The legacy of Edna Lewis, birria, microplastics

It's a perfect party trifecta of tequila, margaritas, and salsa. Plus, we dig into the latest on food dyes. Ted Genoways considers José Cuervo's colorful history, from eluding Pancho Villa's death threats to bringing tequila north of the Mexican border Caroline Pardilla serves up 60 recipes for your next batch of margaritas Rick Martinez chops, blends, and crushes more than tomatoes for endless variations of salsa Dr. Jessica Knurick deciphers fact from fiction in the MAHA agenda. Although they're available year-round, blueberries actually have a season and they're ripe for the picking. Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter!

What baking beliefs can you do without? Nicole Rucker rekindled her love for baking by tinkering with her favorite recipes and eliminating the fuss Gabriela Glueck visits the "Torture Orchard," where California's nut trees are pushed to the brink so they can withstand the curveballs thrown by climate change Nasim Alikhani spent decades working various jobs before realizing her calling — opening a restaurant to showcase the food of Iran Evan Kleiman recalls the crazy ride of the 1980s LA restaurant scene with Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table Often overlooked among springtime greens, chef Dashiell Nathanson is anything but sorry to use sorrel in his cafe dishes Sign up for our weekly Good Food newsletter!

What do we buy? And what does that say about us? Emily Mester examines what happens when consumption begins to consume you Journalist Ada Tseng visits Costco twice a week for gas, deals, and hidden Asian treasures Benjamin Lorr explores how the sliding doors at American grocery stores stay open Patty Civalleri tells us about the man who created Trader Joe's, which started in Pasadena in 1967 Gustavo Arellano recalls the legacy of Frieda Caplan, who introduced Angelenos to all sorts of exotic produce LA transplant Vanessa Anderson, aka The Grocery Goblin on Tiktok, documents the city by visiting its markets. Sign up for the weekly Good Food newsletter!

Passover and Easter are here — and we have food ideas for both holidays. Hèléne Jawhara Piñer unravels the thread connecting the Spanish Inquisition to modern Jewish food practices In a new memoir, Joan Nathan reflects on her life through the lens of food Jeff Chu abandoned his career as a journalist to work the land and attend seminary, tilling up life lessons as well as a sense of calm Great British Bake Off alum Giuseppe dell-Anno celebrates a sweet Easter with Italian desserts Chef Nestor Silva plucks leaves from the fava plant for a new dish at French Japanese bistro Camélia You can listen to every Good Food episode here. And don't forget to sign up for our newsletter.

From takeout boxes to feeling boxed in, growing up as a "restaurant kid" is a unique experience. Curtis Chin and Rachel Phan share memories of growing up in their parents' Chinese restaurants Cookbook author Irina Georgescu finds inspiration east of the Danube River in Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria Jeremy Salamon reconnects with his Hungarian Jewish heritage and the charming childhood created by his grandmother Chef Harry Posner takes advantage of the short window for green almonds Here are all the SoCal James Beard finalists. And don't forget to sign up for the weekly Good Food newsletter!

Explore the spiritual side of food and modern Ghanaian recipes. Jody Eddy spent two years visiting sacred spaces and meeting the people who cook in them Inspired by childhood visits to Ghana, Eric Adjepong debuts his first collection of recipes Andrea Nguyen questions the accuracy of those Prop 65 warning labels on many foods Evan Rail plays detective, looking back on an absinthe enthusiast who became a con artist Restaurant critic Tom Sietsema blows his cover in the CIA dining room Listen to all the episodes and be sure to sign up for the weekly Good Food newsletter.

A Black chef and cookbook author finally gets her due! Deb Freeman traces the life of Edna Lewis, author of "The Taste of Country Cooking," in a new documentary. While some people spent the pandemic starting sourdough, Jesse Valenciana got busy perfecting his birria. Memo Torres visits an Inglewood backyard, where three generations of the Sandoval family make birria using an abuela's recipe. Carolyn Kormann shares alarming facts about how microplastics have made their way into our bodies. Chef Caroline Leff of Stir Crazy turns up at the farmers market for a favorite root vegetable. Don't forget to sign up for the Good Food newsletter!

Celebrate the Persian new year with fresh herbs and new recipes Known to his followers as the Caspian Chef, Omid Roustaei prepares to celebrate Nowruz.  Economist Betty Resnick lays out the reasons behind the US's agricultural trade deficit. Alissa Timoshkina ventures beyond cabbage in a new cookbook dedicated to vegetables in Eastern European cuisines. Whales that get caught in Dungeness crab fishing gear have left fishermen and environmentalists scrambling for a solution. Don't forget to sign up for the Good Food newsletter!

The story behind the famous orange chicken at Panda Express and more! Dora Herrera remembers her mother, Socorro, who took orders at Yuca's in Los Feliz for nearly 50 years. Tejal Rao visits the renovated Panda Inn, where a precursor to orange chicken took flight. Honor May Eldridge follows our obsession with the Hass avocado, which was developed right here, in Southern California. In his new cookbook, Tu David Phu reconciles his family's trauma with his perceptions of what ingredients are deemed worthy. In shades of pinks and greens, farmers market chicories are favored by chefs for creating balance in dishes.  Check out Good Food's newsletter and don't forget to subscribe!

Karen E. Fisher shares stories of Ramadan at Zaatari, the world's largest Syrian refugee camp located in Jordan. Helena Bottemiller Evich introduces the new administration's appointments charged to “Make America Healthy Again.” Dr. Christopher Gardener drops some wisdom about seed oil. Caroline Eden reflects on her travels through Central Asia and Eastern Europe and considers how the kitchen is a unique space to tell human stories.