Episodes

  • Arjav Ezekiel and the Color of Hospitality

    Arjav Ezekiel and the Color of Hospitality
    Jun 23 2026
    When Arjav Ezekiel arrived in America at age 12, the first person he met was Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Years later, after navigating life as an undocumented immigrant, he would help build Birdie's in Austin, Texas, into one of the country's most celebrated restaurants. He reflects on the burden of keeping secrets, the people he calls his "guardian angels," why making people feel seen has become the foundation of his work with his wife, Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, and the color he believes hospitality can bring to people's lives. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine /Eva Kolenko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Omar Tate, Cybille St. Aude-Tate and the Mix CDs

    Omar Tate, Cybille St. Aude-Tate and the Mix CDs
    Jun 16 2026
    Over the course of three months, Cybille St. Aude-Tate and Omar Tate met, got married, and started the project of Honeysuckle. It's one of the most ambitious and personal restaurant projects in America right now, with a mission of preserving Black history, honoring Haitian and African American foodways, and creating a welcoming to all space where guests can encounter stories, traditions, and people who have too often been left out of the narrative. The James Beard-nominated duo talks about using art and music as an escape from a hostile world, food as both joy and survival, their responsibility to the ancestors, the luxurious whimsy of a gilded Big Mac, and the power of finding your person. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine /Clay Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Scott Conant and the Power of the Necklace

    Scott Conant and the Power of the Necklace
    Jun 9 2026
    Scott Conant wanted to be a plumber, but getting shut out of a vocational school class set him down a different path. The 2004 Food & Wine Best New Chef and Food Network star reveals the exact dish that convinced him to devote himself to Italian cooking, the emotional fan encounters — from a grieving mother to a man struggling to stay alive — that reshaped how he thinks about television fame, how the best thing he's ever done in his professional life isn't in a restaurant, and why Alex Guarnaschelli calls him the "most human" of the Chopped judges. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine /Ken Goodman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Fermín Núñez and the Tortilla-Scented Candle

    Fermín Núñez and the Tortilla-Scented Candle
    Jun 2 2026
    2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef Fermín Núñez grew up moving between Mexico and the United States, never quite feeling like he belonged in either place. He reflects on navigating life between cultures, the years he spent undocumented in America, and why he once went by “Leo” before learning to embrace his own name. He also shares the path that took him from dreams of film school to opening Austin’s acclaimed Suerte, how Anthony Bourdain and a bookstore copy of Kitchen Confidential changed his life, and the lessons he learned from burning sauces, breaking plates, and sneaking into a country club kitchen to land his first job. He opens up about building a healthier restaurant culture, creating community through his legendary Sunday gatherings, and why writing his cookbook Vitamina T felt like honoring the 15-year-old version of himself who never imagined any of this was possible. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine /Andrew Reiner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • Encore: Cody Rigsby and the Chicken Finger Math

    Encore: Cody Rigsby and the Chicken Finger Math
    May 26 2026
    In the 10 years since Cody Rigsby joined Peloton as an instructor, the former McDonald's drive-thru worker, backup dancer, and cater waiter's life has changed in unimaginable ways. He's competed on Dancing with the Stars, written the bestselling memoir XOXO, Cody, and built a massive fanbase of indoor cyclists who are as invested in his hot takes on ranch dressing and snacks as they are in his cardio-challenging HIIT and hills rides. In this episode, Cody Rigsby goes deep on anxiety, working in the service industry, the power of brunch, and the correct sauce-to-chicken-finger ratio. For more info visit: foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Donna Hay and the 22 Thousand Person Dinner Party

    Donna Hay and the 22 Thousand Person Dinner Party
    May 19 2026
    Australian food icon Donna Hay joins Tinfoil Swans to discuss the evolution of home cooking, the emotional weight of becoming a brand, and why you shouldn't trust bad internet recipes. Plus: Her new cookbook Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt, battling nerves, and an Australian food slang crash course. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine / Chris Court and Con Poulos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Dr. Arielle Johnson and the Dorito of Sadness

    Dr. Arielle Johnson and the Dorito of Sadness
    May 12 2026
    Flavor scientist and Flavorama author Dr. Arielle Johnson charts her path from fashion-focused teen to being the go-to food nerd for Noma and Alton Brown. She unpacks the neuroscience of taste and memory, explains why certain foods trigger powerful emotional reactions (like a potential “Dorito of sadness”), and explores how flavor can be engineered to shape how we feel. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine / Dr. Arielle Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • Nancy Silverton and the Artichoke That Knows

    Nancy Silverton and the Artichoke That Knows
    May 5 2026
    1990 F&W Best New Chef Nancy Silverton recounts growing up craving white bread and sugary cereal while her mother served spanakopita and beef bourguignon, how a college crush led her to a dorm kitchen where she first realized she wanted to cook for a living, the moment at Chez Panisse that defined her food philosophy, her insistence on simplicity over trends, and why even after decades of acclaim, she still feels like an impostor. Visit foodandwine.com/tinfoilswans for more Episode Art Courtesy of Food & Wine / Hexclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins