Share

cover art for S2 E3: Food and Roots with Charmaine Wilkerson

Life in Food with Laura Price

S2 E3: Food and Roots with Charmaine Wilkerson

Season 2, Ep. 3

In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I speak to Charmaine Wilkerson, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Black Cake, about Food and Roots. Black Cake covers California, the Caribbean and the UK, and Charmaine lives in Rome, so she has plenty to say about how food shapes our experiences of settings and helps us to form memories. In the episode, we talk about how food can anchor us and shape our experience of a place, as well as the foods that make us most nostalgic, and the healing power of apple pie.



About Charmaine Wilkerson: Charmaine is from New York, has lived in Jamaica, and does much of her writing in Italy. Her debut novel Black Cake is a New York Times bestseller and a #ReadWithJenna book club pick. A screen series based on the novel is currently under development for Hulu. Charmaine is a former US news and communication professional whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various anthologies and magazines. Black Cake featured in Barack Obama's 2022 summer reading list.


About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. A proud Yorkshire lass at heart, she spent several years in Latin America before settling in London with her two cats. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, bringing out powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.



Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 6. S3 E6: Food and Home with Roberta Hall-McCarron, Ardfern

    43:31||Season 3, Ep. 6
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk to Scottish chef Roberta Hall-McCarron about Food and Home. As chef-owner of The Little Chartroom, Ardfern and Eleanore in Edinburgh, Roberta spends much of her time in restaurants, but what is life like at home? We talk about living and working with her husband Shaun, becoming a mother and managing the balance between home and work, as well as discussing her comfort foods. We also delve into Roberta's childhood memories of sailing holidays in Scotland, which inspired her brand-new cookbook The Changing Tides, full of gorgeous seasonal dishes like cullen skink and haggis sausage roll.Follow Roberta on Instagram @chef_roberta_hall.Buy The Changing Tides cookbook.Visit Ardfern's website.Visit The Little Chartroom's website.Visit Eleanore's website.Check out Roberta's restaurant recommendations:Morchella, London.Dorian, London.The Ledbury, London.DaTerra, London.AngloThai, London.Noto, Edinburgh.Lyla, Edinburgh.Skof, Manchester.L'Enclume, Lake District.Geranium, Copenhagen.Kadeau, Copenhagen.Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, New York.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 5. S3 E5: Food and Guts with Tommy Banks, The Black Swan

    50:19||Season 3, Ep. 5
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk to chef and restaurateur Tommy Banks about Food and Guts, a threefold topic that incorporates Tommy's diagnosis of ulcerative colitis at age 18, then having the guts to begin a career as a chef, and later developing an interest in gut health and fermented foods. In the episode, we talk about everything from illness and imposter syndrome to ultra-processed foods and Tommy's love of Yorkshire puddings and Sunday roasts.Follow Tommy on Instagram @tommybanks.Visit The Black Swan's website.Visit The Abbey Inn's website.Visit Roots's website.Visit Saltmoore's website.Read Roots.Explore Made in Oldstead's food boxes.Restaurants mentioned in the episode:The Dunkirk in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 4. S3 E4: Food and Nurture with Lara Gilmore, Osteria Francescana

    54:27||Season 3, Ep. 4
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk about Food and Nurture with Lara Gilmore, co-owner of Osteria Francescana and Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, Italy, and co-founder of the Food for Soul and Tortellante social projects. Together with chef Massimo Bottura, Lara is also mother of two children – her daughter, Alexa, and son Charlie, who was born with a genetic syndrome that causes developmental difficulties. We talk about the power of food to nurture and heal communities and how it’s possible to transform lives with something as simple as pasta.Follow Lara on Instagram @laratgilmore.Visit Osteria Francescana's website.Visit Casa Maria Luigia's website.Visit Food for Soul's website.Visit Tortellante's website.Read Slow Food Fast Cars.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 3. S3 E3: Food and Neurodiversity with Doug McMaster, Silo

    59:58||Season 3, Ep. 3
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk about Food and Neurodiversity with Douglas McMaster, chef-owner of Silo, the world's first zero-waste restaurant. We discuss Doug's transition from someone who didn’t fit in at school to becoming one of the world’s best chefs and how he has turned dyslexia and ADHD into creative superpowers.Follow Doug on Instagram @mcmasterchef.Follow Silo on Instagram @silolondon.Visit Silo's website.Read Doug's book, Silo: The Zero Waste Blueprint.Listen to Doug on The Hidden 20% Podcast.Discover Baldio in Mexico City @baldio.mx.Restaurants mentioned in the episode:St. John restaurant in London.James Lowe's restaurant, Lyle's in London.Som Saa in London.Noma in Copenhagen.Other references from the episode:Subscribe to The Hidden 20% Podcast.Follow Joost Bakker on Instagram @joostbakker.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 2. S3 E2: Food and Feminism with Sally Abé, The Pem

    32:55||Season 3, Ep. 2
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk about Food and Feminism with Sally Abé, chef-consultant of British fine dining restaurant The Pem in West London. Sally talks about her newly published memoir, A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen, where she recounts her experiences as a young woman working her way up through some of the UK’s top Michelin-starred kitchens. We also discuss whether food can be gendered, what it’s like to work in a male-dominated industry and whether a woman’s place is, indeed, in the kitchen.Follow Sally on Instagram @littlechefsally.Follow The Pem on Instagram @thepemrestaurant.Visit The Pem's website.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 1. S3 E1: Food and Childhood with Santiago Lastra, Kol and Fonda

    47:46||Season 3, Ep. 1
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk about Food and Childhood with Santiago Lastra, chef-owner of two of London's hottest Mexican restaurants: Kol, the highest-ranked restaurant on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, and newly opened Fonda. We talk about the family-owned eateries of Santiago's childhood that inspired Fonda, as well as the most nostalgic dishes from his early years, learning to cook with his brother, Eduardo, and the moments that inspired the young Santiago to travel the world learning about Mexican food.Follow Santiago on Instagram @santiagolas.Follow Fonda on Instagram @fondarestaurant.Follow Kol on Instagram @kol.restaurant.Visit Fonda's website.Visit Kol's website.Read Laura's interview with Santiago for The World's 50 Best Restaurants.Restaurants mention in the episode:Koya - recommended by Santiago and Laura for udon noodlesAbout the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, telling powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Follow Life in Food on Instagram @lifeinfoodpod.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • Life in Food with Laura Price - S3 Trailer

    01:54||Season 3, Ep. 0
    Welcome to Life in Food with Laura Price, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the minds of the world's best chefs and restaurateurs. Each week, we speak to a different guest about their life through a culinary lens, covering everything from Food and Friendship to Food and Feminism, Food and Childhood and even Food and Addiction.While seasons one and two featured novelists, activists, charity founders and the occasional chef, season three focuses entirely on chefs and restaurateurs. Episodes include:Food and Childhood with Santiago Lastra, chef-owner of Mexican restaurants Fonda and Kol, currently the top-ranked UK restaurant in The World's 50 Best Restaurants listFood and Feminism with Sally Abé, chef of The Pem and author of A Woman's Place is in the KitchenFood and Neurodiversity with Doug McMaster, chef-owner of Silo, the world's first zero-waste restaurant, and author of Silo: The Zero Waste BlueprintThe series will also include episodes on Food and Addiction, Food and Nurture, Food and Failure and so much more!Laura Price is an international food journalist, broadcaster, translator and novelist. Her debut novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of breast cancer. She also hosts The Breast Cancer Now Podcast.Life in Food is produced and edited by Laura Price. Follow the podcast @LauraPriceEats and Laura at @LauraPriceWrites or visit Laura's website.
  • 11. S2 BONUS: Food and Passion with Sophie Haydock (plus an exclusive AA Gill clip)

    51:13||Season 2, Ep. 11
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I discuss Food and Passion with Sophie Haydock, author of The Flames, a novel about the four muses who posed for the artist Egon Schiele in Vienna more than 100 years ago. Sophie and I talk about the links between food, passion and art, the passion that runs through the women in her novel, and her passion for writing. She also talks about her time working with the late Sunday Times food critic AA Gill, and shares an exclusive extract from one of the articles he dictated to her, about mushrooms.Follow Sophie on Instagram @_sophiehaydock_.Follow Egon's Schiele's Women on Instagram @egonschieleswomen.Follow Sophie on Twitter @SophieHaydock.Buy The Flames in paperback.Visit Sophie's website.Listen to Sophie on Confessions of a Debut Novelist.About Sophie Haydock: Sophie is an award-winning journalist who worked for The Sunday Times and has interviewed authors from Bernardine Evaristo to Sally Rooney, as well as being a judge for various literary competitions. The Flames is her debut novel.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. A proud Yorkshire lass at heart, she spent several years in Latin America before settling in London. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, bringing out powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.
  • 10. S2 E10: Food and War with Alissa Timoshkina

    57:38||Season 2, Ep. 10
    In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I talk about Food and War with Alissa Timoshkina, who co-founded the Cook for Ukraine fundraising initiative with her friend Olia Hercules. In the episode, we talk about her campaign to fight conflict and violence with food and love, what she has learned from Russia's war on Ukraine, and how her Jewish-Ukrainian grandmother taught her that the human spirit cannot be extinguished through war.Follow Alissa on Instagram @alissatimoshkina.Follow MotherFood on Instagram @motherfoodlondon.Listen to MotherFood podcast.Follow Alissa on Twitter @alissatimoshkin.Buy Alissa's cookbook, Salt & Time.Try Alissa's recipe for borsch.Get involved with CookforUkraine.org.Visit Alissa's website.Read Laura's interview with Alissa and Olia for The World's 50 Best Restaurants.Restaurants mention in the episode:Mriya Neo BistroAbout Alissa Timoshkina: Alissa is a writer, historian and chef who published her first book, Salt and Time: Recipes from a Russian Kitchen, in 2019, and who hosts the podcast Motherfood. She founded the supper club KinoVino, pairing dishes with films, and has now extended Motherfood into a food service for new mothers.About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. A proud Yorkshire lass at heart, she spent several years in Latin America before settling in London. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, bringing out powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Read Laura's Substack newsletter, Doughnuts for Breakfast.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price.