sporkful you’re going to learn something, feel something, and laugh. Winner of the James Beard and Webby Award for Best Food Podcast. Hosted by Dan Pashman, inventor of the pasta shape cascatelli. Subscribe, follow, or favorite now and join us!

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In this special Sporkful investigation, we order sandwiches around New York City to find out whether places make smaller sandwiches for women. (Repeat)

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Is it possible to experience total food joy when you're always afraid that something you eat will make you sick? Our look at life with food allergies continues with Part 2 of our mini-series, May Contain Nuts.

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Amy Pearl loved meat -- until a steak almost killed her. We hear her riveting (and hilarious) story, and explore how allergies change your relationship with food and people. This story was originally heard on Radiolab, the second part is a new update, taped after Amy was tested for her allergy again.

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The co-host of Good Muslim Bad Muslim tells us how to share food without killing the romance, and why she wishes guys she dates would stop trying to out-Muslim her.

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Conan’s sidekick tells us why he chose a really nice refrigerator over a sports car. And he traces his issues with weight back to a childhood ice cream outing with his grandmother.

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Is it OK to claim your seat before you get your food in a busy restaurant? In a world where there just aren't enough tables to go around, is there a way to serve the greater good while maximizing your own restaurant experience? Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats joins Dan to take a call from a listener.

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