To kick off the holiday season, Darin is joined by Mackenzie Hoffman, Harley Wertheimer, and Caroline Leff of Stir Crazy, and Kat Turner and Cary Mosier of Highly Likely for a live roundtable chat at the Snacky Tunes Salon. They share their favorite seasonal traditions, what it means to host the community this time of year, and finally agree on if Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not. A huge shout out to our presenting sponsors for the event, Square and ChowNow, along with support from Jumbo...

Darin sits down with Andrew Lawson, the GM and co-owner behind LA’s latest hotspots, Ètra and Café Telegrama. They chat about Lawson’s roots growing up in LA, his game-changing years in NYC's restaurant scene, and how he teamed up with some stellar partners to create two of the most buzzed-about spots in Los Angeles. And for a little throwback treat, Darin digs into the archives to feature a performance from one of Brooklyn’s favorites, Erika Spring of Au Revior Simone and NAF. It’s a tasty...

On this episode of Snacky Tunes, Darin sits down with Ashley and Colby Frey of Frey Ranch Distillery, a farm-to-glass whiskey farm that's truly one of a kind. They dive into what it means to be fifth-generation farmers, the music they listen to while crafting their spirits, and how they bring a thoughtful, farming-first approach to their delicious bourbon, rye, and other spirits. It’s a lively conversation that captures the essence of their craft. Later in the episode, Darin digs into the...

Darin sits down with Steven Clarke, VP of Marketing at Golden Krust, the iconic Jamaican fast-casual restaurant celebrating its 35th anniversary. They chat about his journey into the family business, the enduring appeal of Jamaican cuisine, and how Steven balances his professional life with his passion for DJ'ing. Plus, the episode features a throwback to May 2015 with singer-songwriter Lily McQueen, who shares tracks from her EP and talks about her musical influences, life in the city, and...

Darin sits down with our good pal all the way from Melbourne, Australia; Ben Shewry, whose new book Uses for my Obsessions: A (Chef’s) Memoir is a fantastic, unique look into his journey through the culinary world. He offers up a lot of personal philosophies, a lot of great stories, and shows how Fugazi helped him learn Thai cooking. We've also included a link to one of the playlists that is included in his book. And then we dip into the archives for a legendary performance from Sinkane, who...

Darin is in the DC / Virginia metro area for an all new episode today. First up, he sits down with co-owner and executive chef of Ama, Johanna Hellrigl. She talks about being born into the restaurant industry, her coming up and cooking through the DC scene, and how Italian love inspired her new restaurant. Then we head down to Virginia to hang out with Jeff and Jake of Illiterate Light, whose new album Arches will be out November 1st. They perform some live songs from the album, talk about...

Host Darin Bresnitz sits down with Mike Traud, the executive director and founder of The Chef Conference, which is coming to Los Angeles on October 21st at the ChowNow headquarters. They discuss why Mike chose to bring the conference to LA, as well as the diverse mix of topics this year; including kitchen leadership and mental health, and what attendees can expect to eat at the event. Tickets are on sale now, with a link available in the episode write-up. Then the show dives into the...

Darin is joined by legendary chef Renee Erickson, who sits down to chat about her new cookbook, Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food with Creativity and Curiosity (Abrams; September 24, 2024; US $37.50; Hardcover), which is available for pre-sale now! They chat all about her creative process, how her restaurants are extended art projects, and how painting came back into her life during the pandemic. Then, we dip into the archives for a little post-punk performance by The Wants. They were...

On today’s episode, Darin sits down with producer and director Antonio Diaz, alongside chef Diego Argoti, to dive into the new PBS SoCal series, Rebel Kitchen, where Diego’s innovative restaurant, Poltergeist, is featured in one of the episodes. We chat about what it means to tie your art to your life, and of course, the incredible soundtrack you can expect to hear at Poltergeist over the next few weeks. Later on, we’re dipping into the archives to revisit one of our favorite performances...

On this week’s episode, Darin is delighted to be sitting down with Ben Hundreds and Kate Burr, two of the owners of The Benjamin Hollywood, one of LA's best new restaurants and instant clubhouse for everyone who likes a good martini and a great burger. They talk about their road to opening, why Ben took so long to open up his first restaurant and what one can expect on the soundtrack at any given night. Then we dip into the archives when singer-songwriter, Rodes Rollins, stepped into the...

This week, Darin presents a special episode celebrating the new book Taste in Music. The book offers a fantastic and fun look at eating on tour with indie musicians, written and compiled by Alex Bleeker of Real Estate and Luke Pyenson of Frankie Cosmos. They share their fascinating insights into how meals on the road can be just as important as the shows musicians play.

There have been a lot of words used to describe Justin Chearno in the last few days: father, husband, inspiration, colleague, supporter, and the one that keeps popping up over and over and over again, friend. Justin‘s true gift was to make anyone in his presence feel like they were his close friend, whether they had known him for years or they had just met him. For anyone lucky enough to share a meal or a show or a few bottles of wine with him, it was a true pleasure and something you wanted...

Today Darin sits down with the co-owners of Ggiata, Max Bahramipour and Jack Biebel (with Noah Holton-Raphael in spirit) as they chat about their new location in Highland Park. They talk about their shared childhood love for Italian delis, growing up in New Jersey, and what drove them to open up a sandwich spot in Los Angeles. And then it's a deep dive into the archives when the sisters of Zambri stopped by the studio to play live. We learned about the many incarnations of the band, their...

Today, Darin dives into a nostalgic chat with modern-day Renaissance man, Harley Wertheimer, the owner of LA’s Stir Crazy. They reminisce about their early days in New York City, spinning tracks at East Village Radio, and savoring the culinary delights of the mid-aughts. Harley shares how his passion for music, hospitality, and art culminated in the creation of one of the city's most beloved restaurants. He also created a Stir Crazy x Snacky Tunes playlist to accompany your summer vibe, which...

We have an all new summer fun filled episode and we're kicking things off in DC with Brian Lowit. You may know him from his legendary indie label, Lovitt Records. He's also the label manager over at Dischord and one of the owners of Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in DC. We talked about how we started his own label, some of the different shows we've been at together throughout the years, and what it means to make an ice cream shop your new clubhouse. Then we head over to Iceland for the first...

We are so excited to share an all new jam-packed episode, starting in Vegas and ending in Brooklyn. First up, Darin chats with the Executive Chef of Momofuku Las Vegas, James Bailey. We talk about him growing up in Las Vegas, him cutting his teeth at different burger bars in the city, and him rising through the ranks of Momofuku Las Vegas. Then we dip over to Brooklyn for a live chat and performance from singer-songwriter Elly Kace. She talks about her new music she's been releasing...

Today, Darin heads to Portland to chat with Louis Lin and Jolyn Chen of Xiao Ye, one of the city's best new restaurants.  They chat about their LA roots, their time in DC, and why they eventually called Rose City Home. Then we head into the archives, when we welcomed musical guest Pree to the show, hailing from D.C. Talking about the live music scene, Philadelphia roots, music venues, and inspiration for their new record, “Rima," tune in as the group “creates a unique sonic realm through...

Today Darin sits down with food writer and cookbook author, Khushbu Shah, whose new book AMRIKAN is a love letter to the culinary traditions of the Indian American Diaspora. We talk about how immigration shapes food cultures, how her parents adapted their pantry, and she shares some of the delicious recipes that you can find in the book. In the second half of the show, Anni Rossi joins as musical guest.  An American singer, violist, and keyboardist from Minnesota, she graduated from the...

Today Darin sits down with Josh Hartley & Eric Bedroussian of one of L.A.'s most delicious and new Izakaya's Budonoki. We chat about their early day dorm dinners, their incredible playlist that rules over the restaurant, and how they are taking an open mind and wide approach to the food they serve. Then we dip into the archives when multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells joined us for a chat and live performance from songs off her album "Regards to the End." We talked about creating art out of...

Today, we're back in Brooklyn for an all-BK episode. First, we sit down with Tomer Blechman, chef and owner of multiple restaurants. He shares stories about growing up in his grandma's kitchen, building community through his restaurants, juggling multiple operations, and creating a family-friendly space with live music on Sunday evenings. Next, we dip into the archives for one of our favorite soulful performances from Eli "Paperboy" Reed. If you have a chance, check out his Instagram, where...

On this episode, Darin chats with fellow Philadelphian Josh Agran, who you might know from the legendary band, Paint It Black. Josh is also the founder of Delco Rose Hoagies, a pop-up in Los Angeles, serving Philadelphia-style hoagies. They chat about how Josh started the business, his quest to find the perfect bread, and the music he enjoys while preparing sandwiches for service. To round out the episode, a punk rock performance from one of the show’s favorite bands to grace the shipping...

On today’s episode, Darin sits down with Garrett Bess, the host of Bike to Bites, coming back for its second season on EarthxTV. Garrett shares his love of the open road, his journey into international food tv production and what he loves to think about when he’s on his custom bike. Then it's a dive into the archive from a live performance with Moira Smiley. Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It...

For episode six-hundred, Darin is up in Homer, Alaska for a special food and music roundtable. Joining him from the culinary side is Mandy & Kirsten Dixon, one of the legendary families of The Last Frontier, who share their stories about farming up north, putting Alaskan cuisine on the map, and bringing the community together.  They are joined on the music side by Luna and Ursus, who share a few of their live songs and the tales that go with them. Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main...

Darin sits down with Katherine Lewin, the founder of the store Big Night and the author of the upcoming cookbook Big Night, which is all about dinners, parties and dinner parties. He talks to Katherine about the opening of her store, how you don't need to be perfect to throw a dinner party, and what she puts on her playlist for a night of having friends over. Then we head into the archives for the New York Rocker band NO ICE. They played with the likes of Television and Black Lips and they...