Food People by Bon Appétit – Details, episodes & analysis

It’s the last episode of Season 1! And to wrap things up, we’re tackling a question that, frankly, we ask ourselves a lot: How do we take a bunch of ideas, inspirations, recipes, and themes and turn them into a print issue almost every single month? Is it magic? Sort of! This week, we’re pulling back the curtain on the development process for our June/July combined issue (yes, we plan that far ahead). From choosing a theme to pitching ideas to actually developing a recipe, this is how it all happens. With test kitchen director Chris Morocco and special guest Asha Loupy, whose new popcorn chicken recipe is exactly what your Sunday needs, whether there’s a game on or not. 

Stuff we talk about in this episode: 

• Check out BA’s June/July issue (discussed in this episode), coming to newsstands in 4 months!
• Asha Loupy’s Harissa Honey Popcorn Chicken recipe https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/popcorn-chicken
• Asha Loupy’s Cabbage Roll Casserole recipe https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cabbage-roll-casserole
• Asha Loupy’s recent BA articles https://www.bonappetit.com/contributor/asha-loupy

Bon Appétit and Epicurious are joining forces to bring great cooking tools to help you along in the kitchen. Subscribe online for unlimited access to more than 50,000 recipes across Bon Appétit AND Epicurious.

For a transcript of this episode, please follow this link.

Between the candlelit dinners, the big chocolate hearts, and the bottles of bubbly, Valentine’s Day is definitely a food holiday if you want it to be. Eating is romantic! And you don’t have to take our word for it. This year, we’re swallowing our cynicism and sharing stories of meet-cutes, first dates, and romantic meals from a few of our favorite couples in the world of food. Listen to find out how a paella helped seal the deal, how a plate of chilaquiles opened hearts, and what happens when you meet your soulmate in the BA test kitchen.

Stuff we talk about in this episode: 

• Morganstern’s Finest Ice Cream website https://www.morgensternsnyc.com/
• Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles website  https://www.tastyhandpullednoodlesnyc.com/
• de Porres website https://www.de-porres.com/
• Essex Market website https://www.essexmarket.nyc/
• Lil’ Deb’s Oasis website  https://www.lildebsoasis.com/
• Taqueria Milear website https://taqueriamilear.com/
• Taqueria Milear Instagram https://www.instagram.com/taqueriamilear/?utm_medium=copy_link

Looking for merch for the food people in your life? Check out shop.bonappetit.com for aprons, candles, martini olive socks, and more.

It used to be that opening your own restaurant was the only path to gaining recognition as a chef. But these days, more and more chefs are opening pop-ups as a first step, or even an alternative, to a brick-and-mortar spot. Pop-ups can offer flexibility, freedom, and exposure without the high overhead and financial risk. But that doesn’t mean pop-up life is a walk in the park. This week on the show, Amanda talks to two LA chefs who run their own pop-ups—Rashida Holmes of Bridgetown Roti and Brandon Gray of Brandoni Pepperoni—about the pros and cons of the business model, their mixed feelings about press attention, and what chefs need to know before popping up. 

Stuff we talk about in this episode: 

• The Promises and Perils of Pop-Ups: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/promises-and-perils-of-popups
• Bridgetown Roti website: https://www.bridgetownroti.com/
• Brandoni Pepperoni website: https://www.brandoni-pepperoni.com/
• About Chef Craig Wong: https://chefcraigwong.com/about
• Santa Monica Farmers Market: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/pcd/farmercontent.aspx?id=10039
• Crafted Kitchen LA website: https://www.craftedkitchenla.com/the-kitchens
• Rashida Holmes and Bridgetown Roti – @bridgetownroti
• Brandon Gray and Brandoni Pepperoni – @la_brandoni_pepperoni

For a transcript of this episode, please follow this link.

A great bolognese is easy—it just takes a handful of tried and true techniques and some patience. This week, we talk through the recipe for BA's Best Bolognese, as well as a vegetarian spin, Cauliflower Bolognese. After that, we run through a beginner's guide to buying better wine.

Get the recipes from this episode:

BA's Best Bolognese

Cauliflower Bolognese

Jody Williams and Rita Sodi are the owners and chefs of Buvette, I Sodi, Via Carota, and the forthcoming Bar Pisellino in Manhattan. They are also masters of running restaurants that feel inviting, with beautiful food and excellent service every single time—the kinds of places you return to again and again. This week, we talk to them about how they do what they do.

This week it's Adam vs. Carla vs. Gabe T. in the ultimate Super Bowl menu showdown. Each presents their ideal lineup, but there will only be one winner.

We tell you how to improve your morning (or afternoon, or evening) caffeine routine because, let's be honest, you can brew better than that. Then, from our live show back in November, Brad Leone talks fermentation and his YouTube show "It's Alive."

Back by popular demand, Carla Lalli Music and Amiel Stanek dive deep into rice. It will never get old. This week, they focus on recipes that transform rice into something more than a side dish (and, you know, why this series should keep on keeping on).

P.S. This is our 200th episode!! Thank you, listeners, for keeping us going this long. We love making the show and we can't wait to continue to bring you more.

Andrew Knowlton, BA's editor at large, recently started a new career phase: He opened a restaurant! We catch up with him about that process, as well as get some behind-the-scenes details about hosting Netflix's new cooking competition show, The Final Table. Then, David Tamarkin, the digital director of Epicurious, talks about about his new cookbook, Cook90.

It's 2019, people. We've stuffed our faces and now it's time for a reset, Healthyish style. We're talking about the second annual Feel Good Food Plan, two weeks of dinner recipes and lunch inspiration to start the new year right. Then associate editor Hilary Cadigan talks to Kerry Brodie and Alex Harris of Emma’s Torch, a restaurant in Brooklyn that doubles as a culinary job training program for refugees.