brooklyn chefs

A native of Iran who once dreamed of becoming a judge, Nasim Alikhani's road to chefdom and proprietorship has been a circuitous one, to say the least. But she's more than made up for lost time at her hit Brooklyn restaurant Sofreh, where she serves her personal take on Persian cuisine. As the restaurant settles into the second half of its first decade, Nasim has also just this week seen her first cookbook published: Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine (written in collaboration with Theresa Gambacorta). In this episode, Nasim sits down with Andrew to share her story, the meaning of sofreh to both restaurant and book, some distinct characteristics of Persian food, and the lessons she's learned along the way.

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!

In our humble estimation, the food Marc St. Jacques and his team serve at Bar Bête, is some of the very best not just in Brooklyn, but in New York City, especially in such a relatively casual bistro setting and at a relatively gentle price point. Marc recently opened what's shaping up as an American answer to Bar Bête, Ruthie's, just a block up Smith Street in Cobble Hill. The new restaurant has undergone a few significant tweaks in just its first few months; in his conversation with Andrew, Marc opens up not just about his Canadian roots and culinary training, but also about launching a new restaurant, acknowledging and correcting mistakes, and the challenge of getting the word out if you don't have a PR firm or social-media manager. He also discusses the workplace culture that's helped Bar Bête retain many of its original employees since opening three years ago. 

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.

photo by Evan Sung

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!

Chef Charlie Mitchell is enjoying his first turn in the public spotlight, and the ripple effects of earning his first Michelin star, at Clover Hill in Brooklyn Heights, NY--a restaurant that Andrew recently lauded on the pod. On today's episode, Charlie discusses his young life and career to date, including stints at San Francisco's Benu, and Betony, One White Street, and Eleven Madison Park in New York City. He and Andrew also kick around some topics that are on the minds of industry professionals as 2022 draws to a close. 

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!

Damarr Brown, chef de cuisine of Chicago's acclaimed Virtue restaurant, has spent most of his young life and career in the same city. For several years, he cooked for Virtue's executive chef-owner Erick Williams at MK, then spent time in the kitchen at Alinea Group's Roister, and since the inception of Virtue has been back in collaboration with Chef Williams. On this episode, Damarr discusses his early life and first interest in food and cooking, the decisions he's made on the path to his current success, and his apparel line, Say It How You Feel It.

And in our weekly news and commentary segment The Line Up, chef-owner Greg Baxtrom of Brooklyn's Olmsted and Maison Yaki, discusses the current industry hiring crisis from the point of view of one independent owner-operator.

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.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. 

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!