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Your Mama’s Kitchen

“Tell me about your mama’s kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Acast Productions.

Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Conan O’Brien, Ina Garten, José Andrés, John Legend, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.

With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.

The show’s closing song is 504 by The Soul Rebels.

Editorial and web support from Melissa Bear and Say What Media. Our talent booker is Angela Peluso.fo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Higher Ground, LLC.

Latest Episodes:

Bryant Terry Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

Bryant Terry – cookbook author, chef, food activist, conceptual artist and publisher – joins Michele at his University of California Berkeley art studio to discuss one of the biggest influences behind all of his work: his grandmother, Margie Bryant; or, as his family affectionately called her, Ma’dear. In Ma’dear’s Memphis, Tennessee kitchen, Bryant spent hours helping her shell peas, peel potatoes or pour sugar into the pot for her sweet fruit preserves. It was in her kitchen that Bryant learned how Ma’dear’s love for her family came in the form of what she made there, and it's that love that stays with Bryant today and drives his work.

When Bryant is not penning one of his acclaimed cookbooks, like his most recent work, Black Food, he is touring the country, educating Americans about the ways in which our food system is broken, how we as consumers can make choices that help local producers and farmers get the resources they need to continue their valuable work, and about what many of us often get wrong about Black Food – a cuisine that is far more varied, healthy and complex than many people are led to believe.

In this episode, Bryant recounts how a very specific 90s hip hop song led him to veganism, he shares his recipe for Ma’dear’s savory, slow-cooked leafy greens, and he sings the haunting, beautiful song Ma’dear would sing as she cooked them down until they were meltingly tender.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Jones Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

Comedian and actress Leslie Jones makes us laugh and gets philosophical about the gift of comedy in this episode. We get a glimpse into her childhood kitchen in Southern California, where her father was the primary cook and funnyman. She opens up about dealing with the loss of both her parents and using humor as a form of therapy. We also get to hear her talk about her grandmother’s cornbread stuffing that is so good, Leslie has it all year round, not just on holidays.

Leslie Jones is a stand-up comedian and actress. She was a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live for five seasons, starting in 2014. She’s also played notable roles in films and TV shows, including the Ghostbusters reboot in 2016 and HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death. She published her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, in 2023.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves-McConaughey Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey bring listeners into their marriage, from how they first met over margaritas to cooking steak sushi to make amends. Matthew’s sometimes chaotic upbringing in Texas could not be more different from Camila’s family-filled, farm-to-table childhood in Brazil, but they found ways to connect and thrive together in their kitchen in Austin. Plus, Camila teaches us how to make her family’s Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff, which is apparently better the next day.

Matthew McConaughey is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning actor known for his leading roles in films in a range of genres like Dazed and Confused (1996), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He authored his bestselling autobiography Greenlights in 2020 and performs the audiobook. Camila Alves McConaughey is a model, designer, and author of the New York Times bestselling children’s book Just Try One Bite (2022). She also runs the lifestyle website Women of Today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Takei Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

Michele is joined by author, civil rights activist, and famed Star Trek actor George Takei. George’s story of his mother’s kitchen is far different than our other guests—he didn’t have one growing up. He shares his harrowing experiences living in an internment camp as a child, how he adjusted to life after, and what led to becoming Sulu. He’ll also share two foods that gave him solace throughout his life: his mother’s East LA-influenced tacos and her “footballs,” or Inari.

George Takei is a social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, and he has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Batiste Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Singer, songwriter, composer, and genuine music lover Jon Batiste serenades us with his harmonica-keyboard while reminiscing on the sounds of his childhood kitchen in New Orleans. He describes what it was like to grow up in a big, musical family of jazz legends, and shares some of their favorite Christmas traditions—including competing to see who could make the best and truest gumbo.

Jon Batiste is a multiple Oscar and Grammy award-winning musician and TV personality. He was the bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022. He also received multiple awards for his work on Pixar’s Soul. He is the subject of a new documentary, American Symphony.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samin Nosrat Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Michele joins chef Samin Nosrat, author of the New York Times bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, to tell stories of Nosrat’s mother’s kitchen, who and what else shaped her as she grew up, and a very special trip Nosrat took to her native Iran when she was just a kid.

Samin Nosrat is a San Diego-born, Oakland-based chef, writer, and teacher. Netflix’s documentary series Salt Fat Acid Heat, based on her book, was released in 2018. She has also starred in Netflix’s children’s cooking series Waffles + Mochi (produced by Higher Ground Productions), and co-hosted the podcast Home Cooking with Hrishikesh Hirway.

Nosrat began her cooking career at Alice Waters’ acclaimed Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. She went on to work in Italy alongside chefs Benedetta Vitali and Dario Cecchini, and at (the now-closed) Eccolo in Berkeley.

She is currently at work on a second book.

Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode16

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Tweedy Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

Singer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy discusses cherished memories from his childhood kitchen in Illinois, and the invaluable time he spent at his kitchen table with his mother, and he explains how his favorite home-cooked dish today–known simply as The Dish–became a Tweedy family hit.

Jeff Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, Tweedy started his music career in high school with Jay Farrar and their band The Plebes (which later became Uncle Tupelo). After Uncle Tupelo's fourth studio album, the band broke up in 1994, prompting Tweedy to form Wilco. Wilco found critical and commercial success on their albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born; the latter went on to receive a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2005. Across Tweedy's career, he has released fifteen studio albums: four with Uncle Tupelo, ten with Wilco, and one with his son Spencer, along with numerous collaborations with other musicians. He is the author of several books, including his memoir Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and most recently, World Within a Song.

Tweedy lives with his wife, Sue Miller, in Chicago. They have two sons, Spencer and Sammy.

Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode15

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Pollan Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Author, journalist, and professor Michael Pollan talks about the influence Julia Child had on his mother’s kitchen and the nature of kitchens in America today, and shares his unexpected favorite dish growing up.

Michael Pollan is a renowned advocate for responsible farming, gardening, and slow, local eating. Pollan has been a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine since 1987 and is the author of several successful books. Pollan writes about “the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in our minds.” In 2003, Pollan was appointed Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. In 2017, he was appointed Professor of the Practice of Non-fiction at Harvard. In 2020, he co-founded the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. In his Netflix documentary series Cooked, Pollan explores how cooking transforms food and shapes the world.

MichaelPollan was born into a Jewish family in Long Island in 1955. He is the oldest of four children and brother to three little sisters. His father, Stephen Pollan, was a financial consultant, and his mother, Korky, was a New York Magazine columnist, style editor at Gourmet magazine, and an avid home cook. Pollan has a son, Isaac, and lives in the Bay Area with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer.

Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode14

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al Roker Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

On this special Thanksgiving episode, we’re joined by America’s weatherman Al Roker. He shares Thanksgiving traditions new and old, plus tips on how to perfect his mama’s oxtail stew with dumplings.

Al Roker is the longtime host of Today’s weather programing on NBC. He led NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade 26 years in a row, up until 2021. He had his own program on Food Network called Roker on the Road and a podcast, Cooking up a Storm with Al Roker.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hari Kondabolu Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, comedian, writer and TV host Hari Kondabolu talks about growing up in Queens, New York City, where his mother brought her native South India to the dinner table with an unforgettable peanut chutney. Hari also discusses his parents’ quiet activism – and how, from his mother, Hari learned to use humor to confront the world’s injustices.

Hari Kondabolu is a comedian, writer, TV host, and podcaster based in Brooklyn, New York. His comedy covers subjects including race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. The latter was the basis of Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary, “The Problem with Apu,” a cultural critique of The Simpsons’ character, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. His 2018 Netflix special “Warn Your Relatives” was named in several Best Of Year lists including Time, Paste, and Cosmopolitan. He is a former writer and correspondent on the FX show “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” and regularly appears on NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” and WNYC’s “Midday on WNYC.” Kondabolu attended both Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University and earned a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.

Kondabolu's newest comedy special and album, “Vacation Baby”, is available worldwide free on YouTube. He previously released two chart-topping comedy albums, Waiting for 2042 and Mainstream American Comic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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