Culinary Characters Unlocked
David Page is a long-time journalist who reinvented food television when he created Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. He is also an author, having written the award-winning book Food Americana.
All Episodes
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 26
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - CHEF MICHAEL GULOTTA - EP 26
Born and raised in New Orleans, Michael Gulotta began cooking for his family at the age of nine. He grew up to attend culinary school in his hometown, then trained under legendary chefs in Europe, before coming back to N’awlins and opening three restaurants that combine, to varying degrees, Asian, Italian, Cajun, and Creole flavors. He is a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist who has drawn raves from the most esteemed culinary publications. And he runs “no yelling, please-and-thank-you” kitchens.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 25
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – AMELIE KANG – EP 25
Amelie Kang grew up in northern China, moved to Beijing, and then to the U.S., where she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. She worked for Michelin starred chefs, before going on to open the Málà Project in New York, where she offers food as eaten in China, and a more upscale dining experience than the typical American Chinese restaurant. Which makes her a pioneer in the movement being called Chinese 2.0.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 24
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL – EP 24
Despite never having trained as a chef, Christopher Kimball has taught millions of Americans how to become better home cooks. He started a magazine devoted to perfecting recipes, turned that into the America’s Test Kitchen media empire, then moved on to found another, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, which includes a magazine, a TV show, a podcast, cookbooks, and more, and has expanded Kimball’s work to perfecting recipes from many other countries.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 23
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – EP 23 – MARISSA GENCARELLI
Born in Mexico, Marissa Gencarelli was working a corporate job and had never run a culinary business, when she and her husband opened a Tortilleria in Kansas City. Using traditional methods, combined with creative brilliance, their Yoli Tortilleria won the 2023 James Beard Award as America’s Butstanding Bakery
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 22
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – CHEF NICHOLAS BAZIK – EP 22
Budding academic turned touring musician turned chef turned restaurateur, Nicholas Bazik is striving for the top of the culinary world at his new restaurant Provenance, which is shaking up the food world in Philadelphia amid his audacious claim that there’s never been a restaurant like this in that city before, and where standards and equipment are so high that chefs are clamoring for a job there. And wait ‘til he tells you about his Rolls Royce of ovens!
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 21
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – CHEF MATTHEW GRAY – EP 21
Chef Matthew Gray’s wild ride through life landed him in paradise. From touring with legendary rock bands in his youth, to studying at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London, cooking for the stars in Hollywood, reviewing restaurants for Hawaii’s biggest newspaper, running food tours in Hawaii, and now hosting his own podcast, 50 tastes of Gray. Our conversation ranged from the real reason celebrities hire private chefs to the delights of Spam musubi.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 20
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – CHEF BJ DENNIS - EP 20
Joe Busalacchi came to America from Sicily as a child and grew up to share his family recipes with a legion of fans through an empire of restaurants in his adopted hometown of San Diego. And it’s truly a family business, with Joe’s sons and nephew helping him continue his passion of serving the food he grew up with. And the menu is full of surprises, as was our conversation with the Busalacchi family.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 19
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – THE BUSALACCHI FAMILY – EP 19
Joe Busalacchi came to America from Sicily as a child and grew up to share his family recipes with a legion of fans through an empire of restaurants in his adopted hometown of San Diego. And it’s truly a family business, with Joe’s sons and nephew helping him continue his passion of serving the food he grew up with. And the menu is full of surprises, as was our conversation with the Busalacchi family.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 18
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – CHEF PREETI WAAS - EP 18
Born in southern India and with no culinary training, Preeti Waas is a two- time James beard award nominee for the Indian home cooking she dishes up at her restaurant Cheeni in Durham, North Carolina. And she says 90 percent of that menu consists of dishes that cannot be found at most Indian restaurants here. She also offers a history lesson on some of India’s most popular foods, and their roots in Scotland and Portugal.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 17
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – GREGORY GOURDET - EP 17
He’s won three James Beard Awards in a row—Best Cookbook, Best Restaurant, and the 2024 award as Best Chef in the Northwest. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, was mentored by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and cooked various Asian cuisines before opening Kann in Portland, featuring Caribbean cuisine and spotlighting the Haitian dishes he grew up on.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 16
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – ZIGGY GRUBER - EP 16
He’s won three James Beard Awards in a row—Best Cookbook, Best Restaurant, and the 2024 award as Best Chef in the Northwest. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, was mentored by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and cooked various Asian cuisines before opening Kann in Portland, featuring Caribbean cuisine and spotlighting the Haitian dishes he grew up on.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 15
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – Chef PAUL SMITH - EP 15
Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Paul Smith won the 2024 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Southeast for his work at his 1010 Bridge restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. It’s the first James Beard Award ever brought home to that state, where Smith was born, then returned after cooking at a wide range of fine dining restaurants across the country. He combines traditional Appalachian cuisine with an envelope-pushing creativity.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 14
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED –MARTHA SANDERS HOOVER - EP 14
After law school and a stint as a sex crimes prosecutor, pregnant with her third child, and with no experience in the culinary business, Martha Sanders Hoover decided to open a restaurant. Now she has a dozen in and around Indianapolis. A pioneer in farm to table, with a deep commitment to employee happiness, and giving back to the community, she is a six-time James Beard semi-finalist, one of Food & Wine Magazine’s “Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink,” and a force of nature.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 13
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - CHEF JOHN SHIELDS - EP 13
Chef John Shields and his wife, Chef Karen Uri Shields, recently won a third Michelin Star for their Chicago restaurant Smyth, while their other restaurant (in the same building) the Loyalist has been cited as serving the best burger in that city. He discusses their journey together, the restaurant in a small Virginia town that put them on the map, and being mentored by both Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 12
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - SARAH SIMINGTON - EP 12
Sarah Simington has changed breakfast forever. She invented Cap’n Crunch encrusted French toast. And Cannoli French Toast. And a host of other breakfast and brunch creations she serves up at her Blue Moon Cafe (and spin-off Blue Moon Too) in Baltimore. Born into a restaurant family, raised—as she puts it—on a diner stool, she brings a rock-n-roll attitude to the food, and the experience. You may find her behind the counter singing into a spatula to create a meal and a show.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 11
CHEF DONALD YOUNG - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 11
Chicago chef Donald Young won a Michelin star before he turned thirty. Mentored by legendary chef Roland Liccioni, Young earned his chops at a variety of remarkable restaurants, including a stint at a Michelin 2-star in France. Young now stages surprise pop up dinners (diners aren’t told where they’ll be eating until shortly before the meal). He’ll even cook his superb cuisine at diners’ homes. He specializes in dry aged duck.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 10
THE 2FOODTRIPPERS - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 10
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch met over bagels, discussed his obsession with cheese, and as their relationship grew, they bonded over their shared love of food and got married. Eventually, they made food their jobs, traveling the world (now from their home base in Lisbon) to taste local cuisines and write about their experiences, on their website 2foodtrippers.com and on social media. On this episode, they discuss favorite foods, favorite food cities, the differences between food in America and food elsewhere, and why they’ve begun to prefer mom and pop restaurants over the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 9
CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 9
Chef Jennifer Jasinski is a powerhouse restaurateur whose Denver restaurants offer French, Spanish, and seafood menus, and whose cooking has won a James Beard award. She worked for her mentor Wolfgang Puck for years, rising to head chef in charge of dozens of his restaurants before opening her own. She talks about her journey, her passions, and why local product is great but not always the best.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 8
TONY GEMIGNANI- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 8
Tony Gemignani is one of the leading figures in the world of pizza. His pies were just named sixth best in the world by a leading Italian pizza guide. He has won countless international championships and runs a pizza empire from his San Francisco flagship, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. He talks about all of it, including the pizza he’ll whisk away and replace if you take too long eating it.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 7
ANNE QUATRANO - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 7
Chef Anne Quatrano is the Grande Dame of the culinary scene in Atlanta, where her restaurant empire includes Bacchanalia, which is among the most renowned restaurants in the south. Much of what she serves was grown on her family farm. She has mentored a bevy of rising star chefs and is a major and pioneering force in farm to table cuisine. And a charming and witty interview, who has plenty of great advice for home cooks.