Episode 46: Walker Stern, Joe Ogrodnek, & Andrew Friedman

01/15/15 • 61 min

Food Talk with Mike Colameco is brought to you by the following generous underwriters:

This week on Food Talk with Michael Colameco, host Mike Colameco welcomes Walker Stern and Joe Ogrodnek to the show. Head chefs and co-owners of two Brooklyn restaurants, Battersby and Dover, they developed a friendship while honing their culinary skills as students at the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, both worked at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House and individually went on to have distinguished careers at a some of New York City’s best restaurants. Since opening its doors in 2011, Battersby has prized itself on sophisticated, yet thoughtful dishes, expert technique, and a unique and welcoming environment. Joe and Walker opened their second restaurant, Dover, in November of 2013 and give Mike the inside scoop on their experiences opening restaurants. Andrew Friedman, founder and chief contributor to the website Toqueland.com, shares with Mike that he has made a career of chronicling the life and work of some of the best chefs. He goes on to share that he enjoys writing about parts of the culinary industry that are off the beaten path and that most people aren’t aware of and is actually in the process of writing his newest book about the evolution of great American chefs.

“I think if you do a good job and people are impressed, they tell more people. Definitely in New York I think people want to discover something.” [15:00]

—Walker Stern on Food Talk

“It occurred to me that I have a lot of access, insight into a world that people are interested in what guys like you do that maybe they don’t have and would be interested in.” [41:30]

—Andrew Friedman on Food Talk

Food Talk with Mike Colameco is brought to you by the following generous underwriters:

“I think if you do a good job and people are impressed, they tell more people. Definitely in New York I think people want to discover something.” [15:00]

—Walker Stern on Food Talk

“It occurred to me that I have a lot of access, insight into a world that people are interested in what guys like you do that maybe they don’t have and would be interested in.” [41:30]

—Andrew Friedman on Food Talk

Previous Episode

Episode 45: Kerry Heffernan & Melanie Asher

Food Talk with Mike Colameco is brought to you by the following generous underwriters:

Kicking off the 2015 season, Mike Colameco is back with a brand new Food Talk with Michael Colameco welcoming guests Chef Kerry Heffernan and Producer Poull Brien. Kerry opens the segment chatting about his latest projects, including new television projects like National Geographic’s “Hooked on Seafood” and The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch.” He is also in partnership with Wild Fish Direct, which focuses on the idea that there are over a thousand known species of fish and shellfish in American waters yet we eat only a select few. Wild Fish Direct knows that almost everything from the ocean has value and is committed to delivering fresh, artisanal seafood that’s delicious and better for our oceans and plans on documenting their process with a television show that is being shopped around. After the break, Mike chats with Melanie Asher, CEO, Founder, Master Distiller and Blender at Macchu Pisco about the Peruvian beverage. Pisco is an un-aged 80 proof clear spirit derived from a single distillation of fresh fermented grape juice (wine). Mike gets an in-studio tasting while Melanie shares the rich history and production techniques of Macchu Pisco. Tune in for a great episode for the new year!

“Each of these things that comes out of the ocean is a precious resource.” [24:00]

“As a chef it is so much more interesting and challenging when you have to cook with little things, like seaweed, and you have to use these things you are not familiar with.” [28:40]

—Kerry Heffernan on Food Talk

Next Episode

Episode 47: Mimi Sheraton, Stefanie Sacks, & Charlie Palmer

Food Talk with Mike Colameco is brought to you by the following generous underwriters:

This week on Food Talk with Michael Colameco, host Mike Colameco welcomes influential food critic and author Mimi Sheraton, restauranteur and chef Charlie Palmer, as well as Stefanie Sacks to the show. An influential food critic born and Brooklyn native, Mimi shares with Mike how she came up in food writing, starting with her parents who she described as excellent cooks and that her father, notably, was a commission merchant in a wholesale produce market. She recently authored the book “1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die,” which according to Mike fully delivers on the promise of its title. Selecting from the best cuisines around the world (French, Italian, Chinese, Senegalese, Lebanese, Mongolian, Peruvian, and many more)â€” Mimi profiles the tastes, ingredients, dishes, and restaurants that every reader should experience and dream about. The next guest, Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN is a Culinary Nutritionist, author, radio show host, educator, speaker and consultant. She just released the new book “What The Fork Are You Eating? An Action Plan for Your Pantry and Plate,” which she explains to Mike focuses on the small changes in food choices can make big, everyday difference. An overview of the truth about what’s hidden in food plus an action plan with 50 time-tested, delicious recipes aims to get everyone caring about food and ingredients. Lastly, Mike welcomes chef and restauranteur Charlie Palmer to the show. Charlie shares some great details how he came up through the culinary ranks in New York City at a time when French chefs ruled the scene. Mike gets an update with what’s on Charlie’s plate at the moment with his many hotels and restaurants throughout the country, plus other projects on the horizon. Tune in for a great show through and through!

“‘1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die,’ is in a way my autobiography. The last 60 years of my life have been made up of going in search of food.” [11:40]

—Mimi Sheraton on Food Talk

“This book is really about solutions and trying to help people, in a nutshell. [...] What I’m trying to do is distill a lot of that information into usable, navigable tools and give people things they can do at home. [...] They have to understand that our food is not effectively regulated.” [32:05]

—Stefanie Sacks on Food Talk