Special Sauce with Ed Levine
370 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★ - 336 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.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
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...
Kenji on Foolproof Pan Pizza
April 14, 2023 19:00 - 21 minutes - 29 MBThis week on Special Sauce Kenji goes deep into his foolproof pan pizza recipe, which is one of Serious Eats' most popular posts of all time.
Kenji on Thin Crust Chicago Pizza
April 07, 2023 21:00 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBKenji created quite a stir recently with his column on Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in the New York Times. We're gonna talk about that column and many other pizza related topics on this episode of Special Sauce.
Raghavan Iyer: The Healing Power of Comfort Food
March 31, 2023 16:00 - 18 minutes - 25.1 MB*It is with much sadness that we acknowledge the passing of this week's guest on Special Sauce, Raghavan Iyer. Raghavan died just after we posted the second part of our extraordinary conversation. Iyer was a passionate, fierce advocate for Indian food and culture. As I mentioned in the episode he probably taught more Americans to cook Indian food than anyone else. And he faced his longtime battle with cancer with uncommon grace, courage, and determination. This week on Special Sau...
Raghavan Iyer: The Curry Whisperer
March 24, 2023 19:00 - 29 minutes - 41 MBRaghavan Iyer has written 6 influential cookbooks on Indian food, including the all-time classic 660 Curries. On this episode of Special Sauce we’re going to hear about his own personal food journey, from the family table in Mumbai to a publishing lunch at Betty Crocker that changed his life.
Kenji on Potatoes
March 17, 2023 17:00 - 14 minutes - 20.1 MBThis week on Special Sauce Kenji waxes (pun intended) poetic on the secrets to both seriously delicious french fries that taste just like McDonald's when they are fresh out of the fryer (that's when you have to eat 'em). He also gives some seriously helpful tips on roasting potatoes.
JJ Goode: America's Best Worst Cook
March 10, 2023 17:04 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBThis week on Special Sauce hilarious cookbook author JJ Goode is back to go into detail about why he insists he's "America's best worst cook." JJ explains why and how he's ruined innumerable grilled cheese sandwiches at home. And yet JJ insists that his cooking cluelessness makes him a better collaborator on chef's cookbooks.
The Korean Vegan Redux
March 03, 2023 21:00 - 55 minutes - 75.9 MBThis week on Special Sauce, we're revisiting my conversation with Joanne Lee Molinaro, AKA The Korean Vegan. When we last spoke Joanne had already gone from corporate litigator to writing the James Beard Award-winning ‘The Korean Vegan Cookbook’. Now less than two years later Joanne has become a social media superstar. Joanne's Youtube channel has over a million subscribers and she has over 3 million followers on Tik Tok.
JJ Goode Part 1: A Cookbook Writer with No LImits
February 24, 2023 20:00 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we talk chef cookbook collaborations with the extraordinary James Beard Award-winning food writer JJ Goode. JJ has collaborated with everyone from Iron Chef Morimoto to Sam Kass, who cooked for the Obamas at the White House. JJ has accomplished it all in spite of physical limitations that might have held him back. JJ's essay in Gourmet magazine about trying to cook with only one arm was selected for The Norton Anthology of Nonfiction Writing.
Christina Tosi Redux
February 17, 2023 20:00 - 27 minutes - 37.4 MBWhen I interviewed Milk Bar co-founder Christina Tosi last summer we talked about her extraordinary journey from home baker to pastry chef to entrepreneur. Tosi had an inspirational story to tell, and we thought it was a story worth repeating. Of course the peripatetic businesswoman has hardly been resting on her laurels since then. Boxes of Milk Bar soft baked cookies are coming to a grocery store near you, as are pints of Milk Bar ice cream. Christina published All About Cookies: ...
'The Bear' Part 2 with Kenji and Helen Rosner
February 10, 2023 20:00 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Kenji, The New Yorker's Helen Rosner, and I dig further into the first season of ‘The Bear’ and also muse about what we'd like to see in the second season of the show, which is coming to FX this summer. We're all rooting for Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) to find some peace so that Sydney (Ayo Edibiri) can do her thing without being driven crazy.
The Bear Reflections
February 03, 2023 22:30 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBKenji and The New Yorker's Helen Rosner reflect on the first season of the compelling TV show The Bear, now streaming on Hulu. J. Kenji Lopez Alt is of course the author of bestselling cookbooks like the Food Lab and the Wok and who cooks on-camera for his own YouTube series, Kenji's Cooking Show. He worked in restaurant kitchens in Boston for many years, and he did a silly thing and opened his own restaurant, Wursthall in San Mateo. The New Yorker's Helen Rosner has spent years wri...
Grace Young Redux With An Update
January 27, 2023 20:21 - 36 minutes - 49.7 MBThis week I decided to revisit my interview with the extraordinary Grace Young, Why? Well, for starters Grace, cookbook author, cultural anthropologist, and wok therapist, is a wonder, a Chinese-American treasure. And when someone else might be resting on their laurels Young, who has won every award a cookbook author can win, has embarked on a new career and quest as a Chinese-American community activist and advocate. And as you will hear Grace, who was named the James Beard Foundat...
Kenji on Scrambled Eggs
January 20, 2023 22:00 - 16 minutes - 22.8 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we take a deep dive into scrambled eggs with eggspert egg maker J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. He tells us about his latest eggprerimentation with one of the world's favorite egg preparations.
Restaurants Now: Critic's Roundtable Part 2
January 13, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes - 29.7 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce The New York Times’s Pete Wells and Brett Anderson, and The New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield all weigh in on what serious eaters are likely to see (and taste) when they walk into restaurants in 2023. They all tell us both what they're excited about and what they're worried about moving forward.
Restaurants Now: Critic's Roundtable Part 1
January 06, 2023 22:00 - 44 minutes - 60.8 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce I talk to 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, and where they think restaurants and the food culture in general are headed.
Eric Kim Redux
December 30, 2022 17:00 - 32 minutes - 75 MBIn 2022 I got a chance to chew the fat with so many interesting people on Special Sauce. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite episode to leave you with, but I can certainly say with confidence that my conversation with NYT food writer Eric Kim is right up there. Eric is thoughtful, a fine recipe developer, and a lovely writer. His book Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home, is terrific. So as the new year approaches I thought we'd leave you with Eric's episode. It's definitely ...
Kenji on the Holidays
December 23, 2022 17:00 - 26 minutes - 36 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce I talk holiday food with Kenji. In Kenji's case we get to hear about holiday traditions in his Colombia-born wife's family. And we also get to hear about his own family's holiday traditions growing up.
Tami Treadwell Part 2: Her Success is Bittersweet
December 16, 2022 17:00 - 27 minutes - 37.6 MBOn part 2 of our extraordinary conversation with Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell you will hear that Tami's success is bittersweet. Why? Because she's had to overcome so many heartbreaking obstacles to discover that being on the street, and feeding people, is where she truly belongs.
The Harlem Seafood Soul Story
December 09, 2022 18:00 - 37 minutes - 51.3 MBFood truck Harlem Seafood Soul's Tami Treadwell tells her truly remarkable story in this week's episode. I first heard part of her story on the N.Y. episode of Netflix's ‘Street Food’ series. It's a story that features so many setbacks that would have stopped many people, but not the indomitable and resilient Ms. Treadwell. What you'll hear is a story that will stay with you for a long time.
Claire Saffitz Part 2 - Holiday baking
December 02, 2022 20:00 - 30 minutes - 42.5 MBThis week on Special Sauce it's Claire Saffitz part two. She gives us her take on holiday baking. Cookies will be discussed, of course. Purple Black and White cookies, anyone? Claire also digs deep into her new book ‘What's For Dessert’.
Claire Saffitz Part 1: What's for Dessert?
November 24, 2022 01:00 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBWith the holiday season upon us I thought it would be great to talk to the great baker and YouTube star Claire Saffitz, whose new book is called What's For Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People.
Special Sauce: 2022 Kenji on T-Day
November 18, 2022 17:00 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBThis time on Special Sauce we talk turkey and everything else Thanksgiving-related with Kenji just in time for the holiday this year. He adds a little bit of soy sauce to his gravy! And he gives us his unexpected takes on Stovetop Stuffing and instant mashed potatoes.
Special Sauce Classic: Kenji & Stella's Thanksgiving Advice
November 11, 2022 18:00 - 35 minutes - 48.6 MBThis time on Special Sauce, another helping of Thanksgiving cooking tips from our podcast archive. This was a special call-in episode with Kenji and Stella Parks, who intelligently and empathetically handled every question from serious eaters. We talk turkey of course, but also pies, stuffing and holiday cookies. Hope you enjoy!
Special Sauce Reserve: Kenji & Stella on Thanksgiving
November 04, 2022 16:30 - 57 minutes - 78.8 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce I’ve gone into the podcast vaults to fetch you this classic Thanksgiving themed episode of Special Sauce. Listeners emailed us vexing Turkey Day questions that Kenji and Stella Parks answered in typically wise and funny fashion. Think of it as Special Sauce Reserve.
Christine Ha Part 2: Life After Winning MasterChef
November 02, 2022 20:04 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will hear all about Christine Ha's post MasterChef life. That life includes owning or co-owning two restaurants in Houston and advocated on behalf of people suffering from NMOSD.
Christine Ha Part 1: A Blind Chef Wins MasterChef?
October 14, 2022 16:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will hear the first part of blind chef-restaurateur Christine Ha's incredible story. She wins Gordon Ramsey's MasterChef competition TV show without being able to see.
Kenji on Avocados & the Magic of Mayo
September 30, 2022 19:00 - 24 minutes - 28.2 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we check in with Kenji, who tells us about the magic of mayo as a marinade. He also talks about all things guacamole and avocados. Plus he explains his love affair with the mortar and pestle.
Glenn Roberts on the Freighted History of Rice in America
September 16, 2022 22:00 - 34 minutes - 47.9 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts takes us on his wild journey through the preservation of Ancient Grains that started with his family losing everything.
Kristina Cho: Sweet & Savory Recipes Inspired By Chinese Bakeries
September 02, 2022 18:20 - 32 minutes - 44.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce food blogger Kristina Cho (Eat Cho Food) details her unlikely career path from architectural designer to two time James Beard Award-winning author. In her book, Mooncakes and Milk Bread, Kristina re-creates re-imagines both sweet and savory staples of Chinese bakeries and cafés.
Vish Bhatt: How A Southern Chef Connects to his Indian Roots
August 19, 2022 16:00 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Vishwesh Bhatt, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of ‘I Am From Here: Recipes and Stories from a Southern Chef’, details his remarkable journey from India to Oxford, Mississippi.
Entrepreneur Jing Gao: Finding Herself Through Food
August 05, 2022 16:00 - 32 minutes - 44.5 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Fly by Jing founder Jing Gao talks about finding herself through the foods her company makes, things like chili crisp and soup dumplings.
Chef & Track Star Dawn Burrell: The Leap From the Olympics to Top Chef
July 26, 2022 15:46 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce chef (Late August in Houston) and former world champion track star Dawn Burrell talks about her greatest leap of all, from Olympic broad jumper to Top Chef finalist.
We'll Be Right Back
July 23, 2022 20:19 - 27 seconds - 1.04 MBIf you are listening to this, you realize that we haven't posted a new episode of Special Sauce this past Friday, as we normally do. Believe me, it is not for lack of trying. Please know that we are working to rectify this situation as quickly as possible. Thanks in advance for your patience, your understanding, and most of all, for being part of the community of Special Sauce listeners.
NYT's Eric Kim on his book Korean American:Food That Tastes Like Home
July 08, 2022 18:42 - 31 minutes - 71.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce the NYT's Eric Kim talks about his new book ‘Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home’. Besides being a terrific cookbook it's also a moving tribute to his Korean-born mom.
Milk Bar's Christina Tosi on the Power of Dessert
June 24, 2022 18:50 - 27 minutes - 50.4 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi talks about her new book Dessert Can Save the World, which really is her guiding philosophy in both life and business.
Pizza Talk w/UPN's Anthony Mangieri & Billions' co-creator Brian Koppelman
June 10, 2022 17:35 - 41 minutes - 96 MBOn this episode of Special Sauce we continue the pizza conversation with Una Pizza Napoletana founder and pizzaiola Anthony Mangieri and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman, who loves UPN so much he put Mangieri in the show.
Provocative Takes on Pizza From Former Microsoft CTO and Current Pizzaiolo Nathan Myrvhold
May 27, 2022 22:30 - 47 minutes - 110 MBSome health problems derailed our Special Sauce production schedule this week, so serious eaters will just have to wait two more weeks before you get to listen to more fresh pizza talk with Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman. In the meantime, to keep the slices coming, here's the provocative interview we did with Modernist Pizza co-author Nathan Myrvhold a couple of months ago. Nathan turns out to be a fan of both Anthony Mangieri's and D...