Ruth Temianka: Cider Guide Podcast
In the UK, unscathed by Victorian specters of prohibition, cider is by definition “hard.” Though unconventional by “scrumpy” standards, some of the best cider tasted to date emanates from Wales. A hard, flat and rust-colored liquid was first introduced to me on a trip motorbiking through the literary valleys of Wales with friends. Not being one for fizz, a pint of warm 14 percent liquid did a pretty good job of reviving wind-swept spirits (and enthusing them with others). So good in fact, that a fair tankard of the stuff accompanied me on a move to Paris. Sacrilegious behavior! This interview on the podcast app Stitcher covers cider-making in Wales versus the US according to local producer Bill Bleasdale.
Talia Ralph: Pizza Party With Bill Meier
I’m rarely one to toot my own horn, but in this case, I need to toot Bill’s — a veteran bike messenger and incredible fixture on the pizza scene in New York City who passed away this month, far too soon. He was the first guest I ever had on my Heritage Radio Podcast “Pizza Party” and I couldn’t have kicked off a season of pizza reporting with a more unique guest. He was energetic, passionate and no-nonsense about both the streets he rode on, and yes, the pizza he delivered. His words (and the short documentary he starred in, “Delivery”) continue to inspire me to get on my bike and find what I love, not what other people think the “right thing” to do is.
Sari Kamin: The Food Seen
Michael Harlan Turkell is a food photographer (a former Edible photo editor, in fact), but before he was behind the camera he was behind the line as a chef. His experience in the kitchen coupled with his work as a photograper was the inspiration for his Heritage Radio Network show “The Food Seen.” Turkell explores the tension that exists between art and food with guests whose work tends to blur those lines. Turkell is especially well equipped to discuss art and/or food and he does so, seamlessly transitioning between the two subjects, always finding a way to blend the topics in a way that is accessible, unpretentious and fascinating. Recent guests include: Sean Brock, Mary Ann Caws and Charles Phan.
Gabrielle Langholtz: Earth Eats
I polish the written word all day, but when it comes to consuming media, I’m an audiophile who almost always has her earbuds in. My Stitcher favorites list includes everything from the BBC’s Food Programme (London) to KCRW’s Good Food (LA), but one of my favorites is out of Indiana: The weekly hour called Earth Eats offers compelling, informative storytelling with a heaping helping of sustainability. Coverage ranges from farm subsidies and crop reports to fermentation trends, public health, small startups, soup kitchens and growing new farmers; I especially dug this segment on a food swap in Bloomington, not Brooklyn.
Ariel Lauren Wilson: Southern Foodways Alliance’s Gravy Podcast
I’m from the South, so I’m usually pretty sensitive to how the media presents the region. The Southern Foodways Alliance, a member-supported non-profit based at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture, has a track record of telling realistic and nuanced stories focused on a common, unifying denominator: what we eat and drink. They have an extensive archive of oral histories and documentary films (binge watch here), but I’ve been plugged in to their Gravy podcast series as of late. I was initially skeptical, but the team behind the show resists nostalgic, stereotypical subjects to highlight a modern and diverse South with stories that reflect global themes — listeners need not be from or in the region to relate. I hesitate to recommend one story over another, but if you’re dreaming of warmer climates, start with their fascinating segment on the fight for water and oysters in Florida’s Apalachicola Bay.
Featured photo credit: Facebook/Heritage Radio Network
