Esther Choi: Korean Flavors, Straight Outta Jersey

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam talks to Nina Compton, a Saint Lucian chef who won the James Beard award for “Best Chef: South” for her restaurant Compère Lapin in New Orleans, Louisiana.Nina talks to Adam about the flavors of her Caribbean roots and how living in New Orleans has influenced her cooking. From her early childhood meals growing up in St. Lucia and making fresh juice from her family’s farm, to receiving gumbo wisdom from the legendary “Queen of Creole Cuisine” Leah Chase as a contestant on Top Chef, to merging Southern ingredients with Caribbean flavors for her restaurant’s widely popular sweet potato gnocchi and goat curry dish, these are the meals that made Nina Compton.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam fanboys over his guest Kwame Onwuachi, a James Beard award-winning chef and author of the critically acclaimed cookbook “My America,” and memoir “Notes from a Young Black Chef.” Kwame also recently opened his new restaurant, Tatiana, at Lincoln Center in NYC featuring an Afro-Caribbean menu influenced by his NYC roots.Kwame talks with Adam about the culinary anthropology behind his favorite dishes and travels throughout his life. From growing up in the Bronx eating his “creme de la creme” childhood meal of Fisherman’s pie, to a roasted squab dish he made for the opening of the African American museum, to the dream meal that he would make Lebron James if given the opportunity, these are the meals that made Kwame Onwuachi.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam talks with Bricia Lopez - a restaurateur, author, social activist, and co-owner of the James Beard award-winning L.A. Oaxacan restaurant, Guelaguetza. Dubbed “LA’s Oaxacan Princess,” by the late L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold, Bricia shares her passion for Oaxacan culture and the rich culinary traditions and indigenous flavors that she holds close to her heart. From the complex ingredients for mole that go well beyond just chocolate, to her father’s early days in America selling tlayudas with a crunchy pork paste as a street vendor in L.A., and to why she believes that making a great salsa can impress anyone, these are the meals that made Bricia Lopez. This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam chats with his friend and the King of Slang, E-40, a.k.a. 40 Water, a.k.a. 40 Fonzarelli, a.k.a. Mr. Earl Stevens — a multi-platinum hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, chef, author, and the owner of the gourmet food brand, Goon With the Spoon. E-40 talks to Adam about why he thinks he has the best taste buds in the world, and the hip-hop legends he believes can throw down in the kitchen - including Snoop Dogg and Warren G. From his family’s Southern roots eating foods like fried chicken feet and chitlins, to his passion for the Filipino flavors of his childhood growing up in the Bay Area, to his legendary meatloaf recipe that he says “goes crazy,” these are the meals that made E-40. This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam links up with his friend Anita Lo, a Michelin-star chef, restaurateur, author, Top Chef master, and winner of Iron Chef.Anita talks with Adam about growing up in the Midwest in a Chinese-Malaysian household, and traveling the world at an early age, where she was exposed to a multicultural array of flavors that influenced her palette. From her vivid food memories as a child visiting places like Malaysia and Iran, to her time spent in France studying classic French techniques and working with foods like foie gras and langoustines, to her solitary love of fishing, these are the meals that made Anita Lo.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam connects with his dear friend and beloved mentor, Andrew Zimmern - an Emmy and James Beard award-winning TV personality, chef, restaurateur, writer, and social justice advocate. As a pioneer in the food-travel TV landscape with shows like Bizarre Foods, The Zimmern List, Family Dinner, and many more, Andrew shares some of his institutional knowledge with Adam, while tapping into his most evocative food memories. From his earliest meals as a child trying new flavors at James Beard’s NYC house, to a traditionally prepared chicken dish with a Maya family in Belize that changed the way he viewed the world, and a beautiful memory of the last meal that he shared with his father eating mussels in Maine, these are the meals that made Andrew Zimmern.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to youtube.com/firstwefeast or at First We Feast on IG, Facebook, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam talks with Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker of Ghetto Gastro, a trailblazing Bronx-bred culinary art and design collective who have held up a reputation for hosting one-of-a-kind worldwide events with the mission to empower underprivileged communities.They talk with Adam about their passion for layering flavors and using food to spark conversation and impart knowledge, while making quality food more accessible to the underserved areas they talk about. From developing a love of culinary arts studying under some of the most influential heavy hitters in the food world, to bringing together pop culture’s biggest artists like Drake and Skepta at their parties, and tapping into ancestral ingredients in their new cookbook Black Power Kitchen, these are the meals that made Ghetto Gastro.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam chats with Esther Choi, a true food legend, entrepreneur, and the chef and owner of NYC-based restaurants Mŏkbar and Ms. Yoo.Esther talks about her deep love for her Korean heritage and her need to "Korean-ify" everything. From the disco fries she grew up eating in South Jersey, to her death row meal of kimchi jjigae, and why it was so important for her to master making beautiful dumplings - these are the meals that made Esther Choi.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam connects with J. Kenji López-Alt, New York Times best-selling author, chef, YouTube sensation, and food-science wizard.Kenji dives into the food memories that have influenced his life and career. From his early days as an architecture student that led him on a path to cooking, to his fascination with how eggs cook, and how he thinks science can be used as a tool to understand the world, these are the meals that made J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to youtube.com/firstwefeast or at First We Feast on IG, Facebook, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the premiere episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam chats with Evan Funke, a two-time James Beard-nominated chef based in Los Angeles who is known as a culinary storyteller and master of the old world techniques of handmade pasta.Evan relives some of his most beautiful and emotional food memories that have influenced his life and career. From studying historic handmade pasta techniques alongside nonnas in Bologna Italy, to bringing his career-defining pasta dish to American restaurants for the first time - these are the meals that made Evan Funke.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedAudio clips Provided by Shape of Pasta, available on RokuFor more First We Feast content, head to youtube.com/firstwefeast or at First We Feast on IG, Facebook, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.