The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

American Public Media
  • 4.3 (4)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Splendid Table has always connected people through the common language of food and eating. Now with award-winning food journalist Francis Lam at the helm, we’re bringing forward even more fresh voices and surprising conversations at the intersection of food, people and culture – covering everything from the global appeal of sesame to the impact of Instagram on everyday eating. It’s a food show where everyone is welcome. Produced by American Public Media. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network

  1. 5 HR AGO

    Check Out: This Old House Radio Hour

    This week we’re sharing an episode from our friends at This Old House Radio: Episode 19: Make Your Home Allergy Free + Fix Squeaky Wood Floors This week on This Old House Radio Hour, we’re talking about something you can’t see but definitely feel: the air inside your home. Kenneth Mendez, president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, shares the smartest, science-backed ways to improve indoor air quality—from high-heat laundry to HEPA vacuums—and explains why your bedroom might be the most important place to start.  Then, The Splendid Table’s Francis Lam takes us back to the New Jersey home of his childhood. With vivid stories of birthday parties, incense-filled kitchens, and Hardy Boys books read in a mirror-covered living room, Francis reflects on how homes carry our deepest identities and contradictions. We also help callers tackle squeaky floors, stubborn drafts, mismatched temperatures, and that infamous 1970s gold bathtub. Plus, a fresh edition of House Rules and a real estate segment from Cheap Old Houses featuring a tiny Gothic summer cottage and a quirky Kansas gem for under $55,000.  All this, plus a “Simple Fix” from Tom Silva that will stop your window drafts cold. In This Episode, You Will Learn: How to reduce indoor allergens room-by-room  (0:55)Where to place air purifiers for maximum impact (3:56)Tips for dealing with uneven heating in split-level homes (17:13)How to fix squeaky wood floors with a DIY plug-and-glue method (22:49)When that faint stain on your drywall means trouble—and when it doesn’t (27:53)

    52 min

  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    830: Summer Entertaining with Casey Elsass and Peter Som

    This week, we've got a show full of great ideas and terrific recipes for guesting…and hosting! First, Casey Elsass sits down with us to talk about how to guest like a pro, from tips on arriving prepared to great recipe ideas for sides, salads, appetizers, and desserts like his Mosaic Jell-O. Casey is the author of What Can I Bring: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life. Then, renowned fashion designer and cookbook writer Peter Som guides us in hosting your parties in style. He lets us in on his inspiration for his creative dishes, from tea eggs to lemon chicken, and leaves us his recipe for Potsticker Frittata. Peter is the author of Family Style: Elegant Every Day Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage. Broadcast dates for this episode: July 25, 2025 (originally aired) Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

    50 min

  3. 18 JUL

    807: Off the Beaten Path – Exploring Southern France with authors Steve Hoffman and Rebekah Peppler

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora This week, we talk about life and food in Southern France. First, we sit down with Steve Hoffman to talk about his latest memoir, A Season for That, about his journey from Minnesota to the South of France with his entire family to live a romanticized French life.  It turned out to be a complete culinary and culture shock that ended up inspiring his appreciation for the local food culture and its winemaking traditions. Steve Hoffman's latest book is A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France. Then, we talk with author Rebekah Peppler about her connection to the South of France and its Provencal cuisine, which is the inspiration for her cookbook, Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. She walks us through Provencal dishes from tapenades to bouillabaisse, and she leaves us with her recipe for Mussels in Aioli.  Broadcast dates for this episode: July 19, 2024 (originally aired)July 18, 2025 (rebroadcast)

    50 min

  4. 11 JUL

    829: Summer Cooking with Abra Berens and Chef Jiho Kim

    This week, it's all about keeping cool and carrying on in the kitchen. First up , chef, farmer, and cookbook author Abra Berens joins Francis to take your calls about how to best use our summer produce. She’s full of ideas for all that zucchini, btw! Abra is the author of three wonderful cookbooks, Ruffage, Grist, and Pulp, and you can find the recipe for the Summer Squash Escabeche she talked about here. Then, we head into NYC to visit chef Jiho Kim at his restaurant, Joomak where he teaches us how to make a refreshing summertime dish: a Summer Salad with Cured Fish and White Kimchi. Broadcast dates for this episode: July 11, 2025 (originally aired) Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

    50 min

  5. 4 JUL

    806: Thank You, Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South with Kate Medley and cookout ideas from the chefs behind LA’s vegetable-forward Kismet

    This week, we're all about two summer traditions. First, we meet photojournalist and documentarian Kate Medley to talk about her decade-long project documenting gas stations all across the South.  She has stories about the amazing cast of characters, their diverse selection of foods, and their impact on their communities across the South. Kate Medley is the author of Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South. Then, we talk to the chefs behind Kismet, an award-winning vegetable-forward restaurant in Los Angeles. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson bring us fresh ideas for your summer cookout, including their modern must-haves for your grill, like their Springtime Chicken Skewers. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson's latest book is Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes. Broadcast dates for this episode: July 5, 2024 (originally aired)July 4, 2025 (rebroadcast) Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

    50 min
  6. 828: Celebrating 30 Years: Live from Tampa!

    27 JUN

    828: Celebrating 30 Years: Live from Tampa!

    Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora This week, we make our 30th anniversary tour stop in Tampa in partnership with WUSF, where we learn about what makes the food of South Florida so unique. First up, Dalia Colón, host of The Zest podcast and author of The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook, gives us an overview of the rich Tampa food scene. From its diverse cuisines to its old-school Southern charm. Then, we talk about Tampa’s cultural and culinary history and legacy with Andrea Gonzmart Williams, fifth-generation owner of Columbia Restaurant, a landmark in the Cuban American community, and Megan Sorby, co-founder and CEO of Pine Island Redfish, a startup land-based fish farm with an environmental restoration focus. And finally, we meet up with community leader Anthony Gilbert, better known as “Call Anthony,” for his video reviews of Tampa Bay’s under-the-radar- eateries.   Broadcast dates for this episode: June 27, 2025 (originally aired) Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show

    49 min

  7. 20 JUN

    805: Amrikan with Khushbu Shah and Koreaworld with Matt Rodbard and Deuki Hong

    This week, we look at modern food and culture from two popular cuisines. First, we sit down with acclaimed food writer Khushbu Shah to talk about her debut cookbook, which is all about Indian home-cooked dishes. She shares ingenious hacks and delicious Indian-inspired recipes that can come together in a pinch using everyday pantry items, and teaches Francis how to make her Chili Cheese Toast.  Khushbu Shah is the author of Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora. Then, we are off to Korea with Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard. We talk about why Korean cuisine has taken the world by storm, their travels to Korea to document modern Korean cooking, and how regional Korean dishes are showing up in many parts of Korea. Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard’s latest book is Koreaworld: A Cookbook. They left us with their recipe for Sauteed Rice Cakes with Gochujang & Cream. Broadcast dates for this episode: June 21, 2024 (originally aired)June 20, 2025 (rebroadcast) Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

    50 min
  8. 827: Life of a Restaurant Critic with Bill Addison and Wini Moranville

    13 JUN

    827: Life of a Restaurant Critic with Bill Addison and Wini Moranville

    This week, we talk to two longtime restaurant critics from different parts of the country about what makes their work so interesting and what they're excited to eat. First, Bill Addison, restaurant critic for The Los Angeles Times, talks about his approach to critical writing, his favorite restaurant experiences, and the evolution of California cuisine. He just wrapped up one of the most ambitious projects of his career, the list of the One Hundred and One Best Restaurants in California for The Los Angeles Times. Then, we turn to the Midwest to join Wini Moranville, a restaurant critic based in Des Moines, Iowa. She tells us about her first job as a restaurant server and how that influenced her current work reviewing restaurants, and how restaurant criticism in smaller cities often have very different considerations. Wini is the author of the memoir "Love is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All," and you can check out her Substack, Dining Well in DSM. Broadcast dates for this episode: June 13, 2025 (originally aired) Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

    49 min
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4.3
out of 5
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The Splendid Table has always connected people through the common language of food and eating. Now with award-winning food journalist Francis Lam at the helm, we’re bringing forward even more fresh voices and surprising conversations at the intersection of food, people and culture – covering everything from the global appeal of sesame to the impact of Instagram on everyday eating. It’s a food show where everyone is welcome. Produced by American Public Media. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network

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