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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:

Six Hundred Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

Managing Producer Sally Swift guest hosts this week’s show. Nopi's Yotam Ottolenghi explains his latest cookbook. Food critic Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post talks about selecting the top 10 food cities in the U.S. We get a primer in making yogurt with Cheryl Sternman Rule, author of Yogurt Culture. Lynne talks with rapper/poet Dessa about taking her food convictions with her on the road. America's Test Kitchen's Jack Bishop is back with the results from a vegan mayonnaise tasting. Plus, 20 techniques that we've learned from guests that we still use in the kitchen today.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 19, 2016 (originally aired)
March 3, 2017 (rebroadcast)

Fed, White, and Blue Feb 24, 2017

Show notes

Writer Rowan Jacobsen goes deep undercover to discover the otherworldly powers of tea while visiting a group of tea connoisseurs in Montreal. Longtime Hawaii resident and The Poke Cookbook author Martha Cheng discusses the history and evolution of her state's classic raw fish salad dish. Chef and Food Network host Simon Majumdar decides to become an American citizen, but not before visiting every state in the union to learn more about the people who make our country's food heritage so rich. He tells us about his many adventures and his book inspired by the journey Fed, White, and Blue. Plus, America Test Kitchen reviews a full line-up of muffin tins to fine the perfect one for your kitchen.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 24, 2017

A New Chapter Feb 10, 2017

Show notes

Lynne Rossetto Kasper shares her retirement announcement with The Splendid Table listeners and welcomes new show host Francis Lam. Writer Lisa Napoli investigates Ray and Joan Kroc, the power couple behind the beginning of the McDonald's empire. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine take their wonderful online food show The Perennial Plate to Ireland, where they learn about turf-smoked salmon and find themselves in unique situations with chef Katie Sanderson. Tucker Shaw from America's Test Kitchen shares his team's tips for keeping your sink, sponges and refrigerator safe and sanitary. Plus, YouTube sensation Hannah Hart on how she unexpectedly created a online community with My Drunk Kitchen.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 10, 2017

Biodiversity Feb 03, 2017

Show notes

Guest host Melissa Clark of The New York Times heads up a big show this week when we launch a new monthly partnership with America’s Test Kitchen. The premise? Good cooks are not born, they are made. Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, gives us our first lesson: how to cut an onion. Grocery stores are full of choices, or are they? Journalist Simran Sethi, author of Bread, Wine and Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, weighs in. Matt Goulding of Roads & Kingdoms takes us deep into Japan’s food culture with his new book, Rice, Noodle, Fish. Plus Alex Stupak, author of Tacos, explains how to make tortillas at home, Sam Seneviratne, author of The New Sugar and Spice, talks spices, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper tastes six brands of apple cider vinegar.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 5, 2016 (originally aired)
February 3, 2017 (rebroadcast)

Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked Jan 27, 2017

Show notes

There is a wonderful wide world of potatoes out there, and nearly limitless ways to cook with them. Ragavhan Iyer explores them all in his new book Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked - and Fried Too! Food writer Joe Yonan considers the hippest, new meat substitute - jackfruit - and says cooking with it doesn't come without difficulties. Although some home chefs are intimidated by sourdough starters, America's Test Kitchen's Bridget Lancaster says making one is as simple as caring for a goldfish. She invites us into her kitchen for a quick lesson. Former Culture editor Elaine Khosrova shares with us the rich history of butter. And Andrea Cherng remembers growing up in a restaurant family and talks about the importance of both Chinese and American culture to her Panda Express chain.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 27, 2017

Cheddar Jan 20, 2017

Show notes

What should we expect from the people who sell us food? We get an opinion from cheesemonger and food retailer Steve Jenkins. Tucker Shaw of Cook's Science reveals some new tips and tricks from America's Test Kitchen. Contributor Von Diaz talks to chef Justin Warner about his theories on flavor pairings. He is author of The Laws of Cooking, which includes the law of peanut butter and jelly and the law of gin and tonic. Walden Hill's Jennifer Milikowsky explains why she brought the European tradition of acorn-finished pork to the U.S., and Gordon Edgar, author of Cheddar, shares the cheese's history.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 22, 2016 (originally aired)
January 20, 2017 (rebroadcast)

The Jemima Code Jan 06, 2017

Show notes

This week we’re talking to Indian food authority Madhur Jaffrey about her latest book, Vegetarian India. We're going inside the Middle Eastern pantry with Doc Willoughby from America's Test Kitchen. Contributor David Leite interviews journalist Tim Neville about his trip to the Swiss Alps to immerse himself in the art of fondue. Noelle Carter meets up with Toni Tipton-Martin, author of The Jemima Code, and Joe Yonan speaks with chef Tal Ronnen, author of Crossroads, about vegan cooking.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 8, 2016 (originally aired)
January 6, 2017 (rebroadcast)

Willpower Dec 30, 2016

Show notes

This week, we learn what it takes to be a cheesemonger with Steve Jones, proprietor of Cheese Bar in Portland, Ore. We're also looking at willpower with John Tierney, co-author of Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. And Jane and Michael Stern are breakfasting at Green Salmon in Yachats, Ore.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 21, 2012 (originally aired)
January 19, 2013 (rebroadcast)
December 30, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Notes on Creativity Dec 23, 2016

Show notes

Britain’s Nigella Lawson joins us with her deeply personal book, Simply Nigella. The Sterns have found first-rate chocolate at L.A. Burdick in Walpole, New Hampshire, and famed Spanish chef Ferran Adrià joins us with a conversation recorded at the "Notes on Creativity" exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Zahav's Michael Solomonov talks about Israeli cuisine, and wine writer Karen MacNeil shares her port picks.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 18, 2015 (originally aired)
December 23, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Ruled by Fire Dec 09, 2016

Show notes

We have an interview with a legendary iconoclast, South American chef Francis Mallmann, from our 20th anniversary celebration at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. His latest book is Mallmann on Fire. We hear about some off-the-beaten-track Chinese cooking techniques from Kian Lam Kho, author of Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. We learn about alternatives to homemade stock with Susan Volland, author of Mastering Sauces. And Hartwood's Eric Werner talks about his restaurant, which is located in Tulum, Mexico.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 4, 2015 (originally aired)
December 9, 2016 (rebroadcast)

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