In the second part of Alicia’s visit to Chicago, she speaks with pastry chef Valeria Taylor, and food writers Tim Mazurek and Natalie Slater. They discuss their frustrations with the way Chicago’s food scene is repeatedly defined by critics based in LA and NYC, their favorite animal-free recipes, and what they think makes for a good vegan city. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Meatless: A Podcast About Eating

Episode 30: Chicago Part Two

In the first of of Alicia's two dispatches from Chicago, she talks to bartender Alicia Arredondo and chef Pat Sheerin about the city's reputation as a bad place to go meat-free. They discuss some of their plant-focused dishes, how the cultural and social context of Chicago influenced them professionally, and the broader ways in which food and politics intersect. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 29: Chicago Part One

Alicia talks with John Currence, a chef based in Oxford, Mississippi who co-hosted a series called the “Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table Dinners” to protest at the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which sanctioned religiously-motivated discrimination, particularly against queer and trans people. They discuss the political uses of food—both as a tool of protest and in bringing people together — and what makes for a “stunning” vegan breakfast. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 28: John Currence

Alicia talks to Luz Cruz and Ollie Montes de Oca, members of the Cuir Kitchen Brigade that formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Organizing as a collective solidarity group, they flew to Puerto Rico to distribute pickled seasonal produce and run workshops on jarring and preserving foods. They discuss developing connections between activist groups in New York City and San Juan, their work with Tijuana’s chapter of Food Not Bombs, and the broader importance of food to social justice movements Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 27: Luz Cruz and Ollie Montes de Oca

Alicia talks with and Danielle Ricciardi and Daniel Strong, a couple who founded the vegan comfort food business Chickpea and Olive. They discuss the process of getting products into Whole Foods, how delivery apps can financially undercut restaurants, and the concept of “making a burger out of all the things that cows eat.” Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 26: Danielle Ricciardi and Daniel Strong

Alicia talks to Olivia Hu, the co-founder and owner of Old Timers, a bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The first-generation child of Chinese parents who fled during the Cultural Revolution, Hu talks about the experience of trying reconcile her family's heritage and cuisine with her pescetarianism. She also discusses what she loves (experimenting with cocktails) and hates (racism and sexism) about being a bartender. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 25: Olivia Hu

Alicia talks to vegan activist Amy Quichiz, the founder of Veggie Mijas, a U.S.-wide organization that gives women of color a place to meet and discuss their experiences with food. Topics covered include how to convince your family to stop consuming animal products, how veganism should be inherently intersectional, and how "cruelty-free" must refer to workers as well as animals. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 24: Amy Quichiz

Alicia talks with Toby Buggiani, the owner of Adelina's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which serves plant-based Italian cuisine. They discuss his wilder younger years, how his menu was inspired by Roman and Neapolitan cooking, and the latest developments in the search for the perfect cashew mozzarella. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 23: Toby Buggiani

Alicia talks with Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello, a public health expert who runs Monsoon Sweets, a South Asian-inspired dessert company. They discuss the systemic power of large food corporations, the ironies of selling desserts while campaigning for healthier diets, and the psychological tricks involved in passing on a vegetarianism to kids. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 22: Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello

Alicia talks to chef Becca Hegarty, one of Zagat’s inaugural 30 Under 30 list of “culinary superstars” and co-founder of the Bitter Ends Garden & Luncheonette, an organic farm, bakery, and restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They discuss the branding of the farm-to-table concept versus its realities, the economics of buying or renting land to grow food, and the emotional cost of caring for livestock destined to become meat. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 21: Becca Hegarty

Alicia talks to Casandra Rosario of Food Before Love, which focuses on education and dining experiences that make "a space for marginalized consumers to create and tell their own stories through food." These events cover everything from how food cultures have been shaped by the African diaspora to classism in the vegan community. Together, they discuss Rosario's panel discussion series Roots & Vines, why wine education is significant to her community, and supporting women-owned small business. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 20: Casandra Rosario

Alicia talks to Lee Kalpakis, an editorial producer at Thrillist and the host of A Little Help, a YouTube show in which she helps new cooks learn to create inexpensive and easy meals. They discuss maintaining a (mostly) meat-free diet in a job that requires eating a bit of everything, the ways in which her family’s history in the restaurant business influenced her own understanding of food, and how she tries to teach others not to be scared of learning to cook. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 19: Lee Kalpakis

Alicia talks to Ysanet Batista, founder of the worker co-operative Woke Foods, which creates plant-based Dominican cuisine. They talk about how vegan food isn’t cruelty-free as long as farm workers lack labor rights, the West African origins of Dominican cuisine, and what a decolonized agriculture might look like. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 18: Ysanet Batista

Alicia talks to Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar of Burlap & Barrel: Single-Origin Spices, who apply models used in coffee and chocolate importation—with fair wages and a transparent supply chain—to spices. Topics covered include roast duck-flavored ice cream, using food to teach people about radical politics, and why it’s so important that we all learn to experiment more in the kitchen. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 17: Ethan Frisch & Ori Zohar

Alicia talks to Aidan Altman and Andrew McClure, the founders of Fora Foods and makers of Faba Butter — made principally with coconut oil and aquafaba, or chickpea brine. Retail isn’t Fora’s focus: they’re targeting chefs at many non-vegan restaurants, hoping to become a pastry staple. They talk about how working on this project inspired them to go vegan, why corporate agriculture is everyone’s enemy, and why aquafaba has gone mainstream. Written and presented by Alicia Kennedy Produced by Sareen Patel

Episode 16: Aidan Altman & Andrew McClure

It’s hard to have open conversations about the reality of eating animal products — whether omnivorous, vegetarian, vegan, or something else entirely. On “Meatless,” Alicia Kennedy talks with chefs, writers, and more about how their personal and political beliefs determine whether or not they eat meat. How do identity, culture, economics, and history affect a diet? Join Alicia and her guests as they discuss why people eat, how they eat, and where ethics, politics, cultural identity, and animals fit into all that. A podcast from How We Get To Next.

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Meatless: A Podcast About Eating

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