Tinfoil Swans

Celebrated food writer and Great British Bake Off finalist Ruby Tandoh talks about growing up with Nigel Slater on her parents' bookshelf, hosting earnest teenage dinner parties, and finding her own voice on the page. She digs into regional food traditions from Manchester’s spicy dip burgers to Scotland’s arbroath smokies, the strange pressures of algorithm-driven food culture, the joy of old cookbooks and weird jelly molds, her new book All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now, and why she’s still hopeful about the future of food.

Learn more at: https://www.foodandwine.com/tinfoil-swans-podcast-s3-ep31-ruby-tandoh-and-the-spicy-dip-burgers-11857119

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Byron Gomez and his family arrived in the United States from Costa Rica when he was eight years old, and he was in for the shock of his young life. He spoke Spanish at home, had never seen snow or even a winter coat, and had to find his place in a world that didn't always want him there. But at age 15, he found restaurants. He put in the very hard work, let himself dream, and the success followed. The Top Chef contestant spoke about his path from Burger King to cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants, being a DACA recipient, getting sober, and the battle scars he earned along the way.

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Houston-based sommelier and restaurateur June Rodil shares her journey from an immigrant kid decoding American culture through Babysitters Club books to becoming a hospitality visionary redefining what it means to serve with empathy. She opens up about fitting in, parental pressure, what Waffle House and Olive Garden taught her about hospitality, and the quiet refuge she finds beneath the covers when the world gets too loud.

Learn more at: https://www.foodandwine.com/tinfoil-swans-podcast-s3-ep30-june-rodil-and-the-cove-beneath-the-comforter-11850897

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Bestselling author, award-winning TV host and producer, activist, and fledgling comedian Padma Lakshmi joined the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen for a live onstage conversation about what's next after Top Chef and Taste the Nation, her new book Padma's All American, how comedy is like sex without touching, the freedom in working from the bathtub, the value in building an "old broads network," and why it's so healthy to embrace your rage.

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If you're a fan of The Office, you're probably aware that co-star Angela Kinsey and her husband Joshua Snyder host an ultra-charming cooking show, but do you know how a giant pot of soup factored into their romance? They joined Tinfoil Swans to talk about their warm, wonderful, and empowering new cookbook; the way they feel when someone is rude to a waiter; the anxiety that still sometimes comes alongside the check at a restaurant; soup as a love language; and why Angela will in fact take those last two pieces of broccolini home in a doggie bag.

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Cassandra Peterson — better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark — grew up as a misfit kid with a bad perm, burn scars, and a mother who told her she'd never make it. Despite it all, she became a Las Vegas showgirl, a Groundling, a horror icon, and a beacon for weirdoes everywhere. The "Martha Stewart of the Macabre" talks about her new cookbook, the cooking tip Vincent Price gave her, the advice she didn't take from Elvis, and the power of entertaining to build community — even if it all goes hilariously wrong.

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Harry Hamlin shares how his Sunday Bolognese went from a Real Housewives lunch to an open-source food company, the reason his psychology degree informs his hosting (at parties that serve as exposure therapy for his wife, Lisa Rinna), and why it's so important to him to support hunger relief groups. Did you know he's owned an energy company for almost 30 years? The actor, activist, and entrepreneur goes deep on his belief in ingredient transparency, the struggle meals he ate growing up, wooing Rinna, and why the podcast they host together is how they're finally getting to know one another on a deeper level.

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When Madhur Jaffrey published "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" in 1973, she had no idea that half a century later, the book would not only still be in print, but also get an anniversary reissue that would welcome future generations in the vast and varied cuisine of her homeland. In this encore of one of our favorite first-season epsiodes of Tinfoil Swans, Food & Wine's executive features editor Kat Kinsman finally meets her lifelong culinary hero and gets some sage advice from the writer, teacher, and actress about self worth, righteous anger, perfectionism, and what actually matters to you when you turn 90. 

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2009 F&W Best New Chef and Houston icon Bryan Caswell opens up about single fatherhood, second chances, and his comeback with Latuli — plus the "redemption lies tomorrow" mindset reshaping his kitchen, and the time he sneaked into Jean-George Vongerichten's kitchen and came out with a job.

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From fixing radios and writing slam poetry as a kid in the Bronx, to becoming one of the most celebrated pastry chefs and community builders of her generation, 2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef Paola Velez has never followed the expected path. Along the way, she’s embraced subcultures that gave her belonging, built spaces where strangers connect over shaved ice and cocktails, and redefined what it means to be a chef — on social media, in restaurants, and in the wider world. In this conversation, she shares the courage it takes to choose joy in the face of struggle, the humility behind turning down a major accolade, and the celebrity chef moment that meant everything to her mom.

For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans

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