March’s Top 10 on HRN

By: Caroline Fox

Officially one year into the pandemic, March was an important month for HRN’s 40+ shows to reflect on the past year and highlight exciting ideas finally coming to fruition. 

Remember when we all rushed to stock our pantries full of essentials? The Shameless Chef took us back to the beginning, offering tips and tricks for elevating canned food. The Line launched a species series of Covid-19 centered episodes dedicated to the challenges and innovations born out of the pandemic, with their first episode showcasing voices from all across the country. Also taking a human-centered approach, Let’s Talk About Food heard from Nina Simonds, a trained chef and New York Times reporter who has still not regained her sense of taste and smell after recovering from Covid-19. 

The hustle has been real this year, and HRN had a strong lineup of guests this month whose work ethic inspired new ideas and radical change within the food industry. Hear from Executive Pastry Chef Paola Velez on Opening Soon, MOFAD’s Founding Director Peter Kim on Cooking Issues, and Amanda Kludt, Editor in Chief of Eater and Senior VP at Vox Media on All in the Industry. Beer Sessions Radio also featured a Women’s History Month episode, welcoming Meg Rickerson, Felicity Doyle, Kat Telesca, and Vic Pitula in an interview about their difficult year working in craft beer and hospitality, and the surprising intersection between beer and witchcraft. 

Find our March playlist below and share your favorite episodes with us on social media using #FoodRadio.

The Shameless Chef Episode 19: Clams, Cranberries, and Canned Food Galore: Michael Davenport shines a spotlight on canned food, which can be wonderful as long as you add some imagination. He offers tips to enliven canned foods by chilling canned pears and adding mint leaves or supplementing canned biscuit mix with parmesan or poppy seeds. When it comes to canned pineapple, Michael urges listeners to consider it in a different category than fresh produce. Try it in barbecue sauce, an omelet or with green beans. He shares a recipe for canned clams and sings the praises for cranberries, which can be enjoyed all year round in soufflés, pancakes, bread and more when they’re preserved in a can.

Cooking Issues Episode 446: A Real Life Precious Moment (Ft. Peter Kim)On today's episode Art Appreciation Issues, Dave, Nastassia and The Rest welcome Peter Kim, of MOFAD-fame, back to the show. Peter makes his triumphant return to the show to talk about his new podcast Counterjam, in which he interviews chefs and musicians about the food they love. Peter shares some of his favorite moments from his first season in between getting grilled on his Injera recipe and opinions on Fufu. Plus, listener questions on carbonation, cooking whelks, double-vessel pressure cookers, honey dehydration, cooking in clay, baking in salt, and much more.                                                                                                         

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 571: NYC Beer Week and Women’s History Month: Opening her own bar just seven months before Covid-19 hit, Meg explains how the pandemic was a real crash course in bar ownership, forcing her to master everything from staple guns to small business loans. She also recently founded Save NYC Bars as a method to communicate the ripple effect that the pandemic has caused throughout the entire community. The gang all agrees that the history of beer is closely tied to women, and Kat, Vic, and Fee all chime in with interesting stories about the connection between beer, women, and witches. Finally, we hear about some exciting new beers and favorites, and Meg shouts out a special beer that supports lesbian-run bars, which is another underrepresented community that is struggling in the beer scene.

All in the Industry Episode 282: Amanda Kludt, Eater: On today's episode of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Amanda Kludt, the Editor-in-Chief of Eater and a Senior Vice President at Vox Media. In her role as EIC, Amanda oversees all written, video, and audio content across the Eater network of sites in addition to TV shows, events, and partnerships. In over a dozen years at Eater, she transformed the publication from a niche restaurant blog into one of the most authoritative food media brands, spanning dozens of cities and telling stories across multiple platforms. Eater has won multiple James Beard, National Magazine, and Emmy Awards for its work in restaurant criticism, visual storytelling, service journalism, television, and personal essays. In her role as SVP, Amanda consults on editorial and revenue strategy across Vox Media. Before Eater, Amanda worked at Gridskipper and Metro and studied journalism at NYU. She lives in Brooklyn with her family. 

This episode also features Shari's PR tip to set goals and work to achieve them; Speed Round; Industry News discussion on the Senate passing a $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Bill, including $28.6 billion in grant relief specifically for restaurants; and Shari's Solo Dining experience at Chef in Residence at Blue Hill Stone Barns with Chef Omar Tate of Honeysuckle.

Eating Matters Episode 176: The Monsanto Papers: Host Jenna Liut welcomes the award-winning investigative journalist, Carey Gillam, back to the show to discuss her new book, The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice. A follow up to Gillam’s first book, Whitewash – an explosive expose on Monsanto and the health risks of its best-selling herbicide, Roundup – her new book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the landmark lawsuit against Monsanto and its implications for tens of thousands of plaintiffs worldwide. Informed by Gillam’s unfettered access to the legal team behind this historic lawsuit and over 80,000 pages of documents, The Monsanto Papers details the astounding extent to which the company went to hide the deadly dangers of its products and corporate misdeeds – and the devastating human toll that it took.                                                              

The Line Episode 116: One Year of Covid: Part 1: One year of Covid. In this first of a special series of Covid-focused episodes reflecting on one year of the pandemic, The Line is showcasing voices from around the country. On today's episode: Ashleigh Shanti in North Carolina, Angela Garbacz in Nebraska , Alex Raij in Brooklyn NY, Matthew Bell in Tennessee and Julie Horowitz in Manhattan.

 Opening Soon Episode 67: The Hypebeast of Pastry with Chef Paola Velez: As we’re taping Opening Soon this chilly March morning, we’ve just passed the one-year anniversary since the declaration of this pandemic, the start of shutdowns, and, for most, the switch into survival mode. While many businesses, chefs, cooks, and anyone, for that matter, have sought to survive, some have found a way to thrive - to go beyond. Not just in business, but also in social good. The hustle has been real for most of us, fits and starts, iteration after iteration. Our guest today has perhaps out-hustled them all while raising millions for social justice causes. It’s no surprise to us as we met today’s guest several years ago in our Tilit store, and her vibe exudes genuine care as well as both personal and community success. We're excited to welcome to the show Executive Pastry Chef, Paola Velez. In the past year, Paola began a new role as the E. Pastry Chef at famed DC restaurants, Compass Rose and Maydan. She co-founded Bakers Against Racism, raising over $2M for causes related to BLM. AND she started 2 pop-ups, Dona Dona and La Bodega Bakery, inside Compass Rose.

Meat and Three Episode 106: You Can’t Always Drink What You Want: From coffee shops to cocktail bars, the world of beverages has been turned upside down by the pandemic. You can’t always drink what you want. And now, more than ever, you can’t always drink where you want. But even before Covid-19, transformations in the production line, farming practices, and workplace inclusivity have affected what we drink. 

In this episode, splash into the world of beverages – from the drinks we sip on to the places we imbibe. We’ll investigate the ways access, history, legislation, and simple circumstances may limit the beverages we consume. We’ll explore how to make the most of the ingredients lying around the dustiest of liquor cabinets. And for those who are tired of making at-home drinks, we’ll hear from a North Carolina state representative and bar owners about the state of to-go cocktails. We’ll learn about the future of the American craft cider industry and its potential to diversify the labor force backed behind it. Finally, we’ll delve into the increasingly popular caffeinated drink Yaupon, whose history tells a story of cultural resilience. 

 Let’s Talk About Food Episode 12: When Covid Steals a Chef’s Sense of Taste and Smell: Nina Simonds is simply one of America’s culinary superstars. Trained in Taiwan in the 70’s by China’s culinary royalty, author of 11 cookbooks, former Asia editor for Gourmet, and reporter for the New York Times. So, it was a huge shock to her system that when she got Covid, it stole her sense of taste and smell. So far, it hasn’t come back.   

Fields Episode 12: Alexis Mena: Universe City and Afro-Indigenous Food Sovereignty: How are Universe City and Grow Brownsville helping community members grow their own food, invent their own technologies, and push back against gentrification? In this episode, Melissa and Wythe learn about the inspiring farm-tech co-op Universe City from one of its founders—multidisciplinary farmer, chef, and artist Alexis Mena. Universe City is Brownsville and East New York’s first aquaponic farm, food hub, and maker space. At this space, farmers grow fish and greens and teach growing skills. Universe City is collecting funds to expand their already impressive operation through a campaign called Grow Brownsville. Alexis talks about the importance of their Afro-Taino heritage, how to make and keep places for community use, and why it’s so important that kids in Brooklyn see tech innovation happening in their own communities. We also discuss gentrification and greenwashing head-on. This is a timely conversation, and Alexis is a visionary grower and educator. 

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