Hi there, while we're still in quarantine, I'm switching things over to Instagram Live. Come join me there by following @amateurgourmet on instagram and clicking my live video on Wednesdays at 2 PST (5 EST). Last week we had the star of Netflix's "Special" Ryan O'Connell and this week (on 4/29) we'll have Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman. Hear what everyone's cooking in quarantine, ask your lunch-related questions, and join the fun. Lots of great guests coming up... you're not going to want to miss out. And when we're back in real life, the podcast will come back as normal.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lunch Therapy

Lunch Therapy on Instagram Live! Wednesdays at 2 PST

Tucker Shaw wears many hats: he's executive editor of Cook's Country Magazine, the former food critic for The Denver Post, the author of Everything I Ate, and, in a former life, a young adult novelist. In today's session, Tucker talks about his grandparents who were subsistence farmers in Maine, how he's coping in quarantine living above a Russian grocery, cooking from books in junior high school, and the night he saw me at Marie's Crisis. We also cover him getting tapped to be a professional food critic, how scary it was to write his first review, educating himself on wine lists (etc.), and moving to Boston to start work at America's Test Kitchen. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 38 -- Tucker Shaw's Tin of Sardines with Lavishly-Buttered Bread

Karina Longworth is the creator and host of one of the most popular and beloved podcasts out there, "You Must Remember This," which focuses on the secret and forgotten history of early twentieth-century Hollywood. In today's session, Karina talks about growing up in Studio City in the 1980s, her obsession with old movies from a young age, her mother cooking her way through Bon Appetit Magazine, taking over the cooking duties after her mother's death, and trying to recreate the chocolate mousse pie from the December 1981edition. We also cover bodies as commodities in Hollywood, going to art school, going to premieres with her husband, Knives Out & Star Wars director Rian Johnson, her love for soup and soft foods, and what Jay-Z and Beyonce ate at the Chateau Marmont. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 37 -- Karina Longworth's Brothy Beans and Greens with Lemon Pepper Linguine

Marco Canora is a true superstar chef: he's a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef New York), a celebrated cookbook author ("Salt To Taste," "A Good Food Day"), the chef/owner of one of New York's best restaurants, Hearth, and purveyor of the best broth in the country with his company Brodo. On Today's Lunch Therapy, we talk about his Tuscan mother's cooking, learning through osmosis, why real-world experience is more important than culinary school, and his early job making prepared foods at Dean & Deluca in SoHo. Then we talk the early days of Gramercy Tavern with Tom Colicchio, helping to open Craft (where the kitchen saw heavy-hitters like David Chang and Damon Wise), having his fish reviewed in The New York Times by Ruth Reichl, going out on his own to open his own restaurant, and how Hearth's identity continues to change with the times. PLUS: my friend Jonathan Parks-Ramage talks about learning how to cook in the Corona crisis during today's intro. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Marco Canora's Cobbled-Together Lentil Soup

Molly Stevens has always been one of my favorite cookbook authors. Her cookbook "All About Braising" remains a desert island disc for me (that's a reference to another podcast) and her new cookbook "All About Dinner" is full of the kinds of recipes everyone should be making now to comfort themselves and their families. With mandatory social distancing, I was super disappointed that Molly's book tour was postponed and that she wouldn't be able to come to Lunch Therapy headquarters in person; but then I hit upon an idea: what if we used FaceTime? So in today's first-ever FaceTime Lunch Therapy session, Molly and I talk about her growing up in Buffalo, being the third of four children, seeking solace in the kitchen, her love for technique, and how she wound up in Vermont. We also cover her literary ambitions, how a food career crept up on her, working at Anne Willan's cooking school in France, realizing that a career in food could be meaningful, and how she got into publishing her own cookbooks. PLUS: as a bonus, my parents make a cameo from Boca in today's intro. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 35 -- Molly Stevens' Reverse Ratio Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles

Bricia Lopez is the co-owner of Guelaguetza, one of L.A.'s most beloved Oaxacan restaurants (a favorite of the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer, Jonathan Gold) and the co-author of Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. In today's session (recorded two weeks ago, before mandatory social distancing), Lopez talks about growing up in a restaurant, her family's journey from Oaxaca to L.A., sharing a single bedroom in her aunt's house with six of her family members (her parents and her three siblings), and why that was ultimately a positive experience. We also cover her obsession with Saved By The Bell and Full House, meeting Mario Lopez in real life, not being allowed to get sick as a kid, how McDonald's was the ultimate status symbol, and why yellow mole holds a special place in her heart. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 34 -- Bricia Lopez’s Empanada de Amarillo with a Chile de Agua

"Fergus Henderson is the most influential chef of the last two decades, even though you have likely never heard of him." That's a quote from the late Anthony Bourdain and it helps put into perspective the craziness of today's episode of Lunch Therapy: one of the world's greatest chefs, Fergus Henderson, and his business partner, Trevor Gulliver, came to my apartment and let me ask them about their lunch. Our conversation runs the gambit from why Fergus loves offal ("I was drawn into a world of innards and extremities"), what Trevor thinks of natural wine, the link between Fergus's father being an architect and the architecture of the dishes he serves at St. John in London. We also talk about Fergus's Parkinsons diagnosis in 1997, the sense of loss in having to leave the kitchen, how his marriage works with his wife, Margo Henderson (also a celebrated chef), how he feels about their son becoming a chef, and whether or not he and Trevor are opening a restaurant in L.A. As a lunch therapist, I should apologize for one aspect of this conversation: booze may have been imbibed during the recording of this podcast. To my colleagues in the lunch therapy community, my humblest apologies. *burp* For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 33 -- Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver's Hippie Sandwich

Esther Tseng is a food writer in L.A. -- she writes for The L.A. Times, Food & Wine, Eater -- with a surprising secret: she works a normal nine-to-five job in retail finance. In today's session, we talk about her childhood in New Berlin, Wisconsin, her parents moving here from Taiwan, the Taiwanese food that her mother made at home (including delicious-sounding Bah Tzang), her being embarrassed by her father's accent, and how she attempted to assimilate by going to UCLA... only to find that she didn't fit in with the Asian community there. We also cover the realties of supporting yourself as a food writer, the ethics of taking free trips, getting mugged on the way to the farmer's market (!), and her favorite restaurants in L.A. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 32 -- Esther Tseng's Refrigerated Pizza from Von’s Reheated in a Toaster at Work

It's not every day that a rock star becomes a therapist and then eats lunch and comes on a podcast to analyze it, but that's precisely what happens in today's episode of Lunch Therapy with former Grizzly Man front man, Ed Droste. Learn why Ed decided to give up the not-so-glamorous life of a musician, the kind of food he ate on the road, how he dealt with reviews and Tweets, how he got over his stage fright, and the role therapy played in his life. We also talk about Ed's parents' adventurous eating, loving lobster but hating the juicy explosions, how he makes a salad, Postematesing from Sqirl, his obsession with candles, and how his neighbor roasts a chicken. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 31 -- Ed Droste's Got To Be Real About His Harvest Bowl

I'm pinching myself, because Ruth Reichl -- former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine, author of countless books (including "Tender at the Bone," "Comfort Me with Apples," "Garlic and Sapphires," and "Save Me The Plums), and the former food critic for both the L.A. Times and The New York Times -- is my patient today on Lunch Therapy. We cover her childhood in Greenwich Village, growing up with a mentally ill mother, learning to cook as a means of survival, and her resistance to being taken care of as an adult and how that informed her job as a restaurant critic. We also cover the role of criticism in general, why Alice Waters is such a polarizing figure, the heightened nature of her stories, knowing MFK Fisher and James Beard, and where she likes to eat in L.A. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 30 -- Ruth Reichl's Magical Leftovers

Jen Agg has been called "the most influential restaurateur in Toronto" -- she currently owns Grey Gardens, Rhum Corner, Le Swan, and Bar Vendetta -- and her book, "I Hear She's A Real Bitch," was praised by Anthony Bourdain as: "A terrific, beautifully written, frank, and funny memoir." During today's session, Jen talks about her attention to detail, dealing with prickly customers, what it felt like publishing such a confessional memoir, and her ambition to open the best restaurant in Toronto. We also cover her unattainable standards, the food scene in Toronto, serving horse (!!), the secret to her tomato sauce, and whether or not she'd hire me a server. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 29 -- Jen Agg's Ready For Her Yogurt

As The Carpetbagger for The New York Times, Kyle Buchanan covers the awards season with profiles of nominated actors (including recent ones of Brad Pitt, Adam Driver, and Renée Zellweger) and in-depth analysis of the movie industry's biggest nights. He also happens to be our neighbor (our dogs are best friends) and in today's session, Kyle makes himself vulnerable in a way he never has before: by talking about food. We talk about his favorite foods as a kid, saying a prayer for the lamb before eating lamb chops, why he thinks his relationship to food is "deranged," and his aversion to vegetables. We also cover his favorite food movies, ordering a Seamless Sizzler steak, the relationship between food and "self-care," and the solitariness of cooking just for yourself. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 28 -- Kyle Buchanan's "Deranged" Gas Station Snacks

Nik Sharma is the award-winning author of the cookbook "Season," the creator of the pioneering food blog A Brown Table, and a regular recipe columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. In today's session, Nik talks about his recent move to L.A., how the food scene here compares to the food scene in San Francisco, growing up in India, his early interest in science, how science impacts his cooking, and why he detests turnips. We also talk about his coming out, how it was a criminal offense to be gay in India, his family's reaction, his moving to the States to go to grad school, and how and why he quit his PhD program to become a food writer. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 27 -- Nik Sharma's Passion Fruit Pavlova Doughnut

Turn on your TV and there's a good chance you'll see Barrett Foa: he's been playing Eric Beale on NCIS: Los Angeles for eleven years. In addition to that, Barrett's been on Broadway (Avenue Q! Spelling Bee!) and he most recently played Prior Walter in Angels in America at the St. Louis Rep. In today's session, Barrett describes "The Foa Philosophy," talks about growing up in New York City, learning etiquette at fancy restaurants, his pet peeves on dates, and why it wasn't such a stretch for him to enjoy Burning Man. We also talk about him losing his mom four years ago, her own involvement in the food world (she's in the Le Cirque documentary), bulking up and losing weight for various parts, why he enjoys planning trips, and whether or not this podcast will get him a boyfriend. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 26 -- Barrett Foa's Garlicky Dips

Susan Feniger is a force to be reckoned with in the food world. Along with her business partner Mary Sue Milliken, Feniger has received countless awards (including the prestigious Julia Child Award and the Jonathan Gold Award), opened several legendary restaurants (including The Border Grill), co-hosted one of the first Food Network shows (Too Hot Tamales), appeared on Top Chef Masters, and authored countless cookbooks. I'm so thrilled to have her as my patient on today's Lunch Therapy and our-hour session covers her early years in Ohio, her mother's midwestern Jewish cooking, her living in a teepee that she sewed for herself in Vermont, meeting her first husband there, realizing she was gay, separating from him and then setting him up with her business partner (Mary Sue) who's still married to him today (!!!). We talk about working for Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison (where she'd see Orson Welles on the regular), working for a closeted gay chef in Chicago, working at a Michelin three-star restaurant in La Napoule, France (where she learned a killer salad dressing), and how she began to gravitate to Indian food and Mexican food through her travels. We also cover her brand new restaurant, Socalo, where she works the line (sometimes fifteen hours a day) and still finds the time to do meaningful charity work (she's helped raise $48 million dollars for scleroderma research). For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ep. 25 -- Susan Feniger's Salsa Macha, Guacamole, and Chips

Adam Roberts analyzes guests by asking what they had for lunch.

hubhopper

Lunch Therapy

hubhopper