Good Food

KCRW

4.6 (1K)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Everything you wanted to know about good cooking and good eating from LA chef, author, radio host and restaurateur Evan Kleiman.

2 DAYS AGO

Wild turkey, baking ingredients, Chinese breakfast

Austin-based chef Jesse Griffiths is on the hunt for the majestic wild turkey. Pastry chef Nicola Lamb sifts through the essential ingredients of baking — flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. Memo Torres runs down his top five tacos in Los Angeles. Having eaten his way around China, Michael Zee recreates breakfast favorites at home. Courtney Storer of The Bear joins Gillian Ferguson at the farmers market to shine a light on winter squash.

1 hr
NOV 8

Cookies, millennial farming, fast food and the African American community

Food writer and recipe developer Ben Mims scours the world for great cookie recipes. Former professional basketball player Laurent Correa is turning out some of LA's best croissants. Dr. Naa Oyo Kwate unveils the insidious relationship between fast food and the African American community. Lindsey Beatrice explores the creative ways millennials are acquiring land they can farm. Food Access LA raises funds to keep two farmers' markets afloat, and Nick Fisher of Fluffy McCloud's is drawn to fuyu persimmons for their shape.

1 hr
NOV 1

No-knead bread, see-through mice, soda science

Anthropologist Susan Greenhalgh describes how soda companies have influenced the science around sugary drinks. Health and nutrition reporter Alice Callahan breaks down "ultra-processed foods," a newish term to describe the evil that lurks on supermarket shelves. National Park guide Joseph C. Ward explains how a Cheetos bag altered the ecosystem in a New Mexico cavern. Physician and journalist Bryce Y. Lee reveals how scientists are using the food dye found in Doritos to make see-through mice. Breadmaster Jim Lahey reminisces on the 15th anniversary of his revolutionary no-knead bread-making book. Chef Aric Attebery shares tips for incorporating seasonal farmers market ingredients into the bowls we make at home.

1 hr
OCT 25

Diwali desserts, gothic recipes, great tacos, preserved fruit

Hetal Vasavada prepares for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, by baking gorgeous, colorful sweets. The intersection of Gothic novels and food offers a rich, spooky tradition for literary scholar Dr. Alessandra Pino and food writer Ella Buchan. Food scholar Darra Goldstein shows us how to make candied pumpkin, a creative autumn treat. In the docuseries La Frontera, Pati Jinich showcases the politics, culture, and cuisine of the US/Mexico borderlands. From Sonoran tacos to Hawaiian short ribs, Memo Torres returns with five great places to eat this month.

1 hr
OCT 18

Italian sweets, chocolate, vanilla, jujubes

Pastry chef Victoria Granof relishes the diverse, and often misunderstood, sweets of Sicily. Essayist and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil explains the laborious process of cultivating vanilla and the fragile state of its existence. Rowan Jacobsen travels deep into the Bolivian Amazon to uncover the chocolate's origins. Molecular biologist Raven Hanna shows us how to produce tree-to-bar chocolate. At the farmer's market, Klementine Song reminisces about the jujubes her parents grew while farmer Terry Kashima shares the fruit's health benefits.

1 hr
OCT 12

Gerrymandering, baking tweaks, LA-style pizza

Ben Blount and Bryan Kett created a chocolate bar to explain why our congressional districts have such weird shapes (hint: gerrymandering). Left, Right and Center host David Greene discusses how gerrymandering impacts our elections. Lola Milholland discusses how community living can help us develop life skills and flex our generosity muscle. LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison finds a magical and civilized weeknight wine bar on Melrose. Chemist and baker Kat Cermelj conquers recipes without gluten, dairy, or eggs. Tommy Brockert started making pizza as a way to bring people together during the pandemic. Now, he has two LaSorted's locations.

1 hr
OCT 4

Syrian refugee cookbook, baking for happiness, the future of food

To tell the stories of Syrians living in the world's largest refugee camp, Karen Fisher collected their recipes. For Kim-Joy, one of The Great British Bake Off's most memorable contestants, baking isn't just about flavor or cuteness — it's also about mental health. Julie Guthman critiques tech entrepreneurs whose proposed food system "fixes" ignore the underlying problems they claim to address. Alvaro Bautista recovers more than half of his date harvest, which perished in last year's rain, while Companion, a new restaurant in Venice, opens with a Quarter Sheets alum.

1 hr
SEP 27

Rosh Hashanah, child labor, a culinary memoir

From nopales and horchata to matzoh balls and Manischewitz, Ilan Stavans and Margaret Boyle merge Mexican and Jewish foods. Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey celebrate the unique and diverse food history of Jewish South Carolina. Hannah Dreier reports on child labor in the poultry broiler belt. Brigit Binns reflects on her dysfunctional LA childhood and how it delivered her to the kitchen and writing.

1 hr

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Evan Kleiman

Host

4.6

out of 5

1,014 Ratings

BOO Trump

Nov 10

JNLCIA

A Million Man and A Million Woman and A Million Transgender and A Million Immigrants and A Million with at least two years of community college booing Trump at his “ Sworn In” and his parade. No need to hold signs or violence . Form peaceful groups and BOO him relentlessly.
An excellent exploration of all things related to food

Aug 7

AlisonEugene

I don’t live in LA - I’ve actually never lived in LA - but I love listening to this podcast. I read, listen and watch a lot of food related media but this podcast stands out because of its scope. With a friendly, sincere and knowledgeable air, Evan Kleiman delves into all sorts of stories related to food, some which are generally ignored, such as how prison labor is used in food processing and how a registered nurse from the Philippines started a restaurant that doesn’t charge doctors, nurses, clergy and others who work to help people. It’s got breadth and depth and does it all with a light touch.
Polluting food with partisan politics

Oct 15

Leillanii G

I used to love Evan Now I see the show on Harris and black men which has nothing to do with food This was my safe space and you contaminated it
Outstanding Show + Podcast!

Jan 26

De-bling

Evan’s expansive interests in all things food, including how and where it’s grown and cultivated, as well as the environmental, cultural, political, religious, and economic factors surrounding food offer us an informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking experience. Frankly, I’d love Evan to run for Congress and help re-set our priorities, as well as bring both sides to a table filled with nourishing, good food and reconcile our differences.