- Publisher |
- Heritage Radio Network
- Media Type |
- audio
- Podknife tags |
- Food,
- Interview,
- Personal Journals,
- Society & Culture
Life. Legends. Lunchbox memories. The person behind the personality. Behind-the-scenes of fine dining. Restaurant music reviews. Music to cook to. Top spots and how they got to where they are today. Travel tales. The dream job, Mom, millennials. #WINEdown, our in-studio tasting and tête-à-tête.
This podcast currently has no reviews.
Submit ReviewChef Carla Hall, entrepreneur, star of The Chew on ABC, who’s about to open her hot chicken restaurant Southern Kitchen in NYC. How this accountant-turned-model-turned lunch caterer ended up on TV. Why she found herself in tears on her knees in the shower at age 40, plus hamburgers, high school and Match.com.
But first, we have on the line Adrian Moore, author of Inside Chefs Fridges, the book that gives you the insider (literally) peek into what they call the kitchen underwear drawer of greats like Marco Pierre White, Fergus Henderson and Massimo Bottura.
“When I left culinary school, I didn’t want to be known as Carla the Southern Cook. It was because of Top Chef that I started doing this food that was just calling me… the food that I wanted to eat.” [42:00]
–Carla Hall on WORD OF MOUTH
WORD OF MOUTH is live from across the Atlantic this week as Leiti is on the line from Berlin chatting with Erin Fairbanks in studio with Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta and author of Root to Leaf. Steven believes in making the most out of the edible parts of the plant, from root to leaf and embodies an authentic approach to farmstead-inspired cooking, incorporating seasonal fresh produce into everyday cuisine. He goes on to share the personal trials and tribulations going on throughout the process of writing the book, and that since he’s been inspired to change the food system in his lifetime. Tune in for more from Steven, his coming up through the industry as well as what’s next for him!
“I hate the term ‘farm to table.’ We call it seasonal cooking.” [13:30]
“Vegetables can be delicious. They don’t have to be cooked to death… theres’ a new style of cooking responding to the fresh harvest.” [15:30]
–Steven Satterfield on WORD OF MOUTH
We catch up with chef-partner Bo Bech of Geist in Copenhagen at Charlie Bird in NYC one weekend afternoon, November 2015. He’s recently landed into town to start a restaurant here. But first, he’ll host a popup series called The Bride of the Fox that will happen on a boat, in a firehouse, onstage at the ballet, in a chef-friend’s apartment. We’ll talk food and first kisses with this self-professed late bloomer, roadtrips and fundraising tips, that is, the stunt he once pulled to secure a bank loan.
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti visits celebrity chef, author and Dean, Jacques Pepin at the International Culinary Center. Beloved as Julia Child’s TV counterpart and a game-changer in American cuisine—and French food in America, we get to know this son of a cabinetmaker and a cook. We’ll talk mortality, how he met his wife, painting, petanque parties and the 1950s in Paris. Plus, we’ll preview his new book “Heart & Soul in the Kitchen”—and how this legend cooks at home for close friends and family.
This week on WORD OF MOUTH host Leiti Hsu kicks off thew show on the line with Jenna Zimmerman, TV producer and James Beard Awards judge. Talking about how she landed her dream job plus career highlights like playing bongos with Matthew McConaughey, she also forecasts the future of food media. After the break, Mark Maynard-Parisi, partner of Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, and Porchlight Bar talks landscape architecture, his love affair with the American South and Manchester, UK in the 80s.
Award-winning Philly restaurateur Ellen Yin behind Fork and High Street on Market. Now, she’s about to open High Street on Hudson, their first non-Philly foray; we’ll get a preview of the much-anticipated opening. And we’ll get to know Ellen the rebellious Asian kid and learn how how landed in resaurants after both business school and the medical industry. Finally, we’ll catch up on partner chef Eli Kulp progress post tragic injuries in the Amtrak crash over the summer…plus how you can help.
WORD OF MOUTH is back this week as host Leiti Hsu shares a clip with her time spent with Anthony Bourdain talking whisky, 3-D printing, and his daughter’s favorite food before welcoming in studio guest Justin Smillie to the show. Justin shares his path through childhood as well as the New York food scene, having mentored at Jonathan Waxman’s Barbuto where he cultivated his Italian cooking, later incorporating Japanese bases like dashi into the mix. Currently, his unique style is housed at Upland in NYC and has recently released the book “Slow Fires: Mastering New Ways to Braise, Roast, and Grill.” Tune in for a great show!
“When I really found my soul as a cook was when I started cooking Italian.” [17:15]
“You have to cook the thing you love and the thing you are in touch with. I never put anything on the menu or explore anything that I don’t want to eat myself. That’s the first portion in making something craveable.” [18:00]
–Justin Smillie on WORD OF MOUTH
The San Francisco restaurateur Anna Weinberg takes us on an adventure as we nosh our way through her nightly rounds to beloved institutions Marlowe, The Cavalier and Park Tavern. We hear about mentor and former boss chef Jonathan Waxman, plus the formidable #fempire, her business partners, the acclaimed chefs Jennifer Puccio and Emily Luchetti. Plus, eggs-eggs-and-more-eggs, pre-trip weigh-ins, how strep throat nearly stopped Anna from meeting her future husband… and how she started out her career as a video jockey.
Chef Mads Refslund, co-founder of Copenhagen’s noma, the world’s best restaurant and now head chef at Acme in Noho NYC. We talk his cookbook in the works on trash cooking and a new tasting menu restaurant. Plus, breaking up with bestie Rene Redzepi, working with prisoners, cooking with Dad, commune-living, and cancer.
First up, chef Eric Bolyard formerly of Eleven Madison Park and now head chef at La Compagnie des vins Surnaturels on his new dinner party discussion Dinner with Dignity with Rachna Govani, founder of Foodstand.
“The future of cooking for me is more going back in time, how we were cooking many years ago. You have to go back to the roots to what this world is.” [41:30]
-Mads Refslund on WORD OF MOUTH
Celebrity chef, restaurateur, immigrant and Catholic, Lidia Bastianich up first on cooking for Pope Francis during his visit to NYC. What does the Pope eat? How do you even decide what to serve him? LIVE in-studio, we’ll welcome three-time James Beard Award winner chef Michael Anthony, at the helm at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled and Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum. His new cookbook “V is for Vegetables” just came out, which he worked on while recovering from open-heart surgery. We’ll his career start in Japan, his generations-long obsession with garlic and cooking with his three daughters.
“He ate good, he ate deliciously but we watched for fats and calories!” [5:40]
“Can you imagine, the Pope came into the kitchen and we offered him espresso… and when he left he said, “Pray for me.” It was very moving.” [9:00]
–Lidia Bastianich on WORD OF MOUTH
“Depending on the vegetable, like a tomato, the key is not adding a liquid because you want to concentrate flavors and develop intensity through reduction.” [25:00]
–Chef Michael Anthony on WORD OF MOUTH
Award-winning writer, editor, cookbook author Raquel Pelzel talks her new book Toast and the international evolution of this perfect dish. Then, we’ll welcome Lynne Ryan, friend to star chefs and a chef herself. She’s the founder of Tailgate Buzz and the Chefs To Dine For dinner series plus First Lady of the Culinary Institute of America. She shares sassy Southern lady tips on how-to-be-good-at-life and how to do birthday parties and road trips right. This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham.
5.jpg">
“One tip is, I don’t actually own a toaster… so I use my broiler to make toast all the time. I love the singed edge it offers.” [12:40]
–Raquel Pelzel on WORD OF MOUTH
“When you come to own of my dinners it’s like you’re a guest at my table.” [24:20]
–Lynne Ryan on WORD OF MOUTH
Kicking off a new season of WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu is in studio with Chef Camille Becerra and Damian “DJ Dieselboy” Higgins talking all things on trend with these taste-makers.
Camille Becerra, a food stylist, recipe developer, writer and chef with over 15 years of New York City restaurant experience. She was the owner of Brooklyn restaurant Paloma and co-founded various pop-ups throughout New York City, including The Hunger and Bowery Banquet. She has also appeared on Bravo’s hit series Top Chef, has developed food-based narratives for Bon Appetit and Complex, was well as various online stations, and writes the column “Beyond the Basics” for Food 52. Currently she is chef and partner at Navy, a restaurant in Soho. She lives in New York City, instagrams @camillebecerra and blogs at Camille, A Journal.
Dieselboy’s DJ career began in northwest Pennsylvania DJing high school dances. While a student at the University of Pittsburgh he learned to beat-match vinyl live on college radio and played trance, happy hardcore and breaks at house parties. His 1994 mixtape “The Future Sound of Hardcore” led to out of town bookings and his expanding popularity and technical skills led to the honor of being the first American asked by a British drum and bass label to mix a compilation (“Drum & Bass Selection USA,” 1996). Since then, DJ Dieselboy has been recognized for various achievements and even supplied the break music for today’s show!
This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, tune in as Leiti shares a casual, sit down with Jason Fox, Executive Chef and co-owner of the San Francisco restaurant, Commonwealth. Talking egg nog, Commonwealth’s aquaponic greenhouse, cocktails and more, Jason shares that his culinary influences stem from places like Europe, Africa and Asia. Striking a balance between showcasing and enhancing ingredients, creating harmonious combinations of bold flavors and textures, Jason goes on to recall highlights from his extensive career and what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a chef. Rounding out the show, Leiti welcomes Raimondo Boggia, managing partner of Obicà USA, to the show for a fascinating WineDown segment! This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
“I love all types of food but really at the time we opened… we felt that the city wasn’t pushing what it should have been, especially at an appropriate price point.”
“Food is a shared reaction.”
—Jason Fox on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu is on the line with Jessica Tom, author of Food Whore: A Novel of Dining and Deceit. Describing lead character Tia Monroe, who moves to New York City to put herself on the culinary map, her plans go awry as a coveted internship goes up in smoke. Through the plot twists and turns, Jessica admits that she has many things in common with her lead lady who gives an insider’s account of the intricate culinary world. After the break, Leiti welcomes JJ Johnson to the studio from the kitchens at The Cecil and Minton’s. With a worldly culinary resume, JJ highlights his path from the Culinary Institute of America to Ghana studying West African cuisine to notable NYC restaurants to Bravo’s ‘Rocco’s Dinner Party’ to working with Alexander Smalls, Leiti gets the scoop on JJ’s childhood and the importance of sports in his life. Hot on the trail of his new show on Esquire, ‘The Next Great Burger,’ tune in to hear what’s next for this chef! This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
“I grew up in this household of flavors and food.”
“I never thought in my life I’d be cooking Afro-Asian – not one day!”
“I love cooking in Harlem because it’s the best community in the world… I feel it’s one of the last places in New York City that actually has a neighborhood culture.”
—JJ Johnson on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on WORD OF MOUTH host Leiti Hsu kicks off the show with a trip to the Greenmarket accompanied by Chef King Phojanakong and Jimmy Carbone. Collaborating on a new menu featured at Jimmy’s No. 43, the guys talk good ingredients plus flavor inspirations. Live in studio, Leiti welcomes Chef-Partner Francis Derby of beer and butchery bar Cannibal and the French-Belgian bistro Resto discussing his path through the culinary industry. On the verge of heading west to open Cannibal LA, Francis recalls funny stories working with the likes of Wylie Dufresne and Andoni Luis Aduriz before sharing what his dream restaurant looks like as well as what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a chef! Rounding out the show, Leiti gets sommelier Tina Morey of PROTOCOL Wine Studio in San Diego, CA on the line to chat about essential tools for the wine lover. This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham.
If you love what you hear, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:@leitihsu
@heritage_radio
#WOMshow
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu is digging through the vaults and sharing an interview with Laurence and Allyson Jossel of the noted San Francisco restaurant, nopa. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
On WORD OF MOUTH this week, we head to Los Gatos, CA in April 2014 to talk with David Kinch, chef owner of the 2* Michelin Manresa. We’ll talk New Orleans—that’s where he first started cooking—at the legendary Commander’s Palace under chef Paul Prudhomme. It’s also the inspiration for his new casual spot The Bywater. Manresa has risen again from the ashes of a devastating restaurant fire—David shares with us how he’s grown; we begin with a reflection of the past year… plus, why chefs are like pirates. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
@leitihsu
@heritage_radio
#WOMshow
[On his parent’s eating habits] “My mom tends to be less adventurous, particularly on the cooked temperatures of meat and fish, but she sure loves pinot noir, as do I.” [8:30]
[On beginnings] “I don’t think I’d be cooking if I hadn’t lived in New Orleans.” [10:15]
[On his “3 percent rule”] “On any given night there are going to be 3 perfect of the people who aren’t going to have a good experience, but that’s human nature.” [13:20]
[On his time outside of the kitchen] “I like to be outside and I like to be in or around the water. It makes me very happy and calm, surfing in the morning before coming to work.” [28:30]
Korean food is incredible – full of fermented goodness and culinary tradition, but it’s often overlooked. Find out how Hooni Kim is changing people’s perceptions of Korean Food and elevating the cuisine on a brand new episode of WORD OF MOUTH. Chef Kim is the chef/owner of Hanjan and Danji, two restaurants that re-imagine Korean food in imaginative and inventive ways. Host Leiti Hsu Hamilton chats with chef Kim about his background in medicine, his transition to the kitchen and his passion for the food of Korea.
“When i decided to give up medicine to become a chef, my mom didn’t speak to me for a year.” [25:00]
“I am part teacher, part cook and part business owner. that’s what a chef really is.” [44:00]
–Hooni Kim on WORD OF MOUTH
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti is joined by hospitality expert Alan Philips, who’s just left his post as Chief Marketing Officer of Morgans Hotels. In the past, he’s run his own consulting firm and worked with the likes of Myriad Group (TriBeCa Grille, Nobu) and Strategic Group (Tao and Lavo). Alan shares a preview of how to manifest your magic; his book The Rules of Magic comes out in 2016. Also, we’ll talk pop-ups, hardware vs. software, marketing in today’s crowded market, and what millennials want. At the top of the show, we talk this season’s strawberries at the Greenmarket with JJ Johnson, Chef de Cuisine at Cecil in Harlem and an Eater “Young Gun” and Forbes 30 Under 30. To #WINEdown, Leiti chats with Piora’s Kyle Ridington about Season 3 of “Champagne Made Me Do It,” a content series (Instagram: @champagnemademedoit) which will have you rethink the beloved bubbly. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
At the top of the show, ogle at spring vegetables at the Greenmarket with JJ Johnson, the Chef de Cuisine at Cecil in Harlem who was awarded an Eater “Young Gun,” given a coveted spot on the Forbes “30 Under 30” this year, and named a James Beard Rising Star. And to #WineDown, Leiti chats with Piora’s Kyle Ridington about season 3 of “Champagne Made Me Do it” and about what sets champagne apart from other sparkling wines.
On scaling businesses – 20:00 I don’t know if cool is scalable. It’s very difficult to take something that’s really meaningful and really honest and make it really big, because inherently some of that is lost…The culture needs to grow faster than the business.
On finding magic – 38:15 My purpose in life is to find and figure out what other people’s magic is and manifest that. Magic is something that is intangible but it’s something that people are willing to pay more for to have a connection with.
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu, we welcome Sabato Sagaria, Chief Restaurant Officer of The Union Square Hospitality Group, who’s just completed two big openings: the Southern-inspired bar Porchlight and Untitled restaurant in The Whitney Museum. Sabato shares how a cheeseburger in Indonesia at age 13 inspired him to go into hospitality. Also, we’ll talk business school rejection, landing in Aspen, and the documentary Somm.
At the top of the show, we head to the Greenmarket with Daniela Soto-Innes as we get into the weeds—the yummy kind—like lambs quarters, which reminds her of home in Mexico. This week, we #WINEdown in-studio with Sabato, as he discusses rose and #DrinkPink at USHG with Rose 101, without getting too intellectual of course.This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
On how a cheeseburger changed his life – 13:50 “I lived in Jakarta for a year at age 13, and my parents had a friend who the GM of the local five-star hotel. I was touring the hotel and was totally enamored – with the pastry shop, the rooftop swimming pool, and the cravings of food that reminded me of home. Here I was halfway around the world eating a cheeseburger with French fries, Heinz tomato ketchup, and an orange Fanta. I was so far from home but so connected, and I said ‘Hey, I want to do this for other people.'”
On impressing dates – 17:15 “I had a girl I was on the cusp of dating, and her parents dropped her off at my house one evening, so I banished my parents upstairs to the second floor. We ate in the kitchen where I’d been slaving all day making spaghetti, meatballs, and tomato sauce, and I wowed her. She was giving me so much credit for everything I did, and then she goes to help clean and sees a Jell-O cheesecake box in the trash can and then thought I was a complete fraud. I had to talk her off the ledge and convince her that everything else I made was from scratch.”
On passing the Master Sommelier exam – 31:00 “It’s all about perspective when you talk about sanity. There were definitely some casualties of the studying process, some girlfriends that took a side seat along the way to that journey.”
On pre-Momofuku Asian mashup genius – 18:30 “I was a culinary hack back in the day. I had a dish I called Asian dip, which was a form of ramen noodles. I would take a loaf of French bread, break it in half and hollow it out, then cook the ramen noodles, toss them in butter, and put them inside the baguette. Then I’d have the broth on the side and dip the bread in there.”
On Aspen’s wine community – 23:00 “It’s a competitive place, whether you’re training for a marathon or learning to ski, and you tend to find someone better than you to help you get better and compete with. That carries over into the wine world, where you see the community Jay Fletcher has created. People fly from all over the country to sit in Jay’s kitchen and taste with him. He’s like Yoda.”
— Sabato Sagaria on Word of Mouth
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu, owner Georgette Farkas and chef Chad Brauze of Rotisserie Georgette join the show. The two share stories of the Daniel Boulud family—the two met working at Daniel, which is also where Chad met his eventual wife. Also, they’ll talk El Bulli, European history, mathematics, and being an old soul. At the top of the show, we head the Greenmarket with Jehangir Mehta of Graffiti, as we talk stopping to smell (and eat) the roses. And to #WINEdown, we bring on LA’s Adam Vourvoulis, the former beverage director at Ludo Lefevre’s Trois Mec, on his wine and music picks for his Wine Raves. This program was brought to you by Escape Maker.
On manifesting her college thesis- 22:29 I majored in European history, and I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the historical development of restaurants in Paris and where to eat after the revolution, so I really stayed on that path.
On summer camp for cooks – 30:00 It was summer camp for cooks. You’d have to drive through these cliffs to get there, and none of the cooks have cars, so the waiters come by and pick up the carloads and that’s how everyone gets to work every day.
On being an old soul – 37:00 I was so proper and old fashioned even as a little girl, so my father made up this fairytale where I was Little Lady Pemdrake of Pemdragon. I guess I’ve grown into that, although the castle is a restaurant now.
— Georgette Farkas on Word of Mouth
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu, we’re joined by Corey Lee, chef owner of 3-Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurants, Benu and Monsieur Benjamin. The James Beard Award winner shares the story about the moment being Michelin-starred sunk in, and how he was shaped by working with his mentor, the French Laundry’s Thomas Keller. Corey also tells us about when his dream of being a professional tennis player fell apart, but how that experience playing sports shaped his approach to cooking. Plus, we talk pottery, porridge, and our love of sea cucumbers.
At the top of the show, we head to the Greenmarket with chef Exotic Table author Aliya Leekong to take a look at the spring’s first ramps and talk about the love of garlic. And then to #WINEDOWN, we’re joined (from Italy!) by Mauro di Maggio of Cantine San Marzano winery in Puglia, who tells us about his region’s wine-growing rise and his favorite local grapes.
On realizing what it meant to be Michelin-starred
[23:00] – “It really sank in when I gathered all the staff in the kitchen and I let them know. Seeing their reactions actually made it that much more emotional for me, seeing the look on their faces and knowing that they all felt they were so much a part of it.”
On Benu’s culture his Asian American culture
[26:00] – “I remember when I was young I would go to a friend’s house or something and their parent would be like ‘Hey, where are you from?’ and I’d be like ‘Huh, where am I from?’ I feel the same about when people ask me what kind of restaurant Benu is. It represents San Francisco culturally but ultimately its part of this American cuisine that’s open to different cultures and is constantly changing.”
On moving to the US
[29:00] – “I came here when I was five years old and that was an interesting age because you’re young enough where you’re going to embrace your surroundings as your own but you’re old enough that you have some memory of your native culture.”
On working with Thomas Keller
[36:00] – “I spent my twenties and became and adult in an environment that he cultivated. He was my true mentor. Our relationship changed over the years – it started as chef and cook and then it went to chef owner and his chef de cusine, and then it became great friends and now golfing buddies.”
On his professional tennis dream
[37:00] – “When I was younger my dream was to be a professional tennis player. I played competitively and traveled around the country but found out about the age of 12 that short Asian guys can’t really be pro tennis players. So that’s when I gave up on my athletic aspirations. But there’s something about competing and doing something that tested your limits that I really liked, and there was a sense of camaraderie in team sports, pushing each other to excel, and I think I find both those things as a chef.”
–Corey Lee on WORD OF MOUTH
“What could be more intimate than putting something in your mouth, whether it’s pink like a veal chop or sweet and wet like a domestic vermouth?” -Patrick Martins, The Carnivore’s Manifesto
This week’s WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu is a special episode featuring Patrick Martins, founder of Heritage Radio Network (so the very reason why we are here together today) and Heritage Foods and author of The Carnivore’s Manifesto. He also founded Slow Food USA alongside visionary and mentor Carlo Petrini, the man behind the Slow Food movement. Stay tuned for talk of sexy calves, sex drives of the animals we eat, goat poop, Ted Turner, truck drivers, Alice Waters and hipsters. To #WINEDOWN, we get with Nate Adler, beverage director and partner of Huertas, the Basque spot in the East Village, for a primer on vermouth.
On the pleasure of meat 8:15 Everyone knows we should be eating less meat in this country and that meat should be a little more expensive, so I think the best way to go about eating less meat as a country is to go head first from the high board and dive into the gastronomic pleasures of the heritage breed movement. Heritage breeds: gastronomy at its best.
On his boyhood 20:45 As an elementary school kid I was just a snot-nosed little white kid from the Upper East Side that went to an all-boys school, so I learned how to run fast away from the public school kids that would try to beat the crap out of us. It was a real wakeup call when I went to Vassar and I was like ‘What is this? You have to be polite? You can’t yell at the teacher?” I wouldn’t recommend it; I mean single sex schools, what’s up with that?
On books and weed 22:40 It was really interesting, since I only took that one food performance class, I read like a book every two days for three months and it totally expanded my brain. Even to this day, all the weed has still not managed to get my brain down to its original size because of that 3-4 month period of just reading so much. It’s like a muscle. Take a week off and read like 10 books and you’ll be smarter for it.
—Patrick Martins on WORD OF MOUTH
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH, we LIVE in-studio we welcome Dirt Candy’s Amanda Cohen, who’s just opened the expanded second incarnation on the Lower East Side. When the veggie whisperer speaks, she doesn’t whisper—not just chef, Amanda spotlights tough issues in the restaurant world in her “Dispatches from Dirt Candy” writings on Eater. We’ll talk veggies, women, travel, family. Plus, what happened on a 40-hour train ride to Bejing—and why onions are sexy. #WINEdown with Amanda as well, as she tells us about her love of natural wines, spring drinking and her favorite pairing at the restaurant.
At the top of the show, we take a trip to the Santa Monica Wednesday farmer’s market with Walter Manzke, chef-owner of the beloved Republique and Petty Cash, to talk mandarinquats and his growing restaurant empire in the Philippines.
On why she became a chef:
[23:00] I fell in love with traveling and fell in love with cuisine and sort of had this realization that what I wanted to do with my life was travel, but that I couldn’t do that because I had no money. So really the only way I could travel was find a skill, so I got my chef’s degree and decided that I was going to travel the world, and then I never traveled.
On her worst travel story:
[24:15] I was on a train once to Beijing from Hong Kong, and I ended up in a little cabin with two people who had been married but hadn’t seen each other for a year or two, so it was 40 hours of them fornicating with me on the top bunk…All I had was my guidebook and wallet, and my guidebook fell out of the back of my pocket and into the toilet and I had no choice but to pick it up. Then I picked it up, cleaned it up as best as I could, vomited a couple of times, listened to them have sex a couple more times.
On a non-chef dream job:
[28:45] I’d be a professional eater, like one of those hot dog guys. I like to eat so if I’m not going to cook food I might as well eat it.
–Amanda Cohen on WORD OF MOUTH
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH, we have LIVE Elizabeth Falkner, TV food personality, “food instigator”(!!) and former chef-owner of the San Francisco institution Citizen Cake, as she prepares for the upcoming Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Conference. Falkner and host Leiti Hsu discuss the state of lingering gender inequality in the kitchen. Plus, Mom—and playing “kitchen mommy” to young cooks.
At the top of the show, we hit the Greenmarket with chef owner Kerry Heffernan, on the hunt for the first crop of green and leafy springtime vegetables. To #WINEDOWN we chat with Matt Bostick, sommelier at Osteria Mozza about three of his favorite Italian grapes you’ve never heard of.
On TV cooking competitions: “I love the sport of it. I played competitive soccer for a while and love those food competitions because it’s like the combination of culinary and running as fast as you can to make something.” (8:00)
“My mom is a dietician and my dad is an abstract painter, so I ended up as a perfect mish mash of those two.” (35:00)
–Elizabeth Falkner on WORD OF MOUTH
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH, we welcome LIVE chef-owner George Mendes of Aldea, and the soon-to-open sister spot Lupulo. George shares stories from his blue-collar Danbury, CT childhood among food-loving extended family and a huge Portuguese community. Mendes, who once dreamed of playing basketball professionally, shares with us how a high school field trip showed him chef-ing as a career. Plus, we’ll talk fly-fishing and the Great Outdoors.
At the top of the show, we hit the Greenmarket with Ian Alvarez of French-Japanese restaurant Bara in the East Village and talk sunchokes shopping tips. To #WINEDOWN, we catch up with Master Sommelier Lindsey Geddes, beverage director of the Charlie Palmer Group—she shares from the frontlines of being pregnant while working at the highest professional levels of wine.
“I didn’t fit into the whole oxford, preppy khaki-wearing scene. I was this guido Thunderbird-riding kid. Other than being on the basketball court” Georges professes to being “kind of a loner.” (14:00)
“My dad worked in a factory from 6am until 2 or 3pm, and then after that he was a handyman. He always felt the desire to work more. His work ethic was incredible.”
On his modern Portuguese dishes: “When my mom first had the duck rice [at Aldea], she goes, ‘This is not Portuguese.’ But I’m happy to say that some visitors would come in from Portugal and say, ‘This is not how we make it at home, but it’s still delicious.'”
–Geroge Mendes on WORD OF MOUTH
On this week’s WORD OF MOUTH, we sit down with The Gorbals’ Ilan Hall, champion of Bravo’s Top Chef Season 2. After almost a year at his second Gorbals location in Brooklyn, he shares insights on Williamsburg clientele and how he ended up in an Urban Outfitters. We talk the future of food TV with Ilan, now the executive producer of Esquire’s Knife Fight. Plus, the struggle of turning this 4-year-old son into a bone-marrow loving foodie.
Top of the show, we take on the Greenmarket with Kerry Heffernan, founding chef of Eleven Madison Park, for a winter season seafood update. And to #WINEDOWN, Leiti talks with millennial winemaker Josh Phelps of TAKEN Wine on wine labels for his generation, plus—some Valentine’s Day picks.
This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley
Ilan on feeding his 4-year-old (16:12): “It’s so sad because when he was about a year old, he would eat everything. He would eat bone marrow, and in all of his baby food for protein we would mix ground lamb in. And then at some point, when he was about two, he was like ‘nope, don’t want that anymore.’ So now he eats string cheese, peanut butter and jelly—pancakes once in a while.”
Our audience question of the week, from @Erin_Fairbanks, about bar mitzvah nightmares and dreams (39:00): “I was really into playing guitar and singing punk rock. Except when you’re 13 you think that you look a lot older than you are and you’re not as fat and funny looking, which I totally was. So, I decided it would be a good idea to play music in front of everybody at the bar mitzvah and there’s a picture of me singing and playing the guitar. At the time it was my dream but looking back it’s more of a nightmare.”
Ilan on what he did after Top Chef (25:00): “I traveled the world. I spent money. I went immediately after to Spain, Romania, Israel, France, Venezuela, and the Philippines. The travel and eating everywhere gave me a better perspective on the world.”
LIVE on WORD OF MOUTH, we talk to Floyd Cardoz of the new White Street restaurant in TriBeCa. Formerly of Danny Meyer’s North End Grill and the NYTimes 3* Tabla, Floyd is opening a restaurant in Bombay, India; he aims to awaken his native city that local flavors and indigenous ingredients have an important place in a modern restaurant. Floyd also talks what it was like to advise the Steven Spielberg-Oprah Winfrey produced film Hundred-Foot Journey. Plus, what’s stopping Indian food from being cool—and knowing your consommé cold can change the course of your life.
Top of the show, we head to the Greenmarket with Gabe Kennedy, champion of this season of The Taste on ABC, who talks building flavor and recounts childhood carrot memories. To #WINEeddown, Leiti has on the line sommelier Carrie Strong of the Charlie Palmer NYC restaurant Aureole; they get nerdy about not just wine, but the state of wine events today.This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.
“At the end of the day, food is a very intimate thing. Let your food turn you on, and don’t put something in your mouth if it doesn’t turn you on.” [7:34]
“When I grew up eating at restaurants – India was not a very big restaurant culture. You would go out to eat maybe once a month, and there would be a choice of either two cuisines… I’d not eaten a naan until I was 18 years old, so it was not something I knew. [19:10]
–Floyd Cardoz on WORD OF MOUTH
On this episode of WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti Hsu talks to husband-wife chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis of Bestia, regularly #1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 on everybody’s shortlist in Los Angeles, located in once-seedy Downtown. We talk their daughter Saffron and beloved Dad and adventures in hospital food. Plus, what Ori said to Genevieve when they first met.
At the top of the show, we go to the Greenmarket with Esther Choi, chef-owner of Mok Bar, the Chelsea Market NYC Korean ramen shop on what kimchi says to us about the New Year.
To #WINEeddown, it’s San Francisco sommelier Jason Alexander of the brand-new The Progress next door to State Bird Provisions on…you guessed it: PROGRESS.
This program was brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips
“He looks at me and was like: “Are you Israeli? Because you look like one of the beautiful women of my country.” — Genevieve Gergis on WORD OF MOUTH
“So the whole kitchen staff was laughing at me because of her response.” — Ori Menashe on WORD OF MOUTH
We talk to Enrique Olvera and his partner Santiago Gomez of the creative Mexican spot COSME, likely the most hotly-anticipated opening of 2015. Enrique was one of the first to really celebrate the cuisine of the Republic, giving it fine dining refinement and flair at his flagship Pujol in Mexico City, considered one of the top 20 restaurants in the world. We snapshot this moment in Mexican cuisine in America—find out from the world-renowned Enrique and former banker Santiago about they met and how Cosme came to be, early critic reactions after a harrowing NYC opening—and nutty international travel schedules…love fear business and pleasure as usual on WORD OF MOUTH.
At the top of the shop, we go to the Greenmarket to catch the last of the Concord grapes with chef Alex Stupak of the Empellon empire—he and Enrique happen to be dear friends, so we thought this would be a lovely surprise. To #WINEeddown, Santiago brings us a bottle for a mid-afternoon Mexican wine 101 and in-studio tasting. Connect with us on your fav social media @leitihsu #WOMshow facebook.com/WOMshow
Host Leiti Hsu talks LIVE in-studio with Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira the wife-and-husband force behind now five restaurants: the 15 East (Japanese), Tocqueville (French), Botequim (Brazilian), The Fourth (American) and Singl (single-malt Scotch bar)—the last three in the brand-new Hyatt Union Square. They talk their disastrous first date that started with burritos and was saved by a night of dancing. Plus, what it’s like to work with the uber-talented sushi chef Masato Shimizu and the challenges and pleasures of serving the Union Square community.
At the top of the show, we go to the Greenmarket with chef partner Humberto Guallpa of the Cuban-Chinese Calle Dao and talk romanesco. To #WINEddown, Etienne Guerin, sommelier at M. Wells Steakhouse in Long Island City, tells us about a “unicorn wine” from Jura on his list that you need to go get right now: Camille Loye’s 1990 Arbois.
As always, connect with us on social media at @leitihsu #WOMshow facebook.com/WOMshow
“He called me from the back of the store to my station [at Dean & Deluca] to the front of the store and said: Hey, what are you doing today? …The first time you asked me out, I declined.” [on their early courtship] [23:40]
“Our daughter is a part of our business. People remember me when I was pregnant. She wants to cook!” [on the most important project of all] [20:30]
“They refuse to see who we are and what we’re trying to do. They have one train of thought—that this is a bar and they don’t want another bar to open.” [about the challenges of getting local community board approval for their rooftop omakase spot] [37:30]
Today on WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu takes as far as Malaysia and the North Pole via the East Village. We have LIVE in-studio Thomas Chen chef-owner of TUOME (pronounced tow-mee) in the East Village. Last at Eleven Madison Park and Commerce, Thomas is cooking deeply personal Chinese-ish food but with fine dining imagination and quest for perfection, which we love. We’ll talk how he got from a start in accounting to be the 100% owner of his own restaurant (#dreamjob!)—and how Mom and Dad really feel about it. But first, at the Greenmarket, we join Salil Mehta of Michelin Bib Gourmand acclaimed Malaysian spot Laut and the new Pasar Malam in Williamsburg as we go in search of cilantro roots. To WINEed down we’ll talk with Nico de Soto, formerly of Experimental Cocktail Club about his popup Christmas-themed cocktail bar called Miracle on 9th St. where you can get the ideal eggnog and a MULLED WINE SOUR! This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham.
“Every culture has its own flavor profile and palate.” [20:00]
–Thomas Chen on WORD OF MOUTH
Hear from the legendary David Waltuck on a brand new episode of Word of Mouth. The man behind the iconic Chantrelle Restaurant is back with a new project, Elan. Find out what contributed to the closing of Chantrelle in 2009 and what David is doing differently with Elan. Chantrelle was a New York City institution for almost 30 years, and David is a rare breed in a world of quick and fast fame-driven chefs. Get a rare and candid look at one of the most talented chefs still working today. This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.
“I’m still cooking, which his what I love to do – but the rules have changed.” [14:00]
“I think if you start thinking about failing or coming up short in some way you sabotage yourself.” [17:00]
“I’m not earning the kind of money I was earning – and iI understood that going in.” [35:00]
–David Waltuck on WORD OF MOUTH
Host Leiti Hsu settles in with chef-partner John Fraser of NYTImes three-star Dovetail in the UWS and the brand-new Narcissa in The Standard Hotel EV. When not running up-and-downtown between his two spots, he’s doing Muay Thai and marathons. We’ll also talk therapy, carrots Wellington–and what it was like to work at The French Laundry with fellow greats like Grant Achatz and Rene Redzepi.
Top of the show we have Kerry Heffernan, sustainable seafood advocate and founding executive chef of Eleven Madison Park, at the Greenmarket with the season’s first bay scallops. We WINEddown with sommelier Davis Anderson of NY Sushi Ko on preparing your wine bunker for the wintertime. Connect with us at @leitihsu #WOMshow! This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.
“You’re corralled and looking around like what’s about to happen, like animals to slaughter.” [on the NYC Marathon starting line]
“I went to a free session and it felt pretty good and then I got punched in the face a few times and I was like ‘Ooh, this is gonna work for me.'” [on the practice of Muay Thai]
“Before I started on that journey, there’s no way I could be sitting in front of a microphone…I think the American style is to work on the outside, going to the gym, but the inside gets forgotten.” [on embracing therapy]
–John Fraser on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu settles in with Union Square Hospitality Group’s Nick Anderer, chef-partner of Maialino and the seven-week-old Marta, a Roman pizzeria in the Martha Washington Hotel. This Columbia U. art history major and finance minor talks design, surfing, oven splurging–and he’ll share Danny Meyer’s superpower. Top of the show starts with Max Sussman of The Cleveland at the Greenmarket. We WINEddown with Champagne, Nick’s favorite funghi pizza pairing. This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.
“It’s like the chop shop where we all put together our dream car or something; it’s completely original.” [on the wood-burning open kitchen setup]
“I cooked with my mom a lot, and we had dinner together every single night.”
“I loved sausage, I made a lot of things with sausage, I felt like sausage was the foolproof way to make anything taste good.” [on what Nick cooked as a kid]
“That’s also the funny part about being in Rome is that every single menu looks the same.”
–Nic Anderer on WORD OF MOUTH
Davide Scabin & Paolo Meregalli
Description coming soon!
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu settles in with Mark Rosati, global head of culinary development for the 56 Shake Shacks in places as far-flung as Moscow, Istanbul and Dubai. Mark is all-smiles as he shares how he found his way to the Union Square Hospitality Group from a brief start in film. We’ll talk being a bone marrow Good Samaritan (it’s not what you think), losing 125 lbs and cooking with Massimo Bottura.
Top of the show starts with Jaime Young, Chef de Cuisine of the two-Michelin starred Atera talking “Nutterbutter” squash at the Greenmarket. We WINEddown with sommelier Claire Paparazzo of Dan Barber’s Blue Hill restaurants, explains what’s so perfect about the wine list at Pacifico’s Fine Foods. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
“Im very proud to say that even with #56 – all Shake Shakes are very much hand crafted from our team.” [09:00]
–Mark Rosati on WORD OF MOUTH
Leiti hangs out with Chef Michael Chiarello one Monday afternoon in August 2011 at his restaurant Bottega in Napa Valley, CA for this WORD OF MOUTH #SFSessions. This Renaissance man is not only a chef and Emmy-winning TV personality–Michael is also an author, vintner, sustainable farmer, purveyor of cookware, furniture, and food…and father, husband and mad scientist. He talks tech, TV and a nightmare that changed the course of his life. This program was brought to you by Of a Kind.
“A chef has a place that they won’t go–or they’ll stop the world from going. Don’t poke the bear.”
“If you’re 18 inches away, are you yelling for some reason?” on using inside voices in his kitchen
On Mom: “That’s why I’m doing everything I can to quiet my world down.”
–Michael Chiarello on WORD OF MOUTH
On today’s WORD OF MOUTH SUMMER 2014 MAD SYMPOSIUM RETROSPECTIVE, Leiti brings listeners unedited conversations she had with top food folks she ran into from all over the world while in Copenhagen. This year the two day gathering of the world’s best food folks put on by Rene Redzepi and the Noma team was themed WHAT IS COOKING. Speakers ranged from farmers, journalists, a judge, a philosopher and chefs like this year’s MAD curator Alex Atala from Brazil, David Chang, Roy Choi, Jeremiah Tower, and Pierre Koffman, who was the boss of the likes of Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White. Tune in and hear these conversations! This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center
Welcome to a brand new season of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu! She settles in to her new Wednesday time slot with an on-location interview with Josh Harris, 1/2 of the Bon Vivants, a nationally recognized cocktail, hospitality, marketing, and design firm started by Josh and Scott Baird in 2009. The two also are behind Rio Grande and the newly opened Trick Dog in San Francisco. Tune in as Leiti chats with the heavily accoladed and celebrated bartender about his past, present and future projects and his thoughts on everything from hospitality to mixology. This program was brought to you by Of a Kind.
“We want to give great service and make great drinks but we also want to make it fun and give people the opportunity to be themselves and let loose a little bit.” [08:00]
“At the end of the day, you roll the dice. If people like it, that’s awesome.” [41:00]
–Josh Harris on WORD OF MOUTH
On today’s WORD OF MOUTH Leiti Hsu is reporting from Copenhagen, Denmark! She’s in town for #MAD4, the fourth annual MAD Symposium. She’s chatting with Matt Orlando, chef/owner of Amass Restaurant. Matt is from San Diego, and somehow ended up at NOMA before opening his own restaurant. Matt shares his story and culinary journey with listeners and gives some insight into the process of opening a restaurant abroad. Also hear what it was like cooking for René Redzepi in the early days of “new nordic cuisine”. This program was brought to you by Of a Kind.
“We were trying to do something nordic that had never been done before. We wanted to embrace the terroir. when’s the last time a cuisine was created? René Redzepi created his own cuisine.” [39:00]
–Matt Orlando on WORD OF MOUTH
This week’s episode of WORD OF MOUTH was recorded in San Francisco and sees host Leiti Hsu chatting with Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, the duo behind State Bird Provisions. State Bird Provisions is an award winning restaurant that doesn’t play by conventional rules. Find out how they use dim-sum cart style service and why it’s been so successful, hear how they met and what it was like opening the restaurant. This program was brought to you by Of a Kind
“We didn’t really figure out logistics, we just opened!” [15:00]
“We build the dishes on the trays to sell out.. it’s high energy, there are things coming at you in every which way.” [22:00]
“When you open a restaurant, it doesn’t matter how busy you are – your days are long. You’re just working and trying to figure it all out.” [44:00]
“Being named best restaurant changed the game for us and elevated us in the sense that we started becoming the restaurant we wanted to be.” [50:00]
–Stuart Brioza on WORD OF MOUTH
Leiti Hsu is back for a brand new episode of WORD OF MOUTH after a brief hiatus! She’s full of energy and joined by a great guest to get things back on track. Hear from Chris Jaeckle, the talented chef behind All’onda, a modern Venetian inspired Italian restaurant with Japanese influences in New York City. Chris is a fine dining vet, having worked as head chef at Michael White’s Ai Fiori and spending almost a decade in kitchens like Tabla, Eleven Madison Park and Moriomoto. Tune in and hear why his mom is so important to him, why other cultures fascinate him and what it was like dealing with a brain tumor amidst a difficult time in his career. This program was brought to you by Of a Kind.
“When you’re about to put 110-120 hours a week into something, other things seem to slip away.” [08:00]
“I’m a very curious person – I’m always trying to understand cultures and quite often that’s through food.” [16:00]
“Everyone rubs you the wrong way sometimes. It’s about finding those people who rub you the wrong way the least.” [42:00]
–Chris Jaeckle on WORD OF MOUTH
On a special off-site edition of WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu chats with Michael Tusk, Executive chef and owner of Quince and Cotogna restaurants in San Francisco. Michael shares his culinary story – form childhood to current day – as he recalls apprenticeships, early eating memories and the changes he’s seen in the food world over the course of his illustrious career. Michael is known for his refined and modern approach to both Italian and French regional cuisine and he shares some of the influences that inspire him in the kitchen. Tune in and get a closer look at one of the best chefs working on the West Coast! This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.
“In order to be a chef, you really need to love food.” [28:00]
“I’ve always respected raw products, materia prima – where things are from.” [41:00]
–Michael Tusk on WORD OF MOUTH
Hristo Zisovski has a myriad of restaurant experience in the front and back of the house. Tune into this edition of WORD OF MOUTH to hear Hristo, now the Beverage Director at Altamarea Group, talk about his beginnings in his father’s kitchen. Learn about Hristo’s Macedonian roots, and why Macedonia has such great produce. How did Hristo transition to a front-of-house expert? Tune in to hear Hristo’s thoughts on the rise of the sommelier, and why restaurant culture needs the beverage industry to thrive. Is it true that Hristo wooed his wife, Tia Keenan, with a gift of cheese? Later in the program, Hristo makes Leiti blind taste a wine from his cellar! Thanks to our sponsor, White Oak Pastures.
“Onions are good all-year-round, but during the springtime, you get a few special varieties- such as ramps, and red scallions are pretty rare, too.” [7:15]
— Ronald Hsu on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
“I just fell in love with the front-of-house. I just love the hospitality aspect of it. But it’s also good, because I can empathize with the chefs…”
— Hristo Zisovski on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Go behind The Mission world in a special off-site edition of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu. In a show recorded at Stitcher’s studios in San Francisco, Leiti chats with none other than Anthony Myint. Anthony is the founder of Mission Street Food, Mission Chinese Food, Mission Burger, and Commonwealth Restaurant. Tune in to get some great insights into the mission of Mission, the life of a successful restauranteur and the work that got Anthony to where he is today. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.
“Food culture has really just blossomed in the past 5-10 years. Before, it was a privilege of the 1% but now basically almost anybody can get an interesting and well crafted meal for $10.” [40:00]
–Anthony Myint on WOD OF MOUTH
John Winterman knows good service and has a lot to say about it. He’s the managing partner of the brand-new Batard in the former Corton space in TriBeC, the former maître d at Daniela and Café Boulud and he’s also worked with the likes of Charlie Trotter in Chicago and Gary Danko in SF. Tune in as he waxes poetic on everything from men’s fashion to fruit brandy and shares his insight as a front-of-house expert in fine dining. This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.
“I think the Modern Man right now is defaulting to the lowest common denominator. You can buy a jacket at J Crew or H&M and it will be cheaper than buying a jersey with Shockey’s name on it. I don’t think men are taking the effort to present themselves.” [11:00]
–John Winterman on WORD OF MOUTH
Leiti Hsu is back in the studio another episode of WORD OF MOUTH. She’s joined by French culinary and beverage pioneer Rita Jammet. Along with her husband, Andre, Rita helped run La Caravelle, an acclaimed classic French restaurant in NYC, for over 40 years. After it closed its doors post 9/11, Rita was determined to find a new passion. That new passion is something that was by her side all along – champagne. Tune in to WORD OF MOUTH as Leiti chats with Rita about the La Caravelle champagne brand and what makes champagne such a trending beverage. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.
“Rose Champagne is really catching on – in fact it’s what I sell the most of right now.” [25:00]
“The traditional wisdom about champagne was to pair it with shellfish and delicate flavors. Not to contradict our elders but they probably didn’t even think to drink champagne with other foods.” [44:00]
–Rita Jammet on WORD OF MOUTH
The world of wine is layered, diverse and overall – delicious. Tune in to a viniculture themed episode of Word of Mouth as host Leiti Hsu is joined by Mark Bright, wine director and partner of Saison Restaurant in San Francisco. Mark gives listeners a wealth of information on wine — from collecting to consuming — and he shares his own unlikely culinary journey. Hear how he found the restaurant industry and why he sees wine as a more inclusive industry than it’s known to be. Also get some inside insights on the Chinese wine industry. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.
“In Hong Kong – collectors are not afraid to drink their wines.” [08:00]
“Wine is not just for the prestigious, it’s for everyday consumers. It’s easy to understand.” [10:00]
“Being a sommelier is not for a test or for a title or for money – we all do it out of the passion of wanting to do it.” [37:00]
–Mark Bright on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on a remotely recorded episode of WORD OF MOUTH, host Leiti Hsu speaks with Christopher Kostow, Executive Chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, California. Under Chef Kostow, The Restaurant was awarded three stars from the Michelin Guide in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, Chef Kostow was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: West.” Tune in and hear his life story – from how he met his life to what he learned under the guidance of Daniel Hume. Find out what it takes to run a successful “destination” restaurant and how Chef Kostow is able to run a three-star Michelin kitchen. This program was sponsored by The International Culinary Center.
“We’ll always consider ourself not as recognized and celebrated [because of where we are].” [8:00]
“I liked the idea of having a destination restaurant – it makes the meal more valuable in some ways.” [25:00]
–Christopher Kostow on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti Hsu sits down and chats with Charles Phan of The Slanted Door in San Francisco. The Slanted Door was just award the Outstanding Restaurant award at the 2014 James Beard Awards. Tune in and hear Charles’ back story, his culinary inspiration and the mission of The Slanted Door. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.
“It’s a beautiful world when you can eat Filipino food and polish food in the same neighborhood.” [47:00]
–Charles Phan on WORD OF MOUTH
Le Cirque is widely considered one of the best restaurants in the world. The Manhattan-based French restaurant has been setting benchmarks in fine dining for over 50 years. Culinary giants like Daniel Boloud, Andrew Carmellini and David Bouley, to name a few, got their start in the kitchen of Le Cirque. Leiti Hsu is lucky enough to be joined by owner Sirio Maccioni and his middle son, Marco Maccioni. Sirio, now 82 years old, is set to recieve the 2014 James Beard Award for Lifetime Achievement. Tune in to this special episode of WORD OF MOUTH as Leiti chats with the Maccioni’s about family, food and quality. This program was sponsored by Edwards VA Ham.
“The only thing that scares me is getting old.” [22:00]
–Sirio Maccioni on WORD OF MOUTH
“We all know exactly what Le Cirque is about – not what my father wants – but what the restaurant needs.” [24:00]
–Marco Maccioni on WORD OF MOUTH
Savory yogurt from a family farm is now a reality. Blue Hill Yogurt was conceived in the Blue Hill kitchens, where for years Dan Barber and his chefs have been making their own grass-fed milk yogurt (from Blue Hill Farm cows) in new, unexpected flavors. This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti Hsu chats with David Barber, Dan’s brother, about the yogurt project they have embarked on. Learn about some of the challenges that present themselves in yogurt production and distribution and hear how the Barber’s started their food empire. Also on the show – Lisa Fetterman of Nomiku home sous vide machines. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.
This is the multiple 3 Michelin star studded episode of WORD OF MOUTH. First on People We Like we speak with Kyle Connaughton from Sonoma, California, about all the amazing restaurants he’s worked at, as well as the book he is currently writing. Later, we WINEed it down with sommelier Steve Morgan from the 3-Michelin starred Alinea in Chicago. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market. Today’s music provided by Takstar.
“Anything in the kitchen at one time was new technology…and if they withstood the test of time it means that they work.” [24:40]
–Kyle Connaughton on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Andrew Tarlow defined the Brooklyn dining scene. Before his first restaurants in Williamsburg — Diner and Marlow & Sons, there was no “farm to table” restaurant scene to speak of in Brooklyn. Years later, and Andrew has seen a revolution take place – a revolution that he arguably started. Hear from him and his chef Sean Rembold on this week’s episode of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu. Andrew explains how he started his empire and reflects on his inspirations, business ethics and current projects. Today’s show was sponsored by International Culinary Center.
“I’ve been inspired by being out in the world alone and having to be taken care of by other people – what that means and how others let you into their world. Once you leave the confines of your community you realize how much you need others to help you.” [22:00]
–Restauranteur Andrew Tarlow on WORD OF MOUTH
“The employees and customers are on the same playing field and the benefits are symbiotic.” [18:00]
–Chef Sean Rembold on WORD OF MOUTH
The iconic Gotham Bar & Grill is turning 30 this year! To celebrate, Leiti Hsu is joined by none other than Alfred Portale, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Gotham Bar & Grill, and Brett Csencsitz, Managing Partner. Hear about what celebrations are in store for the 30th anniversary and learn more about the incredible partnerships between Gotham Bar & Grill and GrowNYC Greenmarket. Later on, Leiti tastes some wine with her guests to “Wine it Down”. This program was sponsored by Fairway Market.
“I needed consistency – I needed to know how to do my food for 300 people a night. In order to do that – every single thing is planned out — nothing is open to interpretation by a cook.” [26:00]
–Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill on WORD OF MOUTH
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti interviews Alessandro Borgognone, owner of Sushi Nakazawa. Later, we wined down with Jason Wagner from Fung Tu. This program has been sponsored by Of A Kind. Today’s music provided by Obey City.
“I think every restaurant should be theatrical to a certain extent.” [38:00]
“There’s nothing wrong with being a regular person, but I never wanted to be a regular person.” [46:30]
–Alessandro Borgognone on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti heads to the Greenmarket to speak with Mike Poiarkoff, Executive Chef of Vinegar Hill House. Then, we are joined in the studio by Bronx born Jonathan Wu, chef/owner of Fung Tu in the Lower East Side. This Per Se alum is cooking up deeply original and soulful Chinese food at his own spot now. Today’s program has been sponsored by Fairway Market. Today’s music provided by ghost.bandcamp.com/">Space Ghost.
“Let’s hear it for subtlety, and let’s hear it for nuance.” [33:00]
–Jonathan Wu on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
What does it take to be one of the youngest Master Sommeliers in the world? Find out on this week’s episode of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu with guest Carlton McCoy, Wine Director at The Little Nell Hotel in Aspen Colorada. McCoy is the second African American and one of 133 top wine professionals to have earned the title of Master Sommelier in the U.S. Also hear from Matt Conroy for the Greenmarket segment and “Wine Down” with Richard Betts later in the show. This program was sponsored by Of a Kind.
This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti meets up with John Polarkoff from The Pines restaurant in Gowanus, Brooklyn, to talk parsnips. After the break, we’re joined in the studio by Daniel Burns, chef and owner of Luksus at Torst in Greenpoint, and one of Platt’s Top 5 Best New Chefs of 2014! Later, we catch up with Colin Tuska, wine director at Prospect Restaurant in Fort Greene. This program has been sponsored by Of A Kind. Today’s music provided by Brothers NYC.
“Six years in Europe, both England and Denmark, surely has shaped what I think about food.” [14:50]
Daniel Burns on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by in-studio guest #PEOPLEWELIKE David Burke, who at 26 years old helmed the kitchen at the famed, wildly innovative River Cafe. Now he’s got an empire of restaurants in NYC and around the country.
We’ll talk a flurry of new openings this year. David shares how his dad tried quite unsuccessfully to dissuade him from cooking by enrolling him in a cooking class. He recalls getting schooled on “how to open a clam the fastest” at his first cooking job at a New Jersey country club. Also, how he coped with getting the worst dish of the year as a chef in his 20s.
We’ll #WINEedDown with Alex Lapratt, partner/sommelier of Atrium DUMBO. Named Best Sommelier by the American Sommelier Association, Alex hails from several Michelin 2 and 3 star spots like Atera, Jean-Georges, and Le Bernardin. He says that the truth about a wine list lies on the wines-by-the-glass page.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu.
Thanks to our sponsor, The International Culinary Center. Music by takstar.
5.JPG?1392834432">
“Back then, being a chef was not a great career choice… There was really nothing to compare it to… the CIA was in its infancy at that time.” [20:00]
“My dad signed me up for a cooking school in a mall…he figured I’d be discouraged, it’s all housewives, they drink wine, learn how to make a pot-au-feu or something…he thought I’d be like, this sucks. I came back and said, I signed up for all the other classes. [20:00]
“I’m like ‘Sh*t!,’ the worst dish of the year! I was so devastated…the heat in my face…all of a sudden, here comes Drew [Nieporent] coming down the aisle [of the plane], telling everybody, ‘Look, that guy in the back! He’s got the worst dish of the year!'” [33:15]
“I came in early to learn how to open a clam the fastest way…He took a meat hammer and started smashing the clams, and all the meat and the pulp and the shells went all over my shirt, and I was like, ‘OK, dumb question I guess.'” [27:28]
— David Burke on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
This week on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu, Leiti is joined by Sara Jenkins, chef/owner of Porsena and Porchetta in New York City’s East Village. Tune in for conversations regarding the world of publishing, the Mediterranean diet, and seasonal eating! Thanks to our sponsor, Of A Kind. Music by takstar.
“There’s so much interest these days in America in eating seasonally, but that’s how Italians ate up until fairly recently. Now, you can get any food whenever you want… it’s a very global world, as silly as that is to say.” [22:15]
“If I had an olive grove in my backyard, I’d probably be cooking with extra virgin olive oil.” [39:00]
— Sara Jenkins on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Check out this edition of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu featuring Ken Oringer! Thanks to our sponsor, The International Culinary Center.
“I just love big menus. I having so many different things on the menu; why limit it?” [29:45]
“Don’t get overwhelmed… Back in the day, everyone was demanding such perfection in one space, but now, I think people are realizing that you can stretch your voice in other ways… You have to grow with other people.” [33:00]
— Ken Oringer on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by in-studio guest #PEOPLEWELIKE Daniel Holzman, Chef-Owner of The Meatball Shop.
This is the BALLS & BURGERS Edition of WORD OF MOUTH.
At the top of the hour, we’ll talk to Adam Fleischman, Founder, Umami Burger, about how #ChocoChicken came about, weeks after Jimmy Kimmel described it this way: “it’s as if God has been reading my food journal.”
We’ll catch up with Daniel about his thoroughly Jewish-American upbringing in the Upper East Side and this early bloomer’s earliest crush and stint in the kitchen at Le Bernardin at the age of 15. Daniel shares how he met his best friend and business partner Michael Chernow when they were just teenagers. Also: the Bible, the Dalai Lama, matzo ball soup and blintzes.
To #WINEedDown, we’ll get Adam back on the line from LA. This former journalist started out in the wine industry before starting Umami Burger, and they talk Dom Perignon and the development of Umami Burger house wine.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu.
Thanks to our sponsor, The International Culinary Center. Music by takstar.
“I played the flute in orchestra. Michael [Chernow] was going to be attending [LaGuardia High School], and he was going to play the tuba. We met on the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps and I riding my bicycle and I think he was rocking some rollerblades and we got to talking.” [27:35]
“I picked the piccolo, I think my teacher was like: listen if you haven’t come out of the closet yet, I’m gonna with you the flute, just to give you some chance.” [30:00]
“I desperately care what you think about me and yet I pretend that I don’t give a sh*t.” [29:05]
What makes our partnership work so well is that it’s authentic. Working together we hated each other at times, and it threatened our friendship at times…We went to couples therapy for about eight months trying to learn how to draw boundaries. [33:10]
“One of our first bigs fights was at the lunchroom at LaGuardia High School. I was kind of being a pretentious d*ckhead, and Mike threw a tater tot at me.” [34:35]
— Daniel Holzman on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by in-studio guest #PEOPLEWELIKE Yannick Benjamin, founder of Wine on Wheels. Funds raised help people with disabilities live life in the present by empowering them to pursue higher education, wine, sports, and that impeccable #HighandTight haircut that Yannick is so known for in the NYC wine community. You can find him somm-ing at the University Club and working weekends at Le Du’s Wines in the West Village.
Yannick grew up in a restuarant family and so was intent on building his career early on at the likes of Le Cirque, Felidia, Oceana, and at the Ritz-Carlton. Coming home from work on October 27, 2003, at the age of 25, he was injured in a car accident on the West Side Highway. Paralyzed from the waist down, he found strength and support from wine and family to continue pursuing his career. After a whole lot of rejection, he met one fellow who believed in him and began working for Jean Luc Le Du (former Head Sommelier for Daniel Boulud’s restaurants) at Le Du’s Wines. Now, he’s also back on the service floor as the only somm in wheels we know. We’ll also catch up on Yannick’s love life and his weekly haircut and daily gym (tan, laundry) routine.
At the top of the hour, we head over to the two-Michelin star, three-NYTimes star Atera to talk to chef-partner Matt Lightner; you’d get 20 courses at his tasting menu restaurant. Off work though, Matt loves watching football, and we’ll talk what he’s cooking for the Super Bowl.
To #WINEedDown, we’ll get serendaded by crooner-sommelier Tanner Walle as he says goodbye to six years at Terroir in the East Village.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu.
Thanks to our sponsor, The International Culinary Center. Music by takstar.
“A lot of organizations are about finding the cure; we’re about finding the now. We’re trying to give people a reason to live in ‘the now.'” [22:35]
— Yannick Benjamin on WORD OF MOUTH of Leiti Hsu
Tune into this week’s edition of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu to hear her discussion with Annisa’s Anita Lo! Thanks to our sponsor, White Oak Pastures. Music by Tom Cruz.
“It was so hard to get fish in Cuba. It was like buying drugs!” [17:15]
“Fusion shouldn’t be a dirty word; all cuisines are fusion… American cuisine is definitely fusion. Here, especially in urban areas, we are surrounded by so many cultures.” [23:00]
— Anita Lo on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by in-studio guest #PEOPLE WELIKE Chris Cannon, the restaurateur (shall we call director-producer) behind All’onda, a Venetian-Japanese spot right off of Union Square he’s opened just a week ago with chef-partner Chris Jaeckle. There hasn’t been a restaurant Chris has been a partner in without a three-star NYTimes rating; he’s worked with the likes of Scott Conant and Michael White, and you may know him from dining at Alto, Convivio, and Marea.
Chris tells us about about his liberal arts beginnings; he knew he wanted to build restaurants as a little boy but believed Brown University would make him better at his dream job. We talk about his new project, the Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Morristown, NJ, housed in a 15,000 sq ft landmark building. It’ll feature an oyster bar, where Chris will serve up Jersey Shore oysters; they’re from the 40 North oyster farm in which he invested in post Hurricane Sandy devastation. Finally, Chris shares what it’s like to work with other Chris (Chef Jaeckle) and gives advice on finding the right partners, both personal and professional.
At the top of the hour, we head to the Greenmarket and talk potatoes po-tah-toes with Adam Starowicz, formerly of Momofuku Ko and now Exec Chef of North River — comfort food we want but cooked with tasting menu precision. To #WINEedDown, we’ll taste an Italian white, one of so many on the list at All’onda at sub-$60 a bottle, here in the studio with Chris, who urges us to drink in context.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu. This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods. Music by Tom Cruz.
“The chef is the driving force behind the restaurant. He or she’s the main actor. Because we all know that a restaurant is much more than the food.” [22:50]
“You should team up with a chef and spend a lot of time together to accurately get your vision out there.” [26:00]
“Partnerships are very difficult. It’s like marriage without sex.” [27:10]
— Chris Cannon on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Tune into this week’s edition of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu to hear Leiti’s conversation with sommelier and winemaker Andre Mack. Hear Andre discuss his history in the beverage business, and hear what it’s like to be black in the world of wine. Thanks to our sponsor, Heritage Foods USA. Music by Tom Cruz.
“There’s not a lot of people that look like me that do what I do. I found it to be an advantage. People would never forget me.” [20:10]
“When you put yourself out there, that’s the only way that you can really succeed.” [29:20]
“With wine labels, I’m just trying to get people to pick the bottle up… People are 23% more likely to buy a bottle of wine if they pick it up or touch it.” [41:15]
— Andre Mack on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Tune into this week’s edition of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu to hear Leiti’s conversation with Modernist Cuisine co-author, chef, and teacher, Maxime Bilet! Thanks to our sponsor, Underground Meats. Music by Tom Cruz.
“I wanted to express that inherently natural connection between art and food- and my love for both… Anything being incorporated into you experience of food matters, and so is making everything more beautiful connected to that process.” [16:15]
“It has to be delicious. Otherwise, there’s no story there!” [43:00]
— Maxime Bilet on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Today’s in-studio guest on #PEOPLE WELIKE…we’ll talk to Matt Gross, Web Editor at Bon Appetit. The former Frugal Traveler columnist for the NYTimes, has been to over 50 countries.I had him dial in live from Taipei, Taiwan a few weeks ago on a recent trip to visit the in-laws and EAT, and he’s now in the studio to report back to us. Plus, travel tips you’ll only hear here.
But before that, we’ll head to the Greenmarket with who I go to with all my questions about Japanese cooking — Hiroko Shimbo, chef and author of IACP cookbook award-winning Hiroko’s Kitchen.
Then, after we hang with Matt in the studio, to WINE-ED down this morning, we talk to Gordon Little, founder of Little Peacock Imports, the only Aussie-wine only boutique wine import company that we know of anyway. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Music provided by Obey City
3.JPG?1386089088" width="400" height="550">“We put movies and wine together, or video games and wine, and people get into that stuff.” [36:00]
— Matt Gross on WORD OF MOUTH
Tune into this episode of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu to hear Leiti talk with Jordan Salcito, beverage director with the Momofuku group. This program has been brought to you by Brooklyn Slate. Music by Tom Cruz.
“If you take an apple seed and put it in the ground, you will get a different variety of apple than the apple you took the seed from. If you want the same variety, the way to do that is grafting.” [7:00]
“Don’t underestimate the cold call.” [41:20]
— Jordan Salcito on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by #peoplewelike Chef Leah Cohen, owner of Pig & Khao restaurant and former Top Chef finalist. They’ll talk what it was like to grow up in suburban Scarsdale, NY as a ‘Jewippino’ and how Leah nearly flunked out of traditional college to go on to the Culinary Institute of America — a far better fit, we realize! Also, lessons learned from her reality television ‘showmance’ and how a makeout session with a fellow contestant turns into a storyline on national TV. It was so disastrous that she then ducked out of the country for a pivotal year of cooking and learning in Asia. Finally, Leah describes how scoring a job in the kitchen at Eleven Madison Park is a lot like performing under pressure on Top Chef, and the role that mentor that Daniel Humm played in Leah’s career.
At the top of the hour, we go to the Greenmarket with Chopped champion Sean Scotese and talk parsnips and his soon-to-open hot pot restaurant Ghost Street. To #WINEedDown, Leiti brings you Matt Conway, GM and sommelier of Marc Forgione restaurant, who’ll tell us why and how to make your somm your best friend.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu. This program has been sponsored by The International Culinary Center. Music provided by Obey City.
2.JPG?1385919567" width="500" height="700">
“Daniel Humm was amazing…That kitchen was very, very hard. Everything has to be perfect, and if not, you have to remake it. I would freak out before service.” [35:58]
“Oh yeah, he was an amazing kisser. No, I’m just kidding! No, actually, I don’t even remember. I mean, we were drunk pretty much the whole time that we were filming. They give you beer, they want you to be drunk. Not when you’re cooking, but when you’re stewing and waiting for deliberations.” [19:45]
“I’m a very open book…My PR woman will be like ‘Ok, maybe you shouldn’t have said that. Maybe you should have like, thought about it.’ Sometimes I need someone to be there with me while I do interviews to just be like, ‘no no, that’s not what she meant.'” [23:40]
— Chef Leah Cohen on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by #PEOPLEWELIKE Sushi Chef John Daley, live in-studio. This Masa and 15 East alum owns New York Sushi Ko, an 11-seater spot in the Lower East Side. We’ll get to know him beyond numerous mentions in top press like GQ and The NYT about the “Sushi Bro” — so called by Alan Richman because he’s a 6’2″ tall white guy, the unlikeliest fellow you’d expect to find behind a sushi counter. John shares with us show-worthy techniques involving heavy use of his blowtorch and tools as ordinary as a hand blender and a chinois. They’ll talk about the time he didn’t get the gig during a stage (kitchen equivalent of a job interview) with April Bloomfield. And, why getting fired can be a good thing, even when it’s completely your fault!
This week, special morsel at the top of the hour: We catch Bon Appetit Web Editor Matt Gross, calling in live from Taiwan. They talk a little Taiwan history to begin to understand why the Taiwanese are one of the most food-obsessed peoples in Asia and perhaps the world.
Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu. This program has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com. Music provided by Shadowbox.
“For Japanese food- or at least sushi- if you’re going to adulterate it, do so with the utmost integrity.” [22:10]“Some of these plates need to have that ‘slurpability.’ A lot of the first two courses are almost profiling dishes for me to see where the customer’s at. We put down a small fork and chopsticks for first course, and now you even could just pick up first course and slurp it. A lot of times, I see how they interact with their food. Are they afraid or are they hesitant? Do they grab the chopsticks or do they grab the fork…then you can move on with the omakase.” [24:45]
“There’s a sense of community that the Tsukiji Market offers the entire chef-ing community in Tokyo. So every day, every chef, sees each other…so it’s like that guy gets here at 7:30, that guy gets here at 8, we’ve been here since 6 shopping.” [27:30]
“I said, ‘Mom, can we have Chinese food tonight?’ not realizing the financial perils we were in at the time.’ And she goes, ‘You want Chinese food? Go work at a Chinese restaurant. And so I did.'” [41:50]
— John Daley on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Soulayphet (“Phet”) Schwader, Chef/Owner of Khe-Yo, the Laotian restaurant he runs with partners Iron Chef winner Marc Forgione and GM Nick Bradley. They talk about how Khe-Yo came to be with Marc and Nick, old friends and former roommates. Also, they begin a dialogue on how major food media today portrays ethnic food. Also, his journey from war-torn Laos to Kansas and how his mom Soubanh inspires his food and his life.
At the top of the show, Leiti heads to the Greenmarket with Chef Kyle Knall of Maysville. They #WINEedDOWN with legendary British wine writer Stuart Pigott. Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu. This program has been sponsored by the International Culinary Center.
I was sitting at Marc [Forgione]’s restaurant, just hanging out, unemployed not knowing what I wanted to do with my career…what’s my next step? Can I go be a chef for somebody else, and we both looked at each other and we’re like let’s just open something up.” [18:03]
“The funny thing is that I’ve lived in NYC off and on for over 12-13 years, and I’ve never met a Laotian until I opened up this restaurant.”
“I don’t want them to take offense at this, but maybe if I were Caucasian, it’d be more interesting what I’m doing, but at the same time, this is what I grew up with.
— Chef Phet Schwader on Word of Mouth with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Today’s guests on #PEOPLEWELIKE…we’ll welcome all three wine directors of Little Wisco, Gabe Stulman’s much-loved group of restaurants, with menus ranging from Italian to non-traditional Japanese izakaya to French bistro. In the studio is Jen Sgobbo (Perla, Chez Sardine, Fedora), Erika DaSilva (Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s), and Keri Levens (Montmartre). Jen tells us about how she became the group’s first-ever wine director with the birth of Perla. Plus, what about the service culture turns diners into regulars? The wine gals share what they really think about boys and girls in food and wine. Finally, hear about the restaurant staff as a second family — and how to get a gig working harvest in Burgundy. At the top of the hour, Leiti heads to the Greenmarket to shop for a dinner party with Chef/Owner Daniel Holzman of The Meatball Shop. And then, to #WINEedDOWN, Leiti brings to you Morgan W. Harris, sommelier at Corkbuzz Wine Bar, who’ll remind us that wine is food and food is wine. Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu. This program has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com
“I’d be an R&B Somm. I’d sing your way through the list!” [39:01]
— Jen Sgobbo on Word of Mouth
“For someone we don’t know – we’ll blow them up. Give them the most spectacular evening of their lives. They walk out feeling like they are (A famous chef or celebrity).” [14:30]
— Keri Levens on Word of Mouth
“There are challenges you are going to face whether you’re female or male. You’re never going to know everything – as long as you have the spirit and drive to push forward, you’ll be fine.” [29:50]
— Erika DaSilva on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti, a fixture in NYC dining culture, talks to #peoplewelike guests photographer Melanie Dunea and editor Charlotte Druckman. Melanie, also an author and speaker, photographs some of the most influential people in the world — Mario Batali, Tony Bourdain, and non-food folks as well. She is joined by sister-in-crime Charlotte Druckman, Senior Editor at Medium.com, a publishing platform created by the founders of Twitter. A recovering food writer, she authored “Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen.”
They talk their roadtrip across the South to photograph women for John T. Edge’s Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, entitled: “Women, Work, and Food.” Melanie talks about Hurricane Sandy and her NYC subway ad campaign to support the Food Bank for NYC. They also reveal what came up in a rather nontraditional “one-time-only” book club; Melanie and Charlotte gathered most their most successful women friends to brave, together, “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In.” Finally, the roles and portrayals of chefs in media and social media, then and now. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.
“Instead of having to be everything, there will be those chef’s really known for working on their craft, and others more interested in personally cultivation.” [45:13]
— Charlotte Druckman on Word of Mouth with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Thomas Pastuszak, Wine Director at The NoMad. We’ll talk about what doctors, classical pianists, and sommeliers have in common. We hear about that “aha” moment Thomas had that turned him to the world of wine. Thomas and Leiti discuss the Coravin by-the-glass program at The NoMad, and why it enables the “youth,” as we say, to experience super special wines without breaking the bank. Finally, we wine-ed down with an in-studio blind tasting of surprise — a bottle from Thomas’ favorite wine region. This program has been sponsored by MOOD Magazine.
“I was inspired by this new generation of restauranteurs and sommeliers. I really love this notion of getting people to the table, showing them a great time, and this idea of hospitality.” [17:22]
“In the context of wine, it’s really important to know your stuff. You want to tell a story to your guest that’s visual and graphic, without being overbearing.” [30:48]
— Thomas Pastuszak on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Dustin Wilson, Master Sommelier and Wine Director at the three-Michelin starred Eleven Madison Park. We’ll hear about his personal wine project, Vallin and the evolving winemaking culture in California. Also, we’ll find out Dustin’s bad boy childhood and how he ended up in the world of wine; of course it was he picked up studies in geography after finance proved unexciting. Dustin discusses the wine drinking culture of America and the increasingly fragmented wine media landscape. They’ll delve into what it’s really like to work the floor at a Michelin three-star restaurant in New York City — and what Dustin’s up to when he’s not at work. This program was brought to you byThis program has been sponsored by Brooklyn Slate.
“I see the industry going in a good direction. There’s so many more sources of quality information about wine out there now versus ten to fifteen years ago.” [33:25]
— Dustin Wilson on Word of Mouth
Explore New Nordic cuisine with two of its biggest chefs, Fredrik Berselius of Aska and Esben Holmboe Bang of Restaurant Maameo. Leiti Hsu chats with the Scandinavian star chefs about their influences, latest projects and culinary inspirations. This program was sponsored by Underground Meats.
“It’s all about making the customers happy – that’s why we come to work.” [28:00] –Frerik Berselius on Word of Mouth
“The best way to respect nature is to feed people, from nature.” [30:00] –Esben Holmboe Bang on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Patrick Cappiello, Wine Director and Partner of Pearl & Ash. Find out what this philosophy major’s dream job would be if he were not a sommelier. They’ll talk what somms and figure skaters have in common — hint, it’s got to do with the lifecycle of a sommelier. Plus, why Pearl & Ash has become a veritable NYC clubhouse for sommeliers and the wine community. Patrick and Leiti also discuss the role of social media in his peculiar ascent. Finally, get the lowdown on why you should get first in line for the Renegade Wine Dinner series with Patrick and Chef Richard Kuo at Pearl & Ash! This program was brought to you by Brooklyn Slate.
“Since I was a little kid, it’s always been my dream to own a restaurant in New York City. In the end, if you can be an owner or be involved in that level – it changes [everything]. You get rewarded for the hard work.” [15:00]
“It’s easy when you have 3,000 bottles to please everybody!” [20:00]
–Patrick Cappiello on Word of Mouth
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Alex Stupak of Empellon Taqueria and Empellon Cocina and Stephen Torres, Founder, ImbibeandInspire.com. They discuss the upcoming chef get-together in Chicago, where they’ll talk “American foodways” with top toques like Hugh Acheson, Kyle Connaughton, and David Beran. Alex and Stephen tell us about working together at Alinea, where they first met. Also, they’ll discuss the Push Project, and why Alex, the Italian-Russian pastry chef from Massachusetts, made Mexican cuisine his mission. Finally, what’s on Alex’s mind as he opens a third NYC restaurant. This program was sponsored by BluePrint Cleanse. Break music provided by Jen Jayden & The Greenstone.
“People forget that Italian and French cuisine are ethnic cuisines.” [9:00]
“I define creativity as trying to figure out what you don’t know how to do.” [12:00]
— Alex Stupak on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Executive Chef Bryce Shuman and General Manager Eamon Rockey of the now NYTimes three-star Betony. Bryce last at Eleven Madison Park, where he rose up to Executive Sous Chef over six years. Eamon has helmed dining rooms at Atera and Aska. They talk Bryce’s adventurous mom’s influence on his cuisine (raw seal meat, kid?) and Eamon’s parents, who were both chefs. Also, they Leiti asks about their tight Exec Chef and GM partnership and what they learned from Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. Finally, what’s next for Betony and the power pair behind it? This program has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. Thanks to Idgy Dean for today’s music.
Stephen Torres of ImbibeandInspire.com, Eamon Rockey, Leiti Hsu, & Bryce Shuman
“Thousands of restaurants open in New York every month, and very few of them even get mentioned. And so for us to be thought of as newsworthy or reviewable is a really big deal.” [11:30]
— Bryce Shuman on WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to Word of Mouth with Leiti Hsu – a brand new show on HeritageRadioNetwork.org hosted by Leiti Hsu – fixture in NYC dining culture. On the inaugural episode, Leiti introduces herself to listeners and is joined by friend and star chef Paul Liebrandt, chef at the just-opened “The Elm” in Williamsburg. They discuss everything from the importance of Chinese food globally to the omnipresence of rice in cuisines around the world. Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch.
“Chinese food is one of those cuisines that translates anywhere in the world. You go anywhere on the planet and there’s a Chinese restaurant.” [10:00]
— Paul Liebrandt on Word of Mouth with Leiti Hsu
Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu, a brand new show on HeritageRadioNetwork.org. On the debut episode, Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by food and wine writer friend David Rosengarten, host of the first-ever show on the Food Network. He updates us on his new adventures in wine importing and gets deep into Americans’ changing attitudes toward wine. The former GOURMET magazine restaurant critic also talks to Leiti about the evolution of food media, particularly food television. Also, find out what this Jewish kid ate growing up in the Rockaways…and what it’s really like to have Martha Stewart cater your wedding.This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.
“I really think that Food in America has changed SO MUCH in the past 20 years. A lot of that has to do with food on television!” [19:00]
“Nothing has inspired me as much in my time cooking as travel.” [24:00]
–David Rosengarten on Word of Mouth
This podcast could use a review! Have anything to say about it? Share your thoughts using the button below.
Submit Review
