Your Mama’s Kitchen

Antoni Porowski, food expert on Netflix's Queer Eye and host of the new show No Taste Like Home, joins Michele to talk about being Polish-Canadian and why he was never allowed in his kitchen growing up. He opens up about why he hasn't spoken to his mother in several years, and how cooking and a shared passion for food connects them to each other. We also learn about the iconic restaurant that helped him settle into his Polish identity and the secret behind a classic Polish recipe: stuffed cabbage rolls!

Introducing Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Each week, Stacey breaks down the biggest issues we face into digestible, actionable items, introduces us to the warriors for good already working towards solutions, strategizes, and shares tangible ways to get involved. In this episode, Stacey talks to renowned chef, activist, and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio about why the United States has a food insecurity crisis despite being the richest country in the world — and why this issue is especially pressing with an incoming Trump administration. They discuss what can be done to address the problem head on, including what Colicchio has learned from years of advocating for school lunches and solving for food deserts on Capitol Hill. You can listen to more Assembly Required at https://crooked.com/podcast-series/assemblyrequired/

New York Times Bestselling author Brad Meltzer joins the show to talk about his Sesame Street home in Brooklyn and the several influential kitchens that followed. He tells Michele about his mom’s gift for interior design, visits to his future father-in-law’s restaurant as a teenager and a propensity for the men in his family to get struck by lightning - literally. Plus he shares the fried conch recipe from the famous Miami restaurant and Civil Rights landmark, Jumbo’s!

Actress, comedian and writer Michelle Buteau joins the show to talk about growing up in a lively Caribbean household in New Jersey. She shares how music, dance and food shaped her upbringing and the smells and flavors that took over her childhood kitchen. We also learn about the healing power of humor and how she found the confidence to become a comedian. Plus, she tells us how to make her family’s Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken. 

Chef and gourmet food truck creator Roy Choi takes us back to his childhood in Los Angeles, where different cultures and cuisines came together for public park barbecues. He opens up about being a hot-headed teenager and shares how he learned to rebuild the bridges in his life that he previously burned down. Plus we learn how to make his Bimbim Noodle Salad.

Michele chats with Andrew Rea, the creator behind the massively popular Binging with Babish, to talk about how a Reddit side project turned into a culinary empire. Andrew opens up about losing his mom at a young age, why making cooking videos connects him to both his parents, and how he handles the highs and lows of social media fame. Plus, he shares his spin on his mom’s cookie recipe. The trick? “Let out your inner child monster”!  

Sharing an episode of A Hot Dog Is A Sandwich. On the show, Mythical Chefs Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati discuss, debate, and dissect the web’s most hilariously controversial culinary quandaries. In this episode, Josh and Nicole debate whether a cast iron skillet needs to be washed every time you use it. Listen to more “A Hot Dog is a Sandwich” episodes at https://link.chtbl.com/AHDIASYMKFD

Author Susan Orlean joins to talk about her upbringing in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She describes the life skills her mom failed to teach and the Hungarian food that reminded her parents of the home they could never return to. Plus we learn about her mother’s cocktail party treat, cheese balls.

Michele chats with with chef, cookbook author, and TV personality Tanya Holland—best known for her beloved Oakland restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen. Tanya reflects on the gourmet supper club her parents hosted, her unexpected role as a U.S. Culinary Diplomat (yes, that’s a real job!), and why hospitality—not just food—is her true passion. Plus, she takes us behind the scenes of her world-famous cornmeal waffles!