Speaking Broadly

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz is a kitchen curandera living in Rio Verde, Arizona "reclaiming the healer approach to community health with Indigenous wisdom and whole food cooking". On Speaking Broadly, Ruiz shares her journey to becoming a healer through food. "Being an Indigenous person and taking a class on foraging or wild-crafting from a white person, it was really hard for me. The teacher would refe...

There is a Madonna in a half-bath tub in a field across from the home serving as spiritual center of artist Carrie Dashow 's newest practice: creating the Atina brand of Ayurvedic condiments with her Kerala-born husband, Suresh, in Catskill, NY. From a chunky ginger-turmeric finishing jam to pickles, their condiments are both grounded in an almost 5000 year old tradition and a modern sense of plac...

From auditioning for a Dolly Parton Christmas show as a lark on their birthday, to going to a job interview, soup in hand, moments after totaling their car, to catering for Mitt Romney, V Spehar has made a lot of surprising career moves. Most recently they were head of Impact Programs for the James Beard Foundation, and are currently Executive Director of Everything Food . Listen in to hear about...

Hawa Hassan , author, entrepreneur and champion of community, discusses her path from refugee to model to business owner. Says Hassan: "I really double down on being resilient, but also being soft, letting things happen to me, feeling them and then adjusting accordingly. There's something to be said for people who are able to pick themselves up and carry on. And I think that's what the American Dr...

After working with coffee farmers in Ethiopia for NGO TechnoServe, Ariana Day Yuen came up with a unique way to harmonize agriculture production with forest conservation. She formed Forested Foods and recently launched its first product, Maryiza monofloral honeys. These honeys are from a single type of tree in a single forest in a single season. The resulting honey is distinct and divine. Listen i...

The life of Tahiirah Habibi is the journey from the deadly streets of North Philly to homecoming queen AND president at Penn State to sommelier in Miami to founder of the Hue Society in Atlanta, a curated community that serves as a lifestyle hub to all things Black wine culture. A tribute to her smarts, magnetism, intuition and excellence, Tahiirah has created a space for her community, no assimil...

Star chef Nancy Silverton of Los Angeles's Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza and Chi Spacca overcame her fears about baking to become one the greatest pastry chefs in the world. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Silverton describes how obsession born of fear can be motivating: "I figured out how to make what I think is the perfect chocolate chip cookie, therefore, I decided I'd learn how to make th...

Ellen Yin of Philadelphia's Fork , is one of America's best-loved restaurateurs who is a gifted and giving mentor, partner and boss. Listen in to hear how she has navigated the closing and moving of one of her restaurants during COVID, her relationship with the talented chef-partner who was injured in a life-changing accident, as well as the challenges and opportunities of running a business for t...

Lisa Marie Donovan struggled against poverty, sexism, insecurity, family history to achieve success on her own terms and to tell her story in the recently published book, Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger . Listen in to hear how she went from single mom to world famous baker to published first time author. Most rewarding of all, perhaps, learn about Lisa's supernova of female friendships, a model for c...

Carolina Saavedra is a chef, activist and educator who works both at Stone Barns Center in Westchester and at La Morada, her family's restaurant in the South Bronx. Every day she addresses interconnected issues that affect her underresourced community, including food apartheid, immigration reform, police brutality. Her voice is strong and filled with love, anger, hope and commitment as she talks a...

Is failure the best teacher? In this episode of Speaking Broadly, writer and Director of Finance at Sea Creatures Alex Pemoulie traces the arc of her relationship with failure. She shares her first perceived failures including dropping out of a semester abroad in Paris, cutting ties with the 'good girl' within, and staying too long with an abusive boyfriend. Pemoulie then embraces failure with fer...

Preeti Mistry , chef-activist best known for their restaurant Juhu Beach Club , has been fighting injustice since a kid named Aaron pushed them too far in middle school—and they pushed back. As the food industry cracks under the strain of COVID and reimagines ways to confront systemic racism, Preeti offers a holistic view of the way forward. They share refreshing and realistic views on gentrificat...

Philadelphia Inquirer food editor Jamila Robinson learns leadership lessons from her everyday life, whether as a violinist realizing everyone needs to be "bowing in the same direction"; as a skater, remembering to stay centered to accomplish seemingly impossible feats; or as a patient, listening to her body (and ignoring her mind's get-back-to-work rhetoric) after abdominal surgery. Robinson is in...

"That love, that passion, that authenticity you have within yourself always connects with others." Those are wise words from Dominique Crenn, chef/owner of San Francisco's Atelier Crenn and author of a new book, Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters . Known as one of the greatest chefs in the world, Crenn's gift is connecting with all humanity through her poetic cooking. It is her philosophy, not...

In a special double interview, listeners will hear how teenage dreams become a reality at Food & Finance High School , the only 4-year public high school culinary program in NYC. Executive Director of the non-profit Food Education Fund that supports culinary-focused high school programs, Eliza Loehr, shares stories of internships, externships and networking opportunities, in addition to discus...

In these so-called "unprecedented times," historian Megan Elias explains that there is in fact no such thing. Everything has a precedent. In this wide-ranging interview Elias, the Director of the Gastronomy Program at Boston University , looks at parallels between today's food voices, meat shortages, community cookbooks and past disruptions. Will the experience of COVID-19 change us? History—and M...

Photographer-philanthropist Melanie Dunea has produced some of the most iconic images of chefs in America and is always pushing herself into new territory both in images and in work. During the COVID pandemic, she launched Treats Help to bring a moment of joy in the form of sweets to exhausted hospital workers. Her enterprising spirit and relentless drive have helped her cold-call for a range of p...

Rozanne Gold is likely best known for cooking for her series of books that taught us how to cook with 3 ingredients—ideal in the time of COVID19. But what might be even more powerful now, is her current work: acting as an end of life doula and writing poetry. As we deal with an unprecedented disruption from a global pandemic, eternal questions about the meaning of life and death come into focus. L...

Claudette Zepeda is a Mexican and American star chef who's lived at the border of two countries, two food traditions, two ways of life. Instead of creating a bridge between all of her experiences, Zepeda created a parachute. Jumping into new situations, packing up what she learned, and bringing them along on her adventures. She was a mother at 18, which helped her become a great leader and listene...

One of the best-respected food stylists in the country, Susan Spungen doles out advice for gorgeous meals to make from your freezer, pantry, farmers' market and more on episode 127 of Speaking Broadly. Author of the recently published Open Kitchen, Spungen also describes her approach to her career: "When you're driving, you can see the road ahead of you for a little bit, and then you can't really...

Pretty pressed flowers in shortbread cookies launched the career of Loria Stern . On this week's episode, host Dana Cowin discovers why Stern's early life as a tennis champion translates into her success as a baking entrepreneur. Plus, learn about the perks of cooking with everything from weeds to daisies, and the many medicinal benefits nature has to offer. Want to stay up to date on the latest S...

The intersecting ideas in feminism, food and fashion are underscored in this fascinating conversation between Dean of The School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons, The New School, Rhonda Garelick , and Speaking Broadly host, Dana Cowin. Up for discussion: why women are dressed in bows like candy ready to be unwrapped, why eating salad with a comb can be a powerful feminist statement,...

How safe is our food? On this episode of Speaking Broadly, host Dana Cowin talks to one of the foremost investigative reporters of food crimes in America, Christine Haughney . For six months as a Boston Globe Spotlight Fellow, she researched a deadly e coli outbreak in leafy greens, embedded with an affected family, and published her alarming findings. Christine shares what she learned about the f...

She launched H.A.P.P.Y. , a non-profit teaching kids about food and nutrition when she was just 12 years old, and now, 7 years later, Haile Thomas is a voice for her generation and beyond, exhorting her fans to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. Magnetic, generous, kind, funny, Haile is an old soul who speaks in memes and motivations, travels the world sharing her message, and is on a mission....

Teacher, scholar, cook, author, historian, traveler, curator, lecturer, Dr. Jessica B. Harris is an expert on everything from the foods of the African diaspora to the history of enslavement. On this episode, Harris explains the importance of the "table" for “commensality” and shares stories from a life of extraordinary meals, encounters, voyages, and friendships. Listen in as she schools host Dana...