Special Sauce: Recent Episodes
Ed Levine
On this episode of Special Sauce, Adam Chandler talks about his new book ‘99% Perspiration’ which explores the history of work in America. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
On this episode of Special Sauce we revisit our chocolate-centric conversation with Mr. Chocolate himself Jacques Torres just in time for Valentine’s Day. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Super Bowl is coming up, so for Super Bowl party food advice who better to turn to than Kenji. The man loves chicken wings and pizza and he gives us some sage advice about making them at home. But he does not love football. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
After falling in love with Italy, my good friend engineer and serial entrepreneur Bob Lang and his wife, environmental writer Alice Outwater, decided to buy a three acre vineyard called La Collina Delle Amici (The Hill of Friends) in Piedmont in 2021. How’s it going for them so far? Well, we’re going to find out...
On this episode of Special Sauce, grassroots food activist and farmer Karen Washington joins us to spread her message of food justice, the concept that healthy, nutritious food is a human right.
On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into the definition, history, and evolution of the New York pizza slice with Scott’s Pizza Tours founder Scott Wiener.
On this episode of Special Sauce we pay tribute to the great author, chef and cooking teacher Raghavan Iyer. He introduced much of America to the joys of cooking and eating Indian food. We talked to Raghavan last in March of 2023 about his life, his work, and the last book he ever wrote, “On...
With the new year fast approaching we thought we would help bring it in by re-releasing — or should I say reheating — one of our favorite ‘Special Sauce’ episodes of all time. It features both my extraordinary conversation with Michelle Zauner and a great talk about the relationship between food and music with Kenji....
On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will meet Roy Shvartzapel, who makes transcendent panettone at his LA online bakery From Roy.
With the holiday season in full swing, this serious eater’s attention turns to eating and baking cookies. And who better to shoot the breeze with on this rich topic than author and baker Erin Jeanne McDowell, who has been called the fairy godmother of baking. She’s got some tricks for us.
On this episode of Special Sauce The New York Times’s wine writer Eric Asimov shares his democratic and unsnobby approach to both food and wine, which invites newcomers and longtime enthusiasts to explore their own wine experiences.
On this episode of Special Sauce I talk to author and fellow pie lover Stacey Mei Yan Fong about her new book ’50 Pies, 50 States, An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the U.S. Through Pie’.
In part two of our discussion, Ruth Reichl and I get into how the American government has played a major role in corrupting our food system.
On this episode of Special Sauce legendary food critic Ruth Reichl talks about the documentary film “Food & Country” which she stars in and co-produced.
On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to Sullivan Street Bakery founder Jim Lahey about his revolutionary no-knead bread making technique.
On this episode of Special Sauce, Kenji and I dig deep into his (almost) foolproof pan pizza recipe.
On this episode of Special Sauce we meet Rollen Chalmers, a third-generation African-American rice farmer based in South Carolina, who is reclaiming his roots one grain of Carolina Gold rice at a time.
What happens when food writers take Ozempic? New York Magazine’s Adam Platt and I discuss our experiences with the weight loss drug on this episode of Special Sauce.
Ah potatoes! How do we love them? Let me count the ways. Perfectly crispy, salty french fries, golden brown herb coated roasted potatoes, creamy smooth mashed potatoes. The not so lowly spud has been an intense field of inquiry for our friend Kenji Lopez Alt for years now. For this week’s re-heated episode, he and...
For this episode of Special Sauce Sasha Marx and Katie Leaird return for more pasta wisdom and pleasure.
For this episode of Special Sauce we’re re-heating our conversation with Kenji Lopez-Alt from last summer about veggie grilling tips. And we’ll be back this fall with fresh episodes featuring Alice Waters, Kenji, and the latest trends in pizza.
On this episode of Special Sauce we’re talking all things pasta with Chefsteps.com’s editorial director Sasha Marx and Martha’s Vineyard Pasta’s Katie Leaird, who makes the best fresh bucatini I have ever tasted.
This week on Special Sauce the NYT’s Kim Severson gives us the lowdown on Kamala Harris’ passion for cooking. Plus we discuss the history of presidential cooking in the White House.
This week on Special Sauce we talk to the Spice Whisperer, chef and owner of the online spice store La Boite NY, Lior Lev Sercarz. Lior is on a mission to inform people about where spices come from, how they grow, what they look like in their natural environment, and ultimately, how to be inspired...
This week on Special Sauce you’ll meet 13 time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani, who is determined to spread his good pizza gospel to every corner of the U.S.
This week on Special Sauce violin virtuoso Jame Ehnes dishes on his live cooking and musical collaboration with Kenji that’s coming up in Seattle on July 19th.
This episode of Special Sauce is particularly special. You’ll hear the remarkable life story of celebrated Mexican chef Lalo Garcia as told by Lalo himself and his biographer Laura Tillman.
Ever wonder what’s happening with the United Farm Workers union? I did, so I interviewed the UFW Communications Director Antonio De Loera-Brust. It turns that there’s a lot happening, actually.
Grilling season is here and Kenji offers up some great grilling tips so that even the most casual backyard cook can up their game. Who knew that mayo can be your secret grilling weapon.
The great pastry chef and chocolate maker Jacques Torres wrote one of my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. On this episode we chat about that recipe, the role of salt, and what chocolate to use. Plus we hear from some serious eaters on the crispy vs. gooey cookie debate.
Los Angeles Chef Justin Pichetrungsi on choosing his family's restaurant over Disney animation.
On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into dogs, hot dogs that is, with JJ Goode.
Hamissi Mamba discusses his journey to success from his native Burundi to the vibrant food scene in Detroit.
Kenji Lopez-Alt and Ed Levine and cook eggs and tomatoes in a wok onstage at the Bell House in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Barbecue evangelist Rodney Scott gives serious eaters great tips for our July 4th backyard barbecues.
This week's guest on Special Sauce is the extraordinary bread baker, chef and pizzaiolo Rick Easton.
Chicago Chef Beverly Kim tells us how how she went beyond serving food to serving her community.
This week on Special Sauce, the James Beard Award-winning chef Beverly Kim on the difficulties of maintaining a work-life balance in the restaurant business.
Indian food evangelist Raghavan Iyer's insights on curry history and how living with his cancer diagnosis changed his outlook on food and life.
Raghavan Iyer on his personal food journey, from the family table in Mumbai to a publishing lunch at Betty Crocker that changed his life.
Kenji shares his secrets to both seriously delicious french fries and perfect roasted potatoes.
Food writer JJ Goode on overcoming physical limitations that might have held him back from success.
Milk Bar co-founder Christina Tosi on her extraordinary journey from home baker to pastry chef to entrepreneur
On this episode of Special Sauce Kenji, The New Yorker's Helen Rosner, and I dig further into the first season of 'The Bear'.
Kenji and The New Yorker's Helen Rosner reflect on the first season of the compelling TV show The Bear.
On this episode of Special Sauce we take a deep dive into scrambled eggs with eggspert egg maker J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Pete Wells and Brett Anderson of The New York Times and The New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield on what what they're excited about and worried about for restaurants in 2023.
The New York Times's Pete Wells and Brett Anderson, and The New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield about what and where they ate in 2022.
Food truck Harlem Seafood & Soul's Tami Treadwell tells her truly remarkable story in this week's episode.
On this classic Thanksgiving themed episode of Special Sauce, listeners emailed us vexing Turkey Day questions.
On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will hear all about Christine Ha's post MasterChef life.
The first part of blind chef-restaurateur and MasterChef winner Christine Ha's incredible story.
Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts takes us on his wild journey through the preservation of Ancient Grains.
Food blogger Kristina Cho details her unlikely career path from architectural designer to two time James Beard Award-winning author.
Chef and author Vishwesh Bhatt details his remarkable journey from India to Mississippi.
Fly by Jing founder Jing Gao talks about finding herself through the foods her company makes.
We continue the pizza conversation with pizzaiola Anthony Mangieri and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman.
On this week's Special Sauce Dan Richer, chef and owner of Jersey City's Razza, one of the country's best pizzerias, talks to us about his obsessive Joy of Pizza, which just so happens to be the title of his new book. And because NYT restaurant critic...
On this week's Special Sauce Detroit food activist and Food Lab Detroit founder Devita Davidson has a lot to say about how government, entrpreneurs, and the private sector can and should work together to form a better food system. Plus...
On Part II of our live Special Sauce, Kenji and I successfully cooked eggs and tomatoes in a wok onstage and I didn't get fired as his sous-chef for inadequately chopping the scallions. We also revived the Ask Kenji feature as he talks about...
For our first ever live Special Sauce Kenji and I talked about his new #1 NYT Best-Seller The Wok, how family life has become the center of his existence, and how Sir Paul McCartney gave him an autograph after McCartney's security team tackled him on...
On this week’s episode of , NY State Senator and Food and Labor Activist returns to talk about the next set of problems she's tackling. And tells us about the Colombian soup that is his wife's favorite.
On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Japanese Breakfast's returns to talk about her two Grammy nominations and writing the script for a Crying in H Mart feature film. Plus, weighs in on the natural kinship between food and music.
On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed catches up with writer Laurie Woolever, author of Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography. Like many people during the pandemic she's turned to sourdough bread baking because she's writing a bread...