If you're a fan of smart and lively conversations about food, home cooking, and culture, this is the place. We interview the most interesting characters in the world of food, media, and cookbooks and release episodes several times a month. The program is hosted by TASTE editors Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard, and is sometimes recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City. Visit TASTE online: <a href="https://www.tastecooking.com/" target="_blank">tastecooking.com</a>

It’s the return of a special video podcast series: Food Writers Talking About Food Writing. It’s available on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsTASTE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TASTE YouTube channel</a>, so make sure to subscribe. Every couple of weeks, cohost Matt Rodbard invites a journalist to talk about some favorite recent food writing as well as their thoughts on the industry as a whole. Our next guest is Kat Kinsman, executive features editor at <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Food & Wine</a>. Kat is an absolute legend in the game and has been at the center of food media for nearly two decades. In this episode, we talk about Kat’s journalism career, her current media diet, and some favorite stories we’ve been reading lately. We also played “What would you pitch 1997 Graydon Carter?” That is, Kat considers her dream no-budget reporting assignment. It’s a deeply personal conversation, and you should check it out. Featured on this episode:<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsTASTE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to TASTE</a> [YouTube]</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/world/europe/trump-tariffs-italy-cheese.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Shadow Hanging Over Europe: ‘A Taste of Italy’ From New Jersey</a> [NYT]</li><li><a href="https://tastecooking.com/not-too-sweet-or-too-sweet-to-fail/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Not Too Sweet” or Too Sweet to Fail?</a> [TASTE]</li><li><a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/rocco-dispirito-standard-grill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Where’d You Go, Chef Rocco DiSpirito?</a> [Food & Wine]</li><li><a href="https://www.bestfoodblog.net/do-you-eat-clockwise-top-down-or-bite-by-bite/?ref=best-food-blog-newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Do You Eat Clockwise, Top-Down, or Bite-By-Bite?</a> [Best Food Blog]</li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tinfoil-swans/id1690384336" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tinfoil Swans</a> [Apple] </li></ul>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

This Is TASTE

Food Writers Talking About Food Writing with Kat Kinsman and Matt Rodbard

Today is all about ice cream, and we have two guests who know the business inside and out. Tyler Malek is the cofounder and head chef of Salt & Straw, a cult-followed ice cream chain with scoop shops across the country. Based in Portland, Oregon, Salt & Straw is known for churning out the most imaginative ice cream flavors around. In the new cookbook <a href="https://sites.prh.com/saltandstraw-amiic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams</a>, Tyler takes a look at the classics with fresh eyes, then branches out into new territory. Aliza had so much fun having Tyler in the studio to nerd out on ice cream, from hitting up vanilla geneticists to building “flavor trinities” in each scoop. Also on the show, we catch up with Pooja Bavishi. Pooja is the founder and CEO of Malai, a South Asian–inspired ice cream company based in Brooklyn, and she’s one of the sharpest founders in the ice cream game. We talk about Pooja’s big idea for Malai and dig into her <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Malai-Frozen-Desserts-Inspired-Flavors/dp/B0D5WKNFTC" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debut cookbook</a>. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1393739959" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Apple</a>, or star us on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3LsLXfnYt6Ugml415hyUfh?si=71a9e1c8df324372" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. We’d love to hear from you.  See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

It's Always Ice Cream Season with Tyler Malek (Salt & Straw) & Pooja Bavishi (Malai)

We love catching up with Nicole Rucker. She’s a Los Angeles–based chef and owner of the wildly creative pie shops <a href="https://www.fatandflourla.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fat + Flour</a>. She’s also the author of a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593801784?tag=randohouseinc7986-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new cookbook</a>, which covers some of the iconic pies at the shop and so much more. In this episode, we catch up about her favorite Los Angeles restaurants, have a blast debating fruit fillings, and cover all the big decisions a home baker needs to make.Also in the episode, we have a terrific conversation with Shaily Lipa. She’s the author of a really cool new cookbook, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Yassou-Simple-Seasonal-Mediterranean-Cooking/dp/1648291856" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yassou: The Simple, Seasonal Mediterranean Cooking of Greece</a>. We talk about all the foods she ate traveling through Greece while growing up and so much more.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1393739959" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Apple</a>, or star us on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3LsLXfnYt6Ugml415hyUfh?si=71a9e1c8df324372" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. We’d love to hear from you. See more:<ul><li><a href="https://tastecooking.com/taste-podcast-40-nicole-rucker/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This Is TASTE 40: Nicole Rucker</a> [TASTE]</li><li><a href="https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2025-04-15/baking-nicole-rucker-fat-flour-cookbook" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Founder of Fat + Flour Busts the Biggest Baking Myth</a> [LA Times]</li></ul>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

Big James Beard Thoughts and Buttery Baking Trends with Nicole Rucker

The meme can be funny, biting, poignant, and oftentimes ubiquitous. Eli Sussman, a talented <a href="https://www.gertrudes.nyc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">chef</a> and cookbook author, has mastered the art of the culinary meme with his IG account, @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesussmans/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheSussmans</a>. Eli is a proud Michigander, and on this special episode, we talk about the state’s bounty and how Michigan’s sustainably farmed, artisanal spirits brand <a href="https://thatchersorganic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thatcher's Organic Artisan Spirits</a> is channeling the state’s produce in its line of liqueurs. We discuss how Eli mixes and cooks with Thatcher’s, and we go over some of his favorite Michigan restaurants.Also on the show is a fun conversation with Matt DeLong. Matt leads Thatcher’s commitment to organic ingredients and sustainable practices as well as its unique portfolio of flavors. We talk about the process of flavor development—and how hibiscus is actually quite versatile in the kitchen.This episode was supported by <a href="https://thatchersorganic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thatcher’s Organic Artisan Spirits</a>.  See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

This Is TASTE by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

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