We are thrilled that our very first guest on Kochleffel is none other than Joan Nathan, the doyenne, the epicenter of Jewish cooking. Joan is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and other publications. She is the author of twelve books, including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won both the James Beard Award and the IACP Award, and King Solomon’s Table, which won an IACP Award and a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. She shares her time between Washington, DC, and Martha's Vineyard. We spoke with her as she was on book tour with her new memoir, My Life in Recipes. And what a life it is! We are so proud to call her a Kochleffel!

Welcome to Kochleffel, a special series about the remarkable contributions of Jewish women to the world of food. 

We talk -- or mostly listen -- to the remarkable Barton Seaver; recovering chef, prodigious advocate of all things seafood, TED talk alum, author of landmark books on American seafood (my favorite is For Cod & Country), and quite possibly the most eloquent speaker we've ever met!

Photo courtesy of Barton Seaver.

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A 14 year old Minnesota boy wanted a motorcycle. He got a job as a dishwasher and it launched a stellar culinary career. We talked with Mark about himself, his outlook on the future of restaurants, and where the CIA is headed next.

Photo courtesy of Mark Erickson.

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Have you ever wondered how a food delivery business gets going? All the logistics, and the headaches and uncertainty of matching farmers to food and the fresh food to your home? Erin Baumgartner is the CEO and Founder of The Family Dinner. While working as the Assistant Director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT, she left her job after a drink with her husband in a local bar made her believe that her back-of-the-cocktail napkin idea was worth betting on. Since then, she has received so many accolades and awards -- and is the presenter of an inspiring Ted Talk!

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Paul Sellew is the Founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms. His "farm" occupies massive greenhouses in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and he expects that by 2026, he'll have 100 acres "under glass" and be able to offer sustainable crisp salad greens to over 50% of the American salad eating world. We'll all be crushing on Little Leaf's hydroponic and sunshine nourished salad greens. He's not the only one who believes in his success: Superstar Bono and his RISE Fund recently made a $300 million dollar investment in the company. That's a lot of arugula! Let's have a listen to Paul Sellew!

Photo courtesy of Adam De Tour for Little Leaf Farms.

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A Conversation with Frank Lowenstein of RARE. Rare is the largest non-profit you've never heard of, and for 50 years it has been focused on using Behavioral Change to nudge people towards Sustainability all over the world. Now, RARE comes to the US. Frank, a lifelong environmentalist, talks about what we can do at the individual level to mitigate climate change.

Photo courtesy of Frank Lowenstein.

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Joanna James is a filmmaker, non-profit founder, mom of three girls, and the daughter of Val James, who against all odds created a successful restaurant company. Joanna’s film entitled "A Fine Line" documents her mother’s struggles, and those of other well-known female chef-owners in the restaurant industry. It tells the story of the barriers, financial and personal, that women face in the food business. When I first saw the film, I understood it as a love letter to her mom. The film created shock waves, generating a lot of buzz upon release. Joanna is also the founder of MAPP Impact, a non-profit focused on mentorship and policy advocacy for women in the food & beverage industry.

Photo courtesy of Joanna James.

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Thea Engst is a seasoned author, a bartender, and a serious student of Tarot. In her fourth book, Spirits of the Tarot, Thea develops a cocktail recipe to match each Tarot card. It's fun stuff. Especially for true believers. We spoke with her about Tarot and how a bartender goes about developing signature cocktails.

Photo courtesy of Thea Engst.

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If you have a wall of cookbooks (like I do) but only ever crack open a few–help is at hand. Jane Kelly is the founder of Eat Your Books, a service that lets you search your own library to find the perfect recipe. She was an executive in the music and TV world in the UK, and then, she had an idea....

Photo courtesy of Eat Your Books.

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If there were royalty in the food world, Michael Jacobson would be a king. Or at least a duke. As the co-founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest––CSPI––he notched so many wins in protecting consumers that he made advocacy look easy. After more than 40 years at the helm of the CSPI, he is onto his next quest; creating a National Food Museum. We'd be wrong to bet against his success.

Photo courtesy of Michael Jacobson.

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I have to confess to a long-term professional crush on Mike Moss, the intrepid New York Times investigative journalist who blew the lid off big foods’ research-based adeptness at engineering our Bliss Point–– finding the most exquisite balance of Salt, Sugar, Fat that renders us helpless faced with an open bag of Doritos. Or Oreo––or pick your poison. His new book, Hooked, unmasks the rigorous research used to addict us to ultra-processed food. He is such a trove of insight and knowledge that I couldn’t stop listening to him. I think you will feel the same. Let’s have a listen.

Photo courtesy of Dan Sheehan.

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New England lost one of the greats recently, Jasper White; chef, author, mentor, and trailblazer. He re-invented and re-invigorated New England cuisine and made it into a style of cooking that was a lot more than chowda' and lobster rolls. At 69, it was too soon to lose him. With great love and respect, and quite a bit of sadness, we re-broadcast a story he shared with us a few years back. Let’s have a listen to the great Jasper White!

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Our eminent panel--Congressman Jim McGovern, Marion Nestle, Michael Jacobson, Dariush Mozaffarian, and Kirsten Tobey felt there's room for optimism that this conference can and will have a lasting impact on our American food system. Listen in and see if you agree.

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It began as a B-School class project. Our guest today is Kirsten Saenz Tobey. Kirsten co-founded Revolution Foods in 2006 while in graduate school at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Both she and her co-founder Kristin Richmond needed a project of a B-School class they were both taking. They bonded – and soared over the idea that school food could be both crave-able and healthy. Their school project became Revolution Foods, a California based B-Corp to build lifelong healthy eaters by making kid-inspired, chef-crafted food accessible to all. 

From its start in Oakland, California, Revolution Foods has gained national recognition for its innovative approach to school food. Revolution Foods, now over $100 million in revenue, serves over 1 million healthy, affordable meals per week and is the leading school food provider in California. Let’s hear from Kirsten!

Photo courtesy of Kirsten Tobey.

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When an icon and role model in food policy and food studies writes a memoir, after writing more than a dozen policy-heavy books --you might expect it to be serious. Even a little preachy. But you’d be wrong here. Marion Nestle’s telling of her life story is juicy and delicious. Eminently readable. In addition to her own journey, it is a surprisingly candid reflection about the difficulties of a serious and professional woman in academia coming of age in the 50’s and 60’s. Married at 19? Really Marion? She’s quite a woman and it is quite a tale. Let’s hear from Marion Nestle about her memoir – Slow Cooked.

Photo Courtesy of Marion Nestle.

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Journalist and essayist Alice Feiring was proclaimed “the queen of natural wines” by the Financial Times. Feiring is a recipient of a coveted James Beard Award for wine journalism, among many other accolades. She has written for newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, New York magazine, Time, AFAR, World of Fine Wine, and the beloved winezine, Noble Rot. Her previous books include Natural Wine for the People; Dirty Guide to Wine; For the Love of Wine; Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally; and her controversial 2008 debut, The Battle for Wine & Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization. Alice lives in New York and publishes the authoritative natural wine newsletter, The Feiring Line. Visit her online at TheFeiringLine.com.

Photo Courtesy of Alice Feiring.

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Dr. David Eisenberg is a visionary. Son and grandson of a baker, he breathed life into an international movement of Teaching Kitchens, hands-on kitchens where doctors and other health professionals could learn about why food matters. On the eve of a major conference of The Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, he talks to us about food, about his experience as the first US medical student in China, and about why he never wavered from his lifelong twin passions for bringing food and health into the medical mainstream.

Photo Courtesy of David Eisenberg.

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These are the best kind of stories. Youth. Passion! Barbecue! Darren and Charlene Young moved to St. Louis from LA -- and Darren discovered a hidden passion for real, authentic barbecue. Charlene suddenly noticed that she missed the Filipino barbecue fests of her LA family and world, and so with an abundance of energy, and desire to make friends with new neighbors, they began hosting backyard Filipino barbecues. They were very popular! It morphed from backyard, to catering and on to sold-out pop-ups. Now, The Fattened Caf is a full-fledged company with its BBQ sauces and longganisa on sale online and at 67 groceries throughout the midwest. Who even knew that Filipino BBQ was a "thing"?

Photo Courtesy of The Fattened Caf.

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Our guest today, author Anastacia Marx DeSalcedo, has a wonderfully curious mind. Her first book, The Combat-Ready Kitchen, explored the legacy and influence of military research on the foods we eat. (Who knew those bags of precut lettuce came from the Army?)  Her new book, Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse is just out. It’s a smart and slightly jarring argument that will shake up your preconceptions about nutrition, health – and yes, the benefits of exercise. Tough love for couch potatoes coming up!

Photo Courtesy of  Anastacia Marx DeSalcedo.

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Matthew Martin is a remarkable man. A Lutheran minister who spent much of college homeless, he's managed to mobilize thousands of volunteers who come in to work on an "assembly line" in a local church to package meals that have fed over 39 million people over the past few years. This spring, over a million of the meals went to Ukraine.

Photo Courtesy of  Matthew Martin.

HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

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We are back to our roots with live events! In this episode you'll hear from three amazing women entrepreneurs. Each story is one of belief in self, grit, and creativity in a challenging world. Today we'll hear from Emily Mellgard, CEO and Founder of Fieldstone Kombucha, and then from Heather Yunger of Top Shelf Cookies. These are great stories of personal reinvention, personal fierceness, perseverance and adaptability in the challenging era of COVID. You'll be impressed and entertained by them both. 

HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

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We are back to our roots with live events! In this episode you'll hear from three amazing women entrepreneurs. Each story is one of belief in self, grit, and creativity in a challenging world. First, we'll hear from Carlene O'Garro, CEO of Delectable Desires Pastries; next from Alicia Haddad, CEO of Alicia's Spice Co; and lastly from HamdAllah Modupẹ́ Olona, founder of Goodie Crunch. They're funny. They're honest. They are great. Let's have a listen.

HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

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Writer, chef, and mega blogger Phoebe Lapine’s new book CARBIVORE is a paean to the joys and the nerdy science of carbs. She trashes the no-carb revolution and replaces it with easy-to-digest science -- and wonderful to ingest -- recipes that work whether you are a yes-on-carb or no-on-carbs freak. After her own challenging health issues, Phoebe studied herself and how her diet affected her body, her moods, and her well-being. Who knew normal people would wear a continuous glucose monitor just for fun? It’s a fascinating conversation with a very smart woman.

Photo courtesy of Haley Hunt Davis.

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Emily Broad Leib is a Clinical Professor of Law and Founding Director of the Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, the nation’s first law school clinic devoted to providing legal and policy solutions to the challenges facing our food system. 

When I first met Emily, she was just out of law school and just back from a stint working as a legal aid lawyer in the Mississippi Delta. As a young instructor at Harvard Law School, she was essentially being a friendly sort of mentor to small group of Harvard law school students who thought, huh, there's nothing happening with food law, and thought that should be rectified. Now she is one of the leading voices in the country – and even beyond – about all the ways food intersects with the law. But I’ll stop and let Emily tell the story instead of me. It's a great one.

Photo Courtesy of  Emily Broad Leib and Harvard Law School.

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Lance Gould has a pretty terrific story to tell. He began as a journalist covering the UN and ended up working closely with Arianna Huffington, managing various sections for the Huffington Post. (He says only the Pope refused to take his call.) Now he is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Story Lab (BSL), a media-strategy firm that teaches purpose-driven organizations how to be more effective storytellers, particularly around their SDG-related work. And quite a bit of his work revolves around world food issues. 

He was previously a journalist who held newsroom-leadership positions at The Huffington Post (Executive Editor), The Boston Phoenix (Editor in Chief), The New York Daily News (Deputy Managing Editor), and Spy Magazine. In 2016, Lance received a Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award for his editorial work related to the SDGs. In 2017, Lance was named to the Leadership Council for the UN's Media for Social Impact Summit. He is on the Board of World Elephant Day and for four years has been a volunteer commissioner for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Commission on Education and Communications.

Photo Courtesy of Lance Gould.

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It’s not hard to fall in love with chefs. But Josh Lewin of Juliet in Somerville, and Peregrine in the Back Bay––is special to me. I’ve been privileged to watch him grow and prosper – from bistro cook, to executive chef, to pop-up entrepreneur, to an award-winning chef-owner whose idea of the purpose of a restaurant is as much about social equity for the staff, as it is about excellence in the food. We recorded this conversation in late winter of 2022 when the new improved and enlarged Juliet was getting ready to open. First, let’s hear the unusual back-story of how Josh Lewin got his cooking chops.

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Nancy Harmon Jenkins is simply one of the great food authorities in America. She’s also one of the great storytellers, as you will hear. Nancy is the author of 8 books and counting and too many articles to count. From her two home bases in Tuscany and Camden, Maine, she teaches and writes about food topics all over the world. Her Mediterranean Diet Cookbook (now updated) is the benchmark book for the topic, as are her books on pasta and olive oil. Her work is singular: her trademark is deep research, detailed recipes, and often hilariously erudite commentary. This will be a two-part conversation. “Part Deux” will air later this season. For more information on the prolific NHJ, go to www.nancyharmonjenkins.com

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The best thing -- and the worst -- thing about food businesses is that it seems so easy to begin one. And it is not. Our guest Jack Barber and his brother Max started Mainely Burgers over 10 years ago as green college kids looking for summer jobs. Now they are full-fledged entrepreneurs. Bravo to them!

Photo Courtesy of Jack Barber.

Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.

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Our guest today, Henry Patterson, has decades of experience in the food business. Along the way, he has learned a thing or two about how to keep customers yours forever. But, right now, HPatt is off to a border town in Poland to cook for Ukrainian refugees with Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen. It's his present to himself for his 70th birthday. Let's hear how and why he is going.

Click here for Henry Patterson's GoFundME

Click here for World Central Kitchen.  You can also follow the hashtag #ChefsForUkraine

Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.

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The redoubtable Marion Nestle is the closest I can come to a modern-day Joan of Arc, rallying us for decades against private and public institutional forces as she advocates for good food, sensible nutrition, and responsible public health. Author of fourteen seminal books, and hundreds research papers, Op-Eds, and collaborations, Marion Nestle founded NYU’s department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, where she trained––and most importantly––inspired an army of scholars and activists. A most-respected watchdog of our corporate food culture, she can be counted on to tell the unvarnished and occasionally “unsavory” truth about food and health, corporate food business, and the politics behind it all. 

Occasionally controversial, but always right on target, Marion Nestle is the first call for journalists when they need reliable, smart explanations of anything having to do with nutrition, food, or health. She says, “I get in trouble a lot because I say what I think.” You can follow her daily blog foodpolitics.com.

Photo Courtesy of Bill Hayes.

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This is a story of bravery and purpose. If food safety seems like an abstract policy concept to you, you must listen to Darin Detwiler's story. When Darin's 16-month-old son Riley contracted E. coli at daycare, Darin's world turned upside down. In the decades since, Darin, a former US Navy nuclear engineer has dedicated himself to making sure that we all understand the true human cost of unsafe food practices. Listen and weep.

Photo Courtesy of Darin Detwiler.

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Our guest today is Claire Cheney, the founder and owner of the renowned Curio Spice Company. Curio is a mission-driven spice company, importing spices sustainably and directly from growers all over the world. 

Claire has an obsession for spices, which she discovered in her early travels to South East Asia. She is “the blender in chief” -- she selects the spices, and she unleashes her incredible sensory abilities to create unique spice blends. We were curious how Claire learned to trust her “nose” and her palate. How did she know she was special?

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If you enjoyed our last episode with John Piotti, we have good news!  Heritage Radio Network is producing a monthly show hosted by John.  The show is called No Farms No Future, the podcast of American Farmland Trust.  The show will dig into the issues facing farms and farmers today.  We all need to eat, and as a result, we all need to know what faces the folks who raise our food.  Today we are proud to premiere the very first episode of No Farms No Future.  

For more than 40 years, American Farmland Trust (AFT) has fought to keep farmers on their land, promote environmentally sound farming practices, and protect U.S. farmland. At a time when independent farmers and ranchers face ever-increasing financial and climate challenges, AFT works nationwide with them to help create innovative solutions for a sustainable food system. 

In this opening episode of No Farms No Future, American Farmland Trust, and the Food Voice, AFT president and CEO John Piotti explains how reversing the trend toward fewer local farms and declining soil health is critical to preserving our food supply and the planet. You’ll also meet two farmers—one at the end of a career and one who is just beginning—who show how ingenuity and collaboration can brighten the future, one farm at a time.  

You can find No Farms No Future on Heritage Radio Network, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Be Sure to Subscribe, so you don't miss an episode.  (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify| RSS).

Resources:

Feature story on Sandy Gordon and Gordon Farms

Post and video featuring Sandy and Josh

To learn more about American Farmland Trust go to farmland.org. 

Episode photo by Shawn Linehan

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Some people – rare people – have the knack of seeing the curves of the future and inviting the rest of us on the journey. Greg Drescher, the senior advisor for Strategic Initiatives at the CIA, Culinary Institute of America, is one of those people. A more insightful job title would be culinary visionary. Our conversation was fascinating as he traces his career arc from one insightful peak to another. You’ll enjoy the journey. Let’s have a listen.

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Our guest is John Piotti, the president and CEO of American Farmland Trust, the nation’s leading non-profit dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land. How did a kid growing up on Nantucket Island, hoping to design sailboats, end up in Maine (and now in Washington DC), and become laser focused on preserving rural life and the livelihood of America’s farmers?

Photo Courtesy of American Farmland Trust.

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Food photography is a marvel. Beautiful photos make me want to own the book, cook the dish, visit the restaurant, travel to the source. But how do you become a celebrated food photographer? You may not know his name, but you’ve been admiring his art for years in best-selling cookbooks, magazines, websites and more. Michael Piazza will tell us how he became a food-focused photographer, and why “it’s all about the light.”

Photo Courtesy of Michael Piazza.

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Our guest today is Tamar Haspel. Tamar is a columnist for the Washington Post. Her column UNEARTHED focuses on the intersection of food and science. She's a force of nature -- and food. In High School she was awarded the Teacher's Pest Award for her incessant curiosity and willingness to challenge authority. Now she has a James Beard award to match.

Photo Courtesy of Tamar Haspel.

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Today is a real treat for those of us with lock-down wanderlust. A married couple – Rachel Greenberger and Cristiano Bonino. Rachel is a 2020 Eisenhower Fellow working on Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems – she was one of the creators of Food Sol – a thought leadership initiative for Food Entrepreneurs at Babson College. Rachel also works with her husband, Cristiano, on his Italian Tour Company Food.Stories.Travel. I love his voice – and couldn’t we all use a little escape to the countryside of Italy right now? Spoiler alert: There’s a lot of anchovies in this piece.

Photo Courtesy of FoodStoriesTavel.com.

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John Yingling's story is a classic one-foot-in-front-of-other tale of entrepreneurship— how he started as a pizza delivery boy in high school in the 70's, made dough in high school, and decided to put a pin in Provincetown and opened up P'Town's first pizza shop on a shoestring. (This included bunking down in a graveyard for a rent-free bed.) His flagship Spiritus Pizza is still successful, as well as a string of other food ventures and owning much of the prime real estate in town.

Photo Courtesy of John Yingling.

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Our guest today is Irene Li. And my god, is she a powerhouse. A six-time James Beard Nominee for Rising Star Chef, plus, Zagat’s 30 under 30, Eater’s Young Gun and so much more. She has now become one of the shining stars and entrepreneurs, a true community leader in the culinary space around Boston and beyond––especially noted for her huge heart and nimbleness in our post-covid food world. The youngest of three siblings who founded Mei Mei, a Dumpling FOOD truck (that’s oversimplified by many leagues), like a contestant in an obstacle course, Irene Li is leaping over barriers as she grows.

Photo Courtesy of Michael Piazza.

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A book that could change your life. Home Made author Liz Hauck decided to follow-up on an idea she hatched with her father just before he passed away: she would show up and make and eat dinner with the boys who lived in the group home where he worked. She did just that. For three full years, Liz showed up every week with bags of groceries and made dinner with the teenagers who lived in the home. The book is so well-written and inspiring that none other than the Times book review gave this first time author a rave. Read it here. 

Photo Courtesy of  Liz Hauck.

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Our conversation with food media baron Chris Kimball was a hoot. Although he produces his own Milk Street podcast and radio show (carried on over 200 radio stations) he was willing to come on our show. He’s wry man with amazing energy and a boundless entrepreneurial spirit. Founding Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Magazine, America’s Test Kitchen––and now Milk Street––not to mention his seven books (and counting!) –– have all been centered around food and food media. An empire builder of the first order, we asked him “Why Food”?

Photo Courtesy of  Milk Street Kitchen.

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Happy Anniversary to us! And Thank You. Today we remember our very first show with chef Lydia Shire, chef Will Gilson, chef Jasper White and Annie Copps! They are all fun -- and remind why we need to get back to the live stage!

Photo Courtesy of Lydia Shire.

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Hannah Howard is the author of two memoirs, Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen and Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family. We loved both her books, beautifully written, clear on her struggle between loving food and wrestling with food issues and body image. She is funny, moving, smart, and when she writes about cheese, the earth stands still. We start this episode with Hannah reading from her first book, Feast. You will love her crisis in the cheese cave. What a writer!

Photo Courtesy of Michelle Chin.

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Our guest today is Scott Grabau, CEO of Tanimura & Antle, one of the world’s largest produce growers. I know, the phrase “large produce” stops you, passionate as you are about buying local and supporting Farmer’s Markets. But what if it turns out that large “Legacy Agriculture” has deep expertise to share? And what if a company that farms thousands of acres, ships to across the US as well as Asia and Europe––is also passionate about maintaining sustainable farming practices, and laser-focused on innovating and investing in what’s next to come in agriculture? Let’s have a listen to Tanimura & Antle’s CEO Scott Grabau, and how he educates us about Legacy Farming, or maybe just rattles a few of our prejudices. 

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We are gob-smacked to have her on our podcast. 

Her daily blog, “Letters from An American” is required reading for many of us. I wake up and read her first thing. Others, can’t get to sleep without taking in her incredible and seemingly effortless gift of putting the news of the day--no matter how distressing – into a un-stuffy, almost chatty, historical context. We know she’s been up til the wee hours writing it –with footnotes! Her podcast, Now & Then, is a joy. And her Facebook live lectures…don’t even get me started. The woman never sleeps. 

But––who knew she was a foodie? She cut her teeth making whoopie pies with her sisters in Maine. She’s an expert bread baker, the keeper of the family recipes…a lover of community cookbooks working on her own. In our conversation, she uses her uncanny insights to put food into a political, historical, and cultural context. Who knew that Popeye and Olive Oyl had an interesting origin story?

Photo Courtesy of Heather Cox Richardson.

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Congressman Jim McGovern is our man in Congress. He represents Worcester, Massachusetts, but he really represents all of us who care about food. Not only is he the chair of the powerful rules committee, but he is lobbying for a White House Conference on Food & Nutrition. The last time that happened, Richard Nixon was president.

Photo Courtesy of Congressman Jim McGovern.

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When Charles Hunter jumped the chasmic divide from NYC to Boston to helm City Winery, he never bargained for a pandemic. He came with a long resume in the hospitality business with everything from a stint at IHOP (he says the boysenberries are real) and owning and managing his own spots in NYC and NJ. If there is a poster boy for grit, graceful pivoting and dedication to first principles of making it all about the guest, it is Charles Hunter.

Photo Courtesy of Charles Hunter

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You might think it’s obvious that the story of food, of cookbooks is central to understanding our culture and history. But it was not always so. Our storyteller today is Barbara Haber, a towering figure in making sure that “food,” and “women” and cooking were recognized as critical to the study of American Culture and American History. As curator of books at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library for more than 30 years, she collected more than 16,000 cookbooks plus the papers of notables like her friend, Julia Child, and argued (controversially!) for the recognition of Culinary History as a serious academic departments, now all over the country. . If you don’t yet know who Barbara Haber is, prepare to be amazed.

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Haber

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Let’s Talk About Food by becoming a member!

Let’s Talk About Food is Powered by Simplecast.