This week, we dive into the world of apples and agave. First, we talk with apple historian Diane Flynt, author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South, about what makes apples so magical and the connection apples have to people. She also teaches us the history of apples in the South and tips on what makes a good cider. Then, we turn to the world of Agave spirits with authors Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera, where we get an understanding of agave as not just an entity but a “whole rainbow of flavors and fragrance” as well as the fascinating craftsmanship behind mezcal and tequilas. Their latest book is Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals.

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• September 8, 2023 (originally aired)

  
  

• September 6, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

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This week, we talk about cuisines from opposite ends of the world. We start by diving into the first, traditionally-published cookbook about Salvadorian cuisine with Karla T. Vasquez. She collected traditional recipes and techniques while documenting stories from the hands that made the dishes. Karla is the author of The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes and the Women Who Preserve Them. She left us with her recipe for a delicious Salvadoran Quesadilla. Then, we explore Southern Thai regional cuisine with author Austin Bush. Austin researched the diverse and unique cuisine of Southern Thailand through travel and cooking alongside local cooks He’s the author of The Food of Southern Thailand and he leaves us with a recipe for Simple Thai-Style Rice Salad - Khaao Yam.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• August 30, 2024 (originally aired)

  
  
  

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This week, we take a deep dive into pizza with the co-author of the voluminous Modernist Pizza, Nathan Myhrvold. We get into the history, culture, and techniques behind great pizza. We hear stories from his worldwide travels and deep dives into pizza cultures and traditions. Plus, we hear about the culinary lab research devoted to making the best pizza ever, and he sticks around to answer your pizza-making questions. He is the founder of the Modernist Cuisine Lab. Then, we tune into our Family Kitchen series and hear from Journalist Liana Aghajanian about her childhood visits to Chuck E. Cheese and how she felt it was a magical food portal to America.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• September 24, 2021 (originally aired)

  
  

• September 30, 2022 (rebroadcast)

  
  

• August 23, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

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This week, we’ve got delicious cooking ideas to brighten your summer. First, author Jess Damuck talks to us about her vegetable-forward food inspired by the 1970s health-food culture. She talks about revamping 1970’s health-food classics and re-working recipes with a modern eye to make them taste great. She leaves us with her recipe for Lentil Loaf. Jess Damuck’s latest book is Health Nut: A Feel-Good Cookbook. Then, we head to North Carolina to catch up with Chef Ashley Christensen.  She takes on listener questions with Francis and shares some mind-blowing thinking around working with seasonal produce, including an idea a delicious, simple corn cob stock. Ashley is the chef at Poole’s Diner and Death & Taxes in Raleigh, NC, and author of the cookbooks Poole’s and It’s Always Freezer Season. She left us with a delicious recipe for Charred Summer Squash.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• August 16, 2024 (originally aired)

  
  
  

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This week, we have stories centered around food, love, and legacy. First, we talk with author Michaele Weissman about meeting her husband's family for the first time, tasting his mother's bread, and later learning its significance and how it represented her husband's life. Her latest book is The Rye Bread Marriage: How I Found Happiness with a Partner I'll Never Understand. Then, we sit with Barkha Cardoz to remember her husband, the late Chef Floyd Cardoz. We talk about their meeting in culinary school in India to admiring how he would add flavor to everything he cooked. In his honor, she is releasing the masala spice blends they created together to continue his legacy. Then, we feature a segment from our sister podcast, The One Recipe, where Chef Pierre Thiam, author of the latest book, Simply West African, talks to host Jesse Sparks about the first time he introduced the love of his life to his aunt and the one recipe that ultimately passed the test, Sauce Feuille. 

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• August 18, 2023 (originally aired)

  
  

• August 9, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

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This week, we take a close look into what makes a national cuisine. Anya von Bremzen talks about her most recent book, National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home. We get into the history, culture, and theories behind the popularization of dishes, from researching the “correct” way to make pot-au-feu in France to looking at the “pizza effect” and the role of borsch in her family’s history. She shares her mom’s recipe for Super-Quick Vegetarian Borsch. Then we get into what may be the Argentinian National drink – mate with Mate & Co.’s sommelier, Tomás Martín Sanchez. He explains the production process, its unique flavor, and the community it brings together with its communal drinking ritual.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• August 4, 2023 (originally aired)

  
  

• August 2, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

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This week we have everything you need for summer. First up, it’s Stacey Mei Yan Fong with her new book, 50 Pies, 50 States. Stacey decided to commemorate all 50 states in the most American way she could imagine-through their pies! Everything from fruity to savory to salty pies, and she left us with her take on the Minnesota state pie, a Corn Dog-Hotdish Pie with Savory Funnel-Cake Topping. Then we talk to comedian and writer Jamie Loftus about her cross-country hot dog adventure. She takes a deep dive into its culture and history and ranks her top three hotdogs nationwide. Her latest book is Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hotdogs. Then, we head to an asada, a Mexican-American cookout, with Bricia Lopez. She talks about the must-haves for your bbq party this summer, from salsa spreads to beer cocktails and her favorite cuts of meat to grill. She leaves us her recipe for Citrus and Oregano Pollo Asado. Her latest book is Asada: The Art of Mexican- Style Grilling.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• July 21, 2023 (originally aired)

  
  

• July 26, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

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This week, we talk about life and food in Southern France. First, we sit down with Steve Hoffman to talk about his latest memoir, A Season for That, about his journey from Minnesota to the South of France with his entire family to live a romanticized French life.  It turned out to be a complete culinary and culture shock that ended up inspiring his appreciation for the local food culture and its winemaking traditions. Steve Hoffman's latest book is A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France. Then, we talk with author Rebekah Peppler about her connection to the South of France and its Provencal cuisine, which is the inspiration for her cookbook, Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. She walks us through Provencal dishes from tapenades to bouillabaisse, and she leaves us with her recipe for Mussels in Aioli. 

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• July 19, 2024 (originally aired)

  
  
  

This week, we're talking about the unique cuisine of Greece. Diane Kochilas, author and star of the public television show, My Greek Table joins us from Athens to talk about Greek regional cooking and explore the history and cuisine of the Greek American community. She also lets us in on her favorite dishes to prepare from her garden. Then, we sit with Tara Q. Thomas, who tells us all we need to know about Greek wine, from her favorite producers to the evolution of the pine resin in retsina wines. Then, we head to Queens to listen in on a Greek American family as they prepare their favorite stuffed cabbage, sarmades.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• July 9, 2021 (originally aired)

  
  

• July 8, 2022 (rebroadcast)

  
  

• July 12, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

This week, we're all about two summer traditions. First, we meet photojournalist and documentarian Kate Medley to talk about her decade-long project documenting gas stations all across the South.  She has stories about the amazing cast of characters, their diverse selection of foods, and their impact on their communities across the South. Kate Medley is the author of Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South. Then, we talk to the chefs behind Kismet, an award-winning vegetable-forward restaurant in Los Angeles. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson bring us fresh ideas for your summer cookout, including their modern must-haves for your grill, like their Springtime Chicken Skewers. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson's latest book is Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• July 5, 2024 (originally aired)

  
  
  

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This week, we're exploring the history of women and beermaking. First, Theresa McCulla, curator of The Smithsonian's American Brewing History Initiative, explains why beer is a great lens to examine American history and shares the story of Patsy Young, an early American brewer and fugitive from slavery. Then, Atinuke Akintola Diver talks about her feature-length documentary This Belongs to Us, which follows Black women brewers in the American south and finally, beer Journalist Stephanie Grant of Good Beer Hunting shares her favorite beer and food pairings. You can find her newsletter, The Share, here and on Substack. 

Broadcast dates for this episode:

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• September 9, 2022 (originally aired)

  
  

• September 15, 2023 (rebroadcast)

  
  

• June 28, 2024 (rebroadcast)

  
  
  

Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.