Podcast

The title of this episode is “the last original food blogger,” and this is no exaggeration. Titus Ruscitti has been writing his influential blog Chi BBQ King for more than a decade, publishing dispatches from the Chicago food scene on the no-frills Blogspot platform. It’s a throwback publication, tipping to Chowhound and the original Serious Eats, and it’s so fun catching up with Titus about all the exciting restaurants he’s visited around the Midwest. We talk about Chicago beef, tavern pizza, tacos, barbecue, The Bear (naturally), and his intense interest in Midwestern foodways that has had him visiting Wisconsin, Indiana, and West Michigan regularly. This is a great conversation about one of the world’s greatest food cities, and I hope you enjoy it.   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 TITUS RUSCITTI OF CHI BBQ KING:Empanadas in ChicagoBig Eating in Southwest MichiganIndienne

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader Shana Cleveland returns to SHEROES to celebrate the release of the fifth full length album from her longtime band La Luz, called News of the Universe. Carmel Holt and Shana discuss the themes of change on the new album, the first following her cancer diagnosis and treatment, birth of her son, and departure of two of her longtime bandmates.

review of Redman's 1994 album Dare Iz A Darkside

"You have to listen to your own music!"

Jim Meehan is here for a wide-ranging and highly entertaining conversation. Jim is the legendary barman and pioneer in the modern cocktail movement. He's also a journalist and the author of three excellent books, including The PDT Cocktail Book, Meehan’s Bartender Manual, and the brand-new The Bartender’s Pantry. In this episode, we go back in time to the dawn of the modern cocktail movement and relive some of the big openings and stories of the age. Jim also reflects on his book writing career, and how there’s much more to a cocktail pantry than you think. It’s fun catching up with Jim, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.  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 JIM MEEHAN:Celebrity Booze Tasting with Danny Brown and Jim Meehan [YouTube]Jim Meehan’s Deep Dive into the Cocktail Kitchen [Portland Monthly]

SHEROES returns to Newport Folk Festival this year for an on-stage conversation with none other than SHERO of SHEROES, Joan Baez, who has just published her first book of poetry, When You See My Mother, Ask Her To Dance.

This one is a long time coming, and we're thrilled to welcome Sam Sifton into our studio. Sam has held various key roles at the New York Times including food editor, culture editor, national editor, and restaurant critic. He’s also the founding editor of New York Times Cooking, which has become one of the paper’s biggest financial successes in decades. In this episode, Sam talks about the world of food media, his appetite for news and culture, his prolific newsletter output, and some of his most memorable reviews when he was working as a critic. Sam is a true one of one, and it was such fun to have him in for a conversation. 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 SAM SIFTON:Cherries for Black Forest Cake, Tomatoes for Gazpacho [NYT]The Reviewing Life [NYT]Nello [NYT]Torrisi Italian Specialties [NYT]