Warm Lasagna

A fried bologna sandwich, as delicious a comfort as it is, might seem like an unusual pick for a chef’s favorite food. For Matt, though, it was one of the first dishes he learned how to cook, and one which inspired him to eventually go on to culinary school. From the time he was a young boy and could barely reach the table, he was making biscuits with his grandmother and helping prepare meals for his family. “I love the science behind it,” he says ,and he can’t imagine himself doing any other...

Sasha worked in restaurants most of her life, usually as a server or bartender, but she always longed to cook. When her mother died unexpectedly in 2019, Sasha’s grief caused her to question everything, including the direction her life was taking. As a way of honoring her mom, Sasha decided it was time to pursue her long-time dream of opening her own vegan food truck. She launched in early 2020, right as COVID was wreaking havoc on the food and beverage industry. Soul Miner’s Garden is a...

“I equate food with togetherness.” Layla grew up watching her mother make stuffed grape leaves until she made them as an adult with her husband in their first house together. Her preferred way of making them is just like her mom’s - ground beef and rice served with a yogurt dipping sauce. Despite all the work that goes into these beauties, she makes them for nearly every gathering she hosts. Why? Because she loves them and they remind her of home. The entire process takes 4-6 hours; she ...

What a year it has been! Thank you to each and every one of you who have made this podcast possible for me - from guesting, to listening, to answering technology questions for me. I am eager to continue serving up hot episodes each week in 2021, so thank you for sticking with me. Working on this project to document my friends/family, and to learn more about the way food and community shape culture, has been so much fun! I look forward to digging in with you more in the coming year. The p...

My Grandma Lupsor is an incredible woman. My mom has described her as “the perfect mother-in-law,” and she is known throughout our family for generosity, her compassion for others (she has received numerous awards for all of the volunteering she has done through the years), and, of course, her food. She has been a lifelong member of St. George Romanian Byzantine Catholic Church in Canton, Ohio, where she (and my grandpa, when he was living) helped organize numerous weddings, funerals, and eve...

The very first place we learn about how to treat other people is our family of origin, and I am very fortunate to have a beautiful and loving family. This week on the podcast, we hear from my Grandma Mary. This is my mom’s mom and I have been told that she, my mother, and I have similar sounding voices - what do you think? Grandma Mary was a Depression-era baby, and her parents were Italian immigrants. This means two things: 1. She can make a killer baked macaroni and 2. She knows how to...

Party mix is not a difficult thing to make, but it is an important annual holiday tradition for Jordan. “No one makes it like my mom. Your mom may make a good party mix, but it’s not like my mom’s.” Jordan’s mom, Vicki, is sweet enough to pay attention to what everyone in the family likes in the mix; she even makes separate batches for them (Jordan’s favorite are the Cheese Its). This attention to detail is only one of many ways Jordan has felt loved and supported by her mom through the years...

Pig intestines are an integral part of cuisine across the globe, however they have a special significance in African-American culture, albeit extremely divisive. Fred remembers the annual holiday debate about whether chitlins would be featured on their family’s Thanksgiving menu. He remembers the multi-day process of preparing chitlins for consumption, including the stench that would take over the entire house, the care with which his mother cleaned and stewed them, and various relatives’ rea...

My dear friend and mentor, Carrie, is a yoga educator and life coach in Charlotte, NC. She is the co-creator of Explore and Expand, where she leads specially curated travel retreats in exciting locations across the globe (she co-hosts a highly entertaining podcast, too, by the way!) “Basically I feel like that’s why we’re here: to connect, and to let people know that they matter” Sonker is a baking traditional dish at the intersection of pie, cobbler, and crumble, which is unique to Surr...

Leah is the best coworker anyone could ask for: she is supportive during tough times, she has a great sense of humor, and she loves to take walks/eat lunch outside to break up the day. Even during COVID-era, Leah still leaves treats on my desk on the days she’s in the office! She is so, so thoughtful, intensely creative, and a wonderful friend. In this episode, her son, Whitney, joined us to talk about their family memories and traditions around eating and cooking. Whitney was home, studying ...