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The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters — Arts
The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

If you love to eat, cook and travel, The Splendid Table is your weekly go-to source. Our public radio program has been connecting people through the common language of food for over three decades. Hosted by award-winning food journalist Francis Lam, each week we bring you fresh voices and surprising conversations at the intersection of cooking, people and culture. We cover all things food – from recipes and restaurants to history and science, farmer’s markets and of course, the Thanksgiving feast. Our wide-ranging, freewheeling guest list includes both world-class and rookie chefs, bestselling authors, scientists, poets, musicians, and even an astronaut in orbit!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weeknight Kitchen, to receive practical, delicious weeknight-ready recipes. Once a month, we also share a sweet treat or baking recipe. Sign up at Splendidtable.org/newsletter

Produced by American Public Media. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network

Copyright: © Copyright 2026 Minnesota Public Radio

Latest Episodes:

The Future of Urban Farming Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

Francis Lam talks to Caleb Harper, Director of the Open Agriculture Initiative at MIT Media Lab who believes that to feed the world, we need to fully embrace indoor urban farming. Rachel Khong takes us around the world to explore how different cultures prepare and eat eggs. America’s Test Kitchen puts grill tongs to the test. Patrick Comiskey explains the wonderful wines and storied past of the American Rhône. And we head to Miami for the latest in restaurant openings, and guess what? They’re happening in gas stations! Plus, Francis answers listener questions about foods that are fun for group preparation activities, and cooking Indian food with non-wheat flours.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

September 8, 2017 (originally aired)
June 8, 2018 (rebroadcast)
August 31, 2018 (rebroadcast)

Eating Summer: Tomatoes and Watermelon Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini-podcast where we serve up one interview that’s taught us something new, inspired us, or just made us better cooks. As we near the end of summertime, we have two things on our mind: watermelon and tomatoes. Thankfully, Vivian Howard is right there with us. Vivian is a terrific chef, author of a best-selling cookbook Deep Run Roots, and the star of the PBS show A Chef’s Life. But most importantly, she’s a Southern cook with a lot of ideas for cooking with these summer beauties. She talked with contributor Shauna Sever, and shared her recipes for BLT Dip, Watermelon Salsa and Endive, Stewed Tomatoes and Pork Shoulder Steaks in Red Curry-Braised Watermelon.

Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob's Red Mill. Visit their website for more information about all Bob's Red Mill products.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

August 28, 2018

Saladish: Beyond Leafy Greens & Dressing Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our bite-sized podcast and a place where we share conversations that taught us something new, really inspired us, or just made us better cooks. Ilene Rosen has been making salads professionally for decades and recently published her first cookbook on the subject, Saladish. Rosen's theory in the book is that by bringing together a wide range of ingredients that emphasize contrasting textures and flavors you can build a better salad. Contributor Russ Parsons talked with her and got the wondeful recipes for Cucumbers with Black Sesame Seeds and Sweet Lime Vinegar, Couscous with an Allium Mix and Quick Pickled Red Onions. Enjoy many of our other favorite salad recipes from our Splendid Table Pinterest page.

Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob's Red Mill. Our friends at Bob’s Red Mill are all about combining seasonal vegetables with healthy whole grains like amaranth, buckwheat, bulgur, kamut and spelt. Check out their guide for building a better grain bowl – it includes several recipes and there’s even a guide that helps you chose the best grain for your recipe.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

August 14, 2018

Greens & Spanish Sauces Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

Chef Jenn Louis joins Francis Lam with her latest work, The Book of Greens, to talk about the wide range of flavor and uses for greens in the kitchen. Sally Swift talks with Omar Allibhoy about making Spanish sauces to spice up your meals. Sally also asked Allibhoy about the secret to amazing Spanish paella. He was happy to share some advice, as well as a recipe and instructional video. Francis gets a lesson in harvesting and eating daylilies from writer and forager Hank Shaw, the mind behind the blog Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. America's Test Kitchen teaches us about sonker, a silly-named, but seriously delicious treat made with stewed fruit and/or berries. Francis also talks with listeners about grilling fruit and making French onion soup in a slow cooker.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

August 25, 2017 (originally aired)
August 3, 2018 (rebroadcast)

Thai Rolled Ice Cream Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini podcast where we share the interviews that inspired us, or just made us more curious eaters. In this Selects, we look at the global phenomenon of Thai rolled ice cream, also known as stir-fried ice cream. This style of ice cream is not simply pulled from frozen buckets by the scoop, instead its liquid base is poured onto a frozen pan and then chopped, mixed, spread and rolled right in front of you. Our contributor Melissa Clark talked with Pheng Vang, who owns two Thai rolled ice cream parlors called Sota Hot & Cold, to learn more about it. We also stopped by Sota Hot & Cold to capture the fast-paced action of making Thai rolled ice cream in a fun video. Watch the video on our story page.

Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob's Red Mill.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 24, 2018

Zoe's Ghana Kitchen Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

Host Francis Lam looks at one of the relatively unexplored cuisines -- Ghanaian -- with Zoe Adjonyoh, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen. Doc Willoughby from America’s Test Kitchen shares some new thoughts on charcoal grilling. Contributor Joe Yonan has a guide to homemade ice cream with pastry chef Dana Cree; her new book is Hello, My Name is Ice Cream. Field reporter Daniella Cheslow takes us to a unique small game dinner party, where the dishes includes food and drink made with animals that were caught by trappers in the forests of upstate New York.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 21, 2017 (originally aired)
July 20, 2018 (rebroadcast)

The Spirit of Aperitivo Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

In the United States, many people choose ‘happy hour’ as a way to unwind after a hectic day at work. A routine that involves heading to a lively bar with pals, and ordering cheap drinks and food within a small window of time. However, in Italy this end of day ritual is called aperitivo, and no offense to all of the happy hour frolickers, but it tends to be a bit more civilized. Our contributor Shauna Sever spoke with Marisa Huff, the author ofAperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy, to understand the spirit of aperitivo.

Our presenting sponsor is Bob's Red Mill, provider of Organic Farro. It's got a great, chewy texture and nutty flavor, and it's perfect in salads, as the base for a dish, or in stews. Find more recipes at the Bob's Red Mill website.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 10, 2018

Where We Eat Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

Host Francis Lam meets up with restaurateur and activist Andy Shallal to talk about how he makes choices, from the decor to the menu, to make a restaurant that appeals to both black and white diners. We meet Jorge Muñoz Zapata, aka The Angel of Queens; since 2004, he has been feeding people on the same corner in Queens every night, funded only by food donations and money from his own pocket. Step inside the glorious Peacock Room with Lee Glazer of the Smithsonian Institution to learn the story behind one of the world's most elegant and adorned dining rooms. And Lisa McManus of America’s Test Kitchen takes on picnic food with a review of the best in pie and cake carriers. Francis talks with listeners about how to cook with the outer leaves and stalks of vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage - and how to use the scraps of lemon - instead of composting them.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 7, 2017 (originally aired)
March 30, 2018 (rebroadcast)
July 6, 2018 (rebroadcast)

Steven Raichlen's World of Meatless Smoking Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini podcast where we share the interviews that inspired us or just made us better cooks. In this Selects, we visit with Steven Raichlen, the master of the grill and smoker, and author of many cookbooks including The Barbecue! Bible and Project Smoke. Most of us think of smokers as being almost exclusively used for cuts of meat like brisket, ribs, and pork shoulder. But, as Raichlen tells contributor Joe Yonan, there is an entire world of meatless uses for them: potatoes, eggs, cheese, even water and ice cream! Enjoy their conversation and try Raichlen's recipe for Double-Smoked Potatoes.

Our presenting sponsor is Bob’s Red Mill. So many of our favorite vegetarian recipes (including Joe Yonan's Peasant’s Bowl) call for beans. Bob's Red Mill has one of the finest selections of beans available. From black turtle to heritage orca and cranberry beans, there’s an abundance of choices.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

June 26, 2018

The Unexpected South Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

We have unexpected stories from the South when host Francis Lam talks to historian John T. Edge about the "back to the land" movement and migration of San Francisco hippies to the rural South, where they became farmers in the 1960-1970s. Edge is the author of The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South. Hanna Raskin, food editor and critic for The Post and Courier, collaborates with the Southern Foodways Alliance podcast Gravy to present a story about Indian immigrants who have found new lives, homes and kitchens in the increasing number of hotels and motels that they own across the southern U.S., and we get high on the hog with Tucker Shaw from Cook's Country when he tells about the tradition of South Carolina Smoked Fresh Ham.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

June 16, 2017 (originally aired)
June 22, 2018 (rebroadcast)

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