Podcast
This Is TASTE
Hosted by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard · EN
If you're a fan of smart and lively conversations about food, home cooking, and culture, this is the place. We interview the most interesting characters in the world of food, media, and cookbooks and release episodes several times a month. The program is hosted by TASTE editors Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard, and is sometimes recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City.
Visit TASTE online: tastecooking.com
60episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
784: A 4.2 Out of 10 Won’t Cut It: Meet Rate My Chives
2d ago00:43:30Tap to summarizeThe anonymous British chef behind @RateMyChives has spent years judging the knife skills of home cooks and professional chefs alike—and amassed 107,000 followers doing it, including some of the biggest names in the business. In his first-ever podcast interview, we finally get the man on the record. We talk about how a forgotten Instagram handle became a cult institution, what a properly cut chive actually looks like, what it reveals about a cook’s character, and why he’s still not telling us who he is. Also on the show, Clayton jumps in with Matt for Three Things to discuss what’s exciting us in the world of food and culture. We discuss: Our recent trip to Spain with Whole Foods buyers (there’s an episode), visiting Saga in lower Manhattan, coffee from Kafiex in Vancouver, Washington and Olive in Queens. Also: Eddie Huang’s novel Come Undone is a new level for the chef's writing career, and checking in on Cassandra at the Wedding. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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783: Dr. Ashanté M. Reese Would Love to Come to Your Family Reunion
3d ago01:08:44Tap to summarizeDr. Ashanté M. Reese is a writer, anthropologist, and associate professor of African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her new book, Gather, looks at expansive forms of nourishment, care, and Black food through four kinds of gatherings: gardens, family reunions, repasts, and protests. Today on the show, Ashanté shares about the years of conversations and reporting that built this book, including which family reunion had the best food. Also on the show, Matt has a great conversation with Alana Kysar, author of Aloha Veggies: Veg-Forward Recipes Celebrating the Flavors of Hawai’i. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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782: Whole Foods Buyers Never Sit Still. We Followed Them to Spain.
5d ago01:16:30Tap to summarizeOn this very special episode, we traveled to Ondarroa, a fishing port in the Basque Country of northern Spain, and followed a team of Whole Foods Market buyers and sourcing experts to find out how they interact with partners at the source—in this case, the legendary Spanish tinned seafood producer Ortiz. Joining us was AnaMaria Friede, who oversees grocery merchandising strategy and has spent two decades helping to advance Whole Foods Quality Standards. Category Merchant Julia Merid lives inside the canned seafood aisle and works directly with producers on everything from the fish itself to the packaging to how the story gets told. And Carrie Brownstein has spent 25 years researching and writing the actual standards that govern what Whole Foods can and can’t sell—she’s the person who established what “sustainable wild-caught” actually means and what it doesn’t. At the center of it all: Conservas Ortiz, a fifth-generation, family-owned company working the Basque coast since 1891. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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781: Alan Delgado Spent Years Developing The Perfect Flour Tortillas for Los Burritos Juarez
1w ago00:56:39Tap to summarizeAlan Delgado is the chef-owner of Los Burritos Juarez, a norteño-style burrito restaurant in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. After an impressive career of working in restaurants in Austin, Texas and New York City, he began making flour tortillas in his apartment and operating a small burrito pop-up out the window. Los Burritos Juarez was born. Nine months ago, a brick-and-mortar followed along with widespread popularity and acclaim. Today on the show, Alan looks back on how he perfected the tortillas, the challenges of becoming an owner-operator, and some new projects ahead. And it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt discuss what’s interesting in the food world, including a return to Lei in New York’s Chinatown and a reminder that Ariari is one of NYC’s best Korean restaurants. Also: Stops at Masa Madre Artisanal Bakery for exceptional sourdough conchas and Noodle Village for wonton soup. Lastly, tastes of the new Slice dirty sodas and Amo coffee. Wild stuff. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 00:00:29 – Aliza Intro: Alan Delgado & Los Burritos Juarez00:01:07 – Three Things Returns (Matt & Aliza)00:01:23 – Aliza’s #1: Lei Wine Bar & Peak Summer Seating00:03:37 – Matt’s #1: Ari Ari & Modern Korean in NYC00:06:12 – Aliza’s #2: Massa Madre & the Perfect Concha00:08:00 – Matt’s #2: Slice Dirty Soda & the Dirty Soda Trend00:10:02 – Aliza’s #3: Noodle Village & Chinatown Comforts00:11:16 – Matt’s #3: Amo Coffee & WWE Meets Co‑Fermented Coffee00:13:09 – Bonus: Double‑Decker Bus Tourism as a Local00:15:09 – Main Interview Begins: Early Food Memories & Coffee00:18:38 – Cooking in Austin, Comedor & Returning to Mexican Food00:19:58 – Moving to New York in 2020 & Pandemic Timing00:22:30 – Homesick in NYC: Window Burrito Pop‑Up Origins00:23:53 – Perfecting the El Paso–Juarez Flour Tortilla00:25:32 – Juarez‑Style Burritos: Fillings, Bean & Cheese Philosophy00:27:47 – Salsas, Heat Levels & Keeping It Classic00:28:50 – Small Menu, Tight Team & Stepping Back as Owner00:30:19 – NYT One Star, Staff Pride & Managing the Line00:33:28 – Maximizing a Tiny Space: Catering, Delivery & Taco Boxes00:36:32 – Rethinking Ownership: Sharing the Pie & Profit‑Share00:37:40 – Wholesale Partnerships: Coffee Shops, Bars & Prima00:41:57 – New Dumbo Mexican Restaurant with Ivy Mix & Team00:44:37 – Chinatown Bar‑Taqueria: Pork, Barbacoa & Classic Drinks00:46:07 – Fort Greene Recs: Romans, Sailor & Local Steam Table00:48:29 – Rapid Fire: Burritos, Taquerias, Ice Cream & Matilda Cake00:52:34 – Credits & Taste Sign‑Off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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780: David Lebovitz Live From New York. On Chocolate, Acid at Chez Panisse, and Blowing Up on Substack.
1w ago01:01:10Tap to summarizeThis is such a wildly fun conversion with David Lebovitz. We love his Substack, and his many books, including the recently released The Great Book of Chocolate. We go over so many fun, and a few controversial, topics in this live recording from Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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779: Mike Colameco Is the Original Food Video Dude
1w ago01:12:20Tap to summarizeMike Colameco has been inside more New York kitchens than almost anyone alive. A CIA-trained chef who cooked at Windows on the World, the Four Seasons, and the Ritz-Carlton, he spent 20 seasons as the host and producer of Mike Colameco’s Real Food on PBS—a documentary-style show that interviewed chefs in their actual restaurants, long before food TV became a genre. He talks about the golden era of New York dining, the economics of building independent food media, and what he sees when he looks at the city’s restaurant landscape today. We are such big fans of Mike’s work, and, dare we say it, he’s a living legend. This is such a fun conversation. And before that it’s the return of Three Things and a special Philadelphia edition. Aliza and Matt each visited recently and have some great food discoveries to share including visits to: Vetri Cucina, Middle Child, Pizzeria Beddia, Càphê Roasters, Manna Bakery, Supérette, Sao, and Binding Agents. Also: a stop at Papa's Tomato Pies on the way back to New York. Check out Mike’s incredible YouTube channel featuring unearthed episodes from the past thirty years. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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778: Shirley Chung Has So Much to Say
2w ago01:07:00Tap to summarizeShirley Chung is the Beijing-born chef who went from Silicon Valley to working in kitchens for Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy, and José Andrés—then found national fame as a two-time Top Chef finalist and became the “Dumpling Queen of Los Angeles.” In 2024, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue cancer. She refused surgery, closed her restaurant, moved to Chicago for treatment, and came out on the other side: in remission, with a $100,000 competition win under her belt and a new Chinese restaurant in Dallas, Night Rooster. We’ve always admired Shirley’s work, on and off camera, and this conversation covers her incredible career and her singular voice in the restaurant world. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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777: At the Top of Mount Dunsmoor Stands LA's Most-Interesting Chef with Brian Dunsmoor
2w ago01:25:43Tap to summarizeBrian Dunsmoor has cooked in Los Angeles for over a decade—from Venice pop-ups to Hatchet Hall to his namesake Glassell Park restaurant—and he’s always been asking the same question: What exactly is American food, and who gets credit for it? In this episode, Matt talks with him about cooking without electricity, building a kitchen around live fire, and what it’s like to be Brian Dunsmoor. Brian’s restaurant, Dunsmoor, has been named to the LA Times’ 101 best restaurants list and recognized by the 2024 Michelin Guide, and it’s one of the most referenced and favorite LA restaurants on this very show. I love this conversation. Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Jordan Michelman. Jordan wrote a terrific essay for TASTE about Costco, and we talk about how the club retailer means so much to so many people. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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776: Ghia’s Mélanie Masarin Will Never Stop DMing Restaurants Her Opinions
2w ago01:24:53Tap to summarizeMélanie Masarin is founder and CEO of Ghia, the Mediterranean-inspired nonalcoholic aperitif. Mélanie returns to talk about her debut cookbook, Riviera: Recipes from the Coast of France and Italy. In this episode, we talk about how the book is anchored by the handwritten recipes and philosophy of her grandmother Mymo. We also talk about working in the surging NA category and what is exciting in the land of Ghia. We have a lot of respect for Mélanie’s career, and I really enjoyed going over it. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Nichole Accettola, author of Scandinavian Everyday: Vibrant, Simple Meals from Northern Europe. Listen to Mélanie's first appearance on This Is TASTE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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775: La Copine Built an Oasis in Joshua Tree. The Crowds Followed.
2w ago01:40:01Tap to summarizeClaire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill are the owners of La Copine, an oasis of a restaurant in California’s Mojave Desert. It’s been a beloved destination for over a decade, winning over a mix of Joshua Tree locals, LA weekenders, and celebrities passing through. Now they’re sharing La Copine’s thoughtful takes on all-day cooking in a debut cookbook. It’s so fun to have Claire and Nikki in the studio to talk about what it takes to run a restaurant in the high desert, their journey as a couple in business together, and making this book. Also on the show we have a live recording from a recent panel conversation at Baldor BITE in New York City, a conference run by the legendary specialty food company. Matt is joined on the stage by four leading chefs including Missy Robbins (Lilia, Misi), Paul Carmichael (Kabawa), Tiffani Faison (chef, restaurateur, and judge on Chopped), and Tim Ma (Tim Ma Hospitality). The panel unpacks a pressing question in today’s restaurant world: how do you judge success? Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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