Special Sauce With Ed Levine

Some health problems derailed our Special Sauce production schedule this week, so serious eaters will just have to wait two more weeks before you get to listen to more fresh pizza talk with Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman. In the meantime, to keep the slices coming, here's the provocative interview we did with Modernist Pizza co-author Nathan Myrvhold a couple of months ago. Nathan turns out to be a fan of both Anthony Mangieri's and Dan Richer. Enjoy, serious pizza eaters.

On this week's Special Sauce Dan Richer, chef and owner of Jersey City's Razza, one of the country's best pizzerias, talks to us about his obsessive Joy of Pizza, which just so happens to be the title of his new book. And because NYT restaurant critic Pete Wells gave Razza an unprecedented three stars in his review in 2017, I also had to talk to Pete about Razza and Dan. He was game, but only if he and I visited Razza one more time to see if Dan was still at the top of his game.

On this week's Special Sauce Detroit food activist and Food Lab Detroit founder Devita Davidson has a lot to say about how government, entrpreneurs, and the private sector can and should work together to form a better food system. Plus chef-restaurateur Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim's in Ann Arbor tells us about how she has embraced Food Lab Detroit's methods to mutually benefit her business and the employees that work there.

On Part II of our live Special Sauce, Kenji and I successfully cooked eggs and tomatoes in a wok onstage and I didn't get fired as his sous-chef for inadequately chopping the scallions. We also revived the Ask Kenji feature as he talks about everything from cooking with his 5 year old daughter to his experiences in science classes in high school.

For our first ever live Special Sauce Kenji and I talked about his new #1 NYT Best-Seller The Wok, how family life has become the center of his existence, and how Sir Paul McCartney gave him an autograph after McCartney's security team tackled him on the street in NYC.

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, NY State Senator and Food and Labor Activist Jessica Ramos returns to talk about the next set of problems she's tackling. And Kenji tells us about the Colombian soup that is his wife's favorite. 

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner returns to talk about her two Grammy nominations and writing the script for a  Crying in H Mart feature film. Plus, Kenji weighs in on the natural kinship between food and music.  Special Sauce podcast

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed catches up with writer Laurie Woolever, author of Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography. Like many people during the pandemic she's turned to sourdough bread baking because she's writing a bread book with acclaimed British bread baker Richard Hart. She also offers some fresh perspective about grappling with Anthony Bourdain's tragic passing.  Special Sauce Laurie Woolever | Site | Twitter

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, writer and national treasure Jessica Harris talks about what's new in her world, including the wild ride she has been on since the Netflix adaptation of her book High on the Hog became a hit show. Plus, tv personality, chef-restaurateur and author Marcus Samuelsson explains why Jessica has been such a profound influence on him.  Jessica B. Harris Marcus Samuelsson High on the Hog Special Sauce with Ed Levine

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, cookbook author and now independent Chinese restaurant advocate Grace Young talks about both the pandemic-related dire straits Chinatowns all over America are in, and the terrifying spike in Anti-Asian hate crimes.   Grace Young #LoveAAPI Special Sauce with Ed Levine

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks about the many pleasures, gustatory and otherwise, derived from cooking simply with Simply Julia author Julia Turshen and the Washington Post's Daniela Galarza, who writes and edits the Post's free Eat Voraciously newsletter.  And finally Ed chimes in with an urgent plea for supporting every link of the food chain during the Omicron outbreak, which has pushed many food businesses to the breaking point.  Special Sauce with Ed Levine  

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks about the holidays with Pulitzer Prize winning author Marcia Chatelain; YouTube and Tik Tok Star The Korean Vegan, AKA Joanne Lee Molinaro; James Beard Award-winning chef and pitmaster Rodney Scott; and Washington Post Food Editor Joe Yonan. And if you're stuck searching for the right gift for the serious eaters in your life, don't worry. Ed's got you covered with his own personal holiday gift guide in this episode as well.  Special Sauce with Ed Levine

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks with former Microsoft CTO and Modernist Cuisine founder Nathan Myrvhold about why his new collection Modernist Pizza required 3+ volumes and 1000 plus pages.  Spoiler Alert: New Haven and New York pizza lovers are in for a shock. Plus, Ed talks about three cool gifts for the pizza lover in your life.  Nathan Myrvhold 

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, we hear moving Thanksgiving stories from the Korean Vegan (Joanne Lee Molinaro), pitmaster and chef-owner Rodney Scott, Pulitzer Prize winner Marcia Chatelain, and the Washington Post's Joe Yonan.   

On this episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks with Joanne Lee Molinaro, AKA The Korean Vegan, about her unlikely journey from corporate litigator, to TikTok and YouTube superstar, and now to NYT best-selling author.  The Korean Vegan The Korean Vegan YouTube  

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks with best-selling author (An  Unapologetic Cookbook) Joshua Weissman, a YouTube star with more than 5M subscribers, about life in the social media fast-lane. And the Washington Post's Daniela Galarza tells us about the free cooking newsletter Eat Voraciously she writes four times a week.  An Unapologetic Cookbook by Joshua Weismann Joshua Weismann YouTube Eat Voraciously with Daniela Galarza  

On this episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks with Dorie Greenspan about her new book Baking with Dorie and her inauspicious start baking for a living. Plus, the Washington Post's Becky Krystal weighs in on softening butter.  Dorie Greenspan | Site | Facebook | Twitter  "How to soften butter quickly, and why it matters for your baking" by Becky Krystal  

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Ed talks with writer Laurie Woolever, author of Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, plus Washington Post Food Reporter Emily Heil taste-tests plant-based “chicken” nuggets. Laurie Woolever | Site | Twitter Carbface podcast

On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, we talk to the  Washington Post's Aaron Hutcherson about diversity and his deep dive into MSG. It's the first segment in Special Sauce's new collaboration with The Washington Post. Plus, Kenji, Aaron and Ed all weigh in on what they eat when they're not feeling well.  Aaron Hutcherson Twitter J. Kenji López-Alt Twitter

The terrific crime writer Laura Lippman (My Life as a Villainess, Dream Girl) talks about why she's afraid of not being afraid when she writes. Plus Kenji and Laura both weigh in on how they get their kids to eat their vegetables.