This week's episode was recorded at The Bagel Inn, the AirBnB above Steingold's. Joe and Aaron shared an Uncle Rube, Lox on an Everything Bagel, and perfectly cooked latkes to kick things off. This episode begins with a discussion of the history and current offerings of Steingold's. Aaron shares some of his formative meals and experiences between his upbringing in North Carolina, moving to Chicago and discovering the current state of the restaurant scene, and his prior venture with a sandwich pop-up. Aaron describes how he aimed to bring New York Deli to Chicago, and how the bagel scene in this city has changed since he first opened his doors. The duo discuss pastrami, lox, pickled herring, and a litany of other favorites you can order today at Steingold's. Aaron also gives a sneak preview of what's next for Steingold's, including a second location, dinner, Sephardic influenced cooking, and much more.

You can learn more about Steingold's and order online at https://www.steingoldsdeli.com/

You can follow Steingold's on Instagram @steingoldsofchicago

And remember to follow me @joefeedyourself 

The episode begins with some backstory as to how Rosetta transition from a lucrative career as a chemical engineer in Silicon Valley to the author of My Calabria. She discusses what her family's immigration to the US was like in 1974 and how they brought sourdough starters, seeds, gardening tools and more with them to start a new life while holding on to the food of the old world. Rosetta describes the key ingredients in Calabrese cooking - peppers and tomatoes - and how she's almost developed Oakland heirloom versions of her favorite Calabrese vegetables. She discusses her culinary tours of southern Italy as well as her cooking classes. Joe and Rosetta talk about Calabrese pasta - notoriously made with just flour and water - and how for years she had to fight back against students in her classes who wanted to know "Where's the egg?". Rosetta describes Il Cenone, the traditional Christmas Eve thirteen-course meal, and its differences from the Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes. The show ends with a discussion of what makes Calabrese food unique.

Rosetta Costantino is the author of My Calabria and Southern Italian Desserts. She teaches cooking classes out of her home in Oakland, CA and leads culinary tours to Calabria, Sicily and Puglia. You can learn more at her website: https://www.cookingwithrosetta.com/ and follow her on Instagram @rosettacostantino

Make sure to subscribe to Joe Feed Yourself on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and follow on Instagram @joefeedyourself

This week's episode airs on Black Friday, the day where we pretend Christmas trees haven't been up in department stores since September and start indulging in our favorite end of year treats. Given the short week due to Thanksgiving and poor planning, this episode is only 6 minutes long and is just Joe explaining the history of gingerbread with a lot of fun facts thrown in. Joe explains how Frederick III was likely the first person to fashion gingerbread cookies into the shape of a man (himself) and the history of the famous Pierniki Torunski. Joe describes the battle between Nuremberg and Torun, Poland for gingerbread supremacy, as well as the legally protected status of Nuremberg gingerbread by the EU today. The episode ends with a rapid fire pile of fun facts about gingerbread.

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!

Sources:

Max Miller, Tasting History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNIvtkADcCA

Gingerbread World: https://gingerbread-world.com/blogs/news/germany-travelogue-nuremberg-famous-for-lebkuchen

Martha Stewart, Gingerbread History: https://www.marthastewart.com/1523540/gingerbread-holiday-history

UK Gov Protected Geographical Indication: https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/nurnberger-lebkuchen

Torun Gingerbread, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toru%C5%84_gingerbread

Gingerbread, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread

Lebkuchen, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebkuchen

Ianyan Mag, Gregory of Nicopolis: http://www.ianyanmag.com/how-an-armenian-monk-brought-gingerbread-to-the-west/

McKinsey, Virginia HQ2: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/how-state-and-local-governments-win-at-attracting-companies

Nurnberger Lebkuchen, Pfeffer & Frost: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/how-state-and-local-governments-win-at-attracting-companies

Nat Geo, Gingerbread History: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/gingerbread-historic-treat-of-spice-and-structure

Age of Revolution: https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/08/ages-of-revolution-how-old-1776

In this episode Jonathan Richardson, National Sales Manager at Columbia Cheese, describes how his company works by importing cheese from the best cheesemakers in Europe. They work in a variety of countries and sell all different types of cheese including their "thoroughbreds" and "unicorns". Jonathan shares his number one tip for getting more educated about cheese, which is to simply go up to the cheese counter and ask questions. He shares some of his experiences as a monger and on his trips to Europe with Columbia where they sample new cheeses and bring their mongers with them. The episode concludes with some ideas about cheese boards for your next holiday gathering.

Check out Columbia Cheese at makertomonger.com

Follow Columbia Cheese on Instagram @columbia_cheese

Follow Joe Feed Yourself on Instagram @joefeedyourself

The episode begins with Joel reflecting on common Puerto Rican foods he grew up eating. Joel shares plenty of favorites from his childhood including the many ways Puerto Ricans enjoy rice, beans and plantains. We discuss Joel's early working career including his time tenures with Party City and Miss Universe pageants. Eventually we move on to the first restaurant job Joel held, running food at an Asian Bistro. The duo chronicle the next several years before Joel moved to Denver, and then break down the changes in responsibilities he took on as a sous chef and kitchen leader across multiple restaurants. Finally the Joel shares some of his knowledge and passes on some wisdom for line cooks looking to become Sous Chefs and other sorts of kitchen leaders.

We begin with an introduction to Chris and his background, from his high school years working at a mom-and-pop restaurant through culinary school and into his professional career around the globe. He describes his time working for major meat packers in Chicago, and his eventual homecoming to Indianapolis where he founded Goose the Market. Goose the Market is an old-world style market where Chris has created a down-to-earth atmosphere for his customers to order their favorite cuts of meat, sandwiches and local Indiana produce. Chris describes what he wanted to accomplish with Smoking Goose and takes care to explain all of the process and patience he applies to his products. We learn about his thoughts on flavor profiles, how every sausage and salami differs in flavor and texture, his attention to detail in creating pleasant inconsistency and what he enjoys the most about this line of work.

This week's episode chronicles the career of Michael Mellien, a line cook at Gadabout with a decade of industry experience. Michael shares his earliest food memories including his mom's Christmas cookies, and then describes his first jobs working at a grocery store before becoming a sandwich maker at an Italian deli. We discuss Michael's tenure as a culinary student, and then dive into his years at Lou Malnati's working on a busy line at the popular deep dish pizza chain. Michael discusses his biggest lessons learned from his time on the line, and shares his thoughts on the public perception of line cooks at lower-end establishments. We then take a trip up to Minneapolis where his career really took off working at several restaurants including Grizzly's and White Horse Tavern. Finally we return to Chicago and discuss Michael's current interests and projects at Gadabout and what's next for him professionally.

This week's episode begins with an introduction to the Regional American Foods twitter account and its frequent posts of niche sandwiches, stews and other assorted foodstuffs from around the country. Daniel discusses how the account came to be from his love of late night Wikipedia scrolling. Joe and Daniel talk about the bizarre pizzas article that he published with Atlas Obscura and Daniel's possible plans to do more unique food writing in the future. Daniel shares his insights on how these food posts can elicit such strong responses from people, especially the infamous Indiana Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.

Check out Regional American Food on twitter @RegionalUSFood

Read Daniel's Article on Atlas Obscura