Special Sauce with Ed Levine
357 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★ - 324 ratingsSerious Eats' podcast Special Sauce enables food lovers everywhere to eavesdrop on an intimate conversation about food and life between host and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine and his well-known/famous friends and acquaintances both in and out of the food culture.
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Episodes
Jacques Torres - hot chocolate
March 29, 2024 22:30 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBThis week on Special Sauce we talk hot chocolate with Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres. Jacques makes my favorite hot chocolate mix.
Kenji and Deb: The Recipe Podcast
March 22, 2024 19:30 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBThis week on Special Sauce we get the backstory of Deb Perelman and J. Kenji Lopez Alt's brand new podcast The Recipe.
Slow Noodles: A Story of Love, Loss, and Resilience
March 15, 2024 23:20 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBThis week on Special Sauce we hear the remarkable story of Chantha Nguon, a Cambodian woman who suffers unbearable losses and unspeakable tragedies suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge by imagining the taste of her mother's cooking.
Dorie Greenspan's Cookie Advice
March 08, 2024 23:30 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBThis week on Special Sauce Dorie Greenspan zooms in from Paris with lots of helpful cookie baking advice.
Nancy Silverton: Foolproof Baker's Recipes
March 01, 2024 22:55 - 38 minutes - 53.5 MBThis week on Special Sauce, James Beard Award-winning chef and baker Nancy Silverton talks about her new book ‘The Cookie that Changed My Life’. Any serious eater who loves to bake should check it out.
Dorie Greenspan's Low Key Baking Brilliance
February 24, 2024 01:30 - 26 minutes - 36.4 MBThis week on Special Sauce we get some brilliant, common sense home baking advice from home baking wizard Dorie Greenspan.
Burlap and Barrel Pt 2
February 16, 2024 23:57 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBThis week on Special we continue our deep dive into the world of dried spices with Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar, founders of Burlap & Barrel. And we hear from some serious eaters about their experiences with buying, using and storing their dried spices.
Jacques Torres, Mr. Chcocolate Redux
February 09, 2024 22:00 - 28 minutes - 38.8 MBFor Valentine's Day I dug up this classic interview with Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres. He gives us a succinct master class in making bean to bar chocolate, from growing the cacao beans to making milk, dark, and white chocolate creations to sell in his shops and online.
Crystal Wilkinson On Kitchen Ghosts
February 02, 2024 22:42 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBThis week on Special Sauce I talk with former Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson, author of the culinary memoir, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks.
Burlap and Barrel
January 26, 2024 22:06 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week on Special Sauce we talk to the good guy spice whisperers Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar, who are the founders of the socially conscious spice company Burlap & Barrel. They are on a mission to to build new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent, and traceable.
Toni Tipton Martin 2: African American Cocktails and More
January 19, 2024 21:06 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBThis week on Special Sauce we delve deeper into Toni Tipton Martin's seminal research into African-American cooking and cocktails.
Toni Tipton Martin: African-American Cookbooks
January 12, 2024 22:23 - 26 minutes - 36.2 MBThis week on Special Sauce we talk African American Cookbooks with Cook's Country editor in chief, food historian, and writer Toni Tipton Martin.
Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell Redux, Part 2
January 05, 2024 22:55 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBThis week on Special Sauce we hear part 2 of one of our favorite interviews of 2022 with the inimitable Tami Treadwell, the charismatic founder of Harlem Seafood Soul.
Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell Redux, Part 1
December 29, 2023 20:00 - 38 minutes - 52.7 MBThis week on Special Sauce we're repeating the first of two great interviews with Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell.
George Motz: What Makes A Great Burger
December 22, 2023 20:00 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBThis week on Special Sauce we hear more about what makes a great burger with Hamburger America's George Motz
George Motz: Hamburger America
December 15, 2023 22:30 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBThs week on Special Sauce I catch up with my old running partner George Motz, America's first bona fide burger scholar. George has just opened his very own burger joint Hamburger America.
Fuschia Dunlop on Chinese Cuisine, Part 2
December 08, 2023 22:00 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBThis week on Special Sauce we go really deep into Fuschia Dunlop's latest book, ‘Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food’. It just got a rave front page review from NYT book critic Dwight Garner.
Fuchsia Dunlop on Chinese Cuisine
December 01, 2023 23:15 - 25 minutes - 29.3 MBThis week on Special Sauce, we’ll hear about Fuchsia Dunlop’s journey from her first Chinese cooking classes to the researching and writing of her 7th book, Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food. We'll find out what she's learned about the country's history and culture in her many years of exploring Chinese cuisine, and why she says she'll never get bored of eating and writing about Chinese food.
Thanksgiving Leftovers with Kenji and Deb
November 24, 2023 20:00 - 18 minutes - 24.9 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Kenji Lopez Alt and Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman come to our rescue with some helpful hints about what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers.
Thanksgiving: Kenji and Deb Reduce Your Stress
November 17, 2023 22:30 - 45 minutes - 62.9 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Kenji and Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman give us some tips on how to cook up a Thanksgiving feast in a small space without stressing out.
Hetty McKinnon: The Vegetable Whisperer Part 2
November 10, 2023 20:36 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBThis week on Special Sauce we hear more about the joy of vegetables and the importance of family with “Tenderheart” author Hetty McKinnon.
Hetty McKinnon: The Vegetable Whisperer
November 03, 2023 21:15 - 31 minutes - 42.6 MBOn this week's Special Sauce I talk to food writer Hetty Liu McKinnon.With her five vegetarian cookbooks, her popular Substack newsletter, and her ingenious vegetarian recipes for the New York Times, food writer Hetty has been called the vegetable whisperer, and rightfully so.
Hunger Pangs Part 2: A Father and Son Connect Through Food
October 27, 2023 17:30 - 29 minutes - 33.7 MBLast week, we got an inside look at the father son relationship at the heart of the YouTube series, Hunger Pangs. This time we pick up our conversation with Kevin Pak, the Editorial director of Digital at America's Test Kitchen and his dad, Jeffrey, and learn about how they transformed their success online into a new book, A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China & Not China (But Still Really Chinese).
Hunger Pangs Part 1: A Chinese-American Family Food Saga
October 20, 2023 19:00 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce I talk to food writer Kevin Pang and his dad Jeffrey about how they bridged their substantial generation gap through their shared love of food and cooking.
Chrissy Kinsman Part 2: Pie Baking Tips For All of Us
October 13, 2023 20:00 - 29 minutes - 40.3 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce the great "pie-stress" Chrissy Kinsman is back with pie tips for amateur baking.
Chrissy Kinsman: A Life of Pie
October 06, 2023 19:00 - 21 minutes - 29.1 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce the great pie baker Chrissy Kinsman of Pie Chicks on Martha's Vineyard tells us about the trials and tribulations of trying to make a living selling pies year round on a sparsely populated island.
Dorie Greenspan Redux: Reflections of a Legendary Baker
September 29, 2023 19:30 - 48 minutes - 55.2 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we revisit my nifty 2016 conversation with the legendary baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan, which became one of our most popular episodes of all time. Fast-forward to the fall of 2023, when many a serious eater's thoughts normally turn to baking. When I listened to Dorie's old episode I was struck by how relevant our nearly ten year-old conversation still was in 2023. So we thought it would be fun to re-post the old episode now. And rest assu...
Ann Kim 2: A Korean-American Chef's Story
September 22, 2023 21:02 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Ann Kim talks about the evolution of her relationship with her Korean parents. You won't believe what happened when Ann invited her parents to her about to open first restaurant Pizzeria Lola.
Ann Kim: A Working Actor's Unusual Path to James Beard Award-winning Chefdom
September 15, 2023 21:00 - 34 minutes - 47.9 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce I talk to the James Beard award winning chef Ann Kim. Ann opened her first restaurant, Pizzeria Lola, in Minneapolis in 2010 without ever having cooked professionally. In fact, she was a working actor before she realized that it was cooking that made her happy.
JJ Goode on Hot Dogs Part 2
September 08, 2023 22:00 - 24 minutes - 33.1 MBOn this episode of Special we dig still deeper into America's regional hot dog styles with food writer JJ Goode, who just wrote an entertaining and informative guide to American regional hot dog styles for the NYT.
JJ Goode on Hot Dogs Part 1
September 01, 2023 19:00 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into dogs, hot dogs that is, with JJ Goode, who wrote a guide to regional hot dogs styles for the NY Times. We also checked in with a few hot dog devotees and got their hot take on one of the world's most popular foods.
Grilling Veggies with Kenji
August 25, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Kenji is back with some tips for grilling vegetables.
Grilling Chicken and Fish with Kenji
August 18, 2023 19:00 - 21 minutes - 29.5 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Kenji is back with some surefire (pun intended) tips for grilling chicken and fish.
Grilling Pizza with Kenji
August 11, 2023 16:00 - 17 minutes - 20.5 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce, we talk about the joys of grilling pizza with Kenji. J. Kenji Lopez Alt is a New York Times cooking columnist and the host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. He’s also the best selling author of The Wok, The Food Lab, and the children's book Every Night is Pizza Night.
Natasha Pickowicz: Baker & Activist
August 04, 2023 22:55 - 34 minutes - 47 MBThis week on Special Sauce we talk to pastry chef extraordinaire Natasha Pickowicz. Natasha is as the title of her new book More Than Cake implies, much more than a baker. Natasha is an original thinker, a fine writer, and a thoughtful soul. Her path to making delicious pastries is anything but typical.
Hamissi Mamba Part 2
July 28, 2023 21:30 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBThis week on Special Sauce Part 2 of my conversation with chef Hamissi Mamba, who runs the amazing East African spot Baobab Fare in Detroit with his wife Nadia Nijimbere. With the restaurant, their African market called Soko, and their street food pop-up Waka, Mamba and Nadia are building a cultural bridge between Detroit and their native Burundi. They fled their home country as refugees, determined to build new lives in the US with their children - and the traditional dishes they g...
Hamissi Mamba Part 1: From Burundi to Detroit
July 21, 2023 18:52 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThis week I'm talking with Hamissi Mamba about the long road to success from his native Burundi to the vibrant food scene in Detroit.
Kenji Live at the Bell House Redux Pt 2
July 14, 2023 19:00 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBOn the second Special Sauce episode Kenji and I did live from the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY last March we talked about his latest book ‘The Wok’, 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. Kenji also answered questions from the audience ranging from the best oil to cook with in a wok to how to involve young children in cooking. He also told us what happened when he made a crem...
Kenji Live at the Bell House Redux
July 07, 2023 21:00 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBLast March we did our first ever live to tape episode of Special Sauce with our great friend J. Kenji Lopez Alt. It was taped before a wildly appreciative audience at the Bell House in Brooklyn. We were celebrating the publication of Kenji's book ‘The Wok’. With Kenji's mother and my wife in the house it was a family affair with lots of laughter and love emanating from the stage. This past May ‘The Wok’ won a James Beard Award for best Single Subject Book, so we thought it would be ...
Rodney Scott: How to Throw a Kick-Ass July 4th Barbecue
June 30, 2023 19:00 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBThis week on Special Sauce pitmaster, chef, and whole hog barbecue evangelist Rodney Scott gives serious eaters great tips for our July 4th backyard barbecues.
Ali Slagle: The Life of a NYT Recipe Developer
June 23, 2023 22:45 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis week on Special Sauce I talk to NYT Cooking contributor Ali Slagle about her path to becoming a recipe developer. Slagle just published her first cookbook ‘I Dream of Dinner (so you don't have to)’.
Rick Easton: Eat Bread, Don't Make It
June 16, 2023 21:30 - 22 minutes - 31 MBThis week on Special Sauce, we have a chef who suggests you DON’T try his recipes at home.It’s part 2 of my conversation with Rick Easton, owner of Bread and Salt, the casual spot in NJ that draws rave reviews for its Italian breads, pizza & sandwiches. We also take a deep dive into ‘Bread and How to Eat It’, the book Rick wrote with his partner Melissa McCart.
Rick Easton: How To Eat Bread Pt. 1
June 09, 2023 19:00 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBThis week's guest on Special Sauce is the extraordinary bread baker, chef and pizzaiolo Rick Easton, who owns the terrific weekends- only Bread and Salt Bakery in Jersey City. Rick and his partner Melissa McCart have co-authored the provocative new book ‘Bread and How To Eat It’. In his review of Bread & Salt's Roman style pizza, sandwiches and bread, NYTimes food critic Pete Wells declared: "Mr. Easton has a singular vision, and it is the reason the food is so compelling."
High on the Hog's Jessica Harris Redux
June 02, 2023 19:00 - 38 minutes - 52.3 MBThis week on Special Sauce, we’ll revisit my conversation with one of our greatest food writers, Jessica Harris, who introduced many of us to the food of the African Diaspora. Jessica was awarded the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. The hit Netflix series ‘High on the Hog’, hosted by Stephen Satterfield, was based on Jessica’s book of the same name. The show is returning for its second season later this year.
Kenji and Deb on the movie Fresh
May 26, 2023 21:03 - 37 minutes - 51.2 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we're talking about the film ‘Fresh’, which Amy Nicholson in the New York Times described as a wickedly funny cannibal romance. The movie stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan and Jonica T. Gibbs Helping me savor the best cuts of the film are two terrific food writers and film enthusiasts, J. Kenji Lopez Alt and the Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman.
Jing Gao Redux
May 19, 2023 19:00 - 33 minutes - 38.1 MBOn this episode we revisit our conversation with Fly by Jing founder Jing Gao. Jing has not been idle since we spoke to her last August. She's getting ready to open Sua, a restaurant/market in LA in July. And in September her first cookbook, The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing's Kitchen, is being published.
Beverly Kim Part 2: From Cooking to Parenthood to Activism
May 12, 2023 19:00 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce James Beard Award Winning Chicago Chef Beverly Kim tells us how how she went beyond serving food to serving her community. Kim explains how she juggles motherhood, running two restaurants, and her activism.
Beverly Kim: A Chicago Chef's Delicate Balancing Act
May 05, 2023 19:00 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBThis week on Special Sauce Ed Levine talks about the difficulties of work-life balance in the restaurant biz and much more with the James Beard Award-winning chef Beverly Kim. Her first restaurant Parachute is the critically acclaimed contemporary Korean restaurant in Chicago she runs with her husband Johnny Clark. Together they won Best Chef in the Great Lakes category, at the James Beard Awards in 2019. These days Beverly and Johnny are also busy with their second restaurant, Wher...
The Menu: Kenji and the NYT's Glenn Kenny
April 28, 2023 19:00 - 29 minutes - 34.2 MBThis week on Special Sauce, Kenji and film critic Glenn Kenny dig into The Menu, the satirical horror comedy film set in an exclusive restaurant on a private island. The film, starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy, skewers foodies, the ultra wealthy, celebrity chefs, and so much more.
Anthony Mangieri & Brian Koppelman Redux
April 21, 2023 16:00 - 43 minutes - 99.8 MBThis week on Special Sauce, we're revisiting a great 2022 episode about pizza featuring the great pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri and his friend and fellow pizza lover Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman. At the time pizza purist Mangieri had just reopened Una Pizza Napoletana on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Now because Tony loves sipping espresso in cafes he has recently turned Una into a cafe on Saturday mornings serving coffee, pastries like an olive oil layer cake, and even a mortade...