Sittin' in the Kitchen

Susur Lee is one of Canada's most recognizable and lauded chefs, but I knew him long before his rise to fame. I will never forget meeting Susur for the first time. In 1984 (I was the food editor of the Toronto Sun at the time). Susur and fellow chef Michael Statlander visited me at work. We headed to the cafeteria to chat, where Susur and Michael spoke passionately about their food philosophy, emphasizing organic, in-season ingredients. Believe it or not, this was a radical idea at the time! A few years later, Susur was one of a handful of hand-picked chefs who cooked for Julia Child when I brought her to Canada for the first time (pictured in the group photo below, second from the left). The Susur Lee I know is kind, compassionate, and cares deeply about his profession. Congrats, Susur on your latest achievement: becoming Toronto's FIFA Hospitality Captain! It has been wonderful to watch your career develop over the past several decades.I interviewed Susur Lee for my podcast in 2016, and you can catch that conversation here:  https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/susur-lee-chat-world-class-toronto/#susurlee #canadianchef #celebritychef #marionkane #foodsleuth

This podcast is short and funny! My famous foodie friend @mairlynsmith and I champion underdog vegetables – brussels sprouts and parsnips. May it remind you to expand your culinary horizons and eat your greens! Tune in here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/foodie-friend-champion-underdog/ 

In 2016, I interviewed one of Canada's most lauded chefs, Martin Picard, known for his big personality and famous nose-to-tail restaurant, Au Pied de Cochon. Martin and I chatted about maple syrup, foie gras, and his love of leftovers. You can tune in to the full episode here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/quebec-chef-martin-picard-food/Anthony Bourdain's segment about Martin Picard gives us a behind the scenes peek at his duck farm and restaurant. Anthony eats an indulgent meal at Au Pied de Cochon and we get to witness the resulting bliss: https://www.facebook.com/reel/906664317520976#martinpicard #aupieddecochon #canadiancuisine #foiegras #marionkane

One of the sweetest moments of my life took place when I was reunited with my childhood nanny, Evelyn. Hired by my parents when I was an infant, Evelyn left her small rural community at age 17 to care for me in our Montreal home. Fifty years later, I reunited with my beloved nanny, who had spent her life on a farm near the tiny village of Brinston, not far from where she grew up. I have fond memories of the summers spent with Evelyn after our initial reunion. We would go on adventures at 40 km/hr on rural roads and pick raspberries at the local u-pick berry farm. Evelyn made the most gorgeous pies, which I haven't perfected, but I can make an excellent raspberry cake.Read my reflection and listen to my podcast episode about my reunion with my nanny, Evelyn Smail, here (you'll also find my recipe for raspberry cake when you follow the link): https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/nanny-child-reunion-evelyn-find/ #reunion #raspberries #raspberrycake #recipes #MarionKane #foodsleuth

Cooking is a wonderful destressor, and I'm not alone in that belief – my kitchen cousin, Nigella Lawson, agrees with me! I loved interviewing Nigella. We chatted like a couple of old friends, swapping ideas for recipe tweaks, sharing cooking philosophy, and musing about our careers in the world of food. Nigella is beautiful inside and out, full of her signature warmth and a great deal of humility for a cooking superstar. You can listen to my full interview with Nigella Lawson here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/chat-nigella-kitchen-cousin/#nigellalawson, #simplynigella #cooking #marionkane #foodsleuth

Big news for one of television's most popular reality TV shows! Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off and will be replaced by celebrity cooking icon, Nigella Lawson. Nigella will almost certainly attract her legion of followers to the Bake Off audience, on account of her warm likeability and earnest passion for eating good food. I had the very good fortune of interviewing Nigella in 2015, and we quickly recognized each other as kindred souls, or "kitchen cousins." She was an absolute delight! You can listen to my chat with Nigella here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/chat-nigella-kitchen-cousin/ If you're on Instagram, here's a link to a clip of Nigella talking about how she feels excited and "a teeny bit frightened" about joining The Great British Bake Off. https://www.instagram.com/p/DUGOC40FK4g/?hl=en #thegreatbritishbakeoff #realitytelevision #nigellalawson #britishtv #marionkane #foodsleuth

Modena's famous Massimo Bottura approaches food and cooking with a sense of creativity that is electric. His charm and energy are irresistible, and his values of social justice and sustainability are deeply aligned with my own. I had the great pleasure of interviewing Massimo in 2017 and dove into a topic we both care about: reducing food waste. You can tune into that episode here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/massimo-bottura-mission-turn-food/ If reducing food waste and feeding the disenfranchised is something you care about too, you will love Peter Svatek's documentary 'Theater of Life,' where Massimo and 60 of the world's top chefs reclaim food headed for the dumpster and make beautiful meals for some of Italy's hungriest people: Theater of Life - NFB And I would be remiss if I didn't mention 'Bread is Gold,' a cookbook that features recipes from Massimo and others that inspires home chefs to reclaim wasted ingredients and transform them into dishes that are both delicious and beautiful: Tasty Cookbook by Chef Massimo Bottura and Friends is Pure Gold Image (clockwise, from top left): Caramelized bananas with balsamic drizzle, made from a recipe in 'Bread is Gold;' Massimo Bottura; yours truly in my legendary veggie dress c. 1992; promo poster from the documentary 'Theater of Life.' #sustainability #foodwaste #massimobottura #theateroflife #foodsecurity #podcast #marionkane #foodsleuth

In 2017, I interviewed Matty Matheson, the John Belushi of the culinary world. Heavily tattooed, irreverent and profoundly talented. Matty rose to fame with his hugely popular VICE TV show, Dead Set on Life. We talked about his recovery from addiction and a heart attack at age 29. Matty has since made a remarkable recovery and now balances a full career that includes a brand new 9,500-square-foot restaurant inside of Hamilton's TD Coliseum, acting and serving as executive producer in multiple television productions, authoring cookbooks, and performing in his punk band, Pig Pen. His ambition and zest for life are truly a wonder! Listen to my interview with Matty Matheson here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/chef-matty-matheson-addiction/I also recommend you watch this heartwarming video of Matty on a kosher food tour of Montreal, accompanied by local legend Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, aka "The Hipster Rabbi."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mkZCWiLmo #mattymatheson #montreal #kosherfood #rabbiyisroelbernath #thehipsterrabbi #vicetv #deadsetonlife #celebritychef #marionkane #foodsleuth

American chef Sean Brock's work is a love letter to Southern food. Raised in a small coal town on the Virginia-Kentucky border, Sean has dedicated his craft to studying Appalachian food and hospitality. A great friend to fellow culinary adventurer Anthony Bourdain, the two shared an unforgettable and comical meal at the iconic Waffle House, which you can check out in the Charleston episode of Parts Unknown. Today, Sean runs five restaurants in Nashville and all are dedicated to ingredients indigenous to the American South. I interviewed Sean in 2019. We chatted about his friend Tony, what sets Southern cuisine apart, sobriety and the fine art of making fried chicken. You tune conversation with Sean Brock here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/sean-brock-friend-tony-fatherhood/

Can vegetables be the star of the show at dinner? Chef Amanda Cohen thinks so! In 2008, Amanda opened 'Dirt Candy' – a vegetable-focused restaurant – in New York's Lower East Side. Since then, Dirt Candy has earned a Michelin Star and delighted diners with creativity and flavour in dishes where vegetables take centre stage. I interviewed Amanda in 2016 at the 10th annual Terroir Symposium in Toronto, where she explained her love of vegetables and her no-tipping policy.Tune into my conversation with chef Amanda Cohen here: http://www.marionkane.com/.../veg-edge-nyc-chef-amanda-cohen