The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

<p>This week, we explore traditional foods and identity with two amazing chefs. First, Food editor and author Monti Carlo talks about her visit home to Puerto Rico after many years away and how reconnecting with her roots shaped her approach to cooking traditional dishes, even adding her own spin, like her <a href="https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2026/06/12/bacalato-battered-onion-rings" class="default">Bacalaíto Battered Onion Rings</a> recipe. Monti Carlo is the Senior Food &amp; Dining Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and author of the latest book, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spanglish-Recipes-Stories-Monti-Carlo/dp/1668022184/?tag=tsplent-20" class="default">Spanglish.</a></em><em> </em>Then, we get into the spicy, savory, sticky food of Laos with Saeng Douangdara. Saeng talks about his upbringing in Wisconsin, why sticky rice is a huge identifier of Laotian culture, and shares his favorite recipes, including his take on the <a href="https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2026/06/12/laab-tacos" class="default">Laab Taco</a>. Saeng Douangdara is the author of <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lao-Kitchen-Flavors-Stories-Through/dp/0593836170/?tag=tsplent-20" class="default">The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors and Stories Told Through Family Recipes.</a></em></p><br/><hr><br/><p>Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable" class="default">@TheSplendidTable on YouTube</a> for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!</p><br/><p><strong>Broadcast dates for this episode:</strong></p><br/><p>June 12, 2026 (originally aired)</p><br/><hr><br/><p>Generous listeners like you make The Splendid Table possible. <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/ST-POD">Donate today to support the show</a></p>

<p>This week, we talk to two longtime restaurant critics from different parts of the country about what makes their work so interesting and what they're excited to eat. First, Bill Addison, restaurant critic for The Los Angeles Times, talks about his approach to critical writing, his favorite restaurant experiences, and the evolution of California cuisine. He just wrapped up one of the most ambitious projects of his career, the list of the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/food/list/best-restaurants-california-guide" class="default">One Hundred and One Best Restaurants in California</a> for The Los Angeles Times. Then, we turn to the Midwest to join Wini Moranville, a restaurant critic based in Des Moines, Iowa.<em> </em>She tells us about her first job as a restaurant server and how that influenced her current work reviewing restaurants, and how restaurant criticism in smaller cities often have very different considerations. Wini is the author of the memoir<em> "Love is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All," </em>and you can check out her Substack, <a href="https://winimoranville.substack.com/" class="default">Dining Well in DSM.</a></p><br/><p>Broadcast dates for this episode:</p><br/><ul><li>June 13, 2025 (originally aired)</li><li>June 5, 2026 (rebroadcast)</li></ul><br/><br/><hr><br/><p>Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable" class="default">@TheSplendidTable on YouTube</a> for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!</p><br/><hr><br/><p>Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/ST-POD">Donate today</a></p>

<p>This week, we went deep into our archives to bring you a conversation with the legendary, Anthony Bourdain. <em>In</em> the early days of our show, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the OG and co-creator of the show, talked with Tony about his book, <em>A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal</em>. He tells us about his adventurous travels, his definition of “perfect meals,” and how his Food Network series by the same name came to exist</p>

<p>This week, we’ve got suggestions to start your summer reading list. First, we sit down with bestselling author and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil to talk about her upbringing and the nature of her poetry. She writes about her parent’s gardens and their food, and how she carries her childhood experiences with her today. Her latest book is <em>Bite By Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees.</em> Then, we learn about the life and legacy of the iconic book editor Judith Jones through her biographer Sara B. Franklin. Sara documented Judith’s amazing journey from her first job at a publishing house to transforming the cookbook industry at large. Plus, we hear from Judith herself from an interview we did several years ago with <em>our </em>former host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Sara B. Franklin’s book is <em>The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America.</em></p><br/><p>Broadcast dates for this episode:</p><br/><ul><li>May 24, 2024 (originally aired)</li><li>May 2, 2025 (rebroadcast)</li><li>May 29, 2026 (rebroadcast)</li></ul><br/><br/><hr><br/><p>Subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable" class="default">@TheSplendidTable on YouTube</a> for full podcast episodes and full-length video interviews!</p><br/><hr><br/><p>Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/ST-POD">Donate today</a></p>

<p>Listen on: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-splendid-table-conversations-recipes-for-curious/id86997870">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3DgIWbgSloSKZ1Tr929oeq">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-splendid-table-conversations-and-recipes-for-curious-cooks-and-eaters/PC:5">Pandora</a> | <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/56047b88-4d73-466c-a7e3-f6d57560b72c/the-splendid-table-conversations-recipes-for-curious-cooks-eaters">Amazon Music</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable">YouTube</a></p><br/><p>We've put together a collection we're calling Culinary Masters. It's our favorite interviews with truly iconic people in the world of food, people who have fundamentally changed how so many of us cook, enjoy, and understand food. This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with my dear friend, Dr. Jessica B. Harris. Enjoy!</p>