Best Tolka Podcasts (2024)

1
Abena Foli: POKS Spices 41:00

3y ago41:00

41:00

Join us for a conversation with Abena Foli, who is the founder and co-owner of POKS Spices. Abena was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, where she lived until 2006 when she immigrated to the United States for her college education. Her passion for food comes from her farmer-father who taught her how to blend spices and to understand the culinar…

1
Reem Assil: Arab Street Food, California Style 42:35

3y ago42:35

42:35

Join us for a conversation with renowned chef and activist Reem Assil. Reem is a Palestinian-Syrian chef based in Oakland, CA, and owner of the nationally acclaimed Reem’s California in Oakland. The restaurant is Reem’s California Mission in San Francisco, inspired by Arab street corner bakeries and the vibrant communities that surround them. Reem …

1
Ariana Tolka: Balkan Bites 35:22

3y ago35:22

35:22

Join us for a conversation with Ariana Tolka, CEO and co-founder of Balkan Bites. They specialize in comfort foods such as burek, a flaky, stuffed phyllo pie that is a daily staple in the Balkans and the Middle East. After years of working for marketing and non-profit organizations, she found her calling—to share and preserve Balkan culture with au…

1
Bobbie Garbutt: 4th Generation Nutmeg Farmer 39:42

3y ago39:42

39:42

Join us for a conversation with Bobbie Garbutt, live from Grenada! A 4th generation cocoa and spice farmer in Grenada, Bobbie didn't envision her career in agriculture. Kicking off working life as a production assistant for a fashion label in London, her curiosity about food systems led her to jump ship and start her own catering company before the…

1
Samah Dada: Dada Eats 34:35

3y ago34:35

34:35

Join us for a conversation with Samah Dada! Samah is a New York City-based recipe developer, food photographer, and blogger behind Dada Eats. Drawing from her Indian heritage and inspired by the foodscapes of London, California, and New York, she is the host of Cooking with Samah Dada on the Today Show’s digital channel. Heritage Radio Network is a…

1
Margaret Nyamumbo: Kahawa 1893 Coffee 48:13

3y ago48:13

48:13

Join us for a conversation with Margaret Nyamumbo, founder of Kahawa 1893. Margaret is a third generation coffee farmer and grew up on a farm in Kenya before immigrating to the USA. After earning her MBA from Harvard, she went on to work on Wall Street when she rediscovered her passion for coffee. She founded Kahawa 1893 with a mission to close the…

1
Preeti Mistry: Activist Chef 46:00

3y ago46:00

46:00

Join us for a conversation with Preeti Mistry, acclaimed chef, author and speaker and two time-nominatee by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef of the West. They were the Co-Founder & Executive Chef of Navi Kitchen and Juhu Beach Club (both closed) as well as the co-author (with Sarah Henry) of The Juhu Beach Club Cookbook. Born in London and …

1
Ederique Goudia: Taste the Diaspora Detroit 40:10

3y ago40:10

40:10

Join us for a conversation with Ederique Goudia, the Detroit-based chef and entrepreneur. Ederique Goudia is the co-owner and Executive Chef of Gabriel Hall, a restaurant and music venue dedicated to celebrating the food, music, and culture of New Orleans, in the West Village community of Detroit. She also co-founded In the Business of Food, a cons…

1
Hetty McKinnon: To Asia with Love 50:11

3+ y ago50:11

50:11

Join us for a conversation with Hetty McKinnon, author of the new cookbook, To Asia with Love. Hetty is is a Chinese-Australian cook and food writer, based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of three other bestselling cookbooks: the best-selling Community, Neighbourhood, and the award-winning Family. Hetty is also the editor and publisher of …

1
Larissa Zimberoff: Technically Food 54:22

3+ y ago54:22

54:22

Join us for a conversation with journalist Larissa Zimberoff, author of the brand new book, Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley's Mission to Change What We Eat, from Abrams Press. Larissa covers the intersection of food, technology, and business, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, W…

1
Yao Zhao: 50Hertz Sichuan Pepper 44:18

3+ y ago44:18

44:18

Join us for a conversation with Yao Zhao, founder of 50Hertz Sichuan Pepper. Born and raised in Chongqing, China, he is an economist and clean energy expert, and has worked in China, India, the Middle East, and currently in Washington DC. Yao started the company based on the belief that Sichuan pepper and its tingly numbing sensation will strike a …

1
Peter Reinhart: Pizza Quest 41:58

3+ y ago41:58

41:58

Join us for a conversation with Peter Reinhart, Chef on Assignment at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC. In addition to his role as a chef instructor in the Baking & Pastry program, Peter teaches a course on food media, and he is also the founder and executive director of the Johnson & Wales International Symposium on Bread. (www.breadsym…

1
Rob Dunn: Delicious 49:04

3+ y ago49:04

49:04

Join us for a conversation with Rob Dunn, professor of applied ecology and author of the new book Delicious, about the ways that flavor has influenced human evolution. The book is a fascinating look at how humans have always thought about flavor, and how our search for delicious things to eat has supported our evolution, contributed to our diverse …

1
Ann Armbrecht: The Business of Botanicals 39:24

3+ y ago39:24

39:24

Join us for a conversation with Ann Armbrecht, director of the Sustainable Herbs Program of the American Botanical Council, and author of the new book The Business of Botanicals. She is a writer and anthropologist (PhD, Harvard 1995) whose work explores the relationships between humans and the earth, most recently through her work with plants and p…

1
Alex Godin: Lemontree Foods 43:14

3+ y ago43:14

43:14

Join us for a conversation with Alex Godin, founder of Lemontree, a non-profit that helps hungry people find free food. He started his career when he was still in high school–dropping out to raise $1M in venture funding for his first startup. Since then he's organized a celebrity telethon with stars like Herbie Hancock and Judd Apatow, an adult sum…

1
Suresh Pillai & Carrie Dashow: Atina Foods 49:43

3+ y ago49:43

49:43

Join us for a conversation with Suresh Pillai and Carrie Dashow, the married co-founders of Atina Foods. They adapt traditional Ayurvedic recipes to incorporate global and locally available produce for their unusually delicious, fermented, and preserved condiments that help to balance your health and life. Based in Catskill, New York, Atina Foods' …

1
Sue Bette: Bluebird Barbecue 40:39

3+ y ago40:39

40:39

Join us for a conversation with Sue Bette, owner of Bluebird Barbecue in Burlington, Vermont. Sue is a James Beard Award-nominee and former educator who uses her restaurants to build a connection between food, health, and mental well-being. She is a member of the Leadership group of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, and the recent co-founder of…

1
Andre Springer: Shaquanda Will Feed You 44:48

3+ y ago44:48

44:48

Join us for a conversation with Andre Springer, Founder of Shaquanda Will Feed You. Andre was born in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, and is of Barbadian descent. Andre began performing in the streets and bars of NYC at the age of 20, with much of his art being the creation of his drag alter ego, Shaquanda Coca Mulatta. The bod…

1
Nicole Januarie: Januarie 1st Inc 47:28

3+ y ago47:28

47:28

Nicole Januarie is a Director/Producer of Vallery's new series, Vallery Bakes Your Questions, on Food Network. Nicole partners with brands and individuals to assess how to creatively communicate their message through strong and impactful content. After more than a decade of ideating, strategizing, producing, and directing videos for multi-million d…

1
Manal Kahi: Eat Offbeat 53:24

3+ y ago53:24

53:24

Join us for a conversation with Manal Kahi, co-founder and CEO of Eat Offbeat, a refugee-driven food company that delivers authentic eats & treats made by refugees who now call New York City home. Manal moved to NYC to pursue a career in environmental affairs, but the Hummus she found in grocery stores led her on a different journey. She founded Ea…

1
Deb Perelman: Smitten Kitchen 41:52

3+ y ago41:52

41:52

Join us for a conversation with Deb Perelman, author of the legendary blog Smitten Kitchen. Deb is a self-taught home cook, photographer, and the creator of smittenkitchen.com, as well as the author of the New York Times bestselling cookbooks "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook" and "Smitten Kitchen Every Day." Deb lives in New York City with her husband…

1
Heather Marold Thomason: Primal Supply Meats 53:35

3+ y ago53:35

53:35

Join us for a conversation with Heather Marold Thomason, butcher and owner of Primal Supply Meats. Primal Supply is a Philly-based butchery committed to whole animal practices and changing the local food system. Heather went from dance to graphic design to butchery, training in pasture-based livestock farming and whole animal butchery. In 2016, she…

1
David Benzaquen: Mission Plant 40:57

3+ y ago40:57

40:57

Join us for a conversation with David Benzaquen, one of the world’s leading experts in the plant-based food industry and the founder of Mission: Plant, a holding company advancing the plant-based sector with strategic investments and consulting services. Prior to founding Mission: Plant, David spent nearly a decade leading a corporate strategy cons…

1
Paige Lipari: Archestratus Books + Foods 46:06

3+ y ago46:06

46:06

Join us for a conversation with Paige Lipari, local hero and owner/cook of Archestratus Books + Foods in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Lipari is a Sicilian-American poet, music maker, cartoonist, and cook. Her collection of poems, music, and illustrations, Family of Many Enzos, was published by Augury Books in 2012. She was previously an editor at A Public…

1
Mark Bittman: Animal, Vegetable, Junk 52:21

3+ y ago52:21

52:21

Join us for a conversation with legendary food writer Mark Bittman to discuss his brand new book Animal, Vegetable, Junk, a history of food and humanity. Mark has been a leading voice in global food culture and policy for more than three decades. Born in New York City in 1950, Bittman began writing professionally in 1978. After five years as a gene…

1
Claire Schlemme & Caroline Cotto: Renewal Mill 32:40

3+ y ago32:40

32:40

Join us for a conversation with Claire Schlemme and Caroline Cotto, Cofounders of Renewal Mill. Committed to finding solutions at the intersection of food, sustainability, and accessible nutrition, Renewal Mill is an award-winning startup creating a new circular economy of food by upcycling the byproducts of food manufacturing into premium ingredie…

1
Kiki Aranita: Poi Dog 39:57

3+ y ago39:57

39:57

Join us for a conversation with chef and entrepreneur Kiki Aranita. Kiki is co-chef and owner of Poi Dog, a Hawaiian restaurant and catering company that closed its Rittenhouse, Philadelphia location in July 2020. For years, her goals involved celebrating the underrepresented cuisines of multicultural origins as well as seeking to minimize food was…

1
Kate Sullivan: To Dine For 44:02

3+ y ago44:02

44:02

Join cohosts Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Kate Sullivan. Kate is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and creator/host of To Dine For on PBS. The show tells the story of creators and dreamers who have reached success through ingenuity and innovation. Their favorite restaurants become the backdrop for a passionate and fascinating c…

1
Anjali Bhargava: Drink Resilience 36:30

3+ y ago36:30

36:30

Join us for a conversation with Anjali Bhargava, founder and CEO of Drink Resilience turmeric elixirs. A former portrait photographer, Anjali decided to launch her own turmeric power, sourcing fresh turmeric and dehydrating it with other fresh ingredients, and Resilience was born in 2015. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit pod…

1
Yorm Ackuaku: esSence 13 46:00

3+ y ago46:00

46:00

Join us for a conversation with Yorm Ackuaku, the founder of esSense 13. A platform dedicated to raising the profile of African food globally, esSense 13 has hosted events including the African continent's first food hackathon, food business pitch competitions and dining experiences in Accra, New York City, Washington D.C. and London. A former CPA,…

1
Zoe Adjonyoh: Zoe's Ghana Kitchen 42:08

4y ago42:08

42:08

Join us for a conversation with Zoe Adjonyoh, chef, author and food justice activist from London. Zoe is the founder of Zoe's Ghana Kitchen, the UK's first contemporary West African dining concept (2010) and has a cookbook by the same name published by Mitchel & Beazley (2017). Zoe is also the co-founder and the Creative Director of Black Book (bla…

1
SOGA Design Collective: Photographing Food 36:52

4y ago36:52

36:52

Join us for a conversation with Sebastian & Guillermo, the duo behind acclaimed food photography studio SOGA Design Collective. SOGA Design Collective is a multidisciplinary design studio in Brooklyn, New York. The studio was conceived in Miami, Florida in 2008. SOGA makes music for your eyes. Their studio combines purposeful eclecticism and nuance…

1
Barkha Cardoz: Making Masalas to Remember Floyd Cardoz 49:13

4y ago49:13

49:13

Join us for a conversation with Barkha Cardoz, wife of the late Chef Floyd Cardoz and architect of the new line of Floyd Cardoz Legacy Masalas in partnership with Ethan's spice company Burlap & Barrel. Barkha received her culinary training at The Institute of Hotel management in Mumbai, India and worked in the Development department at St. Peter’s …

1
An Dao & Peter Wei: Tiger Sate 41:18

4y ago41:18

41:18

Join us for a converstaion with An Dao and Peter Wei, spouses and cofounders of Pantry by Nature and Tiger Sate. They both have a medical research background, but when work was halted during the pandemic, they decided to use this unexpected free time to launch Tiger Saté, a Vietnamese-style lemongrass chili sauce for health-conscious foodies. An gr…

1
John DeBary: The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation 51:17

4y ago51:17

51:17

Join Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with John deBary, co-founder and board president of the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life of hospitality employees. He got his start in the hospitality industry bartending in 2008 at PDT, the world-famous and James Beard Award-winning New York spea…

1
Kristen Miglore: Genius Recipes 48:25

4y ago48:25

48:25

Join us for a conversation with Kristen Miglore, Founding Editor of the website Food52. Kristen abandoned a career in economics in 2007 to work in food media, tackling a master's degree in food studies from New York University and a culinary degree from the Institute of Culinary Education along the way. She is the author of the award winning cookbo…

1
Tiffany Langston: Tiffany Tastes 49:19

4y ago49:19

49:19

Join us for a conversation with Tiffany Langston! Tiffany is a storyteller, content creator, and digital strategist with over a decade of experience at the intersection of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She is on the board of Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation and volunteers with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Rescuing Leftov…

1
Sylvie Charles & Liselle Pires: Just Date Syrup 48:46

4y ago48:46

48:46

Join us for a conversation with Sylvie Charles and Liselle Pires, founders of Just Date Syrup. Sylvie is a medical doctor who, after experimenting with low-sugar achaars and chutneys, turned the dates into a syrup, and realized she had struck on something powerful and decide to build a company around it. Liselle started her career in tech, and whil…

1
Kim & Vanessa Pham: Omsom 48:46

4y ago48:46

48:46

Join us for a conversation with Kim and Vanessa Pham, sisters and co-founders of Omsom, a new brand of Asian pantry staples. As first-generation Vietnamese-Americans and the daughters of refugees, Vanessa and Kim are reclaiming the cultural integrity of Asian cuisines too often diluted on grocery shelves in the ‘ethnic’ aisles and increasingly inac…

1
Simone Cormier: Spices for Whole Foods 44:52

4y ago44:52

44:52

Join cohost Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Simone Cormier, National Spice Coordinator for Allegro Coffee, a subsidiary of Whole Foods Market. Simone is a chef, writer, avid traveler and Whole Food's resident "spiceommelier" Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Why Food? by becoming a member! W…

1
Miro & Shilpa Uskokovic: Extra Helpings 53:34

4y ago53:34

53:34

Join Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with husband-and-wife pastry chef duo Miro & Shilpa Uskokovic. They met as students at The Culinary Institute of America, and when NYC restaurants closed because of COVID-19 restrictions, they launched Extra Helpings, a community micro kitchen from their home in Queens. We'll talk about the state of NYC's r…

1
Loren Cardeli: Fighting for Farmers 51:12

4y ago51:12

51:12

Join Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Loren Cardeli, Founder and President of A Growing Culture, an organization that promotes ecological agriculture across the globe. Loren believes the key to fixing our food system lies in giving farmers a prominent seat at the table–a seat that is currently threatened by the industrialization of agricul…

1
Auria Abraham: Auria's Malaysian Kitchen 44:34

4y ago44:34

44:34

Join Ethan for a conversation with Auria Abraham, founder of Auria's Malaysian Kitchen. Auria was born and raised in the small town of Seremban, Malaysia where she grew up surrounded by multi-ethnic culinary inspiration and cuisine, a cornerstone of Malaysian culture. In the 22 years that she has been in the US, alongside an impressive career in mu…

1
Jenny Dorsey: Catching Up 48:38

4y ago48:38

48:38

Join cohosts Vallery and Ethan for a catch-up with former Why Food? cohost Jenny Dorsey. Jenny is a professional chef, author and speaker specializing in multi-platform storytelling fusing food with social good. She leads a nonprofit community organization named Studio ATAO and runs her own culinary consulting business. Jenny is a former management…

1
Eric Adams: Brooklyn Borough President and Plant-Based Champion 30:21

4y ago30:21

30:21

Join co-hosts Vallery and Ethan for a very special conversation with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Born and raised in Brownsville, Borough President Adams was drawn to a career in public service from an early age and had a 22-year career in the NYPD, rising to the rank of Captain. While in the NYPD, Adams was a leader of his fellow Black p…

1
Auzerais Bellamy: Blondery 46:52

4y ago46:52

46:52

Join Vallery & Ethan for a conversation with Auzerais Bellamy, pastry chef and founder of Blondery. Auzerais is classically trained pastry chef, the former pastry sous-chef at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery. She trained at Per Se and Daniel in New York and The French Laundry in Napa Valley before launching Blondery, her seasonal blondie collection.…

1
Jennifer Crawford: My Queer Kitchen 45:18

4y ago45:18

45:18

Join cohosts Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Jennifer Crawford. Jennifer has been cooking non-stop their whole life, especially since getting sober in early 2018 and subsequently winning MasterChef Canada in 2019. They're a desk jockey turned food writer, chef, aspiring pro wrestler, and moon mist ice cream enthusiast. In their My Queer K…

1
Adrian Miller: The Soul Food Scholar 38:26

4y ago38:26

38:26

Join cohosts Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Adrian Miller, aka The Soul Food Scholar. He's a recovering lawyer and former special advisor to President Bill Clinton, who changed careers to pursue his interests in African heritage food (especially soul food), barbecue, the intersection of faith and food, and presidential foodways. He is th…

1
Gaïana Joseph & Allegra Massaro: Food activism for Black Lives Matter 54:37

4y ago54:37

54:37

Join cohosts Ethan & Vallery for a conversation with Gaïana Joseph and Allegra Massaro, co-founders of Fuel the People, an organization in NYC and DC guided by the belief that food is the fuel for the revolution. They work to provide nourishment to protestors on the front lines, support local Black and POC-owned restaurants and businesses, and dona…

1
Jesse Szewczyk: Pride Cooking 48:42

4y ago48:42

48:42

Join cohosts Vallery and Ethan for a conversation with Jesse Szewczyk, food writer and author of the cookbook Tasty Pride! We'll discuss his career in food media, his thoughts on the ongoing shifts in the industry and the complicated history of Queer advocacy and allyship in the larger struggle for equality. Image courtesy of Taylor Miller In March…

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