Salt Lick with David McMillan & Derek Dammann

Recording from the Radio-Nature dining room under construction next to Grille-Nature, David and Derek welcome the Montréal baker Jeffrey Finkelstein of Hof Kelsten for an extended chat. Finkelstein reflects on his classical training, working abroad and hiring immigrants, maintaining quality amid rising supply costs, self-improvement and growing from a small bakery to a serious wholesale operation....

After more than 35 years in journalism, Marie-Claude Lortie joins David and Derek for a conversation about the food and media businesses, and the pleasure of learning to slow down. The former La Presse restaurant critic, columnist and editor reflects on restaurant reviewing before Instagram, the changing power of food media, and why a good restaurant is not only about what is on the plate. Now rec...

One of Canada's most outspoken experts on food and agribusiness joins David and Derek for a blunt, sometimes shocking conversation about how too much supply management has driven up grocery prices. The Food Professor, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois of McGill and Dalhousie universities, explains why some sectors function better than others, why dairy remains a particular flashpoint, and why debates about a...

Pizza is art and, in Canada, it can also be political. David and Derek look for inspiration from a Montrealer whose first-time pizza venture Segreta is a hit with lovers of the thicker Roman variety Al Taglio.  Richi Ourichian goes deep on fermentation, sourcing and the discipline behind doing a simple thing properly. He traces his path from the family fleeing the Armenian genocide, to running suc...

A mild-mannered Montréal pub owner has been keeping an open secret, living a double life as a deep sea photographer and documentary filmmaker specializing in diving with sharks. Will Allen is a partner with the Burgundy Lion group but spends weeks at a time traveling to remote locations around the world, filming sharks and myriad spectacular sights, including interactions with uncontacted tribes i...

Change is in the air for the final Salt Lick episode of the year. For starters, David has a new co-host and business partner. Derek Dammann, renowned chef, farmer and co-owner with David of the new Grille-Nature on Montréal's West Island, joins the program and the pair will be podcasting in the new year from a studio nook in the restaurant. Just hours away from Christmas break, the chefs are admit...

David invites a friend from Maine onto the podcast to explore how the scrappy chef grinded his way onto the 2025 New York Times  50 Best Restaurants list while cooking on a glass-top home stove. Sam Richman of Sammy's Deluxe in Rockland, Maine is candid about his wildly diverse journey from washing dishes and making cheeseburgers as a teen in New Hampshire, to working pastry at The Fat Duck in the...

What began as an episode devoted to the noble oyster took a sad turn with the news that our guest's mentor had passed away. This edition of Salt Lick featuring Patrick McMurry is dedicated to the memory of Rodney Clark, the Toronto restaurateur and founder of Rodney's Oyster House. Patrick, the Guiness World Record holder for fastest oyster shucker, shares his experiences working for Rodney over e...

Having written multiple books themselves, David and Lesley invite one of North America's most renowned cookbook authors to discuss her adventures, creative process and the challenges of publishing. Naomi Duguid has published nine cookbooks, her latest being the James Beard-nominated Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food ; her 2016 book Taste of Persi...

A short bonus chat show as Lesley and David prepare to welcome some high-profile guests. The hosts have wine on their mind; specifically, a recap of Lesley and boyfriend/wine writer Jean Aubry's trip to David's vineyard where they assisted with the harvest of  Chardonnay, Pinot and Gewürztraminer grapes. David explains the fermentation process ahead as he expects to produce about 8,500 litres of w...

David has some news: he's going back into the restaurant business and this time, it's personal. On the theme of milestones, he invites the owners of two renowned Montréal neighbourhood restaurants, Josh Crowe and Barbara Irwin of Taverne, to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Lesley starts by grilling David on Grille-Nature , described as a labour of love that will serve market-driven classics at a...

​ David invites a neighbour over for a chat, a trailblazer in Canadian winemaking who, 25 years ago this summer, took a "crazy" risk by acquiring a vineyard in southern Québec; it paid off and Les Pervenches helped kickstart a natural wine craze that hasn't faded.   As Lesley wraps up her trip to Burgundy, the hosts press Mike for insight on how he managed to grow French grapes like Chardonnay tha...

One more hazy late summer chat show before the duo get back to some interviews this fall. This time, Lesley is podcasting from the scorched vineyards in Burgundy while David talks about his recent trip to Maine; he pushes back against Canada's "elbows up" culture of retaliation especially against agriculture businesses across the border.     They share their own stories about summer heat, drought...

David and Lesley are sharing a couple of spirited late summer conversations before returning to interviews this fall. This time, they start with vineyard chores under the blazing sun—leaf-pulling, mulching and the dangers of farm machinery—before moving to kitchens past and present, swapping horror stories of burns, cuts and chemical mishaps.     Along the way, David talks about a community dinner...

There's nothing bland about the vanilla industry, argues a Montrealer who has been one of the most important industrial importers of the orchid since the early 1990s. David van der Walde, Director of Aust & Hachmann Canada, joins Lesley & David for a deep dive on one of the planet's most ubiquitous ingredients, a product as essential for industrial flavour companies as the world's top pâtissiers;...

Lesley and David agree that Marc-André Royal is one of Canada's most underrated chef-owners, a talented market cook and impressive entrepreneur. The Montréal chef-owner of Le St-Urbain recently earned a recommendation in the first edition of Québec's Michelin Guide, and his three (soon to be four) Bête à Pain bakeries are wildly popular with some locals even suggesting he makes the city's best cro...

David shares some A-lister anecdotes and his mixed feelings about the testosterone-charged bash that kicks off Montréal's festival season, just as news breaks of a decade-long contract renewal between the city and Formula 1. But first, Lesley and David get into the quintessential summer drink: lemonade. They share tips on how to make it on the cheap for a crowd, how to dress it up with homemade sy...

It's grilling season for Canadians and David has some tips on how to plan and execute an epic locally-sourced BBQ extravaganza: what fresh meats to look for, making your own sausage, grilling techniques, marinades and sauces, unconventional meat choices like rabbit and duck... He also gets into the benefits of the traditional 'black egg' barbeques and new internet-enabled high-tech smokers.   Many...

The international standard in restaurant reviewing, the Michelin Guide, has finally arrived and Québec restaurants will never be the same... or does the hype even matter?   David and Lesley unpack some of the Michelin results, why they are important to some restaurateurs but not others, and what it takes to become a Michelin-calibre establishment.   Lesley also discusses receiving the highest hono...

David and Lesley welcome their second guest, a Joe Beef alum who opened his own spot in 2019 and has since been ranked among Canada's top chefs.   Ari Schor, co-owner of Montréal's Beba restaurant, opens up to the hosts about challenges that chefs face in maintaining work-life balance and systemic changes he's made to improve his team's quality of life. While David is uncomfortable with the idea o...

A bonus episode: David and Lesley catch up for a casual chat about overrated and underrated spring ingredients while both are on the road.   Lesley attended a gathering of Canadian chefs aiming to promote sustainable ingredients but the pair is unsure how often seal will be making the menu; David has been promoting his new book  Spilled: Natural Winemakers Stories and Recipes but the only thing he...

Salt Lick's very first guest helps David and Lesley answer an important question: What happened to bread?   Dawn Woodward is the co-founder of Evelyn's Wholegrain Bakery in Toronto and the author of the new  Flour is Flavour . The American-born baker is on a mission to promote whole grain flours and breads, emphasizing that they are not only tastier but nutritious and sustainable when sourced loca...

David and Lesley are warming up as podcast partners while temperatures rise in southern Québec, and the defrost ( dégel ) brings with it a heavy workload at the farm.   Among the topics related to vineyard management, David praises organic winemaking but warns of the bureaucracy needed for certification. He also goes through the various wild animals he must keep away from the grapes including coyo...

In the inaugural episode of Salt Lick , acclaimed chef/restaurateur turned winemaker David McMillan joins food writer Lesley Chesterman to swap stories about Montréal's intense fine dining scene, while exploring their own rivalry and friendship. David discusses cofounding the iconic Joe Beef group of restaurants, as well as his recent departure and pivot toward agriculture. Lesley offers insight i...