Podcast · 632 episodes
This Is TASTE, page 3
by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard · English
If you're a fan of smart and lively conversations about food, home cooking, and culture, this is the place. We interview the most interesting characters in the world of food, media, and cookbooks and release episodes several times a month. The program is hosted by TASTE editors Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard, and is sometimes recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City. Visit TASTE online: tastecooking.com
All episodes, page 3
797: Rita Gigante Grew Up the Godfather’s Daughter. Now She’s Sharing Classic Italian American Spots on Instagram.Eliza Barbanel and Rita Gigante discuss Rita’s life story and food-focused mission: growing up in Greenwich Village/New Jersey as the daughter of Genovese crime boss Vincent Chin Giganti, then using…26 Jun 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 20 chapters
796: Founder in the Field with Fishwife’s Becca MillsteinFounder-in-the-field visit to Fishwife’s anchovy supply chain in Santona, Spain—how MSC-certified anchovies are caught (perscene net fishing), auctioned, processed in multi-generational canneries,…24 Jun 2026 · 45 min · 13 chapters
795: Toshi Kizaki's Retirement Project Won Him a Michelin Star“Den Corner” in Denver—how brothers Toshi and Yasu Kazaki built Sushi Den and a fish supply chain from Kyushu to Colorado, earning a Michelin star; plus a separate conversation with chef-owner Maui…22 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 17 chapters
794: She Wolf Bakes Thousands of Sourdough Loaves Each Week. Kim Vallejo Keeps It All on Track.SheWolf Bakery’s sourdough and sweet logistics—how Kim Vallejo manages 72-hour sourdough production, climate control, local/heritage grain sourcing, and scaling from 12 NYC green markets to wholesale…19 Jun 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 22 chapters
793: Best Cookbooks of the Year So Far. Plus, a Very Early Fall Preview with Maggie Hoffman.Best cookbooks of the year so far, plus an early fall preview; also discusses how cookbook publishing is shifting toward creators from TV/social/substack and why physical books feel “tangible” again.17 Jun 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 31 chapters
792: Vibe Coding Your Restaurant Recs Map Is the Worst with Eater's Nadia ChaudhuryFood media and restaurant recommendation culture, plus several New York restaurant openings and food-writing trends.15 Jun 2026 · 54 min · 22 chapters
791: Solid Wiggles Doesn't Call It a Jell-O ShotSolid Wiggles’ cocktail-jelly art and their debut book; the science of clarified juice; building a home-friendly system for layered, injected “solid cocktail” jellies; plus a segment on Noma Projects…13 Jun 2026 · 1 h 10 min · 30 chapters
790: Brendan Chareoncharutkun Built Uncle’s Thai Food. Curry Fans Are Following.Brendan Charan-Chereskoun, founder of Uncle’s Thai Food (freeze-dried curry “bricks”), explains how his Thai/Malaysian upbringing, farm-to-restaurant training, and marketing background led to a…12 Jun 2026 · 1 h 35 min · 36 chapters
789: Mythical Kitchen's Josh Scherer Is Food Media's Unlikely Intellectual EmpathJosh Scherer (Mythical Kitchen) discusses how food media can be “intellectual,” using his Last Meals Later concept (celebrity “last meal” interviews) to explore grief, mortality, and identity through…10 Jun 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 25 chapters
788: Everybody Has an Opinion About Dean's with Jess ShadboltJess Shadbolt discusses opening Dean’s, a British seafood pub in New York named after commercial fisherman Dean Fryer, and how British food is being re-evaluated in the U.S.8 Jun 2026 · 1 h 15 min · 27 chapters
787: The Food Writer to Romance Novel Pipeline with Eliza Dumais & Julia TurshenTwo food writers discuss how writing about food, wine, and sex overlaps with writing romance, focusing on their new romance novels.5 Jun 2026 · 1 h 23 min · 25 chapters
786: TASTE Travels: ColoradoColorado’s rising food culture, spanning Denver’s modern Mexican scene, specialty coffee and Japanese-inspired brunch, Cuban pastries, and Colorado’s agricultural influence (especially corn) in the…3 Jun 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 30 chapters
785: El Califa de León, The First-Ever Taqueria to Receive a Michelin Star, Doesn’t Think Michelin Is Its LegacyEl Califa de León’s legacy and expansion to New York, plus a broader food-media segment on restaurant openings, food writing, and books.1 Jun 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 26 chapters
784: A 4.2 Out of 10 Won’t Cut It: Meet Rate My ChivesEpisode 784 is a two-part show: it opens with “three things” from hosts Matt Rodbard and Clayton (with Eliza absent), then features a full interview with the anonymous British chef behind Rate My…30 May 2026 · 44 min · 20 chapters
783: Dr. Ashanté M. Reese Would Love to Come to Your Family Reunion“Gather” by Dr. Ashanté M. Reese explores how Black food and nourishment operate through four gathering types—family reunions, gardens, repasts (funeral meals), and protests—arguing nourishment is…29 May 2026 · 1 h 9 min · 34 chapters
782: Whole Foods Buyers Never Sit Still. We Followed Them to Spain.The episode follows Whole Foods Market seafood and grocery buyers as they travel to Spain to vet products—especially canned fish—by meeting producers, checking sustainability/traceability and labor…27 May 2026 · 1 h 17 min · 29 chapters
781: Alan Delgado Spent Years Developing The Perfect Flour Tortillas for Los Burritos JuarezAlan Delgado, chef-owner of Los Burritos Juarez in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene, explains how he perfected Juarez-style flour tortillas, built a burrito pop-up into a brick-and-mortar, and plans new…25 May 2026 · 57 min · 25 chapters
780: David Lebovitz Live From New York. On Chocolate, Acid at Chez Panisse, and Blowing Up on Substack.David Lebovitz discusses chocolate’s evolution, updating his book The Great Book of Chocolate (revised edition), judging chocolate shops in Europe, and practical home-chocolate guidance (including…23 May 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 29 chapters
779: Mike Colameco Is the Original Food Video DudeInterview with Mike Colameco, CIA-trained chef and long-running PBS food host/producer, about the “golden era” of New York dining, how independent food media is financed and built, and what he sees…22 May 2026 · 1 h 12 min · 29 chapters
778: Shirley Chung Has So Much to SayShirley Chung’s career and her recovery from stage 4 tongue cancer, including how she relearned taste, speech, and cooking; plus her evolution as a chef and her current restaurant work.20 May 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 25 chapters
777: At the Top of Mount Dunsmoor Stands LA's Most-Interesting Chef with Brian DunsmoorChef Brian Dunsmoor discusses what “American food” means, how his LA restaurant Dunsmoor builds menus around live fire and intuition (no recipe book; only cornbread has a recipe), and why he believes…18 May 2026 · 1 h 26 min · 41 chapters
776: Ghia’s Mélanie Masarin Will Never Stop DMing Restaurants Her Opinions Founder Melanie Mazarin discusses Ghia, her Mediterranean-inspired non-alcoholic aperitif brand, and her debut cookbook Riviera, plus how Ghia fits into the NA category, retail vs.16 May 2026 · 1 h 25 min · 36 chapters
775: La Copine Built an Oasis in Joshua Tree. The Crowds Followed.Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, owners of La Copine in Joshua Tree, discuss building an “oasis” restaurant in the Mojave Desert, their couple-and-business journey, and how those experiences shaped…15 May 2026 · 1 h 40 min · 31 chapters
774: Adeena Sussman Just Keeps CookingAdina Sussman’s cookbook trilogy—Sababa, Shabbat, and her latest Zarese—using food to document her Tel Aviv life, especially amid war, and to teach “easy” cooking with streamlined, flavor-forward…13 May 2026 · 43 min · 19 chapters