Guys And Food Podcast

Episode 008- Dan Gagliardo is an expert on olive oil.  He is the the owner of D'Avolio Purveyors of Fine Olive Oils, Vinegars, and More. He offers you advice about shopping for olive oil-- what to look for and what to avoid.  He also discusses starting his food business and how he decided to olive oil and vinegar was a business for him. In the interview I mention a recipe for an olive oil cake that I bake. I usually use regular olive oil but recently have taken to using flavored ones such as blood orange flavored oil from D'Avolio.  This is a very tasty recipe and one that I have been making for years. If you are looking for help selecting olive oils, the blog of the North American Olive Oil Association provides a list of 21 olive oil brands that are certified for authenticity. Also, here is a list of ten olive oil recipes of 2016 from the association.   Note:  I have not had a chance to test drive any of these recipes yet. On New Year's Eve, we were invited to the home of some friends and I made my favorite

Episode 007- Many food guys share their dreams about one day lining up their passion for food into some sort of food-related business.  James Glucksman is a guy who did just that. After years of kicking the idea around, this native New Yorker wound up leaving his job as a business consultant and opening up a lodge on the other side of the world!  It's called Pen-y-bryn Lodge in Oamaru, New Zealand.  He does all the cooking for the place including making many of the operation's own cheeses, sausages, etc. He'll share his story of how all that happened and he'll also share the story behind his mother's fruitcake recipe. You'll recall that in Episode 004  I explained how I had a hankering to make fruitcake for the holidays this year.  When my mother could not find her recipe, I asked some folks in a Facebook  group called Cookbook Junkies for suggestions. Glucksman suggested his mom's recipe.  It sounded intriguing, so I chose that one to make.  After weeks of lovingly fortifying it with cognac and letting i

Episode 006-It is fitting and proper during the time of celebrations that champagnes, prosecco, and other  sparkling wines are offered to give toasts or merely to enjoy during a party. Howard Riedel is our wine guy and he has some very helpful recommendations for you.  You'll learn the origins and differences between all those sparkling wines. Here are Howard's suggestions: High End Champagnes ($150-300) Dom Perignon Louis Roederer Cristal Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Krug Vintage Brut Mid-Level Champagnes ($40-60) Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut California Sparkling Wines ($15-25) Roederer Estate Brut Mumm Napa Brut Domaine Chandon Brut Spanish Cava Jaume Serra Cristalino You'll also hear about the latest of my baking and cooking adventures in the wake of my cold. You'll remember from previous episodes that I wanted to make a molasses cookies for my wife.  Not having a recipe, I searched the online tool that I use to organize my growing cookbo

Episode 005- Dan Pashman is my kind of food guy.  He is smart, thoughtful, and funny! He also knows his food.  Once you listen to his podcast from WNYC called The Sporkful you'll understand why it is not only my favorite food-related podcasts, but my favorite podcasts in general. You may also see Dan on You're Eating It Wrong on the Cooking Channel. Maybe you caught him recently with Guy Fieri on the Food Network. He was very gracious of him to come on the show.  While I admit that I am a bit of a Sporkful fanboy, that doesn't mean that I didn't take Dan to task for his approach to my hometown food, the chicken wing (aka Buffalo wings by rookies) during our talk. Here is video demonstrating his (and other) wing eating techniques. Incidentally, this is not the first time that Dan and I have been on a podcast together.  Dan interviewed me for The Sporkful's Veterans Day show. Take a listen! Other things on the show: I keep you up-to-date on my Christmas baking including some discussion about egg nog and a  re

  Episode 004  Pots and pan choices can be overwhelming!  What do you really need compared to what is merely nice to have? After you've decided the pieces that you need, what materials are best for cooking?  Scotty Harris is an expert authority on the subject. He is a chef instructor at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute in Niagara Falls, New York.  He also opines on his blog Cooking in Theory and Practice. Scotty will give you his cost /benefit analysis on cookware and he'll also tell you us about his food journey.  After being an amateur chef for many years, he left a career as an attorney and transitioned to cooking as a profession. You'll hear about that too! My mom couldn't find her recipes, so my holiday baking list will include someone else's  mother's fruit cake.  I saw this recipe in a Facebook group that I am on called Cookbook Junkies.  The guy who offered the recipe is James Glucksman and he is the owner of Pen-y-bryn Lodge in Oamaru, New Zealand.  He was nice enough to give me pointers too.  In

Episode 003 - Jonathan Welch is the co-owner of Talking Leaves Books, an independent bookseller with two locations in Buffalo, New York.   He gives you ideas on what cookbooks and other food-related books make great gifts to give (and to receive) this holiday season. He also makes a very good case on why you might want to support your local independent bookstore.  In our conversation, he mentions a resource called Indiebound, to help find an independent book store in your town. A book to consider is Dinner Pie by a  recent guest, noted cookbook author and authority on pie, Ken Haedrich. (This is not an affiliate link) I do a debrief on how Thanksgiving went.  This includes how I used Marmite in the meal. Incidentally, this is my first time using it. On a whim, I whipped up a coffee cake from Warren Brown's United Cakes of America but I had a few challenges with substitutions. I also discuss the season premieres of Top Chef and The Great American Baking Show. Finally, what kind of baking will you be doing for

Episode 002 Do you second guess yourself when buying wine?  I do.  On a scale of 1-10, I am about a five when it comes to my comfort level in buying wine at a store or in a restaurant.  Howard Riedel is here to calm your nerves (and mine) about wine buying.  He is wine expert, has a 30 year career as a marketing consultant  to  the retail wine industry, and a he's part-time public radio broadcaster. Howard Riedel's Wine Recommendations for Thanksgiving: (Note: These are NOT affiliate links) Apothic Rhiannon Columbia Crest Riesling  Oh… Schist! Riesling Urban Riesling Dr. Konstantin Frank Riesling Chateau Lafayette Reneau Riesling Kung Fu Girl Riesling  Eroica Riesling Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett (In case that’s all in German)  Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay  Il Roccolo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo   Also, I tell you about what I am making for Thanksgiving this year, including the recipe for my grandmother's stuffing. If you are looking for Thanksgiving tips, tricks, and recipes, I recommend Serious E

Episode 001-- This is the first episode! Arguably one of the most important things in your kitchen will be the knives that you will use.  During my interview with The Kitchen Knife Guru,  Nate Ouderkirk discusses the selection and proper care of your kitchen knives.  He also gives some great specific recommendations for knives.  He's helped thousands figure out what's best, and he will help you out too! Ken Haedrich is the author of 15 cookbooks including my absolute favorite book related to pie baking-- it’s called  Pie.  Pie has 300 recipes and is over 600 pages long. He shares  his secrets of making great pies.  During the interview he discusses the pumpkin cheesecake pie that he developed in honor of his son.   More information about Ken's cooking classes and other tips and pie recipes at The Pie Academy. You'll hear my thoughts on the launch of my first episode. I decided to hold off a week because of Election Day.  See my blog post about how we might come together to settle our difference after such a d

Think of it as a man cave where guys talk food and drink instead of sports! Guys and Food is for you and other guys who love food. You don’t have be a chef or work in the food business. You don’t have to be an expert or a gourmet. You may just enjoy cooking, you may like to explore history or other cultures through food, or you may just like to eat. You’ll probably like Guys and Food if: • Your idea of a power tool is an immersion blender. • You’re more interested in who won Top Chef than who won the latest sporting event in the national headlines. • You’re the type of guy who likes to talk about the last meal that you ate, the meal you are eating, and the next meal you’ll eat. • You covet your friend’s Viking Stove over his new sports car.