The Storied Recipe

Enchanting is the word for this episode. Enchanting describes Claire Marie's laughing voice, and The Valley of the Kings, where castles are as common as mushrooms (where Claire Marie finally settled after moving 15 times). Finally, enchanting is just the word for the incredibly light, crispy, golden French pastries made only by the people in her very specific region of France. Claire Marie's grand...

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Murielle is one of those people that redeem social media for me. When I first found her account, she was so warm in welcoming me to the food photography community, she even generously agreed to take time to get on the phone with me to talk about her experiences as a brand photographer and recipe developer.  That conversation was pivotal in my decision to go in a different direction and start...

For Lauren and her sister Jenny, Purim is about two things: hamantaschen and remembering their mother, Maxine. Every year without fail, these two sisters gather to carry on their mother’s tradition of making hundreds of Hamantaschen to share with their expectant, grateful children and community. And I can see why their children and neighbors treasure this tradition - these soft, flaky, triangular...

An American-born Ukranian named Lydia reached out to me in December. She wrote, “I love the concept of this podcast. Our memories are so tied up with food. I found my entire family in a Ukranian village. When I turned around, there on the table were the same foods I had grown up eating.” I was immediately intrigued and wanted to hear more of this story. As Lydia shared this beautiful story centere...

Around this time last year, I first learned of semla. These fragrant, airy spiced buns are stuffed with hidden pockets of almond paste or jam and piled high with whipped cream. They are made only one season out of the year - to celebrate Fat Tuesday. The Swedish and the Finnish each have their own slightly different versions of semla. Who better to teach us about both than a Finnish chef trained i...

Together, Seth Greenberg and his father baked for a combined 80 years at their iconic NYC Bakery! In this Valentine’s episode, Seth and his girlfriend Corinna came on together. They share a nostalgic classic cookie dough used for at least 3 desserts in the classic bakery: jam thumbprints, Valentine’s heart cookies, and well as chocolate-dipped cookies. They also teach us lessons from Seth’s dad, w...

I had momentary misgivings when Suwanee Lennon, an Instagram friend but otherwise a stranger, invited me to a small gathering at her friend’s house. I arrived to tables full of Thai food and welcoming people who convinced me to eat spicy chicken feet! But what was far more memorable about that day were the stories I heard. I soon learned that these friends, or sisters as they called themselves, wh...

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I’m so happy to welcome Emily Ho, a recent Saveur Blog Award winner of the Editor’s Choice for Best Food Instagram to The Storied Recipe Podcast! Emily reached out to me to share her family’s  Glutinous Rice Cake recipe  along with her memories of the Chinese New Year, which just happens to be this Saturday, January 25th. I learned so much in this interview about this cake and other trad...

Today I’m so honored to introduce you to a new friend of mine, Dora Hurley, as she tells us about a very cheap, very simple but very delicious Hungarian “Friday Meal” which served both religious and practical purposes. I also talk to Dora about her migration to Ireland from Hungary and the contrast between living and eating on “the continent”, as Dora calls it, and a tiny island nation, where she...

I do hope you've had a chance to fall in love with Tilda's very British self-deprecating humor, her Nanny, and her patience with my questions about food culture already! If you haven't gotten a chance to hear Episode 011, Nanny's Syrup Sponge Pudding , take a listen. You'll love it! This episode is a continuation of the conversation, but a little less cut and a little more free-wheeling. Essential...

Welcome back from our holiday break! I’m absolutely thrilled to return today with professional food journalist and photographer, Tilda Bourne. In this episode, Tilda shares memories of her generous, savage, “very British” grandmother. We also discuss her Nanny’s recipe for a syrup sponge pudding. One fun fact about Tilda. Although we've never met in person, she's the one who convinced me to jump i...

In this episode, Robert and Lisa share fond memories and hilarious stories of the annual making of the Boiled Christmas Pudding hosted by Robert's mother and his Aunt Carol. If the holidays are a time for catching up with old friends, laughter, and taking a respite from the drudgery of every day life, this is the ultimate holiday episode. Between high school and college, I spent a gap year in Japa...

Several weeks ago, after I posted a photo of my mother and I cooking together, Melissa messaged me to share how much she misses her mom. Melissa lives in Seattle and her mother lives in Ecuador. As a result, they can't be together for many holidays. While the holidays are the hardest for homesickness, Melissa channels her heartache into cooking her favorite Ecuadorian sweets for others. Around Chr...

On one of our regular Friday afternoon trips to the library, a particular book caught my eye. I first noticed the rich, colorful, and intricately detailed painting on the cover. The title of the book, Grandpa Cacao, was printed over an image of a strong and loving grandfather smiling down at a little girl holding a chocolate bar. After we returned home, I was delighted to read Grandpa Cacao  to my...

Happy Thanksgiving (a week early!) This week’s episode features Laura Clark , who spent two years in Italy. While there for the holidays, Laura made yeasted potato rolls from an old family recipe she enjoyed with her cousins at childhood Thanksgivings. While there was pressure making the rolls for an Italian from Naples, home to the best bread in the world, Laura's rolls received rave reviews! Tod...

The thing that most struck me about Lori is her unusual ability to both accept life as it is and yet take control of all that she can. It was this ability, along with her grandparents patient teaching of basic cooking skills, that allowed Lori to take over the cooking for her family at the age of 10 - and she loved it. Like her family’s classic beef barbeque recipe, I found Lori’s words to be bold...

As a very decidedly home baker, I've been a lucky, thankful recipient of many of Dee's baking tips for beginners. When I was making the brown sugar cinnamon bread to prep for Episode 3 of The Storied Recipe, it just did not come out right at all the first time! I reached out to Dee. She looked at the recipe and immediately had 4 or 5 guesses of what I did wrong. I followed all of her tips and, wel...

As today's guest, Dee Frances, and I batted around recipe options for this episode, I was fascinated by the rich heritage she drew from - Iranian, Moroccan, Greek, and Jewish, all in her own family! In this episode, Dee shows us that Jewish cooking is a direct result of the unique history of the Jewish people. It is a blend of the best flavors and techniques that the world offers. As a professiona...

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Halloween Episode! Halloween seemed like a holiday that The Storied Recipe podcast simply had to cover. It's a holiday that contributed to so many of our most vivid childhood memories and many were centered on food. After all, the crowning event of the holiday is walking about and begging for food! So, I put out an open call for Halloween Storied Recipes. I received r...

Every Christmas as a child, I unwrapped the Brown Sugar Grandma ornament, a plump, pink-cheeked, white-haired figure. When today’s guest, Liz, told me about her grandmother’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bread recipe, I thought I had found the real-life version of that Christmas ornament. However, as Liz’s interview shows - even a grandmother who smells like cinnamon is a real person. Virginia Dayton was,...

This is a special bonus episode to Episode 002 - Charcuterie Board, A Story of Rejection, Defection, and Redemption. When I interviewed Daniela, our original conversation was almost 2 hours long - and I still had things I wanted to ask about! Of the many things I was forced to cut, it seemed too great a shame not to share the background to the exquisite, Czech heirloom pieces Daniela gave me to ph...

When Daniela responded early to my open call for Storied Recipes with a wish for me to assemble and photograph a charcuterie board, I couldn’t understand the request. It seemed… vague, unspecific to any hertiage, and open to a variety of ingredients and approach. Little did I know how this board represented a story of rejection, defection, and redemption. When I finally understood how the board ti...

I interview four special guests for this bonus episode of The Storied Recipe - to me, they are the 4 most special guests in the world: my sons. I wanted to record and release this episode for 2 reasons: first, as a way of introducing myself to my listeners. Second, I wanted to make it abundantly clear that, while I host a show celebrating romantic, happy food memories, we eat meals just like anyon...