podcast

Abi Balingit is the author of Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, a delightful cookbook full of maximalist personality and transfixing sweets, like the adobo chocolate chip cookie. She’s a singular force in the NYC baking scene, and it’s so fun to have her on the show today to talk about what she’s been up to since publishing her first book, her love of kitsch, and 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.  MORE FROM ABI BALINGIT:Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie [NYT]Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cake and More Maximalist Filipino Desserts from 'Mayumu' [KCRW Good Food]Telling Delicious Filipino Food Stories With Chef Abi Balingit [Forbes]

Today’s episode is all about Dijon mustard, and it brings a couple of mustard lovers into the studio. First up is Jeremy Salamon. He’s the chef-owner of two singular and sensational restaurants in Brooklyn: Agi’s Counter and the newly opened Pitt’s. We talk about what he’s been cooking and all of the creative ways he thinks about using Dijon mustard, even with dessert. Next up is a real treat—we get to talk with a mustard sommelier. His name is Brandon Collins, and he helps develop recipes for Maille mustard, which is our personal favorite brand. Brandon takes us through some of the company’s history before giving us a taste of some rare Dijons. This special episode was made in partnership with our friends at Maille.

Spanish-American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Victoria Canal joins Carmel Holt to discuss her full length debut album, Slowly It Dawns, and they have a fascinating conversation about gender, identity, and being perceived, and explore the many factors that may be playing into gender imbalances in the recording industry.

Chef Edward Lee is a good friend of ours and one of the most respected voices in American cooking. He’s also one of the stars of the breakout Netflix cooking show Culinary Class Wars, which has earned millions of fans for its unique approach to cooking competition on television. In this episode, we hear all about the production and about how Edward prepared for the competition. We also talk about his new Washington, DC, restaurant, Shia, and his time cooking in New York City in the ’90s at the pioneering restaurant Clay. It’s always so much fun catching up with Edward. Also on the show, Aliza is back from Asia! Her and Matt catch up about what they've been up to at the start of the year, and discuss how much boba you can drink in a month's time. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. 

Michael McCarty is the owner of two restaurants, Michael’s in Santa Monica, which opened in 1979, and Michael’s on West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, which followed a decade later. McCarty is truly the father of California cuisine, at the center of a culinary movement that produced top Los Angeles chefs like Jonathan Waxman, Mark Peel, Nancy Silverton, and many others. I had so much fun having Michael back into the studio, and he was happy to go over his deep history in the American restaurant scene. He also talked about his early days cooking in Paris, and how he ended up in Santa Monica and helped establish the legendary farmers’ market there. It’s Michael, the early years, in this amazing episode. Also on the show we catch up with Eater Chicago editor Ashok Selvam. He recently wrote about the revival of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and how Dylan Trotter is taking a big role in the rebirth. 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 MICHAEL MCCARTY:This Is TASTE 383: The Father of California Cuisine with Michael McCarty [TASTE]A Pioneer of California Cuisine Turns 35 [NYT]