Podcasts about Ruth Reichl

Dave and Chris opine on food criticism and what the ideal food critic would be like. They are then joined by Besha Rodell, the author of 'Hunger Like a Thirst' and a former anonymous food critic. She has an amazing résumé and gives insights into what it is really like to be a food reviewer. Besha, Dave, and Chris discuss food criticism as it has been and its platonic ideal: from honest reviews to what reviewers should be looking for when critiquing a restaurant. Check out Besha's book here: https://celadonbooks.com/book/hunger-like-a-thirst-besha-rodell/. Check out Besha's reviews on The Age here: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/search?text=besha+rodell. Follow Besha on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/besharodell/?hl=en. Read the Ruth Reichl review Dave mentions here: https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/10/arts/restaurants-174793.html. Read the Pete Wells review on Guy Fieri's Times Square location here: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html. Read the Pete Wells review on Locol here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/dining/locol-review-oakland-california-pete-wells.html. Read the article Dave mentions on closing a restaurant here: https://www.eater.com/2020/1/8/21028493/restaurant-closure-process-thirty-acres-mean-sandwich. Read Besha's review of Dolly here: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/everyone-got-excited-about-dolly-but-the-food-absolutely-baffling-20231005-p5e9zv.html Send in your questions to askdave@majordomomedia.com. Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedavechangshow.. Subscribe to Recipe Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recipeclubofficial. Submit your favorite food moments in your favorite movies to majorfoodporn.com. Join our community Discord on majordomo.com. Host: Dave Chang Guest: Roy Choi Majordomo Media Producers: Kelsey Rearden and David Meyer Spotify Producer: Felipe Guilhermino Editor: Stefano Sanchez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Renowned restaurant critic, food writer, and magazine editor Ruth Reichl joins Sam to talk about why taking a job as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine was such a hard decision, and how it ended up changing her life. They talk about getting paid to do a job you would do for free, her new documentary “Food and Country,” thoughts on meal kits, and their recurring waitressing nightmares. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we revisit or conversation with chef, food writer, food critic, and author Ruth Reichl. Ruth discusses the transformative power of food and culture. “One of the great things to me about food is that you have the ability to touch these moments of grace throughout the day simply by biting into a perfect peach and going, ‘oh my God, I'm glad I'm alive,'" she marvels.Her new book, "The Paris Novel,” explores the connection between food and joy. Reichl's love of food and culture and food writer background shapes the book's main character, who travels to Paris and rediscovers herself through food, art, and other cultural experiences. She also talks about the recent changes in the restaurant industry. “Food has always been my way of seeing the world. I have always looked at the world food-first,” says Reichl.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bonny Reichert's debut memoir explores the connection between food, memory, and her fathers story as a Holocaust survivor; public policy expert and podcaster Vass Bednar recommends three books about living amongst pervasive technology; get to know the 2024 Booker Prize winner; and a basketball star's experience in Russian prison on this episode of The Next Chapter.Books discussed on this week's show include:Running in the Family by Michael OndaajteTender at the Bone by Ruth ReichlAlso a Poet by Ada CalhounHow To Share an Egg Bonny ReichertA Hero of Our Time by Naben RuthnumBirnam Wood by Eleanor CattonSelected Amazon Reviews by Kevin KillianOrbital by Samantha HarveyComing Home by Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford

Lifestyle expert and award-winning fashion designer Peter Som as he is releasing his his highly anticipated debut cookbook FAMILY STYLE: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage on March 18, 2025 from Harvest (Harper Collins). In the book, Peter will showcase 100 effortless, chic recipes that pay homage to his identity, with nods to his Chinese American heritage-including dishes inspired by his grandma's Cantonese cuisine-as well as his childhood memories of growing up in the Bay area and his mom's love of French food. With praise from Ruth Reichl, Dorie Greenspan, and Jon Kung, Family Style infuses the art of dining in a sophisticated yet approachable manner and introduces readers to new flavor combinations to unleash creativity in the kitchen-whether you are making something on the fly or preparing a dinner for eight. Family Style features 100 elegant and accessible recipes reflecting Peter's unfussy approach to cooking. Home chefs will love Peter's personal tips on experiencing food 'The Family Style Way,' which includes a dining etiquette guide, as well as a 'What's in My Pantry' section with go-to items for your countertop, freezer, spice rack, and more. 

Lifestyle expert and award-winning fashion designer Peter Som as he is releasing his his highly anticipated debut cookbook FAMILY STYLE: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage on March 18, 2025 from Harvest (Harper Collins). In the book, Peter will showcase 100 effortless, chic recipes that pay homage to his identity, with nods to his Chinese American heritage-including dishes inspired by his grandma's Cantonese cuisine-as well as his childhood memories of growing up in the Bay area and his mom's love of French food. With praise from Ruth Reichl, Dorie Greenspan, and Jon Kung, Family Style infuses the art of dining in a sophisticated yet approachable manner and introduces readers to new flavor combinations to unleash creativity in the kitchen-whether you are making something on the fly or preparing a dinner for eight. Family Style features 100 elegant and accessible recipes reflecting Peter's unfussy approach to cooking. Home chefs will love Peter's personal tips on experiencing food 'The Family Style Way,' which includes a dining etiquette guide, as well as a 'What's in My Pantry' section with go-to items for your countertop, freezer, spice rack, and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

When the documentary Food and Country came out last year, we had Ruth Reichl on Special Sauce to talk about the film as a whole and the farmers that are actually the stars and heroes of the movie. One of those farmers is Bob Jones, CEO of The Chef's Garden in Ohio. Given the various extraordinary challenges farmers are set to face in the coming years, we thought it would be great to have Bob on the podcast to tell us his story and to tell us what the future might hold for all farmers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Lifestyle expert and award-winning fashion designer Peter Som as he is releasing his his highly anticipated debut cookbook FAMILY STYLE: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage on March 18, 2025 from Harvest (Harper Collins). In the book, Peter will showcase 100 effortless, chic recipes that pay homage to his identity, with nods to his Chinese American heritage-including dishes inspired by his grandma's Cantonese cuisine-as well as his childhood memories of growing up in the Bay area and his mom's love of French food. With praise from Ruth Reichl, Dorie Greenspan, and Jon Kung, Family Style infuses the art of dining in a sophisticated yet approachable manner and introduces readers to new flavor combinations to unleash creativity in the kitchen-whether you are making something on the fly or preparing a dinner for eight. Family Style features 100 elegant and accessible recipes reflecting Peter's unfussy approach to cooking. Home chefs will love Peter's personal tips on experiencing food 'The Family Style Way,' which includes a dining etiquette guide, as well as a 'What's in My Pantry' section with go-to items for your countertop, freezer, spice rack, and more. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

In this special installment of Snacky Tunes, Darin continues the conversation on how the Los Angeles culinary community is responding to the devastating L.A. fires. First, we welcome back Brad Metzger and Jacqui Leanza, who are behind one of the most incredible fundraising dinners—Chefs Love LA. The event features an all-star lineup including Ruth Reichl, Daniel Boulud, Nyesha Arrington, Billy Harris, Phil Rosenthal, Jeremy Fox, Curtis Stone, Jonathan Waxman, and more!!! The dinner at the legendary Lawry's is raising critical support for World Central Kitchen and Restaurants Care.In the second half of the show, we sit down with Zak Fishman, owner of Prime Pizza and a longtime Altadena local, to discuss the impact of the fires on the neighborhood and the restaurant community. He shares his experience navigating the aftermath and the path to rebuilding.For those looking to support LA restaurants, check out the latest Snacky Tunes Substack for donation links and action items.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world's top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It's an anthology of memories, meals and mixtapes. Pick up your copy by ordering directly from Phaidon, or by visiting your local independent bookstore. Visit our site, www.snackytunes.com for more info.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Snacky Tunes by becoming a member.Snacky Tunes is Powered by Simplecast.

This memoir with recipes is an unusual cookbook — it follows the year after the folding of Gourmet magazine, when Ruth Reichl was left reeling and found her way through that transition through cooking and food. We talk about the wide variety of recipes, mixture of prose and recipes, and whether we liked the things we made from this book. Recipes mentioned in this episode: Khao man gai Borscht salad Cider-braised pork shoulder Thomas Keller roast chicken Food cart curry chicken Roast leg of lamb with fresh mint sauce Chicken liver pate Beef, wine and onion stew Tart lemon tart Gingered applesauce cake with caramel Linzer torte Join our Cookbook Club! Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray Our Amazon storefront Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers Cook along with us! Our next cookbook episode (airing 2/19/2025): Cooking in Real Life, by Lidey Heuck

After the hemorrhage of the holiday season, we are ready to get back to simple cooking in the evenings, with a budget-friendly spin. We focus on cleaning out the freezer/pantry, maximizing protein and using our yummiest budget-friendly recipes. Recipes and resources mentioned in this episode: White bean dip (Super Natural Every Day) Lentil soup dip (Simply Julia) The Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson White beans & cabbage (Super Natural Every Day) Miso curry delicata squash (Super Natural Every Day) Green lentil soup (Super Natural Every Day) Curried red lentils with coconut milk (Small Victories) Pureed winter squash & lentil soup (NYT) Red lentil soup with lemon (NYT) Creamy lentils (Indian Instant Pot) Stewed chickpea, zucchini & peppers (Simply Julia) Roasted chickpeas (NYT) Spaghetti with garlicky breadcrumbs & anchovies (NYT) I Dream of Dinner, by Ali Slagle Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark Join our Cookbook Club! Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers Cook along with us! Our next cookbook episode (airing 1/22/2025): My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved my Life, by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl made a name for herself writing about food for The New York Times and Gourmet magazine. And now she turns her talents to the world of fiction – while keeping one foot planted in her first love. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which tells the story of a woman one a life-changing culinary trip to France. It's called “The Paris Novel.”

This week we’re introducing you to one of the shows we love: Choice Words with Samantha Bee. We make a lot of choices, every single day. Some explode, some implode, most we barely remember. Each week on Choice Words, Samantha Bee sits down with people she admires to examine the biggest choices they’ve made in their lives and the ripple effects those decisions have had. In this episode, Samantha Bee joins renowned restaurant critic, food writer, and magazine editor Ruth Reichl to talk about why taking a job as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine was such a hard decision, and how it ended up changing her life. For more episodes of Choice Words, listen wherever you get your podcasts or head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/choicewordsfdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This cookbook from Martha Stewart alum Jess Damuck rides high on crunchy California hippie vibes. Whole wheat baked goods (yikes), smoothies and salads rule this book, which we liked and disliked in almost equal measure. Recipes mentioned in this episode: Tuna, Avocado and Grapefruit with Seed Crackers (page 129) Test Kitchen turmeric tonic (page 74) Morning glory muffins (page 50) Morning glory muffins (NYT) Savory brown rice porridge with greens and soft egg (page 54) Creamsicle smoothie (page 70) Peach and burrata caprese with hot honey (page 176) Crispy rice and salmon bowl with quick pickles and greens (page 111) Sweet potato bread with miso tahini butter (page 240) Whole wheat sesame challah (page 262) Buckwheat brownies (page 244) Simple Any-stone-fruit cake (page 254) Marian Burros' plum torte (NYT) Black bean tostadas with avocado and crispy leeks (page 91) Very good vegan chili (page 103) Mushroom “carnitas” tacos with citrusy radish slaw (page 232) Lemony kale salad with crispy chickpeas and avocado (page 183) Join our Cookbook Club! Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray Our sponsor: Dropcloth Samplers Cook along with us! Our next cookbook episode (airing 1/22/2025): My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved my Life, by Ruth Reichl

Today, Jen gets to fulfill a dream of interviewing one of her favorite influences and mentors in the food world. The iconic six-time James Beard award-winning Ruth Reichl sits down with Jen to discuss her extensive impact on food culture spanning the last several decades. They hit on everything from the alarming state of the modern food industrial complex, how we source our food and the impacts it poses to our health (as well as the hope they see for our future), to what it has been like to document the evolution of food across the changing media landscape of print media and the internet. Ruth reflects on highlights from her career as a chef, food critic, editor, tv personality, author, novelist and documentarian and discusses the challenges and joys of her various roles in the culinary world, including the emotional toll of her work which has garnered both admiration and criticism. *** Thought-provoking Quotes: The way that we eat, the way we have handed over our health, our environment, our communities to the idea of industrialized food is truly terrifying. – Ruth Reichl The more you say no, the more people want you. – Ruth Reichl Almost no one likes what is written about them. No matter how flattering a portrait may be, people don't like it. So when it's really not flattering, people don't like it. – Ruth Reichl Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Food and Country Film - https://www.foodandcountryfilm.com/ Michael Pollan - https://amzn.to/4g1bkGV Barbara Kingsolver - https://amzn.to/3D0fv7f White Oak Pastures - https://whiteoakpastures.com/ Gourmet Magazine - https://bit.ly/3D2LN1B Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl - https://amzn.to/3OEwjmS Condé Nast - https://www.cntraveler.com/contributor/ruth-reichl New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/by/ruth-reichl Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl - https://amzn.to/4ifrUo9 The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl - https://amzn.to/3BfyUk4 Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl - https://amzn.to/49vwfiX Guest's Links: Ruth's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ruth.reichl/ Ruth's Twitter - https://x.com/ruthreichl Ruth's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/@ruthreichlbooks Ruth's Substack - https://ruthreichl.substack.com/ Connect with Jen! Jen's website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Renowned restaurant critic, food writer, and magazine editor Ruth Reichl joins Sam to talk about why taking a job as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine was such a hard decision, and how it ended up changing her life. They talk about getting paid to do a job you would do for free, her new documentary “Food and Country,” thoughts on meal kits, and their recurring waitressing nightmares. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave and Alonso welcome the extraordinary Ruth Reichl for an interview that's part Linoleum Knife & Fork (complete with Margy Rochlin) and part Linoleum Knife, since Ruth and director Laura Gabbert collaborated on the new documentary Food and Country, about our broken food chain. The film is available on demand, and the DVD comes out 11/12. Join our club, won't you?

In Episode 181, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 16 new releases they shared in the Fall 2024 Book Preview, now that they've read them. They share their reading stats, chat about what worked — and hash out which books didn't work and why. Check out the episode for their full reviews on all their fall picks and get recommendations for your next book! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Catherine describes her fall reading “trick or treat” — mostly treats (her first 5-star preview book since February), but a few tricks (two DNFs). Sarah had a higher DNF count than usual, but still had a high(ish) success rate for this season. Since this is the last Circle Back of 2024, they look at their stats for the entire year of Previews. They name the best and worst books picks for fall! Books We Read Before the Preview [3:30] Sarah's Picks Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker (Sep 3) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [3:58] The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Oct 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [5:32] Other Books Mentioned The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz [5:35] Fall 2024 Circle Back [7:28] Mid-August Catherine's Picks There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Aug 20) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[7:36] September Sarah's Picks Guide Me Home by Attica Locke (Sep 3) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:23] The Siege by Ben Macintyre (Sep 10) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [15:41]  Entitlement by Rumaan Alam (Sep 17) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [23:36]  A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg (Sep 24) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [29:51] Adam and Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen (Sep 24) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:35] Catherine's Picks Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes (Sep 10) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:54] Bringer of Dust by J. M. Miro (Sep 17) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [20:07]  Other Books Mentioned Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke [10:44]  Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke [10:48] The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre [15:46]  Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro [20:12]  Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam [24:29]  Sandwich by Catherine Newman [25:03] All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg [30:09] Banyan Moon by Thao Tai [37:01] The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza [37:32] The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl [37:48]  October Sarah's Picks Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner (Oct 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:36]  Catherine's Picks A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang (Oct 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [27:00]  The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni (Oct 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:24] Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth (Oct 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[39:47] Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger (Oct 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:21]  Other Books Mentioned The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni [33:07] The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner [46:14]  November Catherine's Pick The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson (Nov 12) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:23]  About Catherine Gilmore Blog | Facebook | Instagram | X Catherine started The Gilmore Guide to Booksover 10 years ago after wrapping up a career as a corporate librarian. She loves books and reading (surprise!) and currently lives in Seattle, WA. Next Episode In two weeks (November 13), Sarah will be back with Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman.

In part two of our discussion, Ruth Reichl and I get into how the American government has played a major role in corrupting our food system.

This week on Chewing, we talk about how sisters are doing it for sustainability! First, Monica talks to legendary author and editor Ruth Reichl about her new documentary film Food and Country. Then, we talked to Hewn Bread founder Ellen King and Volition Tea founder Annie Xiang about their big expansions. Finally, Monica talked to Upside Food COO Amy Chen who offered Monica a taste of their cultivated meat, but did she eat it? Lastly, a new bonus segment with a new jingle!   chewing.xyz chicagotribune.com/chewingpodcast facebook.com/chewingpodcast Insta Louisa Chu @louisachu1 Monica Eng @monicaengreporter   Links: Order Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites by Monica Eng and David Hammond   Music: Theme music: “Zhong Nan Hai” by Carsick Cars  Outro music: “15 Minutes Older” by Carsick Cars Segments:  “A Better Future” by David Bowie "Bread and Butter" by The Newbeats “Tea For Two (with Choir and Orchestra)” by Doris Day “Cup Of Tea” by Kacey Musgraves “Cells” by They Might Be Giants “Chicken” by Pixies “Le Grand café” by Charles Trenet

On this episode of Special Sauce legendary food critic Ruth Reichl talks about the documentary film "Food & Country" which she stars in and co-produced.  

Any urban street in America is guaranteed to be lined with popular fast food chains, the readily available nature of their products being the main attraction, with people barely giving a thought to the process behind getting the food from the farm to the table — or more likely, the take-out box.  Joining host Robert Scheer on this week’s Scheer Intelligence are two people who dedicated their recent film, “Food and Country,” to understanding this process behind food in the United States and how big business, as usual, has almost complete control of the system. Renowned former food critic for the La Times and New York Times, former editor of Gourmet magazine, author of cookbooks and memoirs and PBS food guru, Ruth Reichl and film director Laura Gabbert discuss some of the key takeaways from the film. Gabbert asserts that big agriculture’s firm grasp on the industry is where the problems begin. Its lobby is amongst the biggest and Gabbert explains that there is no incentive to try and remedy the problems that come from this monopolization of an industry so essential to human survival. “I think that is really the crux of the whole problem, is money in politics,” Gabbert says. Reichl takes it back to what happened after World War II and how the U.S. government made an attempt to fight communism by cheapening the food making process, which turned farms into factories. “Almost everything that's wrong with America comes from that policy. We've destroyed our health, our environment, our communities,” Reichl tells Scheer. The heart of their story lies with the farmers themselves, and how, despite being in charge of the most important aspect of human survival, they still tend to struggle the most in society. Reichl explains their significance in the film, stating, “I just wanted for us to be able to listen to their stories that they tell themselves about what has happened to them and what the American system has done to them.” Check out the film’s website here for screening information.

Ruth Reichl reflects on receiving the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award with gratitude, noting how it has motivated her to support young journalists. She recounts her diverse food experiences growing up in New York City and Montreal, including visits to her classmates' homes, which exposed her to various cultural cuisines. Ruth reminisces on her mother's unconventional approach to cooking which led Ruth to begin cooking at a young age. She discusses how food television has transformed American food culture, creating a new generation that is passionate about cooking and ingredients. The food critic shares her experience at one restaurant, where she went undercover and received vastly different levels of service depending on her appearance, highlighting the biases in the dining industry. Ruth also expresses her love for visiting food markets, explaining how they provide a more authentic glimpse into a culture than restaurants. She recounts one of her most unusual meals, involving silkworm larva in Laos, and the memorable challenges of eating unfamiliar ingredients. Ruth discusses her documentary Food and Country, filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which captures the struggles of farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. The writer emphasizes that her goal for this project is to raise awareness about the challenges of producing nutritious food in America and stresses the need for policy change to support the country's food system. Follow Food Network on Instagram: HERE Follow Jaymee Sire on Instagram: HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe to Jason DeRusha Substack Newsletter here The DeRusha Download: official newsletter of Jason DeRusha TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's dish, the podcast where we talk to people that are obsessed with food. And, Jason Derusha, I don't know how you feel about being introduced as being obsessed with food. I probably should start with that you're a very professional broadcaster first.Jason Derusha [00:00:32]:I'm pretty obsessed, though, so I think it works. I think it works.Stephanie [00:00:36]:Jason is the host of Drive Time with Derusha from 3 to 6 on WCCO Radio. And you may have known him from making the leap from being a TV news anchor to a broadcaster over in the audio space. You and I are are friendly. We, see each other at things and we chat and you've been super helpful for me in my freelance journey. But I just really wanted to chat with you about, like, how's it going? Most people, I think, see the idea of being on, like, the evening news and then going to AM radio as a step back. But I thought it was super fascinating for you, and I'd just love to see how it's going.Jason Derusha [00:01:18]:Well, thank you, and I appreciate you asking me. It is, I I had to get over my own sort of mental block as to whether or not this was a step back. And, also, like, is that even a relevant question? Like, who cares if it's a step back? Right? But, all of these things are sort of wrapped up in, oh, gosh. It just goes back to, like, when you're a kid. Right? Like, what was your vision of yourself? Is it okay to stop and say, like, I think I've achieved what I need to achieve? And that that sort of I don't know. It was an emotional decision for me because very much my identity was wrapped up in being the TV news guy.Stephanie [00:02:03]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:02:04]:And probably for my 1st year at WCCO Radio, when I would do events, I would I would, still, like, sort of struggle with how do I introduce myself. And even stuff like talking to my my, kids about you know, as an alum of Marquette University, when I was the morning news anchor, like, there was some prestige with that. When you are the afternoon radio talk show host on AM radio, It's just a little different for a younger generation. I will say this. Releasing yourself from sort of the burden of your own self expectations is incredibly liberating. And doing something because you wanna grow and you wanna challenge yourself and you want to be sort of okay at something and then get better, oh my gosh. Like, it has been so invigorating for me. I'm so glad I did it.Stephanie [00:03:07]:It's such a weird thing too because I came from radio and did then go to TV.Jason Derusha [00:03:14]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:03:14]:And and people act like TV is like the holy grail, but yet you've been doing something for 15 years over here. And the mediums are both broadcast, but the way you interact with people is super different.Jason Derusha [00:03:28]:Yes. Yeah. I've found you know, morning news and talk radio have a little more in common than when I was on the nighttime news. I remember when I was the Good Question reporter in the 10 o'clock news at WCCO TV. When I went to the morning show, all of a sudden, there was this much more personal intimate connection with the audience. And doing talk radio is like next level of that. Where on television, like, people got little glimpses into my life. And on radio, you know, all last week, and we're recording this in early September, but when when I was at the Minnesota State Fair, people were coming up to me wishing me good luck at dropping off my oldest at NYU because they knew this weekend I was going to New York to drop off my oldest.Jason Derusha [00:04:17]:Like, they just have that relationship with you, which is really fun. I mean, I think I've always had, maybe more of a personal relationship with the audience and, like, the traditional, you know, stand on mount anchor desk and deliver the sermon sort of TV news anchor that's never really been me. But it's just different when you have 3 hours to talk to people. You know?Stephanie [00:04:39]:One thing that's really struck me as a talk radio fan, and I have been for, I don't know, my whole life really from the time that my dad made me listen to WCCO in the 5th grade on the drive to school. I'm very impressed with how you handle this time that we're in where politics is so polarizing and people are just so feeling their feels all the time and really need to share those feelings with you. I just was noticing on, posts that you did that someone was mad that you weren't at the state fair on Labor Day and it's like, wow. People. But, also, I love the way that you you let people have their opinions, but you also don't let them abuse you, and I think there's a difference.Jason Derusha [00:05:26]:Yeah. Yeah. It's tricky. I mean, in TV news, I spent 25 years trying to get the audience to trust me. And part of that is, especially in morning news, you wanna be liked. Not that you shy away from asking tough questions, but you wanna do it in a likable way. That's what the audience wants. And here in in the talk space, it's it's hard.Jason Derusha [00:05:56]:It would be very easy if I were a left wing talk show host or a right wing talk show host, and then you just play the hits. You are essentially KDWB of political ideas. You play the top 40. You people know what you're gonna do, and you do it. And they like it. And people see in me what they want to see. So if they want to be mad at me and they are, Republicans and you're like you can make a line between Trump supporter I try to with Republican listeners. Like, look.Jason Derusha [00:06:37]:I am open to many Republican ideas. I'm not open to Donald Trump. Like, sorry. He's disqualified himself for me. That is not something I talk about a lot on the show because what's the point Other than making yourself feel, you know, good, I guess. I I I always think of my show as, like, the Thanksgiving table growing up where my uncle was, my uncle was a lawyer. He went to Madison. My grandfather was a hardcore Ronald Reagan Republican.Jason Derusha [00:07:14]:And everyone would duke it out, and everyone was welcome to join in. You're sort of expected to join in. And it was fine. Today, we've taken and I get it. Some of the issues we're talking about are very fundamental issues to different people. Right? It's it's a very white male sort of, privileged position to say, like, most of these issues for me are not life and death. But I also think it's not good for political discourse that we've turned everything into life or or death. And I don't I don't know that that what does that get us? Do we have better discussions? Do we have better participation? Do we have better policy because we've turned everything into a fundamental life and death, good or evil question? I I don't see a benefit to it.Jason Derusha [00:08:06]:So I try not to do that on my show.Stephanie [00:08:09]:I have noticed a change in you from when you first started broadcasting on the station, and I thought this was interesting because as a TV newsperson, you weren't supposed to have a lot of personality. You were supposed to be fairly impartial and just like a blank slate ofJason Derusha [00:08:27]:Yeah. The news for you. Star. Right? The news is the star, not me.Stephanie [00:08:32]:And I think it took you a little while to find your rhythm of how what to push, what buttons to push, how hard to push. And I'm really, pleasantly surprised and encouraged of the progress that you've made. I think you're just doing great.Jason Derusha [00:08:48]:It it's so nice, it's so nice of you to say that. I have had a tremendous coach at the radio station, and the thing I miss most about TV is the team. And I was more I don't know. I coworkers called me the CFO of our morning show. Mhmm. And that stood for chief feelings officer. My job was to sort of keep the trains on the track and make sure everyone felt heard and validated. And I didn't always tell people they were right, but they always were heard.Jason Derusha [00:09:24]:And so my job was to lift everybody else up. Well, in radio, it's just it's me and a producer. That's it. And we have a a brand manager who's, like, a program director of WCCO Radio, Brad Lane. And he's been tremendous, you know, and you can talk to any of my managers over the year. I've always have good relationship with managers, but I generally don't like to be told, what to do. Typical, media Broadcaster. Broadcaster.Jason Derusha [00:09:55]:Right? But in this case, like, I needed guidance. I needed coaching. I didn't really know how to do this. I I knew how to host, and I knew how to interview, but I didn't really know how to navigate talk radio today, which is different from talk radio 10 years ago. 10 years ago, if you could frame the issue well, people would call in. Today, people react to talk radio sort of like they do a a Facebook status update. They wanna know your take, and then they'll react.Stephanie [00:10:24]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:10:25]:Well, that took me a lot of work because, you know, do people really wanna hear my take? Is my take valid? Do I you know, it's all of those issues. And even as someone who's always had sort of an outsized personality in town, I still had that doubt of, like, do I really do I know what I'm talking about? Why are people really and he the the way Brad phrases it is he's like, what is your show about? What is your show about? And a lot of people ask me that. What is your show about? Which is such a funny question because you and I both, like, grew up listening to talk radio. So, like, I grew up in Chicago. WGN talk radio was part of my life. And then there was an FM talk radio, the loop in Chicago. That was more comedians, a little more edgy, a little younger. And you're like, talk radio is about well, fundamentally, it's about whatever the host wants to talk about.Jason Derusha [00:11:25]:So, like, you know, your show that you do, what is your show about? Well, like, the subject matter is food, but, like, it's really about your lens, what you care about. And that seems so egotistical. You're like, oh, it's all about me? Yeah. But it kind of is. Right? That's kinda what it is. So I it took a while for me to learn that. It took honestly, I would say it took a year of doing it 5 days a week until I really got comfortable with it. And I still feel like I'm good, not great.Jason Derusha [00:12:01]:Whereas after 25 years of TV, not being arrogant, but I think I was great. Yeah. And so it's kind of fun to not be great at something and learn it. I've enjoyed that.Stephanie [00:12:14]:Yeah. And I think it's revealed a lot about you as a person, that is hard to tap into and to be vulnerable and to let people see that side. Particularly, you know, we're performing these shows in a really polarizing time and in a time where people just they go after you. I mean, the amount of personal attack that hosts receive on something as benign as a food show, it's real.Jason Derusha [00:12:46]:I'm surprised by it, to be honest. And I'm a very online person, so I shouldn't be surprised by it. But, what's happened, and certainly you get it from people listening to you, but the people who actually listen, get it for the most part. Like, there's some attack, but mostly the listeners I don't know. All during the fair, I have people coming up telling me that, like, they disagree with me politically, but they really like how I do my show, which that's the best. Yeah. But part of the challenge with the digital world and the social media world is, you know, like, I I said this to someone this morning. How much of my energy am I supposed to spend on someone who doesn't listen and never will listen? So all day, every day, both the Republicans and the Democrats run against the media right now.Jason Derusha [00:13:41]:The media is the media where's the media? Why doesn't the media say this? Why is this the headline? Why are you framing it this way? Media, media, media, media, which is sort of interesting considering, supposedly, no one cares about the media anymore, and no one lets no one reads, no one subscribes, no one so you're like, but but it's a great boogie, man. Right? Like, if you run against the media, you don't have to confront the fact that your candidate maybe sucks. Right? Like, it's my fault. And that's been a bit of a challenge for me to figure out, like, obviously, I want to convince people to give my show a chance, but I think most of the people who are engaging in sort of a negative way, are not convincible. Right? Like, they're not so how much of my energy am I supposed to spend on that? I don't know. It's a bit of a challenge.Stephanie [00:14:34]:Well and I do think they listen. I think that people love to have feelings and emotions. And if they're not sure where to have them or they are in a place in their life where they're lonely or they're othered or whatever the case may be, I think sometimes people tune in just to feel something because they feel empty inside.Jason Derusha [00:14:59]:Yeah. Yeah. And you get I don't know. Like, I always try to remember that there are and the same is true of callers or texters on radio. There are a lot more people who are listening, who are lurkers. Right? Like, that's what we would call them on Facebook or Twitter, the lurkers. So by modeling sort of reasonable, friendly, but passionate discussion, I think there's some benefit to that for the people who are observing and don't wanna jump into the mess.Stephanie [00:15:34]:Do you ever think about getting off Twitter? I know a lot of media personalities have.Jason Derusha [00:15:39]:I do. I do. But, mostly, I enjoy it. Like, mostly, I get positive interaction out of it. I've started to curate it a little more. Like, I mute a lot of people that you know, if I feel someone getting my blood pressure rising, I'll just mute them. It's okay. Like, they don't need, like, block.Jason Derusha [00:15:58]:I don't need to do that. But, like, I and people who I have a policy, if you call me or my family a name, you just get blocked. Like, there's no I don't need that. So I I do think about it. It is one of those things where you're like, the upside of something like Twitter acts. The upside is you get a lot of audience. I have, I don't know, 80,000 followers there. Certainly, most people don't see all of that stuff, and who knows how many are are relevant.Jason Derusha [00:16:33]:But, you know, a a normal tweet of mine might get seen might get, you know, 10, 20, 30000. Like, that's pretty good.Stephanie [00:16:42]:It's also so immediate when you're on the air. Like Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:16:45]:You need. For show, it's amazing. Like, what I I never think about leaving. I think about and I have adjusted what I will post about, just because it's not really fruitful for the most part. And you think, like, is my voice needed on this topic? Not really. Like, so do I need to weigh in on a lot of political type things? Not really. So I I've sort of, cut down on that. But you're right.Jason Derusha [00:17:15]:Like, from a listening standpoint, from a breaking news standpoint, it's amazing. It's unparalleled, frankly.Stephanie [00:17:22]:Yeah. I would agree with that. You took a weight loss journey, and I think you lost £40 last I checked.Jason Derusha [00:17:29]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:30]:And you've always been someone in the food space. Did that feel conflicting for you to do the weight loss route and at the same time be championing and talking about all the food?Jason Derusha [00:17:44]:Yeah. I mean, people ask me all the time. They're like, how do you eat this much? I'm like, well, I'm, you know, I'm sharing. I'm taking bites or whatever. I do think about it. Right? I think the reason that I lost weight was so I could live, not so I could hide. And so I don't really feel conflicted about that. The truth is, though, could I have lost that weight by eating out 4 nights a week? Probably not.Jason Derusha [00:18:13]:Yeah. So it is a challenge of eating out. I certainly am a little more careful now in how I order. And the way we used to, you know, some of this, like, COVID has changed it, but a normal night for us back in the pre COVID days would be you go somewhere for drinks, go somewhere else for appetizers, go somewhere else for a main course, and go somewhere else for dessert and drinks. And thinking about that while I was on the weight loss journey, like, I was probably eating 4000 3 or 4000 calories a night just in that. Like, not lunch, not breakfast. And so that's not sustainable. But can I do that occasionally? Sure.Jason Derusha [00:18:53]:Yeah. Why not? So I I the biggest thing I was conflicted about is the weight loss journey that I took. You know, I've always been, like, sort of an organic whole foods farm to table type eater. But to lose weight, quickly and sustainably, it's difficult to do it on whole food. It just takes a lot longer. Now I was eating whole foods. It wasn't like a liquid diet or anything. But, like, it is success breeds success.Jason Derusha [00:19:21]:And when you start when you lose that £10 in 2 weeks, you're like, oh, I can do this and then do it. Like, for me, I needed that. Other people, you know, maybe you can lose £40 in 2 years and do it by eating more salads and be more careful. But, like, getting the protein you need and the nutrients and all of that, it's it's just difficult if you go on a severe calorie restriction diet. It's difficult.Stephanie [00:19:45]:It's interesting too. I think for what we're seeing in the media now, like, everyone not everyone, but a lot of people are on the weight loss drugs and taking the shots. Many people are talking about it, many people aren't. Some are talking privately. And as someone who's a bigger person, like I'm not obese, but I'm a size 12 or 14 usually. I think about like, can I manage my weight with a magic, like, pill and No? Do that? Like, that feels like it could be amazing. And then they're also finding that with the reduced inflammation, people are happier or less depressed Yeah. Or sex.Stephanie [00:20:27]:It's like, oh my gosh. Is this the miracle drug? But then at the same time, as people who champion the food space, can you make food the the devil in that situation and still talk about it? It's it's something I both my radio partner and I have talked about a lot.Jason Derusha [00:20:46]:It's tricky. Right? Like, I am cheering for small business. I'm cheering for creativity, for innovation. So I'm cheering for that. Food is and I love food. We love, eating out. We love the experience of it. But food is really I mean, food is the vessel for all this other stuff.Jason Derusha [00:21:13]:Right? So is it do I love, love, love the particular dish, or do I love the experience? So I think, like, you know, you and your radio partner, Stephanie and I, I think the 3 of us have sort of a similar approach as to what makes restaurants, fun and what makes eating out fun. And it's really it's more the social experience, the room, the way you feel, the people you're with. Like, yes, good food, technique, all of that matters, but the other stuff matters more. And so when I was losing weight, my wife and I, you know, we had to sort of radically reenvision what we're gonna do for fun. So because we knew, like, you know, what would we do on a Saturday if we had a day free? Like, go to a maybe go to a a tap room or maybe go to a bar. It's like we can't do that. So we're like, alright. Let's go for a hike or, you know, you're trying some different stuff.Jason Derusha [00:22:17]:It's interesting as you age too. Right? Like, it's I can't eat the way I did 10 years ago.Stephanie [00:22:23]:And, also, like, I became recently aware, which why it took so long, I don't know, of, like, that what I view as fun is always food related. It's always my go to thing, and IJason Derusha [00:22:36]:don't Yeah.Stephanie [00:22:37]:I don't think about, like, oh, let's go have a bike ride. I think about let's go have a bike ride to this brewery or this orchard or it's like the destination, not the journey.Jason Derusha [00:22:47]:We're trying to, like you know, we went to a a show at the Guthrie a couple weeks ago. It's like, oh, and we loved it. And it's like, okay. Let's, like, let's remember to kind of, you know, Yeah. Sprinkle the other stuff into.Stephanie [00:23:03]:I want to, just thank you for some of the folks you've had on Derusha Eats. I was, thinking about Manny from Manny's,Jason Derusha [00:23:11]:Tortoise. Yeah.Stephanie [00:23:13]:25 years, Manny Gonzalez has been over there doing the work, and I was just really taken aback when he said he'd never been on the radio in 25 years. And I thought, well, good for you for having him on, and, wow, why did it take us so long? You just there's so many great voices out there and so much more to our food scene than the typical, you know, James Beard award winning chef. Right?Jason Derusha [00:23:38]:Yeah. Yeah. It that was a lesson I learned in my TV years of doing stories on restaurants. The audience resonated with, like, the neighborhood pizza place a lot more than the James Beard award type place. And, like, I don't know. I think about that often. Right? Like, people get more jazzed about mama's pizza in Saint Paul or Latah Latifs inStephanie [00:24:06]:Plymouth. Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:24:07]:Where they've got, like, the diamond it's sort of the diamond shaped cut. You know, people resonate with that more, and that makes sense. Right? Like, it's the reason The Cheesecake Factory back in the day was, like, the biggest restaurant opening of that year. Yeah. Because, people don't like feeling dumb. They don't like looking at menus where they don't know what the ingredients are, or they don't know how to say it. And neighborhood pizza places are awesome. Right? Like, they support the softball teams, and they support the youth, soccer teams.Jason Derusha [00:24:44]:And so I've always tried to give those guys a voice. It is it is a balance of, like, how do you keep it? So what really helps me is my producer, Dan Cook, does not care about restaurants at all. He doesn't care. He is mister meat and potatoes. He doesn't know anything that I'm talking about. And so when I do an interview where he's like, oh, that was really interesting. Like, he loved the Manny Gonzalez in the interview. And you're like, okay.Jason Derusha [00:25:13]:That's really what I'm trying to do. So I I do think about that a lot. Like, I definitely light up with the classics more. So, like, the Bilkoslag from Jack'sStephanie [00:25:26]:Game Fair. That was a great interview too.Jason Derusha [00:25:28]:Like, the though those ones, always sorta get me going. So it's something that I think about. Like, this month, we're gonna have, Murray's, Tim Murray, and we're gonna have JD Hoyt's. But we're also gonna have a case, Johnson who just, has this, you know, chicken tenders type Yep. Restaurant. So, like, I try to think, you know, can we have more women on? Can we have more people of color on? Do we have the classics who don't get the love on? Like, I'm always trying to think of that stuff.Stephanie [00:26:08]:You doJason Derusha [00:26:08]:have the new new the new new new, I always get nervous about on broadcast. Because if you're reading my stuff in Minnesota Monthly, you opt in. If you're going to a new place, you know. Like, Jason may love it, and you may go on another day, and it might be a train wreck. And that's sort of buyer beware. If you go to a place in the 1st 2 or 3 months, that's gonna happen.Stephanie [00:26:32]:Do you feel like a food reviewer? I mean, that's your title technically in Minnesota Monthly, but I feel like you carved out this other seat for yourself.Jason Derusha [00:26:41]:Yeah. I always feel a little awkward considering myself a critic. I mean, it it's the easiest way for people to understand it, but I'm not doing as much reviewing anymore. And part of the problem with reviewing versus recommending is that to really critically review a place, you need to go 3 times.Stephanie [00:27:05]:Absolutely.Jason Derusha [00:27:06]:You just do. It's not fair to roast somebody. And I can write a review and do the old, you know, crap sandwich with, like, this was good. This was good. Oh, this needs a little work. This was good. And I feel okay doing that on one visit, But, you know, mostly people wanna know where to go and what to order. And so, because I don't have the budget to really adequately review, you gotta do what you can do.Jason Derusha [00:27:38]:So,Stephanie [00:27:38]:like, I company is gonna send you 10 times like they used to send Ruth Reichl at the New York Times.Jason Derusha [00:27:44]:So I just try to carve out my area. I think people know that I'm honest. I'm not gonna deceive them. I'm not gonna puff up a place that's not good. But if I never talk about a place, you probably know why.Stephanie [00:27:58]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:27:58]:Like, I don't like it.Stephanie [00:28:00]:Yeah. And it doesn't help sometimes, I think, either to pounce on a place once everyone's identified that it's not great.Jason Derusha [00:28:07]:No. And there is I I think there is a space for, like, informed recommendation. Right? We have, like, the TikTok, Instagram world of, like, this is open. Whoo. Like, you have that. And that has its usefulness too. Like, people like to chase that. That's fun.Jason Derusha [00:28:23]:But I try to be like, alright. I'm gonna I'm gonna give you an informed recommendation. It's not quite a review. I don't know. I I I try I try. It's a it's a tricky thing. Right? Like, what does the audience want? Do people people always say they want critical reviews, but, like, just not about their favorite place. Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:28:46]:Exactly. People really want critical reviews. I I don't know.Stephanie [00:28:51]:I don't know. What's next for you? You've launched your substack. I've got 10 minutes left. And in that 10 minutes, I wanna know what's next and also the most embarrassing thing in your refrigerator.Jason Derusha [00:29:07]:So what's next? For for me, I am hoping to launch, like, a more unified brand. I have, like, all of these different things under my umbrella, and none of it looks the same. None of it has the same logo. Not you're like, what are we doing here? So I I like to unify things a little bit. You know, the Substack, you sort of inspired me to switch over to Substack from doing, like, a Mailchimp email I was doing. I've loved that outlet. So that's been really fun. You know, trying to figure out, like, Minnesota Monthly pays me to write.Jason Derusha [00:29:47]:Like, I gotta write for them. Like, I'm not saving it all for the newsletter. Like Yep. How do you make that work is something that I'm sort of working on. But I would like the other thing that I would like to launch, and I do release my restaurant interviews in podcast form. And over the next year, I I sort of wanna figure out, like, what is the right way to do that. Should I be you know, I experimented. I did an interview with Sameh Wadi where we taped it ahead of time instead of doing it live on the radio.Jason Derusha [00:30:18]:And so I spent 45 minutes with him asking questions, and so it was a longer podcast, and I think people like that. So trying to figure out, like, how do I do the radio? You know, I'm doing 3 hours of radio a day, so it doesn't leave as much free time as, you know, my family jokes that I work 3 hours, but you're like, wellStephanie [00:30:38]:An hour and a half of prep for every hour on the radio.Jason Derusha [00:30:41]:It takes a little bit of reading and planning and all of that. So that's you know, I I the the concrete plan is relaunch jason to russia.com. There's that website was built, like, 8 years ago. I'd like to freshen that up. So brand refresh, website refresh, those are the big plans for the next year. Try not to get fired during this political stretch. Don't get canceled. All ofStephanie [00:31:10]:those things. What's embarrassing that's in your fridge?Jason Derusha [00:31:13]:Oh, what is embarrassing that's in my fridge? There's currently a bottle of Kirkland, sparkling rose in my fridge.Stephanie [00:31:23]:But it is kinda good.Jason Derusha [00:31:25]:It's kinda good. I, you know, I mean, that's a little embarrassing.Stephanie [00:31:30]:That's funny.Jason Derusha [00:31:31]:Yeah. Yeah. That's probably that's probably the most embarrassing thing in there right now.Stephanie [00:31:37]:You know what else is kinda interesting about you? And I work for freelance myself. Mhmm. So I'm 1099 everywhere I work. And I see myself as my own company, my own brand. I also see you as seeing yourself like that, and that's interesting to me and a shift for you.Jason Derusha [00:31:56]:Yeah. At some point, that might be where it goes. I will say, like, as someone sort of new to the side hustle world, it's exhausting.Stephanie [00:32:07]:Yeah. It's really hard.Jason Derusha [00:32:08]:Like, you're pitching yourself all the time.Stephanie [00:32:11]:It's very hard.Jason Derusha [00:32:13]:And, you know, trying there's something to be said for, like, every 2 weeks. Like, the check comes. Yeah. The regular job. It's kinda nice. So when you're, you know, when you're pitching yourself a lot for a $1,000 here or for a trade out, like, oh,Stephanie [00:32:36]:okay. Free meal.Jason Derusha [00:32:39]:Yeah. You you know, I don't do a ton of that, but, like, it it does get exhausting. And then you have different you have different clients who have different needs. So, like, you know, one of the things I'm struggling with right now is there's a there's a restaurant owner who owns, I don't know, 5 or 6 different local restaurants. I love these restaurants. So he asked me about, like, doing influencing for him, doing a little digital campaign. And the trick is, like, at what point, like, if I'm getting if I'm getting paid, like, how many restaurants is that okay for? Like, do people start doubting my reviews? Does that or my recommendations? Like, how do you keep integrity in what you're doing, but also, like, keep the lights on so you canStephanie [00:33:30]:do it? It's a it's a line, and I don't have the answer because I've struggled with it myself. All I can say is if you are approaching it with integrity, but I don't know. When someone sells an endorsement for you on the radio station, they're making $80 and, you know, you're making $5,000. Right. SoJason Derusha [00:33:52]:Right.Stephanie [00:33:52]:I I did an endorsement for Certix, which I know you've done. And people still I mean, people will associate me with Certix till the end of time.Jason Derusha [00:34:01]:Yeah. Yeah. And it'sStephanie [00:34:03]:great because I love the family and I that's why I did the project that I did because I really enjoy them as people and stewards of northeast. But, yeah, it does close doors, and, you know, was it worth it? I don't know.Jason Derusha [00:34:16]:Right. Yeah. It's a little tricky just trying to figure that out. And, like, if I were not writing for Minnesota Monthly, then I wouldn't even worry about it.Stephanie [00:34:27]:Yeah. It would be different for sure.Jason Derusha [00:34:28]:But, like, in the Minnesota Monthly thing is, opens a lot of doors for me. Right? When you say you're the food writer, I mean, how many food writers are there for regional magazines across the country? 15? 10? I know. There are not that many. So, like, so that's sort of a job where it's like it pays for itself. Like, who cares that I don't get paid that much for it? It opens so many doors. So but then if you're not gonna cash in on those doors opening, what are you doing? So, like, trying to figure it all of that stuff is I spend a lot of time thinking about that.Stephanie [00:35:06]:Me too.Jason Derusha [00:35:07]:Yeah. Just trying to keep integrity and also, like, make things worth your time.Stephanie [00:35:14]:And with that, as my free Zoom subscription is winding downJason Derusha [00:35:19]:That's right. That's all that's all we're doing. How many free like, I edit my video on a free video editing? Yes, sir. WeStephanie [00:35:28]:have 3 minutes left to wrap it up.Jason Derusha [00:35:32]:That's right. I invoice using Google Sheets.Stephanie [00:35:35]:Yep. No. I I know.Jason Derusha [00:35:36]:My accounting is like my emails and try you know, it's all a train wreck.Stephanie [00:35:41]:Yes. It is. But it's been super fun to spend time with you and just to I wanted to just tell you you're doing a good job and Thank you. Tell you I've noticed that there's growth happening and that I think what you did took a lot of courage, and I've been a a fan. And I it'sJason Derusha [00:35:58]:fun listening. That means a lot, especially coming from you because I just respect kind of the way you have conducted your business and figured all of this out. And, I think both of us sort of follow what we think is fun and then hope the business type things sort of follow. Yeah. It's worked out okay, I think, for both of us.Stephanie [00:36:19]:So far so good.Jason Derusha [00:36:20]:We'll knockStephanie [00:36:21]:on some wood that we're not both fired inJason Derusha [00:36:23]:the middle of the day. That's right.Stephanie [00:36:25]:Alright. Thanks, Caitlin.Jason Derusha [00:36:27]:Thanks, Stephanie.Stephanie [00:36:28]:Okay. Where do you want people to follow you?Jason Derusha [00:36:32]:Instagram is good. Instagram or Facebook is probably the best way. Right? Like, they can get my my radio show podcast is everywhere, so we upload every segment and all of that. So those are probably the best.Stephanie [00:36:46]:Alright. Well, thanks for being on, and I really appreciate your time.Jason Derusha [00:36:49]:Thanks, Steph.Stephanie [00:36:50]:Okay. Bye bye.Jason Derusha [00:36:51]:See you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Jason DeRusha Substack Newsletter here The DeRusha Download: official newsletter of Jason DeRusha TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's dish, the podcast where we talk to people that are obsessed with food. And, Jason Derusha, I don't know how you feel about being introduced as being obsessed with food. I probably should start with that you're a very professional broadcaster first.Jason Derusha [00:00:32]:I'm pretty obsessed, though, so I think it works. I think it works.Stephanie [00:00:36]:Jason is the host of Drive Time with Derusha from 3 to 6 on WCCO Radio. And you may have known him from making the leap from being a TV news anchor to a broadcaster over in the audio space. You and I are are friendly. We, see each other at things and we chat and you've been super helpful for me in my freelance journey. But I just really wanted to chat with you about, like, how's it going? Most people, I think, see the idea of being on, like, the evening news and then going to AM radio as a step back. But I thought it was super fascinating for you, and I'd just love to see how it's going.Jason Derusha [00:01:18]:Well, thank you, and I appreciate you asking me. It is, I I had to get over my own sort of mental block as to whether or not this was a step back. And, also, like, is that even a relevant question? Like, who cares if it's a step back? Right? But, all of these things are sort of wrapped up in, oh, gosh. It just goes back to, like, when you're a kid. Right? Like, what was your vision of yourself? Is it okay to stop and say, like, I think I've achieved what I need to achieve? And that that sort of I don't know. It was an emotional decision for me because very much my identity was wrapped up in being the TV news guy.Stephanie [00:02:03]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:02:04]:And probably for my 1st year at WCCO Radio, when I would do events, I would I would, still, like, sort of struggle with how do I introduce myself. And even stuff like talking to my my, kids about you know, as an alum of Marquette University, when I was the morning news anchor, like, there was some prestige with that. When you are the afternoon radio talk show host on AM radio, It's just a little different for a younger generation. I will say this. Releasing yourself from sort of the burden of your own self expectations is incredibly liberating. And doing something because you wanna grow and you wanna challenge yourself and you want to be sort of okay at something and then get better, oh my gosh. Like, it has been so invigorating for me. I'm so glad I did it.Stephanie [00:03:07]:It's such a weird thing too because I came from radio and did then go to TV.Jason Derusha [00:03:14]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:03:14]:And and people act like TV is like the holy grail, but yet you've been doing something for 15 years over here. And the mediums are both broadcast, but the way you interact with people is super different.Jason Derusha [00:03:28]:Yes. Yeah. I've found you know, morning news and talk radio have a little more in common than when I was on the nighttime news. I remember when I was the Good Question reporter in the 10 o'clock news at WCCO TV. When I went to the morning show, all of a sudden, there was this much more personal intimate connection with the audience. And doing talk radio is like next level of that. Where on television, like, people got little glimpses into my life. And on radio, you know, all last week, and we're recording this in early September, but when when I was at the Minnesota State Fair, people were coming up to me wishing me good luck at dropping off my oldest at NYU because they knew this weekend I was going to New York to drop off my oldest.Jason Derusha [00:04:17]:Like, they just have that relationship with you, which is really fun. I mean, I think I've always had, maybe more of a personal relationship with the audience and, like, the traditional, you know, stand on mount anchor desk and deliver the sermon sort of TV news anchor that's never really been me. But it's just different when you have 3 hours to talk to people. You know?Stephanie [00:04:39]:One thing that's really struck me as a talk radio fan, and I have been for, I don't know, my whole life really from the time that my dad made me listen to WCCO in the 5th grade on the drive to school. I'm very impressed with how you handle this time that we're in where politics is so polarizing and people are just so feeling their feels all the time and really need to share those feelings with you. I just was noticing on, posts that you did that someone was mad that you weren't at the state fair on Labor Day and it's like, wow. People. But, also, I love the way that you you let people have their opinions, but you also don't let them abuse you, and I think there's a difference.Jason Derusha [00:05:26]:Yeah. Yeah. It's tricky. I mean, in TV news, I spent 25 years trying to get the audience to trust me. And part of that is, especially in morning news, you wanna be liked. Not that you shy away from asking tough questions, but you wanna do it in a likable way. That's what the audience wants. And here in in the talk space, it's it's hard.Jason Derusha [00:05:56]:It would be very easy if I were a left wing talk show host or a right wing talk show host, and then you just play the hits. You are essentially KDWB of political ideas. You play the top 40. You people know what you're gonna do, and you do it. And they like it. And people see in me what they want to see. So if they want to be mad at me and they are, Republicans and you're like you can make a line between Trump supporter I try to with Republican listeners. Like, look.Jason Derusha [00:06:37]:I am open to many Republican ideas. I'm not open to Donald Trump. Like, sorry. He's disqualified himself for me. That is not something I talk about a lot on the show because what's the point Other than making yourself feel, you know, good, I guess. I I I always think of my show as, like, the Thanksgiving table growing up where my uncle was, my uncle was a lawyer. He went to Madison. My grandfather was a hardcore Ronald Reagan Republican.Jason Derusha [00:07:14]:And everyone would duke it out, and everyone was welcome to join in. You're sort of expected to join in. And it was fine. Today, we've taken and I get it. Some of the issues we're talking about are very fundamental issues to different people. Right? It's it's a very white male sort of, privileged position to say, like, most of these issues for me are not life and death. But I also think it's not good for political discourse that we've turned everything into life or or death. And I don't I don't know that that what does that get us? Do we have better discussions? Do we have better participation? Do we have better policy because we've turned everything into a fundamental life and death, good or evil question? I I don't see a benefit to it.Jason Derusha [00:08:06]:So I try not to do that on my show.Stephanie [00:08:09]:I have noticed a change in you from when you first started broadcasting on the station, and I thought this was interesting because as a TV newsperson, you weren't supposed to have a lot of personality. You were supposed to be fairly impartial and just like a blank slate ofJason Derusha [00:08:27]:Yeah. The news for you. Star. Right? The news is the star, not me.Stephanie [00:08:32]:And I think it took you a little while to find your rhythm of how what to push, what buttons to push, how hard to push. And I'm really, pleasantly surprised and encouraged of the progress that you've made. I think you're just doing great.Jason Derusha [00:08:48]:It it's so nice, it's so nice of you to say that. I have had a tremendous coach at the radio station, and the thing I miss most about TV is the team. And I was more I don't know. I coworkers called me the CFO of our morning show. Mhmm. And that stood for chief feelings officer. My job was to sort of keep the trains on the track and make sure everyone felt heard and validated. And I didn't always tell people they were right, but they always were heard.Jason Derusha [00:09:24]:And so my job was to lift everybody else up. Well, in radio, it's just it's me and a producer. That's it. And we have a a brand manager who's, like, a program director of WCCO Radio, Brad Lane. And he's been tremendous, you know, and you can talk to any of my managers over the year. I've always have good relationship with managers, but I generally don't like to be told, what to do. Typical, media Broadcaster. Broadcaster.Jason Derusha [00:09:55]:Right? But in this case, like, I needed guidance. I needed coaching. I didn't really know how to do this. I I knew how to host, and I knew how to interview, but I didn't really know how to navigate talk radio today, which is different from talk radio 10 years ago. 10 years ago, if you could frame the issue well, people would call in. Today, people react to talk radio sort of like they do a a Facebook status update. They wanna know your take, and then they'll react.Stephanie [00:10:24]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:10:25]:Well, that took me a lot of work because, you know, do people really wanna hear my take? Is my take valid? Do I you know, it's all of those issues. And even as someone who's always had sort of an outsized personality in town, I still had that doubt of, like, do I really do I know what I'm talking about? Why are people really and he the the way Brad phrases it is he's like, what is your show about? What is your show about? And a lot of people ask me that. What is your show about? Which is such a funny question because you and I both, like, grew up listening to talk radio. So, like, I grew up in Chicago. WGN talk radio was part of my life. And then there was an FM talk radio, the loop in Chicago. That was more comedians, a little more edgy, a little younger. And you're like, talk radio is about well, fundamentally, it's about whatever the host wants to talk about.Jason Derusha [00:11:25]:So, like, you know, your show that you do, what is your show about? Well, like, the subject matter is food, but, like, it's really about your lens, what you care about. And that seems so egotistical. You're like, oh, it's all about me? Yeah. But it kind of is. Right? That's kinda what it is. So I it took a while for me to learn that. It took honestly, I would say it took a year of doing it 5 days a week until I really got comfortable with it. And I still feel like I'm good, not great.Jason Derusha [00:12:01]:Whereas after 25 years of TV, not being arrogant, but I think I was great. Yeah. And so it's kind of fun to not be great at something and learn it. I've enjoyed that.Stephanie [00:12:14]:Yeah. And I think it's revealed a lot about you as a person, that is hard to tap into and to be vulnerable and to let people see that side. Particularly, you know, we're performing these shows in a really polarizing time and in a time where people just they go after you. I mean, the amount of personal attack that hosts receive on something as benign as a food show, it's real.Jason Derusha [00:12:46]:I'm surprised by it, to be honest. And I'm a very online person, so I shouldn't be surprised by it. But, what's happened, and certainly you get it from people listening to you, but the people who actually listen, get it for the most part. Like, there's some attack, but mostly the listeners I don't know. All during the fair, I have people coming up telling me that, like, they disagree with me politically, but they really like how I do my show, which that's the best. Yeah. But part of the challenge with the digital world and the social media world is, you know, like, I I said this to someone this morning. How much of my energy am I supposed to spend on someone who doesn't listen and never will listen? So all day, every day, both the Republicans and the Democrats run against the media right now.Jason Derusha [00:13:41]:The media is the media where's the media? Why doesn't the media say this? Why is this the headline? Why are you framing it this way? Media, media, media, media, which is sort of interesting considering, supposedly, no one cares about the media anymore, and no one lets no one reads, no one subscribes, no one so you're like, but but it's a great boogie, man. Right? Like, if you run against the media, you don't have to confront the fact that your candidate maybe sucks. Right? Like, it's my fault. And that's been a bit of a challenge for me to figure out, like, obviously, I want to convince people to give my show a chance, but I think most of the people who are engaging in sort of a negative way, are not convincible. Right? Like, they're not so how much of my energy am I supposed to spend on that? I don't know. It's a bit of a challenge.Stephanie [00:14:34]:Well and I do think they listen. I think that people love to have feelings and emotions. And if they're not sure where to have them or they are in a place in their life where they're lonely or they're othered or whatever the case may be, I think sometimes people tune in just to feel something because they feel empty inside.Jason Derusha [00:14:59]:Yeah. Yeah. And you get I don't know. Like, I always try to remember that there are and the same is true of callers or texters on radio. There are a lot more people who are listening, who are lurkers. Right? Like, that's what we would call them on Facebook or Twitter, the lurkers. So by modeling sort of reasonable, friendly, but passionate discussion, I think there's some benefit to that for the people who are observing and don't wanna jump into the mess.Stephanie [00:15:34]:Do you ever think about getting off Twitter? I know a lot of media personalities have.Jason Derusha [00:15:39]:I do. I do. But, mostly, I enjoy it. Like, mostly, I get positive interaction out of it. I've started to curate it a little more. Like, I mute a lot of people that you know, if I feel someone getting my blood pressure rising, I'll just mute them. It's okay. Like, they don't need, like, block.Jason Derusha [00:15:58]:I don't need to do that. But, like, I and people who I have a policy, if you call me or my family a name, you just get blocked. Like, there's no I don't need that. So I I do think about it. It is one of those things where you're like, the upside of something like Twitter acts. The upside is you get a lot of audience. I have, I don't know, 80,000 followers there. Certainly, most people don't see all of that stuff, and who knows how many are are relevant.Jason Derusha [00:16:33]:But, you know, a a normal tweet of mine might get seen might get, you know, 10, 20, 30000. Like, that's pretty good.Stephanie [00:16:42]:It's also so immediate when you're on the air. Like Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:16:45]:You need. For show, it's amazing. Like, what I I never think about leaving. I think about and I have adjusted what I will post about, just because it's not really fruitful for the most part. And you think, like, is my voice needed on this topic? Not really. Like, so do I need to weigh in on a lot of political type things? Not really. So I I've sort of, cut down on that. But you're right.Jason Derusha [00:17:15]:Like, from a listening standpoint, from a breaking news standpoint, it's amazing. It's unparalleled, frankly.Stephanie [00:17:22]:Yeah. I would agree with that. You took a weight loss journey, and I think you lost £40 last I checked.Jason Derusha [00:17:29]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:30]:And you've always been someone in the food space. Did that feel conflicting for you to do the weight loss route and at the same time be championing and talking about all the food?Jason Derusha [00:17:44]:Yeah. I mean, people ask me all the time. They're like, how do you eat this much? I'm like, well, I'm, you know, I'm sharing. I'm taking bites or whatever. I do think about it. Right? I think the reason that I lost weight was so I could live, not so I could hide. And so I don't really feel conflicted about that. The truth is, though, could I have lost that weight by eating out 4 nights a week? Probably not.Jason Derusha [00:18:13]:Yeah. So it is a challenge of eating out. I certainly am a little more careful now in how I order. And the way we used to, you know, some of this, like, COVID has changed it, but a normal night for us back in the pre COVID days would be you go somewhere for drinks, go somewhere else for appetizers, go somewhere else for a main course, and go somewhere else for dessert and drinks. And thinking about that while I was on the weight loss journey, like, I was probably eating 4000 3 or 4000 calories a night just in that. Like, not lunch, not breakfast. And so that's not sustainable. But can I do that occasionally? Sure.Jason Derusha [00:18:53]:Yeah. Why not? So I I the biggest thing I was conflicted about is the weight loss journey that I took. You know, I've always been, like, sort of an organic whole foods farm to table type eater. But to lose weight, quickly and sustainably, it's difficult to do it on whole food. It just takes a lot longer. Now I was eating whole foods. It wasn't like a liquid diet or anything. But, like, it is success breeds success.Jason Derusha [00:19:21]:And when you start when you lose that £10 in 2 weeks, you're like, oh, I can do this and then do it. Like, for me, I needed that. Other people, you know, maybe you can lose £40 in 2 years and do it by eating more salads and be more careful. But, like, getting the protein you need and the nutrients and all of that, it's it's just difficult if you go on a severe calorie restriction diet. It's difficult.Stephanie [00:19:45]:It's interesting too. I think for what we're seeing in the media now, like, everyone not everyone, but a lot of people are on the weight loss drugs and taking the shots. Many people are talking about it, many people aren't. Some are talking privately. And as someone who's a bigger person, like I'm not obese, but I'm a size 12 or 14 usually. I think about like, can I manage my weight with a magic, like, pill and No? Do that? Like, that feels like it could be amazing. And then they're also finding that with the reduced inflammation, people are happier or less depressed Yeah. Or sex.Stephanie [00:20:27]:It's like, oh my gosh. Is this the miracle drug? But then at the same time, as people who champion the food space, can you make food the the devil in that situation and still talk about it? It's it's something I both my radio partner and I have talked about a lot.Jason Derusha [00:20:46]:It's tricky. Right? Like, I am cheering for small business. I'm cheering for creativity, for innovation. So I'm cheering for that. Food is and I love food. We love, eating out. We love the experience of it. But food is really I mean, food is the vessel for all this other stuff.Jason Derusha [00:21:13]:Right? So is it do I love, love, love the particular dish, or do I love the experience? So I think, like, you know, you and your radio partner, Stephanie and I, I think the 3 of us have sort of a similar approach as to what makes restaurants, fun and what makes eating out fun. And it's really it's more the social experience, the room, the way you feel, the people you're with. Like, yes, good food, technique, all of that matters, but the other stuff matters more. And so when I was losing weight, my wife and I, you know, we had to sort of radically reenvision what we're gonna do for fun. So because we knew, like, you know, what would we do on a Saturday if we had a day free? Like, go to a maybe go to a a tap room or maybe go to a bar. It's like we can't do that. So we're like, alright. Let's go for a hike or, you know, you're trying some different stuff.Jason Derusha [00:22:17]:It's interesting as you age too. Right? Like, it's I can't eat the way I did 10 years ago.Stephanie [00:22:23]:And, also, like, I became recently aware, which why it took so long, I don't know, of, like, that what I view as fun is always food related. It's always my go to thing, and IJason Derusha [00:22:36]:don't Yeah.Stephanie [00:22:37]:I don't think about, like, oh, let's go have a bike ride. I think about let's go have a bike ride to this brewery or this orchard or it's like the destination, not the journey.Jason Derusha [00:22:47]:We're trying to, like you know, we went to a a show at the Guthrie a couple weeks ago. It's like, oh, and we loved it. And it's like, okay. Let's, like, let's remember to kind of, you know, Yeah. Sprinkle the other stuff into.Stephanie [00:23:03]:I want to, just thank you for some of the folks you've had on Derusha Eats. I was, thinking about Manny from Manny's,Jason Derusha [00:23:11]:Tortoise. Yeah.Stephanie [00:23:13]:25 years, Manny Gonzalez has been over there doing the work, and I was just really taken aback when he said he'd never been on the radio in 25 years. And I thought, well, good for you for having him on, and, wow, why did it take us so long? You just there's so many great voices out there and so much more to our food scene than the typical, you know, James Beard award winning chef. Right?Jason Derusha [00:23:38]:Yeah. Yeah. It that was a lesson I learned in my TV years of doing stories on restaurants. The audience resonated with, like, the neighborhood pizza place a lot more than the James Beard award type place. And, like, I don't know. I think about that often. Right? Like, people get more jazzed about mama's pizza in Saint Paul or Latah Latifs inStephanie [00:24:06]:Plymouth. Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:24:07]:Where they've got, like, the diamond it's sort of the diamond shaped cut. You know, people resonate with that more, and that makes sense. Right? Like, it's the reason The Cheesecake Factory back in the day was, like, the biggest restaurant opening of that year. Yeah. Because, people don't like feeling dumb. They don't like looking at menus where they don't know what the ingredients are, or they don't know how to say it. And neighborhood pizza places are awesome. Right? Like, they support the softball teams, and they support the youth, soccer teams.Jason Derusha [00:24:44]:And so I've always tried to give those guys a voice. It is it is a balance of, like, how do you keep it? So what really helps me is my producer, Dan Cook, does not care about restaurants at all. He doesn't care. He is mister meat and potatoes. He doesn't know anything that I'm talking about. And so when I do an interview where he's like, oh, that was really interesting. Like, he loved the Manny Gonzalez in the interview. And you're like, okay.Jason Derusha [00:25:13]:That's really what I'm trying to do. So I I do think about that a lot. Like, I definitely light up with the classics more. So, like, the Bilkoslag from Jack'sStephanie [00:25:26]:Game Fair. That was a great interview too.Jason Derusha [00:25:28]:Like, the though those ones, always sorta get me going. So it's something that I think about. Like, this month, we're gonna have, Murray's, Tim Murray, and we're gonna have JD Hoyt's. But we're also gonna have a case, Johnson who just, has this, you know, chicken tenders type Yep. Restaurant. So, like, I try to think, you know, can we have more women on? Can we have more people of color on? Do we have the classics who don't get the love on? Like, I'm always trying to think of that stuff.Stephanie [00:26:08]:You doJason Derusha [00:26:08]:have the new new the new new new, I always get nervous about on broadcast. Because if you're reading my stuff in Minnesota Monthly, you opt in. If you're going to a new place, you know. Like, Jason may love it, and you may go on another day, and it might be a train wreck. And that's sort of buyer beware. If you go to a place in the 1st 2 or 3 months, that's gonna happen.Stephanie [00:26:32]:Do you feel like a food reviewer? I mean, that's your title technically in Minnesota Monthly, but I feel like you carved out this other seat for yourself.Jason Derusha [00:26:41]:Yeah. I always feel a little awkward considering myself a critic. I mean, it it's the easiest way for people to understand it, but I'm not doing as much reviewing anymore. And part of the problem with reviewing versus recommending is that to really critically review a place, you need to go 3 times.Stephanie [00:27:05]:Absolutely.Jason Derusha [00:27:06]:You just do. It's not fair to roast somebody. And I can write a review and do the old, you know, crap sandwich with, like, this was good. This was good. Oh, this needs a little work. This was good. And I feel okay doing that on one visit, But, you know, mostly people wanna know where to go and what to order. And so, because I don't have the budget to really adequately review, you gotta do what you can do.Jason Derusha [00:27:38]:So,Stephanie [00:27:38]:like, I company is gonna send you 10 times like they used to send Ruth Reichl at the New York Times.Jason Derusha [00:27:44]:So I just try to carve out my area. I think people know that I'm honest. I'm not gonna deceive them. I'm not gonna puff up a place that's not good. But if I never talk about a place, you probably know why.Stephanie [00:27:58]:Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:27:58]:Like, I don't like it.Stephanie [00:28:00]:Yeah. And it doesn't help sometimes, I think, either to pounce on a place once everyone's identified that it's not great.Jason Derusha [00:28:07]:No. And there is I I think there is a space for, like, informed recommendation. Right? We have, like, the TikTok, Instagram world of, like, this is open. Whoo. Like, you have that. And that has its usefulness too. Like, people like to chase that. That's fun.Jason Derusha [00:28:23]:But I try to be like, alright. I'm gonna I'm gonna give you an informed recommendation. It's not quite a review. I don't know. I I I try I try. It's a it's a tricky thing. Right? Like, what does the audience want? Do people people always say they want critical reviews, but, like, just not about their favorite place. Yeah.Jason Derusha [00:28:46]:Exactly. People really want critical reviews. I I don't know.Stephanie [00:28:51]:I don't know. What's next for you? You've launched your substack. I've got 10 minutes left. And in that 10 minutes, I wanna know what's next and also the most embarrassing thing in your refrigerator.Jason Derusha [00:29:07]:So what's next? For for me, I am hoping to launch, like, a more unified brand. I have, like, all of these different things under my umbrella, and none of it looks the same. None of it has the same logo. Not you're like, what are we doing here? So I I like to unify things a little bit. You know, the Substack, you sort of inspired me to switch over to Substack from doing, like, a Mailchimp email I was doing. I've loved that outlet. So that's been really fun. You know, trying to figure out, like, Minnesota Monthly pays me to write.Jason Derusha [00:29:47]:Like, I gotta write for them. Like, I'm not saving it all for the newsletter. Like Yep. How do you make that work is something that I'm sort of working on. But I would like the other thing that I would like to launch, and I do release my restaurant interviews in podcast form. And over the next year, I I sort of wanna figure out, like, what is the right way to do that. Should I be you know, I experimented. I did an interview with Sameh Wadi where we taped it ahead of time instead of doing it live on the radio.Jason Derusha [00:30:18]:And so I spent 45 minutes with him asking questions, and so it was a longer podcast, and I think people like that. So trying to figure out, like, how do I do the radio? You know, I'm doing 3 hours of radio a day, so it doesn't leave as much free time as, you know, my family jokes that I work 3 hours, but you're like, wellStephanie [00:30:38]:An hour and a half of prep for every hour on the radio.Jason Derusha [00:30:41]:It takes a little bit of reading and planning and all of that. So that's you know, I I the the concrete plan is relaunch jason to russia.com. There's that website was built, like, 8 years ago. I'd like to freshen that up. So brand refresh, website refresh, those are the big plans for the next year. Try not to get fired during this political stretch. Don't get canceled. All ofStephanie [00:31:10]:those things. What's embarrassing that's in your fridge?Jason Derusha [00:31:13]:Oh, what is embarrassing that's in my fridge? There's currently a bottle of Kirkland, sparkling rose in my fridge.Stephanie [00:31:23]:But it is kinda good.Jason Derusha [00:31:25]:It's kinda good. I, you know, I mean, that's a little embarrassing.Stephanie [00:31:30]:That's funny.Jason Derusha [00:31:31]:Yeah. Yeah. That's probably that's probably the most embarrassing thing in there right now.Stephanie [00:31:37]:You know what else is kinda interesting about you? And I work for freelance myself. Mhmm. So I'm 1099 everywhere I work. And I see myself as my own company, my own brand. I also see you as seeing yourself like that, and that's interesting to me and a shift for you.Jason Derusha [00:31:56]:Yeah. At some point, that might be where it goes. I will say, like, as someone sort of new to the side hustle world, it's exhausting.Stephanie [00:32:07]:Yeah. It's really hard.Jason Derusha [00:32:08]:Like, you're pitching yourself all the time.Stephanie [00:32:11]:It's very hard.Jason Derusha [00:32:13]:And, you know, trying there's something to be said for, like, every 2 weeks. Like, the check comes. Yeah. The regular job. It's kinda nice. So when you're, you know, when you're pitching yourself a lot for a $1,000 here or for a trade out, like, oh,Stephanie [00:32:36]:okay. Free meal.Jason Derusha [00:32:39]:Yeah. You you know, I don't do a ton of that, but, like, it it does get exhausting. And then you have different you have different clients who have different needs. So, like, you know, one of the things I'm struggling with right now is there's a there's a restaurant owner who owns, I don't know, 5 or 6 different local restaurants. I love these restaurants. So he asked me about, like, doing influencing for him, doing a little digital campaign. And the trick is, like, at what point, like, if I'm getting if I'm getting paid, like, how many restaurants is that okay for? Like, do people start doubting my reviews? Does that or my recommendations? Like, how do you keep integrity in what you're doing, but also, like, keep the lights on so you canStephanie [00:33:30]:do it? It's a it's a line, and I don't have the answer because I've struggled with it myself. All I can say is if you are approaching it with integrity, but I don't know. When someone sells an endorsement for you on the radio station, they're making $80 and, you know, you're making $5,000. Right. SoJason Derusha [00:33:52]:Right.Stephanie [00:33:52]:I I did an endorsement for Certix, which I know you've done. And people still I mean, people will associate me with Certix till the end of time.Jason Derusha [00:34:01]:Yeah. Yeah. And it'sStephanie [00:34:03]:great because I love the family and I that's why I did the project that I did because I really enjoy them as people and stewards of northeast. But, yeah, it does close doors, and, you know, was it worth it? I don't know.Jason Derusha [00:34:16]:Right. Yeah. It's a little tricky just trying to figure that out. And, like, if I were not writing for Minnesota Monthly, then I wouldn't even worry about it.Stephanie [00:34:27]:Yeah. It would be different for sure.Jason Derusha [00:34:28]:But, like, in the Minnesota Monthly thing is, opens a lot of doors for me. Right? When you say you're the food writer, I mean, how many food writers are there for regional magazines across the country? 15? 10? I know. There are not that many. So, like, so that's sort of a job where it's like it pays for itself. Like, who cares that I don't get paid that much for it? It opens so many doors. So but then if you're not gonna cash in on those doors opening, what are you doing? So, like, trying to figure it all of that stuff is I spend a lot of time thinking about that.Stephanie [00:35:06]:Me too.Jason Derusha [00:35:07]:Yeah. Just trying to keep integrity and also, like, make things worth your time.Stephanie [00:35:14]:And with that, as my free Zoom subscription is winding downJason Derusha [00:35:19]:That's right. That's all that's all we're doing. How many free like, I edit my video on a free video editing? Yes, sir. WeStephanie [00:35:28]:have 3 minutes left to wrap it up.Jason Derusha [00:35:32]:That's right. I invoice using Google Sheets.Stephanie [00:35:35]:Yep. No. I I know.Jason Derusha [00:35:36]:My accounting is like my emails and try you know, it's all a train wreck.Stephanie [00:35:41]:Yes. It is. But it's been super fun to spend time with you and just to I wanted to just tell you you're doing a good job and Thank you. Tell you I've noticed that there's growth happening and that I think what you did took a lot of courage, and I've been a a fan. And I it'sJason Derusha [00:35:58]:fun listening. That means a lot, especially coming from you because I just respect kind of the way you have conducted your business and figured all of this out. And, I think both of us sort of follow what we think is fun and then hope the business type things sort of follow. Yeah. It's worked out okay, I think, for both of us.Stephanie [00:36:19]:So far so good.Jason Derusha [00:36:20]:We'll knockStephanie [00:36:21]:on some wood that we're not both fired inJason Derusha [00:36:23]:the middle of the day. That's right.Stephanie [00:36:25]:Alright. Thanks, Caitlin.Jason Derusha [00:36:27]:Thanks, Stephanie.Stephanie [00:36:28]:Okay. Where do you want people to follow you?Jason Derusha [00:36:32]:Instagram is good. Instagram or Facebook is probably the best way. Right? Like, they can get my my radio show podcast is everywhere, so we upload every segment and all of that. So those are probably the best.Stephanie [00:36:46]:Alright. Well, thanks for being on, and I really appreciate your time.Jason Derusha [00:36:49]:Thanks, Steph.Stephanie [00:36:50]:Okay. Bye bye.Jason Derusha [00:36:51]:See you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

What are Mike and Angela's favorite songs to cry to? Can upbeat music lift you out of a bad mood? And what is Angela going to sing the next time she does karaoke? SOURCES:Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology at Princeton University.Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.Joshua Knobe, professor of philosophy, psychology, and linguistics at Yale University.Simon McCarthy-Jones, professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin.Yael Millgram, senior lecturer of psychological sciences at Tel Aviv University.Stanley Milgram, 20th-century American social psychologist.Ruth Reichl, food writer.Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale University.Barbara Tversky, professor emerita of psychology at Stanford University. RESOURCES:"On the Value of Sad Music," by Mario Attie-Picker, Tara Venkatesan, George E. Newman, and Joshua Knobe (The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 2024)."The Reason People Listen to Sad Songs," by Oliver Whang (The New York Times, 2023)."Adele 30: The Psychology of Why Sad Songs Make Us Feel Good," by Simon McCarthy-Jones (The Conversation, 2021)."Why Do Depressed People Prefer Sad Music?" by Sunkyung Yoon, Edelyn Verona, Robert Schlauch, Sandra Schneider, and Jonathan Rottenberg (Emotion, 2020).Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond (2016)."Sad as a Matter of Choice? Emotion-Regulation Goals in Depression," by Yael Millgram, Jutta Joormann, Jonathan D. Huppert, and Maya Tamir (Psychological Science, 2015)."Music and Emotion Through Time," by Michael Tilson Thomas (TED Talk, 2012).Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (2011). EXTRAS:Girl Power Sing-Along with Laurie Santos and Catherine Price, at the Black Squirrel Club in Philadelphia (September 28, 2024)."What Makes a Good Sense of Humor?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos of 'The Happiness Lab' (Replay)," by No Stupid Questions (2023).

Ruth Reichl's latest novel is “The Paris Novel” an adventure through the food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris. Ruth Reichl will be a part of the Spencertown Academy's Festival of Books celebrating its 19th season this Labor Day weekend on August 30th through September 2nd. Ruth Reichl will be speaking at noon Saturday.

On the Saturday August 24, 2024 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we'll meet David Huebert. As the author of two books of short fiction, two poetry collections, and the new novel, Oil People, described by Quill and Quire as “inventive,” “hallucinatory,” and “lushly poetic,” The Literary Review of Canada called him “One of the most captivating authors of the last decade.” He says that after many years of research, writing, and editing, his debut novel, “Oil People,” is now ready for readers. We'll also get to know Ruth Reichl, the New York Times bestselling author of five memoirs, the novel “Delicious!,” and the cookbook “My Kitchen Year.” She was editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, and previously served as restaurant critic for The New York Times, as well as food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. She has been honored with six James Beard Awards. Today we'll talk about her new book “The Paris Novel,” which follows Stella St. Vincent, an introverted thirtysomething, who finds purpose in a search for art, fashion and food on a 1983 Paris trip.

Dan Hong considers the role food has played in diplomacy and politics. Ruth Reichl weaves art and fashion into The Paris Novel, in which her heroine finds herself through food. Sara B. Franklin pays tribute to Judith Jones, the editor responsible for bringing Julia Child and Edna Lewis to American kitchens. At the farmers market, chef Daniel Cutler puts tomatoes and peaches to work at two different restaurants.

Chef, food writer, food critic, and author Ruth Reichl discusses the transformative power of food and culture. “One of the great things to me about food is that you have the ability to touch these moments of grace throughout the day simply by biting into a perfect peach and going, ‘oh my God, I'm glad I'm alive,'" she marvels.Her new book, "The Paris Novel,” explores the connection between food and joy. Reichl's love of food and culture and food writer background shapes the book's main character, who travels to Paris and rediscovers herself through food, art, and other cultural experiences. She also talks about the recent changes in the restaurant industry. “Food has always been my way of seeing the world. I have always looked at the world food-first,” says Reichl.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we look towards the Paris Olympics, anyone looking for a vicarious trip to France should pick up the latest novel from James Beard Award-winning food writer and author Ruth Reichl. In The Paris Novel, a woman named Stella heads to Paris following the death of her estranged mother, and meets an octogenarian who opens her eyes to the world of fine dining and art. Reichl joins us to discuss the novel.

This week on Chewing, Monica and Louisa report back from the James Beard Awards. Monica talks to Outstanding Chef winner Michael Rafidi, Best Chef: Great Lakes winner Hajime Sato, and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ruth Reichl. Then, Monica chats with Capriole Goat Cheese founder Judy Schad and Prairie Grass Cafe chef and co-owner Sarah Stegner. Louisa talks about her story on The Bear and dares Monica and Iris to try a James Beard award-winning chef's cannabis chocolate. Last, Monica catches up with TikTok star Jake Potashnick on finally opening the doors to his new farm-to-table restaurant Feld.   chewing.xyz chicagotribune.com/chewingpodcast facebook.com/chewingpodcast Insta Louisa Chu @louisachu1 Monica Eng @monicaengreporter   Links: Order Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites    Music: Theme music: “Zhong Nan Hai” by Carsick Cars  Outro music: “15 Minutes Older” by Carsick Cars Segments:  “Working for the Knife” by Mitzki “Fly Over States” by Jason Aldean “The Midwest Can Be Alright” by The Gizmos “Grass Canons” by Olivia Tremor Control “A New Day Has Come” by Celine Dion

Join the legendary food critic Ruth Reichl in conversation with host Samuel Goldsmith. They her latest book The Paris Novel, inspired by a personal event in Paris, to her transformative experiences of the LA and New York food scenes. Ruth delves into the lives of her different undercover disguises used for getting a true restaurant experience as well as how the food scene in the US has evolved over the last 20 years. Plus, Ruth's favourite dish and culinary confessions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Sippers, we step away from the world of spirits in this episode to speak with Lucia Palm, creator of the lucialoveswine brand across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. We hear how Lucia moved from culinary school to a career in the restaurant business as a trained sommelier, to create content for fellow wine lovers.  From Certified Wine Pro to Content Creator  With a love of cooking and the perfect wine combos, Lucia found her niche during the pandemic with social media. She started posting images, moved to videos, and quickly became the face of a wine education brand that helps people learn about, appreciate and pick the best wine. While she may be a trained sommelier, Lucia focuses largely on inexpensive wine and shares how to find the best bottles at your local Trader Joe's or Costco.  In this episode, we hear how it all began, what the past three years have been like working on her brand, and her approach to creating brilliant wine content that her fans love. Lucia also takes us through the biggest challenges, the most rewarding parts of the job, fan interactions, and her work with brands.  In This Episode: ·       How Lucia's love of cooking and wine began ·       Lucia's early career in restaurants and how she pivoted to content  ·       What Lucia's early content consisted of ·       How she realized the wine niche was a real business ·       Why Lucia focuses on inexpensive wine ·       Why Lucia favors longer captions with social posts ·       The challenges of public content creation ·       The most rewarding part of being a wine guide ·       Common questions and comments she gets ·       Interacting with fans ·       How her content and brand deals have changed over the past three years ·       Family opinions of her career ·       How Lucia manages different platforms and her plans for YouTube ·       The biggest challenge of her career ·       Who Lucia would love to sip wine with  Resources: ·       Follow Lucia on Instagram ·       Follow Lucia on TikTok ·       Follow her YouTube channel ·       Ruth Reichl's books  This podcast is brought to you by LoveScotch.com and produced by our friends at Content10x.com.  

After years writing and editing "real life" articles and books set in and around the food and restaurant realm, Ruth Reichl recently wrote her first work of fiction, The Paris Novel. The book follows young protagonist Stella as she discovers life's pleasures, and gets to know herself, in the most romantic city on Earth. In this Special Conversation, Ruth discusses the book's genesis, its examination of sensuality, and why writing it allowed her to enjoy the writing process as never before.Huge thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for professionals. Sign up today for a basic  (free) or premium membership. Thanks also to S.Pellegrino. The application process is now open for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-2025!* This was a remote interview. Photo of Andrew & Ruth taken in 2018 at Porter House Bar and Grill by Evan Sung. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Zibby speaks with New York Times bestselling author Ruth Reichl about THE PARIS A NOVEL, a sumptuous, evocative, mouthwatering adventure through the food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris as told by Stella, a woman who stumbles across a vintage store, tries on a fabulous Dior dress, and is changed forever. Ruth reveals how her own transformative experience in a couture dress inspired this novel and then delves into the themes of hope, joy, and fairytale-like transformation. Then, she describes her unexpected career in food writing and the evolution of food culture and then shares her best advice for aspiring writers.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3RtNV6SShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Now there's more! Subscribe to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books on Acast+ and get ad-free episodes. https://plus.acast.com/s/moms-dont-have-time-to-read-books. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth Reichl never thought she'd make a career out of writing about food. But she has, defying expectations and obliterating boundaries at august publications along the way. She's found joy and memory and escape in her writing about food: witness her latest book The Paris Novel. But there is also the theme that has stayed true to Reichl from Berkeley to the L.A. Times, The New York Times to Gourmet magazine and beyond; eating is a political issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Reichl joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about THE PARIS NOVEL, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The concept for this book was born from a section in SAVE ME THE PLUMS, Ruth's 2019 memoir, which prompted her longtime editor, Susan Kamil, to ask for a novel with that as a starting-off point. Ruth talks about why she set the book in the 1980s, as travel then was so different from what it is now. Yes, she dined at all the places mentioned in the book and remarks that she is surprised that more has not been written about Shakespeare and Company, and the Tumbleweeds who lived there. She also shares something personal from her childhood that influenced how she created the character of Stella. Book discussed in this episode: THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl: https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-paris-novel Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Genevieve Kingston: https://youtu.be/ZoQXByI0XMU Terah Shelton Harris: https://youtu.be/9wmUdzlRuJ4 Ann Hood: https://youtu.be/KvHoLDZQSAQ Mary Kay Andrews: https://youtu.be/fPgCOM0Dfxg Simone Gorrindo: https://youtu.be/pgg46TW63SY Megan Miranda: https://youtu.be/VqZ_EEV5JbE Anna Quindlen: https://youtu.be/JiOt8pz9kLo Tamron Hall: https://youtu.be/XIgoGu-Qpc4 Kristin Hannah: https://youtu.be/rQpe4F0jLe8 Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/WgMH-QE2Jb0 Our Latest “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Events: Ann Napolitano: https://youtu.be/VNYNugzjVbo Kate Morton: https://youtu.be/P8nwLRTAaFg Shelby Van Pelt: https://youtu.be/V2RbvnDn_rs Lisa See: https://youtu.be/GV3G-szlWHU Dani Shapiro: https://youtu.be/Qwb4YxxQIPU Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan: https://youtu.be/A4t2w8dat7c Alice Elliott Dark: https://youtu.be/4fgncFSfeM0 Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/fD82fbLJ1Pg Kristin Hannah: https://youtu.be/p4dVHdVZC3I Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/7HmJlMd0V1A Fiona Davis: https://youtu.be/DT-XR5ue_5Q Nita Prose: https://youtu.be/f_Ev0KN8z2M Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Kate and Molly speak with Ruth Reichl, an icon and authority in the food media world, about her breadth of writing experience - restaurant reviews, cookbooks, memoirs, articles and even tweets- and her new book, The Paris Novel. Ruth shares why food is a universal framework, her inspirations for this novel and the process of working with a new editor. She talks about being a "writer who hates writing" and how this process differed from others as well as how she accesses memories to include specificities in her scenes. Finally, she shares her advice to push into the unknown and what she is working on next. Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea NguyenEditor: Abby Cerquitella MentionsRuth ReichlSubstackInstagram Food and Country Film"Why I Disapprove of What I Do" by Ruth ReichlTumbleweed at Shakespeare and Company Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the showThe Paris Novel by Ruth ReichlSave Me the Plums by Ruth ReichlGarlic and Sapphires by Ruth ReichlMy Kitchen Year by Ruth ReichlDelicious! by Ruth ReichlTender at the Bone by Ruth ReichlComfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl

On this week's episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by chef, food writer and bestselling author, Ruth Reichl with her latest novel, The Paris Novel.  Ruth is the former editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, and previously served as restaurant critic for The New York Times, as well as food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. Her popular weekly food newsletter, La Briffe, is hosted on Substack, as is the podcast “Three Ingredients” she produces with Nancy Silverton and Laurie Ochoa. Ms. Reichl has also recently finished producing and starring in a documentary film, Food and Country, which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and will have a theatrical release this summer. This year, the James Beard Foundation honored Ruth with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This is a delicious, stylish conversation about food, books, and the place on everyone's mind this summer, Paris!  Thanks to our wonderful sponsors! This episode of You Are What You Read is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/WHATYOUREAD today to get 10% off your first month. Get it off your chest, with BetterHelp. We'd also like to thank Book of the Month.  Head over to bookofthemonth.com and use Promo Code ADRI to get your first book for just $9.99. Thank you for listening, and thank you for reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A plane ticket to Paris, a vintage Dior dress and a spectacular first-ever oyster — these three things upend the life of Stella, the sheltered, cautious protagonist at the heart of The Paris Novel, a coming-of-age story about losing all inhibitions in one of the world's most romantic cities. In today's episode, author Ruth Reichl speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about indulging in life's simple pleasures, writing in honor of her late editor and choosing to set her story in the Paris of the 1980s. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Welcome to Episode 208, which features a fantastic author spotlight with Sara B. Franklin. Her new biography, THE EDITOR: HOW PUBLISHING LEGEND JUDITH JONES SHAPED CULTURE IN AMERICA, is a must-read. It is not hyperbole to say that everyone reading and eating today has been touched by Judith Jones's work, and Franklin's writing is a delight to read. We had a great Biblio Adventure to Brooklyn with Aunt Ellen. Our goal of making it to THE RIPPED BODICE Bookstore has been achieved, and it was worth the wait! Many of our listeners were avid followers of or found us through Jenny Colvin's podcast, READING ENVY: I'll have what you're reading. Jenny passed away in May of 2022. We miss her, and know that many of you do, too. To honor her memory, we are joining our BookTube friend SHAWN BREATHES BOOKS (formerly Shawn the Book Maniac) and doing something we think Jenny would love – reading books together! We are each choosing one book from Jenny's Goodreads lists. The plan is to read the book by July 1st, Jenny's birthday. We would love for you to join us by reading along with one of our selections or choosing a book of your own. We have a conversation thread on our Goodreads page, and we've created the hashtag #illhavewhatyourereading to use on social media. Let's keep Jenny's love for books alive in our hearts and our reading. In other reading news, you might remember from our last episode that Emily expressed her desire to read Monica Wood's THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. And guess what? It magically appeared in one of her beloved Little Free Libraries. Isn't it a delightful feeling when such serendipitous moments occur? Emily loved the novel. She also read two short stories, “Ernie's Ark” by Monica Wood from the collection ERNIE'S ARK: THE ABBOTT FALLS STORIES and “Chapter Two” by Antonya Nelson in BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2013, edited by Elizabeth Strout. She savored THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl, while Chris unexpectedly found herself engrossed in another book by Cal Newport, DEEP WORK: RULES FOR FOCUSED SUCCESS IN A DISTRACTED WORLD. Both Chris and Emily have been captivated by JAMES by Percival Everett, especially the audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Everett's narrative is a brilliant reinterpretation and expansion of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and Hoffman's performance is simply outstanding. Chris has completed her second reading of MOBY-DICK, an endeavor that was as equally challenging and rewarding as her first encounter with the book. As always, we also talk about what we're currently reading and hoping to read soon. Happy Listening and Happy Reading! Emily and Chris

Food writer and editor Ruth Reichl talks about her new coming-of-age novel set in France, revisiting Shelagh Rogers's 2006 conversation with Alice Munro about her short story collection The View from Castle Rock, Will and Ian Ferguson discuss their love of writing, plus authors Elisabeth de Mariaffi and Andrew Pyper reflect on Alice Munro's legacy.

Ruth Reichl made a name for herself writing about food for The New York Times and Gourmet magazine. And now she turns her talents to the world of fiction – while keeping one foot planted in her first love. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which tells the story of a woman one a life-changing culinary trip to France. It's called “The Paris Novel.”

Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day's food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe. On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel. We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It's so great having Ruth in the studio.Also on the show, many listeners are starting to think about summer vacations and Aliza and Matt talk about some of their favorite destinations to visit for exciting food during the warmer months. These locations include places Chicago, Portland, OR, Kingston, NY, Los Alamos, CA, and Northern Michigan. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM RUTH REICHL:Power Player Past [La Briffe]Ruth Reichl's Ultimate New York City Snack Crawl [The Infatuation]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Best-selling author and former Gourmet Magazine editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl is our guest on today's episode. Ruth joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her latest book, “The Paris Novel,” a tale of self-discovery set in 1983 and filled with food, fashion, and art. Ruth shares the real-life inspiration behind some of the people, places, and meals, and talks about her writing process. “I took a long time writing this because I didn't want to let go of the characters,” she says. Ruth, who has a Substack and a podcast today, also shares her take on food media, dishes out some career advice, and discusses whether her books will ever be adapted for movies or streaming. Thank you to Kerrygold and Veuve Clicquot for supporting our show. Hosted by Kerry DiamondProduced by Catherine Baker and Elizabeth VogtEdited by Jenna SadhuContent Operations Manager Londyn CrenshawRecorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller CenterRadio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here. More on Ruth: Instagram, Substack, Three Ingredients podcast, “The Paris Novel”More on Kerry: Instagram

Stella St. Vincent, a thirty-something copy editor in 1980s New York, has survived a relationship with her mother, Celia, so complicated that even the words “my daughter” give Stella pause. Celia lived life to the fullest, reinventing herself and discarding anything that no longer pleased her, including Stella's father, whom Celia refused even to name. And when Stella rebelled by becoming the exact opposite of her mother—disciplined, buttoned-down, reliant on schedules to guarantee safety—Celia did her best to push her daughter out of that comfort zone before distancing herself from Stella as well. So the bequest in Celia's will is no accident: Stella inherits $8,000, a ticket to Paris, and instructions to spend all the money before returning home. Stella resists until her employer forces her to take a leave of absence. Even then, Stella spends weeks in Paris scheduling every meal and sightseeing tour—until a strange shopkeeper intent on selling a beautiful dress designed by Yves St. Laurent sends Stella on a journey that will expose her to a lost nineteenth-century painting, the artist who created it, her own past, and the sensory experiences that she has denied herself for so long. Captivating and beautifully written, The Paris Novel (Random House, 2024) contrasts the eternal story of a young woman finding herself with a historical mystery involving a nineteenth-century artists' model whose own quest to chart a new course for her life challenged the conventions of her time. Ruth Reichl—author of numerous books about food, former restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, and editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine from 1999 to 2009—has also written two novels: Delicious! (2014) and The Paris Novel (2024). C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her latest book—The Merchant's Tale, cowritten with P.K. Adams—appeared in November 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Writer and reviewer Leah McFall reckons one of the best endorsements for a book is when your friend borrows it and it never comes back. Leah shares three great non-fiction titles currently missing from her bookshelves: Amy Liptrot's The Outrun, Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires and Craig Brown's One, Two. Three, Four.

We're dropping in your feed to let you know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has returned for Season 2 of her award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™! Each week, she has funny, touching, personal conversations with iconic older women who are brimming with the kind of unapologetic attitude and wisdom that only comes with age. Julia sits at the feet of some extraordinary teachers this season and of course her 90-year-old mom, Judy. Tune in to laugh, cry and get wise. All Hail Old Women!    You're about to hear one of our favorite interviews from Season One. On this episode of Wiser Than Me, Julia gets enlightened by 75-year-old food writer, magazine editor, and author Ruth Reichl. From her infamous New York Times review of Le Cirque to greenlighting a controversial David Foster Wallace article in Gourmet, Ruth is as gutsy as they come. Ruth talks to Julia about living with a mom who has bipolar disorder, processing grief through food, and why you should always do things that scare you. Plus, Julia asks her mom Judith what to cook when Ruth accepts an invitation for dinner.   To hear more of Wiser Than Me, head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Our guest is Calvin Trillin.  The journalist, humorist, poet, and novelist started his professional career in the early 1960's at Time Magazine, and soon after became a staff writer for The New Yorker, where he continues to contribute.  He also writes for The Nation.  He is the author of 32 books, including memoir, novels, verse, and food writing.  His new book,“The Lede: Dispatches From A Life in the Press”, collects writings about journalism and its practitioners.  This conversation with writer Steven Winn was recorded at the studios of KQED in San Francisco on February 22, 2024. This was hardly Trillin's first appearance on City Arts & Lectures - he's been on our stage more than any other guest, a total of 19 times since his first appearance in 1982.  So we close out this hour with excerpts from three of those programs that showcase some of Trillin's many talents beyond serious journalism.  Calvin Trillin began writing about regional food specialties during his travels as a reporter, and then in books like “American Fried” and “Alice, Let's Eat”. In 2008, Trillin was joined by two distinguished women of the culinary world, former Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl. and the founder of Berkeley's Chez Panisse, Alice Waters - to discuss one of his obsessions – Buffalo chicken wings.   Calvin Trillin also developed a journalistic sideline that he describes as “Deadline Poet” and in 2012, he explained how that got started to Steven Winn. And finally, no Calvin Trillin City Arts & Lectures program would be complete without the story of the tic-tac-toe-playing chicken of New York's Chinatown.  In a 1998 appearance, Trillin introduced the chicken to actor and comedian Robin Williams and interviewer Wendy Lesser.