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They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, but how do we find ourselves there? Join host Liren Baker in the Kitchen Confidante podcast, a side dish to the recipe blog, Kitchen Confidante, as she explores the food journeys of passionate chefs, food writers, photographers, recipe developers, artisans, bloggers, and more! Learn how they got their starts and what fuels their taste and inspiration!
Subscribe on all podcasting apps, rate & review on iTunes and Apple Podcasts! Follow us on social media at @kitchconfidante
Subscribe on all podcasting apps, rate & review on iTunes and Apple Podcasts! Follow us on social media at @kitchconfidante
115 Episodes
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Chocolate lovers, you're going to love this conversation with Nicole Patel, the chef owner and chocolatier of Delysia Chocolatier. With a background in engineering, Nicole embraced her passion for making chocolate truffles and launched her business in 2008, and quickly rose to become a master chocolatier. In 2025, Nicole was honored as a Six Star Award: Grand Master Best Chocolatier in America by the International Chocolate Salon Awards, a distinction she has held for over 10 years. But this is just the tip of the iceberg - Nicole has amassed multiple awards, including for her mastery in chocolate categories. Her creativity with flavors is represented in her truffle collections - spanning standard favorites to flavors inspired by collaborations with other Texas tastemakers, including Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Salt Lick BBQ, and more. In this episode, we chat about how her training in engineering and chocolate overlap, how she develops Delysia's unique chocolate flavors and tastings, how to taste chocolate, and more!
Learn more about Nicole and Delysia Chocolatier at delysia.com
Follow Delysia Chocolatier on Instagram: @delysia_choc
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/engineering-chocolate-with-nicole-patel
If you're craving a taste of Miami, you will enjoy this conversation with award-winning author, vegan chef, and Miami native Ellen Kanner. Her writing on food, culture, wellness, and community has appeared in The Miami Herald, Saveur, HuffPost, VegNew_s, and more.
Her latest book, _Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table, features over 80 vibrant, flavorful recipes that channel the spirit of Miami’s diverse food culture—all with a plant-based twist. Best of all, her dishes are approachable and adaptable, offering big, sunny flavors no matter where you live!
In this episode, we talk about Ellen’s journey into veganism, the storytelling power of food, and how Miami Vegan captures the color, rhythm, and soul of Miami, one bite at a time.
Learn more about Ellen at https://soulfulvegan.com
Follow Ellen on Instagram: @ellenkanner
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/soulful-vegan-with-ellen-kanner
Are you ready for grilling season? This episode with Meathead is for you. Known as the BBQ Whisperer, Meathead is the founder of AmazingRibs.com, a go-to destination for grilling and barbecue enthusiasts since 2005. He’s also the New York Times bestselling author of Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling.
Now, he’s back with a new book: The Meathead Method: A BBQ Hall of Fame Secrets and Science on BBQ, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking with 114 recipes, featuring mouthwatering recipes and a deep dive into the science behind great outdoor cooking.
In this episode, we talk about the origins of his name, the myths and science behind perfect grilling, and why understanding heat, flavor, and chemistry can transform the way you cook.
Learn more about Meathead at AmazingRibs.com
Follow Meathead on Instagram: @amazingribs
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/the-meathead-method-with-meathead
If you are an avid food blog reader, then you will surely know about Jessica Merchant’s site, How Sweet Eats. Since launching her site in 2009, Jessica has built a loyal following with her approachable, flavorful recipes and down-to-earth writing style. She's the author of several best-selling cookbooks, including Seriously Delish, The Pretty Dish, and Everyday Dinners. Her newest release, Easy Everyday: 100 Recipes and Meal Prep Ideas for Effortless Eats, is another must-have—I’ve already cooked from it and can confirm it’s full of weeknight gems.
In this episode, we talk about the secret to her long-running consistency, how she balances real life with recipe development, and the inspiration behind her newest cookbook.
Learn more about Jessica at How Sweet Eats.
Follow Jessica on Instagram: @HowSweetEats
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/easy-everyday-eats-with-jessica-merchant
There’s no better way to kick off summer than with a scoop of ice cream! Go grab a cone and get inspired by Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw. Alongside his cousin Kim Malek, Tyler helped grow Salt & Straw from a humble pushcart in Portland, Oregon (despite neither having made ice cream before) into one of the country's most beloved and inventive ice cream brands.
Known for joyfully unexpected flavors and a rotating monthly series that keeps fans coming back for more, Salt & Straw is a celebration of creativity, community, and craftsmanship. With over 13 years of ice cream-making experience, Tyler recently released a new cookbook, Salt & Straw: America’s Most Iconic Ice Cream, to bring that same spirit into our home kitchens.
In this episode, we talk about the science behind flavor creation, tips for making ice cream at home, and how ice cream can spark conversation, connection, and creativity.
Learn more about Salt & Straw at https://saltandstraw.com/
Follow Salt & Straw on Instagram: @saltandstraw
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/tyler-malek-of-salt-and-straw
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In this episode, we chat with Mamrie Hart—comedian, actress, host, and New York Times bestselling author. You might know Mamrie from her hilarious YouTube channel, You Deserve a Drink, her appearances on the Food Network’s Tiny Food Fight, or her podcast This Might Get Weird.
You might not know that Mamrie has been a longtime vegetarian—and now she’s sharing her love of plant-based food in her debut cookbook, All I Think About Is Food. Packed with party-ready themes and playfully named dishes, this book brings her signature humor and creativity to the kitchen. It’s a fresh, fun take on vegetarian cooking designed to inspire your next gathering.
In this episode, we chat about Mamrie’s laid-back approach to meatless meals, her tips for hosting unforgettable dinner parties, and the stories behind her most outrageous recipe names.
Find Mamrie on her YouTube channel, You Deserve a Drink and the podcast This Might Get Weird.
Follow GUEST on Instagram: @mametown
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/all-i-think-about-is-food-with-mamrie-har
In addition to her work as America’s Test Kitchen's social media manager, Sarah Ahn is a digital storyteller and the creator of Ahnest Kitchen, where she shares the wisdom and recipes of her mother, Nam Soon Ahn, a former restaurateur, preserving their rich culinary heritage. Their authentic Korean recipes are now available in her cookbook, Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom & 100 Family Recipes. In it, they guide us on how to find the best ingredients, perfect techniques, and pour our hearts into the food we share. In this episode, we chat about her mom's wisdom inside and outside the kitchen, the importance of preserving traditional techniques, the unique experience of working with ATK on producing this book, and more!
Learn more about Sarah at https://ahnestkitchen.com.
Follow Sarah on Instagram: @ahnestkitchen
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/umma-and-a-korean-moms-kitchen-wisdom-with-sarah-ahn
Jess Smith is a professional meal planner, cooking teacher, and recipe developer, spending nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for Cook Smarts and even longer sharing recipes on her site, Inquiring Chef. She can now add cookbook author to her resume, with her newly releasedbook, Start With a Vegetable: More Than 100 Easy, Tasty, Plant-Forward Recipes for Everyone. In this episode, we chat about rethinking meals with a vegetable laser focus, meal planning like a pro, how to store fresh vegetables, how to get kids to enjoy veggies, and more!
Learn more about Jess at https://inquiringchef.com
Follow Jess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inquiringchef
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/start-with-a-vegetable-with-jess-smith
Cooking is much for fun when you have a partner in the kitchen, and Sonja and Alex Overhiser, the power couple behind A Couple Cooks, is proof. Their first cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking, was named a best vegetarian cookbook by Epicurious and Food and Wine, and they also authored Voraciously: Plant Powered, a series with the Washington Post. Their latest book, A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together celebrates their partnership, and is a beautiful guide to living and entertaining as a team. In this episode, we chat about how they eat at home, how their cookbook guides couples to cook together, and so much more.
Learn more about Sonja and Alex at https://www.acouplecooks.com
Follow Sonja and Alex on Instagram: @acouplecooks
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/cooking-as-a-team-a-couple-cooks-with-sonja-and-alex-overhiser
From breakfast boards to charcuterie boards, curating a beautiful board is one of my favorite ways to entertain and spend time with the ones I love. In this episode, we welcome Bay Area food stylist and recipe developer Bebe Black Carminito to the podcast. Bebe shares this passion for boards in her book, THE CURATED BOARD: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion, where she elevates the art of composing delicious small-bite meals. Her book features twenty-eight themed boards and platters from afternoon tea to date night, and more! We chat about how she collaborated with fellow Bay Area culinary talent in this book, how we can celebrate the holidays with beautiful boards, her tips as a food stylist to elevate boards, and more!
Learn more about Bebe at https://www.atinysoiree.com/
Follow Bebe on Instagram @champagneandcookies and @atinysoiree
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/the-curated-board-with-bebe-black-carminito
In this episode, we chat with Morgan Bolling, the Executive Editor of Creative Content for Cook’s Country and a cast member of the Cook’s Country TV show. Along with Cook’s Country Editor in Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, Morgan poured her passion for Southern cooking into America’s Test Kitchen’s latest book: When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers.
We chat about the how this book covers every region and flavor of the American South, the fierce protection of Southern recipes, culinary fusions such as Viet-Cajun Shrimp Boil, and so much more.
Learn more about Morgan Bolling at https://www.americastestkitchen.com
Follow Morgan on Instagram: @morganbolling
Follow Cook’s Country @cookscountry and America’s Test Kitchen @testkitchen on Instagram
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/when-southern-women-cook-with-morgan-bolling
Jessie-Sierra Ross is back on the podcast! The creator of the cooking and home entertaining blog, Straight to the Hips, Baby, you may recall that we spoke with Jessie in episode 72 about life in the Berkshires, her past as a professional ballerina and ballet coach, and creating food content for television. Jessie now has a beautiful new book, Seasons Around the Table: Effortless Entertaining with floral Tablescapes and Seasonal Recipes. In this episode, we chat about how floral seasons inspire her, the art of home entertaining, the perfect Christmas brunch menu and tablescape, and more!
Learn more about Jessie-Sierra at https://straighttothehipsbaby.com
Follow Jessie-Sierra on Instagram: @straighttothehipsbaby
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/effortless-entertaining-with-jessie-sierra-ross
Episode Notes
Born and raised in Germany, Heidrun Metzler brought her rich heritage of German baking to the United States when she moved here in 1978, and eventually settling in Hawaii. Her love of pastries and wealth of knowledge from generation of tips, techniques, and ingredients is poured into her book, German Heritage Baking: Time-Honored Recipes, Traditional Techniques, and Culinary Secrets, where she shares recipes such as Almond Hazelnut Mini Tarts, Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel), Traditional German Cheesecake with Quark, Black Forest Torte, and more! In this episode, we chat about her idyllic childhood in Germany, the challenges she faced translating her beloved German recipes to an American kitchen, and more.
Learn about Heidrun at https://heidrunmetzler.com
Follow Heidrun on Instagram @heidrun_metzler
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/german-heritage-baking-with-heidrun-metzler
Anne Byrn is an award-winning New York Times bestselling food writer and author of beloved cookbooks, including American Cookie, American Cake, and the Cake Mix Doctor. Anne publishes the weekly newsletter, Between the Layers, one of the top 20 food and drink newsletters worldwide on Substack. She recently joined me on the podcast, where we chatted about her latest book, Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories.
Baking in the American South dives into the history of the South, from Texas to Florida, Kentucky to Tennessee, and more—where she weaves stories and recipes from pre-Civil War times to today’s modern Southern kitchens. The history behind some of the most iconic and unique biscuits, cakes, pies, and more makes this a definitive guide on the richness of Southern baking.In this episode, we chat about the origins of Southern baking, the stories behind iconic regional recipes, and Anne’s process of preserving culinary history in her latest cookbook.
Learn more about Anne at https://www.annebyrn.com
Follow Anne on Instagram: @annebyrn
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/baking-in-the-american-south-with-anne-byrn
We all have our favorite Pixar films, and Tara Theoharis is here to bring them to life in your kitchen with PIXAR: The Official Cookbook! Tara Theoharis is an author and the founder of the food blog The Geeky Hostess, and has been sharing recipes based on pop culture fandoms since 2009. Her cookbooks embrace recipes inspired by beloved video games such as Minecraft and Tombraider, as well as the world of musical theatre! And now, along with cowriter S.T, Bende, Tara brings the creative world of Pixar Animation Studios into your kitchen with more than 75 delicious recipes inspired by nearly every beloved Pixar short and film, including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and more! In this episode, we chat about her inspiration in developing recipes from these iconic films, her personal favorite Pixar movie, how to cultivate and nourish creativity in the kitchen, and more!
Learn more about Tara Theoharis at https://taratheoharis.com and The Geeky Hostess at https://geekyhostess.com
Follow Tara on Instagram: @geekyhostess
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/anyone-can-cook-with-tara-theoharis
Eden Passante is the creator of the beautiful and inspiring lifestyle and food blog, Sugar and Charm, where she shares her love entertaining and adds charm to everything she touches, from food and drink to holidays and decor, and of course, parties. She recently wrote Entertaining with Charm, where she shares her secrets to hosting easy, stress-free, and of course, charming gatherings all year round. In this episode, we chat about her secrets to stress-free entertaining, hosting on budget, creating a charming vibe, and more!
Learn more about Eden at https://sugarandcharm.com
Follow Eden on Instagram: @sugarandcharm
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/entertaining-with-charm-with-eden-passante
In the Philippines, the term “mestiza” is used to describe a woman of mixed heritage, and a new restaurant in San Francisco’s Filipino Heritage District celebrates not only a rich fusion and reimagining of flavors but a philosophy of building community and sharing food traditions across cultures. Mestiza is the vision of Deanna Sison, who is known for championing her cultural roots in all her restaurant and hospitality endeavors which include Little Skillet, Victory Hall, and the Mestiza Taqueria. Bringing the vision to life is Chef Syl Mislang - her expertise as a plant-based chef hails from her beginnings at the Sacramento Co-Op to her pop-up concept, The Roaming Spoon, and as Executive Corporate Chef at Miyokos. Chef Syl now brings all of her experiences to the Mestiza table, featuring the flavors of the Philippines with hyper-local and hyper-seasonal plant-forward foods. In this episode, we chat about how their partnership came about, Mestiza’s plant-forward fusion of flavors, the wonder of kamayan, and more!
Learn more about Mestiza at https://www.mestizasf.com
Follow on Instagram:
Mestiza @mestizasf
Deanna Sison @ladydeesf
Chef Syl Mislang @theroamingspoon
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/mestiza-san-francisco-with-deanna-sison-and-chef-syl-mislang
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Rowena Scherer - educator, author, and culinary curator of global flavors. As the founder of eat2explore, Rowena is on a mission to bring the world's cuisines and cultures into our kitchens, one family at a time. With roots in Malaysia and a detour through Wall Street, Rowena's journey is as rich and diverse as the recipes she shares in her first cookbook for families, A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors, where kids of all ages can learn and taste their way through each recipe. We chat about the importance of early culinary exposure, creating lasting family bonds over shared meals, and how cooking can foster global citizenship.
Learn more about Rowena and eat2explore at https://eat2explore.com
Follow eat2explore on Instagram: @eat2explore
Grab your copy of "A Taste of the World" and dive deeper in the Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/a-taste-of-the-world-with-rowena-scherer
If you love hosting and entertaining, you’ll love this chat with Internet personality, host, podcaster, and author Danni Rose. You may know her from her popular YouTube Channel, where she shares Southern home cooking with a modern twist from her California kitchen. She brings this and her entertaining expertise to a new original series from Pinterest and Tastemade called Deliciously Entertaining. Each episode brings together food lovers and creatives to cook, create, and gather, whether it’s a dinner party or a bubbly brunch, and Danni is there to show us how to find inspiration to do it ourselves at home. Tune in for her tips about creating the experience, community, and memories around the table!
New episodes of Deliciously Entertaining air every other Friday on the Tastemade streaming channel. Tastemade is easy to watch anywhere you stream TV for free: https://www.tastemade.com/streaming
Find Danni on YouTube.
Follow Danni on Instagram: @thedannirose
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/deliciously-entertaining-with-danni-rose
Carb lover? Carb fearer? Phoebe Lapine is here to arm us with knowledge to help us navigate the confusing world of carbs and help us enjoy one of the most loved (and misunderstood) foods. Phoebe is the food and health writer, chef, speaker, and voice behind the award-winning blog Feed Me Phoebe. She is the author of four books, including her acclaimed memoir, The Wellness Project, and recently published Carbivore: 130 Healthy Recipes to Stop Fearing Carbs and Embrace the Comfort Foods You Love. Join us as we chat about the biology behind carbs, how we can make carbs work for our bodies, and so much more!
Check out Carbivore at https://www.carbivorecookbook.com
Learn more about Phoebe at https://phoebelapine.com and https://feedmephoebe.com
Follow Phoebe on Instagram: @phoebelapine
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/carbivore-with-phoebe-lapine
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