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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:

Saffron Apr 08, 2016

Show notes

Contributor Melissa Clark digs into the fragrant food of Lebanon with Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms. Jeremy Nolen, author of New German Cooking, says German food is more than sauerkraut and schnitzel. Kimberly Jung co-founded Rumi Spice, a business that buys saffron directly from Afghan farmers. We meet up with a man with synesthesia -- he tastes what he hears -- and learn about his project to map out the tastes of the London Underground. Neil Kelley, a research fellow at the Smithsonian, explains what we can learn about animals' diets from studying their skull and teeth. The Sterns visit The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant in New Orleans.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

April 10, 2015 (originally aired)
April 8, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Almond Ploy Mar 25, 2016

Show notes

We’re talking to journalist Tom Philpott of Mother Jones about the dark side of everyone’s favorite nut, the almond. Sarah Copeland, author of Feast, explains what it means to eat 90 percent vegetarian. The Sioux Chef's Sean Sherman specializes in Native American food with indigenous ingredients. Jane and Michael Stern share a regional treasure from Pennsylvania, the zep.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 27, 2015 (originally aired)
March 25, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Spring Pickling Mar 04, 2016

Show notes

This week we hear about a group of renegade Montana farmers and their quest to change the farming industry from Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America. We talk to chef Eric Ripert about his recent travels, and we have an encore performance of the day Lynne taught violinist Joshua Bell how to cook pasta.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 13, 2015 (originally aired)
March 4, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Chicken of Tomorrow Feb 26, 2016

Show notes

We are looking at the history of the chicken with Andrew Lawler, author of Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? Lynne blind tastes California olive oils, and Edd Kimber explains the proper way to make scones. In honor of our 20th anniversary we’re revisiting a 2008 interview with David Lett, the groundbreaking American winemaker behind The Eyrie Vineyards.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 27, 2015 (originally aired)
February 26, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Ambergris Feb 12, 2016

Show notes

Perfumer and chef Mandy Aftel explains the connection between scent and emotion. Her book is Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent. The Sterns have found a first-rate gluten-free bakery at Mama’s Cheese Bread Factory in Brookfield, Connecticut, and Lisa Gross talks about The League of Kitchens, an organization where immigrants teach others to cook. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt debunks five myths about cast iron, while Fuchsia Dunlop cooks Gong Bao Chicken.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 13, 2015 (originally aired)
February 12, 2016 (rebroadcast)

Bulletproof Recipes Jan 29, 2016

Show notes

This week we talk to Kat Kinsman, editor in chief of Tasting Table, about the ethics of food journalism. We turn to Michael Ruhlman, author of Ruhlman's How to Roast, about the essentials of that cooking technique, and meet Azalina Eusope, a fifth-generation street vendor from Malaysia who is setting San Francisco’s food scene on fire.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 30, 2015 (originally aired)
January 29, 2016 (rebroadcast)

It Gets Bitter Jan 15, 2016

Show notes

This week it’s Jennifer McLagan with her book Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes, Jimi Yui, one of the world’s leading restaurant kitchen designers, explains how he works with chefs to make their kitchens their own, and Food & Wine magazine's Ray Isle talks about American wines. The Sterns are in Idaho, and the BBC's Lucy Hooker has the story of one man's mission to save the Mangalica pig.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 16, 2015 (originally aired)
January 15, 2016 (rebroadcast)

One-Pot Cooking Dec 31, 2015

Show notes

Chinese chef Ming Tsai joins us with his Asian-influenced take on one-pot cooking. His book is Simply Ming One-Pot Meals. The Sterns are in Atlanta at Mary Mac's Tea Room, Tom Owen of the coffee website Sweet Maria's shares his guide to home roasting and Harold McGee talks pasta. Plus James Oliver Cury shares highlights from his vintage food- and drink-themed record collection.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 15, 2011 (originally aired)
January 14, 2012 (rebroadcast)
December 31, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Lowcountry Cooking Dec 24, 2015

Show notes

Noelle Carter talks to chef Sean Brock about his new book, Heritage, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift trade ideas for easy holiday dishes. Artist David Ligare explains the relationship between food and gratitude in the ancient world, and the Sterns are at Bobke’s Bread Basket in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 19, 2014 (originally aired)
December 24, 2015 (rebroadcast)

Wine and Cheetos Dec 11, 2015

Show notes

This week we dig into chef Marcus Samuelsson’s ethnic pantry. His latest book is Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home. We look at the decline of traditional French cheese in France, we match junk food with wine for a lesson in wine pairing with Anthony Giglio and we talk to the duo who documented Cuban home cooking in their new book, The Cuban Table.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 5, 2014 (originally aired)
December 11, 2015 (rebroadcast)

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