The Splendid Table

Contributor Melissa Clark digs into the fragrant food of Lebanon with Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms. Jeremy Nolen, author of New German Cooking, says German food is more than sauerkraut and schnitzel. Kimberly Jung co-founded Rumi Spice, a business that buys saffron directly from Afghan farmers. We meet up with a man with synesthesia -- he tastes what he hears -- and le...

We’re talking to journalist Tom Philpott of Mother Jones about the dark side of everyone’s favorite nut, the almond. Sarah Copeland, author of Feast, explains what it means to eat 90 percent vegetarian. The Sioux Chef's Sean Sherman specializes in Native American food with indigenous ingredients. Jane and Michael Stern share a regional treasure from Pennsylvania, the zep. Broadcast dates for this...

This week we hear about a group of renegade Montana farmers and their quest to change the farming industry from Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America. We talk to chef Eric Ripert about his recent travels, and we have an encore performance of the day Lynne taught violinist Joshua Bell how to cook pasta. Broadcast dates for this episode: March...

We are looking at the history of the chicken with Andrew Lawler, author of Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?  Lynne blind tastes California olive oils, and Edd Kimber explains the proper way to make scones. In honor of our 20th anniversary we’re revisiting a 2008 interview with David Lett, the groundbreaking American winemaker behind The Eyrie Vineyards. Broadcast dates for this episode: Februa...

Perfumer and chef Mandy Aftel explains the connection between scent and emotion. Her book is Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent. The Sterns have found a first-rate gluten-free bakery at Mama’s Cheese Bread Factory in Brookfield, Connecticut, and Lisa Gross talks about The League of Kitchens, an organization where immigrants teach others to cook. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt debunks five myths about cast iro...

This week we talk to Kat Kinsman, editor in chief of Tasting Table, about the ethics of food journalism. We turn to Michael Ruhlman, author of Ruhlman's How to Roast, about the essentials of that cooking technique, and meet Azalina Eusope, a fifth-generation street vendor from Malaysia who is setting San Francisco’s food scene on fire. Broadcast dates for this episode: January 30, 2015 (originally...

This week it’s Jennifer McLagan with her book Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes, Jimi Yui, one of the world’s leading restaurant kitchen designers, explains how he works with chefs to make their kitchens their own, and Food & Wine magazine's Ray Isle talks about American wines. The Sterns are in Idaho, and the BBC's Lucy Hooker has the story of one man's missio...

Chinese chef Ming Tsai joins us with his Asian-influenced take on one-pot cooking. His book is Simply Ming One-Pot Meals. The Sterns are in Atlanta at Mary Mac's Tea Room, Tom Owen of the coffee website Sweet Maria's shares his guide to home roasting and Harold McGee talks pasta. Plus James Oliver Cury shares highlights from his vintage food- and drink-themed record collection. Broadcast dates for...

Noelle Carter talks to chef Sean Brock about his new book, Heritage, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift trade ideas for easy holiday dishes. Artist David Ligare explains the relationship between food and gratitude in the ancient world, and the Sterns are at Bobke’s Bread Basket in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Broadcast dates for this episode: December 19, 2014 (originally aired) December 24, 2015...

This week we dig into chef Marcus Samuelsson’s ethnic pantry. His latest book is Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home.  We look at the decline of traditional French cheese in France, we match junk food with wine for a lesson in wine pairing with Anthony Giglio and we talk to the duo who documented Cuban home cooking in their new book, The Cuban Table. Broadcast dates for this episode: Decem...

This week, chef John Besh teaches us how to fry an egg in The Key 3. We take an adventure in sustainable eating with the duo from The Perennial Plate, and we look at the spread of Japanese food in America with Daisuke Utagawa of Sushiko. Broadcast dates for this episode: October 6, 2012 (originally aired) October 11, 2013 (rebroadcast) November 27, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Turkey Confidential is The Splendid Table's annual live call-in show on Thanksgiving, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Guests for the 2015 edition included Jacques Pépin , Dave Isay , Nigella Lawson and Andrew Zimmern . Broadcast dates for this episode: November 26, 2015

This week we're looking at the resurgence of cooking with lard with Charleston, S.C., chef Sean Brock. Chef Susan Feniger joins us with her book Street Food, and The New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov, author of How to Love Wine, shares his observations from the wine world. Broadcast dates for this episode: October 20, 2012 (originally aired) October 25, 2013 (rebroadcast) November 13, 2015...

This week we talk to comedian Jim Gaffigan about vegetables. Journalists Jane Black and Brent Cunningham spent 7 months in Huntington, West Virginia, the town whose food system Jamie Oliver tried to remake. Contributor David Leite talks to Andrea Slonecker, author of Pretzel Making at Home, and we visit Thai Park, a market/picnic in a Berlin park that serves authentic Thai food that flies in the f...

This week Seattle chef Tom Douglas joins us for another installment of The Key 3. His book is The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. Award-winning photographer Penny De Los Santos talks about what she really captures when she snaps a food photo. And we talk to Todd Selby about his unusual book, Edible Selby. Broadcast dates for this episode: November 3, 2012 (originally aired) November 8, 2013 (rebroadcast)...

We talk to Mexican food scholar Margarita Carrillo Arronte, author of Mexico: The Cookbook, about what modern Mexican food is really made of, Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell dreamed up Twelve Recipes, a book to teach his adult sons how to cook, and Lynne tastes her way through the best and worst of vegetable stock.  Broadcast dates for this episode: October 17, 2014 (originally aired) October 16,...

Mario Batali joins us with his ode to the American farmer, America Farm to Table. We talk about the cider-drinking trend with Amy Traverso, author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, the Sterns give us a tutorial on Canada’s poutine, and we learn to make a ginger bug with Jennifer McGruther, author of The Nourished Kitchen. Broadcast dates for this episode: October 3, 2014 (originally aired) October 2,...

This week we talk to chef Dan Barber about ethical eating. His book is The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. We meet Von Diaz, a woman cooking her way through Cocina Criolla, the Puerto Rican Joy of Cooking, and The Kitchn’s Faith Durand brings us the best in vegetable slow cooker recipes. Broadcast dates for this episode: September 19, 2014 (originally aired) September 18, 2015 (reb...

We’ve a fresh take on home-packed lunches with Asian food authority Andrea Nguyen and her book, The Banh Mi Handbook, we get a primer in cocktails from bartenders David and Lesley Solmonson, the folks behind The 12 Bottle Bar, and we talk to Kate Krader of Food & Wine Magazine about whether today’s big-flavored foods are wrecking the American palate. Broadcast dates for this episode: September...

We learn the art of pickling fish with Paul Lowe, author of Sweet Paul Eat and Make, and we look at the tradition of eating frog legs in Detroit with author Bill Loomis. Ari Daniel observes chemistry in the kitchen of Kimball House, and Remodelista's Christine Hanway gives us some easy kitchen updates. Broadcast dates for this episode: August 22, 2014 (originally aired) August 21, 2015 (rebroadcas...

This week we look at why the restaurant world is still run by men with chef Amanda Cohen of New York City’s beloved vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy. Lynne invites the authors of Cooking From the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America into her kitchen for a lesson in Chicken Larb and the Sterns are heading to Newport, Oregon, to Local Ocean Seafoods. Broadcast dates for this episode: August 8, 2014 (...

This week we check in with the hilarious columnist Jolie Kerr about keeping kitchens clean. She is the author of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag … and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha. The duo behind The Perennial Plate takes us to Ethiopia for a look at the super grain teff, and we get a sense of modern Greek food with Maria Elia, author of Smashing Plates. Broadcast dates for this episode: Ju...

We are looking at how we will feed the world with National Geographic magazine’s Dennis Dimick, we take on homemade boozy summer drinks with Andrew Schloss, author of Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits, and we talk to Roy Choi, the chef who went from a fancy restaurant to feeding the masses $2 tacos and jump-starting the L. A. food scene. He is author of L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food. Bro...

David Sedaris joins us this week with his stories about family dinners. His latest book is Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. We look at an alternative and ancient way to bake -- on the grill -- with Paula Marcoux, author of Cooking with Fire, and learn the art of pairing beer with cheese from Steve Jones, owner of Cheese Bar in Portland, Oregon. Broadcast dates for this episode: June 27, 2014 (ori...

We learn some unconventional grilling techniques this week from Adam Perry Lang, author of Charred and Scruffed. Travel + Leisure magazine's Peter Jon Lindberg reports on the affordable food scene in Hawaii, and food scientist Harold McGee brings us some surprising news about the best way to thaw frozen meat. Broadcast dates for this episode: June 9, 2012 (originally aired) June 1, 2013 (rebroadca...