
Andrew Talks to Chefs
Our top chefs, as you’ve never heard them before. Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation's chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.
Show episodes

Laurie Woolever (author, Care and Feeding) on Life Lessons, Navigating Memoirs, and Reckoning with Bad Men
Come for the industry insidership, stay for the great writing and unvarnished personal honesty. Author Laurie Woolever's new memoir Care and Feeding will attract many readers because of its promise of tales from her days as assistant to Mario Batali and then Anthony Bourdain. And it delivers on that front, for sure. Bu

Alex Kemp (My Loup, Philly) on Figuring Out What Kind of Chef You Are, the Lures of Philadelphia, and Being Persistent
At last year's Hot Luck festival in Austin, Andrew sat down with chef Alex Kemp, co-owner and chef of Philadelphia’s acclaimed restaurant My Loup for an honest and entertaining conversation. Alex shares his journey from his French-Canadian roots in Montreal to the vibrant culinary scene of Philadelphia. He discusses hi

Rasika Venkatesa (Mythily) on Progressive South Indian Cuisine, Finding the Right Kitchens, and Plotting Her First Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant
At just 27 years of age, Rasika Venkatesa has already put herself in position to plan her first restaurant. Currently serving a tasting menu in her residency at Fulgrances Laundromat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, (though March 1, 2025), Rasika attended hotel management school in India, worked her way up from commis to chef

LIVE! from the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Forum in NYC, featuring Valerie Chang, Curtis Duffy, Aisha Ibrahim, Ayesha Nurdjaja, and Junghyun Park
Recorded LIVE before an audience at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition US regional finals in New York City. Five influential American chefs (the competition's jurors), Valerie Chang, Curtis Duffy, Aisha Ibrahim, Ayesha Nurdjaja, and Junghyun Park discuss how to shape the future of the industry, in a conver

Tomer Blechman (Miss Ada, Theodora, Thea Bakery - Brooklyn) on the Healing Power of Food & Hospitality and Why He Doesn't Look Too Far Ahead
Tomer Blechman's life has taken him from his native Israel to Los Angeles, the Far East, and finally to New York City. He also naturally progressed from a life of healing to cooking and hospitality, which are for him intertwined. This path has led him to founding three successful Brooklyn ventures: Miss Ada, Theodora,
In this this second installment of our conversation with Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, the couple behind Chicago's Esmé, the pair discuss their time at MK and Next in Chicago, the process of concepting Esmé, and their working relationship.. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recip