214: Dan Ahdoot

26:30I'm like, this is why we did this. It's true. And maybe I definitely recognize how that's really flattering. It's really a beautiful thing when people love your show enough that they're going to come up and say, what's up? But at the dining table, though, when you're about to eat and someone's up in your grill, is that still okay? The only time it's weird is when people take surreptitious photos of you. Yeah. You know what they're doing. That's weird. And that's weird. I'm like, I'd rather he just came over to me and we took a picture together. But when I get recognized by the staff at a restaurant, oh, I love it.

27:05It's like I know I'm getting stuff sent to me. It's going to be great. I'm all about the free stuff, you know. No, no. And also it's just like, man, it's so – I remember – you know, I know what it's like when I see a celebrity and what it does to me. And so if you can be cool about that and give people that experience, like I went to, I'm going to name drop a little bit. Yeah. I was in New York last week and my buddies run, my buddy's the CFO of Major Food Group. Oh, okay. So I had a prime table at Teresi and get there and what's her name is sitting next to us. Who's that? I can't believe I'm forgetting her name.

27:49literally the most famous actress in the world oh meryl streep meryl streep wait meryl streep's that terese that's hilarious meryl streep is that terese is sitting right next to us and i'm like holy shit that's crazy then i go to the bathroom i come back from the bathroom and my brother's like dude if you thought you were starstruck before turn to your right and i look over and right next to meryl streep's table is jerry seinfeld and it's like nice just a one-two punch of the most famous people in the world. And then my brother's like, you got to go up to Jerry. And I'm like, why? I'm not, I don't want to bother him this and that.

28:23No, correct, correct move. Correct move. He's like, you have a book coming out. Your book is out. You have it here. You have, you're a comedian. We're just, and then he started going on this whole metaphysical, we're just specks in the universe. This, none of this matters. This is all meaningless. Just really pumped me up. So I got up with my book and I went over to his table when, uh, the guy who was eating with, went to the restroom and I was like, Jerry, I've been a comic for 25 years. Huge fan of yours. I just wrote a book. It's a bestseller on Amazon. And I really think your wife would like it because his wife is into the food stuff.

28:59Totally. And he's like, so you just walk around with your book in your hand. I was like, no, we just had a book release party. Treated. Absolutely treated. Right. I was like we just had a book release party And I just had it with me He's like great yeah congratulations Leave it here so I left it with Jerry Seinfeld We'll see what happens Nice I think that there's clearly some poetry there There's some cosmic pull that hopefully He'll pick up it up And read it because he does You do get into your grind as a comic And how you really Worked at your craft for a long time And speaking of craft I have to ask you You write so fondly about your time as a customer, but then later as an intern at the Spotted Pig, the infamous Spotted Pig.

29:50And you write about your relation with April Bloomfield, your relation with Mario Batali, which is also complicated. You call him a lizard of a drunk. That's a quote. But I want to ask you, it was such an interesting twist to hear that you went to culinary school externed at Spotted Pig, and then you now reflecting on the downfall of this restaurant. That was so important to you. Yeah, I mean, I loved the Spotted Pig. It was, you know, you probably went there. It was like such a special place. It really was. It was the first Michelin-starred gastropub in America. I mean, the food was so killer and so different and so without apologies.

30:31Like she would, you know, April would just make whatever she wanted to make, regardless of how it was received, which is, you know, how the best art is usually made. and yeah I came back from touring and I was going to I was going to take classes at the French Culinary Institute and the manager there was like dude just come work here instead like it'll be free and and you'll learn a lot more so I started to work there and and it was like my summer internship I'd always summer intern at the Spotted Pig that's so and I loved it I just loved everything about it and it was so cool to see how a michelin starred kitchen works you know it's uh it's a very very different vibe and the food was a was amazing and i learned how to cook like i learned all these skills there yeah what did you learn what were you what were they having you do like dan the intern i learned how to do everything like just anything from like just how to cut stuff and how to clean and how to butcher and how to make soufflés uh you know like savory soufflés, which I had never made before, how to make stocks and how to make deviled eggs and the chicken liver toast.

31:41And just everything on that menu was so killer. And learning from April and learning her style of cooking was just like a dream come true until it wasn't. And then it just seemed like the place was, all eyes were pointed at this place. And it was just like it was a real quick downfall from everyone at the top to the bottom. And it was, you know, then it became like sort of I was ashamed to be associated with it in a weird way, though. It's like I can't say that I didn't love that time there and I didn't love the things that I learned. And that, you know, I feel for April, man. She was put in such an awful position.

32:26and yeah she was and I'm friendly with April and I hope to have her on the show one day I've reached out a couple times and it's not quite right timing wise but I think that certainly she learned a lot through that experience and certainly she shouldn't be quote unquote cancelled and not be a public figure in food because she was so important and very generous with her staff in many ways from what I've been told how do you square the Batali stuff because you talk about the third floor being such a special place for you the the top floor I agree I went to events there it would be very cool and have a certain vibe but then it became known as the rape room and much reporting about Batali and that's absolutely despicable and it's changed the way you think about private dina it's just the whole thing is disgusting and you write very clearly about how your relationship with Batali is you're not going to fully I guess be like he's a monster because it's complicated it has a long you have a long relationship with him look i i think he i think he is a monster i i'm comfortable saying that he is okay sorry you mean to imply that you know and right and also to clarify my long relationship with him isn't like a friendship relationship it was like i fell in love with food and food cooking because of multi mario his tv show first and then with his restaurant babbo It was a formative place for me in, you know, in kind of turning me into the food nerd that I am and for a lot of people.

33:59And then, you know, at the Spotted Pig, he would hang out there. He was an investor at the Spotted Pig. And some nights he'd be there just hammered. And he was like, you know, he was this idol of mine that I got to see like the dark side of. um but um you know it then you get into this debate of separating the art from the artist like I think what he did was absolutely disgusting but I'm not gonna lie when I'm making Italian food uh the Babbo cookbook is still the first book that I go for you know what I mean um so you know my friend Barry wrote this article about separating the art from the artist and it was like if you if If you only were going to – if you were going to go to museums and only look at art that was written by like ethically – just 100 % ethical people, then there's going to be no paintings in that museum.

34:52Yeah. Well, listener, check out the book because there is a really great section in terms of the way you articulate these – the long history, meaning your relationship as a fan of his content and how you came out the other side of it after all this controversy. It's great. It's a great read. Thanks. I appreciate it. Yeah. Dan, I have to ask you, you're a judge on Is It Cake? Big, big, big show in my household with my young niece and nephew and myself. I just love that show. What was that like? Let me tell you something. You can't fucking tell if it's cake or not. I went in with such hubris. I thought, yeah, these comedians who are here, they don't know the nuances of what a cake looks like and what it doesn't i'm gonna get this like the judges i i'm gonna i'll kick their asses i could not fucking tell what was cake and what a weird dumb skill to have yeah but it was no it was i'm kidding i truly think those people are artists and yeah what they did was so killer and blew my mind i mean if you watch my episode which I think is episode 7 in season 1 you're literally watching my mind just melt yeah I love you on the show I remember you as a guest and I remember it's just a well hosted show and it's dope I'm glad it's coming back soon do you and Phil Rosenthal have like a low key rivalry?

36:21I just have to ask oh my god no way it's a rivalry it is he is at the top of the mountain and he pulls me up with him yeah he's great as a friend Yeah, he's such a generous man. He's too generous. Like something's up. Like where are you hiding the bodies, Phil? But no, we go out to dinner once in a while. He did the blurb on my book. Oh, cool. Nice. He's always just been super supportive of me. And I'm supportive of him. He's got my favorite food show on TV now. I think Somebody Feed Phil is just like, you know, when Bourdain died, everyone was trying to recreate Bourdain. And the thing about Bourdain that made him so great was that he was just authentically him.

37:05It wasn't that he was a badass or that he was this or that. He was the most authentically him. And I think that in a way, Phil Rosenthal is the closest we'll come to Anthony Bourdain because he is so authentically himself on his show. And I think that's why it resonates with people so much. So I'm very grateful for him personally and professionally. I mean, what he does for food, especially in L.A., is amazing. And what he's done for me and my food career has been very, very helpful. I love to hear that. One thousand percent agree with the way he is extremely focused on the tone and voice of that show and how he is himself.

37:46I agree that's what made Bourdain so special. And it's a great show. Somebody feed Phil. I think it doesn't actually get the credit it deserves within, like, the media. I think that obviously it's very popular and he's an incredible host, but I'm glad that you gave him him giving him his flowers right now. I mean, people are he's so beloved, but like he's he's a fun person to go out to eat with because he gets recognized everywhere he goes. And man, do they bring out the hits when he's there. So let me close with this on Green Eggs and Dan, you ask all your guests about their first food memory.

38:22I'm going to flip it to you, but I'm not going to ask you for your first food memory. that's boring literally what is the last food memory you had like think about like in this conversation what's the last food that you just thought about the last food that i thought about was um i'm gonna say well i had a yesterday was my birthday and uh i had a killer steak frie at uh i mean i'm i'm dropping so many fucking names on this uh it's good it's part of podcasting And Proper Nouns actually go, you know, make these things grow. It's like the fertilizer of podcasting. I had a killer steak frites yesterday at the Soho house.

38:59All right. And my parents are in town and it was just so fun to be with them and, you know, have a little birthday celebration. It was nice. What was the guest list? You've got your parents. You've got you. Anybody else? Let's drop some names. I mean, last night I had a book release party, and that was a little star-studded. We had Jerry O 'Connell, who's become my new best friend. Right on. Hey, good best friend to have. I love this guy. We did a movie together, and we go out to drink once in a while, or we just go out to eat and drink. And we went to Musso and Frank's one night. Oh, nice. And this guy, dude, he's like big timing everyone he walks by.

39:48Anyone in his orbit gets a$20 bill. And in a place like that, it's like he's a mobster. It's great. He's got my secret identity money, man. Jeez. Totally. And then he's got this thing where he doesn't drink. But his crutch, I guess, now that he's sober, is that whatever you drink, whatever you order, he's just going to say, make it two. So I'm like, let me get a Negroni. And he's like, yeah, make it two. And then he just gives me his Negroni. So you're just getting hammered within the first half an hour. You've had four Negronis. And it is really fun to hang out with him. That's good. Who else is on the guest list?

40:29I feel that's a good one name. But there's got to be a few others. We can go industry too. It was very heavy industry, which is not going to be exciting. But the creators of Cobra Kai were there. Great. Which was cool. network executives from a bunch of different networks were there which was great and there was a bunch of food like Paul Feinstein who's a big food writer out here he was here, Stephanie Brajo from the LA Times food section was here it was a very fun eclectic that's cool well Undercooked is such a great read I have to stress how much I enjoyed it and I can't wait to finish it Danidu, thank you for joining the Taste Podcast.

41:11Thank you so much for having me. I'm so glad we got to do this. And it's so amazing to talk to someone who is as nerdy with food as I am. So game recognized game. Oh, buddy, let's have a meal in L.A. Let's do it. Please.

41:36We're going to do a draft. The only draft I've ever cared about. Right here, right now. Yeah, I feel like slightly self-aware because like drafts are kind of like a podcast cliche at this point, Pat, wouldn't you say? Oh, yeah. The Bill Simmons Network. They love their drafts. They love their drafts. Movie drafts, sports drafts. Sports drafts, all that shit. All right, so I'm introducing Pat Stango, our producer. Shalya Harris, our producer. Hi, glad to be here. Hey, so the four of us are here. We're going to do a draft. Today's draft is Farmer's Market Produce. Okay, so what do you think about it?

42:09Oh, I love it. I love it, too. I mean, I love it because it's a draft, but then also farmer's market, sure. But the draftiness is what gets me. The draftiness is what gets me. I feel like we can do this with a lot of things. This is our first one. So to set some ground rules, Eliza, I think we need to, like, recognize where we're recording from. We're recording in New York City, but I think we kind of cover the New York East Coast area. And that's important because obviously the farmer's market in California and the farmer's market in Atlanta, Georgia are going to be different. Right. And also like the ferocity that at least myself will be bringing to this event is because I haven't had these things in months.

42:50Exactly. Like my the family in L.A. that have been having strawberries all year. Maybe that wouldn't be one of their top draft picks, not to tip my hand at all. But I think you might be. I mean, it's funny how California has like four strawberry seasons or something. Literally every three months there's a new strawberry season. It's important to note that we're recording this in early April, April 4th, and we are not really seeing much at our markets right now. Where I'm from, they don't even open the markets until May 1. But I know in New York there's year-round markets. And have either of you been to the farmer's market in the past few weeks to like tap into what's happening there?

43:27Yeah, I have. I mean, they have all the same stuff they've had since December, which is cold storage crops. Yep, yep. It's all the cold storage, maybe some winter greens, but mostly cold storage, yeah. Yeah, we'll get ramps is the first thing in a couple weeks probably, and then maybe some alliums go from there. Yeah, alliums are definitely around. So I think what we're going to do is I'm going to go around our studio and have each of you draw a number between 1 and 4. We're going to do snake style, meaning number 1 gets the first and the seventh pick, and we'll just kind of go in that order. What we're going to do is basically name the product or the produce that we are most excited about or what we covet, what we want to kind of add to our fictitious basket, our bag, our branded bag in this farmer's market.

44:15Does that make sense? Let's do it. All right, cool. So I'm going to go around. And Pat and Shalia, I'm wondering if we can weigh in on like how specific with varietals are we trying to be? Like could someone take one kind of tomato and someone else take a cherry tomato? Or once you do tomato, is it off the table? Oh, no. I think everything is fair game when we're talking about tomatoes. So multiple tomatoes. I think that's fair. Yeah. Because you're using them in different ways. I think that's fair. But I don't want to be like, oh, I have the green zebra tomato and you have the other specific side.

44:47We'll debate it in real time. We'll debate it in real time. I mean, if you really want to take a second tomato, I know that I have my eyes on one particular tomato that you might have your eyes on. We're going to get into it. So, okay, what do we got numbers-wise? All right, guys. You're number one, Pat. With the first pick in the draft, I select. Now I'll hold off for a second, but I am picking. You're number one, Pat. I'm number one. Pick us off. I'm number two. Great. I'm three. Shalee, you're four. I am four. And five. And I'm six, seven, and eight. Actually, it's one and eight. Okay, you go.

45:16Awesome. So we're picking. We end up with two items in our bag at the end, or are we going three rounds? I think we're going to go three rounds. We'll see how we go. I mean, I could go like eight rounds. Right, right. We'll see. And what about trades? We can trade at the end. I think that's a good call. I think we could maybe do some trading at the end. Okay. If we feel like we need to, like, compliment some things. All right. So right up front, I got to say I'm drafting on behalf of my marriage. Great. Because it's my wife, Erin. She's the real farmer's market. Since we moved to Park Slope in end of 2020, she found the farmer's market in Prospect Park right on Gran Henry Plaza.

45:51Best. And goes every Saturday all year. Like minus five degrees in the end of January. She's getting up on Saturday morning. She's going to the park. Shout out to Erin. That's a really good, that's a good wife. That's a good partner. Dedicated. She loves it. I go once in a while if I'm awake, but usually not. So drafting for both of us. So she said this has to be number one. I have the text here. Number one, we've got to select Ernesto's eggs. That is her egg man, Ernesto. Ah, I love it. Her favorite egg. She does eggs every morning for breakfast. This is vital to our marriage staying together.

46:30She has to get these Ernesto's eggs. You started with a non-produce. I love that call. It has to be these eggs. What do you think, Eliza? I'm into it because I don't really eat eggs, so this means that all of my choices are still up for grabs. I love it. So Ernesto, I feel like this guy is a legendary egg man. Legendary egg man. I mean, legendary in that she met him when she moved here two years ago and really likes his eggs. But seems great guy. I've met Ernesto. You know, all cash business, which you got to love. I love that. I miss my egg guy at the Carroll Gardens Sunday Market, who I used to always go to.

47:02And he used to hit me up with some blues, some blue eggs. How are Ernesto's egg prices? Yeah, what is that? What are we looking at here? I think it's$7 for a dozen. Okay. But you know what? She's got very sensitive to – there's other eggs. Because if she gets eggs, and listen, I love key food, but if she gets key food eggs, it's not going to hit her right. It's not going to hit her right. But these are Ernesto's eggs. They're good. I bet the yolks are just super orange. Yeah. What's number two? My pick is Sun Gold Tomatoes. Oh, you took them. Yeah. You took Sun Gold's? That was literally my first one.

47:38I have two first ones. That was like one A and one B, and Sun Gold's was one B. I knew I was really hoping I'd come before you because when you said you had an eye on one specific tomato varietal. Sun golds, damn it. Sun golds, they're just OK. They're the little golden cherry tomatoes with thin skins. They're incredibly sweet. They're just so good to cook with in the summer. I make this one pasta that is just like a burst sun gold pasta. Sometimes I'll add sausage. Sometimes I'll add basil. It's so good. It's so good. And it's like kind of expensive and honestly worth it. And I just had to go.

48:10I definitely have on my notes pasta, pasta, pasta next to sun golds. I agree fully. I burst them. I usually put some sardines in there. I love canned sardines and sungolds, double S. I'm into that. With garlic, obviously. But you can just make them with anything, and they kind of, like, are so perfectly sweet, and the skins break quickly. Yes. Okay, I'm sorry. What are you doing instead? All right, so my 1A, I said sungolds is 1B. 1A for me, I'm just taking apples off the board. For summer, go for it. No, we're doing summer, fall. Oh, I mean, still, I don't, who cares about apples besides Matt?

48:44No, summer, fall. We're taking it off the board. Shalia, what were you saying? You're doing all apples? I mean, okay, no. All right. I have clear apples here. Oh, no, you can. I'm just going to—we're going to have to recalibrate a little later on. Well, okay, I think apple season in the Hudson Valley starts in August, and the first picks are obviously the best picks, the summer crisps. So I'm taking summer crisp as my type of apple because it's a version of the honey crisp, but it's usually the first pick. They're a little smaller, and they're usually just perfect, like in a good season. And 2022 was really good.

49:16I love it. And are you walking around chomping on an apple or are you slicing it up, using it in a salad? What's your apple strategy? Interesting story. If my wife is listening to this tomorrow, when we were living in Brooklyn, I used to crunch apples during the pandemic, like early 2020. We're talking like fall 2020. And arguments occurred because of the volume in which I ate apples and the frequency. In your home. Yeah. If you can't crunch apples in your own home, where can you? I agree. We moved because of that. But to answer your point, I love just a – I don't like the slice. I like the crunch.

49:49Okay. I mean like the tearing it with your own teeth. Okay. I'm a slice guy. You're a slice guy. I'm a slice, maybe a little peanut butter. Peanut butter is not a bad idea with good apples. All right, Shalia, I think you might be grabbing something else from that category. Yeah, we're going to go back. We're going to stay with apples for a second. And for fair warning, I do think like all of my produce is like very heavily fall produce. Like I feel like that's when I am at my best as a person. I like that. That's a great – like fall, it aligns with like your personality. What's your zodiac sign?

50:26I am a Pisces, so not related, but I don't know. Different podcast. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Eliza and I have already tried to start that podcast. We're trying to start a taste astrology podcast. Rival. Okay, so let's go there. So I feel like I'm a creature of habit. Like I do love exploring and trying new things, but I also there's like certain foods that I could eat every day for the rest of my life and just be completely content. And one of those things is like a really, really sweet apple and Asiago cheese. It's my favorite thing in the world. I'll eat it every day for breakfast. And I'll do it like, you know, like I'll I am also a slice person and I'll do like slices with just like a little bit of like aged Asiago, like for breakfast with a little tea.

51:10Graded Asiago. Graded. Oh, okay. Is that what I'm asking? No, like sliced. Sweet. Like sliced, like specifically aged. Like I don't particularly look like a fresh. But you're taking hunks off of the aged brick. I love that. It is one of just the most simple best joys in my life. And like sometimes if I'm like feeling fancy, like maybe I'll like bake them into like a gulet. Like we can get like, we'll get crazy with it sometimes. So with that said, like, I need like a really, really sweet apple. So not never. You said ever crisp, right? I like I like the crisp family. Summer crisp into autumn crisp into summer crisp.

51:50Honey crisp. OK. Yes. So I was going to say, like, I do love an ever crisp. I love a honey crisp. Like I will take a Fuji, you know, depending. but it's just got to have like that like really sweet like lower on the acidity um just to like balance well with the atiago but um love apple season i love it all right i'm up no does shalia do four and five oh oh yeah i'm sorry you're right sorry let's let's i didn't mean to just jump in okay my goodness you're up again oh boy um okay so then i think my second thing is going to be and I do feel a little bit nervous doing this in front of like the mushroom queen but my second thing is going to be mushrooms um and I will I'll like narrow down a little bit um I've been going to this like vegan soul food restaurant on east 7th called cadence for the past couple months amazing so good so cool so much my god like someone someone took me there for the first time in like October and I like go constantly now um you should get the cadence chef on the podcast for real we should we're all fans here i guess yeah it's great um and i just love like i like am again from a southern family and i just like love like comfort food i love like how savory their food is and i love like they don't have a really large entree menu but i want to say like at least 50 percent of it is mushroom based like they do like a really good like buffalo oyster mushroom sandwich they do a really good like oyster mushroom and grits like they do like uh like fried uh oyster mushrooms and waffles like they're just fantastic and so i've been on this i've had this bug for the past couple of months where i've been doing the same thing at home um just like really just like decadent savory very comfort food like eating like a lot of a lot of oyster mushrooms, but also I've been doing a lot of like hen of the woods and chicken of the woods too because I think they just like fry up with this like really fun meaty texture.

53:59So I've been getting them typically from like local groceries near me, but I'm excited to like start getting them at markets as well. And they're really fun to buy. I feel like I've bought Lion's Mane and it's been like$46 and like yo, and I'm like I'll take half of that amount of lion's mane, but I feel like you have to pay to play with mushrooms. Yeah, I mean, I respect that you're drafting mushrooms. I'm a little scandalized. I feel like I'm the only person that has the intensity for summer produce right now. Where is all the stone fruit interest? Well, we're going to continue drafting. I think it might be my turn.

54:35Okay. I'm just going to take strawberries. Taking it because of late May strawberries. I just did it. I'm sorry. I'm not even offended. You're not? I've been talking about strawberries to seed doubt elsewhere because they're not even in my top five. Oh, my gosh. You went there. Okay. I love strawberries. It's definitely in my top two because the season is so short here. It's a late May through mid-June. It's literally a two - or three-week season. They're very small when you get them in the East Coast. They look nothing like the Driscoll's berries you're going to get year-round. but and it's a game of chance because often not often sometimes you're gonna pay you know quite a bit like 14 and it's gonna be sour and you're gonna have to do something but then you get to cook you're gonna add some sugar you're gonna have to maybe make a little tart or you hit that perfect batch and it's like you just eat them basically before you get to home the tri stars especially which is a local variety we have here in new york so i grew up in california eating strawberries and then when i moved to new york and had them here they're much smaller and i think that they're much sweeter because the flavor is more concentrated definitely i will take a summer new york strawberry over any other strawberry probably i think they're quite good they're really good they're they're very unique and i think midwest when i was growing up we have a strawberry season that's equally short and they were quite small as well but i haven't even talked about midwest produce but we'll get there all right i think you're up i'm up and i'm drafting sweet cherries wow number two new york state cherries yeah the sweet ones yeah i would take sour if I'm allowed to take both I would because I like them but I could just be sweet I think that they are the platonic ideal of a summer fruit because uh you can eat them by your hand they're very portable and they're also a good size you could have a small amount or a large amount you know I mean I will always eat a full peach I'm never complaining about that but I think there's something nice about the cherries being kind of a finger food in that way and they're just so good every time I eat one I'm just like fuck I forgot how good these cherries are when you hit a good cherry.

56:31You hit a good cherry. I like bings out of Washington State. Yeah. But see, they're different. Those are so, like, unique. Like, they're like the emoji of cherry. Yeah, I feel like they're too sweet almost. I feel like the ones we get here have a nice sweet, sour interlude. And also you can wear them as earrings. Like, scrape them over an ear if you're so inclined. It's a fun look. So sweet cherries is your second pick. Pat, you're up. Alright, so I'm back and I'm doing it guys I'm going blueberries I'm going blueberries Risky Here's my reasoning It's so risky I get it I know But you know You gotta live on the edge sometimes So I'm a yogurt for breakfast guy Yep Every day I just keep it simple Don't think about it Are we like vanilla yogurt Are we like plain Are we like Plain I do plain Fajay Don't tell me zero I do zero You're a zero guy Come on Look at this Come on Yeah after the run in the park You're doing zeros I do zero and but I go banana, I go sliced almonds and I go blueberries.

57:36And listen, year round, it could get rough because I'm going to key food. Love key food, but I'm getting whatever blueberries they have there and I just deal with it. But then when the farmer's market gets those nice summer blueberries and I'm using those instead of key food blueberries, it ups the morning yogurt game. There's nothing greater than finding that pint and just knowing it's the best pint of the season and just taking it for yourself. Right. And then I try and just like think of that kind of blueberry as I'm eating my key food blueberries the rest of the year. Just try and sense memory it, trick my body into thinking, trick my mind.

58:14But when you get those real farmer's market blueberries in the yogurt, oh, it's fantastic. Eliza, did you grow up with blueberries in your life? Yeah. I mean, I love blueberries. I just I feel like for me, the experience of biting into a really squishy, not good blueberry is just so difficult to overcome. I can't I can't get over that. Yeah. Second thought. Yeah. You got to train yourself. You got to you got to punish yourself sometimes. You do. Zen and the art of farmer's market blueberries. I will also I would be remiss to mention I'm from New England and a homemade blueberry pie is also one of my favorite things.

58:50West Michigan is known for the blueberries. It's a bit of a fruit belt situation, I must say. And we have some great blueberries. But the season is late August and it goes for only a month. I think actually early August to late. It's basically just August. You're done. So. Do we go again or are we done? Yeah, no, we're going again. We're going one more round. So then I would go again. Yeah. We snake around. All right. I'm going back and forth here. and I think I'm going to go with something else that's year-round at the farmer's market in Grand Henry Plaza in Prospect Park. I'm going with the kimchi farm brand, kimchi.

59:30Oh, you took mine. Excellent choice. You were going to go kimchi? I was thinking kimchi for my next one, but I got a backup, but I think you go. I mean, it's great. And listen, again, I'm 41, and you got to think about gut health when you get to that point. So I'm eating some kimchi and it's very tasty. Do you know the brand? It's called the Kimchi Farm. My wife sent me a picture of the bottle. I think that brand is a Catskills and it's a Sullivan County brand, I think, but I could be wrong. There's probably many called the Kimchi Company. Is it just a classic Napa cabbage? Yeah, beshu. It is, yeah, classic cabbage.

1:00:10And, you know, I try not to get the super, you know, Sometimes they could be like, oh, do you want a really spicy one? Or spicy, yeah. I think kimchi is a great farmer's market staple. That's why I was going to maybe call it. I feel like it's very different per farmer's market. And if you find your guy, it's just nice to have a kimchi made, like a fresh kimchi, which is hard to find. Most supermarkets are obviously aged, so if you can find a fresh kimchi, it's pretty good. Yeah, so we got our egg guy. We got our kimchi guy. And your blueberries. You guys really got it figured out. Blueberries are a crapshoot, but, you know, it's all about personal relationships out there.

1:00:47Okay, I'm going to claim corn, which I'm so excited about. Oh, my gosh. I let the record show that I hosted a corn-themed dinner party with my friends this past summer. We did appetizer, entree, dessert, all with corn as the main ingredient, which was just a joy. So I'm happy that I'm claiming this again. Interesting. So it's such a short season, though, right? Or like an unpredictable season. Yeah, there is the whole issue of, you know, it's a faux pas. I think to open the corn husks at the market too far, you might get yelled at, but then you don't want to get one that has a worm. I just buy one extra normally in hopes that in case one of them isn't so great, another one will make up for it.

1:01:28But I think the flavor of summer corn is, again, is so delicious by itself. You can add it to salad. You can add it to a grain bowl. Obviously, pasta is also good. and it is the kind of thing that I only buy when it's in season. So to me, it is a real kind of taste of summer flavor. So you don't ever cook with frozen corn? I mean, I just said I never buy it, but I do sometimes have frozen corn that I would add, but that's pretty rare. I think that I kind of, as I've gotten older and come to terms with the fact that I have certain produce that's available at certain times, I've leaned into that and made it really special that I know that when summer comes around, I'm only going to have these things for that amount of time.

1:02:05And I will actually give myself a budget in the summer for stone fruit at the market because it can be expensive and because I do think it's worth it and I want to buy it in large quantities. I have to ask you, you're not going to, this is our last round, but is there one other stone fruit that you like, that you think about? Oh, I mean, obviously peaches. Yeah. Up there. Because I'm not taking a stone fruit, that's what I'm saying. No, I mean, no one took, no one has taken any of mine. I was coming in here ready to fight for all of these. Yeah. Let's see what you have. Maybe it's not too late.

1:02:32Here's my final pick. Conquer grapes. Oh, those are so good. Oh my God. So I think of grapes as the grocery store grapes. They're bred with this thick skin and very sweet because kids eat grapes, like mostly for children. And they're great. Like it's really easy to travel. They don't go bad. But in late summer into late fall, but, you know, it's usually in the heart of fall, I agree, actually the best time of my life. I love a good fall. There's nothing better than finding like a Niagara, finding like a beautiful Niagara from like that's been grown out, you know, somewhere either out on Long Island or in Jersey and like eating it by the like whole container in an afternoon.

1:03:20I mean, they are so delicate. They mush in your mouth in the best way possible. And they're sweet. And I think the ones in the market are a little more acidic. And I like a little sweeter grape. Yeah, I just want to say, like, I'd never had a grape like that before. They have stones inside still, the pit, which you can crunch on, you can spit out. Yeah, or you can eat them too. Yeah, I eat them. It's almost like a gusher inside. It's gelatinous, lychee-like texture. That was something when I moved to New York that I never had before was a Concord grape like that. Because the Concord grape juice I'm not a fan of, but the grapes themselves are phenomenal.

1:03:54So phenomenal. And it makes you think about wine production too. And it makes you think, I don't drink wine, but like when wine is made, it's very important that you have a great grape. And like that's like part of this massive thing we covered as a society is like when you're eating the raw product, like, wow, this actually makes something even cooler. And I like thinking about different grapes and I'll go with the yellow one sometimes. I don't know what those are called. There's like a name. It's Lakemont or Jupiter. I don't know what the fuck they're called. But I just love a good farmer's market grape.

1:04:27Shalia, wrap us up. What do you think? Okay. So I mentioned this to Eliza already off mic. And I can only talk about this because we are in a safe space. Shalia, you can't. I can't. I mean, no, speak your truth, but I think this is an insane choice. I'm just going to let the record show. Let's do it. As in, like, it's an insane choice to pick up a thing that I love or, like? No, pick the thing that you love, but, like, come on. Like, there's a whole pantheon of summer. You're not going to pick a single summer produce item? I'm telling you, it's fall for me. Okay, I'm sorry for leading the witness.

1:04:58No, it's okay. Do what's in your heart, Shalea. The audience is so psyched to hear what this is going to be. Okay. I don't know if I can live up to that. But so I was like building out my last, and again, it's going to be a fall vegetable. Like I'm a lady who knows what I like. And I was thinking about just like, again, like my favorite comfort foods. Like I think I just grew up in a house with a lot more like we would eat veggies like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think that's why I'm just like such a heavily veggie person. That's why that you're glowing right now. Yeah. And so one of my favorite side dishes at like Thanksgiving or any family meal, like again, my family is from the south, are like mashed what we call yellow turnips.

1:05:44And so that is what I wanted to talk about. And so I was like sitting at my desk and was getting ready to write, you know, like and making sure I had like the time of the year when they were ready and whatever. And so I was looking for them online and I was like, they don't exist. And I got like really stressed out about it. And I realized I don't like yellow turnips. I like rutabagas. And I think it's like a southern culture thing. Like in the south, they're called yellow turnips. But it is like, you know, biologically, it's a rutabaga. So that is my pick. Like I've really 30 years of my life and I'm now just questioning everything this afternoon.

1:06:23But they are like one of my favorite things to eat. They just like remind me of like being in the kitchen with my mom and like watching her cook as a little kid. And they're just so they're so good with like you do them like where you like peel them and boil them and mash them and like cook them like in a little bit of like ham hock with like seasoning. and they're just like buttery and savory and they remind me of my family and they make me so happy. Wow. It sounds like a beautiful dish. I love that. It sounds great and I sound like an asshole. It's not that I'm not a fan of rutabagas or your family traditions.

1:06:56Yeah, I was like, damn, going hard if this is what you guys talk about. Mike. I've never been so close to being moved to tears by hearing someone talk about rutabagas, but you did it, Chalea. That was an emotional, genuine speech about rutabagas. The rutabaga lobby is going to show up at your door with free yellow turnips for life. I got to ask you about rutabagas though. Parsnip and rutabagas, they're different? They are different. I also like a parsnip mash. I don't know if I can talk to you about this in enough detail to tell you why they are different. Yeah. But I mean obviously like in color and then I think there's like a little bit of a taste like maybe the rutabagas are a little nuttier.

1:07:34Someone can correct me on that. Yeah, right in. I know they're different. Can't tell you why I know they're different. Pat Stango, Eliza Abarbanal, Shalia Harris Thank you For drafting produce

1:07:50The Taste Podcast Is hosted by Eliza Abarbanal And me, Matt Rodbar The show is produced by Shalia Harris And Pat Stango And edited by Clayton Gumber Theme music by Steve Rydell Visit Taste Online at tastecooking.com And make sure to subscribe to our newsletter For updates on all cool things that are happening Thank you.