It is the 28th day of the longest government shutdown in history. 800,000 federal employees have gone without pay and as bills begin to pile up, putting food on the table feels a lot more important than partisan impasse.
At HRN, we discovered that the shutdown has impacted our food system in some unexpected ways. Routine inspections on produce and processed foods have been suspended and DC restaurants are struggling without the typical lunch crowds. Between furloughs, farms, and food stamps, we explore the ways politics have affected what’s on our plates. Catch a special guest appearance by Jamie Oliver.
Buckle up, snowflake. Get ready for a TOTAL EVISCERATION of all things soy. That’s right, on this episode of From the Pantry, we’re dropping a LOGIC BOMB on the Myth of the Soyboy. We’ll be talking PHYTOESTROGENS, FAKE NEWS, and why this particular soy-themed insult gained such popularity over the last few years. Join producer Sam Gerardi as ...
Over the past six months, our team, as well as, the rest of the country, have experienced a lot of grief and heartache. As we grapple with how to navigate these losses - whether it’s a loved one or the threat to our freedoms - something that has always helped us cope is food, and its connections to community and each other. This shared ...
In the third and final episode of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard turns to those trying to reform food service, and those trying to keep it the same. She makes the case that the media’s failure to cover reform organizations and workers’ rights has hampered efforts to improve working conditions, and strengthened the position of ...
Legacy in the Glass: Black Joy, Wine, and the Communities We Build
April 24, 2025
In this episode, we uncork a different kind of wine story—one rooted in joy, land, and legacy. From a biodiverse vineyard in the Midwest to a Black-owned Prosecco brand in South Carolina, we meet the innovators reshaping the wine world on their own terms. You’ll hear from Krista Scruggs of ZAFA Wines, Justin Wages of Don Luchi Prosecco, ...
In episode two of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard digs into the reality of workplace abuse in food service and argues that focusing on the people in positions of power comes at a cost to everyone else who makes a restaurant run. Through interviews and features from Julia Moskin, Reem Assil, and Saru Jayaraman, she finds that the ...
Fight for Your Greens: Cultural Preservation, Environmental Regulation & Water Spinach
April 17, 2025
In this episode, we’re breaking format, and serving you up an audio-documentary-style entree. Our producer, Hieu Huynh takes us to her home state of Georgia, where she’s examining how water spinach has become a unifying force for the Vietnamese community – a symbol of resilience, adaptation, and the ongoing negotiation between cultural ...
In this episode of The Cult of Chef, producer Hannah Chouinard examines America’s love affair with chefs. With HRN regular Andrew Friedman, she dives into the history of the celebrity chef, and discusses how food media idolizes those at the top – to the detriment of industry workers.
The Cult of Chef is written, produced, and edited by ...
In episode 3 of Rice Revelations, Producer Sasha DuBose (they/she) takes us into the kitchen to make bread. Sasha’s bread baking experience makes the historical knowledge she learned in the previous two episodes become tangible. As they’re in the kitchen convening with the ancestors and saying “chile” more times than anyone could count, she ...
