When John got started in the cocktail world, Jim Meehan was his first boss at the acclaimed neo-speakeasy, PDT (Please Don’t Tell). Jim also wrote the foreword to John’s first book, Drink What You Want. The finale of this miniseries, this is a touching interview between two longtime friends and colleague, and ultimately ends up being as much of an interview of John as it is of Jim.

Editors are the unseen heroes of the publishing world, offering critical behind-the-scenes feedback that can take an author’s work from good to spectacular. Amanda has not only been John’s editor for both Saved by the Bellini and Drink What You Want, she’s also a dear friend. Here they chat about Amanda’s start in publishing, her editing process, and why she chose to focus on cookbooks.

Julie Reiner is one of John’s bar heroes. Although he never formally worked for her, she had a tremendous impact on his career. In the course of his research for Saved by the Bellini, he came across a New York Times article from 2000 in which Julie was quoted for her Appletini recipe. Listen to them chat about Julie’s favorite Appletini spec and dive deeper into the actual bartending conditions in the 90s. (Spoiler alert: they weren’t as bad as everyone thinks!)

One of the most interesting references in Saved by the Bellini is to Melrose Place, the Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff that was one of the first primetime network shows to feature a gay character. Unbeknownst to many viewers at the time, Mel Chin led a group of conceptual artists to quietly install props into the show that referenced various societal issues like racism, alcohol use, and reproductive health. Here John interviews Mel about the origin story of the project and how it was a preview...

A significant portion of Saved by the Bellini is devoted to the iconic movies that defined the decade. A few years before writing Saved by the Bellini, John read Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by journalist Brian Raftery. Listen to hear just how much of an impact Brian’s book had on John’s writing process, Brian’s reflections on journalism in the 90s, and why 1999 is the most “90s” year of the 90s.

John’s exploration of the world of Saved by the Bellini takes a turn towards drinks this episode with a conversation with legendary bartender Toby Cecchini, the inventor of the iconic Cosmopolitan recipe. Hear them chat about the wild backstory of the Comopolitan’s disputed authorship, Madonna’s nickname for him, and what bartending was actually like in the 1990s.

In the premiere episode, John chats with Saved by the Bellini illustrator Clara Kirkpatrick to get the 411 on how the book’s radically 90s-themed artwork came to be. Hear them get nerdy about Clara’s process, why some of the the drinks in the book have arms and just what the hell “line boil” is.

This summer we're presenting something special on the Eat Your Words feed. This show has always been about exploring and celebrating the people and processes behind your favorite cookbooks. Over the course of the next 7 episodes, we're going deep with one author and their most recent work. Our host is John deBary, semi-retired bartender and author of the Drink What You Want. Saved by the Bellini is his latest cocktail book, and as you might imagine, it’s all about the nineties. He uses the...

For the season finale of Eat Your Words, Cathy dials up Lara Lee, whose acclaimed new book celebrates Indonesian cuisine. Hear how Lara's fond memories of cooking with her grandmother inspired her to explore her food and culture more, and how Indonesian cooking can be replicated anywhere in the world. Finally, we'll discuss 2020 in food media and lessons learned from an incredibly difficult year for all.

We can thank Jason Wang for expanding the tastes of New Yorkers and the rest of the world through his popular and influential small chain, Xi'an Famous Foods, specializing in the cuisine of Western China. And his new cookbook, also called Xi'an Famous Foods, is destined to be a classic. Hear Jason on how it all came together, and how his restaurants are coping given the ongoing pandemic.

Cathy dials up Meera Sodha, bestselling author (and The Guardian’s vegan columnist) to chat about her latest cookbook. We talk about how her book thoughtfully incorporates the cuisines of many Asian countries, and how Meera collaborated with the home cooks and chefs she met on her culinary journeys. We'll also hear about some of Meera's favorites from the book's 120 vegan and vegetarian recipes, which include the likes of Mushroom Bao, Pumpkin Malai Kari, Brussels Sprout Nasi Goreng and...

Cathy dials up the authors of The Chilean Kitchen, Pilar Hernandez and Eileen Smith. They discuss the classics of Chilean cuisine and the rich history of influences that has molded it over the centuries.

Cathy welcomes Darin and Greg Bresnitz, the hosts of the podcast Snacky Tunes on HRN, and authors of a new cookbook on food and music also called Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient. The authors share the fun behind-the-scenes of working on the book, which includes recipes from acclaimed chefs around the globe including May Chow, Pooja Dhingra, Alex Atala, and more.

To kick off the fall season, Cathy welcomes to the show Tom Philpott, a veteran food and environmental reporter currently with Mother Jones. Tom's new book, Perilous Bounty, is an urgent wake-up call to the plight of the American farming system that just might remind you of classics like Silent Spring and The Jungle.

Cathy chats with Chase Purdy, a reporter for Quartz and POLITICO who has covered the business and technology of food. His new book, Billion Dollar Burger, explores the bright promise of cell-cultured meat and the political regulations it’s up against by following the Silicon Valley startup closest to bringing this advanced idea to reality.

Cathy calls up Dr. Marcia Chatelain, scholar, speaker and Professor at Georgetown University whose latest book, Franchise, examines the intersection of the post-1968 civil rights struggle and the rise of fast food industry. Marcia talks about how the fast food industry targeted Black communities, leading to a troubling success story of an industry in the wake of a freedom movement.

Cathy chats with Chris Smith, author of The Whole Okra, which won the 2020 James Beard Award in the Reference, History, and Scholarship category. This is NC-based garden writer Chris Smith's first book and shares a rich collection of okra history, lore, recipes from celebrated chefs, growing advice, and much more.

Cathy catches up with Eve Turow Paul, the author Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers, and Our Search for Connection and Meaning. Eve has been on the show before to discuss her previous book, A Taste of Generation Yum, and she follows up her research on millennial food trends with her new book, which explores how social media and other technology affects our desires.

Cathy calls up Charlotte Druckman, food writer and cookbook author whose latest book is Kitchen Remix: 75 Recipes for Making the Most of Your Ingredients. Hear how the book's themes of resourcefulness strikes a chord with home cooks during quarantine, and learn a few simple tricks you can do at home. Also discussed is Women in Food, an anthology of essays and anecdotes by women in the food world, which Druckman edited.

Cathy dials up Hooni Kim, chef-owner of Danji, a Korean tapas restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, to talk about his new cookbook, My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes. Hooni shares the state of business right now due to COVID-19 and discusses the possible future of the restaurant industry, as well as his own unique perspective on Korean cooking.

Cathy is joined on the phone by Meredith Erickson, author of Alpine Cooking. Meredith has co-authored several cookbooks, including Joe Beef and Kristin Kish Cooking, and she shares why she wrote Alpine Cooking over the course of 6 years of research and traveling throughout the Alps. Find out why this region has continued to fascinate so many with its beautiful landscape, rich history and incredible food.

Cathy welcomes back Hillary Davis, author of French Comfort Food, French Desserts, and her most recent cookbook, The Hamptons Kitchen, co-authored by Stacy Dermont, who also joins us on the line. We talk about how the Hamptons has become associated with a certain rustic-chic lifestyle and cuisine based on seafood and fresh produce—and how easily this can translate to home kitchens anywhere.

Cathy calls up Esther Choi, author of LeCorbuffet: Edible Art and Design Classics.

Cathy dials up Ann Hui, author of Chop Suey Nation, a history of Chinese Canadian food.