27 episodes

“Tell me about your mama's kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's media company.
 
Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach, Matthew Broderick, D-Nice, José Andrés, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.
 
With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Some of our most valuable and vulnerable moments happened there as we watched parents struggle with bills, wrestle with shifting family dynamics, or figure out new roles for themselves as feminism changed the national terrain. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.

Please Note: This is now the home of Your Mama’s Kitchen hosted by Michele Norris. To listen to Michelle Obama: The Light, search for it wherever you listen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Mama’s Kitchen Higher Ground

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

“Tell me about your mama's kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's media company.
 
Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach, Matthew Broderick, D-Nice, José Andrés, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.
 
With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Some of our most valuable and vulnerable moments happened there as we watched parents struggle with bills, wrestle with shifting family dynamics, or figure out new roles for themselves as feminism changed the national terrain. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.

Please Note: This is now the home of Your Mama’s Kitchen hosted by Michele Norris. To listen to Michelle Obama: The Light, search for it wherever you listen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Kristin Hannah

    Kristin Hannah

    Award winning, best-selling author Kristin Hannah recounts her outdoorsy childhood living in farmhouses and campsites built by her adventurous dad. We get a glimpse into what inspired Hannah to venture into historical fiction and what her mom managed to cook for her and her siblings with a wood fire stove. Plus we hear how to make her mama’s buttermilk cornbread.
    Kristin Hannah is an American historical fiction author. She’s written over twenty novels, many of them securing spots in the New York Times Best Seller List including The Four Winds and The Nightingale, which sold over 4.5 million copies. Her novel Firefly Lane was made into a Netflix Original Series in 2021. 

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 41 min
    Maria Bamford

    Maria Bamford

    On this episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, we’re joined by Maria Bamford. She’s a comedian, actor, and now a New York Times bestselling author with her memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, released in late 2023. Maria talks about her Midwestern upbringing, her journey with obsessive compulsive disorder, and the delicious pot roast she still craves from childhood.
    Maria Bamford is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She’s the first female comic with two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials, and her critically acclaimed work includes her web series The Maria Bamford Show (featured at MOMA NY), Ask My Mom (recommended by The New Yorker), and her Netflix series Lady Dynamite (2 seasons). Bamford’s Audible Original You are (a Comedy) Special and multiple comedy albums are on all major streaming platforms.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 37 min
    Judy Blume

    Judy Blume

    Bestselling children’s book author and literary legend Judy Blume takes us back to her childhood New Jersey kitchen in the ‘40s, where she ate lamb chops and baked potato scrapings as a baby. She also shares a precious memento: her mother’s little yellow recipe box, filled with complicated, mid-century dishes her mother never made. We’ll hear about Judy’s major sweet tooth, which is perfectly captured by the recipe she chose to share with us: her mother’s sweet noodle pudding.
     
    Judy Blume is a bestselling American author of children’s, young adult, and adult fiction novels. She’s written over 25 books which have sold over 80 million copies. She’s best known for her classic—and at the time controversial—children’s books, including Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 36 min
    Mark Cuban

    Mark Cuban

    Mark Cuban — entrepreneur, fixture on the reality TV show Shark Tank, and born outsider — joins Michele this week. Mark shares how he acquired a do-what-needs-to-be-done attitude from his Jewish immigrant grandparents when he was a boy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; how he first tapped his entrepreneurial spirit by selling garbage bags to neighbors. And – ignoring the way things “should” be done – fast-forwarded his education to start achieving the financial success he’s known for today. But Mark never forgot his roots: he values family and hometown friends more than anything he can buy, and he especially loves his mother’s Raisin Noodle Kugel, a recipe he happily shares with us.
    Mark Cuban is an entrepreneur, investor and TV personality. He is the former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban showed his entrepreneurial spirit early in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he grew up selling goods door to door and eventually graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana State University. His business ventures took off as the founder of MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com, both of which he eventually sold, earning millions. He has invested in dozens of successful businesses across many industries, and, as majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, won the NBA Championships in 2011. He is active in philanthropy, social and political commentary, and can be seen regularly on reality TV.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 40 min
    Tayari Jones

    Tayari Jones

    Award-winning novelist Tayari Jones speaks on her childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was raised in the midst of the historic civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and the tragic Atlanta child murders. She reflects on the role feminism played in her home life and how she learned to love cooking by cooking things she liked. Plus, she tells us about her delectable red velvet cake.
     
    Tayari Jones is a writer and novelist. Her 2018 novel An American Marriage won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, an NAACP Image Award, and was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. She was also a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow for Creative Arts.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 36 min
    Bryant Terry

    Bryant Terry

    Bryant Terry – cookbook author, chef, food activist, conceptual artist and publisher – joins Michele at his University of California Berkeley art studio to discuss one of the biggest influences behind all of his work: his grandmother, Margie Bryant; or, as his family affectionately called her, Ma’dear. In Ma’dear’s Memphis, Tennessee kitchen, Bryant spent hours helping her shell peas, peel potatoes or pour sugar into the pot for her sweet fruit preserves. It was in her kitchen that Bryant learned how Ma’dear’s love for her family came in the form of what she made there, and it's that love that stays with Bryant today and drives his work.
    When Bryant is not penning one of his acclaimed cookbooks, like his most recent work, Black Food, he is touring the country, educating Americans about the ways in which our food system is broken, how we as consumers can make choices that help local producers and farmers get the resources they need to continue their valuable work, and about what many of us often get wrong about Black Food – a cuisine that is far more varied, healthy and complex than many people are led to believe.   
    In this episode, Bryant recounts how a very specific 90s hip hop song led him to veganism, he shares his recipe for Ma’dear’s savory, slow-cooked leafy greens, and he sings the haunting, beautiful song Ma’dear would sing as she cooked them down until they were meltingly tender.  


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 37 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
2.1K Ratings

2.1K Ratings

Mildred Honey ,

Smart Yet Cozy

This podcast is has a feeling of nostalgia but in a smart way. Michele’s experience shines with great questions for interesting guests. I really like the show.!

Emqueue ,

What a great breath of fresh air!

I am a true crime junkie usually, but I stumbled across this when preparing for a long roadtrip. What a find! This show is like a warm bowl of soup. Michelle’s voice is so soothing. She coaxes such great stories out of her guests and I feel like I am home with them. Such a great concept and a various menagerie of guests that are so great! You will not be sorry to try this one!

Shabu82 ,

It just gets better.

What style & grace - I miss the Obama family. Her writing transports you and this podcast gives depth & dimension. At times, she cracks me up I laugh out loud. Thank heavens I’m a remote worker so I’m not being disruptive!

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