The Splendid Table

This week, we went deep into our archives to bring you a conversation with the legendary, Anthony Bourdain. In the early days of our show, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the OG and co-creator of the show, talked with Tony about his book, A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal. He tells us about his adventurous travels, his definition of “perfect meals,” and how his Food Network series by the same name came to exist

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTubeWe've put together a collection we're calling Culinary Masters. It's our favorite interviews with truly iconic people in the world of food, people who have fundamentally changed how so many of us cook, enjoy, and understand food. This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with my dear friend, Dr. Jessica B. Harris. Enjoy!

This week, we spend an hour with award-winning chef and author, José Andrés. We talk about his illustrious career, his world travels, and his love of regional Spanish cooking, its products, and its people. José Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen and author of many books, including Tapas, Vegetable Unleashed, We Fed an Island, and his latest, Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard. He left us with his delicious recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, sizzled shrimp in a delicious garlicky oil.Head to our YouTube channel and watch this extended cut of our interview with Chef José Andrés. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!Broadcast dates for this episode:May 22, 2026 (originally aired)

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTubeWe've put together a collection we're calling Culinary Masters. It's our favorite interviews with truly iconic people in the world of food, people who have fundamentally changed how so many of us cook, enjoy, and understand food. This week, it’s an interview with the great French chef Jacques Pépin.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTube.For decades, we’ve sat down with some of the greatest culinary minds — and now we’re re-sharing a few of those remarkable conversations as a part of our Culinary Masters series. This week, we're visiting the home of one of the world's great ambassadors of Indian cuisine, author of 30 books, and award-winning actress, Madhur Jaffrey.

This week, we get some seasonal Italian inspiration and delicious Italian sweets. First, we sit down with chef and cookbook author Hillary Sterling to talk about some of her signature dishes, how her obsession with Italian cooking began, and what it takes to get an exquisite dish on the table. Famous for her Creamy Parmigiano-Braised Beans, Hillary Sterling is the chef of Ci Siamo in New York City and author of Ammazza! Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again. Then, we are on to Italian sweets with award-winning writer Domenica Marchetti. Domenica has written a book that is kind of a cookie travelogue! She joins us to talk Italian cookies, from North to South, everything from soft macaroons to crunchy amaretti, ready for dunking. Domenica is the author of Italian Cookies, Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region, and she left us with her recipe for Amaretti from Sardinia.Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Broadcast dates for this episode:May 8, 2026 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

Every week on our show, we celebrate the intersection of food and life. And this month, we’re highlighting some of the most iconic people in the food world. It’s a new collection called Culinary Masters. We revisit interviews with some of the people who have fundamentally changed how many of us cook and think about food. This week, the man who brought Chinese cuisine into the homes of millions of Americans, the one and only Martin Yan.

Every week on our show, we celebrate the intersection of food and life. And this month, we’re highlighting some of the most iconic people in the food world. It’s a new collection called Culinary Masters. We revisit interviews with some of the people who have fundamentally changed how many of us cook and think about food. People like Martin Yan, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, and Anthony Bourdain, to name a few.This week, we're all about the iconic Claudia Roden, who helped introduce the food of the Middle East and Mediterranean to the English-speaking world. Have a listen.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTube.This week, we’re excited to get cooking! First, two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author and the internet’s favorite Italian, Dan Pelosi, joins us to staff the phone and answer your cooking questions. We get into his top hosting tips, the how-tos of building menus for all kinds of gatherings, and his favorite springtime recipe, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Sauce. Then, Francis and Dan jump into your cooking questions. Dan Pelosi is the author of Let's Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart & Home - A Cookbook, and his latest book is Let's Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day. Then, we dive into Caribbean cooking with Brooklyn-based chef Rawlston Williams. Rawlston talks about growing up in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and his introduction to that island’s foodways. He talks about the diverse and delicious culinary traditions of the Caribbean, and we take an in-depth look at the different seasonings and marinades that are the foundation of Caribbean cooking. Ralwston Williams is the author of The Caribbean Cookbook, and he left us with recipes for Green Seasoning, Jerk Marinade, and Sofrito from Puerto Rico.Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Broadcast dates for this episode:April 24, 2026 (originally aired)<a href="https://support.ameri

This week, we talk about Mexican street food and the sometimes surprising foods that make us happy. Masienda founder, Jorge Gaviria, gives us a quick lesson on Vitamina T,aka those delicious masa-based Mexican street foods. Jorge is co-author, with Fermin Nunez, of Vitamina T, Your Daily Dose of Tacos, Tamales, Tortas and More Mexican Street Food Classics. He leaves us with a delicious recipe for a soon-to-be classic, Beet and Avocado Tostada. Then, pastry chef and writer Tanya Bush talks about her latest book, a memoir-cookbook documenting a year of experimental baking & living that ultimately led to delicious desserts like her Dark Chocolate and Toasted Coconut Birthday Cake. Tanya Bush is the author of Will This Make You Happy, Stories and Recipes from a Year of Baking.Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Broadcast dates for this episode:April 10, 2026 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTube. This week, we amp up your home cooking with nostalgic dishes, perfect recipes, and pro cooking techniques. First, we talk with Chef Ham El-Waylly about his favorite dishes that were inspired by his wildly international upbringing and what draws him to comfort foods. From his mom’s cheesy empanadas to his riff on cinnamon toast cereal, he gets imaginative with recipes like his Tahini Roasted Swordfish. Ham El-Waylly is the author of Hello, Home Cooking: Do-Able Dishes for Every Day. Then we dive into the brilliant mind of food writer Ella Quittner, who shares her obsessive search for the perfect techniques to make the very best recipes. She traveled the world to learn how to make buckwheat soba noodles and find the secret to getting the best flavor in tsukune, Japanese chicken meatballs. Ella Quittner’s latest book is Obsessed with The Best, and she left us with her recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Insurance Cheese.Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Broadcast dates for this episode:March 27, 2026 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the showWhen you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

This week, we get into the history, craft, and techniques of homemade Ramen with the brilliant author, Sho Spaeth. We talk about its origins in Japan, the introduction of ramen to the US, and the recent innovation that gave rise to what we know as instant ramen. We learn about the five elements that  go into a bowl of ramen: broth, tare, fat, noodles, and toppings, and how these have been refined over the years to create endless variations, including the kind that can be enjoyed in our own homes. Sho Spaeth is the author of Homemade Ramen. He left us his recipe for Niboshi Shoyu Ramen.Head to our YouTube channel to watch our interview with Sho Spaeth. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!Broadcast dates for this episode:March 13, 2026 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate todayWhen you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

This week, we’re joined in the studio by food superstar and philanthropist Jamie Oliver. We talk about his start in food, growing up above a small-town pub, and finding himself at the iconic River Café with Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, and later becoming the TV persona behind The Naked Chef. He talks about his travels, his admiration for women cooks, and the use of his platform to champion nutrition programs and job-skills training for underserved communities. Jamie Oliver is a restaurateur, TV personality, and the author of over 30 cookbooks, including the best-selling 30-Minute Meals, 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food, and Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone. His latest book is Eat Yourself Healthy: Food to Change Your Life. He left us with his recipe for Harissa Tuna Bean Parcels.Head to our YouTube channel and watch this extended cut of our interview with Jamie Oliver. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!Broadcast dates for this episode:February 27, 2026 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate todayWhen you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTube. This week, we’re all about mindfulness in our kitchens. First, we explore a whole new meaning of fancy with author and recipe developer Jerrelle Guy. She shares her unusual thinking and creative recipes that can transform your everyday eating. The little extras that can make a dish a bit more celebratory. Jerrelle Guy’s latest book is We Fancy: Simple Recipes to Make the Everyday Special, and she left us with her recipe for Olive Oil Brownie Pudding. Then we talk with Bee Wilson about the surprisingly sentimental nature of kitchen objects. In Bee’s latest memoir, The Heart Shaped Tin, she dives deep into the emotional relationships many people have with their kitchen tools, from a mother’s rice cooker to learning to eat off the best china rather than saving it. She shares her personal relationship to her most cherished kitchen items with stories of people who share the connection. Bee Wilson’s latest book is The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 13, 2026 (originally aired)Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate todayWhen you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTube. This week, we explore flavors and techniques with two incredible guests. First, James Beard award-winning author Henrietta Lovell, aka the Tea Lady, takes us on her tea journey. From discovering the art of tea in China and countries beyond, to teaching us how to taste the nuanced flavor profiles and appreciate the craftsmanship. She left us with a recipe for Cold Brew Iced Teas that can be enjoyed like a fine wine.  Henrietta is the author of Infused – Adventures in Tea and founder of the Rare Tea Company. Then, we talk to our favorite food scientist, Nik Sharma, about his latest video series, Flavor Forward with America’s Test Kitchen. He shares tips and tricks for the home cook on elevating your dinners. Like the Tandoori Salmon, Braised Lemon Chicken with Couscous, and Calabrian Chile White Beans with Almond Romesco. Nik Sharma is the author of Veg Table, and The Flavor Equation.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 30, 2026 (originally aired)Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable" target="_bla

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | YouTubeThis week, it's the final show of our 30th anniversary celebration, recorded from the stage of The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN, where it all began. Francis is joined onstage by some of the best chefs in Minnesota, including American Oglala Lakota Sioux chef, Sean Sherman, Somali-American chef, Jamal Hashi, Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel the winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest and 6-time James Beard Nominee, Diana Moua of Diane's Place to talk about their culinary journeys and the importance of community and culture in food. We’re then joined on stage by a very special guest, Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Broadcast dates for this episode:January 16, 2026 (originally aired)Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

This week, we’re celebrating the holidays by looking beyond, into global stories that shape the season. First, we talk with Hetty Lui McKinnon about her new book, Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor, and what the holidays look like in Australia, where Christmas is hot and the seafood markets buzz at midnight. Hetty reflects on the vegetable forward meals that defined her Chinese Australian upbringing and leaves us with her recipe for Coronation Cauliflower and Chickpeas. Then, we turn to writer Yasmin Khan for a deeper look at Yalda Night, the Persian winter solstice celebration that reminds us of the return of the sun, after the longest night of the year. Her latest cookbook, Sabzi: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes, explores vibrant vegetarian cooking rooted in Persian culture. Yasmin shares how Yalda brings people together through poetry, pomegranates, and seasonal comforts, and leaves us with her recipe for Eggplant Fesenjan.Broadcast dates for this episode: December 19, 2025 (originally aired)Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

This week, we’re taking a trip through the South and its food – how it tells the story of a region shaped by migration, memory, and culture. First, we talk with scholar and writer Michael W. Twitty about his new book, Recipes from the American South, a sweeping look at the many communities – Black, white, Indigenous, immigrant – whose traditions built Southern cooking as we know it. Michael reflects on the histories that define the region and leaves us with his recipe for Maque Choux, the Louisiana classic made of corn and peppers. Then, we turn to writer and filmmaker Deb Freeman for a deeper look at one of the South’s most influential voices: Edna Lewis. Her new PBS documentary, Finding Edna Lewis, traces how Miss Lewis’s rural Virginia roots shaped her cooking and her revolutionary impact on American food. Deb shares why Lewis remains essential today and what we can still learn from her.Our annual cookbook giveaway is live!  To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbookBroadcast dates for this episode: December 5, 2025 (originally aired)Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

Today we have a bonus episode for you from Happier with Gretchen Rubin, featuring our very own Francis Lam. Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully.On this episode of More Happier:It’s easy to get swept up in a cycle of holidays that feels more like a relentless to-do list than a source of joy. In this Celebration Roundtable, we talk about how to embrace the holidays as opportunities for intentional connection and meaning.

Join us for Turkey Confidential, our must-listen-to annual Thanksgiving Day broadcast! This year’s guests are Samin Nosrat, author of bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and Good Things; Brooklyn-based recipe developer Yossy Arefi, author of Snacking Bakes and Snacking Cakes; Vivian Howard, author, TV personality, and chef, known for This Will Make It Taste Good and Deep Run Roots; Evan Kleiman, chef, cookbook author, and host of KCRW’s Good Food. And, of course, Francis!Broadcast dates for this episode:November 27, 2025Subscribe to @TheSplendidTable on YouTube for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

This week, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving and looking at the way this American holiday and its food tell our stories. First, we talk with Padma Lakshmi about her new cookbook, Padma’s All American, a celebration of the immigrant dishes and regional traditions that make up our country’s culinary landscape. Padma talks about what she’s learned from years of traveling for Taste the Nation and leaves us with a delicious Thanksgiving alternative for mashed potatoes: Podimas (Potatoes with Turmeric and Fried Lentils). Then, we turn to baker extraordinaire Dorie Greenspan for a sweet addition to the holiday dessert table. Her new book, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, is filled with unfussy, comforting cakes meant to live on your counter — the kind you slice into whenever the craving strikes. Dorie talks about why simple cakes feel right for the season and leaves us with her Cocoa-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt.Head to our YouTube channel and watch our interview with Padma Lakshmi. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!Our annual cookbook giveaway is live!  To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbookBroadcast dates for this episode: November 14, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

This week, we’re breaking bread in every sense of the phrase. First, beloved actor Tony Shalhoub joins us to talk about his new CNN series, Breaking Bread, where he travels the world to explore the meaning of bread and how it connects us across cultures and tables. Growing up in a large Lebanese American family in Wisconsin, Tony shares memories of food as a bridge between worlds, from kibbeh and hummus to bratwurst and grilled cheese. Then, we meet Maureen Abood, author of Lebanese Baking, who brings us into the heart of the Lebanese kitchen with recipes and stories that honor tradition and community. She leaves us with her recipe for Za’atar Manakeesh, a beloved flatbread that captures the heart of Lebanese baking: simple, fragrant, and made to share.Head to our YouTube channel and watch this extended cut of our interview with Tony Shalhoub. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!Broadcast dates for this episode: October 31, 2025 (originally aired)Our annual cookbook giveaway is live!  To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbookGenerous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

Today we have a bonus episode for you, featuring our very own Francis Lam. How We Survive is an award-winning podcast from Marketplace about the messy business of climate solutions. From the glitz and glam of Miami, to the punishing Arizona desert, to a sinking island that our national security depends on, every season takes listeners on an adventure. We’re finding the innovative, surprising and occasionally disturbing ways that people are navigating solutions to a changing climate.In this episode of “How We Survive,” host Amy Scott is joined by “The Splendid Table” host Francis Lam for a cultivated meat taste test. Plus, Francis shares his go-to recipes for climate-friendly proteins.Deep in the halls of the engineering school at Columbia University, professor Hod Lipson and his former student Jonathan Blutinger are reimagining how meat is made. In 2022, they developed a device that maps the texture of meat.“It's a machine that can poke steak at a bunch of different points and create these high-fidelity texture maps and see more clearly, you know, the toughness of different parts,” explains Blutinger. Lipson adds, “we tried to capture quantitatively, how hard is it to cut it with a knife? How hard is it to poke it with a fork? How hard is it to chew?” They sold that device to a fake meat company, ReDefine Meat, which 3D prints steak.It was during this time that Blutinger came up with a framework for thinking about meat: The uncanny valley of meat. “The uncanny valley is, a thought that a Japanese researcher came up with years ago, where the closer we get to mimicking human likeness with robots, the more we tend to be irked by them,” explained Blutinger. He said the same phenomenon happens when we eat fake meat that’s trying to look, taste and feel like the real thing.“People who are meat eaters are used to the texture, the feeling, the flavor, all the sensory aspects of any meat they've had from the hundreds of thousands of times they've tried it. So as soon as they try something that's trying to mimic that, they're extra cautious,” said Blutinger.We hear all the time that one of the best things we can do for the climate as individuals is eat less meat. But 3D printed meat alternatives are not on the market in the U.S. yet. So the “How We Survive” team got our hands on another new food tech that some argue could allow people to have their steak and eat it too: Cell cultivated meat (which is real meat grown from cells instead of living, breathing animals).Does cell cultivated meat pass the uncanny valley?

This week, we’re diving into Italian cooking, from the Pacific Northwest to the Bronx. First, chef and author Joshua McFadden joins us to talk about Six Seasons of Pasta, his love letter to everyone’s favorite food. Known for his hit cookbook Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, Joshua brings that same seasonal sensibility to pasta, pairing local produce with traditional Italian technique, and shares his recipe for Nut Ragu. Then, Bronx-born chef Christian Petroni takes us into the heart of Italian American cooking with his debut cookbook, Parm to Table. From chicken cutlets to clams casino, he celebrates the cozy red-sauce dishes that define Sunday dinners across America and leaves us with his Chicken Scarpariello recipe.Broadcast dates for this episode: October 17, 2025 (originally aired)Our annual cookbook giveaway is live!  To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbookDonate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, we’re celebrating new fall cookbooks that belong on your kitchen counter. First, Aleksandra Crapanzano, author of Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights, takes us from Marie Antoinette’s early “truffle” to the French art of baking at home. She leaves us with her Chocolate Ganache Tart with Raspberries. Then, Anna Ansari explores the delicious connections across cuisines in Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey, tracing flavors from Baku to Beijing and shares her recipe for Shivit Oshi (Khivan green noodles with beef stew). Finally, creator and Next Level Chef alum Cassie Yeung brings big, weeknight-friendly energy from Bad B*tch in the Kitch, including her 30-minute Beef & Broccoli. Broadcast dates for this episode: October 3, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

This week, we’re diving into fall cooking and the beauty of bitter flavors. First, Genevieve Ko, deputy editor at New York Times Cooking, joins Francis to take your fall cooking questions. From freezing smart to cabbage makeovers, Genevieve shares practical advice for making the most of fresh produce and tackling leftovers. She also shares the NYT Cooking piece 15 Ways to Make a Head of Cabbage Dinner and her Pumpkin Meringue Pie recipe. And check out her Cinnamon-Toast Graham Crackers from the last time she joined us to talk about Better Baking. Then, London-based cookbook author Alexina Anatole shares the inspiration behind her debut book, Bitter. She makes the case for bitterness as an essential flavor, one that brings depth, intrigue, and balance to our cooking. Alexina reminds us how bitterness touches so many of our favorite foods and she leaves us with her recipe for Stout Sticky Toffee Pudding, a perfect example of sweet meeting bitter in harmony.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 19, 2025 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | PandoraThis week, we’re turning peak-season produce into bold, flavorful dishes. First, we talk with Rick Martínez, author of Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way into Mexican Cooking, about transforming simple ingredients – think tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chilis – into salsas that sing. Rick explains why salsa is its own food group and leaves us with his family-inspired peach-and-pecan Salsa Tejana recipe. Then, we visit New York chef Sunny Lee of Sunn’s, a restaurant devoted to banchan, Korea’s iconic side dishes. Sunny teaches Francis how to elevate fresh vegetables into inventive, season-forward sides, including her recipe for Tahini Pickled Mushroom banchan. Broadcast dates for this episode: September 5, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.

This week, we’re taking the stress out of back-to-school cooking with food that’s fast, fun, and full of flavor. First, we talk with Peter J. Kim, author of Instant Ramen Kitchen, about transforming those humble packets you associate with college kids into surprisingly elegant meals. Peter shares why instant ramen deserves a spot in your pantry and leaves us with his recipe for Aglio e Olio. Then, we catch up with chef David Nayfeld and his approach to quick, comforting meals. Known for his acclaimed restaurant Che Fico in San Francisco, David opens up about learning to cook for (and with) his daughter as a single dad. His new book, Dad, What’s for Dinner?, features kid-friendly recipes like the one he shared with us: Zucchini Parmigiana. Broadcast dates for this episode: August 22, 2025 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

This week, we turn up the ovens and test our baking skills with two incredible bakers. First, we talk to LA-based cookbook author and star baker, Nicole Rucker, on why summer is peak pie season, the fruit and flavor combinations that elevate her pies (imagine toasted fig leaves!) and making the best out of her leftover cookies for pie crusts. Nicole's latest book is Fat and Flour: The Art of the Simple Bake, and she left us with her Strawberry White Chocolate Cream Pie recipe. Then, Iowa's champion baker Eileen Gannon, talks to us about her surprising baking techniques for cakes, from making moister cakes, fillings vs frostings, and her buttercream preferences. Eileen is the winner of over 600 state and national baking awards and the founder of Sunday Night Foods Sauces.Broadcast dates for this episode: August 8, 2025 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

This week we’re sharing an episode from our friends at This Old House Radio:Episode 19: Make Your Home Allergy Free + Fix Squeaky Wood FloorsThis week on This Old House Radio Hour, we’re talking about something you can’t see but definitely feel: the air inside your home. Kenneth Mendez, president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, shares the smartest, science-backed ways to improve indoor air quality—from high-heat laundry to HEPA vacuums—and explains why your bedroom might be the most important place to start. Then, The Splendid Table’s Francis Lam takes us back to the New Jersey home of his childhood. With vivid stories of birthday parties, incense-filled kitchens, and Hardy Boys books read in a mirror-covered living room, Francis reflects on how homes carry our deepest identities and contradictions.We also help callers tackle squeaky floors, stubborn drafts, mismatched temperatures, and that infamous 1970s gold bathtub. Plus, a fresh edition of House Rules and a real estate segment from Cheap Old Houses featuring a tiny Gothic summer cottage and a quirky Kansas gem for under $55,000. All this, plus a “Simple Fix” from Tom Silva that will stop your window drafts cold.In This Episode, You Will Learn:How to reduce indoor allergens room-by-room  (0:55)Where to place air purifiers for maximum impact (3:56)Tips for dealing with uneven heating in split-level homes (17:13)How to fix squeaky wood floors with a DIY plug-and-glue method (22:49)When that faint stain on your drywall means trouble—and when it doesn’t (27:53)

This week, we've got a show full of great ideas and terrific recipes for guesting…and hosting! First, Casey Elsass sits down with us to talk about how to guest like a pro, from tips on arriving prepared to great recipe ideas for sides, salads, appetizers, and desserts like his Mosaic Jell-O. Casey is the author of What Can I Bring: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life. Then, renowned fashion designer and cookbook writer Peter Som guides us in hosting your parties in style. He lets us in on his inspiration for his creative dishes, from tea eggs to lemon chicken, and leaves us his recipe for Potsticker Frittata. Peter is the author of Family Style: Elegant Every Day Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 25, 2025 (originally aired)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, it's all about keeping cool and carrying on in the kitchen. First up , chef, farmer, and cookbook author Abra Berens joins Francis to take you calls about  how to best  use  our summer produce.  She’s full of ideas for all that zucchini, btw! Abra is the author of three wonderful cookbooks, Ruffage, Grist, and Pulp, and you can find the recipe for the Summer Squash Escabeche she talked about here. Then, we head into NYC to visit chef Jiho Kim at his restaurant, Joomak where he teaches us how to make a refreshing summertime dish: a Summer Salad with Cured Fish and White Kimchi.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 11, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | PandoraThis week, we make our 30th anniversary tour stop in Tampa in partnership with WUSF, where we learn about what makes the food of South Florida so unique. First up, Dalia Colón, host of The Zest podcast and author of The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook, gives us an overview of the rich Tampa food scene. From its diverse cuisines to its old-school Southern charm. Then, we talk about Tampa’s cultural and culinary history and legacy with Andrea Gonzmart Williams, fifth-generation owner of Columbia Restaurant, a landmark in the Cuban American community, and Megan Sorby, co-founder and CEO of Pine Island Redfish, a startup land-based fish farm with an environmental restoration focus. And finally, we meet up with community leader Anthony Gilbert, better known as “Call Anthony,” for his video reviews of Tampa Bay’s under-the-radar- eateries.  Broadcast dates for this episode:June 27, 2025 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show

This week, we talk to two longtime restaurant critics from different parts of the country about what makes their work so interesting and what they're excited to eat. First, Bill Addison, restaurant critic for The Los Angeles Times, talks about his approach to critical writing, his favorite restaurant experiences, and the evolution of California cuisine. He just wrapped up one of the most ambitious projects of his career, the list of the One Hundred and One Best Restaurants in California for The Los Angeles Times. Then, we turn to the Midwest to join Wini Moranville, a restaurant critic based in Des Moines, Iowa. She tells us about her first job as a restaurant server and how that influenced her current work reviewing restaurants, and how restaurant criticism in smaller cities often have very different considerations. Wini is the author of the memoir "Love is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All," and you can check out her Substack, Dining Well in DSM.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 13, 2025 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

Have you ever wondered how June looks and tastes in different parts of the country? This week, we visit three different corners of the country to hear about their Junes. Gullah Geechee Chef-Farmer, Matthew Raiford in Coastal Georgia describes this time of year as “where the wild things are”. He tells us how his decision to come back to the south to become a farmer came to be and paints a picture of his favorite low country boil. Matthew's latest book is Bress ‘N’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer. Then, we take a trip to Alaska to hear from Native Alaskan fisherwoman, Melanie Brown as she takes us into a radiantly green scene with sloughs and creeks and paints a vivid picture of millions of sockeye Salmon rolling into Bristol Bay. And then, we sit in with Ronni Lundy, author of the award-winning Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes to talk about June in the mountains and summer preserves.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 11, 2021 (originally aired)June 10, 2022 (rebroadcast)June 6, 2025 (rebroadcast)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | PandoraWe're celebrating our 30th Anniversary on the road, and this week, we make our fourth stop in Iowa City in partnership with IPR. We talk to bakers, chefs, restaurateurs, and farmers about the food of the heartland. First up, Shae and Anna Pesek of Over the Moon Farm and T.D. Holub of The Garden Oasis Farm talk about their personal experiences with farm life, from agricultural challenges to sustainability and the community and passion that contribute to the success and drive of a farm. Then, we talk to Jamie Powers, owner and executive chef of Deluxe Bakery, and Carrie and Andy Schumacher, owners of the restaurant Cobble Hill, about opening their restaurants in Iowa and how building community is the most important part of their businesses.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 30, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

We're on the road celebrating our 30th Anniversary and this week, we bring you an eventful night in Seattle in partnership with KUOW. First up, Valerie Segrest, cofounder of Tahoma Peak Solutions, and Jeremy Thunderbird, owner of Native Soul Cuisine, about the diversity of indigenous food, carrying on traditional recipes, and food sovereignty. Then, Tan Vinh, host of KUOW's Seattle Eats podcast, and Melissa Miranda, chef-owner of Musang and Kilig, talk about the rich Asian community food scene and then, Yasuaki Saito, owner of Saint Bread bakery, a semifinalist for the James Beard award for the best bakery in the country, and Janet Becerra, chef and founder of Pancita, and a semifinalist this year for Best Chef: Northwest, talk about how their local eateries reflect and serve their communities.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 9, 2025 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show

We're back on the road to celebrate our 30th Anniversary! This week, we’re headed to Los Angeles, in partnership with LAist, to talk about the world-influencing food scene in LA and the community that brings it together. First, we dig into how LA dining influenced the country and the world with KCRW's very own Evan Kleiman, Host of Good Food, and Gab Chabrán, Associate Editor of Food and Culture at LAist. Then we talk community and the restaurants that foster those connections with chef-owners Uyên Lê, who makes delicious Vietnamese comfort food at her take-out, Bé Ù, Keith Corbin, executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams, and bestselling author of his memoir, California Soul and Elvia and Alex Garcia, the James Beard nominated chef-owners of Evil Cooks, one of L.A.’s most lauded taqueria pop-ups now transformed into a full restaurant.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 11, 2025 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

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.

This week, we dedicate the entire episode to answering your bread baking questions with two brilliant bakers and teachers, King Author’s very own Jessica Battilana, Staff Editor, and Martin Philip, King Arthur’s Head Bread Baker. 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.

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, owner of Cafe Patachou and the founder of 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

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

This week, we’re all about the Mediterranean dish. First, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Suzy Karadsheh. Suzy talks about “eating the Mediterranean way,” growing up in a region with a plant-forward cuisine, Levantine cooking, using dried fruits in savory recipes, and making simplified Mediterranean recipes at home like her Flaky Veggie Phyllo “Pizza.” Suzy is the founder of The Mediterranean Dish.com and the author of The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinners. Then, we step into the world of olive oil with olive oil sommelier Claudia Hanna. Claudia tells us how olive oil has become central to Mediterranean culture, and how it’s made, and walks us through a tasting of different olive oils and their uses. She hosts the podcast If This Food Could Talk.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 24, 2025 (originally aired)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, we’re spending the hour with the charming and beloved Irish cooking teacher and writer Darina Allen.  It’s a spirited conversation about growing up in a country kitchen, her love of eating, and the single moment she decided to pursue her career in cooking. She tells us about her organic farm at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland,  shares her unusual and brilliant teaching style,  and explains why learning to cook and connect to nature is one of the greatest life skills anyone can achieve. She leaves us with a recipe for an Irish classic, Spotted Dog Railway Cake. Darina is the author of many best-selling books, including The Forgotten Skills of Cooking: 700 Recipes Showing You Why the Time-Honored Ways Are the Best.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 10, 2025 (originally aired)Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

This week, we’re all about community and coming together for the holidays. First, we talk to Lisa Kyung Gross, founder of The League of Kitchens, a unique cooking school where women from all over the world,  welcome you into their homes and teach you how to make one of their family recipes. She talks about the delicious recipes she has collected in her new book, The League of Kitchens Cookbook: Brilliant Tips, Secret Methods & Favorite Family Recipes from Around the World.  She leaves us with an Afghan recipe for Cake Jawari, a delicious yellow cake with rosewater and cardamom. Then, The New Yorker’s food writer Helen Rosner stops by the studio with treats and ideas for your last-minute gifts.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 20, 2024 (originally aired)Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. Donate today to support the show.

It’s the holiday season, and we’re kicking it off this week with some sweet treats. First, food editor and recipe developer Ben Mims joins us with his latest project, covering over 300 cookie recipes from Asia to the Levant to Scandinavia to the Caribbean. The varieties are astonishing.  We get into cookie styles, the fascinating ingredients in regional cookies, and the hundreds of flavor combinations. Ben is the author of Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World. And he left us with a recipe for Guava-Filled Butter Cookies from Brazil. Then, we step into the world of wild chocolate with Rowan Jacobsen. We hear about the new breed of cacao farmers and the amazing flavor profiles found in wild chocolate and meet some of the farmers who are making it. Rowan is the author of Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas in Search of Cacao’s Soul.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 6, 2024 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

Join us for Turkey Confidential, our must-listen-to annual Thanksgiving Day broadcast! This year’s guests are Andrea Nguyen author of Ever Green Vietnamese, Super Fresh Recipes Starring Plants from Land and Sea, Dallas-based chef Tiffany Derry of  Roots Southern Table and The Great American Recipe on PBS, Washington Post Food Editor and author of Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, Joe Yonan and pastry chef Paola Velez author of Bodega Bakes, Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store. And, of course, our charming Francis! Broadcast dates for this episode:November 28, 2024

We are a week away from Thanksgiving, and this week, Award-winning authors J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman give us the best advice on making the perfect Thanksgiving spread. From gravy hot takes to best brining practices and the ideal way to cook a perfect turkey we have you covered. J. Kenji López-Alt and Deb Perelman are co-hosts of "The Recipe with Kenji and Deb" podcast. Deb left us her recipe for delicious dinner rolls, Sour Cream & Chive Fantails. Then, we move on to delicious Indian-inspired desserts with cookbook author Hetal Vasavada. Her flavor combinations will transform your typical bars, cookies, and pies into deliciously nutty and sometimes spicy desserts. Hetal is the author of Desi Bakes, and she left us her recipe for Pistachio & Cardamom Muddy Buddies.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 22, 2024 (originally aired)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Spotify | PandoraThis week, we talk about comfort food around the world. First, Yotam Ottolenghi tells us about his latest book, which is filled with recipes for his favorite comfort foods. He talks about what it is about specific dishes that evoke emotional reactions, from taste to texture to memory like his recipe for “Thousand” Hole Pancake. Yotam’s latest book is Ottolenghi Comfort written with his collaborators Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller, and Tara Wigley. Then, Luisa Weiss joins us to talk about her deep connection to German food. Growing up between Berlin and the US, she tells us about her favorite hot school lunches, (which are famous in German culture!), “low key dinners” known as abendrot, and the influences German dishes have gleaned from other countries. Luisa is the author of Classic German Cooking, and she leaves us with her recipe for Käsespätzle, Swabian Noodles with Mountain Cheese and Caramelized Onions.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 8, 2024 (originally aired)When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

Cookbook season is back, and we talk to the authors of some of our favorite picks. We're joined by Carolina Gelen, who talks to us about learning how to cook, her favorite Romanian dishes, and how she comes up with her signature recipes like Butter Beans alla Vodka, a fast, one-pot dish inspired by the famous vodka pasta sauce. Carolina is the author of Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Sharable, Everyday Recipes. Then, Sonoko Sakai tells us how to “wafu” our food! Wafu means Japanese in style, and Sonoko takes familiar dishes and adds a little Japanese flair. Check out her recipe for her Pasta with Miso Bolognese Sauce. Sonoko is the author of Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style. Then, Jody Eddy talks to us about the incredible food she found and cooked in religious communities around the world. She walks us through some of her favorite recipes, from condiments and Chicken soup in Tibet to a recipe she learned from a Minnesotan monastery, Honey Glazed Turkey Tinga. Jody's book is Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Space.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 25, 2024 (originally aired)Sign up for our Weeknight Kitchen newsletter here and enter to win one of the incredible cookbooks featured in this episode.Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.