This Is TASTE

• 556: Bonnie’s Calvin Eng Has MSG Tattooed on His Arm (And All Over His Book)

  Calvin Eng is the chef and owner of Bonnie’s, a very popular Cantonese American restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He’s also the author of a great new cookbook: Salt Sugar MSG, an introduction to his unique style of home cooking, cowritten with his partner, Phoebe Melnick. It’s so fun to have Calvin in the studio to talk about growing up in New York’s many Chinatowns, developing recipes for home cooks (instead of line cooks), and more.Also on the show, Matt has a fun conversation with Substack’s Austin Tedesco. We love Substack and talked about the upcoming Grubstack virtual festival, running from March 13-15. We also talked about how Substack is helping writers reach wide audiences, and go over some of our favorites. Mentioned on the episode: Bangers and Jams, Alison Roman, Feed Me, Vittles, Sweet City, The Best Bit, Perfect City, Bite Sized, The Angel, Cake Zine, Sook, A Small & Simple Thing, Snaxshot, Why Is This Interesting?Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. READ MORE:Buttery Oyster Sauce Noodles [TASTE]Salted MSG Caramel Sauce [Food and Wine]The Future of Food Media Is in Your Inbox [TASTE]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• 555: Batali, Bourdain, Booze, and One Incredible Memoir with Laurie Woolever

  Laurie Woolever is a longtime journalist and has written a memoir for the ages. Care and Feeding covers her time working as a dutiful assistant for both Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain (let that sink in for a moment), and how her life was entangled in and around the Most Important People in Food for over two decades. It’s a wild ride, and Laurie covers her ups and downs with a strong voice and biting wit. In this episode, we hear all about her work, from booking flights to writing magazine features, and how her addiction to drugs and alcohol nearly brought it all down. This is a modern recovery story and a must-read for anybody interested in her megawatt former bosses. I so loved catching up with Laurie.Also on the episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Flint Marx. Rebecca is Eater’s home editor and leads the publication’s cookbook coverage. She just published a massive spring preview, and we go over so many wonderful books being published this season.You can find information about 12-step programs in your area online. For additional recovery reading visit the excellent The Small Bow.READ MORE:Cook the Whole Damn Heart [TASTE]The Untold Story of the Lady From Louisville and the Bubbe Who Wasn’t There [TASTE]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• 554: Inside the Crazy World of NYC Restaurants with Emma Bengtsson (Aquavit) & Michael Stillman (Quality Branded)

  Today on the show we return to the world of New York City restaurants with two great conversations.Just because Michael Stillman’s father is Alan Stillman, founder of the Smith & Wollensky and TGI Fridays chains, doesn’t mean he grew up wanting to go into the family business. Indeed, Michael grew up in the business, but it took some time for him to get to where he is today: operating Quality Branded, the restaurant group behind Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Don Angie, Bad Roman, and many more. We talk about the current restaurant climate and what inspires Michael to dive headfirst into a restaurant concept. It’s a really cool talk.And before that, we speak with the incredible chef Emma Bengtsson. Emma is the chef and partner of Aquavit, which is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. Emma joined us in the studio to talk about her cooking career, which started in Sweden and landed in New York City. We discuss Emma’s expert baking, what she enjoys about running a busy kitchen, and much more with one of New York’s top chefs.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• 553: Sourdough Myths Debunked, Love For the Bread Machine with Richard Hart & Lukas Volger

  What a terrific episode dedicated to the world of bread. First up is a conversation with Richard Hart, an icon in the clubby world of sourdough. Richard has an amazing story to tell, and we get into his London upbringing and how he ended up in California working at Tartine—but that’s where the story just starts to get good. He then teams up with René Redzepi to open a humble bakery, Hart Bageri, in Copenhagen, and the rest is history. Richard Hart, my friends, is a wonderful guest, and we also talk about his first cookbook, the terrific Richard Hart Bread.But the bread fun doesn’t stop there. I also have the talented writer and recipe developer Lukas Volger on the show to talk about his book, The Bread Machine Book. Yes, the iconic bread machine now has its own cookbook, with recipes that cover so many different styles. Lukas and I dig into his process for writing recipes for the machine and so much more.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• 552: 150 Flavors of Cheesecake with Tavel Bristol-Joseph

  Tavel Bristol-Joseph is pastry chef and partner at Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Canje, and many other acclaimed restaurants in Austin, Texas, and beyond. He’s also just opened a really cool dessert bar, Nicosi, in San Antonio. In this episode, we talk about Tavel’s early cooking life in New York and how he grew a cheesecake mini empire out of his Brooklyn apartment—well, there were many apartments involved. It’s a great story. We also discuss his move down to Texas and how his unique skills with pastry and restaurant hospitality have made him one of our country’s most important chefs. I really enjoyed getting to hear Tavel’s story.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt preview some really exciting cookbooks being released this spring. And stay tuned, as we will be back with many more exciting titles hitting bookstores in the next couple of months. Books mentioned on the episode: In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking by Woldy Reyes, Pakistan by Maryam Jillani, Fat + Flour by Nicole Rucker, Salsa Daddy by Rick Martínez, By Heart by Hailee Catalano, Sesame by Rachel Simons, Setting a Place for Us by Hawa Hassan, Every Day with Babs by Barbara Costello, Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East by Noor Murad, The Choi of Cooking by Roy Choi. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. READ MORE:TASTE Live at Rizzoli with Barbara CostelloOne of America’s Top Pastry Chefs Just Opened a New Dessert Bar [Robb Report]Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2020: Tavel Bristol-Joseph [Food & Wine]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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