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Podcast Summary: This Is TASTE - Episode 465
Episode Title: America's Best New Chefs & Restaurants Guests: Kate Kassin (Bon Appétit) & Raphael Brion (Food & Wine) Host: Matt Rodbard Release Date: [Insert Release Date]
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Episode Overview This episode features lively discussions about the latest trends and notable restaurants across America, focusing on the best new chefs and dining experiences. The episode includes insights from Kate Kassin of Bon Appétit, who shares the rigorous process of selecting the best new restaurants, and Raphael Brion from Food & Wine, who discusses the latest Best New Chefs class.
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Key Themes
Best New Restaurants Process (Kate Kassin)
- Research Methodology:
- Extensive research starts months in advance; Kassin maintains a master document tracking restaurant openings across the country.
- The selection process includes input from multiple team members, each scouting different cities and compiling restaurant recommendations.
- Restaurants are considered based on quality, uniqueness, and overall experience.
- Rigorous Selection Criteria:
- Restaurants must have opened between March of the previous year and March of the current year to be eligible.
- The team aims to explore restaurants outside major cities, giving opportunities to diverse dining experiences.
- Challenges Faced:
- Restaurants often close unexpectedly, impacting their potential recognition, often due to external factors like rising rents.
Experiences from the Road (Raphael Brion)
- Travel and Scouting:
- Brion shares his experiences traveling across 25+ cities, eating at numerous spots to find the best new culinary talents.
- The collaborative effort of the scouting committee helps ensure a diverse and well-rounded selection.
- Culinary Highlights:
- Memorable meals include fine dining options that blend local and cultural influences, showcasing the richness of American culinary heritage.
Featured Restaurants and Chefs
- Tam Tam (Miami): Known for its Vietnamese cuisine with local influences, offering a fun and vibrant dining experience.
- Agni (Columbus, Ohio): A fine dining restaurant featuring dishes inspired by the diverse backgrounds of its kitchen staff.
- Sapsua (Denver): A Vietnamese-American restaurant that highlights childhood memories of the chef while incorporating team influences into the menu.
- Karima (New York City): Offers an accessible tasting menu experience with innovative dishes.
- Akahoshi Ramen (Chicago): A ramen shop known for its meticulously crafted dishes by a chef who gained recognition through online communities.
Future Outlook
- Emerging Food Trends: Discussions about the evolving landscape of American cuisine, including the integration of diverse influences and the expansion of restaurant styles beyond traditional categories.
- Upcoming Cities to Explore: Both Kassin and Brion express excitement about visiting cities like Detroit, Oklahoma City, and others with rich culinary scenes in the coming year.
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Key Takeaways
- Diversity in Dining: The episode emphasizes the need for diversity and the representation of various culinary influences in the restaurant scene.
- Community and Connection: Both guests highlight the importance of community within the culinary world, from chefs supporting each other to the relationships built between diners and restaurateurs.
- Ongoing Exploration: The conversation showcases an ongoing enthusiasm for discovering new restaurants and chefs, reinforcing the dynamic nature of the food industry.
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Conclusion This episode of *This Is TASTE* provides an engaging look into America's culinary scene, featuring insightful discussions about the selection of best new chefs and restaurants. The shared experiences of the guests enrich the understanding of restaurant culture and highlight the ongoing evolution of American dining.
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Additional Notes
- Support the podcast by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or rating on Spotify.
- Tune into the next episodes for further explorations of food, culture, and culinary innovations.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This episode is brought to you by Resi and American Express. Resi is a digital platform that connects restaurants to restaurant lovers by elevating dining experiences, providing original industry content, and helping to fill some of the country's most exciting dining rooms. Because restaurants have always been more than just places to eat. The amazing world of restaurants is just a few taps away in the Resi app and at resi.com.
0:31We actually just had an event to celebrate the Best New Restaurants launch, and he was sitting in the hotel lobby when Eleazar and I got there. And I said, Eleazar, I think that's the ramen lord. And we went up to him, we were like, ramen lord, is that you? And he's like the most down-to-earth guy and was so excited to be there. This is Taste. I'm your host, Matt Rodbarg.
1:22that goes into spotting chefs around the country. It's not as easy as you think. I really hope you enjoy these conversations.
1:38Kate Kasson, welcome to This is Taste. How are you? Very excited to be here, Matt. I'm so excited to have you. I've loved catching up with you at events. We've shared meals. And we're here to talk about the best new restaurants, list and package at Bon Appetit. I'm a huge fan of what you've done. Congratulations. Thank you so much. We're very excited to have it out in the world after working on it for very long. We're going to get into the issue now. And like, let's zoom out first, because I want our listeners to kind of realize and know, like, the work that goes into this. Complaining about food writing is like the worst task ever.
2:13You never really want to do it. But and I don't expect you to complain. But, you know, it's hard. And in many ways, what went into determining these best new restaurants in America? Yeah. So the work starts long before the issue comes out. And I think I'm kind of the only one on our team who works on the project almost every single day. And that's not an exaggeration. Like I when I first started working on the project two years ago. So in 2022, I was kind of brought on just to help with research. and Emil Stanek, who's one of our contributing editors, would slack me and be like, I'm passing through the state of Texas.
2:51Between here and here, can you find me a restaurant? And as the process has gone on, by now, I work on it almost every day in the sense that, you know, I have a master doc and I'm between reading press releases and local news and seeing people post on social media. I'm populating a sheet with basically every city possible in the country and where it's opening. And kind of, you know, I just write the restaurant name, the month that it opened and any kind of key like, oh, if the chef is someone who we know well. So what's exciting about seeing the list finally come to fruition is like some of these restaurants are ones where I've, you know, written about the opening in our anticipated openings column.
3:33Some of them, you know, we find right before we start to scout, but it's definitely a very involved process of research where, you know, I'm populating this sheet basically starting in April, right after we start the previous year's cycle of scouting. Like right now, my 2025 sheet. So for next year's issue, I checked is like already 22 pages. Wow, that's incredible. 22 pages of new restaurants. And so how do you what's the parameter to be in the 24 list? When did you have to have opened? Right. So we say March to March. Yeah. Which I think part of the reason why we have that overlap slightly is, you know, each of us is going to a city.
4:13We can't go everywhere that last week of March. So there are going to be places, let's say, you know, I went to Denver and Miami at the end of February this year. So there are going to be places that open in March at the end of March that we really want to consider and that we want to give that chance to be on the list. So that's why there's some degree of overlap. But the crazy thing is, yeah, this year's list was March 2023 to March 2024. And then it comes out in September. So, you know, that's print journalism where we need that time to be, you know, photographing all the restaurants, recipes, stories.
4:47A lot goes into it besides just like scouting and the next day having a list. Do restaurants ever close after you've given them like serious consideration? Does that happen? Definitely. I think, you know, we every year that I've worked on it have had a restaurant close at different points in the timeline, which is a really sad reality of working with these living bodies that are restaurants. But we try to find a way to give those restaurant shout outs in other ways, whether in our, you know, best dishes recap or something else relating to the issue. It's really, really cool that you do that. And it really illustrates the fragile nature of restaurants when they are at such a high level that they're going to be possibly in this issue.
5:30But they close because for whatever reason, do you feel like the ones that close, there's like maybe some real like local economics at play? Or is it the chef moving on? Like, why do these restaurants close that you would think probably shouldn't? Right. I mean, you know, we're considering these as best new restaurants. You'd think, oh, they're going to last a year. It's usually external factors. Rent can be tripled. Yeah. You know, that's honestly most often what it is. I think it's factors out of the control of the restaurant. Sure, sometimes chefs move on or, you know, the team doesn't jive well together.
6:05But I find most often that it's, you know, the landlord raises the rent or something having to do with the space that's just really out of the hands of these chefs. And I think what's cool nowadays is they'll go on and they'll start operating pop ups a month later, you know, or they'll do a residency at a local bar or brewery that's really popular in other cities. So they'll live on in some form. But I find that it's usually not because the restaurant just decided to close. Yeah, it's really, really interesting how rent is is really what it comes down to with most restaurants. I want to get into your process a little bit.
6:39I think it's important that we go over, you know, the travel and then your method. You mentioned that you went to a couple cities. How does that work when you're thinking about the travel to actually have the meals? You obviously can't visit every major city, but how does that actually work in divvying out who goes where? Yeah, so basically from April through December, I'm deep in the research process. I continue it past then, but December is really when I start to sit down with our restaurant editor, Elazar. Shout out to Elazar, too. Shout out to Elazar, my partner in crime. You guys are a great team.
7:16I love Elazar. We Zoom every Friday for an hour, and we start to really go through my research. And, you know, we are online, on Zoom, looking at every menu, reading the backstory of these restaurants, restaurants looking at their instagrams and starting to by looking at each city we call it like red yellow green but really start to see like where do we have to hit and i think that shapes our travel more than oh we have to go to these 10 major cities so then by january we're starting to look at where we're going there are some cities where maybe if we have someone else on our team who's just passing through a city for personal vacation we'll send them to a restaurant because, you know, we're working with a limited budget.
7:59Sure, of course. And we're only sending one person on these trips. I think, you know, as much as Elzar and I would love to like road trip and go everywhere together, we're going on our own. So we both do some scouting. Emil, who I mentioned before, who's been working on the project for 11 years now, hits the road and does some mid-Atlantic cities. And then we have a few other people on our team, which kind of changes every year, whether it's our staff writers or in years past, like kind of more of our like executive editor, those type people. I'm sure Jamila is dipping into. Yeah, definitely. And then, you know, I think then there are some cities like New York, we live here.
8:42Yeah. Or like Los Angeles, our head of video, June Kim's out there. So Elazar will go, but then also tap June. But yeah, in terms of where we go, it really is like there are certain cities that Elazar goes to. He's from the Bay Area. So he goes to San Francisco and kind of just all of the West Coast by virtue of that. Or, you know, my parents are snowbirds and live in Miami. So I stay with them and I do Miami. I've done Chicago the past few years. I use it also as an opportunity to see a new city every year. So two years ago, I went to Savannah and I had never been. This past year, I went back to Nashville, but hadn't been and really like experienced the food besides like, you know, Hattie B's hot chicken.
9:24Yeah, I know. That's a good spot. Definitely a good spot. But there's so much more going on in that city. And you clearly have identified a great restaurant there on your list. So we're definitely then from there going to look at, OK, from each of these cities, where do we need to hit? How many nights is this trip looking like? And from there, then helping everyone who's scouting plans. So I kind of, you know, do a lot of copying and pasting, creating documents for people and writing down what mealtimes these restaurants are open, what days they're open, and whether reservations are available and on what platform.
9:56Basically setting up each of our scouters for success. And then the idea is that each person who's going to these cities is also doing a little bit of legwork on their own because I can't find every single place possible. You know, PR is a very helpful tool, getting press releases in my inbox, especially in local markets. But I'm also like I find Eater to be an incredible resource. They have their city sites. So I'm reading, you know, I would say three times a week I'm reading all of their city sites and, you know, all of their openings pieces. But then, like, through the Condé Nast library, I'm reading a lot of local news.
10:33I'm really into you sharing transparently how you do your reporting. And it really is reporting. And, listener, I want to really stress that this is only a small fraction of your job. You're putting on issues every month. You're doing a lot of online-only content and you're doing a podcast. So bravo to you and your team for doing the work. Kate, let me ask you, walk into a restaurant in a city you've never been to, in a restaurant you've never been to, you may have read about it on Eater or picked up the press release. You're likely optimistic or you are optimistic. I know you as a person and you're a journalist, so you want to be objective.
11:09You're walking in the space. Take us through what's going through your mind and how do you actually report when you have like literally one shot, maybe two shots, but usually one shot to judge a restaurant. Yeah. So we really want to have the experience that every single diner there is having. So typically we're making reservations because you have to to get into so many of these places. We're making them under our names. We're not like disguising under another name. If it's a walk in only place, I will show up, you know, that hour in advance to really make sure that I can get in there on that night.
11:43Because for some of these cities, like this year I went to Denver for 24 hours. Yeah. So you're really trying to get into these restaurants in terms of what we do once we sit down. Like, I believe that you shouldn't have to order the entire menu to get a snapshot into what a restaurant's doing. It's different when it's a tasting menu. But, you know, you should be able to order like five to eight dishes. And, you know, I eat everything. So, like, you know, trying a little bit of everything that they have to offer, different sections of the menu, always getting dessert. And then I always getting dessert.
12:16Oh, yeah. I mean, listen, there are some people who maybe don't like dessert or don't like that part of it or don't don't find it there. They're draw. But you are always always getting dessert. I'm a sweets person, but I and it's not a deal breaker if I'm not like, wow, that dessert. But I'm always getting dessert. And then I'm typically getting one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic beverage. and then whoever's with me, I'll typically, if it's a like robust cocktail program, I'll try whatever beverage they have just so that I'm not like having three drinks at every meal. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we're just, you know, holistically looking at like, do I feel happy when I'm here?
12:56Are the other diners happy? There are things like, you know, just like a feeling that you have in the restaurant versus like checking off different items or having like a criteria. It's really like, And Elazar and I both feel the same way. Like I will text him when I leave certain meals being like the food was awesome, but the people were so nice. I love that statement. I think giving credit to front of house and service is needed in more food writing. Love that. Let's talk about some of the gray areas, the tough calls you have to make, because I would say there's probably experiences. I dine out a lot myself and like you're loving the food, like the food is absolutely crushing it.
13:36But the front of house is feeling super amateurish. The dining room is not great in terms of aesthetics, meaning it maybe isn't thoughtful and maybe it's uncomfortable in the seat. I mean, what if like they forget something, but you love most of it? Are you grading on a curve in some ways if you feel like you've heard great things about it? I know this is a tough call and you can't really articulate it in a soundbite, but how do you consider these variables? So I worked in restaurants before I worked at Bon Appetit, which I think is helpful context in that every service doesn't go exactly the same and every service doesn't go exactly how you plan.
14:16Maybe somebody called out sick. Maybe someone's not feeling great or something happened to them that day. And so, you know, we're not like with a fine tooth comb going through like, did they ask me for my dietary restrictions at the exact correct time? Because, no, I think it's really just like big picture, you know, if they drop a fork while they're clearing the table, like I used to drop things all the time. I was very bad at carrying three plates at the same time. So I think in terms of service, like warmth and knowledge is so much more important to me than having everything be so, so perfect, because that's just not a fact of reality when you're in these ecosystems with so many moving parts.
14:59Kate, let's get to the list now. These are the restaurants that you and your staff and your teammates and your crew have determined the best new restaurants in America. We've gone over the methodology. I really appreciate what you just said, by the way. It's cool that you have a method and it's real journalism. Bravo. Tam Tam in Miami. What struck you about this place? Tam Tam in Miami is a really special spot because nowhere like it exists in Miami. And I think that's something that we're always thinking about when we're scouting. Coming from New York, we have a lot of different types of restaurants here.
15:33But for Miami to have a Vietnamese restaurant that just like is really fun and that is kind of the place to be right now is really cool, I think. You know, it's also the location. It's in downtown Miami across from a courthouse. There's no vibe to the sidewalk. But they've put out these little colorful stools and people are waiting for their tables drinking natural wine. Inside, it kind of feels like Thai Diner in that, you know, they kept the old structure pretty intact. Tam is in the kitchen. Harrison, the two owners, Harrison's front of house. And it's just a really fun place. And like a lot of the food is meant to be eaten with your hands.
16:13A lot of it is Vietnamese dishes that Tam grew up eating. But a lot of it's also, you know, little subtle nods to their environment in Miami. So maybe they're using, you know, fish or shrimp from the Keys or they're using key lime in a dessert or they're, you know, they have this like goat noodle curry, which is a nod to all the different Caribbean spots in Miami. But, yeah, I went with my family who are they're my favorite group to scout with. And we just had a lot of fun and they're having a lot of fun. You know, I think that's something that's really important when I'm looking at restaurants.
16:51Like, is the team enjoying themselves and having fun? Yes, it's work, obviously. You know, you can only have so much fun at work. But it's a fun spot. And it's a spot that I want to go back to. Like, I plan to spend New Year's there this year. Very cool. And I think it's great that you have industry experience. I don't think you have to have industry experience to write about restaurants. But you understand that not every night is a great night. But generally, you can read a room. if the leadership is presenting a happy environment. And of course, you know the contrary, right? Oh, definitely. Yeah.
17:26The night that we were there, the power went out while we were eating dessert, but everyone was fine. There was no freak out. We continued to eat our dessert. And like, you know, you could just tell by the way that they reacted to that, that it was a fine place to work. Yeah. Everyone kind of laughed it over a little bit. But Columbus, Ohio makes the list with Agni. And I'm going to ask about this restaurant. But first, how do you end up in Columbus, Ohio? Likely it's a line on one of your spreadsheets at some point. But then you have to commit to going there. How do you end up including this list?
18:03So two things. One, the scouter who went here did Columbus, Cincinnati, and Lexington, Kentucky. Yeah. And a bang, bang, bang. I learn a lot about geography doing research for this list of kind of what cities to pair together. We were simultaneously scouting for our best new bars list when doing this. And there was also a lot going on in the bar space in Columbus and Cincinnati. And I'm not sure entirely how I found Agni. I think it might have been that like someone who I follow on Instagram had posted when they opened. And it's as simple as that. You know, I think we really do try to hit anywhere in any city that feels remarkable.
18:43And so whether it's Columbus or whether it's Chicago, we want to send someone there. It's cool that you have an open mind. You obviously can't go to every market. I mean, Hudson Valley is getting a little neglect, I would say, but I'm. Cafe Mutton was on our list two years ago. Yeah, great place. I love that. I voted for it in the beards. I love that spot. Now, let me ask you, though. So Ohio, this restaurant, how is it reflecting Ohio? What's going on here? So I don't know if it's reflecting Ohio as much as the team. Got it. And it's, you know, it's one of those restaurants that I think when you first read the website or the press release or, you know, the whole global influences is, you know, you never know what that's quite going to be.
19:28But what's really cool about the menu at Agni, and it's kind of quasi fine dining or fine dining, is everyone on the team in the kitchen is having influence of what's on that menu. So a lot of the different dishes come from the backgrounds of the different people in the kitchen. So, you know, you might have a dish that kind of leans more Indian flavors. You might have a dish that leans more Italian flavors. But, you know, in the tasting, you're kind of getting all of that. And it's really just reflecting that they're all sitting down together and sharing their culinary experience. Very cool. So it's a tasting menu and there's food from all over.
20:05It's like I would call it maybe a version of New American just explained. I got to make it to Columbus. So it leads to my question, Kate, about the research that you are doing for the upcoming list. Is there a city that you may have gone to briefly for the 24 list that you're like really excited to go back to maybe give a closer look in America? I ask this question because we're always thinking at Taste about where we want to write about as well. So I'm kind of taking this opportunity to ask you a city that maybe is really exciting right now. Yeah, I think we take for granted in New York or other major cities that like every minute there's a new restaurant opening.
20:44But in certain other cities, it's kind of year to year that there's going to be more stuff. So, for example, Detroit. 2023, we had Ladder 4 Wine Bar on the list, which is a really special restaurant. It's in an old firehouse. And Chef John Jelenik there is having a lot of fun in the kitchen. You know, they leave the beak and the claw on in any of the chicken dishes. They're working with local Detroit, you know, suppliers. It's a huge industry spot. And that was such a remarkable spot that like, you know, will live rent free in my brain forever. this past year I scouted in Detroit but this next year so 2025 there's a lot opening that I'm really excited about I went a few weeks ago to Vicino it's a New Mexican place that's doing you know like nixtamalization and house Lenya new Spanish place just opens Lady of the House is reopening nice it is cool good to hear I know like Jihei in Ann Arbor is opening a fast casual spot so you know I just think year to year it depends and Detroit's a place where their local critic there, Lindsey Green at the Detroit Free Press, is really great at keeping a pulse on what's going on there.
22:01And then my boyfriend's family's from there. So his parents will go to a spot and send me, you know, his dad will be like, I think this place is the best new restaurant. So I'm excited about - Getting the lobby, the Michigan lobby. Exactly. So, you know, there are cities, I think this year I'm really excited. There's a couple things in Oklahoma City that I'm excited about. Minneapolis has been huge the past few years. and I'd like to go there. I've never been. So yeah, I think each year the cities that we go to change slightly based on what's opening. Did you guys go to Hawaii this year? Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico are three places that I think are the toughest to keep track of openings.
22:38We have a few people in our orbit who we kind of tap in those places to keep track of the openings or maybe if they're going to go to those places. But I think it's tough because obviously we don't have anyone who's going to Hawaii often or going to Alaska often. Yeah, I'd be curious about Alaska. I've been to Juneau and I can't say I remember much about the food, but it'd be really cool to hear about Alaska. And, of course, Puerto Rico as well. Amazing, amazing produce in Puerto Rico and cuisine. So I hope you guys can get there. Sapsua in Denver, another Vietnamese restaurant, but this is more Vietnamese American perhaps.
23:16I'm just going off of what I'm reading. But tell me about their menu and what struck you by that meal. I love sapsua. Chef, Nhi is Vietnamese American, first generation. And so a lot of the dishes on the menu are dishes that he grew up eating that his mom would make for him or his grandmother would make for him. But kind of the more American part, besides his upbringing here, is just everyone else on the team, kind of similar to Agni. They list every single team member's name on the bottom of the menu. So both front of house and back of house. Everyone from managers to bartenders to servers are on that menu, their name at the bottom.
23:58And a lot of these dishes are inspired by the team members. So what's really cool is, you know, we have recipes in the restaurant issue, which is always a tough thing to achieve because we want restaurant recipes that are accessible to a home cook. But we worked with Sapsua, one of our Test Kitchen editors, Shilpa Uskovic, worked with Ni and Anna, the two owners there. And, you know, one of their dishes there is this scrambled eggs that's laced with brown butter and fish sauce and topped with trout roe. And it's a recipe that, you know, Ni says he ate growing up, but their CDC, Ben Carillon, was the one who conceived the dish.
24:38And we adapted a little bit. We don't have people at home putting trout roe on their scrambled eggs. But it's a really warm, comforting dish. There's another dish that's this like lightly fried tofu dish with the, you know, ginger scallion hot oil sauce that came from Theo, one of their other chefs. So I think what's really cool about this whole Vietnamese-American concept there is that it's, you know, very much so based on the food that Nhi ate growing up, but also everyone else at the restaurant and kind of their experiences. And, you know, maybe someone puts up a dish for a family meal and then the next day it's on the menu because it resonated with everyone there.
25:15I love that thought. And the fact that you bring recipes into this issue, I respect that. It's not easy. And I think your readers will really appreciate to have new home cooking ideas as well. Karima was new to me. It's a New York City restaurant. It makes the list. I checked Resi yesterday and there were a lot of spots open. And I'm saying that not to try to be shady, but I'm just saying this is clearly an incredibly cool restaurant. I am booking there probably in October. I hope our New York City listeners will listen to what you have to say about Karima because it sounds incredible. Yeah. So Karima is on the Lower East Side slash Chinatown slash Dime Square.
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25:56And it comes from Chef Fidel Caballero and his wife, Sophia. And Fidel cooked at Contra. So I think as soon as I read that, I was like, OK, it's going to be, you know, on the more like experimental, fun, beautiful food side. and they have both tasting and a la carte. And it's similar to Knox, which it's, you know, tasting menu in the back and a la carte in the front. I really like that model because I think it just makes it that much more accessible for people to go and spend the amount of money that they want, which in New York is difficult only because, I mean, it's also a sub$100 tasting. And you're getting a really generous amount of food.
26:36I loved seeing that price point and we're working on a piece about tasting menu pricing structures and that really resonates with me. Yeah, and, you know, they're doing this sourdough flour tortilla that it's kind of scallion pancakey. Luke Fortney, when he was at Eater, did a story on how they make it basically on the bottom of a wok, and they bring it with this, like, chile ricardo negro butter. There's these, like, udon noodles with cuttlefish that comes in a broth, but it's not fussy. Like, yes, it's a tasting menu in the back, But it's, I think, because of the a la carte also, it's very laid back.
27:13It feels like a place, like, I went with a friend for the tasting. I brought my family for the a la carte. The drinks are incredible. There's an uni gin sour, which, you know, creamy from the uni but not overpowering. I mean, really, really, really a high-wire act bringing uni into a cocktail. I mean, that's really, really, really hard to do. Yeah, and they're using a lot of spirits that you can't really get on lists otherwhere in New York, like Sotol and other agave-based spirits that, you know, it's not just tequila. But yeah, I would say I love that at Karima you can have a lot of different experiences.
27:46You could go and sit at the bar and have like the wheat lacoche quesadilla and two drinks. Or you could go have the tasting and have this really meaningful experience where the team is super knowledgeable about all the ingredients. And it's a special spot that I think has flown under the radar but is really worth visiting. Again, go book at Karima. I'm doing that myself. it seems like a really cool meal. Last specific restaurant, plenty more to talk about. Definitely pick up the issue. It's on newsstands now, right? Like you can go... The 17th of September, it will be on newsstands. So it's on newsstands soon.
28:20It is on the interweb now. The interweb it's on and definitely support print publications, be it BA or Food & Wine or Savoir and buy those magazines. They're so great. The art direction is terrific in this issue. The last restaurant is Akahoshi Ramen. in Chicago. And I'm really intrigued. It's Sapporo-style ramen. There is a little bit of an internet story about this guy. I don't mean to call him this guy. You'll tell me all about it. What's going on here in Chicago? So you can't call him this guy. This is Ramen Lord. Ramen Lord. I knew he had a name. That's why I kind of went there. Ramen Lord.
28:53Yeah. So this is probably the first ever Reddit-turned-Ramen chef story. So cool. And Mike Satinover went to your alma mater, University of Wisconsin. Shout out Badgers. I like him. And I think he, you know, studied business in undergrad and somehow became obsessed with ramen. And through on Reddit, through Reddit, I'm not a Reddit user, if you can't tell, basically started to chronicle his quest to make a perfect bowl of ramen. And he is not a gatekeeper. He was publishing every single little like I tried this and I tried that for about 10 years. and late last year in December opened his own ramen shop around Logan Square in Chicago.
29:37It's just a ramen shop. And I don't mean that in like a it's just a ramen shop. I mean that in a, you know, there's a counter. There are a few tables. The menu is not fussy. It's like four bowls of ramen. Sometimes there's a special, a couple bowls of ramen, a couple rice specials. There are some add-ons like you can get an extra egg or an extra slice of fatty pork. but you're really there to eat ramen in this you know so-called almost temple from ramen lord and he is there every day blow torching every single last piece of pork he's using a refractometer it's scientifically perfect to measure the viscosity of the broth you know he very much so is still sharing if you follow him on instagram like we cook these eggs for six minutes and we put them in the marinade for this long.
30:26And he's making it accessible. He's also created a Reddit community of, I think it's like backslash ramen, of people who know him all over the country and the world. We actually just had an event to celebrate the Best New Restaurants launch. And he was sitting in the hotel lobby when Eleazar and I got there. And I said, Eleazar, I think that's the ramen lord. And we went up to him, we were like, ramen lord, is that you? And he's like the most down-to-earth guy and was so excited to be there. and, you know, has like 50 ,000 followers on Instagram and even more on Reddit. But it's so cool to eat somewhere where you're just a ramen shop.
31:01But like I walked away and I was like, that is the most perfect bowl of ramen I've ever had. And like you're booking five weeks in advance if you want to book. Open table. I think it's 12 p.m. CST, 1 p.m. EST because I set like 10 reminders to make sure I was. You were able to book there. Yes. Excellent. And my friend who I was going with, you know, I needed to bring two other friends so I could try all the different. And like I was like, you guys need to make sure that you're going to book it in time. But they've reserved seats for walk-ins and they're, you know, super transparent on their Instagram.
31:34They'll post like no, no busy line right now. Come walk in. Oh, cool. I like that transparency. It's very smart. Yeah. And I'd heard about the spot from Nick Kindlesberger, who used to be one of the critics at the Tribune. And it's just really cool to have a ramen shop on the list because, you know, we want to have every price point represented on the list. But we also want to have you don't have to be reinventing the wheel to be on the list. You can also be doing something just textbook perfect. I think that you really illustrated how when you look at restaurants, you're looking at many elements, but you're not like over indexing for one or the other.
32:10This is clearly a place that has a lot of great context. It's a great story to write. But, of course, you just said it's like the best bowl of ramen you've had. And it's Sapporo style, right? It's a different style. How would you describe what's in the bowl? Yeah, so the main two kinds, the akoshi miso is kind of what you have to get. And it's like, you know, that thick broth that you can tell has like just the right amount of fat in it. The noodles are slightly different. So they have two brothless ramens and then two ramens with broth. and you know Mike posts about the flowers that he's using from you know local Illinois or local Midwest farms and he's constantly tweaking how he makes the noodles and at what temperature he stores them and he's you know in the shop at 8 a.m.
32:58every day making them so I tried the there's like a kind of more of like a dan dan noodle style brothless one and then the soup noodles and they make two different kinds of noodles so they're making like more thin and crinkly ones but then And they're also making like more of a thick noodle. I need to get on Open Table five weeks in advance. Or you could just show up. Or show up or check out. And sit at the counter. You might even get your bowl of ramen presented by the ramen lord himself. Ramen lord. Let me ask you a simple question. Is there a member of is there like an alumni member from the previous issues you worked on from Best New Restaurants that you go to the most?
33:39In Miami. So last year, Maddie's was on our list in Miami. It's Chef Valerie Chang. And my parents, I think, go there like every other week. It's like their dining room. But I would say I probably go there the most, even though I don't live there, only because it's Peruvian. And I find we don't have that as much in New York. And man, is that food good. Maddie's in Miami. I love that pick. It's such a terrific list that you've published this week. And Kate, I want to have you back and talk about more of your discoveries. On This is Taste, we ask guests about the discerning taste. So to close this interview, here's a little rapid fire, fast and furious taste check.
34:19Are you ready? Yes. Okay. The best fruit? Oranges. Specifically in the winter, sumo's, cara-cara's, like the luxury oranges. That is the right answer. Truly my favorite fruit. Truly sumo's when they're right. It's truly any mandarin if you catch them in the right state. You have passed this test. Not that it's a test, but great answer. The worst vegetable. Everyone says mangoes. Everyone says mangoes because they're right and mangoes are great. But I love, I love mandarins when they're hitting right. The worst vegetable. Brussels sprouts. Okay. I have issues with that one. Well, I'm going to tell you why.
34:56I think 10 years ago they were my favorite vegetable. But now unless, like I'll eat them if they're deep fried and slathered in a glaze. But like I'm not cooking them anymore at home. Even on Thanksgiving with pancetta, like it's just it's it's not my favorite anymore. I've moved on to cabbage. You're going that same family. I love cabbage. It's great. Caraflex. You're going for Susan Goins Brussels sprouts with pancetta. I had to pick one vegetable. I know I made you answer that question. The best dessert. A sundae or anything that's like frozen in ice cream form. So like bingsu, cocky, gory ice cream sundaes.
35:31So sundaes. Is there like a choice of topping that you prefer the most? Hmm. A lot of toppings. Something that's like interesting. Like I don't just need like chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. Like I love like, you know, at Bar Food Home Portland, Maine, they do Kaki Gori. They have like a blueberry oat one. They have a lemon meringue one. Like I want that. More inventive toppings. Every month of the year. More inventive toppings. Let's do it. Okay. Okay. The restaurant you want to visit most in the world. Gagan in Bangkok. I'm a chef's table head. Yeah. And I'm really excited for their new season.
36:05noodles. But that's an episode that I watched and I was like, when I go to Thailand one day, I'm going to eat there. I love that episode. And that guy seems like a real character. So great call on that one. Big question. Your favorite cookbook of all time. Jerusalem, a cookbook by Otolangian Tamimi. Yeah. It's just, please say more. I think that was the first cookbook where I saw that cookbooks were not just recipes. I wrote a senior thesis in college about a very similar topic and used that cookbook as a case study. The intro writing in that book and talking about how, you know, Yotamo Tulangi and Sami Tamimi grew up in Jerusalem at separate, you know, opposite ends of the city but ate a lot of the same foods.
36:49It's a beautiful cookbook and I think, you know, I also have cooked from it. But it's one of my favorite cookbooks kind of on the more narrative side. Absolutely. The writing in that book is so beautiful. I cannot agree more. And Otolenghi's coming out with a new cookbook this fall, so I can't wait for that. Nice plug there, Kate. He's coming to the studio. We have him booked, so I'm excited to have him. I hope he sits in this chair. He may be in that chair. Yodam has been on the show a bunch, and I love talking to him. All right, a few more. A favorite recent cookbook discovery. It is not released yet, but I'm very excited for the Kalaya Southern Thai Kitchen cookbook.
37:25cook chef knock is a philly i guess also just legend all over and thai food is a cuisine that i have trouble cooking at home i find it's just always better to outsource but i've been flipping through the pdf and have been earmarking some things that seem in my wheelhouse um but i think most recently the zahav home cookbook came out this week so i've been flipping through that and i just made their date glazed salmon fillets that were very good oh what a wreck i i haven't had those guys on the show in a minute, but I love that book came out and, and we're having Kalaya on. So the, the, the chef at Kalaya.
37:58So I'm excited. I went to college in Philly. So I, you know, I had like the chicken curry and coconut rice there, which is probably the simplest dish on the menu. And I was like, this is good food. Yeah. What a great, it's a terrific book. I'm glad you called it out. A couple more, uh, your favorite city outside America to visit for food. Lyon. I also love Paris, but I studied abroad my junior year in Lyon and man is, the food good there. They know how to cook. They don't skimp on the butter. They don't skimp on anything. And the produce there is incredible. It's cool. So when you were studying there, like what were you what were you studying?
38:33And did you actually did you skip class to have extra meals? I wasn't studying food, but in Europe, they meet less like they don't go to class like four times a week for two hours. They're meeting once. So I lived with a host family. Oh, cool. So I would go with my host parents on Saturday morning to the market. They had a really wonderful market on the Seine River. They do roast chicken in markets in France. We should do that here. I would go to a bakery or two every single day. And that was kind of the only money that I spent while I was in Lyon. And, you know, you can get a really incredible pastry for a euro there that would cost like eight dollars here.
39:07And I had quiche like four times a week. It was it's a really wonderful food city. Yeah. Lyonnais cuisine is a true one of one. I agree. Last one, Kate, your favorite sandwich? Anything with a chicken cutlet. Wow. This is not like an everyday kind of thing. It's more of a luxury, but like Chicken Katsu Club at Golden Diner. Yes. Anything from Rowdy Rooster. If you go to an Italian deli, like chicken cutlet with mozzarella and pesto. Yeah. Oh, pesto, not red. I love going green, not red. Oh, yeah. Totally agree with you. And then, oh, Mama's Tuta is really good chicken cutlet sandwiches. I've only had the pizza there.
39:42What a tip. During the pandemic, they were doing every Wednesday, you know they it was like on focaccia and it would be like a chicken cutlet with vodka sauce and it wasn't like to have every week or every day but anything with a chicken cutlet I love it Kay Kassin thank you so much for joining this is Taze you're gonna come back I hope I will be back I live in the same city as you you do we're gonna do it thanks
40:15Raphael Brion, welcome to This is Taste. My friend, how are you? I'm great, Matt. How are you? I'm great, and I'm excited to talk to you about the latest Best New Chefs class at Food and Wine and the new issue that you just put out. I think it's phenomenal. And we've known each other for a while. We're friends. And I just am so happy for you. Congratulations. Thank you, sir. How long has it been, Matt? 20 years? I think it's 20 years. I probably met you, you know what, I'm going to say like 18 years is probably right. We probably, when you were an editor at Eater, a writer, I was doing the same type of CD Guide work.
40:56So, man, times have flown by. Yeah. It's amazing. I love it. Yeah. So, I want to just jump in and ask you, you know, we have the best job collectively traveling and eating at restaurants. I get to do it myself. But really, I have it easier than you. And, you know, complaining about anything food related is silly. But but really, I want to hear about how much travel, how many meals, how many states went into the reporting for your Best New Chef class and just really this this issue in general. I mean, I basically lived on the road for a few months straight, except for quick runs home to do laundry.
41:38I think it was probably at least 25 plus cities. And I was basically just hopscops around the country, one way of flights, bopping around one city to the next, often making reservations on the plane. So the next city was amazing. But really, I mean, it was a lot of me, but it's also just a big group effort. There was a huge stouting committee that included just a bunch of food and wine editorial staffers, including Chief Hunter Lewis, our executive feature editor, Kinsman, and beyond. And then we also included this year, I believe for the first time, Best Me Chef alumni, including Kyle Levellez and Chris Shepard as part of the staff committee.
42:25Yeah, it's terrific to hear how it's a collective group think here happening with diversity of voices and geography, racial diversity, and really the final list reflects this. And please, I have to say, pick up this issue. It's on Stands Now or read the online version of it because it's terrific. It gives us a sense of emerging voices in cities around the country. Were there any, when you started this job, were there any cities that you were just really excited to dig into? Man, L.A. is amazing, right? I mean, L.A. could be its own country. You know, it's kind of mind-bending. There's a huge diversity of cuisines that are available.
43:09I mean, essentially, it's own city-state. And, you know, I could probably come up with a list of bestie jobs alone for L.A. But, yeah, like that, I could spend weeks in L.A. Yeah, I agree. I try to spend as much time there as possible, especially in the winter months. But let's let's zoom out a bit. I'd love to hear about your job at Food & Wine as restaurant editor. You're not just working on this one issue. You've got a lot of a lot of responsibilities. What exactly is your is your job? So my job is to, you know, a big part of my job, I would say, is to manage the best chef's temple. But a lot of it is also just managing restaurant coverage and magazine.
43:50So from print to online and everything in between. So at Food & Wine, you took over for Kush Bouchard, who had your job restaurant editor for many years. And she did an amazing job. And she's been on the show a couple of times discussing her work. But, you know, when you when you get a new voice and a fresh voice, I'm at a publication, you know, they're always going to ask you, like, what do you want to bring? What is what is what is your point of view? And, you know, for this big debut, what did you want to say new about the country's restaurant scene? I mean, the thing with with Best New Chefs is that, you know, this is a real legacy accolade.
44:29right? And it goes back 36 years, um, 1988, you know, the first class was, uh, Daniel Bolugan, Thomas Keller, right? Like, um, it's bigger, it's bigger than me, certainly this accolade and it will be bigger, you know, I'm excited to like, you know, step into this role and just continue the legacy, right? Um, it's like this call away award that's like super coveted in the industry for a super long time. And what it means to chefs, these up-and-coming emerging chefs. We offer a lot in terms of mentorship programs. We welcome them into a true community, a true family of alumni that now goes into, I believe it's over 370 alumni.
45:13I've always recognized Best New Chefs, and I've been to Aspen for the awards a couple times. And I have to say, outside of James Beard, which is obviously the North Star for our nation's restaurant scene, and maybe Michelin Guide. I'd say Best New Chef, that is like the highest honor for a chef because of your alumni, because of what you do in the work that you put into naming these folks. And my question is, when you were done with all this travel, you probably had more than 12, 14 names. how do you decide on the best new chef class what's what's the process like i mean you know obviously like we were talking about we have the whole uh scout committee you know once we've finished all of our scouting uh we uh convene and we put you know uh the the lot of us in a room over the course of two days and we basically just lock ourselves in the room we hash it out um you know it's all very respectful but we don't throw chairs or anything but you know over the course of a few days, we figure it out.
46:21I mean, I'm sure knowing you and your fiery opinions, maybe you didn't throw a chair, but maybe threw a can of La Croix at least. There was no La Croix throwing that. But, you know, yeah, of course, we're passionate people, you know, and that's the thing is that we all feel incredibly strongly about some, about, you know, food and chefs and so but it's all congenial we're all colleagues yeah i know and and really it's the magazine that represents it's not the rafael list it's the food and wine list and and i get it and i have tremendous respect for for food and wine and and the and the work you put into these lists um and and your issues let me ask you about a couple very memorable meals that you had on the road um you and i shared a meal at the beginning of your journey i don't know if you remember back in New York.
47:16You just had the job. I mean, it was crazy. I love that we're talking now because I think it was like day two of your job and we had a meal that it didn't make Best New Chefs and it was it was fine. But let me ask you about the most memorable meals, because I was thinking at that time of talking to you and having a meal. You're going to have a lot of really crazy experiences on your journey. And I'd love to hear about a couple. The one that blew me away the most is probably a mural in St. Paul. Chef's Carn Tomlinson. They offer two menus there. One is a very elaborate, multi-course tasting menu that celebrates foraging and local farmers.
47:57Then they also offer a more a la carte option. This food there is very understated fine dining. It blends so many elements. There's Minnesota. There's Scandinavian. There's a peasant French. I think she calls it grandma sheep. And everything is incredibly subtle. It's very quiet. Over time, it's the kind of meal that will just bowl you over. By the end of it, you're just completely flummoxed and overwhelmed by what happened to you. You know, there's never one specific thing that was the fireworks, but it was just a big collective gasp at the end. When that happens, and I know that feeling when you're just like at the end of your like, wow, we just were blown away.
48:47And I recognize that feeling. It is rare. Give us another meal that you really found to be memorable. You ever been to Raph's, Matt? I have been to Raph's. Raph's from Mariettea and Kamarimik in New York City. it's this sort of menu that bounces between France and Italy and it's just head spinning they managed to somehow incorporate these two and have these two very different kind of cuisines come to conversation with each other and the food just lights out fire yeah those guys are I'd love to have them in the studio I'm just going to say that I know Liza's a fan as well let me ask you about your process because I'm really interested in this because it's hard what you do and I recognize it.
49:37You know, you just made your own Delta. You just made your ResiRac. You're about to land and you're going to go to that restaurant in a couple hours. And you're brimming with optimism. I know you as a person and I know you want to like everything. It's kind of like your demeanor. You're not a hater. But when you go into a restaurant, you step foot, how do you judge this restaurant? You have this one shot. I know you have your colleagues going to other, you know, second visits, etc. But really, you yourself have one shot. How are you assessing the restaurant on one meal? I mean, I go in like any other diner, right?
50:11You know, I don't tell them I come in. I invite friends along. We try to order like normal human beings, you know. Sometimes we order maybe a little bit extra just because we just want to try more. but you know I do my research ahead of time like any normal person mind like what should I order what should I get you know what is what is the restaurant known for what you know what is the non-miss dish right obviously there's some serendipity the spectacles the menus change you know I love that but really the only difference is that I might be doing two dinners in a single night just because I'm trying to optimize my time in a city you know which has its own fun challenge but yeah it's not any different than anyone else.
50:52Are you preparing notes are you researching the restaurant outside of it being named as a place to visit? Or do you want to go in with like an open mind and not be colored by other press? I try not to overdo it on reading outside press. You know, I don't want to be too influenced. But honestly, I just want to know what's going on. Like any normal person might, you know. No, I think that's fair. And that's how I do it as well. I think definitely having that open mind and not reading too many reviews before is a great way. I want to jump to Erica Council in Atlanta, Georgia. You know, I love Erica's cookbook that she published about biscuits a year or so ago.
51:32It's a terrific read. And I've been to one of her pop-ups in Atlanta years ago. And you give Erica's a full Best New Chef honor, which is well-deserved. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on Erica. Erica's council's biscuits are legendary, right? life-changing. She hails from this long line of restaurateurs and home cooks. Her grandmother, Mildred Mama Dip Council, opened meme during Soul Food Restaurant Mama Dips in Chapel Hill. She originally started as a computer scientist, and she started Bomb Biscuits, a series of pop-ups which you've been turning into a delivery service during the pandemic, which devolved into a food stall, you know, at a Darwin Street Market until finally she opened a brick and mortar.
52:24But, I mean, the beauty of it is it's very, you know, it's very humble and hearty, the biscuit, right? The Best New Shuts looks expanded from its fine dining origin. It includes a much more broad and diverse set of cuisines. So whether it's barbecue, tacos, or biscuits for the first time, right? I think that it's great. It reflects the sort of, you know, ever-changing landscape of American food and culture. But then it also speaks to Erica's, you know, talent and technical ability. These biscuits will change your life. I know. And you're well said on the way the list has evolved and the scope of it.
53:03And you've featured non-traditional restaurants. Tell us about Erica's restaurant that we can visit in Atlanta, Georgia. it's sunny and bright it'll I think it's funny the first time I went one of the servers was like so you got any allergies or anything you know about it I was like no I'm good he was like that's awesome and then he patted me on the back so it's a very the vibe in there is truly family you know there's a true comfort there yeah what's the name of the restaurant Bomb Biscuits so it's the proper Bomb Biscuits and that's in Atlanta Georgia Georgia. Let's transition to Los Angeles, the city that you speak so closely about.
53:44And I fully agree, it's such a, it could be its own city state. And you name Holy Basil as a best new chef, the team there. I'd like to find out, I mean, Los Angeles has got, and the area surrounding Los Angeles has got so many incredible Thai restaurants and really a long history of them. and we could go do a whole show on Thai restaurants in Southern California. Holy Basil stuck out. Why so? The food there is just sensational. It's a genre bend in the chef Dio there at Holy Basil. He grew up in a Thai Chinese household and he spent time growing up in India. So there are all these influences that kind of all come crashing together at Holy Basil.
54:31and then it's also Los Angeles and California. So he's taking influences from there too. So he's also incorporating Mexican flavors. So they're just dishes there that you just wouldn't find anywhere else. We got a lot, like whether it's LA, California or the world, right? There's just these radically creative dishes like a time-spired just turned aguachile or he makes this amazing yellow curry rigatoni. You know, there's this sort of like delightful new school mashed up pasta that has, you know, Indian and Chinese influences that gets topped with Sajuan peppercorns. I don't think there's any other place on the planet that serves this dish.
55:10I think I clearly mischaracterize this restaurant as a Thai restaurant. That feels very short-sighted for me. And it seems like it's just a modern restaurant operating in California, you know, the way that California restaurants, we love them for the reasons we love them for. Right. I mean, I think they also they do the Thai classics as well. But I think it's the sort of the genre bending modern interpretation to come alongside. I can't wait to visit. It's absolutely at the top of my list for visits to Los Angeles. This is a big one, Rafael. You live in Austin, Texas and covered the state of Texas as an editor at the infatuation.
55:49And so, you know, Texas and, you know, obviously there is going to be a Texas selection on this list. But you landed on Goldie's and I've not been there. And I was really intrigued by this choice. And tell us about Goldie's. Goldie's in Fort Worth from three young up-and-coming barbecue pitmasters, Joe and Her, Wayne Milne, and Johnny White. And they spent years of their lives training at some of the best barbecue spots across the state, including like Franklin and Nickelweight. And then they bootstrapped it together. I mean, they found this old school barbecue joint that's on a dusty road from a huge landfill.
56:37It's amazing. And they just opened their thing. The food is brilliant. The way that they execute the food is from a place of real heart and knowledge. um it's when you hear them talk about what they're doing the knowledge of the barbecue history is so deep and rich and they're able to just execute so perfectly i think it was uh general vaughn the texas monthly barbecue writer who described it to me and he said you know sometimes like a perfect cacio pepe is a perfect cacio pepe and that's what's happening at goldie's right the brisket is just beautifully and perfectly executed the sausages are beautifully and perfectly executed i remember when i asked them about their sausage process and i said you know what does it take and they're like it takes about three days i was like it's easy i was like three days you know so they have just developed this like innate understanding and that comes with doing this over and over and over until they finally like capture like a true spirit man you've you've set it up so nicely and really I've not had Fort Worth on my list of cities to visit for food and apologies to any locals there.
57:53I feel like I need to go there. I mean, but I mean, let's talk about Texas in general. What's going on in the state? Why, you know, and it's a broad question, but you live there and we were down there last about a year ago and did some podcasts down there. I just think there's, it's a state that has, it's just, it's amazing how much diversity there is there. The history of Texas is sort of the history of immigration, right? And people coming here and bringing their own culinary backgrounds and just everything just comes together. Like, you know, even, you know, whether it's the, you know, the German immigrants bring barbecue or, you know, the Vietnamese bring their own flavor, you know, Mexican influences, it's just infinite and it just keeps developing and growing.
58:43Yeah, and I know you'll be on the case. You're such a Texas booster. You're so Texan. I want to talk a little bit about your career. But again, pick up the issue on newsstands now and check out the online version. I'll link to it in the show notes. It's a terrific read. You worked to Eater and other publications during, I'd call the early food internet. And you really are one of the, I would say, one of the pioneers in the industry. So I want to get your take about what it was like working at Eater, early days, and other publications. What was that like for you? Man, that feels like a lifetime ago.
59:24It was amazing. It was an incredible training ground. The rules were not written. And we were making them up as we went along. And, you know, one thing that really stands out to me is just the amount of great colleagues I got to work with who've gone on to do incredible things. It was just a very raw period where we managed to figure it out. Right. And now we're everyone who seems seemingly much further in their careers and seems like we're all being very successful. Yeah, man. I think of those early days is a shoot from the hip kind of era of journalism for good and for bad, but also just a time of experimentation.
1:00:07And generally speaking, the most creative moment in food media was then when the forms were changing, the way we covered the chef community changed. and really the way the celebrity chef kind of eked into the national vernacular and became, you know, really a pop culture at that time. Raphael, are there any stories, any features that come to mind from that era that you really are, like, proud of? That's a great question. I do remember for a hot minute there, this is when Top Chef first started that we were being fed a lot of anonymous tips about who was on the next upcoming season and so we were kind of breaking, revealing who the next set of chefs were going to be competing on the show was and I remember that was a very fun thing to be doing at the time.
1:01:07Yeah, like the real palace intrigue of the casting for Top Chef and at that time, just for context the casting was I felt way more professional in a way not to diminish the skills of the current cast because everyone's a professional to be in that show you have six skills but it felt like maybe it was like they were just tapping local New York and LA chefs more so like there was real like oh my god that guy who works at Budokan is now on the show and oh hey this guy Dale Tallday man he's this guy I've seen around he's on the season And of course, Del Talde has risen to incredible heights. So many examples.
1:01:46Food & Wine does just such a great job with international coverage. And have you thought about expanding this internationally, Best New Chefs? I mean, never say never. I think right now, Best New Chef kind of just focuses on the Best New Chefs in America. I mean, it's kind of the crux of the list. And then we do have a whole new athlete that we launched a couple of years ago called Food & Wine Global Tastemakers that focuses on international travel and dining. So that's a great place for that to live, but certainly, you know, maybe one day, anything's possible. No, I like that. I forgot about the Global Tastemakers program.
1:02:23Very, very cool to see, because I know we think about international travel a lot and to get food and wine stamp on international is cool. Okay, let's talk about next year's list. I know you're probably hard at work on it already. I mean, where do you hope to visit? Is there a city or two that you really hope to make a visit to and explore? Oh, man, there's so many amazing food cities everywhere. I love Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, D.C., Portland, Maine. Just incredible energy happening everywhere. Yeah. Wow. What a diversity in geography there. I feel Cincinnati. I haven't made a trip there in 20 years.
1:03:06It's probably some cool stuff there. Ohio is on fire these days. Yeah, man. I love to hear that. I'm going to have to stop by. Raphael, it's been so cool catching up with you, my friend. Thank you so much for joining This Is Taste. Thank you, Ralph. It's so great to talk to you.
1:03:25This Is Taste is hosted by Eliza Abarbanel and me, Matt Rodbar. The show is produced by Shalia Harris and Pat Stango and edited by Clayton Gumbert. 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.
From the publisher
Today on the show we are talking all about restaurants in America with two talented editors. First up is Kate Kassin who along with the staff at Bon Appétit just released their list of the best new restaurants in America. Kate talks about the rigorous process that goes into selecting the restaurants, shares stories from the road, and offers some great restaurants we should be visiting, from New York City to Columbus to Seattle.
Also on the show is Raphael Brion. He’s the Restaurant Editor at Food & Wine and a longtime reporter covering food around the globe. It was great catching up with Raphael about the magazine’s latest Best New Chefs class, and about how he personally traveled the country, tasting and tasting more, to bring this incredible group of talents to the surface.
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