Culinary Confidential with Christina Cates

This week, Culinary Confidential heads west to San Francisco with the incredibly talented Chef Kathy Fang! You may recognize her from Food Network's  Chef Dynasty: House of Fang , but her story begins long before the cameras started rolling. Raised in the kitchens of San Francisco's House of Nanking, founded in 1988 by her parents, Kathy grew up surrounded by the beautiful chaos that is the r...

This week, Christina Cates celebrates Women in Small Business Month by welcoming the three powerhouse founders of Hush Venues : PS Ives, Tiffany Skrela, and Sara Altobelli. Hush Venues is a female-owned luxury real-estate company, specializing in sourcing and leasing extraordinary New York City spaces for high-profile fashion shows, brand activations, lavish galas, private celebrations, and corpor...

An industry can deliver a meal, but consistent hospitality is built through daily decisions about service, ingredients, and how a room feels. For Antonio Rappazzo and Michele Trizzino, that work is rooted in years of operating New York restaurants and nightlife venues, now applied to a small coastal Maine bistro - Bistro Leluco. Antonio and Michele met in Manhattan’s restaurant industry and...

Some people make baking look beautiful. John Kanell, creator of Preppy Kitchen, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the biggest personalities in digital food, makes you believe that YOU can actually do it. He joins the show this week to discuss how he got to this point, and highlight his newest cookbook - Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking. Before the cookbooks, millions of followers, and b...

It's officially October, which means it's time to dim the lights, pull up a chair, and explore the two things making this time of year irresistible: the stories that haunt us and the treats we wait all year for. First, Christina is joined by Jeff Belanger, one of the most fascinating voices in the world of folklore, legends, and the unexplained. An author, adventurer, podcaster, and longtime story...

Season 3 of Culinary Confidential is here! And what better way to kick off the season than with someone who can own and bring a unique kind of energy to the dining room. Chef Josh Capon has the kind of energy that just can't be manufactured. He's loud, passionate, unapologetic, and underneath it is a guy who understands that the dining room matters. The food matters. The energy matters. And making...

Two years, 100+ episodes, countless conversations, and so many people that have helped shape Culinary Confidential along the way. Season 2 wraps up this week, and rejoining Culinary Confidential for a recap of the season are Shaina Nestor and Tony Mangia - two people who championed this show in ways that happen in front of the microphone and far beyond it. Shaina is constantly thinking about the s...

Honey: it's much more than just something sweet. This week on Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates dives into the world of honey with Carla Marina Marchese - beekeeper, author, honey sommelier, and one of the leading voices in honey sensory education. Carla founded the  American Honey Tasting Society , bringing the Italian tradition of professional honey sensory analysis to the United State...

What are you putting in your body and what can it actually do for you? This week on Culinary Confidential, we’re taking that conversation to a whole new level with peptides, creatine, performance and longevity. First, we’re diving into one of the hottest and most talked-about areas of wellness right now: peptides. Christina is joined by Koehl Robinson, founder & CEO of Celia , a pe...

Hospitality is often described as an industry. But for Ryan Wagner, it's always been a discipline. One that's shaped by curiosity, precision, and the ability to make people feel anchored in a moment. This week, we spotlight Ryan's journey through some of the most influential corners of the hospitality world. His career has taken him from the design‑driven environments of Ralph Lauren and RH to the...

It's official. Culinary Confidential has hit 100 episodes! And to celebrate this landmark episode, Christina Cates turns to a cause with a lasting impact across the five boroughs of New York City: the battle against hunger. To discuss this battle against hunger, Christina welcomes chef, restauranteur, and cookbook author Ivy Stark - a recognized force in Mexican cuisine and a dedicated member of C...

What does it really mean to know an oyster? On this week's Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates welcomes the oyster sommelier herself, Virginia Shaffer, a true authority on one of the most seductive, mysterious, and surprisingly complex foods we eat! Ordering oysters is one thing, but knowing them? Much different story. Virginia has built a world around the shellfish: leading immersive tours and...

Looking for a clear view of an entire industry while it’s still shifting under your feet? This week, Christina Cates is joined by Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor at  Nation’s Restaurant News , and one of the most reliable chroniclers of American hospitality. Day after day, he speaks with chefs, operators, beverage directors, and executives that are quietly rewri...

What does it really mean to rethink of the ways we renourish ourselves? On this week's Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates welcomes Susan Julia - olive oil sommelier, educator, wellness advocate, and one of the most passionate voices championing the power of exceptional extra virgin olive oil. While most people think of olive oil as an ingredient, Susan sees it as a living, breathing expression...

What happens when a nation tries to ban its own spirit? This week, Culinary Confidential's Americana Series wraps up with one of the most dramatic and flavorful chapters in American history: Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933, the 18th Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Instead of sobering up the country, it sparked an explosion of speakeasies, bootleggers, organi...

For Week Three of Culinary Confidential's Americana 250 series, patriots meet cowboys! Not the football teams but rather, two icons who embody patriotism, resilience, and heritage in their own powerful ways! Scott LoBaido is a renowned American artist, activist, and creative patriot best known for his powerful paintings and murals of the U.S. flag. Born in Staten Island, LoBaido has spent 30+ year...

In Week Two of Culinary Confidential's Americana 250 series, Christina Cates is honored to welcome Chef Robert Irvine - entrepreneur, best-selling author, veteran advocate, and one of the most respected leaders in hospitality today. Most people know him from television, but some of his most important work happens far from the cameras. Through the Robert Irvine Foundation , he’s dedicated his...

Culinary Confidential's Americana 250 series kicks off on the right foot, as culinary historian Jay Reifel returns to the show with a sweeping, historically grounded exploration of the food traditions that shaped the United States as we know it today. In “A Culinary Time Capsule: 1776–2026,” Reifel traces the evolution of American cuisine from the Revolutionary War to the pr...

This week, Culinary Confidential lights up the grill and dives straight into the art and heat of summer barbecue! Brad Prose, founder of Chiles and Smoke and author of Epic BBQ Sandwiches , joins the show to break down the methods behind unforgettable barbecue: building flavor through smoke and spice, mastering heat control, using fresh ingredients to balance richness, and crafting sandwiches that...

Chicago, we are so back. This week, Culinary Confidential heads back to the Windy City for a conversation with Robert Garvey and Dana Hokin, the founders of Robert's Pizza & Dough Company , the acclaimed riverfront pizzeria that’s redefined what artisan thin‑crust can be. The husband‑and‑wife team behind one of Chicago's most celebrated pizzerias, has overseen what began as a home‑kitche...

This week on Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates travels from the ramen alleys of Tokyo to the hidden izakayas of Manhattan with Massud Ghaussy, the creator of the fast-growing TokyoManhattan platform. Ghaussy has become a trusted bridge between Tokyo's culinary traditions and a global audience hungry to understand them. Not as trends but as living cultural practices rooted in discipline, preci...

On this week's Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates sits down with Sam Bakhshandehpour, President of Merchants at  Bilt , and one of the rare executives who has shaped hospitality from every angle: luxury, lifestyle, loyalty, and the evolving business of belonging. Sam's path cuts across the modern hospitality map, helping steer the Jose Andrés Group's global rise as CEO, and leading...

Sun-drenched mornings, linen curtains drifting in the breeze, hydrangea-lined lanes that feel like they were pulled from a film reel - that's the world Lucy Swift Lemonides has created at A Room At The Beach , the Bridgehampton hideaway redefining the concept of boutique luxury. Lemonides has built more than a hotel. She's crafted a unique atmosphere - one that's intimate and quietly indulgent, on...

This week on Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates sits down with Noah Rothbaum, one of the sharpest minds in whiskey and the cultural history behind it. As the author of  The Whiskey Bible and Spirits Editor at  Men's Journal , Rothbaum has spent years tracing how America's native spirit became a global force. This conversation goes far beyond the glass. Rothbaum unpacks the people, re...

When a brewery stops acting like a brewery and starts thinking like a culinary institution, the entire industry shifts. This week, Culinary Confidential is proud to spotlight Moody Tongue Brewing Company - the Chicago original rewriting the rules of flavor, technique, and hospitality. Founded by Jared Rouben, the brewery's "culinary brewmaster," Moody Tongue stands alone as the only Michelin-starr...