Macaroni au gratin is the dish that star chef Ashley Christensen might be best known for. Served at Poole's Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina, it's dialed in to perfection. Thoughtfully conceived, utterly delicious, memorable, tweaked where necessary, but never overhauled. This attention to detail that shows in every dish at this 15 year old institution is a reflection of Ashley's leadership style. Profoundly human, intensely fair, and earned over time. Listen in to hear more from one of the...

Through her profound connection to her people and land in Apex, North Carolina, cultural preservationist Gabrielle Eitienne shares the importance of place and the power of archiving the wisdom of your community. Says Eitienne: "I was working in the food industry, I was doing pretty well. I had just gotten a really cool job offer and was climbing this ladder that on paper looked really good to me. I also felt that the real work that I needed to do was elsewhere." With that revelation, Eitienne...

We want to personally invite you to "Foraging Like a Local," an HRN event Dana will be hosting on Wednesday, April 12th at 6:00 PM in Brooklyn. The evening will highlight exciting ways to see, taste and experience the natural world whether among the concrete or the trees. Dana will be joined by Melissa Metrick; Urban Agriculture professor and host of HRN’s Fields, and Tama Matsuoka Wong; Forager, Meadow Doctor, Lawyer, Author, and Owner of Meadows + More. Together they will discuss the...

Seeing people adversely affected by not planning for more resilient futures, both in the face of climate change and in the face of inevitable economic change, has shaped Briana Warner's entire career. From working with the US Foreign Service as an undergrad to now running Atlantic Sea Farms, Bri has sought out solutions today that will make for a better tomorrow. Right now she's throwing all of her energy into growing kelp with the lobstermen on the coast of Maine. "It is the best food you...

Lindsay Hoopes went from working with Kamala Harris on tough cases to taking over her father's Napa Valley winery, which is a job twist she never saw coming. As the CEO at Hoopes Vineyard, she's navigated challenges as complex as those she encountered as a lawyer back in San Francisco. When the 2017 fires blanketed the grapes with smoke, Hoopes had to choose whether to compost the year's crop or find a way to save it. Her move to salvage the vintage with a Napa-appellation Brandy (coined...

Chicago chef Beverly Kim has forged a path marked by independence and an acute sense of fairness. Growing up, she heard murmurs of disappointment from her traditional Korean parents about not being born a boy (her name was already picked out: David). Beverly set out for culinary school to prove her worth and worked in some of the best restaurants in Chicago including Charlie Trotter's. It was there that her sense of fairness was awakened. She sued over issues surrounding pay — and won. She...

Humble, powerful, visionary hotelier Mary Celeste Beall shares her unique perspective on grief, growth and parenting six years after her beloved husband Sam died in a tragic ski accident. Beall took over running the legendary Blackberry Farm resort and has navigated how to stay true to Sam's legacy while creating a vibrant future that includes an exciting new venture, Blackberry Mountain.

Effusive, funny, game-changing, Rose Previte is an award-winning restaurateur who has expanded our knowledge of international street food at Compass Rose as well as with Caucasian, North African, and Middle Eastern dishes at Maydan. She shares details of her highly anticipated new projects including Go There Wines, which highlights the wines of lesser-known wine-making regions including one of her favorite places on earth, Georgia: "When Russia cut off importing wines from Georgia, as...

"I worked 16+ hours a day and still had to go home and work because I have a family. So there wasn't enough time for me to sustain myself as well as do all the things for all the people. And I realized that one day while walking to work. I never will forget it. I sat down at my computer around 7:30 in the morning and started to read emails. I got to one from my boss and I started a new thread titled "Resignation." This is how Christa Barfield changed course from exhausted to excited. Tune in...

Rose McAdoo uses desserts to tell bigger stories. From making crepes on a volcano summit while backpacking solo through Africa, to decorating cakes with men serving sentences for life without parole, to creating a self-portrait dessert on an icy precipice in Antarctica—Rose uses sugar to understand the depths of human connection. Hired to cook at base camp at McMurdo Station, the United States Antarctic scientific research station, McAdoo created the Glacier Collection, translating her...

Artist, activist, founder of C.U.R.B., Candace Thompson will change the way you see the natural world around you—if you're ready to pay attention. Candace's trained looking and researching includes an appreciation of spontaneous urban plants, known to many of us as weeds. "Those plants are the ones that are adapting to be able to survive and some of them are wild crop cousins to the plants that we eat everyday. Like black nightshade, it's the wild crop cousin to our tomatoes. At what point...

Shenarri Freeman's vegan soul food at Cadence has lit up New York City—her rolled, fried lasagna was a classic from day one. Yet her success was unexpected. Freeman left a restaurant job in Times Square during the pandemic and was ready to quit the industry altogether when fate intervened and she got a job which led to a series of life-changing events. Listen in to learn about the power of serendipity, the magic of remedial herbs, and what happens when soul food meets vegan.

Through her successful catering company, Great Performances, Liz Neumark has become a powerful advocate for social justice issues in NYC. Listen in to hear how Liz stepped up to help the city feed homebound elderly during the pandemic; launched The Sylvia Center to teach kids about food and cooking; and is steeping herself in issues important to the Bronx community after moving her headquarters there.

Chef and author Zoe Adjonyoh is one of the most vocal and visible advocates for Ghanaian food. This position made her uncomfortable for a long while. At the outset, as a third culture kid in London with an Irish mother and Ghanaian father, she even asked herself if she was appropriating her own culture. She only had a small repertoire of dishes she learned from her reticent dad. Eventually a trip to see relatives in Ghana cleared up the notion of one standardized cuisine and freed her to...

Decadence has gotten a bad name, and Claire Olshan is ready to rehabilitate it. Olshan launched DADA Daily to "make you feel great about snacking, about eating, about entertaining, about being decadent on a daily basis." Listen in as she shares how she went from reluctant art gallery salesperson to founder of a game-changing fashion retail shop (Fivestory) and most recently to creator of a maximalist lifestyle brand. How maximal, you ask? Let's just say that body parts are hanging out on the...

In part four of the Speaking Broadly coffee series, Boss Barista podcaster Ashley Rodriguez shares her thoughts on aspects of the coffee industry that deserve more attention: past-crop coffee, pay transparency for farmers and baristas, why the coffee narrative is centered on do-gooder American importers, along with clever tips on how to make latte art and pull the perfect espresso. Listen in for insights from a barista with a broad and deep understanding of the industry. Want to stay up to...

For part three of the Speaking Broadly Coffee series, host Dana Cowin talks to Rupa Bhattacharya, the head of content for Cometeer, a newly launched company that sources beans from revered roasters (like the godfather of specialty coffee George Howell), makes a strong brew, then flash freezes it in tiny recyclable aluminum capsules. Is this the future of coffee? Listen in to hear about how Cometeer creates a startlingly consistent cup. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly...

In part 2 of the ongoing coffee series, host Dana Cowin speaks to Malaysian-born Chi Sum Ngai, co-founder of Coffee Project New York. Cowin asks a lot of questions about coffee basics and gets an education in return—no surprise since Ngai not only runs several coffee shops and a roastery, but is also a quality expert (a certified Q grader, which is kind of like being a Master Sommelier except for coffee) and helps run a training center in Long Island City. If you want a shortcut to...

Inspired by the proliferation of great coffee, Speaking Broadly host Dana Cowin kicks off a short series on the Third Wave and beyond with Helen Russell, co-founder of Equator Coffees. Helen launched Equator in 1995 with Brooke McDonnell, her partner in life and business from their home in Marin County, CA. Passionate and entertaining, Helen talks us through the recent history of coffee in the U.S., discusses the role of sourcing and story and imagines the future of the bean. Want to stay...

High on the Hog is an extraordinary documentary that is destined to re-shape our understanding of the African American influence on food in this country. Based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris's book of the same name, the Netflix series is essential, honest, moving, painful and joyful. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback, the show's producers, give listeners behind the scenes insight into the production; from what it felt like to walk on the red clay road trod by the...

Yasmin Khan, a long-time human rights activist, is the author of Ripe Figs, a book focusing on the Eastern Mediterranean — part travelogue, part cookbook, part meditation on the notion of borders in the 21st century. On the pod, we discuss the refugee crisis, what we can do as individuals and as a society to address the issues, and reasons for hope. "I've really grown to understand that there isn't some kind of (new) refugee crisis anywhere. People throughout all of history have migrated as a...

Anyone who grew up in a family business understands that it's family business first, and then family second. It's about surviving and making it work," says Bricia Lopez, co-owner, with her siblings of Guelageutza, the Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles. The story of Bricia, her family and the restaurant are inextricably entwined, each strengthening the other even during the most challenging of times. During the 2008 recession, when their parents were ready to give it all up, Bricia and her...

In this special episode of Speaking Broadly, I'm sharing a powerful discussion I had the opportunity to moderate, hosted by the New York Historical Society, titled The Journey of Chinese Food in America. My guests were two powerhouses: Jing Gao, founder of Fly By Jing, and Heather Lee, Assistant Professor of History at NYU Shanghai. Food is the entry point to both of their work.  Heather puts today's anti-Asian hate crimes in a historical context: "Chinese lives were so cheap 150 years ago,...

Kiki Aranita, founder of Poi Dog in Philadelphia is a scholar and an entrepreneur. After closing her beloved brick and mortar restaurant because of the pandemic, she has just launched a new line of Hawaiian style sauces, including Maui Lavender Ponzu and Chile Peppah Water. On Speaking Broadly, she describes the connection between academia and starting a new business: "The Latin Greek Institute greatly informed who I am as a person, how I approach academia and how I pretty much approach...