Nancy Silverton on The Cookie That Changed My Life, her new book (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

The Taste of Things is one of the most celebrated films of the past year, a beautifully rendered love story set amid an important chapter in culinary history. On this ATTC Special Conversation, the film's writer-director Trần Anh Hùng joins us from Paris to discuss the genesis of the film, what attracted him to the project, the involvement of chef Pierre Gagnaire, and working with actors Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel. 

Our thanks to Metro for their support. Visit their website today to learn more about how they can make your restaurant kitchen and office more efficient. 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Friends of the pod Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger check in from Los Angeles to discuss the evolution of chefs and other industry figures making a difference by devoting time, effort, and resources to a variety of causes. In addition to their own substantial work on behalf of organizations such as The Abundance Setting, the James Beard Foundation, The Los Angeles LGBT Center, The National Scleroderma Foundation, Regarding HER, and Share Our Strength, the dynamic duo talk about the rewards of giving back, how they involve young culinary professionals in this work, and ways of maximizing the power of individuals and the industry as a whole.

Our thanks to Metro for their support. Visit their website today to learn more about how they can make your restaurant kitchen and office more efficient. 

(Photo by Shilah Montiel.)

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

This week, the chef and restaurant community suddenly lost one of its most talented and influential figures. David Bouley, who rose to prominence at Montrachet and Bouley restaurants in the 1980s, died of cardiac arrest at age 70. To remember this towering culinary figure, we are sharing a previously unaired interview recorded at Bouley restaurant in its then-current home in 2014. Our condolences to David's family and to the community of admirers, colleagues, and friends he leaves behind.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

In October 2023, Max Natmessnig and Marco Prins returned to Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, where they once were cooks, as co-chefs of the celebrated tasting-menu restaurant. Four months into their tenure, they sat down with Andrew to share their individual and joint stories, describe their collaborative creative process, and explain their their attraction to New York City.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

MIami's Brad Kilgore displays an easygoing demeanor beneath which resides a precise and driven chef. When Brad and his colleagues hosted Andrew for a book event last fall at the Arlo Hotel Wynwood (home of Brad's MaryGold's Brasserie), the two of them sat down to record this interview. In it they discuss myriad subjects including Brad's adoption of the principles of Molecular and Modernist Cuisines, his time in some of the best restaurants in Chicago, and his plans for the future, including Pizza Freak Co., an already launched direct-to-doorstep frozen pizza venture. 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

While visiting his hometown of Miami, Florida, during his recent book tour, Andrew finally  had the chance to meet and interview with chef Michael Beltran of Ariete, Chug's Diner, and Eva and The Oyster Bar--all in Coconut Grove. Michael is also the host of the excellent Pan Con Podcast, which you should by all means check out. After years of corresponding by Instagram messages, Andrew and MIchael sat down for a conversation that is shared differently on their two shows: Michael and producer Nicolás Antonio Jiménez (who produced the session, and recorded and mixed the sound) ran the entire two-plus-hour dialogue on Pan Con Podcast. We're sharing pieces of it here as Special Conversations, starting with this episode about how a chef can stay true to themself while also drawing and satisfying customers. It's an honest, frank conversation that we think is very timely and entertaining.

Our thanks to Metro for their support. Visit their website today to learn more about how they can make your restaurant kitchen and office more efficient. 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Our fourth Mentorship panel was staged this past fall in Andrew's hometown of Miami, Florida, at the much-acclaimed  Maty's, part of the Itamae family of restaurants. As chef Valerie "Val" Chang and her crew prepared dinner for a full house of line cooks from around the city, her brother and business partner Nando Chang took to the mic along with his longtime protege Adriano Montano. Their unique story--both are musicians and Adriano continues to pursue his career alongside his now five-year (and going) stint with the Itamae group. This latest installment in our six-part LIVE! national series offers much wisdom on hiring and management, and a touching (and not uncommon) story of a cook finding the kitchen almost by accident, and deciding to stay there.

(Be sure to also listen to the other episodes in this series, which are conveniently gathered in an archive on our website.)

* photo by Middle River Arts

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

**Content warning – this episode (briefly) discusses attempted suicide.**

Sam Hart took a circuitous route to the professional kitchen. After a childhood in which cooking and food weren't especially central concerns, Sam was in a career in advertising when culinary inspiration struck, leading to jobs in such kitchens as  Alinea, and ultimately to becoming chef owner of Counter- and other concepts in Charlotte, NC. Andrew and Sam sat down a few months back to go through their fascinating career and creative arc.

Please note: If experiencing suicidal feelings, for professional and/or medical advice/attention, please seek help from an appropriate mental health care specialist and/or medical provider.

If you are in the U.S., here are two resources where you can seek help any day, at any time:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Crisis Text Line (also available in the UK, Ireland, and Canada)

A great many national and regional resources are available, both in the US and around the world. If in the United States, you can seek a referral here. Wherever you are, a quick web search should point you to qualified help in your area and/or language.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

For the first time in three hundred episodes, we're turning the tables on Andrew and sitting him in the hot seat, a.k.a. the guest's chair, to take you inside his new book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food. Fellow writer and author Chandra Ram, of Food & Wine, takes the helm to ask Andrew all about the book: where the idea came from, what the research entailed, how difficult it was traveling and interviewing during the recent pandemic, and what the key takeaways from the book are. We've also layered in excerpts from the audio book, read by chef MIchael Lomonaco, to bring some sections Chandra and Andrew discuss to vivid life.

To order The Dish, please visit HarperCollin's book page, from which you can navigate to your favorite online bookseller. (Or purchase from a local, independent bookseller if you are able.)

Since 2019, Andrew Talks to Chefs has been a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Cafe Mars, a six-month old restaurant in Gowanus, Brooklyn, has made quite an impression on guests and awards-bestowers alike with its unique brand of hospitality, which extends to both staff and guests, erasing many of the invisible boundaries long associated with dining out. Everybody on staff is cross-trained for the kitchen, dining room, and bar; the team closes out their preshift meeting with a stretching exercise; and guests are received and cared for with a familiarity that resonates with a growing fan base. You can call this enlightened hospitality, or (as Andrew suggests in the interview) holistic hospitality. To our guests today--beverage director Madalyn Summers and chefs Paul D'Avino and Jorge Olarte--it's just hospitality, and they hope, fun, Whatever you call it, it won the restaurant a Michelin Guide New York award for Service this year. A conversation that any restaurant professional will take something valuable from.

Our thanks to Metro for their support. Visit their website today to learn more about how they can make your restaurant kitchen and office more efficient. 

Andrew’s NEW book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now ON SALE! Read the book Publishers Weekly calls "masterful," and the Wall Street Journal says "takes the reader on an adventure."

Since 2019, Andrew Talks to Chefs has been a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!