andrew friedman

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!

Shortly before she took home the JBF Award as Outstanding Restaurateur this spring, legendary Philly restaurateur Ellen Yin of High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, High Street Philly, et.al.) sat down with Andrew at the Philly Chef Conference.  Their conversation is the first of something we plan to do more of: Deskside Chats with seasoned industry pros that go wherever the dialogue takes them. In this inaugural Deskside Chat, Ellen shares her thoughts on the state of the industry post/late-COVID, the importance of a well-defined culture in retaining employees, and the challenges that make some longstanding issues (we're looking at you, tipping) especially difficult to solve.

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 next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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!

A lifelong food lover, Amanda Shulman's love of cuisine and cooking became all consuming during a semester in Rome during college.  Following a string of stages and early jobs, she committed to the pro kitchen and trained in Vegas, Montreal, and New York City, before opening her hugely successful Her Place in Philadelphia. On this episode, Amanda discusses her unique path, the role Italy plays in her career, and her new restaurant My Loup, opened recently in collaboration with her fiancée Alex Kemp.  (This episode was recorded at the Hot Luck festival in Austin, TX.)

This episode is brought to you in part by meez, the recipe operating system for culinary professionals. Try out their free basic version today.

Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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!

If you enjoy Andrew Talks to Chefs, you also may already have discovered Emmanuel Laroche's terrific podcast Flavors Unknown. On today's episode, Emmanuel joins Andrew to discuss his new book Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door: 50 American Chefs Chart Today's Food Culture, a fascinating meditation on chefs, food, cooking, flavor, and creativity in the kitchen. (Pro-tip: It'd make a great holiday gift for the chef or foodie in your life.) Andrew and Emmanuel discuss the inspiration for his book, and tangential subjects that come up along the way--a rap session between two people who love following the chef and restaurant scene in the United States. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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!

One of the most influential contemporary American chefs, Alfred Portale, joins us to discuss his early, formative days; the Italian-American influence on his culinary sensibility; and the pleasures of opening his current restaurant, the self-titled Italian restaurant Portale in New York  City's Chelsea neighborhood. (Alfred also happens to be the chef who gave Andrew his big break, when he hired him to coauthor his first cookbook.)

And in The Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, Patricia Howard and Ed Szymanski of Dame restaurant in New York City, discuss their recent decision (also made by several other chef/owners) to require proof of vaccination for indoor diners.

And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)

Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

The Korean steakhouse Cote, in New York City, has been a stylish highlight of Manhattan's dining scene since opening a few years ago. The restaurant's chef, David Shim, guested on the pod in 2019, and now we're delighted to welcome Cote's charismatic impresario, restaurateur Simon Kim. From an outdoor table at Cote, Simon shares his story, from a childhood in South Korea to immigrating to the United States to working in Las Vegas hotels, to discovering a love of restaurants and learning to run them himself. 

Cote is also participating in S.Pellegrino’s (our promotional partner) inaugural Destination Dining series, in which pairs of restaurants on the East and West Coasts exchange dishes for one week each. 

For more about Destination Dining, see the recent article about the program on Fine Dining Lovers.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

Barbara Sibley came to New York City from Mexico in the early 1980s and fell in love with the restaurant industry thanks to time working at the storied La Tulipe in Greenwich Village. Today, she owns and operates La Palapa, an authentic Mexican restaurant, and is creative director of Holiday Cocktail Lounge, in the East Village. Barbara and Andrew caught up recently in the garden behind Holiday Cocktail Lounge and discussed a wide range of industry, and non-industry, subjects.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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 our money, there's no better writer in the food realm today than John Birdsall. In his new book The Man Who Ate Too Much, a biography of James Beard that commingles the icon's life story with a history of both America's relationship with food and queer life in the United States. John spent five years researching and writing the book, producing a brilliant and moving work. We invited John on the pod to discuss the life of this little understood figure, John's writing process, and topics related to John's work and Beard's life.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

Friend of the pod David Nayfeld, one of our favorite recurring guests, has launched his own podcast, The Main Ingredient with David Nayfeld, cohosted and produced by Manny Jimenez (aka Manny J) . David checks in from San Francisco to talk about his new show, why he launched, it some of his first guests (including Dominique Crenn and Gwyneth Paltrow). And, of course, he and Andrew can't help a little shop talk along the way.

If you enjoy this episode of the show, check out our earlier conversations with David:

Episode 61: David Nayfeld & Angela Pinkerton

Special Report #36: David Nayfeld on the Changes that Need to be Made

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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 culinary circles, chef Mark Ladner is widely admired for his versatility in the realm of Italian food: He created the very distinct menus for restaurants ranging from Lupa to Otto to Del Posto to the fast-casual Pasta Flyer. Currently, he's culinary director of Moby's restaurant in East Hampton, NY.

Andrew drove out to Moby's to catch up with Mark on the day he staged a one-night-only Italian barbecue--a special event created in partnership with our own promotional partner S.Pellegrino. As always, this analytic and introspective chef had many thoughtful things to share about cooking in general, and about the moment we all find ourselves in today.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

Author Bill Buford recently debuted his new book Dirt, about his adventures in Lyon, France, training to be a professional cook and chef. That might sound like a stunt, but Buford--who also wrote the bestselling Heat, among many other literary accomplishments--actually went to cooking school and put in the hard yards in prep kitchens, and on the line. He and Andrew discuss key moments from the book and compare notes on pro kitchens, France, and some iconic figures.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

Food and drinks writer and recipe developer Alicia Kennedy and Plate magazine editor in-chief (and former pro cook) Chandra Ram discuss two subjects that have been in the news recently: Recipe credit in restaurants and the media's role in creating and expunging bad kitchen behavior.

This episode was occasioned by the articles "There's No I in Jam: Sqirl Wrestles with the Sticky Question of Who Really Owns a Recipe" and  "How Food Media Created Monsters in the Kitchen."

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

Learn more about Alicia Kennedy (subscribe to her newsletter and please consider supporting her work). She also has a cool podcast, Meatless.

Learn more about Chandra Ram and Plate.

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!

Allison and Matt Robicelli are back for a new Shelter en Place discussion of the food & drink of Quentin Tarantino's classic Pulp Fiction. What's with all the coffee? The fast food? Why does Mia Wallace take Vincent Vega to the wacky Jack Rabbit Slim's for their (not a) date? We get into all that and more in this free-range conversation about one of everybody's favorite movies.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

If you enjoy this episode, check out our prior Shelter en Place reviews:

Shelter en Place: Burnt with Bradley Cooper

Shelter en Place: Jon Favreau’s Chef

Shelter en Place: Demolition Man

Shelter en Place: Dinner Rush

Shelter en Place: Hannibal

Shelter en Place: Defending Your Life

Shelter en Place: Little Italy

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!

The LEE Initiative has been working to improve the restaurant industry for several years, with programs like a women's chef mentorship program. When COVID-19 swept across the United States, shuttering restaurants and leaving millions of industry employees out of work, founders Edward Lee, Lindsey Ofcacek, and their team instituted a number of new programs to help workers, farms, and other industry constituents across the United States.

On this episode, Edward and Lindsey take time out from their brutal schedules to discuss the origins of the Initiative, how it applies restaurant principles to philanthropy, what its latest relief efforts are, and how listeners (this means you) can help.

Learn more and contribute to the LEE Initiative via their website.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

A blast of normalcy in a longform biographical interview recorded pre-pandemic!

In late January, before COVID-19 hit US shores and we shifted to nightly special reports, Andrew had the chance to sit down with Douglass Williams, who's had an amazing young life so far. Raised in Atlantic City, knocked off his path to track stardom by Crohn's disease as a teenager, and a graduate of Michelin-starred kitchens, Douglass has made a name for himself at Boston's Mida restaurant, where he was recently named a Food + Wine Best New Chef for 2020.

Hope you enjoy our return to our regular format of shows with this fascinating guest.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

On our last nightly special report, Daniel Boulud discusses the shutdown, the road to reopening, and the pain of being away from his team, as well as charitable efforts during the pandemic and his forecast for government support of the industry.

Our great thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

Ryan King, editor in chief of the online magazine Fine Dining Lovers, takes us inside the numbers of two recent surveys conducted by the site, one with 8,000 diners and one with more than 2,500 hospitality professionals. He also discusses the online forum Turning the Tables, hosted by Fine Dining Lovers this week, that gathered industry thought leaders from around the world to discuss what a post-pandemic dining landscape might look like,

Our great thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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!

On the week the French Open would have begun, veteran tennis writer Joel Drucker joins fellow tennis-lover Andrew to discuss food rituals and other traditions that he associates with the major tennis tournaments, the global community of tennis scribes, and what it's like to chase summer around the globe during a normal tennis season. (Follow Joel's Twitter feed here.)

Our great thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

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 our first-ever crossover episode, Rob Petrone--producer and host of the Hot Takes on a Plate podcast--joins Andrew to discuss the prospects of restaurants in a post-pandemic America, and Andrew joins Rob on his podcast to share his thoughts on the politics of the moment.

Please enjoy this conversation, and then check out Rob's podcast!

Our great thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

If you enjoy this episode, you might enjoy these vintage Andrew Talks to Chefs conversations:

Hot Takes on a Plate (Rob Petrone's podcast)

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 quest for great chef- and food-focused entertainment continues, as it does every Friday, with a look back at the Albert Brooks comedy and stealth food film Defending Your Life. Allison and Matt Robicelli join Andrew to discuss the prospect of guilt-free, consequence-free dining; why Heaven reminds us of Vegas ... or is it Disney World?; and Allison reveals a secret of The Simpsons that the world needs to know about.

Our great thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is 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 information.

If you enjoy this episode, you might enjoy these vintage Andrew Talks to Chefs conversations:

Shelter en Place: Burnt with Bradley Cooper

Shelter en Place: Jon Favreau's Chef

Shelter en Place: Demolition Man

Shelter en Place: Dinner Rush

Shelter en Place: Hannibal

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!