Big ideas, strong opinions, and a deadpan Instagram: These are a few of our favorite things. Former pastry chef and current Empellon and Mischa boss man Alex Stupak is a complicated—and incredibly sincere—dude, and in this episode, we have a really spirited conversation about what it’s like to open a new restaurant that isn’t part of the Empellon Mexican multiverse. The food at Mischa is Eastern European, and it’s Stupak’s most personal project to date. We get into that, as well as some big ideas for the future. We hope you enjoy our talk with Alex. MORE FROM ALEX STUPAK:Mischa Opens in Midtown East [NYT]Hang on to Your Wallets, NYC — Here Comes the $29 Hot Dog [NY Post] FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW:instagram.com/alexstupakinstagram.com/mattrodbardinstagram.com/taste

240: Alex Stupak

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<p><strong>Chase Joynt</strong> is a non-fiction filmmaker and writer whose latest film, <a href="https://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/films/stateoffirsts" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>State of Firsts</i></a>, about Rep. Sarah McBride, is playing in theaters across the US from June 26. His documentary features <i>The Nest</i> (with Julietta Singh) and <i>State </i><i>o</i><i>f Firsts</i> both premiered in 2025, at Hot Docs and Tribeca, respectively. His documentary feature <i>Framing Agnes</i> was named a Best Movie of the Year by <em>The New Yorker</em> after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Innovator Award and the NEXT Audience Award. The film has played more than 100 festivals internationally and is distributed by Kino Lorber. With Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase co-directed <i>No Ordinary Man</i>, which was presented at Cannes Docs, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was hailed by <em>The New Yorker</em> as “a genre unto itself” and <em>Indiewire</em> as “the future of trans cinema.” For the CW, Chase directed episodes of <i>Two Sentence Horror Stories</i> which are now streaming on Netflix; his episode <em>Elliot</em> from Season 2 won a Telly Award for directing. He is the co-author of three non-fiction books, including the Lambda Literary Award Finalist <i>You Only Live Twice</i> with Mike Hoolboom and <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i> with Morgan M Page. His latest book, <i>Vantage Points,</i> was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust of Canada Prize for Nonfiction and named a Best Book of the Year by CBC Books, <i>The Walrus</i> and <i>Autostraddle</i>. (Photo by Amos Mac.)</p>


Chase Joynt

Film

A Trans Lens, a Cinema of Defiance

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<p><strong>Curls Ultra</strong> is an underground post groovy rock band and activist network based in America. The band is known for their exhilarating live shows which feature <strong>Boredoms</strong>-esque noise jams, <strong>Can</strong>-inspired kosmiche grooves, and tender ballads depicting the degradation of the American psyche. They have performed at Pitchfork Music Festival, toured across multiple countries and opened for or collaborated with <strong>Tame Impala</strong>, <strong>Ariel Pink</strong>, <strong>Frank Hurricane</strong>, <strong>Sunburned Hand Of The Man</strong>, <strong>Wild Pink</strong>, <strong>Salesforce Child</strong>, and most recently <strong>Tim Heidecker</strong>’s <strong>Dekkar</strong>.</p>
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240: Alex Stupak

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