Speaking Broadly

Latest Episodes:

High Production Values: Fabienne Toback & Karis Jagger May 29, 2021

Show notes

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 enslaved in Benin to pitching the idea for getting it made.

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Photo Courtesy of Adam Amengual

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Food Without Borders: Yasmin Khan May 21, 2021

Show notes

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 species when it's been necessary for our survival. It's just an intrinsic pattern of how we exist," Yasmin says. She also describes the spectacular recipes of the region and how they bring a sense of comfort, safety and a shared humanity. Tune in for a comprehensive take on how food crosses borders and bridges, rather than segregates, experiences.

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Family Business First: Bricia Lopez Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

"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 siblings took over the place even though they were broke. They persisted and were able to build on the legacy that was recognized by the late critic Jonathan Gold as one of the "best Oaxacan restaurants in the country." As new mothers, Bricia and her sister Paulina launched an incredible podcast Super Mamas to talk about all things maternal. And when the pandemic hit, the family once again banded together, "When 2020 happened, did it shock me? One hundred percent. But was I worried? Probably not. Because I already lost everything once. I know what that feels like. My siblings and I were prepared." The legacy continues with Bricia sharing her lessons about work ethic with her own kids. Listen in to her a story of generational love, struggle, triumph, and joy.

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Journey of Chinese Food in America: NYHS Panel Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

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, to the point where their lives were expendable. And despite the sort of physical violence they experienced every day they made an effort to find a space of negotiation. And one of the most viable ones, in which Americans, white Americans in particular, started changing their attitudes towards Asians and Chinese people was through food. And this was done through what I call gastro diplomacy. They said, 'You see me as competition; You see me as disease; You see me as racial pollution. But I'm not those things. I'm respectable, I can have a family. I'm not here to take anything from you. I'm really here to give what I can. And one of the things I can teach you about is food.'
Jing is also teaching us all about food—about high-quality, cult-y Chinese condiments like Sichuan chili crisp. Jing was "fascinated by this 5000 year food history that nobody seemed to know about outside of China. I just started by learning and then wanting to share it with others like me. And it was also a way for me to connect with my extended family in China. I'm an only child. I had gotten so distant from my grandparents and my cousins and food was a common language we could speak. It also started as a very personal quest to reconnect with myself" after living all over the world.

Listen in to hear their conversation about quality, authenticity, government intervention, and more.

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How an Academic Adapted to Entrepreneurship: Kiki Aranita Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

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 anything. In the first four to five weeks, I learned the entire grammatical system of an ancient language, and then spent the following five weeks translating texts. Every single one of those days, I cried. It is the most soul destroying way of learning a language, but it is effective. So now, in order to start something new, I need to get all of the information and digest all of the materials, learn the language of whatever I'm getting into whether that's restaurants or making sauces. I need to become very fluent before I proceed."

Listen in for more on Kiki's life as a Hong Kong Handover Kid, Dad sourcing, Hawaiian families and more.

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Indigenous Wisdom from the Kitchen: Felicia Ruiz Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz is a kitchen curandera living in Rio Verde, Arizona "reclaiming the healer approach to community health with Indigenous wisdom and whole food cooking". On Speaking Broadly, Ruiz shares her journey to becoming a healer through food. "Being an Indigenous person and taking a class on foraging or wild-crafting from a white person, it was really hard for me. The teacher would refer to the Indigenous tribes that were using plants in the past tense. Saying 'they used them,' as if they were no longer being used, or if the people themselves were extinct." Ruiz is now teaching workshops using her ancestors' approach: we are a part of nature. The plants are our relatives and deserve our respect. Listen in for insights on herbal medicine, Indigenizing the diet, and traveling in a food truck to the tribal nations in the Southwest to share and absorb the wisdom of the elders.

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Art and Ayurveda, A Love Story: Carrie Dashow Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

There is a Madonna in a half-bath tub in a field across from the home serving as spiritual center of artist Carrie Dashow's newest practice: creating the Atina brand of Ayurvedic condiments with her Kerala-born husband, Suresh, in Catskill, NY. From a chunky ginger-turmeric finishing jam to pickles, their condiments are both grounded in an almost 5000 year old tradition and a modern sense of place. Listen in to hear the magic and wonder that fills so much of Carrie's life from meeting her husband during a cyclone to her performance piece aimed at saying hello to one million people to the unique relationship she has with deepening identity.

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The Rules According to V: V Spehar Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

From auditioning for a Dolly Parton Christmas show as a lark on their birthday, to going to a job interview, soup in hand, moments after totaling their car, to catering for Mitt Romney, V Spehar has made a lot of surprising career moves. Most recently they were head of Impact Programs for the James Beard Foundation, and are currently Executive Director of Everything Food. Listen in to hear about V's approach to changing the rules ("I learned young that having a sound argument for something and making it seem easy for other people was going to be the best way to make it through life as unscathed as possible"), dealing with trauma ("I loved being a helper, I never thought that I would love being helped"), and being a good listener, which is the key to everything.

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How To Show Up: Hawa Hassan Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

Hawa Hassan, author, entrepreneur and champion of community, discusses her path from refugee to model to business owner. Says Hassan: "I really double down on being resilient, but also being soft, letting things happen to me, feeling them and then adjusting accordingly. There's something to be said for people who are able to pick themselves up and carry on. And I think that's what the American Dream used to be." Listen in to hear Hawa discuss her new cookbook "In Bibi's Kitchen" and the power of perspective.

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How Agroforestry Helps The Planet: Ariana Day Yuen Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

After working with coffee farmers in Ethiopia for NGO TechnoServe, Ariana Day Yuen came up with a unique way to harmonize agriculture production with forest conservation. She formed Forested Foods and recently launched its first product, Maryiza monofloral honeys. These honeys are from a single type of tree in a single forest in a single season. The resulting honey is distinct and divine. Listen in to learn more about how Ariana's company is not just preserving tree coverage, but is also creating a demand for biodiversity that could help the planet.

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