Kitchen Chat

If you are passionate about food, wine, family and friends, Tuscany beckons like few places on the planet with rolling hills and luscious abundance. Nestled in the magnificent, ancient province of Sienna, in the village of Montefollonico, is  Tuscan Women Cook , an immersive cooking experience destination curated by Coleen Kirnan, which welcomes global guests for the culinary trip of a lifetime ea...

"And to the reader, I dedicate this book to you, with hopes that it will inspire you to celebrate life with elegance, grace, laughter, love, and intentions - in the spirit of the Delmonico Way." Max Tucci   Hospitality is a way of life for Max Tucci , the grandson of the late Oscar Tucci, owner of the famous New York restaurant Delmonico's. The Delmonico brothers opened their first establishment i...

"Joy comes from cooking for other people." -- Chef Mary Sue Milliken. Chef Mary Sue Milliken continues to enjoy her culinary career with great success in owning restaurants, writing cookbooks, and starring in TV shows. In this Kitchen Chat, Chef Milliken shares the joy of her journey and the life lessons she has learned along the way, including special insight from Julia Child. Chef Milliken's non...

Did you know that around 10 million in the United States are raising chickens? Lisa Steel, a fifth-generation chicken keeper and founder of Fresh Eggs Daily , has a new cookbook T he Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways. In this podcast, you will learn about the benefits of a fresh egg, some tips on raising chickens and some great recipes with eggs fr...

Let's celebrate International Women's Day with Rohini Day! She is an accomplished businesswoman who has worked with the World Bank, a large consulting firm and even launched the women's program at James Beard Foundation. She left the corporate world to pursue her passion of opening an Indian and Latin American fusion restaurant in Chicago called Vermilion.   Margaret McSweeney and Chef Jaime Lauri...

The data points are staggering. 52% of all restaurant workers are women. 71% of servers are women. 82% of hostesses are women. 54% of all culinary students are women. And only 7% of all restaurants are led by women chefs. Daisy Zeijlon, food and gender scholar discusses the "why" behind these numbers along with the "how" to change them.

" New York was the spell, the impetus of making it work. We were three young men and we came to New York to seek fame and fortune. We turned out to be the toast of the town, at least on the East Side. " Stephen Bruce Serendipity3 is a place of celebrating delicious milestones with family and friends while savoring an omelette and sipping a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. This iconic restaurant recently ce...

Chef Katie Chin and I share a parallel culinary journey. She is honoring her late mother, Leann Chin, who was a successful restaurateur in Minnesota. I am honoring my late father, Dr. Claude H. Rhea Jr., who was a wonderful home chef. Cooking was an expression of love in both of our homes and a bridge to new cultures. What an honor it was to write the foreword to Katie's new book "Global Family Co...

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate as a dad, granddad, or as someone who is a father influence in another person's life. For this week's celebration of Father's Day, I am spotlighting James Beard Award winner, Chef Bradford Thompson. He has a special tradition with his children to engage them in the appreciation of food preparation and fine dining. From a very young age, his chi...

"If you make a syrup for a sorbet or souffle, take jasmine flowers and infuse them into a passionfruit base. Coax the flavor out from what already exists. Be intimate with your ingredients." - Chef Sherry Yard. Let's celebrate flavors with Chef Sherry Yard, James Beard Award winning Outstanding Pastry Chef and a host of The Great American Baking Show. As a creator of the legendary Spago Beverly Hi...

Let's celebrate Chef Jeremiah Tower's culinary past, present and future. Considered to be the first Celebrity Chef and a creator of California cuisine, Chef Tower's creative genius continues to influence chefs around the world and across generations. During this special Kitchen Chat, he shares delightful stories about Julia Child, James Beard and Anthony Bourdain with Chef Jaime Laurita and me. Ch...

A milestone moment of my culinary journey was sitting down with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse for a Kitchen Chat while sipping fresh mint water. How special for Chef Jaime Laurita and me to recently interview Alice Waters' daughter, Fanny Singer about her new book, Always Home: A Daughter's Recipes & Stories. This book reflects upon Fanny's childhood memories of life with her parents and of Chez Pa...

Chef Alice Waters is a counterculture culinary hero who has helped pioneer the farm to table movement in the United States at her iconic restaurant Chez Panisse. At age four, she won a costume contest dressed as "Queen of the Garden" that featured produce from her parents' Victory Garden. This win was just a mere glimpse into her future as an award winning chef, cookbook author, philanthropist, ac...

Are you ready to create a vital and bold flavor profile with the produce? Chef Rick Bayless, a Maestro of Mexican Cuisine, provides tips, techniques and recipes from his latest cookbook More Mexican Everyday that will delight your palate.   Chef Bayless is an award winning chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, cookbook author and philanthropist .  Over the past decade, his Frontera Farmer Foundation h...

Do you want to learn how to debone a chicken in 18 seconds? Chef Martin Yan recently joined Margaret McSweeney and Chef Jaime Laurita in the Middleby Residential Showroom for an exciting Kitchen Chat on Viking Facebook Live. Chef Yan welcomes us all into his kitchen with enthusiasm and encourages us with his motto: "If Yan can cook, so can you!" Chef Yan's multiple accolades include the distinctio...

What is aquaculture? Have you ever tried sea grapes? Chef Andrew Zimmern shares his passion for solving the issues of feeding the planet. "Sea Vegetables are the new wave of eating, so delicious and so good for you," Andrew explains. Family Dinner, Andrew's new show, will be premiering on Magnolia in 2021. Chef Jaime Laurita and I have had the honor of meeting Andrew twice on the James Beard Found...

"When a stir fry is cooked, it possesses "Wok Hei (hay)" which means life force. I like to call it the breath of a wok." Grace Young aka Stir Fry Guru. Grace Young will teach you the insiders' secrets of seasoning your wok. Also known as Stir Fry Guru and a Wok Therapist, Young is a prolific cookbook author. Grace Young has recently partnered with the James Beard Foundation to help #SaveChineseRes...

Celebrating Women's Entrepreneurship Day 2020 with Cynthia Rowley.

Chef Roy Yamaguchi is the Pioneer of Asian Fusion. Born and raised on a U.S. Army base in Japan, Chef Yamaguchi discovered his love of cooking through a home economics course in high school. A young Chef Roy made roast turkey, and his school counselor was so impressed that he encouraged him to consider cooking as a career. Chef Roy graduated from Culinary Institute of America and he soon created h...

What is a schug and how can it make your life delicious? Danielle Renov's new book Peas, Love and Carrots is bursting with Moroccan-Israeli inspired flavors. Learn about harissa and how it can spice up any dish. Danielle has a collection of recipes for sauces and dips to have ready to elevate any meal. You will feel her passion and love for cooking as Margaret McSweeney and Chef Jaime Laurita chat...

Tara Bench, aka Tara Teaspoon has worked for decades in food publishing and was the food editor for Martha Stewart Living and the food director for Ladies Home Journal. Through these publications, she has always inspired home chefs and has encouraged everyone to view recipes as a guide and to "make it work for you." She discusses the changes in the publishing industry and the role that influencers...

Spago, Beverly Hills is the iconic flagship of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. Celebrations at Spago are legendary. Did you know that the Oscars parties at Spago predate the Vanity Fair parties? Just days before Covid hit in March, Chef Jaime Laurita and I went to Spago for a very special Kitchen Chat with Barbara Lazaroff, co-founder of Wolfgang Puck Brand and her youngest son, Byron Lazarof...

Enjoy the Best of BBQ and Grilling with some of the top experts! Steven Raichlen, Meathead, Mike Mills, and Myron Mixon share their tips and techniques to make you a BBQ Rock Star in your backyard!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with Perfectly Golden: Adapatable Recipes for Sweet and Simple Treats, a delicious new cookbook by Angela Garbacz, pastry chef and owner of Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln Nebraska. Recently, Margaret McSweeney and Chef Jaime Laurita spoke with Chef Garbacz about this popular trend of people spending more time baking in their kitchens. Home baking has never been bigger. Flou...

Join Margaret McSweeney and Jaime Laurita for a Kitchen Chat with Elisa and Rob Buildner about the farm to table culture in the rolling New England Hills. The Berkshires are are a cultural mecca and food hub thriving with small farms and specialty food. Elisa and Rob's cookbook share and celebrate these homegrown secrets.