Podcast

discussion about Common's 1994 album Resurrection

Khushbu Shah is a journalist and the author of a terrific new book, Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora. She was most recently the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, where she crisscrossed the United States several times over on the hunt for the country’s best new chefs. In this very impressive debut book, Khushbu covers Indian-American home cooking through a very personal lens, offering recipes that blend South Asia with suburban Michigan sensibilities. In this episode we talk about what inspired her to take this journey, and about her deft recipe development chops. And, of course, we talked a little bit about restaurants, something we both share a great deal of love for. It’s so great having Khushbu on the show. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are into right now. These include Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn hitting new gears, the Gjelina pop-ups in New York City, and an early look at the terrific upcoming Ina Garten memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. And more: it’s cold noodle season at Noodlecraft in Queens, Sufjan Stevens’s Illinoise on Broadway is incredible, the final issue of MOLD magazine has arrived, and Cake Zine’s new issue is here!    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 KHUSHBU SHAH:  Khushbu Shah Wants Her Seltzer Bubbles to Hurt [Grub Street]Cheesy Masala Corn Pizza [Food & Wine]Get to Know Masa, the Bedrock of Mexican Cuisine [Food & Wine]Fudgetown, USA [TASTE]

What a fun conversation we have with Caroline Chambers, the author of the popular Substack What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, as well as an upcoming cookbook of the same name. Caroline has had such an interesting career in food media, and we dig into how she went from relative obscurity to running the number one ranked Substack in the competitive food category. We talk about what makes a great Internet recipe, and how she worked social media hard during the pandemic to speak with an audience that was looking for just what she was cooking - when many didn’t feel like cooking. We also talk about her life in California, her time living in New York City, and sneak a little sports talk into the mix as well. Caroline is a new favorite of ours and we hope you enjoy this talk. 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 CAROLINE CHAMBERS:The WTC vacation house meal plan [Substack]Tuna cottage cheese avocado salad [IG]

Today on the show we have two great conversations. First up is Molly Baz. With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills, Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide and she talks about her latest book, More Is More, which taps into the food world’s more maximalist urges. Also on the show is Dwight Garner. Dwight has been a book critic at the New York Times since 2008, and he has now written one of our favorite food books in years (not an exaggeration). The Upstairs Delicatessen is a book about “eating, reading, reading about eating, and eating while reading.” This is completely, 100% Matt’s bag, and Dwight’s style and rhythm had us reading until we were full (and then some). In this extremely fun episode, Dwight shares the book’s origins and digs into some of his most memorable meals and books, and books about meals, and meals…you get the point.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

The Chicago Hospitality Accountability and Advocacy Database, or the CHAAD Project, is an organization created by and for hospitality workers in Chicago to advance accountability and end labor abuses within the industry. On this episode Aliza speaks with cofounder and director of communications Raeghn Draper on the show to talk about CHAAD’s work and about building a more equitable hospitality industry. It’s essential listening for anyone who loves food and restaurants. Also on the show we talk about these booming NA beer times we are living in. TASTE columnist Jordan Michelman returns to the show to talk about the NA beer story he dropped this week. Jordan tasted over 60 alcohol-free beers from around the world. Which came out on top? Listen to find out. 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 ABOUT CHAAD AND NA BEER:The CHAAD Project [official]Chicago Hospitality Workers Have New Digital Tool [BCC]It’s Cool to Care About NA Beer [TASTE]