Your Mama’s Kitchen

Renowned American ballet dancer Misty Copeland opens up about the instability she faced in her childhood and how her natural athleticism and incredible discipline led her to shine as a dance prodigy in her teens. She talks about the evolution of her relationship to food and nutrition from growing up in various different kitchens to eating like an athlete. Plus, you’ll hear how to make one of her healthy, go-to recipes: Baked tilapia with veggies.Misty Copeland is a Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. She made history in 2015, becoming the first African-American woman to ever be promoted to that position. She’s written several New York Times bestselling books and launched her own foundation in 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and Emmy award-winning TV host Tamron Hall talks about how her upbringing in the small, rural town of Luling, Texas paved the way for her to follow her dreams of being on TV. She praises the many mother figures she had in her life growing up and opens up about what Mother’s Day really means to her. Plus, we learn how to make her twist on a Southern classic – a Sock-it-to-Them cake. Tamron Hall is a two-time Emmy award-winning TV host of her self-titled show, which was recently renewed for its sixth season. Before this, she was the first black woman to host the Today Show in 2014. She’s the author of her own cookbook A Confident Cook, set to publish this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cookbook author and baker extraordinaire, Dorie Greenspan, joins Michele to discuss the long, winding and unforeseen journey to Dorie’s great baking career. Dorie grew up in a household that did not cook home-cooked meals, and as a young adult, she first pursued an academic PHD. Cooking was not on her radar. But when Dorie’s perceptive husband witnessed how much Dorie loved baking, he encouraged her to pursue it; and Dorie did — with enthusiasm. Today, in addition to having been mentored by food-world icon, Julia Child, Dorie has written 14 cookbooks, won five James Beard awards, and has her very own, prized kitchen in Paris. In this episode, find out how Dorie’s story begins by mistakenly burning down her mother’s kitchen, and ends with Dorie being one of the best bakers in the business – and stay tuned for a lovely soft-shell crab recipe that Dorie loved to share with her mother, on the back steps of her childhood Brooklyn home.Dorie Greenspan was born in Brooklyn and pursued a PHD in gerontology before becoming an internationally recognized cookbook author and baker. Dorie has been a columnist for New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post. She’s written 14 cookbooks and won five James Beard awards as well as the Cookbook of the Year award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Dorie was awarded the Mérite d’Agricole – the Order of Agricultural Merit – by the French Consulate for her writings about France’s food. Today, she lives with her husband Michael in New York City, Westbrook, CT and Paris, France.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Award winning actor and Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson talks about finding his “tribe” in his local theater program as a kid in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He opens up about coming out to his dad three times and what it’s like for him to be a dad himself now, in real life. Plus, we learn how to make an especially southwestern dish, green (hatch) chili chicken stew.Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor best known for his role on the multiple Emmy Award-winning sitcom Modern Family, where he played the gay lawyer, husband and father Mitchell Prichett for the entirety of the show’s 11 season run. He’s also won a Tony Award for his role on the 2022 revival of Take Me Out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Kim, staff writer and essayist for The New York Times food section, introduces us to his mother Jean’s exceptional Korean cooking, and to the suburban Atlanta kitchen he grew up in. It was there that Eric developed a love for traditional Korean cooking, and it was the same kitchen he would return to as an adult to write his debut cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. His mother Jean was his chief recipe taster, and his inspiration for the delicious Kimchi Jjigae found in its pages.  Eric Kim is a New York Times staff writer and essayist born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. His debut cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home (Clarkson Potter, 2022), was an instant New York Times Best Seller. A former digital manager for the Food Network and contributing editor for Saveur magazine, he now hosts regular videos on NYT Cooking’s YouTube channel and writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine. He lives in New York City with his rescue dog, Q. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and television news personality Natalie Morales takes us back to her globetrotting childhood as a daughter in a military family. She reminisces on living in Spain during her teenage years and food she ate in her Puerto Rican and Brazilian household. Plus, she teaches us how to make the perfect flan.Natalie Morales co-hosts the Daytime Emmy award winning show, The Talk on CBS. Before this, she served over two decades at NBC News, anchoring the Today show and making appearances on Dateline and the Nightly News. She has a cookbook, Cooking At Home With Natalie Morales which was published in 2018. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning food writer and journalist Mark Bittman walks us through the evolution of his relationship with all things culinary, beginning with his upbringing on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bittman describes how he first started using cookbooks, the impact of global politics on his perspective, and how his mother and grandmother influenced his cooking habits.Mark Bittman is a food writer and journalist who has authored thirty books on a variety of topics. His work discusses the pleasures of food, how to prepare it, and its impact on our bodies and on the world at large. Bittman is also known for his many appearances on the Today show and for his New York Times column “The Minimalist,” which ran for 13 years. He is the editor in chief of food publication The Bittman Project.Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode29 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nationally renowned women’s health advocate Dr. Sharon Malone takes us back to her childhood in Mobile, Alabama where she lived through a monumental moment in civil rights history led by her sister, Vivian Malone. Dr. Malone talks about how she views cooking together with family as an act of love, and what better way to show love than baking a decadent pound cake.Dr. Sharon Malone is an OB/GYN and Certified Menopause Practitioner who has been an active advocate for reproductive rights, women’s health and health education. She authored the book Grown Woman Talk for aging women whose healthcare needs are ignored or just less talked about. She is also the chief medical officer of Alloy Women’s Health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Nicole Avant—daughter of legendary music mogul Clarence Avant—looks back at her bustling childhood kitchen, where prominent Black figures were always stopping by. She’ll tell us about her mother’s snow cookies recipe as well as reflect on the loss of her mother and share tips for consoling someone experiencing deep grief. Nicole Avant is a film producer, author, and former ambassador for the Bahamas. She wrote the critically acclaimed book Think You’ll be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude. She also produced the documentary The Black Godfather about her father’s illustrious music career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award winning, best-selling author Kristin Hannah recounts her outdoorsy childhood living in farmhouses and campsites built by her adventurous dad. We get a glimpse into what inspired Hannah to venture into historical fiction and what her mom managed to cook for her and her siblings with a wood fire stove. Plus we hear how to make her mama’s buttermilk cornbread.Kristin Hannah is an American historical fiction author. She’s written over twenty novels, many of them securing spots in the New York Times Best Seller List including The Four Winds and The Nightingale, which sold over 4.5 million copies. Her novel Firefly Lane was made into a Netflix Original Series in 2021.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, we’re joined by Maria Bamford. She’s a comedian, actor, and now a New York Times bestselling author with her memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, released in late 2023. Maria talks about her Midwestern upbringing, her journey with obsessive compulsive disorder, and the delicious pot roast she still craves from childhood.Maria Bamford is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She’s the first female comic with two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials, and her critically acclaimed work includes her web series The Maria Bamford Show (featured at MOMA NY), Ask My Mom (recommended by The New Yorker), and her Netflix series Lady Dynamite (2 seasons). Bamford’s Audible Original You are (a Comedy) Special and multiple comedy albums are on all major streaming platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling children’s book author and literary legend Judy Blume takes us back to her childhood New Jersey kitchen in the ‘40s, where she ate lamb chops and baked potato scrapings as a baby. She also shares a precious memento: her mother’s little yellow recipe box, filled with complicated, mid-century dishes her mother never made. We’ll hear about Judy’s major sweet tooth, which is perfectly captured by the recipe she chose to share with us: her mother’s sweet noodle pudding. Judy Blume is a bestselling American author of children’s, young adult, and adult fiction novels. She’s written over 25 books which have sold over 80 million copies. She’s best known for her classic—and at the time controversial—children’s books, including Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Cuban — entrepreneur, fixture on the reality TV show Shark Tank, and born outsider — joins Michele this week. Mark shares how he acquired a do-what-needs-to-be-done attitude from his Jewish immigrant grandparents when he was a boy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; how he first tapped his entrepreneurial spirit by selling garbage bags to neighbors. And – ignoring the way things “should” be done – fast-forwarded his education to start achieving the financial success he’s known for today. But Mark never forgot his roots: he values family and hometown friends more than anything he can buy, and he especially loves his mother’s Raisin Noodle Kugel, a recipe he happily shares with us.Mark Cuban is an entrepreneur, investor and TV personality. He is the former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban showed his entrepreneurial spirit early in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he grew up selling goods door to door and eventually graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana State University. His business ventures took off as the founder of MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com, both of which he eventually sold, earning millions. He has invested in dozens of successful businesses across many industries, and, as majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, won the NBA Championships in 2011. He is active in philanthropy, social and political commentary, and can be seen regularly on reality TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning novelist Tayari Jones speaks on her childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was raised in the midst of the historic civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and the tragic Atlanta child murders. She reflects on the role feminism played in her home life and how she learned to love cooking by cooking things she liked. Plus, she tells us about her delectable red velvet cake. Tayari Jones is a writer and novelist. Her 2018 novel An American Marriage won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, an NAACP Image Award, and was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. She was also a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow for Creative Arts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bryant Terry – cookbook author, chef, food activist, conceptual artist and publisher – joins Michele at his University of California Berkeley art studio to discuss one of the biggest influences behind all of his work: his grandmother, Margie Bryant; or, as his family affectionately called her, Ma’dear. In Ma’dear’s Memphis, Tennessee kitchen, Bryant spent hours helping her shell peas, peel potatoes or pour sugar into the pot for her sweet fruit preserves. It was in her kitchen that Bryant learned how Ma’dear’s love for her family came in the form of what she made there, and it's that love that stays with Bryant today and drives his work.When Bryant is not penning one of his acclaimed cookbooks, like his most recent work, Black Food, he is touring the country, educating Americans about the ways in which our food system is broken, how we as consumers can make choices that help local producers and farmers get the resources they need to continue their valuable work, and about what many of us often get wrong about Black Food – a cuisine that is far more varied, healthy and complex than many people are led to believe.   In this episode, Bryant recounts how a very specific 90s hip hop song led him to veganism, he shares his recipe for Ma’dear’s savory, slow-cooked leafy greens, and he sings the haunting, beautiful song Ma’dear would sing as she cooked them down until they were meltingly tender.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and actress Leslie Jones makes us laugh and gets philosophical about the gift of comedy in this episode. We get a glimpse into her childhood kitchen in Southern California, where her father was the primary cook and funnyman. She opens up about dealing with the loss of both her parents and using humor as a form of therapy. We also get to hear her talk about her grandmother’s cornbread stuffing that is so good, Leslie has it all year round, not just on holidays. Leslie Jones is a stand-up comedian and actress. She was a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live for five seasons, starting in 2014. She’s also played notable roles in films and TV shows, including the Ghostbusters reboot in 2016 and HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death. She published her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey bring listeners into their marriage, from how they first met over margaritas to cooking steak sushi to make amends. Matthew’s sometimes chaotic upbringing in Texas could not be more different from Camila’s family-filled, farm-to-table childhood in Brazil, but they found ways to connect and thrive together in their kitchen in Austin. Plus, Camila teaches us how to make her family’s Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff, which is apparently better the next day. Matthew McConaughey is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning actor known for his leading roles in films in a range of genres like Dazed and Confused (1996), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He authored his bestselling autobiography Greenlights in 2020 and performs the audiobook. Camila Alves McConaughey is a model, designer, and author of the New York Times bestselling children’s book Just Try One Bite (2022). She also runs the lifestyle website Women of Today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michele is joined by author, civil rights activist, and famed Star Trek actor George Takei. George’s story of his mother’s kitchen is far different than our other guests—he didn’t have one growing up. He shares his harrowing experiences living in an internment camp as a child, how he adjusted to life after, and what led to becoming Sulu. He’ll also share two foods that gave him solace throughout his life: his mother’s East LA-influenced tacos and her “footballs,” or Inari.George Takei is a social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, and he has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer, songwriter, composer, and genuine music lover Jon Batiste serenades us with his harmonica-keyboard while reminiscing on the sounds of his childhood kitchen in New Orleans. He describes what it was like to grow up in a big, musical family of jazz legends, and shares some of their favorite Christmas traditions—including competing to see who could make thebest and truest gumbo.Jon Batiste is a multiple Oscar and Grammy award-winning musician and TV personality. He was the bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022. He also received multiple awards for his work on Pixar’s Soul. He is the subject of a new documentary, American Symphony. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michele joins chef Samin Nosrat, author of the New York Times bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, to tell stories of Nosrat’s mother’s kitchen, who and what else shaped her as she grew up, and a very special trip Nosrat took to her native Iran when she was just a kid.Samin Nosrat is a San Diego-born, Oakland-based chef, writer, and teacher. Netflix’s documentary series Salt Fat Acid Heat, based on her book, was released in 2018. She has also starred in Netflix’s children’s cooking series Waffles + Mochi (produced by Higher Ground Productions), and co-hosted the podcast Home Cooking with Hrishikesh Hirway.Nosrat began her cooking career at Alice Waters’ acclaimed Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. She went on to work in Italy alongside chefs Benedetta Vitali and Dario Cecchini, and at (the now-closed) Eccolo in Berkeley. She is currently at work on a second book.Find the episode transcript here: https://www.audible.com/ymk/episode16 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.