This Is TASTE

It was incredible to sit down with Dana Cowin, a creative force and an important figure in the history of food media. Dana served as the editor in chief of Food & Wine for over two decades, and she’s the founder of Progressive Hedonist, an organization that looks to find joy in purposeful action. In this episode, we go back to hear about the early days of Food & Wine and how Dana had a vision for placing chefs at the center of a magazine’s coverage. Great idea, Dana. We talk about the magazine’s transition from print to digital and what she finds interesting in the world of cooking and restaurants today.

Also on the show, it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Mariscos el Submarino is opening in Clinton Hill, a visit to Hani's bakery in the East Village, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley is the 2000s indie rock novel you always wanted, Funny Bar is a new downtown bar, and steak frites spot, from the Baby's Alright folks. Also: Ed Zwick's new Hollywood memoir names the names, Strange Delight is doing a great fish-and-three lunch, and L.A. Burdick Chocolates is a new favorite box of chocolates.

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Kristina Cho is an award-winning cookbook author, recipe developer, home cook, baker, food stylist, and photographer. Her terrific debut cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread, won her two James Beard awards, and her follow-up, Chinese Enough, is a big favorite of all of us at TASTE. We were so happy to have Kristina in the studio, where we found out about how she pivoted from a career in architecture to work on food full time. It was a bet that paid off, and we dig into Kristina’s family history and how she writes her incredibly inspired recipes. Kristina and Matt are appearing together at the Tucson Festival of Books on March 15.

Also on the show we have a really fun conversation with Eleanor Wilkinson. She is the author of a very cool new book, One Pot, One Portion.

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Tyler Zielinski is a London-based drinks professional. He’s best known for his work in drinks journalism, writing about bars, cocktails, and other subjects for an array of publications including Punch, Eater, and Food & Wine. In this episode, we talk about his very cool debut book, Tiny Cocktails. What makes a tiny cocktail exactly? Tyler will explain. We also dig into where Tyler likes to drink in his hometown of London and what makes an extraordinary cocktail experience.

Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Bonny Reichert. Bonny is a journalist and author of an incredible memoir, How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty.

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Jeremy Robinson-Leon is the founder of Moonburger, an ambitious chain of restaurants whose core focus is bringing high-quality fast food to the masses. We personally love Moonburger and have visited locations in Kingston and New Paltz, and it’s now operating in Poughkeepsie and Brooklyn. In this episode, we hear about Jeremy’s journey to opening these restaurants and how he enlisted the help of some big-name talent to assist him in developing a signature plant-based patty. We also hear about the company’s pivot to serving beef and what this all means for future expansion plans. We're rooting for Moonburger, and had a great time catching up with its very cool founder. 

Also on the show, it’s the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Cake Zine's Raffle for LA Fire Relief, Care and Feeding by Laurie Woolever is a book you need to read (read twice if you work in food media), you can freeze pancake batter, Janevca in Victoria, British Columbia is a favorite meal of the year. Also: Peaches HotHouse is a staple for fried chicken in Brooklyn, and staying in Canada, Minami in Vancouver opened our eyes to aburi-style sushi.

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Today on the show, we’re doing something a little different: a special travel episode, featuring Aliza and her girlfriend, Shirley Chan. Shirley's a talented cinematographer and also a favorite travel partner. They just came back from a month in Asia visiting Thailand and Shirley's family in Taiwan. In this episode, they dive deep into recs for Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Tainan, with a stopover in Chiang Mai and Bangkok too. It’s a must listen if you’re planning a trip to either country, and even if you’re not, it’s still a lot of fun. 

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Kiera Wright-Ruiz is a food writer and recipe developer based in Tokyo. She’s the author of the very cute children’s book I Want to Be Spaghetti! and now a debut cookbook, My (Half) Latinx Kitchen. It’s a culinary journey of discovery, blending memoir and lots of recipes connecting Kiera’s Ecuadorian and Korean heritage and the extended family of caregivers from across Latin America who helped raise her. Today, in Aliza’s interview, they dig into what it’s like developing Latin American recipes on the other side of the world, Kiera’s favorite restaurants in Tokyo, and more.

Also on the show, Matt has a fun conversation with Anna Hezel. She’s a writer and the former cohost of this very show, and she has launched (with some friends) a cool new project: Best Food Blog. They talk about some of the memorable stories in Best Food Blog’s young life, and some of Anna’s favorite stories from the early days of TASTE.

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Caroline Eden is a writer and literary critic. She’s also the author of many terrific food and travel books, including Samarkand, Black Sea, and Red Sands. She has been awarded both the Art of Eating Prize and an André Simon Award, and Red Sands was a book of the year for the Financial Times, the Sunday Times, and the New Yorker. In this episode, we talk about Caroline’s terrific new book, a memoir titled Cold Kitchen. The book is a real journey through parts of Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and beyond, and it dives into Caroline’s travels through Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and many other locations that perhaps don’t get the time they deserve. Caroline is a brilliant reporter and we had such a great time catching up with her.

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Eric Kim has a signature style with his writing, which has appeared frequently in the New York Times, where he is a columnist for the magazine. Eric blends a truly lyrical style of prose with deep reporting chops and a knack for simple and highly focused recipe development—a rare triple threat! He’s also the author of the best-selling cookbook Korean American. This is a return visit to the show for Eric, and we talk about his reporting process, how he unpacks big topics in food and culture in his columns, and some of his recent work, including dumplings, Chicago pizza, the origins of Philadelphia cream cheese, and many other memorable stories.

Also on the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt share what’s interesting in the world of restaurants, books, television, food products, and much more. On this episode: Birria La Flor is doing Tijuana-style birria in Brooklyn, Caroline Eden’s great memoir Cold Kitchen, Flour + Water dry pasta is terrific. Also, a Kingston, New York, scene check. Matt visits Pinkerton’s Bakery, Fantzye Bagels, and Sorry, Charlie. Also, also: Severance is a good show, and not Westworld (we hope), and Matt tries Frost Buttercream.

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Emily Wilson is a writer based in Los Angeles and runs the terrific publication The Angel, covering the city’s legendary restaurant scene. On this episode, recorded before the devastating wildfires, we hear about how Emily views her city’s technicolor restaurant scene. What are her favorite places to visit for all occasions? She has quite a list. And check out The Angel’s guide on how to support wildfire recovery efforts.

Also on the show, Matt walks the floor of the Winter Fancy Food Show, an annual trade show featuring the best in grocery and CPG. He spotted a number of exciting discoveries, including:

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Abi Balingit is the author of Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, a delightful cookbook full of maximalist personality and transfixing sweets, like the adobo chocolate chip cookie. She’s a singular force in the NYC baking scene, and it’s so fun to have her on the show today to talk about what she’s been up to since publishing her first book, her love of kitsch, and more.

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