Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Latest Episodes:

Kenji on Super Bowl Food Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

The Super Bowl is coming up, so for Super Bowl party food advice who better to turn to than Kenji. The man loves chicken wings and pizza and he gives us some sage advice about making them at home. But he does not love football.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Robert Lang On Becoming A Vintner in Italy Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

After falling in love with Italy, my good friend engineer and serial entrepreneur Bob Lang and his wife, environmental writer Alice Outwater, decided to buy a three acre vineyard called La Collina Delle Amici (The Hill of Friends) in Piedmont in 2021. How's it going for them so far? Well, we're going to find out in this week's episode of Special Sauce.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Karen Washington, Food Warrior Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Special Sauce, grassroots food activist and farmer Karen Washington joins us to spread her message of food justice, the concept that healthy, nutritious food is a human right.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Scott Wiener on the New York Pizza Slice Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into the definition, history, and evolution of the New York pizza slice with Scott's Pizza Tours founder Scott Wiener.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Raghavan Iyer: The Tribute Reheat Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Special Sauce we pay tribute to the great author, chef and cooking teacher Raghavan Iyer. He introduced much of America to the joys of cooking and eating Indian food. We talked to Raghavan last in March of 2023 about his life, his work, and the last book he ever wrote, "On The Curry Trail". Raghavan talked openly and movingly about his terminal Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and the work he was doing on healing comfort food. His voice occasionally wavered -- you could hear the pain in it -- but he was clear-headed and just as articulate as ever. Raghavan had so much to say, we devoted two episodes to his story, which we have condensed into one. Tragically, he died just as the two episodes dropped. So give a listen to the wit and wisdom of Raghavan Iyer.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Michelle Zauner and Kenji, Reheated Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

With the new year fast approaching we thought we would help bring it in by re-releasing -- or should I say reheating -- one of our favorite 'Special Sauce' episodes of all time. It features both my extraordinary conversation with Michelle Zauner and a great talk about the relationship between food and music with Kenji. Michelle is the founder and lead singer of the great indie rock band Japanese Breakfast. And her NYT best-selling memoirist is titled 'Crying in H Mart'.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Roy Shvartzapel Dec 21, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will meet Roy Shvartzapel, who makes transcendent panettone at his LA online bakery From Roy.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Erin McDowell On Holiday Cookies Dec 13, 2024

Show notes

With the holiday season in full swing, this serious eater's attention turns to eating and baking cookies. And who better to shoot the breeze with on this rich topic than author and baker Erin Jeanne McDowell, who has been called the fairy godmother of baking. She's got some tricks for us.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Eric Asimov Part 2 Dec 07, 2024

Show notes

As we go about planning our upcoming holiday feasts, it's a pretty good bet that at some point we're going to pick up a bottle of wine or two to share with family and friends. That's why I'm returning to my conversation with someone who's been a guiding light for wine connoisseurs and beginners alike, Eric Asimov, the wine critic for The New York Times.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Kenji and Deb Thanksgiving Leftovers Reheat Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

Thanksgiving leftovers can sometimes be a freighted topic for serious eaters. Last year, trying to quell my own Thanksgiving leftovers anxiety and confusion, I had Deb Perelman and J. Kenji Lopez Alt, longtime friends and co-hosts of their own podcast The Recipe, on Special Sauce. We covered a lot of ground in our discussion, everything from the joys of eating leftover cold pie for breakfast to the wisdom of waffling your leftover stuffing. We had so much fun that I decided it was worth reheating and serving to serious eaters again this year. Enjoy!

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices