Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Ed Levine

Serious Eats' podcast Special Sauce enables food lovers everywhere to eavesdrop on an intimate conversation about food and life between host and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine and his well-known/famous friends and acquaintances both in and out of the food culture.

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467 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes467

Newest first

March 13 · 41 min
LA Taco Reheat: Leading the ICE Resistance One Taco at a Time
This week we're reheating one of our favorite recent episodes on the ongoing struggle between ICE and the immigrant-driven food cultures of major American cities. LA Taco's editor-in-chief Javier Cabral explains how and why his website became one of the leading voices of ICE resistance in the "City of Angels'. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
March 6 · 34 min
Are Restaurant Critics Obsolete? Part 2
On part 2 of our revealing and refreshingly honest conversation with three of the best food critics in America, Hannah Goldfield of The New Yorker, Bill Addison of The Los Angeles Times, and Elazar Sontag of The Washington Post, all three are not feeling particularly sanguine about the future of restaurant criticism in general. And it's not just social media to blame. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
February 27 · 35 min
Are Restaurant Critics Obsolete? Part 1
Are restaurant critics dinosaurs in the age of social media? We discuss that and more in part one of our critic's roundtable with The New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield, The Washington Post's Elazar Sontag, and The Los Angeles Times' Bill Addison. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
February 20 · 29 min
Food Critic on a Diet, Part Two: The NYT's Pete Wells
This week Pete Wells and I talk about our mutual worst food enemy, our addiction to sugar. Pete explains how the hidden added sugars in many packaged and processed foods just compound our dietary problems. We also talk about how the mixed messages we get from the government add to our dietary woes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
February 13 · 32 min
Food Critic on a Diet, Part One: The NYT's Pete Wells
On this first of two episodes featuring The New York Times's Pete Wells, the former Times restaurant critic explains how he learned to eat differently after a trip to his doctor scared the crap out of him. Yes he eats many more whole grains and avoids added sugar any way he can. But as you'll hear his health and diet journey revealed just as many unexpected truths about how to eat right. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
February 6 · 31 min
REHEAT: Kenji on Superbowl Food
For millions of serious eaters the Super Bowl has turned into a food event almost on a par with Thanksgiving. With the Super Bowl coming up we thought it would be fun and edifying to reheat last year's Super Bowl episode featuring Kenji Lopez-Alt giving serious eaters sage advice about making pizza and wings at home. I've had Kenji's wings and his pan pizza, and they are both seriously delicious and pretty simple to make. We should note that Kenji is no sports fan. In all the years I've known him I can't remember one conversation about sports. But maybe as a resident of Seattle he has found a reason to root for the Seahawks. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
January 30 · 33 min
ICE Invades Minneapolis
On this episode of Special Sauce the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Sharyn Jackson reports on the devastating effect of the ICE operation on the Twin Cities' restaurant and food community. ICE's terrifying tactics in Minneapolis have been met with many creative forms of resistance. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
January 23 · 28 min
The Magic of the Bialy
On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into the story of the not famous enough Jewish roll known as a bialy (which is far superior to its kind of distant cousin, the bagel) with the celebrated chef, Mark Strausman, who is merely one of the great bialy bakers of our time. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
January 16 · 41 min
Can Restaurants Survive In 2026
On this episode of Special Sauce the Washington Post's Tim Carman and the Los Angeles Times's Stephanie Breijo discuss the enormous headwinds facing restaurants all over the country in 2026. High food costs, tariffs, the uncertain economy, and the ICE Raids' chilling effect on restaurant workers, and business in general, have left restaurant owners wondering about their survival. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
January 9 · 34 min
Eric Asimov on Saving the Wine Biz
On this episode of Special Sauce, The New York Times's superb wine critic Eric Asimov details the many challenges facing the wine industry. He cites high prices, over-production of factory wine, and the snootiness of too many wine enthusiasts AND the people that serve and sell wine. Eric even offers his prescription for many of the problems that plague the wine biz. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
January 2 · 42 min
The Cherry Bombe Story
On this episode we talk to Cherry Bombe founder, Kerry Diamond. Cherry Bombe is a media company celebrating women in the world of food and drink. Her mission from day one has been to support women in the industry by shining a spotlight on them, sharing their stories, and bringing them together in person and virtually. As you will hear, it hasn't been easy, but according to Kerry, it's all been worth it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 26, 2025 · 30 min
Special Sauce Reheat: Hamissi Mamba and Baobab Fare
We decided to leave 2025 behind by reheating an episode from 2023 that features the remarkable Hamissi Mamba, who came to Detroit from his native Burundi searching for a better life, leaving his wife Nadia behind not knowing she was pregnant with twins. Despite not speaking English and knowing no one in the motor city Mamba has in a few short years opened a successful restaurant Baobab Fare, a food truck Waka by Baobab, and Soko, a retail business selling East African curated sauces, coffee and beverages, chocolate jewelry, and apparel. Mamba's story is especially resonant given the cruel anti-immigrant policies of the Trump administration. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 19, 2025 · 45 min
ICE Comes to Charlotte
ICE invaded Charlotte a couple of weeks ago and have wreaked their usual havoc on the vibrant food community there. Charlotte food business owner (Manolo's Bakery) and immigration activist Manolo Betancur courageously shared his own experiences dealing with ICE. ICE has completely devastated what is a thriving immigrant population in Charlotte. Joining Manolo is the terrific food writer Kathleen Purvis, who was the longtime food editor of the Charlotte Observer. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 12, 2025 · 33 min
Matcha Madness with Pete Wells
The world's gone mad for matcha, and the The New York Times's Pete Wells has the scoop on today's episode of Special Sauce. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 5, 2025 · 43 min
ICE in DC: WaPo's Tim Carman and Warren Rojas Explain All
On this week's Special Sauce the Washington Post's Tim Carman and Warren Rojas explain how ICE Raids and the National Guard deployment in the nation's capital have terrified immigrant restaurant workers and owners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 28, 2025 · 19 min
Leftovers Reheat with Kenji and Deb Perelman
Kenji Lopez-Alt and Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman discuss (what else) how they deal with Thanksgiving leftovers in this classic Special Sauce episode from 2023. Leave the meat on the bone or in the fridge or slice it off right away? Stuffing waffles, anyone? Is pie the only thing to have for breakfast after Thanksgiving? They don't always agree, but Kenji and Deb always have a great time when they get together. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 21, 2025 · 37 min
Turkey Day Reheat: Kenji and Stella Parks Take Calls from Listeners
This year for Turkey Day we reheat a gem of a Thanksgiving call-in show featuring two of the biggest turkey lovers I know; Kenji Lopez-Alt and Stella Parks. Also known as "Brave Tart". They answered serious eater's questions about anything and everything about cooking a Thanksgiving meal. Like, "Is it dangerous to cook your stuffing inside the bird?" (Kenji says the answer is yes) Or "What kind of salt to use in your pie dough?" Stella even suggests how to toast sugar to make your desserts a little less sweet! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 14, 2025 · 33 min
What's Missing From Your Favorite Chocolate Bar? It May Be Chocolate!
Many beloved candy bars are now being made without cocoa butter and here to tell us why and how the likes of Rolo, Mr. Goodbar and Almond Joy have been reformulated to exclude the plant-based fat is The New York Times climate reporter, Claire Brown. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 7, 2025 · 40 min
Taco Life in Chicago Disrupted by ICE
Over the summer we checked in with LA Taco's Javier Cabral about the scary ICE raids in L.A. and their terrifying effect on the food community there. But the situation in Chicago is in many ways equally dire. ICE raids as part of Trump's Operation Midway Blitz have terrified Latino neighborhoods in Chicago. Street vendors are scared to set up shop and many restaurants find themselves with many empty tables that were previously filled. Here to keep us up to speed about what's happening in the Windy City is the Chicago Tribune's Zareen Syed and Marcos Carbajal, the second generation Mexican-American owner of Carnitas Uruapan. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 31, 2025 · 44 min
Yemeni Coffee: The Next Big Thing?
Are Yemeni coffee shops the next big thing? On this episode serious eaters will meet Mokhtar Alkhanshali, who has braved gunfire and jail and AK-47s as he tries to bring single origin Port of Mokha Yemeni coffee to the world. His story is the stuff of movies. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Special Sauce with Ed Levine

LA Taco Reheat: Leading the ICE Resistance One Taco at a Time

Are Restaurant Critics Obsolete? Part 2

Are Restaurant Critics Obsolete? Part 1

Food Critic on a Diet, Part Two: The NYT's Pete Wells

Food Critic on a Diet, Part One: The NYT's Pete Wells

REHEAT: Kenji on Superbowl Food

ICE Invades Minneapolis

The Magic of the Bialy

Can Restaurants Survive In 2026

Eric Asimov on Saving the Wine Biz

The Cherry Bombe Story

Special Sauce Reheat: Hamissi Mamba and Baobab Fare

ICE Comes to Charlotte

Matcha Madness with Pete Wells

ICE in DC: WaPo's Tim Carman and Warren Rojas Explain All

Leftovers Reheat with Kenji and Deb Perelman

Turkey Day Reheat: Kenji and Stella Parks Take Calls from Listeners

What's Missing From Your Favorite Chocolate Bar? It May Be Chocolate!

Taco Life in Chicago Disrupted by ICE

Yemeni Coffee: The Next Big Thing?