The 'Sader Digest

Bradley Shannon
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Food
  • Updated Weekly

The 'Sader Digest —where health, wellness, and food collide with a whole lot of flavor! We’re here to dish out fresh ideas and fun conversations about how to eat well, live better, and make food choices that fuel your body and mind. From Holy Cross dining hacks to mastering the art of cooking on your own, we’re serving up everything you need to know to stay healthy and feel your best. Whether you’re curious about what’s on your plate, looking for simple tips to level up your meals, or just want to geek out about all things food, this podcast is for you. Think of us as your foodie friends with a side of wellness wisdom. Grab a seat, press play, and let’s dig in!

  1. 6d ago

    Taylor Made Nutrition: Carbs, Protein & Peanuts on the Brain

    Send us Fan Mail This week on The ’Sader Digest, Brad sits down with dietetic intern Taylor Barber to talk about changing majors, finding your passion, and discovering that becoming a dietitian involves a whole lot more than telling people to eat less. Taylor shares her journey from business major to exercise science to nutrition, talks about finding the right career path, and drops some advice for students who aren't quite sure what they want to do yet. Then things get appropriately nerdy with a nutrition hot take lightning round covering carbs, breakfast, protein, healthy fats, calorie balance—and Brad's very real case of “peanuts on the brain.” Plus: the two debate whether protein really needs to be maxed out, give a shameless shoutout to the PAC's peanut butter sandwich, and attempt to make the Krebs cycle relevant to absolutely everything. It's a Taylor-made episode full of nutrition, career advice, food talk, and just enough peanut butter to get you thinking about lunch.

  2. Sep 24

    Massachusetts? More Like Massachusweets: The Commonwealth of Cookies

    Send us Fan Mail The chocolate chip cookie feels like it has existed forever. Grandma made them. Your dining hall makes them. There’s a recipe on the back of the bag. They’re basically American edible furniture. Except… the chocolate chip cookie is less than 100 years old. In this episode of The ’Sader Digest, Brad heads to Whitman, Massachusetts, to uncover the story of Ruth Wakefield, the Toll House Inn, and the cookie that went from a restaurant experiment to a national obsession. And that famous story about Ruth accidentally throwing chocolate into cookie dough? Yeah… maybe not so much. We’ll dig into the real story behind the cookie, how a trained food professional turned experimentation into an American classic, and how one cookbook, one chocolate company, and a very interesting $1 deal helped take the chocolate chip cookie from a little Massachusetts restaurant to kitchens around the country. Because sometimes great food isn’t an accident. Sometimes somebody actually knows what they’re doing. Also: oatmeal raisin gets what it deserves.

  3. Sep 17

    Fluff Around and Find Out

    Send us Fan Mail Before it was a Fluffernutter, it was just a guy in Somerville selling marshmallow goo door to door. This week on The ’Sader Digest, Brad digs into the very Massachusetts history of Marshmallow Fluff—from Archibald Query making marshmallow cream in his Somerville kitchen to a $500 recipe deal that helped turn it into a New England icon. Along the way, we get into radio shows, questionable branding decisions, the birth of the Fluffernutter, and why Somerville decided that marshmallow cream deserved an entire festival. Plus: why Fluff isn't vegan, why you need two knives to make a proper Fluffernutter, and the much bigger question of what actually makes a food “Massachusetts food.” Grab some white bread, peanut butter, and Fluff. This one is going to get sticky.

  4. Sep 10

    From Poke Bowls to Better Dining: A Student's Perspective with Mia Simpson

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when students don't just talk about dining—but actually have a seat at the table? In this episode of The 'Sader Digest, Brad sits down with Mia Simpson, a Holy Cross junior and member of the Dining Advisory Board, to talk about what it's really like to have a voice in the campus dining program. Mia shares why she joined the Dining Advisory Board, what happens during the meetings, and how student feedback can lead to real changes across campus. From her suggestion to bring Poke Bowls to Crossroads to conversations about customization, food quality, local ingredients, and allergy-friendly options, Mia offers a student's perspective on what makes a dining program work. Brad and Mia also go behind the scenes of the dining operation, discussing how student feedback is combined with data and culinary planning to make decisions. They look at everything from the popularity of Crossroads' new Poke Bowl concept to why some menu items don't perform as expected—and how those numbers can help shape what comes next. The conversation also explores something many students may not realize: how much of the food served on campus is made in-house, how local Massachusetts products are incorporated into the menu, and the challenges of creating more options for students with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Most importantly, Mia encourages students to do more than complain about dining. If there's something you love, something you don't like, or something you think could be better, speak up. The Dining Advisory Board is one place where that voice can be heard—and, as this episode shows, sometimes that voice can end up on the menu.

  5. Jul 9

    Who the Heck Is General Tso?

    Send us Fan Mail Sweet. Crispy. Sticky. Completely misunderstood. This week on The 'Sader Digest, Brad tells the incredible story of General Tso's chicken, a dish that's become synonymous with Chinese takeout despite having a history that's anything but straightforward. Discover how one chef's journey from China to Taiwan and eventually New York transformed a banquet dish into an American icon. Along the way, Brad explores the myths behind General Tso himself, why the recipe changed so dramatically, and what this famous dish teaches us about immigration, culture, and the ever-changing definition of authenticity. Because sometimes the best stories aren't hidden in a cookbook... They're hiding in your takeout container.

  6. May 21

    Beyond the Fortune: The Surprising Story Inside the Cookie

    Send us Fan Mail Fortune cookies feel ancient, traditional, and unmistakably Chinese—but their story is far more complicated.  In this episode of The 'Sader Digest, Brad Shannon cracks open the surprising history of the fortune cookie: from Japanese tea gardens in California to immigration, World War II, internment camps, and the evolution of Chinese-American dining culture. Along the way, we explore lucky numbers, mass cookie production, cultural adaptation, and why food traditions are often built through migration, reinvention, and repetition. Turns out, the little cookie at the end of your meal has a much bigger story inside.

  7. May 14

    Improvised in Mexico: How Caesar Salad Took Over the World

    Send us Fan Mail This week on The Sader Digest, host Bradley Shannon dives into one of the biggest misconceptions in food history: the Caesar salad is not Italian. Created in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico by Italian immigrant Caesar Cardini, the iconic salad was born out of improvisation during a busy Fourth of July weekend in the middle of Prohibition-era tourism. Brad explores how a simple combination of romaine, garlic, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, and croutons evolved into one of the world’s most recognizable dishes. Along the way, the episode looks at immigration, food evolution, umami, authenticity, and how cuisines constantly adapt across cultures and borders. From ancient Roman fish sauces to soggy crouton nostalgia and Crossroads’ campus Caesar salads, this episode connects history, flavor, and storytelling in a way only food can.

  8. May 7

    From Manchester to Every Menu in America: Chicken Tenders

    Send us Fan Mail This week on The 'Sader Digest, Brad tackles one of life’s most important—and somehow least questioned—foods: the chicken tender. Crispy, dippable, and universally loved, chicken tenders feel like they’ve been around forever… but plot twist—they were actually invented in the 1970s at the Puritan Backroom. Yes, New Hampshire quietly gave the world one of its greatest culinary achievements, and no one talks about it nearly enough. Brad breaks down what a chicken tender actually is (hint: it’s a specific muscle, not just “random chicken strip energy”), why it took modern food processing to even make them practical, and how something so simple became a nationwide obsession. Along the way, he connects the dots between:  Why chicken tenders are basically engineered comfort food How they took over kids menus, sports bars, and freezers everywhere  And why they might actually just be a socially acceptable way to consume large amounts of sauceThere’s also a surprisingly passionate dive into dipping sauces (sweet & sour supremacy makes a strong case), the psychological safety of boneless food, and the hard truth that if you’re eating 10 tenders… you’re basically eating five chickens. The episode wraps with a bigger idea: food doesn’t have to be ancient or fancy to be iconic. Sometimes it just has to be simple, consistent, and ridiculously satisfying. Chicken tenders didn’t just show up—they quietly took over. And honestly… no one is mad about it.

See All (44)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The 'Sader Digest —where health, wellness, and food collide with a whole lot of flavor! We’re here to dish out fresh ideas and fun conversations about how to eat well, live better, and make food choices that fuel your body and mind. From Holy Cross dining hacks to mastering the art of cooking on your own, we’re serving up everything you need to know to stay healthy and feel your best. Whether you’re curious about what’s on your plate, looking for simple tips to level up your meals, or just want to geek out about all things food, this podcast is for you. Think of us as your foodie friends with a side of wellness wisdom. Grab a seat, press play, and let’s dig in!

Information

  • Creator
    Bradley Shannon
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The 'Sader Digest
  • Show Website
    The 'Sader Digest

You Might Also Like