Worst Quality Crab

We’re back once more with friend of the show and Top Chef of our Hearts Laurence Louie talking about something near and dear to all of our hearts, and, as Laurence puts it, foundational to Cantonese cuisine: Soup.  Yes, it’s an all (mostly) soup episode. We talk about the soup that won Laurence immunity on Top Chef, we speculate on the origins of beloved childhood soups, and Sam and Laurence talk about growing up in nightly soup culture. Plus Freesia goes full Ratatouille and there may or may not be a mention of chugging clam chowder.  Heads up that this episode was recorded as part of our early Top Chef season recap with Laurence so you might want to go back and listen to that episode first if you haven’t yet. And even further still to our very first episode with him if you haven’t listened to that either. They’re both lots of fun and he’s a freaking delight! Now, can someone please tell me the verifiable origin of Westlake soup??? 

This episode we’re joined by Top Chef of Our Hearts season 23 finalist Laurence Louie to recap his near-flawless Top Chef run and incredible journey. We dive into all the things Laurence couldn’t spoil when we last chatted at the beginning of the season plus so much more.  Laurence gives us the behind the scenes on everything from how challenges work, to choosing dishware, the crashout we won’t speak of (that much), and how the cast gets fed. Also, was that an actual snake?!  We talk about his innate ability to cook Chinese food, repping the Chinese/Canto population, having a Canto-boy moment with guest judge Brandon Jew, and turning winning dishes into weekly specials at Rubato that we nearly flew across the country for. Listen in and reminisce with us on how seeing the best version of steamed fish can simultaneously make our mouths water and shed a little tear of pride.

Oops, summer really got away from us! But we’re back and this episode we’re talking with actor, producer, model working on both screen and stage (what doesn’t he do!) Gabriel Prevost-Takahashi about foods near and dear to him and everyone in our household: Karaage chicken and Japanese curry. Yes, it’s a perfect meal. We talk with him about his mom making this childhood favorite while also growing up with a chef/actor father. Our first fine-dining restaurant kid, Gabriel shares what it was like growing up in a small but notable resort town and across multiple family restaurants, and how he almost followed his dad down the hospitality path. Plus, how he was literally discovered on a street in Tokyo, launching his modeling career!

This episode is from the live event we did back in May as part of KALW's celebration of AAPI Heritage Month with all around brilliant delightful human Bonnie Tsui, author of American Chinatown, On Muscle, and Why We Swim.  Bonnie shares her experiences growing up in Long Island, what it was like having an endless supply of imperfect fortune cookies (and their schoolyard trading value!) and her continued trek back to family in Queens.  She shares about her natural (or nurtured?) affinity for Chinatowns, how it led her to write her book, and Freesia and Sam share their own (sometimes overlapping) experiences with two of the Chinatowns in Bonnie’s book. We also talk about Bonnie’s semi-successful experience making fortune cookies at home, about what the best type of fortune cookie is, and some audience members share their fortunes! We hope they came true!  Special thanks to: Charles Lighthouse for hosting and recording Michelle Liu for taking photos Sara Corbett for additional assistance

We’re back with some Singaporean bangers courtesy of actor, director, and producer Yvonne Chapman of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Air Bender and Hulu’s The Season. She shares her mom’s lahksa and curry chicken with us and gives us a glimpse into the Calgary Asian experience (spoiler: kids are still kids and will/won’t try things!) We talk with her about growing up with Singaporean and Hong Kong influences, adding on more classes as a way to deal with the stress of classes, and her path from pre-med to finance to acting! Of course we talk about Avatar and The Season, the badass Avatar Kyoshi, and the Venn Diagram of viewers who might be watching both at the same time (Freesia!!). Plus a shared childhood seaweed moment and shout out to the OG of reusable containers, Country Crock.

We took a little break but we came back with not one but two fantastic guests: friends and fellow artists, Christy Chan and Cathy Lu, who coincidentally picked the very same dish, tomato egg, despite having grown up a thousand miles apart. But maybe that just speaks to how much of a classic this dish is (and I guess the point of this show!) We talk about Cathy’s life growing up in vibrant, diverse Miami, and the contrast of Christy’s childhood in rural Virginia where her family owned the one Chinese restaurant–and tikki themed at that! Of course we talk about how they each came to be artists, and why their AAPI identity is a part of their art practice. Plus, fashionable pregnancies and the freedom that can come from being just a touch feral!

Ahead of Mother’s Day we’re talking to Cassandra Lam of Mama Lam’s about her own mama’s Malaysian curry chicken that she ate almost weekly growing up. Her mom missed Malaysian flavors so much that she perfected her curry paste, plus a few others, and Mama Lam’s was born. We talk with Cassandra about growing up with a Malaysian mom, Cantonese dad, and as a New Yorker, making the leap from marketing to a small food business, and her OG food pop-ups. And of course, we spend time talking about Mama Lam herself. She’s not a regular Tiger Mom, she’s a chill Tiger Mom. Plus Cassandra talks us through the other Mama Lam’s products and gives us great tips on what to make with them. Not even sponsored at all. We just love this curry paste and can attest to how good this curry chicken is!!

We’re back with more beef stew and we couldn’t be more delighted to have guest Ingrid Hu Dahl share her very special Taiwanese American recipe with us.  Author of Sun Shining On Morning Sun, Ingrid tells us about her mom’s recipe, the ways in which this classic beef noodle soup became a beef stew, and what it was like growing up the hapa child of a Taiwanese immigrant mom and Scandinavian American dad in 1980s central New Jersey.  Plus, what it was like growing up with a mom who was at the forefront of AI (yay? eek?), summers in Taiwan, becoming courageously bold and boldly courageous, and the magical mysteries beheld behind kitchen doors. 

The madness is back!!! We partnered again with our podcast cousin InfatuAsian and bookshop home On Waverly on our second annual March Madness of Asian Cuisine! This year we went with pan-Asian bangers in a round of 16 that was far, far from inclusive, but so much fun!  This year we kicked it up a notch with bites and prizes from new and old friends: Apisol with refreshing honey seltzers, Mama Lam's yummy Malaysian sauces, Lunar Bakery with some delicious baked tarts, Lulu's Asian Kitchen with some of their just-released frozen dumplings, and HEYDOH with their small batch soy sauces.  With special guests: Hannah Chea (Miss SF Chinatown 2025) and Adonis (Food recommender and culture keeper). Listen in to see if your favorites made the top 16, how egregious our audience may or may not have been with their votes, and what Asian favorite went all the way! 

We’re absolutely freaking delighted to be joined by Laurence Louie, chef/owner of Rubato and current Top Chef contestant.  We talk with Laurence about his beloved Chinese bakery staple bolo bao, how it shaped his culinary career, and its place on his current modern Chinese American menu.  Plus, growing up around his mom’s canto rock band, his journey from AAPI activist to hand-pulled noodle apprentice, and of course, representing the culture on Top Chef. The lightest of spoilers for the first couple of episodes of season 23 of Top Chef, so listen with caution, but also go catch up immediately.