This Is TASTE – Details, episodes & analysis

Pearl Jones is a food stylist based in New York City. She’s spent over a decade making food look delicious in commercials, magazine editorials, cookbooks, and more, and she’s also one of Aliza’s close friends. I’ve obsessed over the contents of Pearl’s food stylist kit and kitchen for years, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to pull back the curtain on food styling as a career.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM PEARL JONES: A Cookbook Shoot Recap! It Takes a Village. [Colu Cooks] Pearl Jones [Instagram]

Oddball is an exciting new product that aims to reinvent jelly snacking, taking away market share from the dominant Jell-O with a vegan superfood snack. On this episode, we catch up with Oddball's amazing founder, Sophia Cheng. We met Sophia earlier this year on the floor of the Natural Products Expo West trade show, where she was hustling the pouches of berry, mango, and grape jelly out of her backpack. I was impressed and invited her into the studio to talk about her journey to bringing this traditional Asian dessert to the masses. I love the product as well as catching up with the company’s founder. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ODDBALL: BTS: Behind the Snax with Oddball [Snaxshot] Meet Sophia Cheng [Canvas Rebel] Oddball breaking the Jell-O mold [Food Business News]

Today on the show we have two conversations from two of our favorites from the cookbook and online world, Claire Saffitz and Andy Baraghani. Claire is the author of a great recent cookbook, What’s For Dessert, and she’s truly one of our favorite cooking instructors and personalities on the internet. Andy’s rich story and sharp recipe writing chops come together so beautifully in his book, The Cook You Want to Be, published two years ago. So what has Andy been up to this year? It turns out, plenty—both online and offline. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM CLAIRE SAFFITZ & ANDY BARAGHANI: I Tried Making Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Bars [YouTube] Challah Bread [NYT Cooking] Warm Chickpea Bowl with Lemony Yogurt [official]

We enjoyed having Jamila Robinson in the studio. Jamila is the editor in chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious, the storied Condé Nast food publications that she took over in September. There are big plans and changes afoot at One World Trade Center, and we talk about Jamila’s vision for the future and the publications’ ongoing labor dispute, while looking back at her career working in newspapers in Detroit and Philadelphia. This is a really great talk! Also on the show, Matt shares some highlights from his recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, putting fresh eyes on one of America’s great food cities. Stops include: Vern’s, Lewis Barbecue, Palmira Barbecue, Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ, Weltons Tiny Bakeshop, The Spectator Hotel, Fig, 167 Raw, Kultura, Little Jack’s Tavern.    Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM JAMILA ROBINSON: Jamila Robinson Is Named Next Editor of Bon Appétit Magazine [NYT] This Is TASTE 262: Lyndsay C. Green [TASTE] The Balthazar Cookbook: My Personal Cooking School [TASTE] Charleston CVB [official]

Today we are excited to welcome award-winning director Trần Anh Hùng to the studio. His latest film, the lush and food-centered The Taste of Things, is in theaters now. It stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, who cook (and cook and cook!) for friends and visitors with a passion that transcends the idea of “foodie,” Detailed, painstaking process cooking and late-19th-century suiting are major threads, with food scenes guided by the eye of legendary international chef Pierre Gagnaire. We speak with the director about bringing this universe to life, and about the food of his childhood growing up in Da Nang, Vietnam. It’s really a great talk, and we hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM TRAN ANH HUNG: ‘The Taste of Things’ Review: Love, Loss and Loins of Veal [NYT]  ‘The Taste of Things’ Is a Kitchen-set Love Story. It Was Made by Exes [LA Times]  Our Growing Hunger for Food on Screen [FT]

Today we have a great double episode of the show. Alex Prud’homme’s new book, Dinner with the President, is a history of American food, politics, and 26 presidents, from George Washington starving at Valley Forge in 1777 to Donald Trump’s burger banquets. It was such a good time having Alex on the show to talk about how food has been used as a diplomatic tool since the founding of the United States, and also dig into the legacy of his famous great aunt - Julia Child. Also on the show we welcome Ali Rosen to the studio. Ali is a cookbook author, TV food host, and successful rom-com novelist, having published the hit novel Recipe for Second Chances. She is also the author of the new cookbook, 15 Minute Meals. On this episode we talk about what makes a 15 minute meal, and how she writes her food-focused fiction. It’s such a fun talk, I hope you enjoy it. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ALEX PRUD’HOMME & ALI ROSEN: Diplomacy Is Best Conducted at the Dinner Table [NYT] Alex Prud’homme Wishes He Was in the Room Where It Happened [NYT] Potluck with Ali Rosen [official]

Rose Wilde is the pastry chef and owner of Red Bread in Los Angeles, a pioneering microbakery that’s been championing whole grains and sustainable baking for over a decade.   She's headed the bread and pastry programs at Michelin-starred Rustic Canyon, Manuela, and Mother Wolf, and now she’s sharing her wisdom in the wonderful baking book Bread and Roses. We loved having Rose on the show to talk about the joys and challenges of baking with whole grains, her flock of chickens, and more.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ROSE WILDE: Red Bread Bakery [official] Rose Wilde's 'Bread and Roses' [Wordloaf] Buy: Bread and Roses

It was a lot of fun having PJ Vogt in the studio. PJ is a recognizable figure in the world of public radio and podcast. He’s currently the host of one of our favorite shows today, Search Engine, and we talk about his recent food-related episodes, digging into sushi fraud and airplane coffee. We also chop it up about so many topics in food, including his ongoing coffee journey and some of PJ’s favorite NYC restaurants. What a great talk—we hope you enjoy it! Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.   MORE FROM PJ VOGT: Why Are There So Many Chicken Bones on the Street? [Apple] Am I the Victim of an International Sushi Scam? [Apple] Search Engine Is the Spiritual Successor to Reply All [Vulture]

Aura Bora is a sparkling water that pushes the limits of sparkling water. Founded by Paul Voge, it’s a company that prides itself on spiking its cans of water with herbs, fruits, and flowers for earthly tastes and heavenly feelings. (True to the claim, we certainly had some feelings when we tried their green bean casserole concoction.) Paul, a guest on today’s show, has incredible taste and is bursting with passion for his waters. We talk about his journey and how he comes up with flavors that include chai cranberry, persimmon clove, and peppermint watermelon. If you haven’t tried Aura Bora, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Also on the show, Matt is back from a California road trip and gives some of his highlights, including The Duchess and The Summit in Ojai, Bell’s in Los Alamos, Ad Astra Bread in Monterey, Cat & Cloud Coffee in Santa Cruz, Itani Ramen and Fentons Creamery in Oakland, the cafe at Chez Panisse in Berkeley(!), Ad Hoc and Mustards Grill in Yountville, and El Molino Central in Sonoma. Want to partner with TASTE? Send us a note at: partner@tastecooking.com.  MORE FROM AURA BORA: We’ve Hit Peak Beverage [TASTE] Dry Guys Olive Oil Martini [official] This Is TASTE 303: Olipop [TASTE]

We’re thrilled to finally have Angelo Sosa on the show. Angelo is one of the most talented chefs we've gotten to know, and he’s currently the chef at two really great restaurants in Phoenix: Tia Carmen and Kembara. Angelo was also the runner up on Top Chef and has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Stephen Starr, and Masaharu Morimoto. On this episode we talk about Angelo’s TV past and dig into his passion for Asian cuisine, including his deeply creative work with Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese flavors and techniques at his latest opening, Kembara. We really loved catching up with Angelo and hope you enjoy this conversation. Also on the show, Matt gives his highlights from a recent trip to Phoenix. Stops include: Unos Tacos y Birria, Tacos Chiwas, the greatness of Monsoon Market, Wagyu beef rendang at Kembara, and Pizzeria Bianco. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.       MORE FROM ANGELO SOSA: Angelo Sosa’s Kembara Is a Love Letter to His Asian Travels [Forbes] Must-Try Restaurants in Phoenix with Angelo Sosa [A Taste of AZ] This Is TASTE 251: Dale Talde [TASTE]