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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:

School Lunch Oct 09, 2010

Show notes

This week we have a look at school lunch programs, from a lunch lady's eyes. Our guest is Jean Ronnei of the St. Paul, MN public schools. Mario Batali addresses the issue of family meals, and the Sterns are eating soul food in the Arizona desert at Mrs. White's Golden Rule. Plus, we get a guide to making simple cured meats at home from Karen Solomon author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other Cooking Projects.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

October 3, 2009 (originally aired)
October 9, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Catching Fire Sep 11, 2010

Show notes

What makes man, man and an ape an ape? According to Richard Wrangham it is not one's ability to fashion tool, but rather the ability to cook. He is the author of Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human. The Sterns are in LA eating a French Dip at its origin, Philippe's French Dip Restaurant, and there is a new movement sweeping across America group canning sessions.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

September 26, 2009 (originally aired)
September 11, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Asian Pickle Sep 04, 2010

Show notes

We're looking at the art of the Asian pickle with Alex Hozven creator of the Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkely, CA, the Sterns are visiting Moonlight BBQ in Owensboro, KY, Fred Plotkin teaches us how to take an eaters vacation without a rental car, and Amy Stewart author of Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities introduces us to the darker side of Mother Nature.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

September 12, 2009 (originally aired)
September 4, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned Aug 14, 2010

Show notes

What does a chef consider the most important tool in the kitchen? Chef and writer Daniel Patterson has a surprising answer for all of those who love to cook. He is the author of Aroma. Jane and Michael Stern are looking at the phenomenon of the "slider" and Elizabeth Karmel author of Soaked, Slathered and Seasonings, fills us in on the latest developments in outdoor grilling.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

August 15, 2009 (originally aired)
August 14, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Cooking Green Aug 07, 2010

Show notes

This week we have lessons in greening your kitchen with Kate Heyhoe, author of Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen. New York Times columnist Melissa Clark gives us a lesson in blended summer soups, and cheesemonger Steve Jenkins explains the real cost of artisan cheeses. The Sterns are dining at (probably) the best delicatessen in America, and Lynne answers your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

August 1, 2009 (originally aired)
August 7, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Hmong Kitchen Jul 10, 2010

Show notes

We're in Lynne's kitchen to learn about one of our most elusive immigrant cuisines, that of the Hmong people of Southeast Asia. Our guides are the authors of Cooking From the Heart: the Hmong Kitchen in America. Jane and Michael Stern are eating pancakes near the fountain of youth at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill in De Leon Springs, FL, and we get the perfect summer sauce from Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio: The Simple Codes Behiond the Craft of Everyday Cooking.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 11, 2009 (originally aired)
July 10, 2010 (rebroadcast)

In Defense of Food Jul 03, 2010

Show notes

We're talking to food activist Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food about the intersection between sustainable foods, and our real life pocketbooks. Jane and Michael Stern have been researching the green chile cheeseburger in New Mexico and we look at the origins of the American potato chip with Dirk Burhans author of Crunch, A History of the Great American Potato Chip.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

July 18, 2009 (originally aired)
July 3, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Supper for a Song Jun 19, 2010

Show notes

Lynne guides us on a tour of resourcefulness of all kinds. British food writer Tamasin Day-Lewis, author of Supper for a Song, shares her rather militant stand on how and why to cook at home, an adoring newlywed finds a cheaper alternative for his bride's breakfast, and we hear the story Remembering Smell how Bonnie Blodgett's loss of smell changed everything she knew about food and taste. Also on the show, a roundup of indoor composters, the trivia challenge, and Lynne's expert advice on your kitchen conundrums.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

June 19, 2010

Move a Little, Lose a Lot Jun 12, 2010

Show notes

The Mayo Clinic's Dr. James Levine is convinced that we are moving animals, not sitting animals and that is the key to keeping our weight in check, He is the author of Move A Little, Lose A Lot. The Sterns have met the happy cows behind the divine ice cream at Woodside Farm in Delaware, and we learn the art of the grown-up popsicle from Karen Solomon author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

June 13, 2009 (originally aired)
June 12, 2010 (rebroadcast)

Where Our Food Comes From May 29, 2010

Show notes

This week, Lynne talks with Ethnobiologist, conservationist and farmer Gary Nabhan about the story of a profound visionary who set out to end famine, and the price he paid. Gary's latest book is Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine. James Villas, the southern gentleman of the food world, stops by to talk about his new book, Pig: King of the Southern Table, Ian Cheney talks about truck farming, the Sterns tell us about Sacramento's Squeeze Inn, and Lynne answers your kitchen questions.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 29, 2010

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