Steve Dolinsky's Audio Podcast

Chicago chef Takashi Yagihashi not only has a noodle kiosk in Macy's and a namesake restaurant in Bucktown, but a new book out as well. We spoke over a bowl of ramen about the inspiration for it.

This was a very brief interview with Mark Bitterman, owner of The Meadow in Portland, OR - www.atthemeadow.com - he's a salt expert who was attending the Food Writer's Symposium at the Greenbrier this year. He is the master of all things saline. French? Lava? Murray River? Mark is the man to ask.

I was one of the speakers at this year's Food Writer's Symposium at the historic Greenbrier Resort in W. Virginia. At one of my presentations, I demonstrated how to upload a podcast, and so I had someone take this picture, then I walked over to interview the Symposium's Founder, Toni Allegra, to talk more about why this event has become so important to food writers over the past 19 years. For more information about the 2010 conference, go to www.greenbrier.com

If I were a New York-based food reporter, this podcast would be a half-hour or more, since the 2009 Beard Awards featured mostly NYC restaurants. But Chicago (despite 17 nominations) only had two winners, (Cookbook From a Professional Point of View and Restaurant Design) plus another one by a chef who spent a lot of time in the city and still has an apartment here. Here are my three interviews with the Chicago winners.  More info: www.jamesbeard.org

Former Chicagoan Eric Partaker couldn't find any good Mexican fast food in London, so he reached back to his memories from home, creating a new concept akin to a Chipotle in two London locations. I spoke with him over a pulled pork burrito at his Islington store.