This Is TASTE

It was a lot of fun having J Lee into the studio. Lee writes for the terrific business and culture (and the culture of business) publication Feed Me and files unflinching restaurant reviews and observations about the state of the food world, from NYC, and points beyond. We wanted to have him in to find out a little bit more about his background, and what got him interested in writing about restaurant culture. We also go over some of his memorable writing, including a very funny takedown of a Midtown newcomer, some Buy/Sell grades, and lots of love for the places doing it right. You can read J in Feed Me, and follow along on IG: carry_bradshaw_Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM J. LEE:Meet Feed Me's Semi-anonymous Restaurant Critic [Feed Me]This Is a Review of a Restaurant with Personality Disorder [Feed Me]This Is TASTE 330: Emily Sundberg [Apple]This Is TASTE 479: Ryan Sutton [Apple]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lisa Cheng Smith is the founder of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry, an importer, online shop, and brick-and-mortar general store in Brooklyn offering premium ingredients for Taiwanese and Chinese cooking. Yun Hai has quickly established itself as a beating heart of the Taiwanese diaspora here in New York, and in this episode, we talk with Lisa about growing the business into making their own products, where to get great Taiwanese food in NYC, and more.Also on the show, Clayton and Matt go over their favorite books of 2024, both new and less new!Clayton's picks: The Stronghold - Dino Buzzati, Three Summers - Margarita Liberaki, In Love - Alfred Hayes, Speedboat, Renata Adler Mating - Norman Rush,The End of Vandalism - Tom Drury, Playboy - Constance Debre, Love Me Tender - Constance Debre, Permafrost - Eva Baltasar, Boulder - Eva Baltasar, Mammoth - Eva Baltasar, The Third Realm - Karl Ove Knausgaard, Long Island Compromise - Taffy Brodesser-AknerMatt's picks: Great Expectations - Vinson Cunningham, Reboot - Justin Taylor, The Friday Afternoon Club - Griffin Dunne, Real Americans - Rachel Khong, Ghosts - Dolly Alderton, Hard Rain Falling - Don Carpenter, The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead, Chang-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Long Island Compromise - Taffy Brodesser-AknerDo you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM LISA CHENG SMITH9 Recipes for a Vibrant Lunar New Year Celebration [Bon Appétit]Yun Hai Taiwan Stories [Substack]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicolas Heller, better known as New York Nico, calls himself the “unofficial talent scout of New York City” with over 1.5 million fans tuning into his Instagram for colorful profiles of a city in flux. He recently published the book New York Nico’s Guide to NYC which is a true insider’s guide to beloved community businesses across the five boroughs, from 200-year-old bars to new-school pizza spots. Nico says it’s not really a guidebook, but a documentation of a city in transition. It’s great having him into the studio to discuss some of his favorite places. All of us at TASTE are thinking about our friends in Southern California. If you would like to support wildfire relief efforts, some great places to start are the Displaced Black Families of Altadena GoFund Me Directory and the Los Angeles Food Bank.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What an absolutely amazing conversation we have here. Malcolm Livingston II is a chef with some serious chops, having spent time in the kitchens at Per Se and Le Cirque and running the pastry program at wd~50 before being named head pastry chef at Noma—all by the age of 28. In this episode, we hear all about Malcolm’s time working at some of the world’s top restaurants, and why he decided to enter the plant-based ice cream game with August. We also find out that Malcolm’s life story is the inspiration for the character Marcus, played superbly by Lionel Boyce, on the TV series The Bear. If you didn’t already know about Malcolm’s incredible career and deep creativity, check out this episode.MORE wd~50 ALUMNI ON THIS IS TASTE:This Is TASTE 500: Christina TosiThis Is TASTE 240: Alex StupakThis Is TASTE 233: Wylie DufresneAll of us at TASTE are thinking about our friends in Southern California. If you would like to support wildfire relief efforts, some great places to start are the Displaced Black Families of Altadena GoFund Me Directory and the Los Angeles Food Bank.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.