Lunch Therapy

This week's Lunch Therapy patient, Anya von Bremzen, is the author of a brand new book, National Dish, that's been called "a fast-paced, entertaining travelogue" by The New York Times. In today's episode, we learn all about the ways Russia uses borsch for propaganda, the meat pie with ketchup she ate growing up (her family's version of "pizza"), living in Jackson Heights, and living part time in Istanbul. We also learn about the ways food and nationalism intersect, being a winner at the very first James Beard awards, and how beloved New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast came to do the cover of her book.

Jeff Gordinier is one of the most prolific, influential food writers in the biz: not only does he work on Esquire's Best Restaurants list every year, he contributes regularly to The New York Times as both a food writer and a poetry critic (!) AND he's the author of the book Hungry, for which he traveled around the world with René Redzepi, frequently hailed as the world's best chef. In today's session, we learn all about Gordinier's new interest in eating healthy (and the toll the Best Restaurants list took on his body), why the pandemic essentially ended fine dining as we knew it, and how a man who doesn't drink can choose the best bars in the US. We also cover growing up in Southern California, the impact (or lack of impact) René Redzepi had on his cooking, and his love for making tea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Lunch Therapy! We start this brand new season with Lee Sung Jin, the creator of Netflix's hit show BEEF. I worked with Lee several years ago on the ABC sitcom The Real O'Neals and since then he's gone on to write for Dave, Tuca and Bertie, and now his breakout, runaway hit starring Steve Yeun and Ali Wong. In today's session, we talk all about Lee's name change (when I knew him, he was Sonny Lee), the road rage incident (and bathroom incident) that inspired the show, and the terrible eating habits that he has when he's on set. We also cover his favorite Korean dishes, why Ali Wong's picture isn't on the wall at Park's BBQ, the best Japanese restaurant in L.A., how you know when to stop rewriting, and the time that he ate a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts in the writer's room and raced to a Best Buy to use the bathroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is the creator of one of my favorite podcasts of all time, The Mystery Show with Starlee Kine. If you haven't listened to that, turn this off and go do that first. It's amazing. I asked Starlee if she had a favorite recipe and she didn't. I asked her if she had a favorite thing to eat in L.A. and she sent me to Griffith Park to eat the California Veggie Sandwich at The Trails in Griffith Park. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain and I had a cold, so I couldn't actually make it there -- instead I recreated the sandwich at home. Find out how it went, why Starlee chose it, all about her childhood in California, how she forgets to eat, and the foods that she finds gross. We also cover her career, how she got started at This American Life, whether or not she wants to continue podcasting, and why, when I move to New York, I should live in Williamsburg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vegan chef Chris Tucker (@veganchefchristucker) is a private vegan chef -- he's making vegan desserts for Elton John's Oscar party in two weeks! -- who appeared on Season Four of The Great American Baking Show. In today's episode, Chris sends me Heidi Swanson's recipe for caramelized mushrooms with chilies and peanuts and lime and cilantro which I served up with ramen noodles. We talk all about how Chris got into veganism, his former career as a hair stylist, how he deals with difficult clients, and what he likes to serve at parties. We also cover the myths surrounding veganism (like the idea that it's automatically healthy), how he gets enough protein into his diet, and how some foods like noodles and kale actually have protein in them too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest, Homa Dashtaki, is the co-founder (along with her father) of The White Mustache yogurt, some of the most celebrated yogurt in the country. She's also the author of a brand new cookbook called Yogurt & Whey (coming out March 5th) that gives away her signature yogurt recipe as well as all of the things you can make with the yogurt itself and the whey, including these out-of-this-world whey pancakes which are seriously the best pancakes I've ever eaten (go to amateurgourmet.com for the recipe!). In today's talk, we cover the genesis of Homa's business, what it's like working with her father, how she went from selling yogurt at farmer's markets to having it in stores, and what the process actually is for making yogurt. We also learn about the legal battles she fought in order to make yogurt with her hands as opposed to machines, the food that she loves the most when she visits Iran, and her favorite thing to do with labneh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week, Aaron Hutcherson, is a writer and recipe developer for The Washington Post's Voraciously and recently moved to Washington, D.C. for the gig. In today's episode, we learn all about Aaron's previous career as a wealth manager on Wall Street, how he grew up loving being in the kitchen with his mother, and how her unpretentious approach to food inspires the recipes he writes to this day -- including today's "you've got to taste this" dish of chicken thighs roasted with butter and onions. We also cover his time at culinary school, how race enters into his work, the things he misses the most about living in New York, and what his parents think of his career. You can get the recipe for this week's dish -- and every episode's dish -- on amateurgourmet.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Karan Soni, who you may recognize from Deadpool or Miracle Workers, shares a recipe from the Dishoom cookbook for Keema Pao: a punchy combination of yogurt, ground lamb, and an herb paste made with mint and cilantro. Learn all about Karan's childhood in India, how his parents sent him to a boarding school to lose weight, how he learned to cook for himself when he arrived in America to go to USC, the difference between Northern Indian and Southern Indian cooking, and why his mom is the world's best cook. If you'd like the recipe, and all recipes from previous episodes, visit amateurgourmet.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're shaking things up, shifting from a "you've got to taste this" recipe to a "you've got to taste this" field trip! LA Times food writer and host of The Bucket List Jenn Harris knows more about L.A. food than most people twice her age; that's because she grew up here with a Jewish grandmother and Chinese grandmother who love to eat. Today she sends me to the San Gabriel Valley, specifically to the Kang Kang Food Court, for sheng jian bao: the dreamiest hybrid of a soup dumpling and a crispy bao you can imagine. We talk all about Jenn's discovery of this hole-in-the-wall (hint: her grandmother knows things) and then cover her career in food journalism, her friendship with Jonathan Gold, and whether or not we could pull off a matzo ball soup dumpling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of my favorite bakers (and favorite people) is Nicole Rucker, owner of Fat & Flour in the Grand Central Market here in L.A., and the very first guest on my very first podcast, Lunch Therapy. In today's episode of "You've Got to Taste This," Nicole sends me a recipe for Silesian Heaven crispy pierogis from "Pierogi" by Zuza Zak. These pierogis are stuffed with dried fruit and well-seasoned pork, boiled, and then fried in butter with sesame seeds. Spoiler alert: they were out of this world! They were also a huge hit at Nicole's Cookbook Club, which is why she was inspired to send the recipe my way. In today's chat we talk all about her cookbook club and also cover the food she cooks at home, healing from a burn, why she's done putting miso into sweet desserts, and her hacks for banana bread. Get the recipe for these pierogis on amateurgourmet.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's "You've Got to Taste This" recipe comes to us from Felicity Spector, a Harvard Fulbright scholar and London-based journalist, whose interest in Ukraine and Russia far precedes the current conflict there. That interest certainly informs her recipe choice: Makoviy Rulet, a braided babka-ish bread studded with apples and infused with a sweet, complex, frangipane-like poppyseed paste. It's a recipe by Felicity's friend and food-writing colleague Olia Hercules, who's been movingly writing about her family's strife in Ukraine, dealing with the horror of the Russian occupation. Amazingly, Felicity herself has driven into Ukraine from London to bring supplies to bombed-out bakeries there. We talk all about that in today's conversation, one that runs the gambit from British food's bad image in the nineties to her love for a NY-style bagel with whitefish. We also cover the process of making the makoivy rulet, which I served at a dinner party to great acclaim. If you want the recipe, you'll be able to find it on amateurgourmet.com. Also: if you'd like to donate to any of the charities mentioned, here are the links:World Central KitchenCook for Ukraine Bake for Ukraine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to "You've Got to Taste This," my brand new podcast centered around dishes that are so good, you've simply got to taste them. My first guest is Noah Galuten, author of the upcoming Don't Panic Pantry Cookbook, inspired by the YouTube show he does with his wife, comedian Iliza Shlesinger. For today's episode, Noah offers up his pasta with dried porcinis, fresh rosemary, and a zippy tomato sauce that's so good, it's already entered my normal pasta rotation. In addition to explaining the recipe's origins, today we talk about everything from his solo trip to Noma in Copenhagen (where he ate reindeer penis), the best way to make pizza at home, and why fiber is more important than anything else in your diet. As for the recipe, here it is! If you make it, be sure to take pictures and tag me on Instagram @amateurgourmet. And if you have ideas for future episodes/guests, shoot me an e-mail at amateurgourmet@gmail.com. Noah Galuten's Pasta with Mushroom Rosemary Tomato Saucefrom The Don't Panic Pantry Cookbook1/2 ounce dried mushroomsSalt1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil1 medium onion, diced (I prefer red onion in this dish)2 garlic cloves, choppedPinch of crushed red pepper3 sprigs fresh rosemary1/2 cup dry white wine1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by handFreshly ground black pepper1 pound dried pastaFreshly grated Parmesan, pecorino, or a similar sharp, aged cheeseExtra-virgin olive oilPlace the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup warm water. Allow the mushrooms to soak until fully softened, about 30 minutes. Reserving the soaking water, scoop out the mushrooms, transfer them to a cutting board, and finely chop them.Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Generously salt the water.In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally until the alliums are just wilted, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chopped mushrooms, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browning a bit at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.Add the crushed red pepper and rosemary sprigs, stir, and toast for 30 seconds. Add the white wine and reserved mushroom soaking liquid (leaving behind any sediment at the bottom of the bowl) and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze any browned bits. Allow to simmer until the liquid is mostly evaporated.Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir. Once it is bubbling, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue simmering, covered, for about 10 minutes.Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to about 1 minute shy of the package directions.Reserving 1 cup or so of pasta water, drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Increase the heat to a steady simmer and stir constantly, adding a splash of pasta water as needed to get a sauce that fully coats the pasta without being soupy or overly dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust.Serve immediately in bowls, topped with cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now I know most of you already have your Thanksgiving desserts planned out, but just in case you need a little inspiration, I invited Charlotte Druckman (Women on Food, Kitchen Remix) on the podcast to discuss all the pies she tasted recently for a New York Magazine article. We're talking Thanksgiving pies from New York's best bakeries with exciting innovations like gingersnap crusts, butterscotch pumpkin, and apple buttermilk. In addition, we talk pie making at home, what we'll be eating at our own Thanksgivings, and, as a special bonus, Charlotte's brownie hacks (she's a brownie expert). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of the brand-new, hotly-anticipated Puerto Rican cookbook DIASPORICAN, Ilyanna Maisonet, swings by the podcast today to talk all about cooking Puerto Rican. We cover achiote oil, her mother's mushroom chicken, which ingredients are different in Puerto Rico vs. the U.S., persimmon cookies, and lots more. Plus: learn how Illyanna pivoted from culinary school to a food writing career, how the cookbook came about, the obstacles she faced, and how she landed on such a striking cover image. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone's favorite cookbook author and NYT columnist, Melissa Clark, is back on the pod to talk all about that tricky old subject: weeknight dinners. With her brand new cookbook, Dinner in One, Melissa proves that it takes just a few flourishes to turn a humdrum meal into something special. Today we talk about Thanksgiving on a sheet pan (!), how to do the dishes, parenting a picky child, how her cookbooks sank to the bottom of the ocean, cleaning clams, washing lettuce, and how she'd tackle roast chicken in a Best Roast Chicken of All Time contest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Melendez is a chef, food photographer, and the creator of the blog The Candid Appetite. Recently he's started the biggest job of all: he and his partner Julian (I met them both last year at a Christmas party) are the proud parents of a newborn baby boy named Theodore. How has fatherhood changed his cooking habits? What kind of relationship does he want Theodore to have to food and cooking? What role does culture play into all of this? Join us for a hearty, heartfelt conversation about fatherhood and food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been cooking along to show tunes since I first started cooking twenty years ago... so imagine how excited I am that the Broadway cookbook that I cowrote with Gideon Glick (star of Spring Awakening, Little Shop of Horrors, and a Tony nominee for To Kill a Mockingbird), Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway, is coming out this October 4th! Gideon actually received his copies in the mail a few days ago (mine are on their way) and so I had to invite him on the podcast to talk all about our cookbook, how we came up with the idea for it, how we wrote it, and which recipes and puns are our favorites. We also dive into Gideon's career: learning about his first professional acting gig at seventeen (costarring with Cynthia Nixon and Ethan Hawke), the fiasco of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, being part of the phenomenon that was Spring Awakening, and transitioning into film and television. It's a great talk and only 2% of it feels like QVC, I promise. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrea Nguyen ís the prolific author of eight cookbooks, including Vietnamese Food Any Day, The Pho Cookbook, Asian Tofu, and The Banh Mi Handbook. She's also the co-host of a brand new podcast called Everything Cookbooks where she, along with her co-hosts Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, and Kristin Donnelly discuss the ins and outs of the cookbook publishing world. That's the very subject of today's talk -- the cookbook biz! -- and Andrea lays out how she got her start, how she keeps getting books published, when to self-publish, how you support yourself (spoiler alert: you don't!), and lots more. So if you've ever thought about publishing a cookbook, or just like collecting cookbooks and want to learn more about how the sausage is made, this is the episode for you. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Chef Vishwesh Bhatt started serving his Indian-inflected Southern food at SnackBar in Oxford, Mississippi, the food world was so dazzled, the James Beard committee nominated him for Best Southern Chef five times before he finally won in 2019. His new book, I Am From Here, captures what makes his cooking so original and specific to him and his journey from Gujarat India to the American South. In today's conversation, we get at the heart of his idiosyncratic cuisine -- from cornbread infused with curry leaves and chilies to his signature dish, okra chaat -- and how it reflects who he is as a person as his identity has shifted along with his geographical location. It's a deep conversation with a thoughtful chef and it'll make you very, very hungry. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's it like to be gay and to love food? Today's guest Dan Pelosi (aka: Grossy Pelosi) knows a little something about it. Having grown up 3/4ths Italian (the other 1/4 is Portuguese), Dan had food foisted on him at a young age. But how did he reconcile that with the body-obsessed gay-culture that he became a part of once he got older? It's a similar issue for me having grown up in a Jewish family where skipping a meal was more alarming than getting a fake ID (my mom actually made me get a fake ID, but that's a story for another time). So today's discussion is very candid, emotional, and honest -- tackling a taboo subject that very few of us talk about in the food world: body image vs. being able to enjoy food without feeling shame. Plus: learn about Dan's internet stardom, which Portuguese dishes he loves the most, and how he runs his growing empire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What's it like to be famous on TikTok? Ask Chef Jon Kung who has 1.5 million followers on there and is frequently on lists of TikTok's best food accounts. Learn how he went from being a chef in Detroit to being a full-time TikToker, what his process is, whether he writes his narrations or improvises them, what kind of camera he uses, how he thinks about his sex appeal, and the impact he's had on his subscribers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For years, I've been trying to pitch articles to the New York Times food section and for years I've been failing. On a total lark, I invited Emily Weinstein, the food and cooking editor for the Times, on to my podcast and in a mind-blowing turn of events, she said yes! Today's episode, then, gets down to the nitty-gritty: what does Emily look for in a pitch, what are her pitch pet peeves, how do you pitch a recipe vs. a journalistic story? We also learn about Emily's background in food, how she interacts with Pete Wells about his reviews, whether or not she "reads the comments," and which food writers have influenced her the most. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kate McDermott is the author of two widely-celebrated books on pie (The Art of the Pie and Pie Camp; Publisher's Weekly called The Art of the Pie "one of the best books written on the subject") and teaches a regular pie-making workshop at her home in Washington State. Today she comes on The Amateur Gourmet Podcast to school me on all things pie: from judging fruit's ripeness with a refractometer to rolling the perfect circle, Kate not only talks technique, she also talks temperament. She believes that both you and the dough have to be chill for your pie to be successful, and that's just a small taste of the pie wisdom that she brings to today's talk. So gather up your rolling pins, put on your aprons, and let's talk pie! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What's the secret to writing a really good recipe? How do you make it unique while also making it simple enough for people to do at home? Enter Jessie Sheehan, celebrated baker, TikTok superstar, and author of the brand new cookbook, Snackable Bakes. In today's talk, we cover everything from coming up with the initial recipe concept, bringing it into the kitchen, testing it, and then freaking out that it's too close to somebody else's. We get into the nitty-gritty of weights vs. cups, how to find your voice in your cooking, when to employ outside testers, and how you know when a recipe is done. As a bonus, Jessie shares some of her favorite cookbooks and bakeries in New York, including Mah-Ze-Dar and L'Appartement 4F. If you like it, be sure to share it and/or leave a nice review! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey podcast listeners,This year’s James Beard awards COMPLETELY shut L.A. out of the mix, awarding the country’s second largest city zero citations for what is commonly considered one of the most vibrant, exciting, and relevant food scenes in the country.Here to talk us through the controversy is Farley Elliott, Senior Editor of Eater L.A., who has lots to say, not just on this subject, but on many others too. We cover everything from food trucks to fine dining, from Wolfgang Puck to Jordan Kahn, from Union in Pasadena all the way to Pasjoli in Santa Monica.It’s a great talk! Listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your pal, Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,Before I got hit by Covid, I spent an hour talking to the delightful coffee expert Ever Meister — who I met at my first favorite coffee shop, Joe on Waverly in the early aughts — about all things espresso, cappuccino, and, most importantly of all, latte art.Meister’s been something of a fairy godmother when it comes to my homemade coffee drinks. If you’ve been following me on TikTok, you can see my efforts at achieving a heart or rosetta pattern…In today’s episode, Meister gives me point-by-point feedback, talking to me about microfoam, distribution, liquid dynamics, and all of the other elements that go into making a coffee shop-worthy latte.Know someone who’s trying to make coffee shop-worthy drinks at home? Send this podcast their way.While Breville isn’t sponsoring me, I’m definitely sponsoring them because damn do we love our Breville Barista Pro. Just today alone we made: two oat milk cappuccinos, one oat milk cortado, and one iced oat latte in the afternoon. It’s as easy as sticking the portafilter under the grinder, pushing in until it starts to overflow, tamping down, brewing a double shot, and steaming the milk. I asked Craig, who was wary about getting an espresso machine, what he thinks of it now and he says: “I love it.”And if each of those drinks cost $5 each, as they might at a coffee shop (with tip), we’re definitely saving money in the long run (4 drinks X $5 = $20; $20 X 40 = $800, which means in 40 days, the machine pays for itself). So I highly recommend, if you love coffee shop espresso drinks, get one of these babies for yourself. And then listen to this week’s podcast… Ever Meister will set you up good.Happy listening!Your friend,Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,Have I got a podcast for you!Well: it’s for you if you’re, like me, OBSESSED with collecting vintage Pyrex and bowls and plates and other kitchen doodads. My guest is a purveyor of all such things: Nicole Miller, who runs @Pyrexnplants on Instagram and has her own Etsy shop. Our conversation covers everything from how she got into all this in the first place, whether or not she’s a hoarder, how her family feels about her collecting, what she looks for when she goes to estate sales, what it’s actually like at an estate sale when someone just died, and — most dangerous for me — what to actually search for when you’re looking for vintage kitchen goodies.You can listen above or anywhere you listen to podcasts.And be sure to become a paid subscriber so you get my Ten Bonus Questions with Nicole tomorrow in your inbox, plus my Thursday newsletter.Happy shopping/listening!Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,I was the perfect audience for my own podcast this week because Craig (my husband, in case you’re new) is going to be back and forth to NY over the next five months to edit his movie, and I’ll be visiting often, and — crisis! — I don’t know where to eat. Add to that the fact that people still ask me: “Hey, Adam, I’m going to New York soon, what are the hot new restaurants?” As if I know!Enter Ryan Sutton. Not only is he the James Beard award-winning chief food critic at Eater NY, he’s a born and bred New Yorker, who (like me) grew up on Long Island and is as passionate about his city as Billy Joel (who also, like us, is also from Long Island). In today’s pod, Ryan wakes me up to the modern Korean Renaissance happening in NYC — with restaurants like Atomix, Attaboy, Cote — and weighs in on the whole Eleven Madison Park scandal vis-a-vis their new vegan menu. Know someone going to NY soon? Send this their way!Then I bully him into giving me lists: what are the best old school spots that are still worth visiting? (The Clover Club is new to me.) What are the best new spots? (I’m curious about Hawksmoor.) Best pizza places? (Ryan weighs on on the hype surrounding Lucali and offers some alternatives.) WHAT’S THE BEST BEST BEST EVERYTHING?Well: no spoilers, but Ryan delivered. I just listened to it back and made a list with almost twenty places on it. I’ll have a lot of ground to cover when I go to visit Craig next month.Become a paid subscriber and get my bonus ten questions with Ryan Sutton tomorrow! (Including: most overrated NYC restaurant, go-to bagel order, and where he’d have his last NY meal.)Give it a listen and let us know your favorite NYC restaurants in. the comments.Happy listening!Your friend,Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,What a thrill to share this week’s Amateur Gourmet Podcast: an episode dedicated entirely to Julia Child!We’re lucky enough to have the creator of the show Julia (and an award-winning playwright) Daniel Goldfarb here to talk all about how the show came about, casting Sarah Lancashire as Julia, taking liberties with the biography, shooting in Boston, and whether they actually made all of that food on set.But first we have one of the most delightful people in the food world, and also one of the most accomplished, Dorie Greenspan — author of multiple cookbooks and now the essential XOXO Dorie Newsletter — here to talk about collaborating with Julia on the Baking with Julia cookbook.Dorie shares delightful stories about going to Julia’s kitchen for the first time, how Julia felt about the various impressions of her, and the very first thing that they ate together.Listen above or wherever you normally listen to podcasts.To hear my bonus ten questions with Daniel Goldfarb tomorrow, become a paid subscriber now!Bon Appetit!Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday! Do you know what you’re cooking yet? Or what you want your family to cook for you?Please welcome Sarah Copeland to the stage. She’s not only a prolific cookbook author (The Newlywed Cookbook, Feast, Every Day is Saturday, and her latest, Instant Family Meals), she also happens to be a mom.In today’s episode, we talk about Mother’s Day strategies (pancakes, waffles, polenta!), but we also talk about being a food-loving mother and how to get your kids to eat the kinds of foods that you yourself love to eat. When do you make exceptions about processed sugar? (Her Halloween story is hilarious.) Is it ultimately a good thing to give your kid a little Taco Bell? (I think yes.)So enjoy today’s free episode, and if you want to hear my bonus episode with Sarah — where I ask her Ten Feisty Food Questions — be sure to become a paid subscriber, and you’ll also get tomorrow’s paid-subscriber only email.Have a great Mother’s Day, everyone!Your friend,Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,So excited to talk about my favorite subject — COLLECTING COOKBOOKS! — with none other than the founder of Stained Page News, one of the premiere destinations for cookbook news online: Paula Forbes!Paula and I are such cookbook geeks that this conversation sounds like it’s sped up, but it’s just us being super geeky and enthusiastic.Tomorrow, for paid subscribers, not only will you get to hear my Ten Bonus Questions with Paula (where we find out which iconic cookbook she finds to be just “meh” and which ones she’d save in a fire), but I’ll also share with you my favorite cookbooks of all time. If you don’t want to miss that, subscribe here:And just so you get to join the fun: what are YOUR favorite cookbooks that you have in your collection?Happy listening! (And don’t blame me if you spend a small fortune on cookbooks afterwards….)Your friend,Adam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

The late Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. food writer Jonathan Gold once wrote about Kevin Bludso’s BBQ: “The brisket that issues from those battered smokers is a paradigm of meat, beef that disappears so quickly that, if it weren’t for a feeling of satisfying fullness, you might swear that you had less eaten it than dreamed it.” Kevin Bludso is a BBQ legend and now, with the help of my pal Noah Galuten (a James Beard-nominated cookbook author and co-host, with his wife Iliza Schlesinger, of Don’t Panic Pantry on Instagram) he’s authored a cookbook: The Bludso’s BBQ Cookbook. The book is unique because, in addition to it’s extremely useful recipes for making BBQ at home (and it’s very doable: just listen to the podcast!), the book also tells Kevin’s unique story of growing up in Compton and spending his summers in Corsicana, Texas. It’s a beautiful portrait of his family and his community and it’s as much a great read as it is a great culinary resource. I could go on and on, but I think the interview speaks for itself. Enjoy listening to Kevin and Noah and, if you’d like to hear more, become a paid subscriber at amateurgourmet.substack.com and you’ll have access to my Ten Bonus BBQ Questions with Kevin and Noah tomorrow. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Listen now | I don’t know about you, but I’m insecure when it comes to wine. It’s just so overwhelming. What’s the difference between natural wine and regular wine? Why is some wine super expensive and other wine really cheap? How do you learn all of the things you’re supposed to learn about mouthfeel and terroir and structure? Welcome to Wine Week, my attempt to clear things up for you and me and anyone else confused by wine. I’ve invited two oenophiles with wine podcasts on to walk me through all of the things that I don’t understand about wine. Elle Clifford hosts The Wine Situation, a delightful podcast that I once appeared on, the day that Elle found out she passed the tests to become a certified sommelier. With her expertise and approachability, I ask her all about her obsession with wine, how she affords drinking the good stuff, her entree into the world of quality vino culture, how she chooses the right words to describe what a wine tastes like, and how she retains so much information about so many different types of wine. But first, I invited on Mike Stone of The TallMikeWine Podcast on to talk about his job as a tasting room manager at Nicholson Ranch Winery. How do you go from being a DJ to a tasting room manager? Mike has the story (and voice) for you. He also explains what he does every day, how he describes the same wine over and over again to different guests, and what he’s currently drinking that he recommends. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone,It’s my favorite time of year: spring! So many delicious things to eat (fava beans, artichokes, strawberries) and so many ways to prepare them. That’s why I’ve invited two notable food writers on to the podcast to talk about their favorite spring cooking strategies.First, L.A. Times cooking columnist Ben Mims swings by to tell us about his newfound love for radishes, his savory approach with rhubarb (peppercorns and olive oil!), and how he turns spring flowers into syrups that he can stir into sodas.Then, NYT contributor and author of the new cookbook, I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To), Ali Slagle stops by to talk about her spring cooking approach: from boiling artichokes and eating them with store-bought mayonnaise to doing nothing with spring strawberries (“I just eat ‘em raw.”)We also talk about her growing up in LA, her grandmother who lives near me and apparently makes amazing food for her neighbors that they don’t eat (hello! I’m right here), how she pitches stories to The New York Times, her decision to leave Brooklyn with her boyfriend after the pandemic to travel the country, and who tastes her food to give her feedback.Make sure to become a paid subscriber so you can hear tomorrow’s bonus episode with Ali where I pepper her with TEN FEISTY FOOD QUESTIONS. (Here’s last week’s with Natasha Leggero.)As for my own favorite spring recipes, here’s that strawberry rhubarb pie I mentioned when I talked with Ben.You can get the recipe here.And all of that talk of fava beans reminds me of that amazing fava bean toast that I made last year.You can read about it in this archived newsletter.What are your favorite spring recipes? Let us know in the comments!Okay, off to the market….Your friend,Adam This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the debut of The Amateur Gourmet Podcast! Fans of Lunch Therapy: don’t worry. You’ll still get all of the same in-depth interviews that you loved before, only now we’re doing it on a theme. And this week’s theme is FOOD TV. Natasha Leggero, host of the brand new TBS cooking competition show Rat in the Kitchen, comes on to talk about judging a cooking show, talking about food on TV, traveling with Chef Ludo Lefebvre, what she cooks at home, her dad sending back his pasta, and being married to someone who keeps kosher (comedian Moshe Kasher). Before that, though, my good pal Jonathan Parks-Ramage comes on to talk about his love for Top Chef (we dish on who’s the hottest) and, more importantly, Kids Baking Championship. Is it a celebration of youthful obsessions with all things culinary? Or is it a new way for stage parents to force their kids into the limelight? Be sure to visit my Substack newsletter to vote for your own favorite cooking show of all time and to get access to tomorrow's Ten Feisty Food Questions with Natasha.   This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Very excited to have Dan Souza on the pod today! Not only is he the editor-in-chief of Cook’s Illustrated, he’s a regular on one of my all-time favorite cooking show’s: America’s Test Kitchen on PBS. Today our conversation covers everything from his responsibilities as editor-in-chief, how difficult it was to make changes to the Cook’s Illustrated format when he took over, what he makes when he doesn’t feel like cooking, his love for seafood, and his obsession with tea. We also talk about his perfectionism, what it means to make “the perfect” version of something, how he wants to empower people with techniques, and how he uses cookbooks to move away from his perfectionistic habits. If you want to hear more with me and Dan, tomorrow I’m posting a bonus episode where I ask him ten rapid-fire questions including: “What’s the best technique you’ve learned in your time at America’s Test Kitchen?” and “Which three spices would you bring to a desert island?” Become a paid subscriber at amateurgourmet.substack.com to hear his answers.  This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Today's Lunch Therapy patient, Ben Rimalower, is the author and star of two off-Broadway one-man shows, Patti Issues (a NYT Critic's Pick) and Bad with Money, as well as the host of Cast Offs, a weekly event every Monday at Club Cumming in New York. (You may also recognize Ben as Countess LuAnn's cabaret director on The Real Housewives of New York City.) In today's session, we cover Ben's hatred of mayonnaise, his mother's dry brisket, eating Patti Lupone's veal meatballs, being a Balaboosta, and how the only meal he craved at Berkeley was one at Sardi's in New York.  This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s Lunch Therapy patient, Cathy Barrow (aka: Mrs. Wheelbarrow), is the highly accomplished author of four cookbooks — Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry (an IACP Winner for best single-subject cookbook), Pie Squared (a James Beard-award nominee for baking and desserts), When Pies Fly, and her most recent, Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish. In today’s session, we talk all about the bagel, how she came up with a winning recipe, how she left her career in marketing to become a landscape designer, learning from her grandmother and great-grandmother in the kitchen, recipes like chicken soup and cinnamon-swirl coffee cake. We also cover the time she ran a fish market, getting discovered by the NYT, how she makes her latkes with no matzo meal, and how “a nice piece of fish” isn’t just something my grandfather said. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

My Lunch Therapy patient this week, Andy Baraghani, made a name for himself at Bon Appetit with his viral videos and approachable-yet-exciting recipes. He’s now the author of a brand new cookbook, The Cook You Want to Be, which arrives on shelves April 26th. In today’s session, we talk all about Andy’s sense of discipline and how it changed during the pandemic. We also cover his Iranian background, the different kinds of food his mother’s family made vs. his father’s family, his favorite cooking smell from childhood, his love for fancy restaurants as a kid, and how he started his career by just walking into Chez Panisse and asking for a job. If you’d like to hear ten bonus questions with Andy — including his favorite movie theater snack, his favorite brand of olive oil, and which three cooking tools he’d bring to a desert island — become a paid subscriber at amateurgourmet.substack.com and you'll get in your inbox on Thursday morning. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Listen now | Matt Rodbard is the founder and editor of the James Beard Award-winning website TASTE and the co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook (with Deuki Hong) and the brand new cookbook Food IQ: Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts. In today's session, we talk all about Matt's childhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan, his mother's conversion to Judaism, and eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cereal. We also get into some heavy subjects like publishing accounts of chef abuse (what's the standard?), what counts as cultural appropriation, and whether or not I look good in an APC sweatshirt. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe

Rebecca Metz plays Pam Adlon's funny and very humane manager on FX's Better Things (one of my favorite shows) and that's just the beginning: she's been working in Hollywood for decades and has been on everything from Gilmore Girls to Malcolm in the Middle to Shameless to AJ and the Queen. Today's session is all about what it means to be in actor in Hollywood: the craft itself, the brutality of auditioning, how you persevere, and, most importantly, what you eat. Find out what Rebecca has for breakfast on shoot days, what she makes to unwind at home, how she overcame people-pleasing to become a better actor, and the food she ate growing up with a Jewish caterer grandfather. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Washington Post calls Mary Roach "America's funniest science writer" and the fact that she's the author of six NYT bestselling books (including Stiff, Gulp, and her latest, Fuzz), pretty much confirms it. I fell in love with her voice recently when I picked up Gulp on a whim -- the book is disgusting, hilarious, and fascinating -- so imagine my delight when she agreed to come on my Lunch Therapy. In today's session, Mary talks about her "reckless" adventures, including the time she became somebody's "pee buddy" to study bashful bladders, the time she accidentally chatted up a Yakuza in Tokyo, eating fetal duck bills at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, and bungee jumping (which she says is way safer than skiing). We also cover rebelling against her traditional family, cursing at the dinner table, whether or not her mother farted (spoiler alert: she didn't), how her palate expanded when she moved to San Francisco, and what, exactly, a narwhal tastes like. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hello from New Orleans! We've been having a blast and eating ourselves silly, but one of the friends we're traveling with, Jonathan Parks-Ramage (author of Yes, Daddy), is a VEGETARIAN which is pretty challenging here. So, seeing as we're in the same hotel, I invited him on today's Lunch Therapy to talk about being a vegetarian in New Orleans, how the menu at the first restaurant where we went literally had zero vegetarian options, the carrot bolognese he ate at Coquette, whether or not he's missing out on a major cultural experience, etc. We recorded over Zoom and for some reason, I sound like I'm underwater and I almost didn't post this, but it's a great convo... so try to ignore the technical issues and enjoy yourself! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of my oldest food blogging friends is Luisa Weiss of The Wednesday Chef, who went on to write the books My Berlin Kitchen and Classic German Baking, and is currently working on Classic German Cooking as well as her new Substack newsletter, A Letter from Berlin. In today's session, we talk all about the link between Luisa's food writing and her emotions (something she's always excelled at), how homesickness led her into the kitchen, the specific West Berlin community where she grew up, and how she sought it out again later in life. We also cover people's perception of German food, what she loves about it, her other culinary identities (American, Italian), taking on the mantle of her cookbooks, and which foods she misses the most from the U.S. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, guess what? We're headed to New Orleans this Sunday to visit our friend Ryan O'Connell, who's been there for a few months filming the reboot of Queer as Folk (which he both stars in and helped write). Obviously, I've been OBSESSING over where we're going to eat, and constantly texting Ryan about it, so hear us talk about the plan, as well as what Ryan's been eating there, how he deals with all of the excess while filming nude scenes, and why you might catch him eating at Houston's. We also cover non-food topics such as the Sex and the City reboot, how Kim Catrall is playing his mom (!), and his brand new novel, Just By Looking at Him. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Whether you you know Drew Droege from his viral Chloe Sevigny parodies, his critically-acclaimed plays Bright Colors and Bold Patterns & Happy Birthday, Doug, or his numerous appearances on shows like Drunk History, Search Party, and Bob's Burgers, chances are you're a fan. In today's session, learn all about Drew's cooking habits (spoiler alert: he hasn't turned on his stove in six years), growing up in South Carolina, how his family doesn't think he's funny, and his dad's snobbery at Wendy's. We also cover his hatred for papaya, the time he was Harvey Weinstein's waiter at the Emmys, how he got his revenge when he got stiffed at a Brazilian steakhouse, and the life lessons he's learned from teaching improv at The Groundlings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

L.A. Times food critic Bill Addison recently published his list of the 101 Best Restaurants in L.A., an annual tradition that started with Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer, Jonathan Gold. So today I invited him on the pod to talk through his process, which restaurants made the cut, which ones didn't, how the pandemic influenced his decisions (how do you evaluate a restaurant if you're only eating their food from a carton?), and how the recent reckoning in the food world regarding race and representation impacted his decision-making. He also tells us which restaurants he suggests visitors to L.A. to hit up first, why it's so hard to get a reservation at the Times' Restaurant of the Year, and which restaurant would've been #102. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tejal Rao is The New York Times' restaurant critic for California, a cooking columnist for The New York Times Magazine, and the author of the Times' weekly vegetarian newsletter, The Veggie. In today's session, Tejal opens up about losing her sense of taste and smell when she had Covid, what it felt like to get it back, how she's adjusted to life in Los Angeles, and being a picky eater as a child. We also cover the start of her career as a food critic, how she goes about writing a review, whether she worries about hurting a chef's feelings, going with her mom to Noma Tokyo and eating raw shrimp covered with ants (spoiler: her mom liked it!), and setting the internet on fire with her article claiming that California's bagels are better than New York's (I agree). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bestselling cookbook author and blogger David Lebovitz swings by the pod today to talk about his recent announcement that he's shifting from his food blog to his Substack newsletter. This resonated for me because David and I started our food blogs around the same time (him in 1999, me in 2004) and I've been on a similar journey, fully embracing my newsletter which goes out twice a week (you can sign up here!). David and I get into the nitty gritty: how food blogs have changed, the tediousness of dealing with Google recipes, the relentlessness of some commenters, the casual nature of writing a newsletter, and how we're all handling the shift into video. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does a veteran Saturday Night Live writer eat? Find out on this week's Lunch Therapy when Sudi Green joins us for a session. Not only is Sudi an accomplished writer and comedian, but she also happens to be my across-the-street-neighbor! Find out how we met, what she ate when she worked at SNL, whether or not she likes her routines, being from Delaware, and how she's adjusted to living in L.A. We also cover her mother's Iranian background, the food that she ate growing up, visiting Iran with her family, her father's love for ice cream, lima beans as a snack, and how she's going to deal with the yappy dogs next door. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lots of us (including myself) are starting the new year with a diet. The question becomes: will we stick to it? Should we stick to it? Are all diets problematic to begin with? What's the point? For today's bonus episode, I invited my friend Dr. Deanie Eichenstein (@drdeanie) to talk about all of these issues and more. We cover everything from the way we perceive ourselves vs. the way the world perceives us, what constitutes "healthy," our fat-phobic society, Lena Dunham, why I shouldn't feel shame about eating pasta, Selling Sunset, and her ultimate advice for eating "healthy" in the new year. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.