Food with Mark Bittman

The James Beard Award-winning writer talks to Kate and guest co-host Kathleen Finlay about how women are uniquely equipped to tackle and repair our broken food system; why cooperation over competition is so effective; the constant throughline when talking with only female producers; and how you can support efforts—both as a buyer and as an activist.

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The Pulitzer finalist and James Beard award winning journalist talks to Kate and Mark about how restaurant critics have to "split themselves"; being "accidentally anonymous" and how she became comfortable with telling that story; chasing curiosity; and how she went from a born and bred New Yorker to loving Detroit.

Read Lyndsay's piece, "My year in review as Free Press restaurant critic: Accidentally anonymous," which was discus...

The innovative chef talks to Kate about the importance of cultivating one's own identity, notably when it comes to food; why he's not in the business of nostalgia; his unique ability to read the taste of food; and his new memoir, Good Taste. PLUS: More from food stylist Barrett Washburne, who talks to Kate about wasted plate space, giving props to prop stylists, and how to style brown food.

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The wildly popular chef and champion of good food talks to Mark about what's changed in his almost 25 years of cooking in the public eye, big picture food advice, and why there's room for optimism. 

Find the recipes from today's episode at bittmanproject.com/recipe/jamie-olivers-charred-brussels/ and bittmanproject.com/recipe/jools-chocolate-dreams/

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Chef David Nayfield (and author of Dad, What's for Dinner?) and author and educator Aliza Sokolow join Kate to chat about the quirks of cooking for (and with) and feeding kids. On the table: simple ways to get kids involved and interested in cooking (and eating good food), remembering when ketchup counted as a vegetable in schools, and understanding your roles in your kids' eating habits and patterns (you're the salesperson!)....

Impact/Justice's Leslie Soble, an internationally recognized voice on the carceral eating experience, talks to Kate and Mark about what eating in prison is really like. The three discuss food as an active form of punishment, the deep connection between the critical problems of hunger and food waste, creative things incarcerated people do to stay nourished, and the good work that select organizations are doing to bring better f...

The chef and host of PBS's Spirit Plate talks to Kate and Mark about the moment she realized she didn't feel connected to the food she was cooking—and what she did to fix that, a dinner party that changed everything, why and how her conversations about food and culture with Native American youth around the country are so important, and one of her favorite Indigenous food traditions—cooking with rocks.

Get Pyet's recipe...

In this episode from late 2022, the beloved restaurateurs behind New York's Via Carota and I Sodi talk to Kate and to guest host Melissa McCart about being a purist vs a regionalist, the supreme reign of artichokes, and how to buy good olive oil.

Get Via Carota's recipes for Roasted Carrots, Spiced Yogurt, and Pistachios: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/carote-roasted-carrots-spiced-yogurt-and-pistachios/

...and Salmorigli...

The director—and the first Indonesian-American filmmaker to qualify for an Oscar!—chats with Kate and Mark about his new autobiographical short film, Daly City. Nick talks about what his parents thought about the film, why the biggest challenge of making the film was finding the actors, and the themes within—notably the internal conflict of the model minority and the bittersweet nature of the American dream.

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Bestselling—and much beloved—food writer Dorie Greenspan (new book: Dorie's Anytime Cakes) talks to Kate and her old pal Mark. Get ready for lots of reminiscing about the "old days" of food writing—when there was no internet! The three also talk about finding the ultimate end-of-day joy in cooking and baking, trying unexpected ingredients in baking, and the creativity that can be found in a single subject (like cakes). 

In this unreleased episode from 2023, Mark visits Diane Kochilas at her home in Greece; the two talk about Ikaria eating, how Greek cooking and cuisine has changed over the last couple decades—and where it seems to be heading, and why chefs in Greece have less emotional baggage (which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on which way you look at it).

Read an excerpt from Diane Kochilas's Athens: Food, Stories, Love on&...

The chef and activist talks to Kate and Mark about how school lunches have changed over the years—and how they haven't, why (and how) there shouldn't be a "middle man" when schools purchase food for lunches; the "most important people in this country"—teachers and farmers; and how we can realistically make her longstanding vision for kids' relationship with food a reality.

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In this revisiting of a 2024 episode, chef and author Fadi Kattan talks to Mark and Kate about the dangers of simplifying reality; why we should recognize and champion origin, and how doing so is a lesson in humility; the effect the Israeli conflict has had on agriculture; and his cookbook, Bethlehem. 

We're sharing two recipes from Bethlehem on the Bittman Project – Fig Salad, and Mujadara – and you can find...

Paul Schiefer, President of Amy’s Kitchen, and Ken Cook, President and Co-Founder of Environmental Working Group, talk to Kate and Mark about scaled organic as a sustainability solution; what, specifically, makes Amy’s cooking stand out; how conventional agriculture weakens prices; and making organic easier and more accessible to all.

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The writer and food historian talks to Kate and Mark about the "secret" language that belongs to Southern people, the problem with fantasizing about your Bubby's recipes, the two-sidedness of Southern cooking, and where to find the best food in the South. 

Read an excerpt from Michael Twitty's Recipes from the American South on The Bittman Project: https://bittmanproject.com/bread-so-good-you-have-to-gua...

Journalist Julia Belluz and scientist Kevin Hall talk to Mark about their new book, Food Intelligence: why there's such a big gap between food science and diet fads, how the effects of our 'food environments' determine how much we eat and how much it changes our biology, and how our public outcry over the unjustness of our food system is apolitical—but is made political.

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In recent years, the state of Iowa has had the second-highest rate of cancer in the US; it's also one of only two states where cancer rates are increasing. This alarming rise in disease is the crux of a new initiative that is pinpointing agricultural chemicals as a key suspect in this uptick. Today, Mark talks to Adam Shriver, Director of Wellness and Nutrition at the Harkin Institute (and head of the initiative); Richard Deming, w...

Mavis-Jay Sanders, Culinary Director of the new nonprofit restaurant Community Kitchen (launching September 19!) and Mark Bittman, Founder of Community Kitchen (and, of course, co-host of this podcast) talk to Kate about how they're bringing awe and joy to their dining room; the specifics around how the team collaborates; the supreme importance of ingredients; and Community Kitchen's potential to showcase what part of a rational fo...