Fixing our broken food system and the glory of tacos

Celebrating Diwali, Thai roots meet Nashville soul, a soju party, yaupon as a potential coffee alternative, and green satsumas: Khushbu Shah shares how she celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, growing up in the Midwest, and this year's plans. Chef Arnold Myint, who grew up at his family’s beloved International Market & Restaurant, which introduced Thai food to Nashville, has a new book, Family Thai, that's both a primer on Thai cooking and a tribute to the flavors he inherited from his mother. At Orion Bar in Brooklyn, Irene Yoo and her husband, Nick, get playful with soju and upend Korean alcohol traditions. How expensive does coffee need to get before we start looking for alternatives? Writer KC Hysmith considers yaupon, the only caffeinated plant grown in North America, for its potential as a coffee alternative. Chef Miles Thompson shops for green satsumas at the farmers market. Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

Samin Nosrat discovers "Good Things"; a bar devoted to women's sports; winter squash at the farmers market. Samin Nosrat chats about the pressure she felt following the success of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, relinquishing perfectionism, and the importance of ritual in connecting with others and yourself. Married couple Janie Trinh and Stephanie Ellingwood founded Silver Lake's Untamed Spirits, a bar devoted to women's sports. Gillian Ferguson takes us to the farmers market to meet Ben Norton, the chef behind Darling, Sean Brock's grill house and hi-fi lounge in West Hollywood. Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

How do you fix a food system that isn't simply broken but has been captured, top to bottom, in the name of profit? Our food system isn't simply broken, it has been captured, top to bottom, in the name of profit. Austin Frerick shares the stories of seven agricultural titans, their rise to power, and the consequences for the rest of us. For almost a decade, renowned Mexican chef Enrique Olvera veered away from serving tacos at Pujol, his Michelin-starred Mexico City restaurant. Now, he celebrates them with taco omakase at the bar. Oaxacans claim if you eat chapulínes (grasshoppers), you will return to Oaxaca. Anthropologist Jeffrey H. Cohen looks at the consumption of these insects and the women who make a living selling them. Travel and food writer Caroline Eden hiked between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, discovering recipes along the way. Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.  

Passionfruit, overlapping food crises, and what federal spending cuts mean for local food banks Seven years after chef Jeremy Fox released On Vegetables, he offers a cookbook with a different focus, On Meat. Michael Flood of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank explains what the massive cuts to SNAP, USAID, and DOGE mean for local food assistance programs. Dr. Stuart Gillespie analyzes the cascade of overlapping crises impacting our food system — and he proposes solutions. At the farmers market, passionfruit from Carpinteria goes into an LA mole. Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

The real story behind "no tax on tips" and the best vegan cheese Eyal Press reports on the fight to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers Animal and food activist Miyoko Schinner prides herself on making dairy-free butters, creams, and cheeses Chloe Sorvino exposes the hidden corruption and corporate greed within the meat industry Mike Cirone travels from See Canyon near San Luis Obispo to share his apples with farmers market shoppers. Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

Going garden-to-table and how immigration raids are impacting LA's restaurant workers Canning evangelist Kevin West puts his home garden to work in the kitchen Journalist Andrew Lopez reports on how ICE raids are impacting Boyle Heights Rudy Espinoza shares how Inclusive Action supports communities affected by the immigration raids Journalist Kim Severson explores the creation of the perfect peanut Vannak Tan serves Cambodian-style seafood at A&J Seafood from a shack in San Pedro Alvaro Bautista brings dates from Mecca to the farmers market in Santa Monica Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

Is America any healthier, yet? Mother and son Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji stay rooted in their Indian heritage while living in the Midwest. Journalist Lisa Held sorts through the details of the recently leaked draft of the MAHA strategy report, a year after Make America Healthy Again debuted. Public health advocate Marion Nestle was cautiously optimistic in the early days of MAHA. What's her perspective now? Lior Lev Sercarz explores the many varieties of peppercorns. The weekly market report features chef Zach Pollack's use of sweet peppers. Sign up for our weekly Good Food newsletter and connect with host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

Elizabeth Mateo expands her family's 40-year-old paletas business. Filmmaker Eddie Schmidt weaves together scenes of the men and women who drive ice cream trucks from in his documentary, Popsicle Culture. Adrienne Borlongan of Wanderlust Creamery makes ice cream inspired by travel and adventure. On a stroll, David Owen uncovered the remnants of Berkshire Ice Company, a century-old business which shipped ice around the world. His curiosity sent him on a journey investigating the history of refrigeration and cooling technologies, which along with convenience, harbor harsh impacts on the environment. Bee Wilson embraces room temp dishes while acclimatizing food temperatures to the weather. Connect with host Evan Kleiman by subscribing to KCRW's Good Food on Substack.

The protein powder boom, anchovies, ancient Roman recipes, and more! Whey, the liquid byproduct of cheese making, was once considered waste. It's now a key ingredient in the protein powders that dieters and weightlifters are downing in ever-greater amounts — and that means big changes for the dairy industry, reports Kevin Draper. Horror film producer turned food historian Christopher Beckman chronicles the anchovy's place in the European cooking canon. Sally Grainger reinterprets Roman recipes taken from Latin texts. As students head back to school, we catch up with Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies. Sign up for our weekly Good Food newsletter and connect with host Evan Kleiman on Substack.  

Grocery store feasts, eggplant, the Jonathan Gold menu project and more! Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules shares family stories and recipes passed down through four generations Tien Nguyen opens the LA Public Library's archives to explore vintage restaurant menus and remembers Jonathan Gold's crucial essay about eating on Pico Blvd Vanessa Anderson — aka the Grocery Goblin — profiles grocery stores where you can grab a great meal Meera Sodha has low-effort, high-reward dinner ideas that use summer vegetables When eggplant hits farmers markets, chef Evan Algorri knows what to do with it Sign up for our weekly Good Food newsletter!