Salt + Spine is the podcast that tells the stories behind cookbooks. Each episode, host Brian Hogan Stewart goes beyond the recipes to connect with some of the world’s most compelling culinary authors. The show is a deep dive into the lives, inspirations, and creative journeys that shape these beloved books. From James Beard Award winners to international bestsellers, Salt + Spine reveals the human element of cooking, celebrating the passion and personal history infused into every page. Beyond the podcast, Salt + Spine offers excerpted recipes, bonus content from featured cookbooks, and more.
Cathy Whims on Forty Years of Cheffing, Her First Cookbook, and the Art of Simple Cooking
December 11, 2025
After more than four decades in professional kitchens—including twenty years as chef-owner of Portland's beloved Nostrana—Cathy Whims has published her first cookbook. The Italian Summer Kitchen captures the essence of Italian summer cooking through the lens of the Pacific Northwest, featuring simple, ingredient-driven recipes and beautiful ...
Peter Som: ‘People Aren’t Coming for a Michelin Dinner—They’re Coming to Hang Out With You!’
November 19, 2025
“Her job, I think, was to make sure I was always full.” That’s how this week’s guest Peter Som describes his grandmother—the woman who shaped not just his relationship with food, but his approach to creativity, hospitality, and what it means to make people feel cared for.
You might know Peter as the fashion designer who’s dressed ...
20 Amici, 40 Ricette: Friends and Food from the Heart of Chianti by John Bersani
Experience what it’s like to not only eat in Tuscany, but also how it feels to live there. With traditional Tuscan recipes, heartwarming stories, and insider’s tips from local chefs and family cooks in 20 Amici – 40 Ricette you’ll learn—and taste—why that ...
This week, chef Deuki Hong and journalist Matt Rodbard join us to #TalkCookbooks! Deuki’s latest restaurant SŌHN is an “all-day cafe and multi-use gathering space” in San Francisco. Matt is a writer who also hosts the prolific TASTE podcast (required listening for food lovers).
When their first collaborative book, Koreatown, came out in ...
In Their Words: Elizabeth Poett on Life and Legacy at Rancho San Julian
September 16, 2025
Elizabeth Poett reads from 'The Ranch Table' about cattle herding and the rhythm of ranch life. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe
A year of recipes and stories from Elizabeth Poett’s California ranch
September 9, 2025
It’s been over a year since I traded my life in California for one in Italy. And while I’ve easily fallen into daily life here, I still crave the way California marked the seasons—not always with weather (hello, San Francisco), but with food. For the eight years I lived in the Bay Area, food was always the signal of change: Early Girl ...
Makenna Held reads from 'Mostly French' about a life-changing purchase and personal discovery. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe
At Julia Child’s French home, Makenna Held is leading a recipe-free revolution
August 26, 2025
171
For today’s episode, I traveled to La Pitchoune—Julia Child’s former summer home in Provence—to meet with Makenna Held, the entrepreneur who not only bought this iconic house but used it as a home base to build a bold new philosophy of recipe-free cooking.
Makenna didn’t set out for a career in food. Raised in California in a family ...
