This Is TASTE

The Bear. We all love The Bear, the hit restaurant drama from FX. And we love The Bear for good reason. The show was the talk of TV this summer, and it’s still gaining popularity. Courtney Storer is a Los Angeles–based chef and the show’s culinary producer. That means she’s behind the show’s hyperrealistic cooking scenes that are now legendary. On the show today, we find out how Courtney translates her decade of professional cooking experience for the actors, and how growing up in Chicago informed the way she thinks about food. Get to know Courtney Storer on this entertaining episode of the TASTE Podcast.

More from Courtney Storer:

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Have you found your way into the world of Suzy Karadsheh and the megapopular YouTube channel and website The Mediterranean Dish? We sure have, and it’s changing the way we cook. Born and raised in the cosmopolitan Mediterranean city of Port Said, Egypt, Suzy was just a boat ride away from countries like Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and Israel. In this episode, we hear Suzy’s unique story that had her leaving Egypt to attend college in the United States and eventually settle in Atlanta, Georgia. We talk about her new cookbook, The Mediterranean Dish, and what excites her in the kitchen today. Also, loud hummus!

Also on the show, we catch up with Salvadoran poet and author Javier Zamora about his remarkable new book, Solito. This is such a great episode, and we hope you enjoy it.

More from Suzy Karadsheh:

Buy: The Mediterranean Dish and Solito.

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Alice Feiring is our guest today, and we have a great conversation that goes to some unfamiliar places. Alice is a journalist and celebrated wine writer, and she’s also the author of many great wine books, including 2019’s Natural Wine for the People, a prophetic look at the natural wine movement that has swept the drinking world away. She also wrote The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization. That would be a reference to wine critic Robert Parker, and we talk about major shifts in the wine world over the past decade, as well as Alice’s interest in the wines of the country of Georgia. But we mostly talk about her incredible new memoir, To Fall in Love, Drink This. We read it in two sittings, and it has so many great stories to cover. What a fun episode.

More from Alice Feiring:

Buy: To Fall in Love, Drink This

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We welcome one of our favorite chefs in the game, JJ Johnson, back to the program. JJ is the James Beard Award–winning chef behind the fast-casual restaurant Field Trip and a coauthor of the cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven. In this episode, we catch up about JJ’s time attending the Culinary Institute of America and what it was like being one of the few Black chefs in the program. Then we fast-forward to the present day and talk about JJ’s big ambition with food television and his growing empire of rice-focused restaurants. We love chatting with JJ whenever we can, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.

More from JJ Johnson:

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How fun to have Paula Forbes on the show! Paula is a longtime journalist covering the cookbook publishing industry, among many other topics, and is the founder of Stained Page News. On this episode, we find out what draws Paula to review, critique, and obsess over cookbooks—as well as what she enjoys cooking at home. We also dive into the busy fall season and find out what Paula is most looking forward to. It’s a great time catching up with our old friend.

Later on the episode, we speak with chef Tanya Holland, author of the new cookbook Tanya Holland’s California Soul. It’s a beautiful tribute to the Black food traditions of California. We find out some of Holland’s own personal history and what drove her to write about this incredible topic.

More from Paula and Tanya:

Buy: Tanya Holland’s California Soul

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How do you introduce Melissa Clark, a prolific cookbook author, longtime New York Times columnist, and one of the most respected food writers around? Well, first you must know that one of our absolute favorite cookbooks of all time is her 2017 tome Dinner: Changing the Game. In this episode, we talk about what inspires her weekly recipe column in the paper of record and how her latest book, Dinner in One, may be one of her most personal books yet. We also go back to her days collaborating with great chefs including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, and Claudia Fleming. We hope you enjoy getting to know Melissa Clark a little better. 

Also on the show Matt catches up with Contributing Editor Aliza Abarbanel to talk all about this McTorta moment we are all living in, as well as ranking the top fast food menu items of the land.

More from Melissa Clark:

Buy: Dinner in One

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What does a cookbook editor actually do day-to-day in the year 2022? It turns out, more than you could ever imagine. On this episode of the show, we catch up with our old friend Raquel Pelzel. She’s the editorial director at Clarkson Potter and has authored more than a dozen cookbooks of her own. It’s clear that Raquel has tremendous respect for her authors, including Eric Kim, Rick Martinez, and Claire Saffitz, and we find out how she allows her authors’ voice to shine through. We also talk about the way she edits a recipe, which goes back to her time working at the demanding Cooks Illustrated. Was her mom “the worst cook in the world”? Yes, she was, and we find out about Raquel’s interesting upbringing living on the North Side of Chicago. This is such a great conversation about making and loving cookbooks!

More from Raquel Pelzel:

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When Mission Chinese opened in New York in a crowded, slightly dank subterranean space on Orchard Street a decade ago, the food world collectively paused to praise the inventive and fully out-there cooking of a young chef named Danny Bowien. On this episode we catch up with Danny to hear about the up-and-down decade that followed and what it was like to recently close his last Mission location in NYC. We also talk about the 2020 Grub Street article that painted a portrait of abuse in the kitchens run under his watch. And we dive into his great new cookbook, Mission Vegan. This episode is a long time coming, and we hope you enjoy it.

More from Danny Bowien:

Buy: Mission Vegan

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Journalist and cookbook author Eric Kim is back on the show, and we had such a great time catching up with him. So much has happened since we had him in last fall, and we talk about so many things, including his recent work at the New York Times and the release and warm reception of his NYT bestseller, the cookbook Korean American. We also talk about the Chicago hot dog, one of our favorite foods, and his and Matt’s complicated feelings behind the assertion that “Korean food is having a moment.” Eric has an open invitation to be on the show, and we’re so glad he accepted again.

Also on the show, the return of 3 things! Contributing editor Aliza Abarbanel joins Matt to talk about what’s on their minds: donut peaches, eating out in Portland, Oregon, the forthcoming cookbook Rambutan, the best peanut butter, and Spago Rock.      

More from Eric Kim:

Buy: Korean American 

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It’s really fun having Alex Delany on the show and getting to know the food and drink (and menswear and rare book) writer and collector a little bit better. You may know Alex from his time working at Bon Appétit as a writer covering home cooking, wine, cocktails, and naturally processed coffee (respect), as well as a series of memorable YouTube videos. But since leaving BA in early 2021, Alex has been busy working as a consultant, podcaster, wine educator, and most recently as the author of a really cool city guide called “Everything Good.” As the name suggests, the free Google Doc notes the good things happening in neighborhoods around New York City. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about his time working at Details (RIP) and later BA, where he rose to become drinks editor and write exhaustive guides about amaro, coffee subscriptions, and regional pizza styles. We also go over some of Alex’s favorite places on his beloved Lower East Side (aka Dimes Square, aka one of NYC’s most vibrant and controversial neighborhoods). It’s really fun catching up with Alex.

More from Alex Delany:

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