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 6
DAVID STANDRIDGE - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 6
David Standridge, who just won the James Beard award as best chef in the northeast, honed his skills under, among others, legendary chef Joël Robuchon, before opening his own restaurant, The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic, Connecticut, where he serves fabulous—sustainable—seafood, shellfish, and even kelp! Yes, Kelp. It’s great!
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - EP 5
DAVID PAGE TALKS WITH CHEF STEPHANIE IZARD EP 5
The first woman to win Top Chef, who also won Iron Chef and was named James Beard best chef in the Great Lakes region, Stephanie Izard has blazed culinary trails in Chicago and Los Angeles. She’s mastered various cuisines, from China to South America, her featured ingredient is goat, and she can still song the happy birthday song from her early days at the Olive Garden.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 4
DAN BARBER
He’s got the Michelin stars, he’s got the James Beard Awards, he’s been named by Time Magazine one of the most influential people in the world, and he’s fighting to change what and how we eat. Dan Barber says it isn’t about political correctness; no, you don’t have to stop eating meat; and he explains why flavor is disappearing from the American table.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 3
CHRISTINA NGUYEN
Fresh off her 2024 James beard Award as best chef in the Midwest, Christina Nguyen talks with David Page about her path to celebrated restaurateur—growing up in Minneapolis to immigrants from Vietnam; entering the food world with no experience by opening a food truck selling South American sandwiches; turning a notorious strip club into a Southeast Asian restaurant. And she discusses her restaurant’s “no assholes” policy.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 2
Legendary restaurateur Drew Nieporent is David Page’s guest.
The New York Times said he may be the last old school American restaurateur standing. Founder of Nobu and The Tribeca Grill (with his partner Robert DeNiro) and dozens more highly acclaimed restaurants, Drew talks about an upbringing that included family visits to some of New York’s best restaurants, how revenge fueled his success after he was turned down for a job, celebrity chefs, phony Frenchy restaurants, his desire to open a deli, loyalty in the kitchen, and how social media has improved the culinary landscape.
- CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 1
Culinary legend Nancy Silverton is David Page’s very first guest.
Winner of a Michelin star, and James Beard awards for Best Chef, Best Pastry Chef, and Best Restaurant in America, Chef Silverton has been—and remains—a huge influence on California cuisine, artisanal bread, and much more. She talks about her journey, discovering her profession by accident, working with mentors such as Wolfgang Puck, continuously pushing the culinary envelope, and what’s next for American food.