Meatless: A Podcast About Eating

In the second part of Alicia’s visit to Chicago, she speaks with pastry chef Valeria Taylor, and food writers Tim Mazurek and Natalie Slater. They discuss their frustrations with the way Chicago’s food scene is repeatedly defined by critics based in LA and NYC, their favorite animal-free recipes, and what they think makes for a good vegan city. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

In the first of of Alicia's two dispatches from Chicago, she talks to bartender Alicia Arredondo and chef Pat Sheerin about the city's reputation as a bad place to go meat-free. They discuss some of their plant-focused dishes, how the cultural and social context of Chicago influenced them professionally, and the broader ways in which food and politics intersect. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks with John Currence, a chef based in Oxford, Mississippi who co-hosted a series called the “Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table Dinners” to protest at the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which sanctioned religiously-motivated discrimination, particularly against queer and trans people. They discuss the political uses of food—both as a tool of protest and in bringing people together — and what makes for a “stunning” vegan breakfast. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Luz Cruz and Ollie Montes de Oca, members of the Cuir Kitchen Brigade that formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Organizing as a collective solidarity group, they flew to Puerto Rico to distribute pickled seasonal produce and run workshops on jarring and preserving foods. They discuss developing connections between activist groups in New York City and San Juan, their work with Tijuana’s chapter of Food Not Bombs, and the broader importance of food to social justice movements Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks with and Danielle Ricciardi and Daniel Strong, a couple who founded the vegan comfort food business Chickpea and Olive. They discuss the process of getting products into Whole Foods, how delivery apps can financially undercut restaurants, and the concept of “making a burger out of all the things that cows eat.” Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Olivia Hu, the co-founder and owner of Old Timers, a bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The first-generation child of Chinese parents who fled during the Cultural Revolution, Hu talks about the experience of trying reconcile her family's heritage and cuisine with her pescetarianism. She also discusses what she loves (experimenting with cocktails) and hates (racism and sexism) about being a bartender. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to vegan activist Amy Quichiz, the founder of Veggie Mijas, a U.S.-wide organization that gives women of color a place to meet and discuss their experiences with food. Topics covered include how to convince your family to stop consuming animal products, how veganism should be inherently intersectional, and how "cruelty-free" must refer to workers as well as animals. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks with Toby Buggiani, the owner of Adelina's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which serves plant-based Italian cuisine. They discuss his wilder younger years, how his menu was inspired by Roman and Neapolitan cooking, and the latest developments in the search for the perfect cashew mozzarella. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks with Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello, a public health expert who runs Monsoon Sweets, a South Asian-inspired dessert company. They discuss the systemic power of large food corporations, the ironies of selling desserts while campaigning for healthier diets, and the psychological tricks involved in passing on a vegetarianism to kids. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to chef Becca Hegarty, one of Zagat’s inaugural 30 Under 30 list of “culinary superstars” and co-founder of the Bitter Ends Garden & Luncheonette, an organic farm, bakery, and restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They discuss the branding of the farm-to-table concept versus its realities, the economics of buying or renting land to grow food, and the emotional cost of caring for livestock destined to become meat. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Casandra Rosario of Food Before Love, which focuses on education and dining experiences that make "a space for marginalized consumers to create and tell their own stories through food." These events cover everything from how food cultures have been shaped by the African diaspora to classism in the vegan community. Together, they discuss Rosario's panel discussion series Roots & Vines, why wine education is significant to her community, and supporting women-owned small business. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Lee Kalpakis, an editorial producer at Thrillist and the host of A Little Help, a YouTube show in which she helps new cooks learn to create inexpensive and easy meals. They discuss maintaining a (mostly) meat-free diet in a job that requires eating a bit of everything, the ways in which her family’s history in the restaurant business influenced her own understanding of food, and how she tries to teach others not to be scared of learning to cook. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Ysanet Batista, founder of the worker co-operative Woke Foods, which creates plant-based Dominican cuisine. They talk about how vegan food isn’t cruelty-free as long as farm workers lack labor rights, the West African origins of Dominican cuisine, and what a decolonized agriculture might look like. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar of Burlap & Barrel: Single-Origin Spices, who apply models used in coffee and chocolate importation—with fair wages and a transparent supply chain—to spices. Topics covered include roast duck-flavored ice cream, using food to teach people about radical politics, and why it’s so important that we all learn to experiment more in the kitchen. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Aidan Altman and Andrew McClure, the founders of Fora Foods and makers of Faba Butter — made principally with coconut oil and aquafaba, or chickpea brine. Retail isn’t Fora’s focus: they’re targeting chefs at many non-vegan restaurants, hoping to become a pastry staple. They talk about how working on this project inspired them to go vegan, why corporate agriculture is everyone’s enemy, and why aquafaba has gone mainstream. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to winemaker Sheri Hood. After spending the 1990s managing bands like Stereolab and working for the record label 4AD, she moved to Portland, Oregon. She now makes wines for The Pressing Plant — all of which are vegan, delicious, and named after songs. They discuss why she became vegetarian, how that inspired her to make vegan wines, and what it was like to not eat meat while on tour in the 1990s. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to food scientist Cheryl Mitchell, who developed Rice Dream and the Elmhurst Milked line of nut, grain, and seed milks. They discuss how she came to focus on vegan milks, the HydroRelease process she created, and why we need to diversify protein sources in order to keep feeding the human population. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Soleil Ho, food writer, host of Bitch Media’s Popaganda podcast, and co-host of the Racist Sandwich Podcast. She’s co-authored a graphic novel about the professional and romantic life of a young chef with artist Blue Delliquanti called Meal: Adventures in Entomophagy—that’s eating insects, a field Soleil has become an expert in. They talk about the book, the tech industry’s obsession with cricket flour, and what it all means for vegans and vegetarians. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Chitra Agrawal — maker of the Brooklyn Delhi line of condiments, and author of the cookbook Vibrant India — about her lifelong vegetarianism, the word “curry,” and her punk rock youth in New Jersey. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

It’s not easy to make being vegan both funny and incisive, but that’s what writer Gabriella Paiella does both on Twitter and in her writing for The Cut. Alicia and Gabby discuss Tevas, bad jokes about vegans, and the relationship between veganism and body image.

Alicia talks to photographer Theo Samuels, who is a vegan, and writer Shanika Hillocks, who isn’t. They discuss the balance they’ve struck, including staying open to new foods while traveling and navigating a shared kitchen. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia Kennedy talks to the host of The Hangover Show, Cara Nicoletti, about her family butcher shop in Boston, what inspired her to cut down on meant, and why people should stop calling female butchers "badass." Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Charlotte Shane, culture writer, publisher of Tigerbee Press, and author of the book Prostitute Laundry. Charlotte’s been vegan for 18 years, but doesn’t often discuss it. They talk about her anti-oatmeal stance, NYU’s recent conference on animals and the left, and whether WeWork’s new reducetarian policy could be good for the vegan movement. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to cheese writer and community organizer Tia Keenan about dairy production, anti-capitalist food systems, and her backyard chickens. “You can’t solve a systematic problem through individual will,” Keenan says. “If we could, you know, the world would look really different.” Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to food writer and nutrition educator Leah Kirts about her upbringing in rural Indiana, her time in the NYU food studies master’s program, and teaching kids about veganism. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to culture writer Nadya Agrawal, founder of the South Asian-centered magazine Kajal about what made her become vegan, how veganism can better connect to other social justice movements, and turmeric lattes. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to Lukas Volger about his 60 percent vegetarian diet, cookbooks, veggie burger lines, and his work on the queer food journal Jarry Mag. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to chef Gabriel Hernandez of Verde Mesa in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, about the connotations of “vegetarian,” the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and the island’s beet resurgence. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Alicia talks to chef and chocolatier Lagusta Yearwood, owner of the chocolate shop Lagusta's Luscious and its sister café, Commissary, in New Paltz, New York. She also co-owns Confectionary in New York City, and her cookbook, Sweet X Salty: The Art of Vegan Confections by Lagusta's Luscious, will be out in 2019. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

In the first episode of “Meatless,” Alicia talks to Brooks Headley, chef and owner of Superiority Burger in New York City and the author of the Superiority Burger Cookbook. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Host Alicia Kennedy very briefly explains why she wanted to start a podcast about not eating meat, and what to expect from what's to come.