Pot Luck Food Talks: Kitchen Stories From Behind the Pass

🎙️ EP155 – Phil & Eric are back on The Line: the guests who test your patience, the ones who treat the menu like a suggestion, and the quiet power of saying NO when everyone expects you to bend.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:👨‍🍳 Back belly, underbelly, and serving up “The Line Pt. 9”👀 Open Kitchen Reality – Early signs of trouble before the first ticket drops🔄 Annoying Guests – The one that rearranged the whole dining room🧾 Off-Menu Madness – When “Can I have this without that?” breaks the system💸 Partial Refunds, Full Integrity – When keeping your rep means eating the cost💬 Review Warfare – Turning a 4★ into a 5★ without selling your soul🧘 Boundaries as Brand – “No soup for you” and other small victories🥣 The Soup Suitcase – VIPs and their crazy requests 19:16🧪 Dietary Minefields – Gluten-free, vegan, and the high price of “special”🚫 Entitlement Kills Experience – How one guest can ruin service for twenty🗾 Japan’s No-Sub Culture – Why respect tastes better than entitlement👨‍🍳 When We Do Bend – Freestyling dishes vs tanking quality📋 Menu on the Fly – The Dos Palillos discipline of rewriting in real time🗣️ Hospitality Backbone – Saying NO clearly, kindly, and once📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks/📸 Instagram: http://instagram.com/potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: http://youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📢 Advertise with us: http://potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP154 — Basque fire, Bangkok chaos: From Mugaritz to Noma and now the streets of Thailand, Chef Iñaki Bolumburu turns a 35-seat speakeasy into a traveling txoko where the market writes the menu, charcoal does the talking, and “waste” gets a second life.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🏡 Basque Roots – Farmhouse life, family kitchens, and early sparks🎓 Bilbao School Days – Bad student, good instincts🔥 Mugaritz Breakthrough – “Everything is possible”🌍 Learning English in the Kitchen – Cooking abroad without words👨‍🍳 Noma & Azurmendi – Creativity and foraging on another level🏛️ Nerua Lessons – Mentorship, travel, and purpose✈️ First Pop-Up – Grief turned into motion❄️ Force Creativity – From waste to byproduct to dish🌪️ Pop-Up Snowball – 40 countries, countless ideas🇵🇹 Portugal Collab – Cooking with Vasco Coelho Santos🇹🇭 Bangkok Chaos – The accidental Amalur🔥 Fire Language – 80% of the menu on charcoal💡 Txoko Philosophy – Basque hospitality abroad🥩 Product Over Prestige – Local fish, honest salt🥢 Basque vs Thai – Minimal meets maximal🧪 Locavore Lessons – Sustainability done right🎒 Nomad Tour – Europe, foraging, and family🏠 Inside Amalur – 35 seats, one chef, full heart🍷 Natural Wine & Firewater – No frills, just flavor🧁 Simple Desserts – Olive oil cakes and pickled fruit🧘‍♂️ Health Reset – Quitting tobacco, finding balance📩 Follow & Support Us: 🍽️ Everything in one place: linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks 📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks 📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP153 – More audience questions. More proof that breaking rules and ignoring common sense sometimes makes food more delicious. From soggy chicken skin to overcooked pasta, sometimes wrong tastes right.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode🍗 Soggy Chicken Skin — Hainanese chicken, hot-water trick, poached bounce🌿 Ugly Greens — Army-green spinach🥧 Recipes That Shouldn’t Work — Boiled-butter citrus curd, silky and perfect🍝 Overcooked Pasta? — 25-minute spaghetti, risotto-style al dente🥬 Wok-Fried Salad — Tossing mixed greens hot and fast🎭 Trends We’d Kill (and Keep) — Gimmicks out, bistro classics forever😭 When Food Hits Emotion — Gratitude bites in Japan, a son’s first omelet🧪 Cooking Myths Torched — Searing “locks juices,” & more🤖 AI Recipes — They're mostly robot hallucinations.📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: linktr.ee/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? https://potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP152 – From Wall Street to Berlin Burger Joint: Sachin Obaid eats more fine dining than anyone we know. But his true masterpiece? A burger that tells his life story.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:📈 From Finance to Fryers – line-level pressure on Wall Street and on the pass🥒 Gilda Memories – a dirty martini that tasted like San Sebastián🌍 Third-Culture Cooking – India meets the U.S. inside a bun🧪 Pandemic Pop-Up Playbook – Shopify menus, zero-waste pantries, perfect sell-outs🧂 Real Spices, Real Problems – potency, ports, and why your cardamom is dead'🔥 Kerala Fried Chicken – Southern technique, South Indian soul🍔 Gully Burger – masala patties, chutneys, and a sesame-seed grin⭐ Hype vs Taste – why star systems don’t guarantee goosebumps🥩 Etxebarri Truth – the steak that resets your compass🍷 Hidden Spain – off-map temples (hello, Galicia)📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP151 – 🍳 Forget the tasting menu. If you want to be a real cook, start in the trenches. 🔥This week we take on audience questions — and crack open the uncomfortable truths young chefs need to hear. ⚡🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:👨‍🍳 Best Advice for Aspiring Chefs – Why foundations matter more than stars🔥 “F### Tasting Menus” – The lost art of real cooking🔪 Choosing Your Path – Decision fatigue in a career with too many options🍚 The Rice Wars – There’s no one right way (sorry, Valencians)🍗 The Underdog Meat – Why chicken deserves respect🥂 Berlin Dining Scene – Hype vs. substance🥔 Potato Purée Salt Debate – Timing, superstition, and science🌶️ Cooking with Identity – Context, culture, and food credibility📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks/📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP150 - Julián Otero isn’t here to make you comfortable. As creative chef of Mugaritz, he serves ideas disguised as food—sometimes brilliant, sometimes brutal, never safe. At the most controversial restaurant in the world, the dish isn’t finished until you eat it.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🎙️ Intro – Meet Juliano Otero, creative chef of Mugaritz🤳 Gastro Cringe – calling out bathtub tiramisus & clueless critics📚 From librarian dreams to kitchen life💡 El Bulli ambitions & rejection from Basque Culinary Center👨‍🍳 Inside El Bulli Foundation & working with Ferran Adrià🤝 Learning from Oriol, Eduard & Mateu at Disfrutar’s roots🎓 Teaching at Basque Culinary Center at 24 years old🍽️ Breaking into Mugaritz – skipping the usual stagiaire ladder🎸 From fan to bandmate – making books at Mugaritz🌍 What really fuels Mugaritz: thousands of young cooks🧪 Beyond flavor – cooking as ideas, not comfort🔄 Why Mugaritz keeps changing to stay alive👥 How dishes are created: teams, topics & young blood🎨 When is a dish finished? Why the diner completes it🧫 Four years to grow a fungus – the long road of R&D👋 Closing thoughts & Juliano’s philosophy👥 Relevant People & Restaurants Mentioned in This Episode:Julián Otero (Mugaritz): @gastrojuliusMugaritz: @mugaritzEl Bulli Foundation / Ferran Adrià: @elbullifoundation_ferranadriaBasque Culinary Center: @bculinaryOriol Castro (Disfrutar): @oriolcastrofornsEduard Xatruch (Disfrutar): @eduardxatruchMateu Casañas (Disfrutar): tagged in @disfrutarbcnDisfrutar: @disfrutarbcn📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP149 – Tourists chase paella. Chefs chase truth. This is Barcelona through a cook’s eyes: lobster-slick canelons, seawater stews, five-euro dinosaurs, and bars where the plancha still shouts. Some obvious, some hidden. All about how this city eats—and why it matters.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🌊🐖 Mar i Muntanya – Catalonia’s surf-and-turf DNA🍝 Canelons + Lobster Butter – humble pasta, obscene sauce🐟🔥 Suquet, Monkfish & Seawater – fishermen logic in a pot🇪🇸🏆 Spain’s Case – why Spanish cooking belongs in the pantheon🎄🍲 Galets at Christmas – meat-stuffed pasta that makes its own broth🍋🐟 Fismuler Barcelona – Nino Redruello’s “cuisine doctor” vibe🧀🔥 Cheesecake Wars – Zuberoa’s blue-cheese whisper, Ama vs. Fismuler, crust included🥬🔥 Kimchi Butter & Charred Cabbage – fusion with restraint🇪🇨🍲 Ecuador in BCN – Ñaño’s encebollado + plantain–peanut fish stew🍺🍤 Counter Culture – Cal Pep & the gospel of the plancha🧑‍🍳🥄 Bar Pinotxo → Sant Antoni – market bars done right🥂🐙 Ultramarinos Marín – produce-driven seafood and “that bill”🥃🍲 Bar Gèlida – the last cheap, working-class dinosaur🥑🏙️ Gentrification vs. Culture – hip cafés, fragile ecosystems📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️EP148 – A casual catch-up ☕ turns into a deep exploration of a cook’s career 👨‍🍳—turning points, mentors, and the lessons that shape a chef’s path to excellence ⭐.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🍰 The Cheesecake Test – Why eating from the back might mean you’re a psychopath🔥 Improvising in Caracas – No oil, no problem (fish confit saves the day)👨‍🍳 Mentors Who Changed Everything – Ruben Martinez, Michel Hopfel, and the craft vs. business debate🍃 Mugaritz & Beyond – Life lessons from chaos, herbs, and endless mise en place🥕 When Food Makes You Cry – Hay ice cream, strawberry salads, and flavor as memory🎵 Music or Silence – How sound shapes cooking and dining🥩 Fine Dining vs. Chuletas – From Bourdain’s Mugaritz epiphany to Etxebarri’s steak supremacy🎨 Doing Less, Doing It Right – Why Picasso lines, rap lyrics, and cooking all share the same truth📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP147 – Eric and Phil go all-in on the potato hall of fame—Robuchon’s butter-bomb purée, Heston’s triple-cooked fries, French gratins, plus some real WTF recipes like potato sauces and espumas. The greatest spud dishes every chef should know.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🥔 The Potato is King – humble, ugly, glorious👨‍🍳 Robuchon’s Legendary Purée (60% butter rule)🍟 Heston’s Triple-Cooked Fries – the recipe that changed fries forever🔥 Why Technique Matters – turning classics into innovation🇪🇸 Spanish Fries vs. French Fries – soggy but soulful🥛 Potato Gratin & Tartiflette – French comfort classics🍲 Pommes Boulanger – baked potatoes with broth & onions🥘 Creole Potatoes & Family Food Memories🎶 Potatoes, Smell & Memory – food as time travel🧪 WTF Potato Recipes – juicing, gels & experimental sauces💨 Potato Espuma – fish, olive oil vs. butter debates🤬 The Cheesecake & Potato Purée Wars – dogma in the kitchen🧄 Marco Pierre White’s Butter-Roasted Potatoes🍷 Potato Dressings – truffle oil, stock & genius simplicity📚 Final Thoughts & Outro📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP146 – From Canteens to Michelin Stars – Giacomo Zani’s career didn’t start in gleaming fine-dining kitchens. It started with peeling potatoes for 400 in a pharmaceutical company cafeteria. Now he’s Executive Chef at Amelia in San Sebastián, running a 2-Michelin-star kitchen and helping launch restaurants from Bangkok to Miami. This is about passion, discipline, and saying yes before you’re ready.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🇮🇹 Florence Beginnings – From canteen life to chasing flavor🍝 Italian Roots – Grandmothers, Bolognese, and milk debates🏨 Luxury Standards – Four Seasons and the precision omelet🌍 Global Openings – Bangkok, Barcelona, Miami & more🍣 Product First – From kinome leaves to Chawanmushi 💡 Mentorship & Discipline – Why only the best touch the protein👨‍🍳 Career Advice – For the 20-year-old who thinks it’s too late🥖 Basque & Beyond – Breaking the local culinary lineage📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP145 – This is tuna, lip-to-tail. From cheeks to collars, marrow to belly—we break down every cut, every technique, and every dish that makes this fish a true culinary heavyweight.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🏛️ What Is a Sociedad? – Basque supper club rules & culture🍽️ Cooking in the Sociedad – Eric’s 100-dish Basque challenge🥣 Marmitako Deep Dive – Peppers, bonito, and potato theory🦑 Next Up: Squid in Ink – Eric’s cooking plans🐟 Bonito vs. Big Tuna – Size, flavor, and grandma’s preserves🔥 Hay-Fired Tataki – Japanese bonito torched over dry hay🎣 Fishing Bonito in Venezuela – Eric’s childhood story💡 Why Freshness Matters – Catch it, cook it, eat it🧂 Bonito Flakes & Umami – Katsuo in Japanese cooking👑 The Tuna King – Tokyo’s auction legend & surprise meal🐄 Tuna Is the New Steak – Ribs, necks, cheeks & more🍖 Pulled Smoked Tuna Head – LA chef Junya Yamasaki’s method🥩 Belly Cuts & Wagyu Comparisons – Why tuna eats like beef🍳 Tuna au Poivre – With ponzu, yuzu kosho, and matchstick fries🍟 Roasted Nori Fries – The seasoning twist🌡️ Warm-Blooded Tuna – And why the texture hits different🍖 Reverse Vitello Tonato – Tuna with veal jus espuma🐟 Bone Marrow & Tuna Cocochas – Cuts chefs overlook🥫 Canned Tuna Memories – School lunches & government aid🫙 Conservas Matter – High-end bonito belly in oil🍅 Simple Salad, Elevated – Tuna belly with tomato & onion🍱 What They’re Serving Now – Tartlets, truffle tuna & spicy rolls🌶️ Truffle Oil in Spicy Tuna – Sounds wrong, tastes right🧁 Akami & Otoro Tartlets – The one-bite umami bomb📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP144 – A Basque Temple of Smoke and Simplicity. It’s nearly impossible to get a table—yet somehow, we found ourselves upstairs at Asador Etxebarri. Later, over wine-stained notes and full stomachs, we tried to make sense of every course kissed by smoke, salt, and fire.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🥣 Pea Broth – A liquid emerald that sets the tone with gentle smokiness🥩 Our CHORIZO – Melt-in-your-mouth pork butter and restraint in seasoning🐟 Home Salted ANCHOVIES – Crusty bread, rich fish, and zero vinegar shock🧀 Fresh Buffalo CHEESE – Mozzarella meets bitter rocket, unadorned perfection🦐 Palamós PRAWNS – Sweetness, smokiness, and chewing every edible part🌊 SEA URCHIN – Seaweed oil, unctuous cream, and ocean umami🦑 CUTTLEFISH – Peas, garlic flower, and a grilled Sunday memory🐟 Hake KOKOTXAS – Rebosado style, wild garlic cracker, gelatinous bliss🥄 CAVIAR – Pork fat emulsion, smoked pearls, and goat milk butter🍄 Cardoon & Black TRUFFLE – Marzuelos mushrooms in broth worth bathing in🐟 Sea BREAM – Grilled with finesse, sour restraint, and yes… the eye🥩 CHORIZO Tartar – A raw pork tartare sandwiched between Basque talos🥩 Beef CHOP – Txuleta from “Marilyn Monroe,” rare, warm, and unforgettable🍨 Reduced milk ICE CREAM & beetroot – Smoky, earthy, ice-cold perfection🍫 Chocolate SOUFFLE – Airy, rich, sweet, and intentionally “too rare”🧀 Cheese FLAN – A warm, naked ode to Basque cheesecake without flour🛋️ Upstairs at Etxebarri – Private rooms, wooden tables, and feeling at home🧠 First Times – What stays with you when everything is done just right📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: instagram.com/potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP143 – Eric visited a foie gras facility. What he saw wasn’t what you'd expect. This episode is about what it means to kill, eat, and stay honest about both.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🦆 What is Foie Gras? – The duck breeds and strange logistics behind it📦 Born in Spain, Shipped to France – Why marketing determines birthplace🌾 Duck Life – 90 days of freedom, feeding, and finality🍽️ Force-Feeding Explained – What Eric actually saw (and didn’t)⚡ Conscious Slaughter – Electricity, bleeding, and respect🪷 Ritual vs Cruelty – Saying a prayer before each kill🪓 Lobsters, Langoustines & Knives – Why killing still haunts professional chefs🔋 Duck Poop Power – How a slaughterhouse fuels itself with methane😶 “I Don’t Want to Know” – Phil’s takedown of meat ignorance📚 Cookbook Censorship – The chicken photo that made readers sad🎯 Know Your Food – Why cooking starts with understanding your ingredients📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP142 – The Rise of the Basque Cheesecake. On the road to Etxebarri, Eric chats with José Pelares—chef, entrepreneur, and founder of LA VASCA, Colombia’s cult-favorite Basque cheesecake brand. From nostalgic late-night cheesecake sessions in San Sebastián to adapting the classic recipe for a new audience, the two dig into what makes this dessert so addictive.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🍰 The Cheesecake Origin Story – How a late-night craving turned into a brand🇨🇴 Exporting Flavor – Bringing Basque cheesecake to Colombia🧂 Salt > Sugar – Why the best cheesecakes aren’t that sweet🍪 Cookie Base Controversy – Breaking tradition or improving it?🐐 Mamia & Sheep’s Milk – Basque desserts in all their minimal glory🍠 Sweet Potato, Matcha & Dulce de Leche – Remixing the recipe💡 Tips for Home Bakers – How not to mess it up🧀 Cheesecake Cheese? – From secret cheeses to white mold crusts🍷 Pairings We Love – From Sauternes to Pacharán📈 Going Viral – Runny centers, arepa confusion, and social media gold📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP141 – Finding Your Culinary Identity? After a stretch of solo episodes, Eric and Phil are finally back together—and Phil’s got stories. In this episode, he unpacks his new role at the Arts Club in Dubai, from chef’s table tastings to 1,000-cover yacht clubs. The two dive into the sacred simplicity of chuleta, a ridiculously rich pastrami bao, and the croissant sandwich that broke their brains. Then, listener Chef Ryan sparks a big question: how do you find your culinary identity? The conversation veers into authenticity, remix culture, and why your story is your style—even if it’s German, Spanish, and Venezuelan all at once.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🇦🇪 Back in Dubai – Phil rejoins the Arts Club with a creative R&D role🥩 The Basque Way of Steak – Chuleta, salt, and zero bullshit🥐 Croissant x Pastrami – A sandwich only a pervert could invent🍜 Tuna Tarts & Tonkotsu Ramen – Why simplicity hits hardest🧪 Pastrami Science – Brining Wagyu short rib for bao buns🧠 Remix or Ripoff? – How identity is built through inspiration📍 What Is ‘Authenticity’? – Tortillas, Thomas Keller, and French-Peruvian food🌍 German Chef, Japanese Food – Cooking outside your passport🎭 Chef Impostor Syndrome – Finding your place when you feel like a fraud🧬 Tell the Story Only You Can – Why all art is autobiographical📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP140 – Chef Jackie Villena, a.k.a. The Caviar Queen, knows more about caviar than most people know about salt. From harvesting secrets to wild pairings, she breaks down the luxury ingredient like only an insider can.She’s cooked in renowned kitchens across the Americas — from Gusto in Bolivia and Barra Lima with Francis Mallmann, to The Inn at Little Washington with Patrick O’Connell — and now serves as Executive Chef at RH’s Champagne & Caviar Cellar, earning her the crown as The Caviar Queen.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🐟 Fisherman’s Butter – Caviar’s humble beginnings⏳ Ten-Year Fish – Why it takes a decade to harvest🍷 Caviar Matures Like Wine – Flavor gets better with age🌍 Caviar Around the World – From Madagascar to China🍩 French Toast & Donuts – Sweet pairings that just work🧈 Brioche, Butter & Bliss – The perfect bite🥩 Tartar Without Capers – Why caviar replaces the classic🥄 Never Use Metal – Caviar etiquette and preservation tips🍗 Fried Chicken & Caviar – The pairing no one expects🏰 The Inn at Little Washington – Jackie’s fairytale kitchen📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP139 – The Umami Conspiracy. From parmesan-in-mayo hacks to kombu-fueled flavor bombs, Phil and Eric dive mouth-first into the misunderstood world of umami. They trace the Japanese origin of the term, bust myths about MSG, and confess the bastardized secrets that supercharge their sauces. Also in this episode: dessert umami bombs, rule-breaking parmesan, and a tomato sauce that hits harder than it should. This one’s full of science, swearing, and savory revelations.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🇦🇪 Back in the Fryer – Phil lands in Dubai🍄 What Is Umami, Really? – And why no one can describe it📜 The Japanese Chemist Who Named Umami – A kombu-flavored discovery🧂 MSG, Sugar & Ajinomoto – The factory-made flavor crystal🚫 Chinese Restaurant Syndrome – The racist roots of anti-MSG panic🍟 Shio Kombu on Fries – A flavor bomb you didn’t know you needed🧀 Parmesan Power Moves – How to hack beurre blanc and mayo🍅 The Tomato That Punches You – A sauce built to kick your ass🍫 Dessert Umami – From cheesecake to ganache with blue cheese🥄 Umeboshi Turnips – A subtle Japanese breakfast that hits deep🌀 Too Much Umami? – When your pupils become tea saucers🇮🇹 Rule-Breaking Parmesan – Culinary Crimes Against Italy📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP138 – 🔬From Fine Dining to Harvard Ft. Alejandra Touceda. From her early days dodging crazy chefs, staging at El Celler de Can Roca to now managing the food lab at Harvard University, Alex’s path is anything but linear. In this episode, she dishes on what happens when food meets science.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode👨‍🍳 First Kitchen Trauma – Crying cooks, forced coffee, and surviving a toxic brigade.🥘 Traditional Roots – Falling back in love with cooking at La Taverna del Clínic.🌟 Fine Dining Entry – Product-forward learning at Casa Solla.🏛️ El Celler Energy – Why staging there felt like summer camp for the obsessed.📚 Thesis at LCA – Rediscovering forgotten plants through grandma’s recipes.🧪 Nerding Out at Harvard – Teaching food science through pizza elasticity and Harold McGee lectures.🍶 Amazake Hits Different – A ferment that smells like fruit and flowers.🧫 Indigenous Beverages – How Alex’s PhD is mapping microbes in traditional fermentation.📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: http://instagram.com/potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? http://potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP137 – 🥣 Soup, Salsas & Sea Urchin: Why the Simple Stuff Blows Your Mind From Basque fish soups to sea urchin redemption arcs, Phil and Eric go deep on the dishes that stick with you for life. They swap stories about ramen joints that smell like dashi, jarred bouillabaisse, and introducing moms to the magic of sucking prawn heads. Plus: the quiet power of meat garum, a tuna gut sauce that tastes like sake, and how MSG is the cheat code in Mexican salsa. A warm, savory episode full of flavor bombs and comfort food revelations.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🇲🇽 MSG in Mexican Salsa – The flavor hack that’s more common than you think.🥄 Soup Memories – Why simple broths hit the deepest emotional notes.🐟 Bouillabaisse Bucket List – Paying €160 for the real thing in Marseille.🐦 Quail Dashi – The minimalist broth Phil swears by.🦐 Prawn Head Juice – A mom’s first taste of carabineros.🥩 Meat Garum Magic – Fermented umami that levels up lean cuts.🥔 God-Tier Meatballs – How onions, potatoes, and tradition make you question everything.🌊 Sea Urchin Redemption – The Hokkaido Uni that changed Phil’s mind.🐟 Tuna Gut Sauce – A fermented fish condiment made for sake.🍜 Sushi with Mom – Navigating crab brains and shirako like a pro.📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!

🎙️ EP136 – 🧈 Fat is Flavor: From Robuchon’s legendary mashed potatoes to duck fat caramel and toasted yeast butter, Phil and Eric go full-fat in this unapologetic ode to cooking’s richest ingredient. They break down emulsions like mayo and alioli, get nostalgic about real cream, and share chef secrets like using pork fat in tortillas or chuleta fat for glazing veg. If you’ve ever wondered why your dressing is flat or your potatoes are boring—this one’s for you.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🧠 Olive Oil & Brain Power – Why the good stuff boosts more than just salad flavor.🥧 Lemon Pie Is Mostly Butter – The sneaky ratios behind custards and “lemon” desserts.🥔 Robuchon Potatoes – How to fold in butter until it nearly splits (and that’s a good thing).🦆 Duck Fat Caramel – The Michelin trick that deepens sweet complexity.🌮 Pork Fat Tortillas – A Mexican grandma move that changes everything.🌰 Nut Oils & Plum Seed Magic – Alternative fats that bring surprising elegance.🥄 Mayonnaise 101 – Why emulsions are the real power move in flavor and texture.🍞 Toasted Yeast Butter – Umami-rich, roasty, and criminally underused.🥛 Real Cream vs. Supermarket Slop – A passionate rant on why quality dairy still matters.🧈 Brown Butter Forever – The squeeze bottle hack you’ll wish you knew earlier.📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: https://linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks💙 Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!