397: The Life of a Professional Forager with Tama Matsuoka Wong

Aaron Goldfarb has been a journalist for over a decade, frequently writing on the subjects of cocktails and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, Playboy, and PUNCH. His latest book, Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits, digs into our ongoing obsession with old spirits and the people who chase them. We talk about the real bourbon grails and the fake ones, and if there is any remaining Stitzel-Weller juice to be drunk. It’s fun catching up with Aaron. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM AARON GOLDFARB:The Craze for ‘Dusty’ Liquor [WSJ]Why Anyone Who Loves Rare Bourbon Should Visit Japan [Matador]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MacKenzie Chung Fegan is the new restaurant critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s a former Bon Appétit editor who returned home to the Bay Area to shape food coverage at her hometown paper, and it’s so fun to have her on the show to break down her first few months on the job, the state of modern restaurant criticism, and more. MORE FROM MACKENZIE CHUNG FEGANYour New Restaurant Critic Won’t Be Anonymous. Here’s Why [SF Chronicle]I Loved My Food at S.F.’s New Waterfront Restaurant — Until Dinner Abruptly Ended [SF Chronicle]Are My Expectations of Restaurant Hospitality Outdated? [SF Chronicle]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erin Patinkin is the cofounder of Ovenly and has advised some of the food world’s most interesting brands (almost exclusively female-founded), including Kismet, White Moustache, Pop Up Grocer, Great Jones, and Seed + Mill. Erin is an old friend of ours, and she has one of the sharpest minds in the consumer packaged goods world. We talk about so many topics, including some of the brands that excite her and the common mistakes founders can’t help making. We also hear about her time running Ovenly and what is next for her. It’s great having Erin in the studio.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ERIN PATINKIN:This Year the Grocery Store Does Better [TASTE]Christina Tosi: From Artisan to Business Leader [Start to Sale]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Giada De Laurentiis is in the studio for an all-time classic conversation. She is the Emmy-Award-winning television personality of Food Network’s Everyday Italian (among many other shows) and the author of nine New York Times best-selling cookbooks, including her most recent, Eat Better, Feel Better. On this episode we talk about her panettone chops, what running her own media company and e-commerce brand, Giadzy, is really like, and her first time on television. There’s so much to cover, and we got to it all! What a great talk. It’s our 400th episode, and we are just getting started. Thanks for following along, writing us nice notes, and being such a smart and engaged community. We really appreciate it.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM GIADA DE LAURENTIIS:Layer-free Lasagna [Today]How to Get it Right [Fast Company]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the show we have some really cool conversations about European butter from France. First up is David Lebovitz, a cookbook author and baker extraordinaire. Our lively conversation is all about cooking with good European butter and why using the good stuff is essential in baking and other kitchen adventures. David is such a pro, and we loved catching up with him about one of his favorite products.Also on the show, we have a great interview with Charles Duque, managing director (Americas) for the French dairy board. We hear about trends in European butter and how sustainability and animal wellness are top of mind with butter production in Europe. He also answers the question “How do you actually taste butter?”Finally, Aliza, Matt, and Shalea share some of their favorite ways to cook with quality butter, including some unexpected twists and turns.This episode is presented by Taste Europe, Butter of France. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rachel Dratch is an actor, a Broadway star (and has the Tony nomination to prove it), and a comedian, and she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. She is also the host of a great podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. This is a really fun conversation, and we get a sense that Rachel is quite the fooooooodie! For real, we talk about her favorite places to eat in New York’s East Village, how her cooking skills are “nice,” and why she has been hanging out at the new Second City location in New York City. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM RACHEL DRATCH:Will Ferrell: Not Now, Ghosts!! [Apple Podcasts]Rachel Dratch on Marrying Seth in a Dream [Late Night with Seth Meyers]This Is TASTE 60: Donna Leonard [TASTE]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tama Matsuoka Wong is a renowned forager who supplies top New York City restaurants like Atoboy and Daniel with the good stuff: wild delicacies like chickweed, stinging nettles, and American sumac. She’s the author of Foraged Flavor; Scraps, Wilt, & Weeds; and her latest book, Into the Weeds; and it’s a delight to have her on the show to get real about ramps hype, gardening like a forager, and more.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are feeling right now. These include the banana ketchup char sui pork from Fruitsomm x Pica Pica, My Life In Recipes by Joan Nathan, exciting times for Hana Makgeolli, the plant-based robotic restaurant Kernel, Doritos Blazin' Buffalo Ranch, and the Flavourtown pop-up at Seoul Salon.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM TAMA MATSUOKA WONGInto the Weeds [Hardie Grant]How I Went from Finance Lawyer to Professional Forager for Top Restaurants [The Guardian]Meet Tama Matsuoka Wong, the Forager Who Brings Weeds to Top Restaurants [Resy]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s really fun having two food writers we respect, in different sections of their careers, on the show. First up is Robert Sietsema. Robert is a longtime New York City restaurant critic and neighborhood wanderer who has written for the Village Voice and Eater and who, prior to that, ran the influential underground food zine Down the Hatch. We talk about the early days of food writing and what is exciting him in NYC right now. Luke Pyenson is a food and travel writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and TASTE, where he recently wrote about telephone menu hotlines. We talk about his career, drumming in the band Frankie Cosmos (where Starbucks was his tour stop of choice), and his upcoming book, Taste in Music.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ROBERT SIETSEMA & LUKE PYENSON:The Delight of the Indian Combo Platter [Eater NY]‘The Best Fries I’ve Tried All Year’ Can Be Found in the East Village [Eater NY]Please Listen Closely, as Our Menu Options Have Changed [TASTE]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day’s food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe. On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel. We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It’s so great having Ruth in the studio.Also on the show, many listeners are starting to think about summer vacations and Aliza and Matt talk about some of their favorite destinations to visit for exciting food during the warmer months. These locations include places Chicago, Portland, OR, Kingston, NY, Los Alamos, CA, and Northern Michigan. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM RUTH REICHL:Power Player Past [La Briffe]Ruth Reichl’s Ultimate New York City Snack Crawl [The Infatuation]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pizza is at the center of this lively episode. First up is Ali Stafford, one of our favorite recipe writers on the internet. Ali is behind Alexandra’s Kitchen and is the author of a great new book, Pizza Night. We talk about Ali’s favorite styles of pizza and what inspired her to write an entire book dedicated to homemade pizza adventures (you need to pick this one up). Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Emily Hyland, the founder of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared, two wildly successful pizza outfits that bring Detroit-style pies (and burgers) to the masses. It’s great catching up with Ali and Emily and hearing about their cool pizza journeys.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ALI STAFFORD AND EMILY HYLAND:How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza [YouTube]Thin and Crispy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [Alexandra's Kitchen]    NYC Pizza Queen Becomes Santa Fe Yoga Teacher [Santa Fe New Mexican]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.