Jessie-Sierra Ross is the voice of the cooking and home entertaining blog, Straight to the Hips, Baby, where she shares approachable food for every home cook. A native Bostonian and former professional ballerina and ballet coach, Jessie-Sierra now embraces the farm-to-table life in the Berkshires, sharing this creative adventure with her husband, Jonathan, which has expanded beyond the blog to television appearances, lectures, big-brand collaborations, and more. Learn more about...

Ed Mitchell has been cooking whole hog barbecue since he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until his mid-40s that life steered him to devote his life to the tradition when he founded the famed Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & Bar-B-Q in North Carolina. His son Ryan brought his background in finance to the family business; after eight years working in commercial and investment banking, he returned to his roots in BBQ to work with his father. As the family business grew, so did their reputation. Ed...

Nisha Vora is a plant-based chef, food blogger, and author of the cookbook "The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook." With a passion for healthy and delicious meals, Nisha has built a loyal following on social media and her website and YouTube channel, Rainbow Plant Life, where she shares her insights on plant-based cooking and tips for creating flavorful meals, with an audience of over 1 million subscribers. In this episode, we discuss trading her career in law for one in culinary, how it helps her...

Anna Olson is the professionally trained chef and host of Food Network’s Bake with Anna Olson and the popular Oh Yum with Anna Olson channel on YouTube. Anna also shares her baking expertise as the author of 10 best-selling and awarded-winning cookbooks. She has released her latest book, Baking Wisdom: The Complete Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make You a Better Baker. This episode discusses Baking Wisdom, troubleshooting baking blunders, her love for Eastern European desserts, and...

Episode Notes Nancy Singleton Hachisu is a California native and Stanford alumnus who moved to Japan in 1988 to live in rural Saitama prefecture with her husband, a Japanese farmer. A James Beard Award-winning food writer, Nancy is the author of 4 cookbooks and frequently appears in Japanese print and television media. You may have seen her on Netflix’s Salt Fat Acid Heat. Nancy’s latest book, Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook, is a follow-up to the global best seller, Japan: The Cookbook, and...

Pailin Chongchitnant is the best-selling and award-winning author of Hot Thai Kitchen and the creator and host of Pailin's Kitchen on YouTube! Born and raised in Thailand, Pailin is now based in Vancouver, Canada, where, as a professionally trained chef, she has made it her mission to show everyone how to create authentic Thai dishes, wherever they may be. She is out with a new book, Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week. In this episode, we chat about the authenticity of...

Gesine Bullock-Prado is a celebrated pastry chef, instructor, and author who shares baking wisdom on her Food Network show, Baked in Vermont. Gesine has written six books on baking and recently released her newest book, this time embracing savory recipes, A Vermont Table: Recipes for All Six Seasons. In this episode, we chat about the six (!) seasons of Vermont, cooking and baking with maple syrup, tackling a cookbook with savory recipes, and more! Learn more about Gesine at...

Susan Gravely is the founder and CEO of Vietri, a lifestyle brand offering handcrafted Italian tabletop and home and garden accessories. Her love for handpainted dinnerware started after a trip to the Amalfi coast with her mother and sister in 1983 - and when they returned home, they built Vietri to share this beautiful craft. Vietri has since become the largest importer of Italian ceramics in the US. To celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary, Susan has written a memoir and cookbook: Italy...

Karista Bennett is a recipe developer, former culinary instructor, photographer, and the author of The Oregon Farm Table Cookbook. Her recipes have been featured in Home by Design, Hobby Farms, and she recently released a new book, For the Love of Seafood: 100 Flawless, Flavorful Recipes That Anyone Can Cook. In this episode, we talk about her surprising love story with seafood, the coastal cities she has called home, and her travels that inspired the flavors in her book. Learn more about...

Maggie Zhu founded the popular blog Omnivore’s Cookbook in 2013, sharing traditional Chinese and Chinese American dishes with approachable recipes for western kitchens. Her recipes reflect her cooking journey from her native Beijing to her current kitchen in New York. More recently, Maggie has been enjoying a more plant-based diet and published her first cookbook, Chinese Homestyle: Everyday Plant-based recipes for takeout, dim sum, noodles & more. In this episode, we chat about how she...

Sisters Patrizia and Graziella Pasqualetti represent generations of tradition in the art of Italian gelato. The renowned Gelateria Pasqualetti was founded by their father Giuseppe in Orvieto, Italy, where they share their passion and love for good ingredients with every gelato flavor they produce. Patrizia brought this passion and generations of gelato expertise to California. As the former master gelatiere at Gio Gelato, Patrizia's artisanal creations can now be found in Eataly Silicon...

Molly Chester and her filmmaker husband, John, left the urban jungle of LA to purchase and rehabilitate a neglected piece of land northwest of the city into a lush, biodynamic farm. They shared the inspiring process, along with the struggles and its success, in the award-winning documentary, The Biggest Little Farm. Apricot Lane Farms has since expanded to 234 thriving acres, where they continue to research, restore, educate, grow, and inspire. Molly recently published The Apricot Lane Farms...

Vicky Bennison is the creator of the immensely popular - and endearing - Pasta Grannies. What began in 2014 as a channel on YouTube filming grandmothers making pasta by hand in their Italian kitchens has since grown to a following of over 2 million over social media, and her first book, Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook, which was the recipient of a James Beard Award. She is back with a second book, Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking. In this episode, we chat about the nonnas and the...

Sarah Koszyk is a Registered Dietitian & Sports Nutritionist based in San Francisco, specializing in sports nutrition, weight management, and digestive and skin health. In her private practice, she works with clients all over the world, which includes everyone from tech firm CEOs and employees to families and professional elite athletes. Sarah is also the co-founder and formulator of MIJA, a wellness superfood company. In this episode, we chat about how elite athletes and fitness...

Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series Ciao Italia and the author of numerous cookbooks, including her most recent, Ciao Italia, Plant, Harvest, Cook! In her latest book, Mary Ann shares tips for anyone interested in growing their vegetables and cooking them Italian style. Join us on this episode, where we chat about Ciao Italia’s longevity as the longest-running television cooking series, her home garden with her husband Guy, the family feud between...

Molly Gilbert is a sheet pan queen! The creator of the site Dunk & Crumble, Molly is a professionally trained pastry chef, with culinary and pastry training from the French Culinary Institute and experience as a private chef, a chocolatier, and the SAVEUR Magazine test kitchen. Her first two books - One Pan & Done and Sheet Pan Suppers - embrace simple meals that go from oven to table. She’s back with a third book, Sheet Pan Sweets: Simple, Streamlined Dessert Recipes! In this...

Bri Beaudoin is the creator of the food blog, Evergreen Kitchen, where she shares delicious, crowd-pleasing vegetarian recipes. As a recipe developer, certified holistic nutritionist, and food stylist, Bri runs Evergreen Kitchen with her husband, Anguel Dimov - sharing the food that inspires them in Vancouver, British Columbia. In this interview, we chat about Bri’s first cookbook, Evergreen Kitchen: Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone, what it’s like to work as a husband and wife...

In this episode, I am on location in Santa Paula, California at the Calavo Growers headquarters, where I had the unique opportunity to learn firsthand how the Calavo family of growers has been providing us with avocados for nearly 100 years! In addition to my very personal tour of the groves, processing plant, and ripening facilities, I sat down with Calavo CEO, Brian Kocher, to learn all about how they grow, harvest, package, and distribute avocados all over the world! We also chat about how...

Join me in welcoming my son, Carsten, into the studio, for the 2022 #AskMeAnything episode! We pick up where we left off from last year’s Ask Me Anything episode with my daughter, and tackle your questions from Instagram! Technically it was an #AskUsAnything episode! We chat about all the topics you are curious about, from staying young (!?), raising a competitive cyclist, my son’s favorite food memory, what it’s like to be the child of a food content creator, our holiday baking tradition,...

We welcome back award-winning, international food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar to the show to chat about her recently released memoir, Cassoulet Confessions, Food, France, Family, and the Stew That Saved My Soul. In this episode, Sylvie talks to host Liren Baker about how cassoulet has become a beloved dish in France, how she immersed herself in Carcassonne with her mentor and cassoulet master, Chef Eric Garcia, her beloved father, and more! Learn more about Sylvie Bigar at...

Episode Notes Tara Bench is a veteran in the food publishing and magazine industry, and a trained chef. She has over 20 years of experience, with prominent roles as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Food Director at the Ladies’ Home Journal, and is also known for her site, Tara Teaspoon. She is celebrating the release of her new book, Delicious Gatherings: Recipes to Celebrate Together. In this episode, Tara shares all about cooking with her mom growing up, her career as a food...

Chef Ariel Fox is best known as the winner of Hell’s Kitchen in season 18 and as a guest judge on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay. Off-screen, she is the Regional Vice President of Culinary for Landry’s at Dos Caminos and Del Friscos. She recently released her latest book: Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine. In this episode, Chef Ariel shares all about her worldly culinary upbringing and the vibrant, adaptable recipes in her new book. Follow Chef Ariel Fox on Instagram:...

Episode Notes If anyone can get even the staunchest doubter excited about veggies, leave it to Australian food writer, broadcaster, and television host, Alice Zaslavsky. Alice is the resident Culinary Correspondent on ABC News Breakfast, the host of ABC Radio Sunday Drive and numerous Australian food shows, and the writer of the best-selling and award-winning cookbook, In Praise of Veg: The Ultimate Cookbook for Vegetable Lovers. In this episode, she chats with host Liren Baker about her...

Episode Notes Since 2012, Nicole Cardone and Deborah Gorman have been on a mission to give sorbet the respect it deserves. As the cofounders of SorBabes, they’re out to revolutionize the way we think of sorbet with their bold flavors and creamy sorbet bars! In this episode, Nicole and Deborah share what makes SorBabes such a unique frozen treat, the inspiration behind their flavors, and their wisdom for women entrepreneurs. Learn more about SorBabes at https://www.sorbabes.com Follow...

Episode Notes Vedika Luthra is the creator of the food blog and popular YouTube channel, Hot Chocolate Hits. Born in India, Vedika was raised in Poland and later moved to the Netherlands where she pursues postgraduate studies in law. Vedika’s first cookbook, 52 Weeks, 52 Sweets: Elegant Recipes for all Occasions, was released last year and offers tasty treats every week of the year! In this episode, Vedika shares the inspiration behind her book, how she built her YouTube channel, how she...