Cookbook season is back, and we talk to the authors of some of our favorite picks. We're joined by Carolina Gelen, who talks to us about learning how to cook, her favorite Romanian dishes, and how she comes up with her signature recipes like Butter Beans alla Vodka, a fast, one-pot dish inspired by the famous vodka pasta sauce. Carolina is the author of Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Sharable, Everyday Recipes. Then, Sonoko Sakai tells us how to “wafu” our food! Wafu means Japanese in style, and Sonoko takes familiar dishes and adds a little Japanese flair. Check out her recipe for her Pasta with Miso Bolognese Sauce. Sonoko is the author of Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style. Then, Jody Eddy talks to us about the incredible food she found and cooked in religious communities around the world. She walks us through some of her favorite recipes, from condiments and Chicken soup in Tibet to a recipe she learned from a Minnesotan monastery, Honey Glazed Turkey Tinga. Jody's book is Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Space.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• October 25, 2024 (originally aired)
• October 24, 2025 (rebroadcast)

Our annual cookbook giveaway is live! To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbook

Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, we’re diving into Italian cooking, from the Pacific Northwest to the Bronx. First, chef and author Joshua McFadden joins us to talk about Six Seasons of Pasta, his love letter to everyone’s favorite food. Known for his hit cookbook Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, Joshua brings that same seasonal sensibility to pasta, pairing local produce with traditional Italian technique, and shares his recipe for Nut Ragu. Then, Bronx-born chef Christian Petroni takes us into the heart of Italian American cooking with his debut cookbook, Parm to Table. From chicken cutlets to clams casino, he celebrates the cozy red-sauce dishes that define Sunday dinners across America and leaves us with his Chicken Scarpariello recipe.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• October 17, 2025 (originally aired)

Our annual cookbook giveaway is live! To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbook

Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, we sit down with two chefs at the top of their craft. First, we talk to legendary baker Richard Hart about the inspiration behind his new book, Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking. He fills us in on why he thinks that humble bakers are the best bakers, how he really is just a simple “yeast farmer” and he shares his realistic thoughts on how to keep a sourdough starter. Check out his amazing recipe for Rye Wrapped in Fig Leaves. Then, we talk with chef Ashleigh Shanti about her connection to Southern food, from its complex regional histories to the culinary traditions of her beloved Appalachia. She leaves us with her take on a classic green bean recipe, Leather Britches. Ashleigh is the author of Our South: Black Food Through My Lens and owns Asheville’s Good Hot Fish.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• October 11, 2024 (originally aired)
• October 10, 2025 (rebroadcast)

Our annual cookbook giveaway is live! To enter for free, visit splendidtable.org/cookbook

Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.