Podcast

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]

Today we’re revisiting two of my favorite conversations with food folks who make their own rules. DeVonn Francis is a chef, recipe developer, and events producer based in Brooklyn. His culinary events studio, Yardy World, has developed a cult following around vibrant, lush experiences rooted in Caribbean cuisine with some of the best vibes and playlists around, and now they’re joining the CPG boom.  Arielle Johnson is a flavor scientist who advises some of the top restaurants and chefs in the world on how to turbocharge their cooking with chemistry. She’s currently the science director of Noma Projects, and she’s sharing all her wisdom in a new book: Flavorama. It’s a delight having her on the show to answer all our questions about the science behind what we eat—truly a must-listen episode for anyone interested in food. MORE FROM DEVONN FRANCIS AND ARIELLE JOHNSONWelcome to the DeVonn Francis Dinner Party Multiverse [TASTE]How This Jamaican American Chef is Redefining Hospitality [LA Times]Do You Know How Flavor Works? [NY Times]

Today on the show we have a great double episode. First up is the Los Angeles–based chef, recipe developer, and writer Chloe Walsh, author of Anchovies and Soup, a terrific Substack that muses about food life in LA, in the writer’s native England, and at points in between.  Also on the show, we catch up with our old friend, the amazing photographer and director Eyal Yassky-Weiss. We talk about some of Eyal’s recent travels, our collaboration while on assignment in Ethiopia, and his new travel recommendation project, Unnamed Traveler. I hope you enjoy these two great conversations.   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 CHLOE WASH & EYAL YASSKY-WEISS:Honey Poached Strawberries [Substack]Me, Myself & Milan [Substack]The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah [TASTE]From the Mouth of the Gods [TASTE]

interview with rapper Skyzoo

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody refer to Gastr del Sol as trashy.”

Cake Zine is an independent print magazine exploring society through sweets, cofounded by Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor and the show's co-host Aliza Abarbanel. Their fifth issue, Candy Land, explores candy’s connections to the natural and unnatural world. On the show, Aliza and Tanya unpack how they made the issue and the many cultural connotations of candy. Also on the show, Amy Rose Spiegel reads a piece from the latest issue. 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 CAKE ZINECandy Land [official]This Is TASTE 329: Cake Zine’s Tough Cookie [TASTE]