Recent Episodes

Dwight Furrow, the author of American Foodie: Taste, Art, and the Cultural Revolution, talks about the philosophy of food. We discuss everything the impact of everything from automobile to Alice Waters to the Slow Food movement have shaped the way Americans think about food.
 
 
 
 

Inbal Baum

Inbal Baum, the Founder of Delicious Israel, joins us to talk about where foodies should eat when they travel to her country.

• Shakshouka is a popular dish in Israel
• Israeli Breakfast is a distinct and important meal
• The modern cherry tomato has roots in Israel
• Tel Aviv and Jerusalem top the list of cities you should visit
• Beach season runs from April to October
• Rosh Hashana is a great time to visit Israel
• When you visit Tel Aviv, go to the Carmel Market, the Levinsky Market
• Try the date syrup, Silan

Food for Thought

• Q: After pita bread, what is the most common food used to “wipe” humus?
• A: Raw onion.

Out of the Frying Pan

• Favorite Spot for Outdoor Dining: Milgo & Milbar
• Favorite Place to Buy Spices: Cafe Arma in Levinsky Market
• Herbs to Try: Za’atar and Hawaij (in Yemenite Coffee)
• Favorite Winery: Sphera
• Favorite Place for Dessert: The Malabia
• Favorite Food Experience for Kids: Max Brenner
• Chef to Watch: Eyal Shani
• Dish to Try at Different Places: Shakshouka and sabich

Bennett Jacobstein

Bennet Jacobstein, author of The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine, talks to us about what foodies can find at different baseball stadiums around the country.

• Hot dogs and sausages are not the same thing.
• The quality of ballpark food was elevated in the 90s as new stadiums were built and food television shows took off.
• Stadiums have highlighted regional foods.
• Gordon Biersch‘s founder Dan Gordon introduced garlic fries at Candlestick Park in 1994.
• The song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in 1908.
• The Yankees replaced Cracker Jacks at one point, but brought it back after a public outcry.
• 

  San Francisco Giant Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries

  Veggie Happy spearheaded the movement to get veggie dogs sold at ballpark stadiums.

• Andrew Zimmern has a stand in the Minnesota ballpark.
• Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull testicles.
• “The Big Six” are the food companies that service the major ballparks.
• As you go from ballpark to ballpark, try the hot dogs at each to see how they’re done differently.
• Proceeds from Bennett’s book go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Food for Thought

• Q: In what year were Cracker Jacks first served at a baseball game?
• A: 1896 in Atlantic City.

Out of the Frying Pan

Here’s what Bennet recommends you try at each ballpark:

• Yankees Stadium in New York City: Chicken and Waffles.
• Fenway Park in Boston: Lobster Roll and a cuban sandwich.
• Wrigley Field in Chicago: Chicago-style hot dog with Vienna beef.
• Turner Field in Atlanta: Boiled peanuts.
• Marlins Park in Miami: Cuban dishes.
• Safeco Field in Seattle: The Ivar’s hot dog (with fish) and cream cheese hot dog.
• Nationals Park in Washington D.C.: A cauliflower hot dog and presidential cupcakes.
• 

  Chicago White Sox Chicago-Style Hot Dog

  Busch Stadium in St. Louis: The BBQ.

• Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles: Tommy Lasorda Spumoni ice cream.
• AT&T Park in San Francisco: Crab salad, lamb sausages, and Gordon Biersch garlic fries.

Try a Food Tour

More in this City

Liz Rueven

In this episode of the Find Dining podcast, we talk to food blogger Liz Rueven of Kosher Like Me about the rules of kosher dining and her new Passover cookbook, 4 Bloggers Dish: Passover: Modern Twists on Traditional Flavors. We discuss the parallels between ancient kosher laws and the modern organic food movement, the questions to ask at your local farmer’s market, and tips for updating the traditional Passover menu.
 

• Check out Liz’s blog, Kosher Like Me
• Liz’s advice for sourcing kosher/organic foods when traveling is to go to local farmer’s market or take a walking food tour early in the trip and talk to people about where they shop and eat.
• Liz’s favorite farmer’s market is in her hometown of Westport, Connecticut
• When shopping at a farmers market, ask the vendors how much of the food is local and if they were grown without pesticides.
• Try the fried olives at Balaboosta
• Liz co-authored 4 Bloggers Dish: Passover: Modern Twists on Traditional Flavors with Amy Kritzer of What Jew Wanna Eat, Sarah Lasry of The Patchke Princess, and Whitney Fisch of Jew Hungry
• Find out how Mazon helps feed the hungry in Los Angeles and supports community services throughout the country.

 
Food for Thought:

• Q: Avocados are the second fattiest fruit. What is the first?
• A: Olives.

 
Out of the Frying Pan:

• Favorite Recipes from the book that Liz wrote: Slow Roasted Beet Relish
• Favorite Recipe from the book that one her partner’s wrote: Amy’s Mini Potato Kugel
• Favorite food tour:  Bend, OR
• Blogger to follow: Amy Kritzer, Sarah Lasry, and Whitney Fisch
• To get vegetarian or kosher food in New York City:  12 Chairs
• Favorite place to eat in or around Westport, CT:   The Schoolhouse

Izabela Wojcik

In this episode of the Find Dining Podcast,  Izabela Wojcik, the Director of House Programming for the James Beard Foundation, gives us an inside look at the James Beard Awards. We talk about the life of James Beard, how the Awards work, and all of the other things that the James Beard Foundation does.

• James Beard’s first cookbook was James Beard’s Hors D’oeuvre & Canapes
• Peter Kump and Julia Child led the effort to turn the James Beard House into a foundation
• When Wolfgang Puck hosted a dinner at the James Beard House, it really became a showplace for chefs
• The Foundation hosts events all over the country
• James Beard had a hand in designing the concept at the Four Seasons Restaurant


James Beard Award medallion

• The Foundation hits the road with Taste America
• Watch the James Beard Kitchen Cam
• The big awards ceremony is on May 5th, featuring Ted Allen of Chopped as the Master of Ceremonies
• Chef Mario Batali is the Gala Chair of this year’s awards
• The theme of this year’s James Beard Awards is “sounds of the city”
• To be an Outstanding Chef, you must be an Executive Chef for at least five years
• To be an Outstanding Restaurant, you need to be around for at least 10 years
• Here’s the full list of 2014 nominees
• Sirrio Maccioni of Le Cirque will be honored with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award
• Charlie Trotter won the 2013 Humanitarian of the Year Award
• Matt Haley of Rehoboth Beach will receive the 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award
• Meatless Monday is celebrating its 10-year anniversary

 



The Oscars of the Food World

Food for Thought:

• Q: What is James Beard’s most famous sandwich?
• A:  James Beard’s Onion Sandwiches.
  

 

Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Favorite James Beard Foundation Events: Dinners with rising chefs
• Biggest Change: The foods that the chefs bring through the James Beard House
• Favorite Recent Menu Items: Dishes featuring sea urchins and squid ink (with a shout out to Chef Sean Brock)
• How the James Beard Awards are Not Like the Oscars: Nobody’s counting calories
• Prediction about the Future: Sustainability and health will be critical issues





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Betony Executive Chef Bryce Shuman grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and from a young age was exposed to high-quality food. His mother, a cultural anthropologist with a degree in nutrition, was an ambitious cook who insisted he help out in the kitchen and step up to the plate to recreate dishes such as his dad’s revered puttanesca recipe. When the family lived abroad for long stretches in places as diverse as the jungles of Costa Rica and the Arctic as part of his mother’s anthropological research, they would eat local, which is how Bryce tried raw caribou and seal at an age when his peers were embracing Fruit Loops.
 

Betony
41 West 57th Street, New York City
(212) 465-2400
www.betony-nyc.com

 
 




Chef Bryce Shuman

Bryce’s hospitality career started modestly enough in 2001, as a dishwasher at Mesh Café in Greenville, North Carolina, where he was quickly promoted to chef de cuisine. It was at Mesh that he met a waitress, Jen, who would later become his wife.   In 2003 he moved to San Francisco to enroll in the California Culinary Academy (CCA), while working nights on the line at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio. There, Bryce met chef Jack Yoss, an early mentor, who taught him many kitchen skills, including how to man a giant charcoal grill, which became his favorite station.
 
After graduation, Bryce went to work at Rubicon in San Francisco, where he credits then Executive Chef Stuart Brioza and his wife, Pastry Chef Nicole Krasinski, for being exemplary leaders. Stuart completely debunked the stereotype of the great chef as screaming madman, calmly and patiently teaching Bryce   how to break down a whole snapper or make consommé, skills that can only really be learned on the job through repeated trial and error.  Stuart also ignited Bryce’s passion for the farmers market and local cuisine. Nicole, an equally bright light, showed Bryce how to gracefully blur the lines between salty and sweet, and how to maintain a sunny outlook in the midst of a stressful service.   Upon returning from a long trip to Europe to work and dine in top restaurants, Bryce moved back to the East Coast in 2007. After trailing at a number of elite NYC restaurants, Bryce settled on Eleven Madison Park based on Chef Daniel Humm’s leadership and the kitchen’s dynamic atmosphere.
 



Short Rib

  At Eleven Madison Park, Bryce worked alongiside Chef Humm for six years, and credits him for pushing him harder than anyone to achieve his full potential.  Over the course of his time there, Bryce worked every station and every Sous Chef position and was eventually promoted to Executive Sous Chef. He worked beside Chef Humm when the restaurant garnered a four-star review from The New York Times, three-star review from Michelin, and was ranked 10th in San Pellegrino’s guide to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, among many other accolades.  Bryce also accompanied Chef Humm on trips abroad to collaborate with other chefs and was responsible for the testing and editing of the recipes in   In May 2013, Bryce opened Betony with fellow former Eleven Madison Park colleague, Eamon Rockey (General Manager). At Betony, Bryce’s menu is inspired by familiar flavors of food he loves presented in a distinctly modern way. Since opening, Betony has been the recipient of great critical acclaim, garnering three stars in The New York Times and Esquire’s “Restaurant of the Year” for 2013.     When not at Betony, Bryce enjoys playing blues guitar, snapping photos with his Polaroid Reporter SE, visiting art galleries with his wife, and annoying his cats.
 



Betony bar and dining rooms

General Manager Eamon Rockey grew up in the small town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the son of two professional chefs. Eamon’s parents encouraged him to get into the kitchen at a young age, and at 14 he started working after school at Sakura, at the time Hattiesburg’s only sushi restaurant.
 
In 2003, Eamon enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He anticipated graduating as a cook, but a wine course sparked his interest in the service side of the industry and his career goals shifted to that area. Upon graduation, Eamon moved to New York City to gain fine dining experience, and was hired at Gilt, a Michelin-starred New American restaurant. A desire to further develop his fine dining experience led Eamon to look into new job opportunities, and in 2007, he joined the service team at Eleven Madison Park. During his time at the restaurant, he learned a tremendous amount about wine service and was quickly promoted to bartender and captain. Eamon credits General Manager Will Guidara for instilling in him a dedication to uncompromising quality.
 



Pisco Sour

After three years at Eleven Madison Park, Eamon was approached to open a new restaurant in TriBeCa. After much consideration, he left Eleven Madison Park to open Compose in late 2010. As general manager at Compose, Eamon created the service and beverage programs and hired and trained the staff.  After a brief closing, the restaurant re-opened as Atera in spring 2012, with chef Matthew Lightner at the kitchen’s helm. The restaurant received rave reviews and went on to earn two Michelin stars.
 
Later that year, Eamon dined at Frej, chef Fredrik Berselius’ Scandinavian pop-up restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and was immediately drawn to Fredrik’s culinary perspective. After approaching Fredrik and establishing a friendship, the two planned the opening of the Scandinavian restaurant Aska, which debuted in the former Frej space. At Aska, Eamon managed the front-of-house and oversaw the beverage program, which included cocktails that employed a variety of progressive techniques and preparations including clarified milk punch and house-made oleo saccharums.
 



Milk Punch

In late spring 2013, Eamon reunited with his former Eleven Madison Park colleague, chef Bryce Shuman to open Betony, a Modern American restaurant in Midtown.  At Betony, Eamon oversees all aspects of the service program and is a constant presence on the floor greeting guests. Since opening, Betony has been the recipient of great critical acclaim, garnering three stars in The New York Times and Esquire’s “Restaurant of the Year” for 2013.
 
When not at Betony, Eamon enjoys cooking, collecting food and beverage-related books, exploring new restaurants, as well as biking and the performing arts.
 







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Content Courtesy of First Press Public Relations