Eat. Drink. Think.

What if the solution to some of our biggest environmental and food security challenges was already swimming in our oceans and waterways? In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., we sit down with Andrew Zimmern and Barton Seaver, co-authors of The Blue Food Cookbook, to explore how intentional seafood consumption can improve public health, the environment, and coastal communities around the world. Pa...

According to Michael Twitty, chef, culinary historian, and author of  The Cooking Gene , southern food is community. It’s a shared abundance of vegetables, beans, barbecue, breads, and more served at what he calls “the groaning table.” In this episode, Michael shares how he took on the challenge, in writing his latest book  Recipes of the American South , to tell the story of Southerners from all...

In this episode of  Eat. Drink. Think. , host Amy O’Neill Houck talks with Michele Thorne, Executive Director of the Good Meat Project, whose work is dedicated to creating a more transparent and ethical food system. Michele shares her journey and the mission of the Good Meat Project, explaining how the organization connects consumers, ranchers, butchers and chefs to build a stronger, more sustaina...

Megan Westgate, founder of the Non-GMO Project, introduces a new standard, NonUPF Verified, that will help consumers understand and make choices about ultra-processed foods. Drawing on the success of the Non-GMO Project in driving widespread market changes, Westgate emphasizes the power consumers have to influence the food system through their purchasing decisions. Listen in to find out when you m...

The story of food in the United States—as with many of the origin stories of this country—is tied to migration, enslavement, and colonization. It’s also filled with generous helpings of resilience, essential dishes passed down through generations, and delicious adaptation. In her new book, Braided Heritage, Dr. Jessica B. Harris explores the origins of American cooking from the perspective of thre...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., Amy talks with Greg D’Alesandre, whose job title, Chief Sourcerer at Dandelion Chocolate, hints at the magic behind one of the world’s most beloved ingredients. Greg shares his journey into the world of craft chocolate and what it’s like to travel to cacao farms around the world, building relationships with producers and sourcing the beans that become Dandeli...

In this episode, we sit down with Kevin Pallaoro, CEO of Teton Waters Ranch, maker of 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef products. Kevin shares his passion for raising the bar on what "grass-fed" and "regenerative" really mean—terms that currently lack clear regulation in the U.S. Teton Waters Ranch is taking matters into its own hands by developing transparent, third-party certif...

How do policy changes in Washington affect the food we eat and the folks who produce it? From funding such as farm subsidies and food assistance programs to food safety regulations and trade agreements, food policy is a far-reaching influence on what we eat, how food is produced and distributed, as well as our health and nutrition. In this episode, we’re chatting with Lisa Held, senior staff repor...

In this episode, we sit down with Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman and the force behind White Oak Pastures, a 3,200-acre farm in Georgia that has become a national model for regenerative agriculture. Harris shares his journey from industrial cattle production to holistic farming methods that prioritize animal welfare, soil health, and ecosystem restoration which he chronicles in his book...

What if plant-based cooking was more than a diet—it was a cuisine in its own right? That’s the goal of author Joe Yonan. In this episode, host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with Yonan, food and dining editor for The Washington Post and author of several books including the bestseller, Cool Beans, The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein. His latest book, Mastering the Ar...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., we’re joined by Nina Oduro and Maame Boakye, co-founders of Dine Diaspora and Black Women in Food, organizations created to celebrate and elevate the rich food traditions and culture of the African diaspora. Nina and Maame tell us about how recipes and storytelling foster connection both within the African diaspora and beyond. They also highlight the events,...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., we sit down with Marisel Salazar, author of the new cookbook Latin-ish. The book delves into the rich diversity of American Latino cuisine, exploring how migration and cultural blending have shaped its evolution. Salazar explains the significance of the "ish" in the title, emphasizing her mission to inspire culinary exploration and foster appreciation...

In this episode, host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with self-proclaimed seafood evangelist, Barton Seaver. Barton is a trained chef who stepped away from successful restaurant work to dive into a career in food systems, sustainability, and specifically sustainable seafood. He’s the author of several books and cookbooks, including, The Joy of Seafood , and was a speaker at Edible Institute 2024 . We di...

In this episode, host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with Nicola Twilley, a journalist and frequent contributor to The New Yorker, and host of the podcast Gastropod. Nicola tells us about her new book, Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet , and Ourselves and lets us in on the global effects that keeping food cold has had on the food system, on humans as eaters, and on our warming pl...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., host Gibson Thomas learns from Stanley Cheng, inventor, innovator and CEO of Meyer Corporation and founder of Hestan. Starting with his invention of the flat bottomed-wok while he was still in college, Cheng has innovated his way to the top of the cookware world and elevated both the science, and the art, of cooking for the rest of us. The owner of Hestan, An...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with Julia Turshen, a cookbook author and recipe developer, teacher, writer, and podcaster. Her last book,  Simply Julia  is a bestseller. Julia’s newest book,  What Goes with What  is hot off the presses, and is a collection of 100 recipes, but more than that, it’s a visual guide to putting meals together and a method for cooks...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think. we speak with culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of Endangered Eating , a culinary travelog with a distinct purpose: telling the story of foods and food traditions that are in danger of disappearing. We talk about how Sarah found these vanishing foods, and how eating these endangered foods may or may not be the key to saving them. Find show notes and a fu...

Steve Sando, the self-proclaimed bean freak and founder of Rancho Gordo, joins host Amy O’Neill Houck to talk beans. Drawing from 25 years of experience in growing, sourcing, and cooking beans, Sando shares recipes, tips and entertaining anecdotes that will have you reaching for your own beans to boil. We dive into his latest project, The Bean Book, a combination of guide and cookbook featuring 10...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think. sponsored by the Farmers Market Coalition , host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with Sagdrina Jalal and Nino Budabin McQuown about the farmers market movement, and how markets can be a place of empowerment and connection for everyone, but especially folks from marginalized communities. We talk about the delight of growing and sharing food to feed one another and dis...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., we interview Austin Frerick, an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy, and the author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry. The book uses the idea of “barons”—individuals and families who have surprising, outsized control in the food industry—to share the danger that monopoly poses not only to our food system but to our...

In this episode of Eat. Drink. Think., Marion Nestle, author of Slow Cooked, A Memoir in Food Politics, returns to Eat. Drink. Think. to help us think critically about food policy and politics. We talk about following the money when scientific studies are used as food marketing tools, and she gives us practical tips to navigate the news and identify what food system changes will rely on policy ver...

Sixteen years after the first film was released, Food, Inc. 2 comes “back for seconds” to reveal how corporate consolidation has gone unchecked, leaving a highly efficient yet shockingly vulnerable food system dedicated to profit over people. In this episode, host Amy O’Neill Houck talks with producer Michael Pollan and co-director Melissa Robledo about how innovative farmers, food producers, work...

Andi Murphy joins host Amy O’Neill Houck for a conversation about food in Native America. Andi is the creator, host, and producer of the “Toasted Sister Podcast,” an award-winning show that documents the Native American Food Movement. She’s also the senior producer of the “Native America Calling” radio program, a one-hour national radio show about Indigenous issues and topics where she produces an...

In this episode, host Amy O’Neill Houck speaks with Elizabeth Whitlow, executive director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, an organization working to create a new certification standard for food, textiles, and personal care ingredients. We unpack what exactly is “regenerative;” how it serves eaters, workers, animals, and the planet; and whose responsibility it is to create and maintain standa...

We kick off 2024 with a conversation with Tracey Ryder, co-founder of Edible Communities. Host Amy O’Neill Houck interviews Tracey for an update on the nearly 80 publications in the network, and they talk about the role Edible Communities can and does play in telling the stories of what we all eat, and why that storytelling matters. Hear about what new magazines are coming to readers in 2024 and a...