This Is TASTE Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

Dennis Lee is the iconoclastic Chicago-based food writer and newsletter daddy behind two great sends: Food Is Stupid and the Party Cut. On this episode, we have a great talk about the Chicago restaurant scene, Dennis’s unique place in food media, and how his Korean-American heritage informs so much of his work. We also dig into the Chicago hot dog and how it might just be one of the world’s most perfect foods. Also on the show, Matt, Aliza, and Clayton pay a visit to the legendary Chicago hot dog stand Superdawg for a This Is TASTE field report. What a fun, tube-steak-centric episode with a true original.

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MORE FROM DENNIS LEE:The Olive Garden Hot Dog [Food Is Stupid]Trot to Niles for a Deeper Cut of Korean [The Party Cut]The Cult Recipe Newsletter About Inedible Foods [Bon Appetit]

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How cool was it to have Joan Nathan into our studio? Joan is a longtime chronicler of Jewish food culture around the world and the author of many cookbooks on the topic, including her latest (and final) book, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories, which she put out this spring. In this episode we talk about Joan’s long journalism career, including working at the Washington Post and the New York Times, and writing across the world of food. We also get into some of her favorite lasting recipes from Jewish households discovered through her world travels.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM JOAN NATHAN:What Joan Nathan Taught Me About the Power of Showing Up [NYT] Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer. [LA Times]A Warsaw Bakery Seeks to Preserve Jewish Food Where It Was Nearly Lost [NYT]

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Mike Lata is chef and co-owner of the restaurants FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston, South Carolina, and one of the most respected voices in Southern cooking. It was really exciting to have Mike into our studio to talk about his journey to opening FIG more than 20 years ago and how he defines Southern cuisine in 2024. It’s so great catching up with Mike, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.

Also on the show it's the return of three things, where Aliza and Matt talk about three things that gets them excited. On this episode: Jim Meehan's new book, The Bartender's Pantry, the new modern Korean diner Kisa in NYC, the amazing pizza at Chicago's Milly's Pizza in the Pan, the summer of granita, hop water is getting even better with St. Elmo and others, and horseshoe crab festival was incredible. 

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM MIKE LATA:Eating and Drinking Around Charleston [This Is TASTE; starts at 51:20]If You Want to Eat Local Seafood, You Can’t Do Better Than Charleston [FW]For Chef Mike Lata, Food Is Good. Really Good [Garden & Gun]

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Our great Wisconsin Cheese road trip continues! We caught up with iconic Wisconsin chefs Tory Miller of L’Etoile and Graze in Madison and Luke Zahm of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua about how they harness the power of Wisconsin Cheese to make distinctly local cuisine. We also talked with Ken Monteleone of the beloved Madison cheese shop Fromagination about selling craft cheese on the Capitol Square for over 17 years. And, we put our cheese-tasting skills to the test with American Cheese Society–certified cheese professional Shannon Berry. Finally, it’s three things, Wisconsin cheese edition.  

This very special episode is supported by Wisconsin Cheese

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On this very special episode of This Is TASTE, it’s a TASTE road trip! Aliza, Matt, and producer Clayton traveled all across the great state of Wisconsin to dig deep into the wide world of Wisconsin Cheese, from fresh to aged to blended with Indian spices. We visited Mark Crave and the farmstead creamery of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, and we peeked inside the cheese caves at Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg, where award-winning cheddars and alpine cheeses are aged by Master Cheesemaker Chris Roelli. Tandoori gouda? It’s as good as it sounds, and we spoke with Huma Siddiqui-Seitz of White Jasmine about creating her unforgettable cheese.

Also on the show, we caught up with John Jaeggi to talk about the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Program and what goes into grading and judging cheese. Finally, we spoke with Rachel Kerr, senior director of brand marketing for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, about how Wisconsin cheese got to where it is now. 

This very special episode is supported by Wisconsin Cheese.

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We welcome back into the studio James Harris, one half of Throwing Fits, a very funny podcast, Instagram account, and online community dedicated to all things menswear. TF is not just one of Matt’s favorite podcasts around, it’s a sneaky great look at the NYC food and drink scene, with James bringing big opinions about New York restaurants and nightlife culture. We hope you enjoy this very entertaining episode with one of our favorite guests around.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt are back in the studio together to talk about three things they each are into, including: Pop-ups at Callisto Farm in the Hudson Valley, Thumbody Coffee, strawberry olive oil cake from Julie Saha, Khushbu Shah's terrific book, Amrikan, collectable olive oil with Tacapae, and three great cheeses from the Hudson Valley including Cooperstown, 5 Spoke Creamery, and Jake's Gouda.

Got a question, comment, future guest idea, fact to share, fun fact to share, less-fun fact to share? Send us a voice memo and we will listen to it, and may feature your message on the show!

MORE FROM THROWING FITS:Throwing Fits for Men’s Fashion [NYT]From Nike to Nautica, Here Are the ’90s Brands that Defined the Decade [Complex]

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