Five Rules for the Good Life Podcast

Trinity’s Five Rules for Eating Well on a Budget This week I’m joined by Trinity Mouzon Wofford , the co-founder and CEO of Golde and author of Eating at Home: The Nourishing Practice of Everyday Cooking . Trinity shares her Five Rules for Eating Well on a Budget , from rethinking the farmer’s market and building a produce pantry at home, to embracing the bulk aisle, and making meals something to...

Renata’s Five Rules for Bringing Fine Dining to Everyday Baking This week, I sit down with Renata Ameni , executive pastry chef and partner at Birdee , to talk about bringing the mindset of fine dining into everyday baking. After spending years in some of the world’s most exacting kitchens, Renata shares her Five Rules for Bringing Fine Dining to Every Day Baking. She talks about one piece of equi...

Joe's Five Rules for Building a World for Yourself Joe Beddia didn’t just build one of the best pizzerias in America—he built a world. From the moment you walk down the alley and step through the door at Pizzeria Beddia, you can feel that every detail exists for a reason. In this episode, Joe shares his Five Rules for Building a World for Yourself , from finding work that genuinely inspires you to...

Chef Adrianne Calvo has built a life around the belief that flavor is the ultimate north star. As the chef, writer, and restaurateur behind Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant and Bar in Miami, she has spent her career proving that the fundamentals never go out of style. In this episode, she breaks down her Five Rules for Cooking with Maximum Flavor — from why the real work happens before anything...

Noah Galuten has spent years cooking alongside some of the best chefs, pit masters, and grill masters in America, so when it came time to write Grill Time , he wanted to share everything he had learned. He joined the show to share his Five Rules for Better Grilling , covering everything from why gas grills deserve more respect to the flavor advantages of cooking with wood and charcoal. We also get...

Matty Matheson has spent the last decade carving out his own lane by doing what most people are too scared to do: making things before anyone gives them permission. On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , Matty joins Darin to talk about creating Just a Dash , finding his on-camera voice before “content creator” was even a career path, and why the best ideas usually start with a couple of...

There’s a certain type of person who dreams about opening a restaurant in Paris. Then there’s the type of person who actually does it. On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano of The Grey and L’Arrêt to talk about what it really takes to open a restaurant in one of the most romanticized, bureaucratic, intimidating, and food-obsessed cities...

Shaheen Ghazali , the chef and owner of Kurrypinch , joins Five Rules for the Good Life to share his Five Rules for Getting to Know South Asian Cuisine . Born in Pakistan, raised in Sri Lanka, and shaped by years traveling the world as a marine cadet with his father, Shaheen approaches food through the lens of curiosity, evolution, and connection. This conversation goes far beyond the idea of “aut...

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Julianne Fraser, founder and CEO of Dialogue New York , to talk about what it actually takes to protect your creativity in a world that’s trying to flatten it. We get into the tension between algorithms and originality, why setting boundaries with social media isn’t optional anymore, and how carving out real time for yourself can unlock b...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I head to the Hudson Valley to hang out with food writer, photographer, gardener, forager, and fermenter Peter Barrett . He shares his Five Rules for Nurturing a Real Cooking Practice . We talk about why growing even one herb on a windowsill can change the way you think about food, why practice matters more than perfection, how to stop hiding behin...

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Harry Posner and Natalie Dial of Tomat , a restaurant that doesn’t just talk about seasonality, it lives it. We get into what it actually takes to grow your own ingredients while running a restaurant, from the early mistakes to the unexpected wins. They break down their Five Rules for Having Your Own Restaurant Garden , including why expe...

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with journalist, screenwriter, and author Ella Quittner , whose new book, Obsessed with the Best, digs into what it means to care deeply about what you make. We get into her Five Rules for Telling a Good Story , from finding your angle to chasing the emotional gut punch, and why approaching every subject with humanity is non-negotiable. Ella b...

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Sabrina Rudin , the force behind Spring Cafe in Aspen and New York. She is also the author of Healthy with a Side of Happy , which comes out on April 28th, and shares her Five Rules for Cooking Vegetarian Food. Not trends, not rules for the sake of rules, but food that makes you feel good and keeps you coming back for more. We talk about...

Garrett Oliver travels the way most people want to, with purpose, curiosity, and a very good palate. In this episode, the Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and global bon vivant breaks down his Five Rules for Great Traveling . It starts before you even take off. Dress well, take care of yourself, and bring your own sense of hospitality onto the plane. From there, it is about where you land and how you m...

Chris Valdes cooks with a point of view, and it starts with where he comes from. In this episode, the Miami chef and TV host breaks down his Five Rules for Using Food as Identity. He talks about cooking with your story at the center, why success only matters if you share it, and how taking care of your body is non-negotiable if you want to stay in the game. There is a through line to everything he...

Kat Kinsman knows a thing or two about restaurants. As the executive features editor at Food & Wine and host of the podcast Tinfoil Swans , which is coming back at the end of March, she has spent years telling the stories behind the people who cook, serve, and gather around the table. In this episode, she shares her Five Rules for Staying Present (and Delighted) at Dinner . They are simple in...

On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , Darin Bresnitz sits down with Al Doyle, one of the musicians behind the sounds of Hot Chip & LCD Soundsystem, and the co-founder / co-designer of Relax and Enjoy Studio in Shoreditch, London. Al shares his Five Rules for Making Music You Like . The conversation moves from childhood piano experiments to the very different recording philosophies...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with chef and restaurateur Fermín Núñez to, who shares his Five Rules for a Proper 48 Hour Trip . He talks about traveling with purpose, from taking the earliest flight to packing light to fully disconnecting once you land. We get into why having a clear reason for going, whether it’s a specific restaurant, a soccer game, or a neighborho...

Today’s guest is Maxine Scharf , the culinary creator and recipe developer behind Maxi’s Kitchen . She shares her F ive Rules for Turning Your Passion Into Your Career, and what goes into making the leap, staying consistent, and creating work people genuinely want to bring into their homes. We talk about the moment her career pivoted, what it actually takes to build momentum online, and how a pass...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Matt Rodbard, Editor-In-Chief of Taste , the co-host of This Is Taste podcast, and his sub-stack, Food Time with Matt Rodbard , which is required reading if you care about what’s actually happening in food right now. Matt shares his Five Rules for a Food Writer’s Diet , from dialing in your relationship with alcohol, to balancing di...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I dial up Omaha to chat with sushi chef, David Utterback , to talk about what it means to build a craft without a traditional roadmap. David shares his Five Rules for Being an Apprentice Without a Master , tracing a path shaped by the Saddle Creek music scene, a life-changing trip to Japan, and the decision to develop a personal philosophy instead...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I’m joined by Telly Justice , executive chef and co-owner of HAGS , one of the most exciting restaurants to come out of New York in the last few years. She shares her Five Rules f or Building Trust with your Restaurant & Brand , not through hype, but through how you show up every day. Telly talks about the importance of knowing yourself, being...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Katie Parla , a Rome-based writer , guide, and one of the clearest voices on how Italy really works. Not the fantasy version, not the TikTok version, but the real one shaped by neighborhoods, side streets, long lunches, and very good food. Katie shares her Five Rules for Actually Connecting with Italian Culture , from skipping the o...

Technology has quietly rewritten the rules of dining out, and this episode gets into what that actually means when you sit down at the table. I’m joined by Kristen Hawley , founder of Expedite and one of the sharpest reporters covering the intersection of restaurants and tech. She shares her Five Rules for Technology in Restaurants , discussing why following a restaurant’s lead matters, how access...

In this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , chef and cookbook author Joshua McFadden breaks down his Five Rules for Building a Pasta Dish in the Skillet . Drawing from his new book, Six Seasons of Pasta, Joshua shares game-changing insights that demystify the process and empower home cooks to make incredible pasta right in the pan. It’s about intuition, flavor, and letting the pasta do what...