Podcast

Today on the show we return to the world of New York City restaurants with two great conversations. Just because Michael Stillman’s father is Alan Stillman, founder of the Smith & Wollensky and TGI Fridays chains, doesn’t mean he grew up wanting to go into the family business. Indeed, Michael grew up in the business, but it took some time for him to get to where he is today: operating Quality Branded, the restaurant group behind Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Don Angie, Bad Roman, and many more. We talk about the current restaurant climate and what inspires Michael to dive headfirst into a restaurant concept. It’s a really cool talk. And before that, we speak with the incredible chef Emma Bengtsson. Emma is the chef and partner of Aquavit, which is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. Emma joined us in the studio to talk about her cooking career, which started in Sweden and landed in New York City. We discuss Emma’s expert baking, what she enjoys about running a busy kitchen, and much more with one of New York’s top chefs. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

What a terrific episode dedicated to the world of bread. First up is a conversation with Richard Hart, an icon in the clubby world of sourdough. Richard has an amazing story to tell, and we get into his London upbringing and how he ended up in California working at Tartine—but that’s where the story just starts to get good. He then teams up with René Redzepi to open a humble bakery, Hart Bageri, in Copenhagen, and the rest is history. Richard Hart, my friends, is a wonderful guest, and we also talk about his first cookbook, the terrific Richard Hart Bread. But the bread fun doesn’t stop there. I also have the talented writer and recipe developer Lukas Volger on the show to talk about his book, The Bread Machine Book. Yes, the iconic bread machine now has its own cookbook, with recipes that cover so many different styles. Lukas and I dig into his process for writing recipes for the machine and so much more. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

Sasami Ashworth aka SASAMI returns to SHEROES this week to discuss her new album Blood On The Silver Screen.

"Everyone who puts their hands out becomes your family."

Steve Lillywhite on a lifetime in sound.

Tavel Bristol-Joseph is pastry chef and partner at Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Canje, and many other acclaimed restaurants in Austin, Texas, and beyond. He’s also just opened a really cool dessert bar, Nicosi, in San Antonio. In this episode, we talk about Tavel’s early cooking life in New York and how he grew a cheesecake mini empire out of his Brooklyn apartment—well, there were many apartments involved. It’s a great story. We also discuss his move down to Texas and how his unique skills with pastry and restaurant hospitality have made him one of our country’s most important chefs. I really enjoyed getting to hear Tavel’s story. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt preview some really exciting cookbooks being released this spring. And stay tuned, as we will be back with many more exciting titles hitting bookstores in the next couple of months. Books mentioned on the episode: In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking by Woldy Reyes, Pakistan by Maryam Jillani, Fat + Flour by Nicole Rucker, Salsa Daddy by Rick Martínez, By Heart by Hailee Catalano, Sesame by Rachel Simons, Setting a Place for Us by Hawa Hassan, Every Day with Babs by Barbara Costello, Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East by Noor Murad, The Choi of Cooking by Roy Choi.   Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  READ MORE:TASTE Live at Rizzoli with Barbara CostelloOne of America’s Top Pastry Chefs Just Opened a New Dessert Bar [Robb Report]Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2020: Tavel Bristol-Joseph [Food & Wine]