The Sporkful

The owner of Big Mike’s Soul Food in Myrtle Beach is also a city councilman, a church deacon, and a real estate agent -- so helping people is at the core of his work. The general manager at Croissants Bistro & Bakery went to coffee school and ice cream school. At Rivertown Bistro, chef Darren Smith’s lowcountry spring rolls are so popular, they paid for his daughter’s college tuition. As Dan found when he went there, Myrtle Beach is full of great food, and great stories of the people behind the food. This episode is sponsored by Visit Myrtle Beach. The city has more than 2,000 restaurants along 60 miles of beaches, and is now one of the major food destinations in the south. So plan your trip today!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Max Miller, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful.

If you do the cooking, should your partner do the cleaning? Are savory oats underrated? Are broccoli stems better than the florets? This week we’re taking your calls, tackling your food disputes, and hopefully bringing some peace and resolution to your homes. Helping Dan mediate (and sharing some hot takes of their own) are Paola Velez, author of Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store, and James Park, author of Chili Crisp: 50+ Recipes to Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Shantel Holder, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

We take you to two iconic hot dog joints in Detroit and New Jersey to find out what makes them special. Plus Kenji Lopez-Alt schools us on the science of deep-fried hot dogs, and Dan's parents make a special cameo.This episode originally aired on June 26, 2016, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, edited by Shoshana Gold, and mixed by Chase Culpon. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-fr

Dan Rossi sells hot dogs in the most coveted spot for a street vendor in all of New York City – outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He’s been in this location for nearly twenty years, and he’s spent much of that time fighting politicians, public health officials, the NYPD, the Met, and other vendors to hold on to his precious location. In recent years he’s taken to sleeping in his van next to the spot, to be sure nobody takes it. But vending outside The Met is actually Dan’s second act. Long before he was there, he rose to prominence as one of the most successful people in New York’s street vending industry – then lost it all. We hear the whole story, including how Dan clawed his way back, in this week’s show.The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Grace Rubin, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.

How the (part veggie) sausage gets made...Cara Nicoletti comes from a long line of butchers, but her grandfather didn’t want her to follow in his footsteps. It’s physical work, it requires long hours, the pay isn’t great, and the path is even tougher for women. Cara went against her grandfather’s wishes anyway and became a butcher — but she hasn’t followed a traditional path. She spent ten years developing a type of sausage that none of her ancestors could have imagined. When it came time to start selling them on her own, it took a woman entrepreneur to tell her, “You’re not thinking big enough.” Cara tells us about the challenges of getting her business off the ground, what makes her sausages special, and why she named the company after her grandfather.This episode originally aired on July 24, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara and Julia Shu, edited by Tracey Samuelson and mixed by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara

Over more than fifty years and 16 books, Dr. Jessica B. Harris has uncovered the ways that West African food, and African American people, have fundamentally shaped American cuisine. Her seminal 2011 book, High on the Hog, brought the connection between African and American food into the culinary conversation, and led to the 2021 Netflix series of the same name. This week we talk with her about her own journey in making these connections, and she offers advice to the new generation of Black scholars and writers exploring these links: “Look ahead. What do you see ahead?” Her latest book is Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine.This episode originally aired on August 2, 2021 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O’Hara. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, S

Welcome to our summer cookout spectacular episode! We talk with renowned burger historian George Motz about the history of the hamburger, and about the wide range of regional burgers across the country, many of which are unknown outside their areas. Then we get an incredible burger recipe from Chef Jehangir Mehta, inspired by Indian street food, that’s made with 25% mushrooms. Finally, our old friend J. Kenji Lopez-Alt stops by for a debate that’s sure to spark conversation at your next socially-distanced outdoor gathering: Should potato salad be called a salad?This episode originally aired on August, 9, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, and Julia Shu, edited by Tracey Samuelson, and mixed by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to

Chefs tend to have a love-hate relationship with restaurant critics, who have the power to make or break them. Critics try to enter restaurants undetected, while chefs try to spot them, then ensure a flawless experience and a good review. This week, we have a story about one critic’s very unusual encounter with a famous chef, and the bombshell article that followed. MacKenzie Chung Fegan was a relatively new critic at the San Francisco Chronicle when she visited The French Laundry, a restaurant of worldwide acclaim helmed by the celebrity chef Thomas Keller. When Keller asked to speak with her, MacKenzie assumed she knew why. But she was in for a big surprise. Read MacKenzie’s story in the San Francisco Chronicle here. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/spo

As civil war erupted in Yemen, Mokhtar Alkhanshali found himself imprisoned, with $5,000 stuffed in his underwear and his coffee samples confiscated. To get those samples to the biggest specialty coffee expo in North America, he’d have to survive more than one near-death experience. Would his coffee be worth the risk?This is the second half of our two-part episode about Mokhtar Alkhanshali. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 from last week, please start there. This episode originally aired on October 10th, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Editing help from Devon DiComo. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Giulia Leo, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an ema

Thomas’ English Muffins are so famous for their nooks and crannies that the recipe that produces those iconic features is a closely guarded trade secret. Only a select group of people know it, and as you’ll hear in this week’s show, when one of those people took a job at a competitor, all hell broke loose. This story comes from our friends at Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent podcast about things overlooked and misunderstood. In this episode, the show’s senior producer Ben Naddaff-Hafrey examines the beloved Thomas’ English Muffin.This is part one of the story -- head to the Revisionist History feed to hear part two, in which Ben attempts to reverse engineer the coveted Thomas’ recipe.The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Mokhtar Alkhanshali was a doorman in San Francisco when he saw a statue that changed his life. The statue was of an Arab man holding a cup of coffee, and it led Mokhtar to learn about the origins of coffee, in Yemen, where his family is from. While coffee’s roots in Yemen run deep, Mokhtar learned that present-day Yemeni coffee was hard to source, and the quality was inconsistent. But when it was good, some experts said it was the best they had ever tasted. Mokhtar saw an opportunity to start his own coffee company, and help Yemeni farmers in the process. But just as he was getting started, war broke out in Yemen, and Mokhtar found himself stranded there.This episode originally aired on October 3, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Editing help from Devon DiComo. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Sha

In parts of Texas, a kolache is about as common as a donut — but it’s relatively unknown outside the Lone Star State. The kolache is a traditional Czech pastry made with a sweetened, yeasty dough and filled with either fruit, cheese or sausage. It got a foothold in Texas after a wave of Czech immigrants came to the state more than a century ago. This week, Alexa Lim, a producer on The Atlas Obscura Podcast, explores the Kolache Triangle, an area between San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas where you’ll find some of the oldest and most popular kolache bakeries. Then, Dan heads to Brooklyn to meet a husband and wife duo who are bringing kolaches to the Big Apple with their bakery, Kings Kolache. And Dan brings along the most hardcore Texan he knows, to find out how these kolaches rank with the ones from back home.If you want to try some traditional Czech style kolaches, check out Helli’s Goodies — they ship anywhere in the US!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel

This was supposed to be the Queens Night Market’s big summer... When the open-air market debuted in 2015, the crowds were massive. Founder John Wang selected food vendors who represented more than 90 countries. And he had one rule for them: no item could cost more than $5. That way the market would be accessible to nearly everyone, and big businesses would stay away. In 2019 the market set a new record for attendance, and finally started to turn a small profit. In 2020 they planned to release a cookbook. Instead, because of coronavirus, the market never opened. This week, to understand some of what we’ve lost to the pandemic, we share a vivid reminder of what we had.This episode originally aired on September 7, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, edited by Tracey Samuelson, and engineered by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Giulia Leo, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer.

Sebastian Maniscalco is one of the top-grossing comedians in America, beloved for his stories about the food-obsessed family he grew up in, and his constant irritation at just about everyone around him. And in 2021, he parlayed his love of food into a new Food Network show, Well Done. Sebastian talks with Dan about what it’s like going from a working-class upbringing — during which he torched hams to earn a little extra cash — to selling out Madison Square Garden many times over. Plus, Sebastian shares his rules for being a good dinner party guest.This episode originally aired on December 13, 2021 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O’Hara. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson.The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your

A 150-year-old blood feud over processed meat... When the New Jersey State Legislature tried to designate an Official State Sandwich, a fight broke out. Should it be pork roll, egg, and cheese — or Taylor ham, egg, and cheese? Thing is, pork roll and Taylor ham are the same food. New Jerseyans just can't agree on what to call it. And this debate has its roots in a 150-year-old blood feud. We talk with a bunch of locals, a pork roll historian, and comedian Chris Gethard to find out: What is this food? Why does it matter so much to the people of New Jersey? And why can't they stop fighting about it?This episode originally aired on May 3, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Shoshana Gold, editing from Dan Charles, engineering from Chase Culpon, Bill O’Neill, and Irene Trudel, additional reporting for this episode by Kyrie Greenberg. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publis

Food critic Brian Reinhart fell in love with spicy Mexican cuisine as a teenager in Texas, but over the years he started to notice that the jalapeños he’d buy in the grocery store were less and less hot. So he called up an expert who studies chili pepper genetics, and she shared a shocking revelation. In this episode from our friends at the Slate podcast Decoder Ring, host Willa Paskin tells the story, then talks with Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, who puts the jalapeño in the context of an age-old cycle in the American obsession with Mexican food.Brian Reinhart’s article about the jalapeño ran in D Magazine. Gustavo Arellano’s book is called Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. This episode was produced by Evan Chung.Follow Decoder Ring wherever you listen to podcasts. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Spork

How to judge seltzers, plus the science of carbonation... Over the past decade, seltzer has exploded. Sales have doubled, and companies like Coke and Pepsi are buying up brands and creating their own sparkling waters. So in a crowded field, with a drink that doesn't have much flavor to begin with, how do you tell which one is best? We talk with the hosts of the podcast Seltzer Death Match to find out. Then we nerd out on the science of carbonation: What exactly is it, how does it affect the taste experience, and how do you get the best results from home carbonation systems? Dan Souza, editor-in-chief of Cook's Illustrated, has the answers.This episode originally aired on May 17, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, and Sam Lee. Edited by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Every Friday, we reach into our deep

Are the vibes at a restaurant more important than the food? Would you rip a bagel and drag a piece through cream cheese, instead of slicing and spreading? Do you tip less when you get bad service? We get into these questions and a lot more in this edition of The Salad Spinner, our rapid fire roundtable discussion of food news and trends, live at SiriusXM headquarters in New York City! We’re joined by Mamrie Hart, actor, comedian and co-host of the podcast This Might Get Weird — Her new cookbook is All I Think About Is Food: A Vegetarian Cookbook That'll Keep the Party Going. And we’re joined by Deena Shanker, a reporter for Bloomberg and Bloomberg Businessweek who covers food, health, and the personal care business. They share their thoughts on the rise of “functional sodas,” whether unsalted pretzels deserve to exist, and more!The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell, with production by Manolo Morales. Publishing by Shantel Holder

Nigella Lawson is a domestic goddess of the highest order. She strikes the perfect balance between aspiration — a beautiful garden, perfect lighting — and accessibility — sheet pan dinners and a disdain for pretentiousness. Nigella reveals how her own cooking show persona comes from her discomfort in social situations, and shares the two condiments she always keeps in her purse. She also rebuffs the one piece of criticism that she believes no male chef would ever receive.This episode originally aired on May 28, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, with editing by Peter Clowney and mixing by John DeLore. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com

José Cuervo was a real person, and he revolutionized the tequila industry in the early 1900s. He navigated bloody business rivalries, cozied up to a dictator, and survived the Mexican revolution thanks to a daring escape. After that, with his business in shambles, he had to figure out how to sell tequila in Prohibition-era America. His solution would have far-reaching effects for all of Mexico. Today, José Cuervo is the best selling tequila brand in the world, and yet hardly anyone knows the story of this mogul. Why? Journalist and author Ted Genoways tracked down Cuervo’s story, and learned just how much the Mexican government, and the Cuervo family, was trying to keep hidden. Ted Genoways’ new book is Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico.The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can