It’s really fun having two food writers we respect, in different sections of their careers, on the show. First up is Robert Sietsema. Robert is a longtime New York City restaurant critic and neighborhood wanderer who has written for the Village Voice and Eater and who, prior to that, ran the influential underground food zine Down the Hatch. We talk about the early days of food writing and what is exciting him in NYC right now. Luke Pyenson is a food and travel writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and TASTE, where he recently wrote about telephone menu hotlines. We talk about his career, drumming in the band Frankie Cosmos (where Starbucks was his tour stop of choice), and his upcoming book, Taste in Music.

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 ROBERT SIETSEMA & LUKE PYENSON:

• The Delight of the Indian Combo Platter [Eater NY]
• ‘The Best Fries I’ve Tried All Year’ Can Be Found in the East Village [Eater NY]
• Please Listen Closely, as Our Menu Options Have Changed [TASTE]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day’s food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe. On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel. We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It’s so great having Ruth in the studio.

Also on the show, many listeners are starting to think about summer vacations and Aliza and Matt talk about some of their favorite destinations to visit for exciting food during the warmer months. These locations include places Chicago, Portland, OR, Kingston, NY, Los Alamos, CA, and Northern Michigan.

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 RUTH REICHL:

• Power Player Past [La Briffe]
• Ruth Reichl’s Ultimate New York City Snack Crawl [The Infatuation]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pizza is at the center of this lively episode. First up is Ali Stafford, one of our favorite recipe writers on the internet. Ali is behind Alexandra’s Kitchen and is the author of a great new book, Pizza Night. We talk about Ali’s favorite styles of pizza and what inspired her to write an entire book dedicated to homemade pizza adventures (you need to pick this one up). Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Emily Hyland, the founder of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared, two wildly successful pizza outfits that bring Detroit-style pies (and burgers) to the masses. It’s great catching up with Ali and Emily and hearing about their cool pizza journeys.

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 ALI STAFFORD AND EMILY HYLAND:

• How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza [YouTube]
• Thin and Crispy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [Alexandra's Kitchen]
• NYC Pizza Queen Becomes Santa Fe Yoga Teacher [Santa Fe New Mexican]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.