Andrew Talks to Chefs

Chef Andrew Turner came up cooking for legends like Alain Ducasse, Hubert Keller, and Joachim Splichal, and became a chef in his own right for several years. Then, he decided that having the personal life he craved would mean leaving the industry into which he'd poured so much of himself. In this short conversation, Andrew shares from both sides of that progression: His time in those kitchens and evolution as a cook and chef, and what life on the other side, operating his business, Valley Wine Merchants, has been like. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

This spring, amidst the frenzy of James Beard Foundation Awards weekend in Chicago, chef-proprietors Adam McFarland & Tom Rogers welcomed Andrew to their hit restaurant John's Food & Wine for a LIVE! podcast session before an industry audience. In a tight 42 minutes, the chefs shared their respective backstories, discussed the restaurant's innovative service model and staffing practices, and discussed how they navigate the increasingly common challenge of co-cheffing. They also answer audience questions from colleagues from around the US. Longtime listeners know how much we love a live show and this was a truly special one. Enjoy! Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

For the first time, we welcome a bartender to the pod: Maria Rodriguez of Cantina Rosa in Chicago, Illinois. The bar is part of friend of the pod Erick Williams' restaurant group, and is focused on Mexican spirits, especially agave-based ones such as mezcal and tequila. In this conversation, recorded on site at Cantina Rosa, Maria shares her path to her career and she and Andrew observe the similarities between a chef's journey and that of a bartender. They also discuss the essential components of a great cocktail and great beverage programs. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jackie Carnesi has reinvigorated Brooklyn's Kellogg's Diner, a 24-hour destination diner (if there is such a thing) that serves traditional diner food alongside killer Tex-Mex, culled from Jackie's memories of her Texas childhood. In this conversation, recorded on-site at the diner, she recounts her slow discovery of the pro kitchen, initially reluctant migration to NYC, and early jobs working with chefs like Chris Cipollone and Alex Stupak. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Chef Yara Herrera, a native of Los Angeles, worked in some of LA's most demanding kitchens (Spago, Providence, Majordomo) before moving to New York City and Momofuko Ko. During the pandemic, after gaining attention for her own food in pop-up form, she was approached by the owners of Rolo's--the hit restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens--about partnering on a Mexican-American restaurant, which came to be in the form of Hellbender. In this free-ranging conversation, Yara discusses her circuitous route to the kitchen and why it took several years to begin exploring the cuisine of her own heritage. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Douglas Keane has enjoyed tremendous success at his Cyrus restaurant in Geyserville, CA. At the same time, he's observed the need for change on many fronts in the hospitality industry, and instituted some of those changes himself. in his first book, Culinary Leverage: A Journey Through the Heat, he divides his attentions between relating his own story and offering thoughts for how to improve the industry he loves. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

The James Beard Foundation's Independent Restaurant Industry Report 2025 (which we highly recommend all listeners read), offers insights and possible solutions to a wide range of challenges and opportunities for American restaurants. Produced in collaboration with Deloitte, the survey is based on interviews with 50 independent restaurateurs and survey responses from more than 350 industry leaders. The JBF's VP of Impact Anne McBride joins Andrew for a detailed discussion of the survey and subjects as varied as changing dining and drinking habits, employee wages, and creative marketing strategies for restaurants of all price points and levels of formality. A free-flowing and, we think, informative idea exchange based on real, up-to-the-minute data that we hope will be of value to anybody in the industry, and hugely informative to non-industry pros who enjoy dining in restaurants. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Author John Birdsall makes his return to the pod to discuss his new book What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution—a deeply personal and sweeping look at the intersection of queer life in the United States, and food culture here. Zooming in from his home in Tucson, John reflects on the stories, people, and moments that shaped the book, and why food has always been central to identity and community. The conversation touches on everything from making writing personal, to quiche, to what it means to write for queer and non-queer audiences simultaneously. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

As longtime fans of the pod know, there's nothing we love more than a crossover episode with a show we're friendly with. It reminds us of when we were kids and Saturday morning cartoons did the same thing, with characters from one show appearing on another, and vice versa. (That's why the animated episode image today.) So we're thrilled to welcome Nidal Barake, a marketer by trade, whose One of Each podcast presents interviews with an international who's who of chefs and other creatives who happen to be passionate about cuisine, restaurants, and cooking. (Be sure to check out his show, starting with the episode he launched today featuring Andrew as his guest.) Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Ari Miller’s evolution from journalist to chef was anything but traditional. In this revealing conversation, he shares how food became both his creative outlet and medium for making sense of a dark and complicated world. From growing up in a dysfunctional household consumed with historical atrocities, to finding meaning in kitchens in Tel Aviv and Philly, Ari shares stories about the mentors who shaped him, the politics of sourcing, and why he believes every dish contains a story—whether or not it’s given voice. We also dig into his viral “friz wit” cheesesteak, the meaning of “relationship cuisine," and the role of cooking in his life today. It is a conversation about identity, memory, and the power of food to tell complex, human stories. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Friend of the pod David Nayfeld, of Che Fico and other Bay Area restaurants, discusses his inaugural cookbook, Dad, What's for DInner--an outstanding first effort, and a perfect Father's Day gift. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Besha Rodell has written about food and/or reviewed restaurants for Creative Loafing, LA Weekly, The New York Times, Food & Wine, and other outlets, and is currently the restaurant critic for The Age. Today, she joins us to discuss her moving and entertaining new memoir Hunger Like a Thirst. The book tells the story of Besha's nomadic child- and adulthood, her migration from restaurant work to writing about restaurants, her approach to criticism, and some key themes of the book. Our thanks to Chef Michael Lomonaco and the team at Porter House Bar and Grill for hosting this interview. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

For nearly a decade, the LA Chef Conference has been the gathering of Los Angeles chefs and industry professionals. After a one-year hiatus, the conference returns this October 6 in its new home at Redbird and Vibiana in Downtown LA. On this episode, conference founder Brad Metzger and host chef Neal Fraser join Andrew to discuss some featured topics, speakers, and chefs who will be cooking for the conference's always-impressive lunch, including (in alphabetical order) Gilberto Cetina, David Gelb, Rashida Holmes, Jordan Kahn, Evan Kleiman, Michael Mina, Charles Namba, Laurie Ochoa, Nancy Silverton, Michael Voltaggio, Alice Waters, and others. (Andrew will be moderating a panel on Ten Years of Chef's Table, celebrating the acclaimed Netflix series.) Be sure to check out the details at the LA Chef Conference site, and sign up there for email updates regarding tickets (including discounted tickets for restaurant professionals) and updates to the line up. Following the brief conversation about this year's conference, we share some excerpts from previous conference interviews that give a sense of what makes this homegrown event, and the city it celebrates, so special. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Before launching her hit modern-Japanese restaurant Lingo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, chef Emily Yuen worked in some hardcore French kitchens in London and Singapore, then found her way to New York City. In this conversation, Emily shares her evolution from French to Japanese cuisine, how she developed her management chops, and the disparate influences in her food. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Calvin Eng has had a busy and successful few years. His restaurant Bonnie's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has become a hub of modern Cantonese-American cuisine, and now he's out with his first cookbook, Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home. Andrew caught up with Calvin at his home in Williamsburg to discuss his path to his current projects, and the two are joined for part of the conversation by Phoebe Melnick, Calvin's partner and collaborator, to discuss the book-writing process. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

A few weeks ago, in record time, the good folks behind the LA Chef Conference, organized a benefit for victims of the recent, devastating LA wildfires. Dubbed Chefs ❤️ LA, the event raised more than$800,000, with all proceeds going to World Central Kitchen and Restaurants Care to support their work on behalf of those who lost their homes in the conflagrations. It was a restorative and emotional evening, and Andrew was honored to be in attendance to interview some key participants. This episode takes you inside the planning of an event of this scale, (it was hosted at the expansive Lawry's The Prime Rib), features interviews with auctioneer Billy Harris, chefs Nyesha Arrington and Sherry Yard, Darin Bresnitz (who lost his home in the fires), Ellen Marie Bennett (from outside the site of her childhood home in Altadena, which was lost in the fire), and others. The episode is also a celebration of the spirit of the industry and testament to the way so many chefs, purveyors, restaurateurs, and others step up when tragedy strikes. To donate, visit the Chefs ❤️ LA homepage and scroll down to mid-page. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. * event images courtesy Chefs Roll and Elijah Nicolas THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Earlier this year, we lost one of the greatest and most influential chefs ever to ply his trade in the United States, when André Soltner passed away at age 92. On the day the culinary community pay their respects at a celebration of his life in New York City, we wanted to share this previously unaired conversation with Chef Soltner, recorded in 2016 as part of Andrew's research for his book Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll. André Soltner was of course best known for his restaurant Lutèce, where he was the chef (and for 22 years, also the owner) from 1961 - 1994. (For more about his life, please see William Grimes' excellent New York Times obituary.) This conversation took place in Chef Soltner's apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on December 5, 2016, just five weeks after the death of his wife Simone. It covers his first interest in the culinary arts, his feelings about nouvelle cuisine, the brutality of old-school kitchens, his disposition toward the young American chefs who rose up during Lutèce's heyday, the pain of a negative review, and whether or not the legend of his only taking five nights off in the restaurant's lifespan was true. (He also does a quick but memorable impression of Julia Child.) Chef Soltner's kindness, generosity, and good humor shine through in this conversation. We hope it offers those who never had the opportunity to know him a sense of his personality, and those who did know him a welcome remembrance. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. * photo by/courtesy of Eric Vitale Photography THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Come for the industry insidership, stay for the great writing and unvarnished personal honesty. Author Laurie Woolever's new memoir Care and Feeding will attract many readers because of its promise of tales from her days as assistant to Mario Batali and then Anthony Bourdain. And it delivers on that front, for sure. But Care and Feeding is also, and primarily, Laurie's story--the story of a writer finding her way in life, New York, City, and the food world, and amassing all the personal and professional adventures and relationships implied by all of that. In this conversation, Laurie discusses the book, and the thoughtful decision-making behind it. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. * author photo by David Scott Holloway THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

At last year's Hot Luck festival in Austin, Andrew sat down with chef Alex Kemp, co-owner and chef of Philadelphia’s acclaimed restaurant My Loup for an honest and entertaining conversation. Alex shares his journey from his French-Canadian roots in Montreal to the vibrant culinary scene of Philadelphia. He discusses his diverse culinary experiences, including his time at Sugar Shack and Joe Beef in Canada, Moor Hall Restaurant in the UK, and Momofuku Ko in New York City, and how these experiences influenced (or didn't) the frequently changing menu at My Loup. Alex also reflects on his ongoing collaboration with his wife and business partner, chef Amanda Shulman, and their shared commitment to creating dining experiences that emphasize freshness and creativity. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

At just 27 years of age, Rasika Venkatesa has already put herself in position to plan her first restaurant. Currently serving a tasting menu in her residency at Fulgrances Laundromat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, (though March 1, 2025), Rasika attended hotel management school in India, worked her way up from commis to chef de partie at The French Laundry, and attained the position of chef de cuisine at Mourad in San Francisco. (As if that weren't enough, she also recently competed on Top Chef.) After relocating to New York City in 2024, Rasika is currently planning a brick-and-mortar incarnation of her pop-up Mythily (named for her grandmother and North Star). The restaurant, like the pop-up, will offer a personal and progressive take on Southern Indian cuisine (specifically the food of Tamil Nadu), and Rasika is refining dishes and menus in her current residency. Rasika discusses all of this and more in this deeply personal and open conversation. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!