Flavorphiles

Tanner Agar
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Food
  • Updated Weekly

Flavorphiles is the podcast and radio show where food, culture and lifestyle collide. Hosted by Michelin and James Beard recognized chef/bartender/restaurateur Tanner Agar and veteran broadcaster Jerry Agar, the show goes beyond recipes and restaurant chatter to explore how flavor shapes the way you live. From iconic chefs and celebrities who love to eat, to the cultural trends beyond what’s on your plate, Flavorphiles brings smart conversation, irresistible storytelling and a dash of fun to every episode. It’s not just about what tastes good – it’s about why flavor matters in everyone’s life.

  1. 2d ago

    Senses of Taste: Bitter Is Better

    Bitter gets a bad rap. We’re basically born suspicious of it, kids hate it, and yet somehow adults end up obsessed with coffee, dark chocolate, bitter greens, amaro, and aggressively hoppy beer. This week on Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry dig into why we learn to love bitter flavors, how bitterness is different from burnt, sour, and astringent, and why some people may actually experience bitter foods more intensely than others. Then Kolby Howard from Fernet-Branca joins us to explain amaro, the exptremely bitter, and very popular, Italian digestif. Tanner also breaks down how chefs use bitterness in the kitchen, from Brussels sprouts and endive to grapefruit, coffee, cacao, char, and chicory. Finally, it’s a bitter-themed Short Order: 10 cooking questions in 10 minutes, including why chefs burn food on purpose, whether cocktail bitters ever go bad, why expensive olive oil can taste bitter, and what to do when people won’t finish your dessert. It’s bitter. But in a good way. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Senses of Taste: Bitter Is Better

  2. Aug 22

    True (Food) Crime

    This week on Flavorphiles, we are committing crimes against food. Allegedly. Tanner and Jerry dig into the strange, sticky, and surprisingly sophisticated world of food true crime. First, Tanner introduces the Amuse Booze: powdered alcohol. He knows how to make it, he will not be telling you how, and depending on where you live, that may be for the best. Then Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney from Sinisterhood join the show to break down the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, a real-life caper involving millions of dollars in stolen syrup, a cartel's strategic reserve, and how 1 fork lift brought it all down. Next, Maureen Downey, known as the Sherlock Holmes of Wine, takes us inside the world of counterfeit bottles. Maureen helped catch Rudy Kurniawan, one of the most infamous wine fraudsters in history, and she explains how he fooled collectors, how investigators caught him, and why fake wine is a much bigger problem than most people realize. Yes, even Yellow Tail has been counterfeited. Finally, we open the Flavorphiles crime lab to investigate the foods you probably did not know were being faked, diluted, mislabeled, or swapped out entirely. Olive oil, honey, tequila, truffles, seafood, and plenty more are on the suspect board. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    True (Food) Crime

  3. Aug 15

    Taste of New Zealand

    This week, we’re taking a bite out of New Zealand. Tanner used to live in NZ, so he’s guiding Jerry through the foods, flavors, and extremely specific Kiwi words that make the country’s cuisine so much more than lamb and Sauvignon Blanc. First up, it’s Guess That Kiwi Food, where Jerry has to figure out what ingredients like kūmara, capsicum, pāua, and hokey pokey actually are based only on the name. Then, Chef Toby Archibald of Michelin-recognized Quarter Acre in Dallas joins us to talk about cooking New Zealand food in Texas and what it takes to translate a national food culture for an American audience. After that, we build the ultimate Kiwi cookout, from lamb and seafood to beetroot burgers, meat pies, pavlova, and everything else you need to throw a New Zealand-inspired backyard feast. Finally, because we are physically incapable of discussing New Zealand without talking about Lord of the Rings, we head to Middle-earth to discuss second breakfast, lembas bread, Hobbiton, and which fantasy civilization you’d actually trust to cater dinner. The Amuse Booze this week is a Pinot Noir from Marlborough, because sometimes the drink really does need to come from the place we’re talking about. Grab a meat pie, pour something from New Zealand, and join us for Taste of New Zealand. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Taste of New Zealand

  4. Aug 8

    Whiskeys of the World

    Whiskey can feel like it comes with homework. Scotch, bourbon, rye, Irish whiskey, Japanese whisky, Canadian whisky, age statements, ice rules, spelling arguments; it is a lot of brown liquid with a lot of opinions. This week on Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry take a not-too-nerdy trip through the whiskeys of the world to figure out what actually makes each style different. Then they sit down with Robert Likarish of Ironroot Republic Distillery to talk about why great bourbon is not limited to Kentucky, how Texas heat changes the aging process, and what gives Texas whiskey its own identity. Plus, we break some of whiskey’s most sacred “rules,” including whether ice is actually a crime, whether older always means better, and whether you should keep saving that special bottle forever. Finally, we ask the important question: what else belongs in a barrel? Maple syrup? Hot sauce? Coffee? Pickles? Jerry will be the judge. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Whiskeys of the World

  5. Aug 1

    Be Safe, Use a Condiment

    In celebration of National Mustard Day, Flavorphiles is bringing the heat, just not the hot sauce. This week, Tanner and Jerry dive into the world of spicy condiments, from chili crisp and horseradish to hot mustard, yuzu kosho, and the jars hiding in the back of your fridge that may or may not still be alive. Then they answer one of sushi’s great green mysteries: what is wasabi, really, and why is the stuff most people eat basically wearing a disguise? Barry Levenson, founder and curator of the National Mustard Museum, joins the show to talk mustard history, mustard culture, strange mustards, great mustards, and how a baseball heartbreak somehow led to one of the world’s greatest condiment collections. Finally, Tanner walks Jerry through a blind tasting of six different peppercorns, including black, white, pink, green, long pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns. Jerry tastes them for the first time and discovers that “pepper” is not one thing—and sometimes it is not technically pepper at all. Be safe. Use a condiment. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Be Safe, Use a Condiment

  6. Jul 25

    Eat to the Beat with Bowling for Soup's Rob Felicetti

    This week on Flavorphiles, we turn up the volume for an episode all about the strange, funny, and surprisingly important relationship between food and music. Jerry returns to his roots as a longtime radio DJ with a countdown of his top 10 songs about food, from the Beatles, to Frank Sinatra, to Jack Johnson.  Then Rob Felicetti of Bowling for Soup joins us to talk about eating on tour: the best meals on the road, the foods that make certain cities worth looking forward to, backstage catering, late-night survival meals, and why he has such a deep love for kangaroo. After that, we get into the restaurant side of the soundtrack. How do great restaurants build playlists? Why does the right song make a room feel alive, while the wrong one can kill the vibe instantly? Tanner breaks down how music shapes pace, mood, energy, and even the way guests experience a meal. Finally, we ask why live music has disappeared from so many restaurants. Is it cost, volume, changing guest expectations, or the rise of the perfectly curated playlist? And when live music does work, what makes it unforgettable? Amuse Booze: The piña colada. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Eat to the Beat with Bowling for Soup's Rob Felicetti

  7. Jul 18

    Dining Out for Clout

    Restaurants used to be places you went to eat. Now they’re also places you go to post, flex, film, and prove you were there. This week on Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry look at the rise of dining out for clout. We start with a viral flaming cocktail stunt that looks incredible on camera and asks the obvious question: when food and drinks are built for the video, what happens to the actual experience? Then we dig into how restaurants have changed in the camera era, from better lighting and tableside service to dramatic plating, cocktail reveals, and rooms designed to be shared online. A food influencer joins the show to talk about what makes a restaurant postable, how creators build an audience, and how they balance credibility, comped meals, sponsorships, and actually enjoying dinner. We also build the ultimate Instagram restaurant starter pack, complete with neon signs, fake floral walls, hidden doors that are not hidden, and menus that are just steakhouses. Finally, we rank the great clout foods and drinks — seafood towers, A5 wagyu, caviar bumps, giant steaks, champagne, martini carts, and more — to decide what’s worth it and what’s just an edible receipt. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Dining Out for Clout

  8. Jul 11

    Big Flavor, Small Bill

    Great food does not have to come with a luxury price tag. In this episode of Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry dig into the places, dishes, and techniques that prove affordable food can still be serious, memorable, and packed with flavor. First, they look at why “cheap eats” is the wrong phrase. Restaurants spend money on far more than food: real estate, design, service style, branding, huge menus, and all the little details that make a place feel expensive. But sometimes the best meals come from restaurants that skip the polish and put the money where it matters: into the cooking. Then, they’re joined by the author of the Toronto Star’s Top 100 affordable restaurants list to talk about how great restaurants keep prices approachable while still delivering personality, quality, and big flavor. At home, Tanner and Jerry turn the idea into a game with the Big Flavor Draft, picking the best low-cost ingredients that can make everyday cooking taste expensive: garlic, onions, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, miso, vinegar, and more. Finally, short order cooking returns. Jerry asks Tanner quick fire questions about dining on a budget including what budget dish he'd cook when he wants to impress someone.  It’s an episode about value, creativity, and why the best meal in town might not be hiding behind white tablecloths. It might be in a strip mall, a lunch counter, a family restaurant, or your own kitchen. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

    Big Flavor, Small Bill
See All (45)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Flavorphiles is the podcast and radio show where food, culture and lifestyle collide. Hosted by Michelin and James Beard recognized chef/bartender/restaurateur Tanner Agar and veteran broadcaster Jerry Agar, the show goes beyond recipes and restaurant chatter to explore how flavor shapes the way you live. From iconic chefs and celebrities who love to eat, to the cultural trends beyond what’s on your plate, Flavorphiles brings smart conversation, irresistible storytelling and a dash of fun to every episode. It’s not just about what tastes good – it’s about why flavor matters in everyone’s life.

Information

  • Creator
    Tanner Agar
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tanner Agar
  • Show Website
    Flavorphiles

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