Behind the scenes
When we ask pastry chef Pooja Dhingra about what she’s been listening to, her instant response is: “I love The Dave Chang Show.” Chef David Chang, the US-based Momofuku moghul, opens up about everything from cooking with the family in quarantine to navigating a post-pandemic world in the podcast. In one of the episodes, he even pays tribute to the late Mumbai-born New York chef Floyd Cardoz, before going on to discuss how vendors should be protected during this time. “Every episode is informative. It’s not necessarily only about food, but it plays a big role [in the podcast],” adds the founder of Le15 Patisserie.
Cuppa chats
Rahul Leekha, the director of Coffee By Di Bella India, says he’s been listening to I Brew My Own Coffee by Brian Beyke and Brian Schiele. “It is a nice podcast where the hosts discuss home brewing — from techniques to online communities to new products and beyond. Both hosts have worked in the specialty coffee industry for years. They have some great tips on how home brewing is changing alongside the specialty industry. It’s a well-rounded podcast for coffee lovers,” he says. He’s also been hooked on to FlashCast by PDB, where Phillip Di Bella, founder of the Australian brand, talks about all things coffee and entrepreneurship. “His journey, from starting off as a migrant’s son to selling five million cups of coffee every week, is very inspiring. The podcast also offers one an insight into Di Bella’s management skills. As India is still a few years behind Australia in the F&B space, it is good to be future-ready,” he adds.
Health talk
Food podcasts have been opening up conversations beyond kitchen walls. Vanika Choudhary, founder of health food eatery Sequel, claims The Doctor’s Farmacy with Dr Mark Hyman is one such series that looks at food as medicine. “It defines the meaning of holistic wellness — how food is the centre of our well-being, diets have a significant impact on our brain health, and how we can heal ourselves with food. We receive conflicting messages about different kinds of diets every day. This podcast answers all the big questions,” she says, recommending two episodes — Can you beat depression with food? and Why meditation is the new medicine — for these extraordinary times. Choudhary also swears by Deliciously Ella, hosted by British food writer Ella and Mathew Mills. “It focuses on mental health, wellness and veganism. Coping with the current uncertainty is an episode that I recommend right now.”
Addressing the eco-system
Chef Saransh Goila, who’s been busy hosting his own series #MorningswithGoila on Instagram these days, says he’s always found the decades-old radio programme The Splendid Table interesting. The series, which has over 700 episodes, is now hosted by award-winning food writer Francis Lam. “It is a very old show, and I’m sure everyone has tuned into it at least once. What I like is that it has a solid approach to food, in the sense that they treat food as a subject. For instance, the episode on mushrooms in Italy was interesting,” he adds. Goila also recommends The Dave Chang Show. “He has such a great mix of guests on the show. It’s beyond just recipes and food; it’s about culture, people and the whole eco-system,” he signs off.
Also tune into
. Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, decodes the history and science behind food.
Log on to gastropod.com
. Food Radio Project by Amrita Gupta is a unique take on Indian food systems.
Log on to foodradioproject.com
. Spilled Milk by two comics has some hilarious commentary on food.
Log on to Apple podcasts
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