“Rice is culture”—the spiritual spine of a new restaurant in Harlem—is one of the many big ideas chef and award-winning cookbook author JJ Johnson tackles in this spirited episode. We also go over how the media covers African-American food and the economics of running restaurants in New York City, and he relives a recent trip he took to Puerto Rico. Also on the show, writer Maggie Hoffman talks about her new book, Batch Cocktails. Just in time for all of those backyard parties.

62: JJ Johnson

core/paragraph

usesLabels

hasHeading

reviewHeading

itemLabel

itemValue

lede/review-card-item

lede/review-card

core/audio

core/classic-editor

Podcast

All One Song :: Lee Ranaldo on “Down By the River”

793: The Best Cookbooks of the Year So Far. Plus, a Very Early Fall Preview with Maggie Hoffman.

958. – Eddie Huang

Nick Dawson talks with filmmakers, musicians and comedians whose work he loves, avoiding the mundane, predictable questions they&#8217;ve heard numerous times and instead asking substantive, thoughtful questions that get to the heart of who they are.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Kirsten Johnson

792: Vibe Coding Your Restaurant Recs Map Is the Worst with Eater’s Nadia Chaudhury

957. – Chris & Jason

Creative

Footer Legal

Main

NavBar

Sections

Topics

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Talkhouse

A former accountant and attorney, Van Billet transitioned from the business world at age 52 to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a screenwriter. Since then, several of his screenplays have earned critical acclaim, including Saving Paradise, which was produced in 2020. His screenplay <a href="https://www.jaysilvermanproductions.com/yale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yale</a> was produced in 2025 and on June 18, 2026 will have its world premiere as the opening-night film at Dances With Films. His next screenplay, Circumstantial Evidence, is about to be sold. Van’s screenplays are character-driven, exploring human frailty, ambition, and moral conflict. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Van now splits his time between Philadelphia and Naples, Florida.

Van Billet

Film

The Charm, the Audacity and the Emptiness Underneath

sweet93 embodies the hazy, drifting summers of the early ‘90s — a time when the lullabies of Slowdive and the sweetness of Mazzy Star ruled the alternative rock scene. Based in NYC, sweet93&#8217;s songs are the soundtrack to a waking dream.

sweet93

Louise Trehy and Mike Mason met in early ‘90s Camberwell, London. Both were deeply involved with the independent music scene of the time; Louise co-founded Setanta Records (home of The Divine Comedy, Edwyn Collins, and Into Paradise), and Mike traversed between bike courier, video director, and lighting designer for Spacemen 3, Slowdive, Spiritualized, Curve, and Chapterhouse. Prompted by Louise, they started writing songs together as Swallow.
(Photo Credit: Matt Anker)

62: JJ Johnson

Episode Info

Read More:

Stay in touch

More from Podcast