Kitchen Confidante Podcast

If you grew up loving treats like Kudos Bars, Italian Rainbow Cookies, and chocolate chip cookies, you’re going to have a lot of fun with this conversation. I’m chatting with Alex George, the self-taught baker and creator behind Lily P. Crumbs, about her new cookbook, In the Mood to Bake: Extraordinary Treats from Lily P. Crumbs. Alex takes the nostalgic desserts we remember from childhood and giv...

For many of us, baking with a grandparent is a wonderful core memory. And for Justin Ellen, the baker and cake artist behind Everything Just Baked, his love of baking started at a young age with the grandmas in his life. That early passion has taken him from nostalgic homemade desserts to show-stopping custom cakes for celebrities and major brands. His new cookbook Better than Grandma’s is filled...

When we think about eating well, it is easy to get caught up in rules, trends, and the latest nutrition advice — but Stephanie Valentine reminds us that good food isn’t about restriction — it’s about finding joy in what’s on our plate. Stephanie is a nutritionist, recipe developer, and the author of  Love What's On Your Plate: Finding Joy in Seasonal Cooking . In this episode, we talk about the in...

Chef Crystal Wahpepah is a registered member of the Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma and the chef and owner of Wahpepah's Kitchen in Oakland, California — one of only a handful of Indigenous restaurants in the country. Born and raised in Oakland's close-knit urban Native community, Crystal was the first Indigenous chef to compete on Food Network's  Chopped  and is a James Beard Award finalist for Emerg...

Have you ever considered how cooking can nourish your body, mind, and career? Adam Kingl is a leadership expert, educator, and co-author of  Executive Eats: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life . Written with educator, scientist, and culinary professional Dr. Jakub Leszek Radzikowski, the book explores the fascinating connection between what we eat and how we think, work, create, and connect wit...

Bobby Hicks is a chef, food historian, and author of the new cookbook,  Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Modern Twist . You may recognize him as a contestant on Season 4 of Gordon Ramsay's Next Level Chef. His debut cookbook,  Retro Recipes , contains 100 previously forgotten recipes — like Chicken A La King, Orange Sherbert, and even Jello Salad — that he has revived for modern tastes. Bobby...

The last time Vietri founder Susan Gravely joined us on the podcast, we celebrated 40 years of her passion for handcrafted Italian tableware, the remarkable story behind the Vietri lifestyle brand, and the inspiration behind her memoir and cookbook, Italy on a Plate, which explored the connections between Italian and Southern hospitality. Now Susan returns with a beautiful new book, Italy in a Gla...

It was a joy to welcome back returning guest, Pailin Chongchitnant, the best-selling and award-winning author of  Hot Thai Kitchen  and the creator and host of the popular YouTube cooking channel, Pailin’s Kitchen.  Born and raised in Thailand, and based in Vancouver, Canada, Pailin is a professionally trained chef. Pailin has made it her life’s mission to show everyone how to create authentic Tha...

In this week's episode, we welcome back returning guest Ji Hye Kim. Ji Hye is an award-winning chef, including a Food & Wine Best New Chef and five-time James Beard Award semi-finalist, and she is a powerful cultural voice redefining contemporary Korean cuisine in the United States. She is the chef and owner of Miss Kim and Little Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her cooking beautifully bridg...

In her debut cookbook,  Dig In! Over 100 Easy, Delicious, and Stress-Free Recipes to Make on Repeat , Erin O'Brien shares a collection of recipes inspired by family, heritage, and real life in the kitchen. Woven throughout the book are the stories of the women who influenced her cooking and the idea that feeding people can be many things at once: love, necessity, and a form of reinvention. In this...

Olive oil an essential building block of Mediterranean cooking, and I had the joy of discussing all things olive oil with Tony Kasandrinos, Co-Founder and CEO of Kasandrinos International and author of  Kasandrinos Kitchen: Unlock the Power of Olive Oil with Over 100 Family Recipes.  From his family’s olive groves in Greece to kitchens here in the United States, Tony shares how extra virgin olive...

After graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York, Chef Nick Wong built an impressive career with the Momofuku Restaurant Group, with additional time at Gramercy Tavern in New York City and Incanto in San Francisco, and stages at Noma in Copenhagen and Bar Tartine. When he was ready to open his own restaurant, he partnered with his longtime friend Lisa Lee, and together, they opened...

Helen Goh -- esteemed baker, author, and food columnist based in the UK -- draws on her Malaysian roots and Australian upbringing in everything she makes. She is the co-author of the books  Sweet  and  Comfort with Yotam Ottolenghi and writes food columns for The Guardian and The Observer. Her new solo cookbook,  Baking & the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes , brings together he...

What if I told you some of the best sushi in the United States is in the Midwest? Chef David Utterback is a multiple-time James Beard Award finalist and the first Nebraska chef to be nominated for Best Chef Midwest. Chef Utterback is the force behind three critically acclaimed Omaha restaurants — Yoshitomo, Ota, and Koji — with two new concepts on the horizon. The Washington Post has named Ota one...

Chef, food writer, and culinary teacher Michelle Doll Olson is the Senior Manager of Culinary Development at HelloFresh, where she helps shape the chef-developed recipes that land in millions of home kitchens each week. With a background spanning pastry, savory cooking, teaching, and entrepreneurship, Michelle brings both creativity and practicality to the way people cook at home. In this episode,...

You may recognize Chef Henry Awayan from his appearance on the Food Network show Bakers vs. Fakers . Those in the San Francisco Bay Area may also know him as the talent behind the award-winning bakery Whisk Cake Creations in Alameda. Chef Awayan's new book,  The Ube Baking Book , celebrates his lifelong passion for baking alongside his Filipino heritage, showcasing a wide range of recipes that hig...

Chef Pyet DeSpain made history as the first-ever winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, where she showcased her Mexican lineage and her cultural heritage as a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.  Today, she continues to honor and preserve Indigenous foodways through her cooking and storytelling, including her PBS food-streaming series,  Spirit   Plate . Her debut cookbook,  Roo...

Rachel Riggs is a San Diego-based former specialty food shop owner who experienced a life-altering diagnosis, which forced her to overhaul her diet in favor of more nutrient-dense, allergen-aware recipes.  She has written for Bon Appétit and Camille Styles and has now published a new cookbook:  In Good Health: Uncomplicated, Allergen-Aware Recipes for a Nourished Life . In this episode, we chat ab...

Calling all bakers! In this episode, I chat with the one and only Dorie Greenspan. Dorie is a five-time James Beard Award winner, two-time IACP Cookbook of the Year recipient, longtime New York Times bestselling author, and a beloved voice in home baking. Her most recent book, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, features 100 recipes devoted to simple, comforting cakes and serves as a love letter to everyday ba...

As a native New Yorker, Chef Tara Punzone brought her Italian American roots and love of vegan cooking to Los Angeles, where she opened Pura Vita in West Hollywood—the first 100% plant-based Italian restaurant in the country.  She has teamed up with acclaimed writer Gene Stone, whom you may know from Forks Over Knives , 72 Reasons to Be Vegan, How Not to Die, and many other bestselling books he ha...

I recently welcomed back Gesine Bullock Prado to the podcast. You may remember our first conversation  in Episode 66 , where we explored her love of baking, life in Vermont with its six distinct seasons, and her journey as a pastry chef, baking instructor, author, and television personality. Gesine has now released her newest book,  My Harvest Kitchen: 100+ Recipes to Savor the Seasons , a heartfe...

Raised in a Lebanese-American family in Michigan, Maureen Abood’s passion for cooking, baking, and storytelling shines through her work—whether on  her website , in her first cookbook  Rose Water and Orange Blossoms  (an IACP Award finalist), or in her  New York Times  features on Middle Eastern cuisine.  Now, she’s released her newest book,  Lebanese Baking: More than 100 Recipes for Sweet and Sa...

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Auyon Mukharji, who is a musician, writer, and culinary historian. Together with his mother, Jyoti Mukharji, who is a chef, teacher, and retired physician, Auyon co-authored  Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen . From their home in Kansas City, Heartland Masala takes you on a culinary journey through regional Indian flavors wit...

Dana Pollack is the founder and creative force behind Dana’s Bakery. Trained in fine baking and pastry arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, Dana transformed her love of baking into a thriving business known for its playful, colorful, and innovative treats. You may have seen her DIY macaron-making kits featured on QVC or discovered her first cookbook,  Dana’s Bakery: 100 Decaden...

Along with her sisters, Steph Loaiza founded Six Sisters’ Stuff in 2011 as a way to stay connected and share cherished family recipes. What began as a simple family blog quickly evolved into a go-to resource for families everywhere seeking to simplify dinner while still bringing everyone together around the table. Over the years, Steph and her sisters have co-authored ten bestselling cookbooks, an...