Food Friends Podcast Kari Lauritzen & Sonya Sanford

We’re celebrating spring in this week’s episode with time-honored rituals and new traditions to welcome light, warmer weather, and connection with family and friends!

In honor of the changing season, we’re sharing a few ways that we like to celebrate. Sonya offers her strategies for hosting Passover, including ways to make it a little easier and more collaborative for everyone. She’ll also share her go-to menu, as well as her favorite make-ahead dishes like savory potato kugel, which reminds Kari of a Midwestern casserole that her family serves at Easter.

Kari tells Sonya all about her delicious new “Spring Turkey” tradition; it’s a version of Thanksgiving inspired by her aunt. There’s only one rule: gather family and friends around the table to share a meal. Also, wear a pink boa!

We hope you’re as excited as we are to cook tasty, seasonal food and celebrate the arrival of spring.
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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Sonya’s shawarma eggplant with zhug

Cast iron potato kugel from Smitten Kitchen

Kari’s family’s strawberry jello and pretzel “salad” from Taste of Home 

Cheesy potato casserole 

Haroset recipes from around the world, via The Nosher

Ina Garten’s Green Green Spring vegetables recipe 

Cilantro mint sauce from Chinois/Wolfgang Puck

Alison Roman’s wine-braised short rib for the NY Times 

Zoe Bakes’ pavlova recipe

Tyler Florence’s flourless chocolate cake 

Shannon Sarna’s matzah toffee

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

We are thrilled to chat with FOOD FRIEND, Grace Chon!

Grace is not only a passionate gardener, but she’s also an acclaimed photographer, best-selling author, creativity coach, and host of Creativity School — a podcast dedicated to finding and expressing creativity (we are both big fans!). 

There’s nothing better than cooking with food you’ve grown yourself, and Grace inspires us to plant and grow more in our home gardens this year. Grace shares what she’s learned from her 10+ year gardening journey, which began with growing heirloom tomatoes in pots in her parking space… proof that anyone can start a garden that yields food if they want to. She shares tips about gardening, as well as recipes on how to cook with all that bounty, and tells us all about the essential Korean herb that grows easily and is really versatile in the kitchen.

With the arrival of Spring, this conversation comes just in time to inspire you to grow something…anything!…in your garden, on your patio, or even in a pot next to your parking space.

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Follow Grace’s gardening adventures on @tinyfoodgarden!

Check out Grace's Website, her podcast Creativity School, and follow her on IG @thegracechon

Korean Perilla leaves: what are they and how to buy? From Sue Pressey of My Korean Kitchen 

10 ways to enjoy Perilla from JinJoo Lee of Kimchimari

How to make tomato confit, from Sonya’s TikTok

Immersion blender options for creating Grace’s favorite tomato sauce texture 

Heirloom tomatoes from Logan’s Garden if you’re near Los Angeles, or find out more about/order Goose Creek Heirloom Tomato seeds

All three of us love Belle’s Bagels 

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What are the key elements of a great lunch salad? How can you elevate a sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary? What simple kitchen tool is a game-changer when it comes to making crave-able meals? How do you make delicious lunches at home?

This week’s episode was inspired by a lunch that Kari experienced at Sonya’s house several years ago. Sonya and her husband Jonathan created a beautiful midday meal, and Kari was struck by how effortlessly it came together. Kari’s approach to lunch fits into the “grab an apple and peanut butter” category, so sitting down to enjoy a lovely lunch felt different (in a good way). Kari asks Sonya to get specific about her approach to lunch,  and this conversation explores classic lunch fare while offering a few new approaches that you might have never considered before. Sonya shares so many great tips and recipes, including her secret to the popular tuna salad she made at her restaurant, Beetroot Market & Deli. 

What inspires you at lunch?  Drop us a line and let us know!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Our favorite Benriner mandolin 

Carrots really do taste sweeter when they’re grated, via Food52

Sonya’s tuna salad recipe 

Quick pickled red onions, via Dana Velden for TheKitchn, and how to quick pickle any vegetable 

Turkish sumac onions, by Whisk Affair 

Molly Yeh’s yogurt ranch 

Annie’s Goddess dressing for salad sandwiches

Maria’s Italian Kitchen in Los Angeles

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Being a personal chef is, well…personal…and in this episode, we’re taking you on a behind-the-scenes look at our unique experiences cooking in our clients’ kitchens. We’ll share how we got to know our clients’ preferences, meal planning, shopping, and some of the unexpected realities of the job. Being a personal chef has its ups and downs, and we get real about what the profession is really like, and how it’s different from our other experiences working in the culinary world.

“Do you cook like that at home?” is a common question we’re asked. It’s easy to imagine that a personal chef cooks beautiful meals for herself every day at home, and while the reality is far different, we are going to share tips we picked up that we still use in our home kitchens.

P. S. If you’re curious about our chef beginnings, be sure to listen to Episode 11, “How We Started.” (You may be surprised to learn that neither of us went to culinary school!)

Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Smitten Kitchen’s Chickpeas & Spinach 

Anne Burrell’s Braised Chicken with Almonds

Carrot Ginger Dressing from Caroline Phelps

Green Thai Curry from Hot Thai Kitchen

Lemon Pesto Spaghetti Squash from Love & Lemons 

Ali Slagle’s Turkey-Zucchini Burgers from the NY Times 

Homestyle Indonesian Cooking Cookbook 

Vicente Foods and Santa Monica Seafood

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

“I want to run some ideas by you” launches these FOOD FRIENDS into a spirited conversation where they join forces to share ideas and recipes to make casually hosting during the week that much easier.

Sonya asks Kari for advice on what to serve alongside the main dish. Kari eagerly (and firmly!) pitches ideas for suitable sides. Sonya shares her brilliant tip for a make-ahead dish that actually tastes better a day or two later, as well as a time-saving strategy that builds flavor to a delicious sauce. Kari adds smart tips on building a menu around mindful cleanup at the end of the night. The flurry of ideas and tips that emerge benefit any aspiring host (including these two food friends!).

If you want to create a delicious dinner, but feel stuck with a menu item, or just need a boost of inspiration for future hosting, this is the episode for you!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Sonya’s guest for dinner, Adrian Hale, and her amazing dough recipe. Stay tuned for her upcoming book!

Ina Garten’s couscous with pine nuts and currants

Schug/Zhoug recipe adapted from Michael Solomonov via Tasting Table  

Reem Assil’s kofta recipe 

Sonya’s recipe for Amba, or find the premade condiment online and at Middle Eastern markets 

Mark Bittman’s braised lamb with wine and prunes for the NY Times

Baked orzo recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi via The Guardian

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What happens when FOOD FRIENDS reunite? This episode captures all the excitement of Sonya’s recent trip to Los Angeles to visit Kari. Tune in to find out where Kari took Sonya out for dinner, and what treats Sonya brought to Kari in her suitcase. 

In this conversation, we’re also exploring what it means to be together with the people we love. As we begin to travel and reconnect with our nearest and dearest, how do we communicate care when someone comes to visit? What do we bring and how do we share parts of ourselves when we travel to visit our loved ones? From home cooking and flowers to restaurant recommendations and local points of interest, this episode offers many approaches to being a host as well as a guest. The tips we share about our experiences together might inspire you the next time you find yourself in the company of one of your favorite FOOD FRIENDS.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Pickle Soup, from Love Soup by Anna Thomas 

Sonya’s grandmother’s pumpkin pirozhki recipe  and Sonya’s Tahini Cookies (replace chocolate with chopped dried fruit) 

KariKari chili crisp

Pizzeria Mozza and Boreaks in Los Angeles

Maurice in Portland

Check out our Cookie episode to hear more about Sonya’s chocolate chip cookies, and our Party Snacks episode for more on Kari’s family’s Chex mix!

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!