Tinfoil Swans

Food & Wine's restaurant editor Raphael Brion talks about the tremendous impact that the Best New Chefs accolade has had on people's careers, why each member of the 2024 class was selected, his time working in New York City kitchens, the time Anthony Bourdain gave him a paper bag full of $100 dollar bills, and what it does to the human body when you spend months on the road eating nonstop.

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Ti Martin — along with her cousin and co-proprietor, Lally Brennan — is ensuring that the family's 131-year-old New Orleans restaurant Commander's Palace is living up to its legacy and moving into the future. At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen this past June, Ti joined Tinfoil Swans for a spirited conversation about kicking down doors, the gift and responsibility that comes with running an iconic family business, why hospitality and service are NOT the same thing, and how to get people dancing in the dining room.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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Cheetie Kumar is — by pretty much everyone's accounts — one of the coolest people ever. At the 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Raleigh-based chef, restaurateur, and Birds of Avalon guitarist made time for a quick chat about how she had to rethink restaurants through Covid, created the structure of her new restaurant to make sure it benefitted the neighborhood and the people who work there, the joy of introducing new flavors to a population that maybe hadn't experienced them before, and the bands she absolutely will not play in the dining room.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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Former NBA powerhouse turned winemaker Channing Frye nerds out about moving from slap the bag to the nuances of terroir, what it's really like to drink baller wine on the team jet, and how therapy got him out of his depression sweatpants

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When Priya Krishna was a little kid — a blob, as she calls herself — she started traveling the whole world with her family because her mom worked in the airline industry. As it turns out, the wildly successful reporter, author, and video host had a truly wild and wonderful journey ahead. Though it wasn't public at the time this was recorded, she was also about to be tapped as interim restaurant critic at the New York Times. Right before going on tour for her brilliant new kids cookbook Priya's Kitchen Adventures, she opened up about her musical theater background, the importance of seeing yourself reflected in media, and why your weirdness is your greatest asset.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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Recorded live onstage at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen: David Chang Unfiltered — and with a face full of wasp stings. The notoriously opinionated chef shares some raw talk about the chili crunch controversy, failure, living life under a microscope, Guy Fieri (spoiler alert — they're BFFs now), and why people are so weird about microwaves.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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Outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gets personal with his longtime friend about his path from high school cheerleader to college dropout to the pages of Sassy magazine — all the way to the most prestigious critic's seat in the country. Plus, he's got a little challenge for Thomas Keller.

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In this episode, executive features editor Kat Kinsman gets raw with Gregory Gourdet. You might know him from "Top Chef," "Iron Chef," or playing himself on "Portlandia." You might be a fan of his cookbook "Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health." Perhaps you've read Korsha Wilson's profile of him in the August issue of Food & Wine or spent months scheming to get into his James Beard Award-winning Portland restaurant Kann. Gregory Gourdet is — and should be — at the forefront of restaurant cuisine in America. And he's pretty surprised to be here and takes none of his life for granted. Gourdet didn't hold back about being a chef in recovery, learning to swim, his nerdy passions, and why De La Soul is so important. Note: This episode contains mentions of substance use disorder and suicide.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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There's a good chance you know chef and author Kevin Gillespie from his fan-favorite stint on Season 6 of Top Chef or his return on the All Stars Season 20, but the Georgia native's talent can't be reduced to the small screen. His new Atlanta restaurant, Nàdair, is a full-throated love letter to his Scottish heritage — something Gillespie's family had always been made to feel ashamed of. But in the aftermath of renal cancer, doctors begging him to retire, and the loss of multiple family members in the past year, he's put life on fast-forward and opened the restaurant that would make his ancestors proud. Gillespie got raw and real about a childhood split between Appalachia and aristocracy, how facing death has changed his relationship to fear, and what the next chapter holds for him — no matter how long it lasts.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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Chef Asma Khan is a bolt of lightning to the senses. Born a second daughter, she felt dismissed by society, but Asma Khan has always known her worth. With her restaurant Darjeeling Express in London, she takes pride in her all-women staff, cooking food they'd serve at home. Her contributions to the culinary world were recognized on the Time 100 list of people who are deeply influential in the world and she was featured in an episode of Chef's Table. Khan spoke with Tinfoil Swans about how change happens in restaurants and the power of ganging up with good souls.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

This episode contains mentions of abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, please refer to the link for resources.

https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-food-wine-pro-guide-to-mental-health-and-sobriety

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