Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Latest Episodes:

Razza's Dan Richer on the Joy of Pizza May 13, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Devita Davidson, Food Lab Detroit and Ji Hye Kim Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Kenji Live 2: We Cooked And A Wok Q&A Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Kenji Live on the Wok, Family & McCartney Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Justice Activist Jessica Ramos On the Dignity of Work & Kenji On His Wife's Favorite Soup Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Michelle Zauner on Screenwriting and her Grammy Nominations & Kenji Weighs in on the Kinship Between Food & Music Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Laurie Woolever Second Helping: On Bourdain & Her New Life Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Laurie Woolever | Site | Twitter

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Jessica Harris On the Netflix Adaptation of High on the Hog, Plus Marcus Samuelsson on Jessica's OG Status Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

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

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Grace Young On Saving Chinatowns from Extinction During the Pandemic Jan 21, 2022

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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

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Simply Julia author Julia Turshen and the Washington Post's Daniela Galarza On the Many Pleasures of Simple Cooking Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

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

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