The Well-Seasoned Librarian: Mixing Cookbooks and Conversation

The Well Seasoned Librarian Podcast Season 17 Episode 11

Guest: Deborah Albon, Amy Palmer

Today our host Dean Jones is speaking with the authors of the new book First Helpings A History of Children and Food by Deborah Albon, Amy Palmer. 

What should children eat and why? How should they eat it and what should they learn about food? Answers to questions like these have differed over time. First Helpings explores the relationship between children and food in history, drawing on a rich variety of social records, cookery and etiquette books and children’s literature. Topics covered include breast versus bottle feeding, the difference between 'adult' and 'children’s' food and drink, table manners, school meals and learning to cook. Albon and Palmer discuss wider social issues, such as teaching children about the ethics of food choices, the role children have played in food production and the ever-present scandal of hungry children in society. First Helpings provides a unique look at childhood and eating that relates past to present and considers ways forward.

First Helpings A History of Children and Food by

Well Seasoned Librarian Podcast Season 17 Episode 10

Guest: Chuck Matto

Book: Chuck's Flavor Train:

Bio: Chuck “Chuck’s FlavorTrain” Matto is a backyard boss, certified griller-and-chiller, and lifelong lover of all things food. He's not here to flex culinary school credentials or talk in food-science paragraphs. He's here to help you make ridiculously good food, have fun doing it, and feed people you care about until everyone is full-bellied and smiling.

What started as weekend grill sessions and smoker experiments turned into a full-blown flavor obsession built on love, curiosity, and a whole lot of trial and error. Chuck is known for kicking up backyard BBQ with Bay Area energy and whatever global flavors he happens to be feeling inspired by that day. One day it's brisket and ribs... The next day it's pineapple upside-down cake sausages, smoked fried wings or even cioppino.

Through his content, catering and now this book, Chuck invites home cooks, backyard bosses and aspiring Pitmasters everywhere to hop on the FlavorTrain with recipes that are approachable, bold, and built for real life. No fancy lingo. No scientific methods. Just good ingredients, steady heat, cold drinks, and friends hanging around asking when it is ready.

When he's not sketching out new sausage ideas, firing up the smoker before sunrise, or building that perfect bark, he's cooking for his family, feeding crowds, and living his BBQ dreams. His mission is simple: to teach you to cook with your heart, trust your instincts, and turn every meal into a memory.

All aboard the FlavorTrain! #bangbangflavorgang

Purchase Book: https://www.amazon.com/Chucks-Flavor-Train-Ticket-Barbecue-ebook/dp/B0G4N7B3KT

Website: https://www.chucksflavortrain.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chucksflavortrain

Heartland Masala pairs 99 recipes from Indian cooking instructor Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by her son Auyon Mukharji. A heartfelt celebration of Indian cuisine and the American immigrant experience, this beautiful cookbook is playful, informative, and utterly original.Take a delicious deep dive into Indian cooking and culture with a Midwestern mother-son duo.Jyoti Mukharji has been teaching cooking classes out of her Kansas City kitchen since 2010. Heartland Masala is an artfully photographed collection of her favorite recipes, enriched with droll, illustrated vignettes authored by culinary historian Auyon Mukharji.Inside you'll find restaurant staples like Saag Paneer, regional specialties like Murgh Rezala (Chicken Curry with Water Lily Seeds and Cashews), and creative originals like Masala Brussels Sprouts. A feast for culturally curious readers and adventurous cooks alike, this inventive collaboration is unlike any Indian cookbook you’ve seen before.

Jyoti Mukharji is a chef, teacher, and retired physician. She immigrated to the US from India in the late 1970s, and she began teaching weekly Indian cooking classes out of her home in Prairie Village, KS in 2010. Jyoti has since welcomed several thousand students into her kitchen, and her writing and teaching have been celebrated in press and radio outlets across the Midwest. Jyoti's team includes her husband Jhulan (art director), her eldest son Arnob (grocery shopping deputy), her middle son Auyon (musical guest), and her youngest son Aroop (copy editor).

Auyon Mukharji is a musician, writer, and culinary historian who spends most of his time thinking about food. He studied biology at Williams College and was awarded a Watson Fellowship in 2007 to study self-expression in folk music. Since 2009, Auyon has toured with, and cooked for, the acclaimed indie-folk band Darlingside. He otherwise finds time to work in and around kitchens (and farms) in both his hometown of Kansas City and his adopted state-of-residence of Massachusetts.

Website: https://www.heartlandmasala.com/

Well Seasoned Library Podcast:

Season 17, Episode 8,

Guests: Gail Rosenblum and Kait Ziemer-Davis

Book: SEA SALT EATERY: Recipes to Enjoy Year-Round

Bio: Located mist-distance from Minnehaha Falls, South Minneapolis fish stand Sea Salt has been a beloved summer gathering spot for more than twenty years. A feast of recipes from panko walleye to grilled catfish, Thai tuna, crabcakes, BBQ shrimp, and more, Sea Salt Eatery: Recipes to Enjoy Year-Round opens the kitchen doors to regulars—and the curious few who haven’t been—with stories from employees past and present that capture the fun and flavor of the iconic restaurant.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Gail Rosenblum, a retired editor and columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune, is author of A Hundred Lives Since Then: Essays on Motherhood, Marriage, Mortality, and More.
Kait Ziemer-Davis has made her career in restaurants, beginning at Café Teresa in South Dakota and moving on to stints at Chatterbox, Modist, St. Paul’s award-winning Joan’s in the Park, and, since 2010, Sea Salt Eatery.

Sea Salt Restaurant: https://www.seasaltmpls.com/

Instagram: @seasalteatery

Well Seasoned Librarian Season 17 Episode 8

Guest: Bobby Hicks

Book: Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Modern Twist

Bio: Meet Bobby Hicks

Bobby Hicks is an American author, content creator, and private chef. His debut book, Retro Recipes, is a love letter to nostalgia and the dishes we all crave today.

Bobby appeared as a contestant on Season 4 of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, bringing his passion for retro cooking to a national audience. He lives in South Florida with his partner, Keiko, and their cat, Lacy.

Website: https://retrorecipeskitchen.com/about/

Instagram: @thisfellow

Cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Retro-Recipes-Vintage-Dishes-Modern/dp/1324117257

___________________________________________________________

About the Well Seasoned Librarian (Reviewer)

Hailing from San Diego and spending his teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, Dean Jones has become a seasoned resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. A true foodie and lover of the written word, Dean wears many hats: librarian, Podcaster, cookbook reviewer, and writer.

Catch him at book festivals, farmers’ markets, bookstores, or savoring a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Dean’s passion for food and literature shines through his published works. You can find his reviews in “Amoral Beatitudes Magazine” and his insightful articles on platforms like Medium’s “One Table One World,” “The Cookbook for All,” “An Idea,” and “Authors What Are You Reading?” Currently, Dean keeps Benicia Times Herald readers informed with his regular cookbook review column.

Connect with Dean:

• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/

The Well Seasoned Librarian Season 17 Episode 7

Guest: Adam Kingl

Bio: EXECUTIVE EATS: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life (out 6/16/26) by Adam Kingl and Jakub Radzikowski. 

Are you looking for greater focus in your work and life? Do you find your mind wandering while trying to concentrate on daily tasks – whether at the office or at home? From sustained energy to improved focus and mood, each chapter in EXECUTIVE EATS pairs the latest nutritional research with practical culinary applications, offering readers scientifically backed recipes designed to address the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives.
Whether you need a morning boost, an afternoon pick-me-up or a calming meal after a stressful day, you will have a deeper understanding of why certain foods can enhance your mental and physical states. This is more than just a collection of recipes; it’s a tool to help you make mindful, informed decisions about your diet. Blending culinary expertise with scientific rigor, EXECUTIVE EATS equips you with the knowledge and recipes to nourish both your body and mind.

About the author

With a career spanning an impressive range of industries including entertainment, consulting, and education, Adam Kingl has spent decades working in innovation, strategy, culture and leadership. Adam is a highly respected expert on generational paradigms in the workplace, creativity, strategic and management innovation, the future of work, leadership and culture, and fulfilling organisational and personal purpose.

Adam is Adjunct Faculty at the UCL School of Management and Ashridge – Hult International Business School. He also teaches at the Moller Institute-Churchill College-University of Cambridge, Hanken-Stockholm School of Economics, and Imperial College Business School. Previously, he was the Regional Managing Director for Duke Corporate Education, Duke University, leading the organisation’s business in Europe, and advising clients on issues of adaptability, performance, creativity, and purpose. Before Duke, he was the Executive Director of Thought Leadership and Learning Solutions for London Business School. He also was an associate at Saatchi & Saatchi and the Management Lab. Furthermore, Adam served on the steering committee for the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), providing accreditation and creating standards for corporate universities and learning functions as a member of the CLIP (Corporate Learning Improvement Process) steering committee.

Adam is passionate about leadership for what’s next and has authored a book on this topic, Next Generation Leadership (HarperCollins, February 2020). His second book, Sparking Success (Kogan Page, April 2023) explores what business can learn from the arts to improve its creative capacity and capability. A regular keynote speaker and conference facilitator, he speaks with warmth and compassion, encouraging organisations to have different and better conversations, creating a simple and approachable path to transforming business success. He is also comfortable and experienced delivering all his topics virtually and as webinars.

Adam contributes as a writer and expert interviewee to: The Financial Times, Sunday Times, Forbes, Fortune, The Guardian and Fast Company, among many others.

Adam holds degrees from London Business School, UCLA, and Yale. He was raised in Silicon Valley, California and now lives in Surrey, UK. He is a dual British-American citizen.

www.adamkingl.com

Executive Eats: https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Eats-cookbook-better-working/dp/1788609387

Well Seasoned Librarian Podcast

Season 17 Episode 6

Book: Pop Life: The Ultimate 80's Kitchen Encore

Author Bio: Chef Alicia Shevetone is a pop-up chef, cookbook author, television personality, and creator of Dink Cuisine, a food and entertainment organization that curates culinary experiences across print, digital, social, and live media. Her first cookbook, Italian Cookbook for Two, features 24 recipes from first course (Antipasti) to dessert (Dolce), and everything in between! Her highest rated cookbook to date, this gem immediately puts home cooks at ease, while encouraging them to experiment with traditional flavor combinations like butter and anchovies, capers and lemon, and truffles and cream.

An expert in low-carb lifestyles, Chef Alicia's second cookbook, Vegetarian Ketogenic Cookbook for Beginners, was released in October 2021. By unlocking the protein-packed potential of vegetables and other meat-free foods, this book seamlessly combines the benefits of the lacto-ovo vegetarian and ketogenic diets to help you live a healthier life. With 75 recipes and a meal plan - it is Chef Alicia's most popular cookbook to date.

Chef Alicia's third cookbook, Food with Spirit: Alcohol-Infused Recipes, is on pre-sale now and ships September 26, 2023. Food With Spirit is 116 pages and features fifty recipes spread across five sections: Appetizers, Soups, Entrees, Sides, and Desserts. All fifty recipes are infused with some of our favorite intoxicants, from spiced rum to the smooth flavors of cognac. Each recipe is complemented with beautiful photos, and accompanied by Shevetone's delightfully entertaining stories as a Gen X celebrity chef who's always up for a killer time!

Follow Chef Alicia @DinkCuisine on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Book: Pop Life: The Ultimate 80s Kitchen Encore 

Dink Cuisine

Distilled Spices

Tiffany Website

Well Seasoned Librarian Podcast Season 17 Episode 5

Guest: Helen Goh

About the Author: Helen is an acclaimed baking columnist and cookbook writer who is renowned for her innovative recipes drawing on Asian, Western and Middle Eastern traditions. After working as chief pastry recipe developer for the Ottolenghi group, she co-authored her first book with YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, the best-selling SWEET, which was short-listed for the prestigious James Beard Award. Her second book with Yotam, COMFORT, is released in October 2024. Helen is currently working on her first solo book, BAKING AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, which will be published in 2025.

Born in Malaysia, Helen began her cooking career in Australia, where she worked in a number of well known Melbourne eateries, before moving to the UK. She is also a trained psychologist and lives in London with her husband and two sons.

Helen Goh Website:

Instagram: @helen_goh_bakes

Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes

Ottolenghi Comfort [Alternate Cover Edition]: A Cookbook

Cookbook lovers, this one’s for you! Get 25% off a subscription to ckbk with code WELLSEASONED — the ultimate digital cookbook library.

Access nearly 1,000 full cookbooks from top authors Use on web and mobile app for cooking anytime, anywhere Save favorites, create custom "recipe playlists", search by ingredient and dietary preference Sync with your print cookbook collection via Eat Your Books

Perfect for serious home cooks and cookbook collectors alike.

Go to the link 

⁠⁠⁠https://join.ckbk.com/ckbk?code=WELLSEASONED⁠⁠⁠

___________________________________________________________

About the Well Seasoned Librarian (Reviewer)

Hailing from San Diego and spending his teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, Dean Jones has become a seasoned resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. A true foodie and lover of the written word, Dean wears many hats: librarian, Podcaster, cookbook reviewer, and writer.

Catch him at book festivals, farmers’ markets, bookstores, or savoring a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Dean’s passion for food and literature shines through his published works. You can find his reviews in “Amoral Beatitudes Magazine” and his insightful articles on platforms like Medium’s “One Table One World,” “The Cookbook for All,” “An Idea,” and “Authors What Are You Reading?” Currently, Dean keeps Benicia Times Herald readers informed with his regular cookbook review column.

Connect with Dean:

• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠ (Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsibP5oAUIam8sOT-MZdXig

Welcome back to The Well Seasoned Librarian. I’m your announcer, Xavier.

Today, host Dean Jones is joined by a powerhouse talent who is as sharp with a cast-iron skillet as she is with a Telecaster. Music Row named her the 'Next Big Thing,' and while she’s earned her stripes as a Fender Next artist and a CMT 'Next Woman of Country,' Whiskey Riff notes she remains one of Nashville’s best-kept secrets—a true entertainer in the vein of a young Chris Stapleton.

She has amassed over 1.5 million followers online, but her 'Honkytonk Graceland' lifestyle is the real deal. Whether she’s performing on stage or hosting her viral YouTube cooking show, 'Stand By Your Pan,' she is dedicated to preserving the best of country soul.

We’ll be diving into her brand-new album, The Other Damn Half, her upcoming headlining tour, and her highly anticipated new book, 'Stand By Your Pan.' Please welcome the incomparable... Hannah Dasher!"

Hannah Dasher Website: https://www.hannahdasher.com/

Stand by your : https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Your-Pan-Affordable-Comfort/dp/1400252881

Hannah Dasher Tour Dates: https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917pFyf/hannah-dasher-events

Cookbook lovers, this one’s for you! Get 25% off a subscription to ckbk with code WELLSEASONED — the ultimate digital cookbook library.

Access nearly 1,000 full cookbooks from top authors Use on web and mobile app for cooking anytime, anywhere Save favorites, create custom "recipe playlists", search by ingredient and dietary preference Sync with your print cookbook collection via Eat Your Books

Perfect for serious home cooks and cookbook collectors alike.

Go to the link 

⁠⁠⁠https://join.ckbk.com/ckbk?code=WELLSEASONED⁠⁠⁠

___________________________________________________________

About the Well Seasoned Librarian (Reviewer)

Hailing from San Diego and spending his teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, Dean Jones has become a seasoned resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. A true foodie and lover of the written word, Dean wears many hats: librarian, Podcaster, cookbook reviewer, and writer.

Catch him at book festivals, farmers’ markets, bookstores, or savoring a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Dean’s passion for food and literature shines through his published works. You can find his reviews in “Amoral Beatitudes Magazine” and his insightful articles on platforms like Medium’s “One Table One World,” “The Cookbook for All,” “An Idea,” and “Authors What Are You Reading?” Currently, Dean keeps Benicia Times Herald readers informed with his regular cookbook review column.

Connect with Dean:

• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠ (Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsibP5oAUIam8sOT-MZdXig

About :Festa Italiana Charlotte: Ciao! St. Anthony Foundation of Charlotte welcomes you to The 21st Annual Festa Italiana Charlotte: An Italian Food & Wine Festival.

Our All-inclusive event features 25+ Culinary Partners showcasing Italian and Italian-American cuisine and beverages during our Grand Tasting experience. Guest can anticipate Live Performances, Chef Demonstrations, Italian Sports Car Exhibit, Art Show, an Italian Village Market and more in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, NC. Spring Cocktail Attire is encouraged.

We invite you to join us for one the premier Italian Food & Wine events in the Southeastern U.S.

Bio:Chef and entrepreneur Majid Amoorpour is the driving force behind The Everyday Market, a European-style cafe and market with locations in Belmont and Charlotte, North Carolina. An internationally trained pastry chef who began his career in Sweden and worked across Europe before co-founding Charlotte’s Bistro La Bon, Amoorpour centers his culinary philosophy on the "everyday" rather than the occasional. He prioritizes technique over complexity, advocating for focused, small menus of 10 to 15 scratch-made items perfected to the highest quality within a community-centered environment.

Bio:Dr. Vincent E. Voci is a board-certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with over 35 years of private practice experience and a distinguished medical background including degrees from the University of Louisville and training at Duke University. Beyond his clinical expertise—which includes pioneering the first medical spa in North Carolina and introducing procedures like Botox and liposuction to the region—Dr. Voci is widely recognized as the Founder and Chair of Festa Italiana Charlotte. Inspired by his family’s Italian roots, he established the festival in 2006 as a cultural and humanitarian event hosted by the St. Anthony Foundation of Charlotte, which he also chairs. Under his leadership, the festival has grown from a small gathering to a major annual gala in Uptown Charlotte, raising over $300,000 for Nevins Inc. to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Voci continues to balance his surgical milestones in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery with a deep commitment to community service and Italian heritage.

Website: https://www.festaitalianacharlotte.org/