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

American Public Media
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The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

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. 801: Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking with Von Diaz and My Life in Recipes, Food, Family and Memories with Joan Nathan

    1D AGO

    801: Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking with Von Diaz and My Life in Recipes, Food, Family and Memories with Joan Nathan

    We are looking at food stories from different cultures this week. First, documentarian and journalist Von Diaz joins us to talk about her latest book, Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking.  She writes about island cuisine from all over the world and talks about her academic field research, the connections she feels when she is on an island, and the unique dishes she cooked and tasted for her book research. She found commonality among the islands in their cooking techniques, from grilling to smoking and marinating, and shares a delicious, iconic island recipe for CHamoru Barbecue Chicken with Juanita’s Fina’denne’. Then, best-selling author and  Jewish food authority Joan Nathan joins us to talk about her latest book, a memoir My Life in Recipes, Food, Family and Memories. Joan chronicles her start in food, the people she met along the way, her passion for elevating the home cook and her devotion to the regular ritual of sitting down together for a meal.   Broadcast dates for this episode: April 5, 2024 (originally aired) March 28, 2025 (rebroadcast) Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

    50 min
  2. 823: West African Cuisine with Eric Adjepong and Ozoz Sokoh

    MAR 21

    823: West African Cuisine with Eric Adjepong and Ozoz Sokoh

    This week, we’re all about the diverse and delicious foods of Ghana and Nigeria. First, Food Network Star Eric Adjepong joins us from his childhood home to talk about the connection to food when eating with his hands, the community that happens around the Ghanain table, and his take on traditional dishes like his recipe for Roasted Banana Grits with Seasoned Shrimp. Eric is the chef and owner of Elmina in Washington DC and the author of Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past. Then, geologist turned food blogger Ozoz Sokoh takes us into the world of Nigerian cuisine. From iconic Nigerian breakfasts like sweet fermented rice cakes known as Māsā̀, to corned beef sauce paired with West African Yams. We couldn’t leave without getting a recipe for her Classic Nigerian Jollof Rice. Ozoz is the author of Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria and the blogger behind Kitchen Butterfly.  Broadcast dates for this episode: March 21, 2025 (originally aired) Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

    50 min
  3. 800: Start Here with Sohla El-Waylly

    MAR 14

    800: Start Here with Sohla El-Waylly

    This week, we spend the hour with cooking columnist and internet sensation, Sohla El-Waylly. We talk about her connection to food and how she got her start as a pastry chef, writer, and recipe developer. She talks about her work in restaurants and her passion for teaching people how to cook. And she answers your cooking questions, from the best way to cook rabbit to her favorite ice cream flavor. Her latest book is Start Here, filled with recipes that teach techniques, as shown in her Bisteeya Inspired Phyllo Chicken Pie recipe. Broadcast dates for this episode: March 22, 2024 (originally aired) March 14, 2025 (rebroadcast) Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

    50 min
  4. 822: The King Arthur Baking Company's Big Book of Bread with Jessica Battilana and Martin Philip

    MAR 7

    822: The King Arthur Baking Company's Big Book of Bread with Jessica Battilana and Martin Philip

    This week, we dedicate the entire episode to answering your bread baking questions with two brilliant bakers and teachers, King Arthur’s very own Jessica Battilana, Staff Editor, and Martin Philip, King Arthur’s Baking Ambassador. While King Arthur has taught millions of people to bake through their school, website, and classic cookbooks. They only now have published a book devoted entirely to bread, The King Arthur Baking Company’s Big Book of Bread.  Francis, Jessica, and Martin take listener questions on everything from the “why” behind the flavor of English Muffins, best proofing practices, what to do with extra laminated dough (if you can imagine having that problem!), and why they consider "toast" a food group all its own. Don't miss their recipe for Masa Honey Toasting Bread. Broadcast dates for this episode: March 7, 2025 (originally aired) Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

    50 min
  5. 799: The Dish with Andrew Friedman and Flavorama with Arielle Johnson

    FEB 28

    799: The Dish with Andrew Friedman and Flavorama with Arielle Johnson

    This week, we're all about the world of restaurants and flavor. First, we talked with Andrew Friedman about his career, writing about American food culture, chefs, and the restaurant scene. He talks to us about his latest project, spending time behind the swinging doors of a restaurant and how all the kitchen roles—from the butcher to the delivery drivers to the dishwasher make the dish you sit down to enjoy.  His latest book is The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food. Then we sit down with Flavor Scientist Arielle Johnson, who talks about the science behind flavor, from flavor perceptions to aroma and the laws of flavor. Arielle's latest book is Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor, and she leaves us with her recipes for Smoke Oil & Smoke Oil Infused Fish. Broadcast dates for this episode: March 8, 2024 (originally aired) February 28, 2025 (rebroadcast) Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show

    50 min
  6. 821: The Splendid Tour- Celebrating 30 Years: Live from Indianapolis

    FEB 22

    821: The Splendid Tour- Celebrating 30 Years: Live from Indianapolis

    We're taking the show on the road this year to celebrate our 30th Anniversary! This week, we bring you to our first stop, Indianapolis, in partnership with WFYI. We dig into the local food scene with restaurateur Martha Hoover, founder of Cafe Patachou and the Patachou Foundation. We talk to her about her start as a prosecutor turned restaurateur and how the restaurant scene has changed over her 35-plus years running a restaurant in Indianapolis. Then, we welcome Samir Mohammad of 9th Street Bistro, Zoë Taylor of Borage, and food writer and Eater correspondent Brian Garrido to the stage to talk about the present: Indianapolis's new and booming food scene. Then, we close the show with a heartwarming story of Isaac Roman and Thomas Hayes re-opening Indy's beloved Rene's Bakery. Broadcast dates for this episode: February 21, 2025 (originally aired) Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show

    50 min
  7. 797: Melissa Clark’s Deep Dive into Salt & Crystal Wilkinson on her Kitchen Ghosts  

    FEB 14

    797: Melissa Clark’s Deep Dive into Salt & Crystal Wilkinson on her Kitchen Ghosts  

    This week, we talk to two award-winning authors about their latest work. First, The New York Times cooking columnist Melissa Clark talks to us about her deep dive into the world of salt. From exploring salt harvesting in France to the history and revival of artisanal salts, she walks us through different types of salt and their uses in cooking. She sticks around to answer your cooking questions. Melissa Clark's latest book is Dinner in One, and for a taste of her style, check out her recipe for Roasted Cauliflower & Potatoes with Harissa, Yogurt & Toasted Almonds. Then, award-winning author Crystal Wilkinson talks to us about her new memoir, honoring her maternal ancestors, her kitchen ghosts. She talks about feeling them deeply while cooking and realizing their presence in her life. Crystal's memoir is Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks, and she leaves us with her recipe for Indian Creek Skillet Cornbread.  Broadcast dates for this episode: February 9, 2024 (originally aired) February 14, 2025 (rebroadcast) Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today.

    50 min
  8. 820: Cooking Questions with Lisa Donovan and We The Pizza with Muhammad Abdul-Hadi

    FEB 7

    820: Cooking Questions with Lisa Donovan and We The Pizza with Muhammad Abdul-Hadi

    This week, food columnist for The New York Times Magazine, Lisa Donovan, joins us to talk about what she's been cooking up recently and help answer our listeners' kitchen conundrums, from making the best tomato paste despite out-of-season tomatoes to using unsweetened chocolate in baking recipes. Lisa is the author of the memoir Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger, and she leaves us with a recipe for a lovely Tarte Tatin to add to our repertoire. Then, we head over to Philadelphia, where we meet the founder and owner of Down North Pizza, Muhammad Abdul-Hadi. Muhammad tells us about his mission-driven restaurant dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives. Muhammad's new cookbook is We The Pizza: Slangin’ Pies, and Savin’ Lives and he leaves us with his signature pizza sauce recipe, Norf Sauce. Broadcast dates for this episode: February 7, 2025 (originally aired) Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

    50 min
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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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