Schnitzel & Stories

In our final episode for this season, we spoke with journalist, editor, and Roads & Kingdoms co-founder Nathan Thornburgh to explore the intersection of food, politics, migration, and identity. Drawing on his years as a foreign correspondent covering conflict and political change, Nathan reflects on the stories that exist beyond the headlines and why food became his preferred lens for understa...

For author and chef Hawa Hassan food is memory, survival, identity, and a connection to home. Born in Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War, Hawa's life was forever altered by conflict. After being separated from her family and spending years in a refugee camp in Kenya, she immigrated to Seattle at the age of seven, not seeing her mother again for fifteen years. Today, Hawa is an acclaimed chef, e...

Chef JP McMahon of the Michelin-starred Aniar in Galway and founder of the internationally acclaimed Food on the Edge symposium is widely recognized as one of the leading voices behind the understanding and evolution of New Irish Cuisine. In this episode we explore the complex relationship between food, colonization, identity, and cultural memory through the lens of Irish history. As a chef, autho...

Yuliia Tymoshenko works with World Central Kitchen , the humanitarian organization founded by chef José Andrés . Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, World Central Kitchen has supported communities across the country, providing hot meals, fresh bread, potable water, and food assistance to families living through displacement and conflict. Raised in Ukraine, Yuliia’s connection to cooking beg...

In early 2026, Minneapolis became the epicentre of a federal crackdown known as 'Operation Metro Surge.' With over 2,300 militarized federal agents, masked and armed, flooding the streets, the city was effectively under occupation. The atmosphere of terror reached a breaking point with the fatal shootings of two citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents. These killings sent a chillin...

Joining us to explore the growing complexities of global food security and humanitarian aid is Bettina Iseli , Chief Program Officer and member of the Executive Board of Welthungerhilfe , one of Germany’s largest private aid organizations. Bettina oversees the strategic direction of hundreds of international interventions and brings decades of experience working in some of the world’s most fragile...

Fadi Kattan ’s work sits at the intersection of food, identity, memory, and cultural preservation. Born in Bethlehem and trained in Paris and London, he returned home after studying hotel management at Institut Vatel to found Fawda , where he began reimagining Palestinian cuisine with refinement while remaining deeply rooted in tradition, terroir, and storytelling. Since then, Fadi has brought Pal...

Ksenija Hotić’s story is one of displacement, resilience, and the enduring power of food as cultural memory. Forced to flee Bosnia in 1992 as war escalated into genocide, she and her family rebuilt their lives as refugees, carrying with them the emotional weight of loss, rupture, and reinvention. In those years of uncertainty, food became more than sustenance, it became a way to hold onto identity...

In this episode, we tackle one of the world’s most food-insecure regions, the Sahel. We speak with Kinday Samba , Regional Director for West and Central Africa at the UN World Food Programme , whose work spans more than 30 years across some of the most complex humanitarian contexts in the world. From her early training as a nutritionist in The Gambia to leading operations across a region where 55...

Michael Shaikh is a New York City–based writer and human rights activist whose work spans nearly two decades across regions shaped by political crisis and armed conflict, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. He is the author of The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found . His book chronicles a powerful and deeply human exploration of cuisine in conflict zones...

Nancy Matsumoto has lived an extraordinary life. From a young age, her love for writing and storytelling led to an accomplished and wide-ranging career as a journalist and author. Ever curious, she has never limited herself to a single subject. Although much of her work has focused on food and culture, Nancy has also written about sake, childhood nutrition, and her family’s history, including a mo...

Palisa Anderson inherited more than a restaurant, she inherited a legacy. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Amy, who founded Chat Thai in 1989 as a young newcomer to Sydney, Australia, Palisa grew up immersed in hospitality. Her childhood was spent between kitchens and dining rooms, where she developed an instinctive understanding of food and a deep respect for ingredients. After graduatin...

Care and Feeding is about relationships, and we were fortunate to speak with bestselling author Laurie Woolever about her memoir. Beyond being a writer, she is also an editor, public speaker, and former cook. For nearly a decade, Laurie served as the right hand to the late author, TV host, and producer Anthony Bourdain . Over the years, she has worn many hats, private cook, nanny, caterer, busgirl...

We were fortunate to sit down with Chef Alice Waters , often called “the mother of American cooking.” Widely credited with launching the farm-to-table movement and shaping what we now know as California cuisine, she has spent more than five decades transforming the way we think about food. In 1971, Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, a restaurant so iconic that chefs from around the world have...

Sophia Hoffmann has built her career with a consciousness of care. A strong advocate for fairness, she uses her cooking to embody ethics and equality. Known as a pioneering female leader in Germany’s culinary world, she has become recognized for her zero-waste, plant-based kitchen. She is the chef-owner of HAPPA Restaurant in Berlin . A passionate advocate for gender equality, diversity, and socia...

Considered an icon and tastemaker by some of the world’s greatest chefs, Monica Brown has built a career that has taken her to some of the most intimate corners of the globe. What began as the dreams of a young girl from Scotland grew into a vocation that placed her at the heart of gastronomy, helping some of the world’s most visionary chefs achieve success. While she acknowledges the challenges o...

In this episode of Schnitzel & Stories , hosts Arlene Stein and Angelika Schwaff sit down with one of the most influential voices in food media today — Gail Simmons . A trained culinary expert, writer, and long-time judge on Bravo’s Top Chef , Gail has built a career at the intersection of cooking, storytelling, and advocacy. Beyond her on-screen presence ( Top Chef Just Desserts, Top Chef Mas...

Chef, author, entrepreneur, and food activist Trine Hahnemann has long been a leading voice for integrity and inclusivity in the culinary world. From her base in Copenhagen, arguably the most food-forward city in the world, Trine built a career rooted in sustainability, feminism, and social justice. Raised in a leftist communal household in Denmark, she grew up with a deep appreciation for traditi...

Meet Karin Desveaux , a renowned Canadian chef, educator, and one of the early local food pioneers in Ontario. Karin started her culinary journey in Toronto’s finest restaurants during the 1990s before moving to Prince Edward County in 2003, where she co-founded the well-regarded Milford Bistro, Harvest Restaurant, and Pinch Gourmet Shop. Her efforts promoted seasonality, terroir, and strong conne...

Eden Hagos is a Canadian entrepreneur, food writer, and advocate for Black culinary culture. She founded Black Foodie, a media platform and creative agency that celebrates African, Caribbean, and Southern cuisines through a Black cultural lens. Since its launch in 2015, Black Foodie has grown into a vibrant community that offers recipes, events, and storytelling focused on centering Black voices i...

Step into the raw, unfiltered world of restaurant kitchens with Ivy Knight-a Canadian food writer whose acclaimed bylines span The New York Times, Food & Wine, The New Yorker, and Playboy. Before her writing career, Ivy spent years as a line cook, forging her resilience in the chaotic, high-pressure environment behind the pass. Now based in Toronto, she’s known for her sharp wit and fearless a...

This week on Schnitzel and Stories , we speak with Amanda Cohen , the James Beard-nominated and Michelin-starred chef behind Dirt Candy , New York City’s pioneering vegetable restaurant. Long before plant-based was trendy, Amanda opened Dirt Candy . A bold, unapologetic statement in an industry that rarely took vegetables, or women, seriously. What began as an 18-seat restaurant on the Lower East...

We’re back with a brand-new season, and this time, we’re turning up the heat on the stories that matter most. Welcome to "Only a Woman," where we shine a spotlight on the women who are not just shaping what’s on our plates, but also transforming the very fabric of the culinary world. From bustling kitchens to vibrant markets, from classrooms to community fields, women have always been the backbone...

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, lies at the crossroads of three continents. Over 12 different empires have colonized it, with the Greeks and Arabs leaving particularly notable marks. They introduced fruits, vegetables, wheat, wine, olives, and an array of spices, creating a culinary landscape that reflects this rich history of conquerors and their legacies. Anissa Helou is a chef...

Singapore is an island nation renowned for its multicultural tapestry. Food in Singapore is like a symphony of flavors, reflecting the rich heritage of its many people. From Chinese and Malay influences to Indian and European touches, each bite tells a story of migration and cultural exchange.  In this episode of Schnitzel and Stories , we explore the vibrant culinary world of Singapore with...