Founder of @SeriousEats, host of Special Sauce podcast, author of memoir Serious Eater: . Order it: tinyurl.com/y4vacq4q
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Ed Levine
Fore-get about It: New Jersey golf adventure was a tale of two courses
Credit: Pennsauken Country Club Fore-get about It: New Jersey golf adventure was a tale of two courses A Decrease font size. A Reset font size. A Increase font size. One of the things I enjoy about golfing is experiencing different courses and places. Except if they are in New Jersey because New Jersey scares me. It’s nothing personal.
The Back Nine: Masters of tradition — Augusta’s cathedral beckons golf’s faithful Original
While the professional golf season technically begins in January on some Hawaiian island, the real beginning is this week at The Masters. For most golfers this is when the golf season stops being polite and starts getting real. Maybe the flowers haven’t bloomed in your backyard, but at Augusta National Golf Course the flowers are a perfect explosion of color and every blade of grass is delicately manicured for the best golfers in the world.
Where to Find Great New York Slices in 2025? You Might Be Surprised. Original
Rexburg, Idaho, may be one of the more unexpected places to find a world-class slice of New York-style pizza. The windswept city, home to B.Y.U.-Idaho, is a three-hour drive from the nearest major airport and 2,200 miles from Manhattan. But from its electric oven, Righteous Slice is serving pizza that would not be out of place in Greenwich Village. With a proper char on the bottom, the slices stand up to a fold.
Special Sauce with Ed Levine: Fuchsia Dunlop on Chinese Cuisine on Apple Podcasts
This week on Special Sauce, we’ll hear about Fuchsia Dunlop’s journey from her first Chinese cooking classes to the researching and writing of her 7th book, Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food. We'll find out what she's learned about the country's history and culture in her many years of exploring Chinese cuisine, and why she says she'll never get bored of eating and writing about Chinese food.
A Chinese-American Family Food Saga on Apple Podcasts
On this episode of Special Sauce I talk to food writer Kevin Pang and his dad Jeffrey about how they bridged their substantial generation gap through their shared love of food and cooking.
JJ Goode on Hot Dogs Part 1 on Apple Podcasts
On this episode of Special Sauce we go deep into dogs, hot dogs that is, with JJ Goode, who wrote a guide to regional hot dogs styles for the NY Times. We also checked in with a few hot dog devotees and got their hot take on one of the world's most popular foods.
Baker & Activist on Apple Podcasts
This week on Special Sauce we talk to pastry chef extraordinaire Natasha Pickowicz. Natasha is as the title of her new book More Than Cake implies, much more than a baker. Natasha is an original thinker, a fine writer, and a thoughtful soul. Her path to making delicious pastries is anything but typical.
Eat Bread, Don't Make It on Apple Podcasts
This week on Special Sauce, we have a chef who suggests you DON’T try his recipes at home.It’s part 2 of my conversation with Rick Easton, owner of Bread and Salt, the casual spot in NJ that draws rave reviews for its Italian breads, pizza & sandwiches. We also take a deep dive into ‘Bread and How to Eat It’, the book Rick wrote with his partner Melissa McCart.
Kenji and Deb on the movie Fresh on Apple Podcasts
On this episode of Special Sauce we're talking about the film ‘Fresh’, which Amy Nicholson in the New York Times described as a wickedly funny cannibal romance. The movie stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan and Jonica T. Gibbs Helping me savor the best cuts of the film are two terrific food writers and film enthusiasts, J. Kenji Lopez Alt and the Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman.
Kenji on Thin Crust Chicago Pizza on Apple Podcasts
Kenji created quite a stir recently with his column on Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in the New York Times. We're gonna talk about that column and many other pizza related topics on this episode of Special Sauce.
Critic's Roundtable Part 1 on Apple Podcasts
On this episode of Special Sauce I talk to The New York Times's Pete Wells and Brett Anderson, and the New Yorker's Hannah Goldfield about what and where they ate in 2022, and where they think restaurants and the food culture in general are headed.
Wine News & Analysis
Ep. 112: Is Wine Culture White Supremacist? Er, um, yeah. Friday November 04, 2022 When we hear the term “white supremacy,” we think of despicable scumbags in pointed white hoods. But white supremacist culture is lurking right under our noses in the wine world, insidious and omnipresent. In Ep. 112, we explore the subtleties of coded language and implicit bias, and our guests help us move toward making change.
How A Southern Chef Connects to his Indian Roots on Apple Podcasts
On this episode of Special Sauce Vishwesh Bhatt, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of ‘I Am From Here: Recipes and Stories from a Southern Chef’, details his remarkable journey from India to Oxford, Mississippi.
R.A. Webber & Sons celebrates 60 years in business
Ron Webber was working for the town of Brunswick in 1962, trying to support his wife and children on $38 a week in take-home pay. At the suggestion of a friend, he decided to try making some extra money pumping septic tanks. He bought a small dump truck, outfitted it with a portable tank and began serving clients in Harpswell and neighboring towns. About a year later, he decided to make it a full-time venture.
Wine News & Analysis
Ep. 108: Hot Takes, Cold Wine Friday July 08, 2022 Is Philippe André the Jason Momoa of Champagne? Is Marissa Ross the David Sedaris of natural wine? Do you agree with Katherine that real winemakers wear muddy Carhartts? We may disagree on some things, but everyone in Ep. 108 agrees: Just put the damn ice cubes in your wine.
Special Sauce with Ed Levine: Justice Activist Jessica Ramos On thJustice Activist Jessica Ramos On the Dignity of Work & Kenji On His Wife's Favorite Soupe Dignity of Work & Kenji On His Wife's Favorite Soup on Apple Podcasts
40 min On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, NY State Senator and Food and Labor Activist Jessica Ramos returns to talk about the next set of problems she's tackling. And Kenji tells us about the Colombian soup that is his wife's favorite. 40 min
Michelle Zauner on Screenwriting and her Grammy Nominations & Kenji Weighs in on the Kinship Between Food & Music on Apple Podcasts
49 min On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner returns to talk about her two Grammy nominations and writing the script for a Crying in H Mart feature film. Plus, Kenji weighs in on the natural kinship between food and music. Special Sauce podcast 49 min
Jessica Harris On the Netflix Adaptation of High on the Hog, Plus Marcus Samuelsson on Jessica's OG Status on Apple Podcasts
40 min On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, writer and national treasure Jessica Harris talks about what's new in her world, including the wild ride she has been on since the Netflix adaptation of her book High on the Hog became a hit show. Plus, tv personality, chef-restaurateur and author Marcus Samuelsson explains why Jessica has been such a profound influence on him. Jessica B. Harris Marcus Samuelsson High on the Hog Special Sauce with Ed Levine 40 min
Special Sauce with Ed Levine on Apple Podcasts
295 episodes 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.
Special Sauce with Ed Levine
On this week’s episode of Special Sauce, we talk to the Washington Post's Aaron Hutcherson about diversity and his deep dive into MSG. It's the first segment in Special Sauce's new collaboration with The Washington Post. Plus, Kenji, Aaron and Ed all weigh in on what they eat when they're not feeling well. Aaron Hutcherson Twitter J. Kenji López-Alt Twitter
Colleagues remember former OBIFD chief as a dedicated leader
Walter M. Johnson volunteered with the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department for more than 20 years. Walter M. Johnson, a lifelong island resident who served as chief of the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department, died Aug. 11 at the age of 69. Johnson was an OBIFD volunteer for more than 20 years, responding to many fires and medical emergencies. He spent 14 years as a captain in charge of truck maintenance and operations, and two years as assistant chief before being named chief in 2015.
The Best Pizza Slices in New York City
I wrote that in November of 2002 in the New York Times. The title of the story said it all: "The State of the Slice." Recently, I started wondering about the state of the slice today. So much has changed in the last 17 years. While we've certainly witnessed a revival of the New York slice, you could also argue that it's been reinvented, all because of five perhaps inseparable factors: The explosion of food culture over the last two decades, thanks in a major way to...
A Slice of Heaven: The Pizza Belt
You've heard of the corn belt and the rust belt. But what about the Pizza Belt, the part of America that gave birth to what Jeffrey Steingarten calls Neapolitan-American pizza. The Pizza Belt starts in Philadelphia and runs through Trenton and the rest of New Jersey. It extends throughout New York, Long Island, and New Haven and ends in Boston. Think of it as the Interstate 95 belt, with a few detours along the way.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Salting Vegetables; Farmer Maggie Cheney on CSAs and Social Justice
[Photograph: D.Rooney] Much has been written during the pandemic about the increased popularity of community supported agriculture, commonly referred to as CSA. On this week's Special Sauce, we had a far-reaching conversation with Maggie Cheney, one of the owners of Rock Steady Farm, which is part of a special kind of CSA.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Smashed Burgers; Susan Spungen on Sprezzatura
[Photograph: Gentl and Hyers] On this week's Special Sauce, Susan Spungen, author of Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gathering and other books, regales us with her experiences in Hollywood as a food stylist and culinary consultant for movies like Julie and Julia and Eat, Pray, Love. What's it like to be on set and cooking for the likes of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Amy Adams? Listen and you'll find out. Susan also talks about her terrific new book.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Dried Herbs; Dan Barber on the Outlook for Small Farmers
[Photographs: Richard Boll] On this week's Special Sauce we talk to Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill, about the huge changes being brought about in the food culture by the Covid-19 pandemic. The startling conclusions he's come to are the result of a survey he and his team sent out to more than 500 farmers. The farmers' responses made it clear that the effects of the pandemic will have catastrophic consequences for many of them.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Butter; Anne Saxelby and Sheila Flanagan on Being Optimistic
[Sheila Flanagan Photograph: Courtesy of Sheila Flanagan] On this week's Special Sauce we're once again talking about selling cheese during the pandemic with cheesemonger Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers and cheesemaker Sheila Flanagan of Nettle Meadow Farm and Artisan Cheese. Without a hint of self-pity, Anne and Sheila talk about the nimbleness and the optimism required to keep their businesses going.
Special Sauce: Anne Saxelby and Sheila Flanagan on Selling Cheese During the Pandemic
[Anne Saxelby Photograph: Christine Han Photography] This week on Special Sauce we are returning to the topic of the horrendous toll the pandemic has taken on the food culture. Today, we’re talking cheese. In the first of two far-ranging interviews, I spoke to cheesemaker Sheila Flanagan, co-owner of Nettle Meadow Farm, and Saxelby Cheesemongers owner Anne Saxelby. Sheila, a former corporate lawyer, explains in excruciating detail the effects the pandemic has had on her business.
Alexander Smalls on How Food and Music Nurture Hope and Connection
[Photograph: Daniel Kreiger] "A jukebox is the musical equivalent of a well-stocked pantry," says Alexander Smalls. Poetic riffs on the relationship between food and music are par for the course with Smalls, who's both a Grammy and a James Beard Award winner (not to mention a Tony winner, too). In part two of our interview, we talked about everything from hanging out with James Baldwin and Nina Simone in Paris to the guests he'd invite to his last supper.
Chef Alexander Smalls on His Life, His Storied Career, and the Current Moment
[Photograph: Daniel Kreiger] The last Special Sauce I recorded in a studio before the coronavirus pandemic hit was with the multi-talented chef, opera singer, and restaurateur Alexander Smalls. He was just about to publish his new book, Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen. It was March 11th, and after an hour-long interview I found myself in awe of Alexander.
Special Sauce: Cookbook Author Susan Spungen on Craving Togetherness
[Photograph: Courtesy of Susan Spungen] Special Sauce has obviously changed a lot with the advent of the pandemic. But before we changed the format a couple of months ago to adapt to the times, we'd already recorded a couple of great interviews. One of them was with my old friend, cookbook writer and food stylist extraordinaire Susan Spungen. Susan's new book Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings, came out 17 days before New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued his stay-at-home order.
Pete Wells on Restaurant Criticism During a Pandemic
[Photograph: Pete Wells] On this week's Special Sauce, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells, who's been used to eating out six nights a week, tells us about cooking lunch and dinner for his two teenaged sons now that he's home every day. Pete explains that he's really enjoyed returning to the kitchen every day; he notes that he originally got into food writing because he loved to cook. I ask him if his sons appreciate his culinary efforts.
Pete Wells on Restaurant Criticism During a Pandemic
[Photograph: Pete Wells] What does a restaurant critic do when there are no restaurants to review?
Special Sauce: Why DC-Based Restaurant Owner Ezekiel Vázquez-Ger Is Feeling Optimistic
[Photograph: Courtesy Seven Reasons] According to Ezekiel Vázquez-Ger, my guest on this week's Special Sauce, everything was going swimmingly at his new Washington, DC, restaurant, Seven Reasons. The place was packed almost from the minute it opened its doors in April of 2019. A rave review followed in The Washington Post in October, and then, a month later, Esquire named it America's Best New Restaurant of the year. It even survived a fire that started at the bar next door.
Will X'ian Famous Foods Survive the Coronavirus Lockdown?
[Photograph: Courtesy of Xi'an Famous Foods] As part of our special Special Sauce series on the pandemic's effects on the various constituents of the food community, I reached out to Xi'an Famous Foods co-founder Jason Wang.
Special Sauce: Tom Colicchio on How to Save Restaurants
[Photograph: Courtesy of Crafted Hospitality] As we all try to deal with the crisis confronting us, I thought we'd follow up on the Special Sauce episodes that focused on Kenji's stories with other voices from the food and beverage industry. In the coming weeks you're going to hear the stories of farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, bartenders, servers, chefs, and anyone else in our food supply chain that should be heard from in these troubled times.
Special Sauce Tom Colicchio On How To Save Restaurants
As we all try to deal with the crisis confronting us, I thought we'd follow up on the Special Sauce episodes that focused on Kenji's stories with other voices from the food and beverage industry. In the coming weeks you're going to hear the stories of farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, bartenders, servers, chefs, and anyone else in our food supply chain that should be heard from in these troubled times.
Special Sauce: Kenji on His Food Safety Article
[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Photograph of pizza boxes: Shutterstock.] It's obviously still not business as usual at Serious Eats (or anywhere else in the world, for that matter), so we're going to continue to produce Special Sauce episodes that deal with the coronavirus pandemic. On this week's episode, we once again hear from Serious Eats Chief Culinary Advisor Kenji López-Alt. Kenji has been pitching in mightily on so many coronavirus-fighting efforts, both on Serious Eats and off.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Coronavirus and Its Impact on Restaurants
[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Editor's note: The Coronavirus story is unfolding at a breakneck pace. That means that something said that was true at the time may no longer be so. On this episode please note that Lola, the Tom Douglas restaurant in the Hotel Andra in Seattle, is now closed, as is the hotel itself. Before the sh*t hit the proverbial fan, I had the next several episodes of Special Sauce all queued up.
Special Sauce: Claudia Fleming on the Pitfalls of Your Passion
[Claudia Fleming photograph: Eric Striffler. Pound cake photograph: Vicky Wasik.] On this week's Special Sauce, I continue my conversation with visionary pastry chef Claudia Fleming. But before we get to Claudia's captivating story, Kenji fields a question from Serious Eater Joan Moore, who wants to know how long the blade on her Cuisinart food processor should last.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Vegetarian Chile Verde; Claudia Fleming on Lego Desserts; BraveTart on Banana Bread
[Claudia Fleming photograph: Eric Striffler. Whisk photograph: Vicky Wasik.] There are forgotten giants in the food world, people who have profoundly influenced what we eat, but whose names we barely know. James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Claudia Fleming is one of those people. She is the author, along with Melissa Clark of the New York Times, of The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern, which you'll find on the bookshelf of anyone who's serious about dessert.
Special Sauce: Misha Collins on Pasta With Jam Sauce and Random Acts of Kindness
[Misha Collins photograph: Michèle M. Waite. Pasta photograph: Vicky Wasik.] In part two of my conversation with Supernatural star Misha Collins, we dive into his family's eating habits, which eventually lead to The Adventurous Eaters Club: Mastering the Art of Family Meal Time, which he wrote with his wife, Vicki.
Special Sauce: Supernatural Star Misha Collins
[Misha Collins photographs: Michèle M. Waite.] One of the things I love about Special Sauce is how often I am surprised and moved by my guests. And this episode, in which I interview Supernatural star Misha Collins, who, with his wife Vicki, just published The Adventurous Eaters Club: Mastering the Art of Family Mealtime, is a perfect example. Collins had a peripatetic childhood—"I think I lived in 15 places by the time I was 15," he tells me—and often found himself living in parks and teepees.
Special Sauce: Maangchi on Being the Korean Julia Child
[Maangchi photograph: © 2019 Maangchi. Kimchi photograph: Vicky Wasik.] This week's Special Sauce features part two of my conversation with the online cooking star Maangchi, but first we get to hear from Kenji, who answered a question from Serious Eater Kyle Johnson about whether or not you can freeze the base for his white chili with chicken.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Cooking for His Kid, and Maangchi on Becoming a YouTube Sensation
[Maangchi photograph: © 2019 Maangchi. Raw fish photograph: Vicky Wasik.] Maangchi. Maangchi. Maangchi! Need I say more? On this week's Special Sauce I had a chance to sit down with YouTube cooking sensation Maangchi, who, in addition to being an inspiration to all of us here at Serious Eats, is our associate producer Grace's hero. And I discovered she's an impossibly engaging woman, as charming and disarmingly forthright as anyone we've had on.
Special Sauce: Sean Brock on the Distinction Between Happiness and Success
[Sean Brock photograph: Peter Frank Edwards. Shrimp and grits photograph: Vicky Wasik.] On this week's far-ranging Special Sauce we cover a lot of territory—and I mean a lot—of territory. We've got Sean Brock on the highs and lows of an extended stay in rehab, and the joys of parenthood; Kenji on being a Juicy Lucy skeptic; and Stella on making an olive cake so delicious and so easy it can be in your mouth in less time than it takes to watch an episode of Billions.
Special Sauce: Chef Sean Brock on the Perils of Working Too Hard
[Sean Brock photograph: Alex Boerner. Cornbread photograph: Vicky Wasik.] On the first new Special Sauce episode of 2020, we go deep and wide on a whole range of topics. First the insanely talented chef Sean Brock, whose new book, South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations, has just been published, takes us on part of his extraordinary journey as a chef.
Ed's Favorite Special Sauce Episodes of 2019
"There are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think -- spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think, and cry, that's a heck of a day." If you're a college basketball fan, you know this is what the late coach Jim Valvano said on-stage as he accepted an ESPY Award. When I was asked to name my favorite Special Sauce episodes of 2019, I immediately thought of Valvano's words.
Ask Special Sauce: Kenji and Stella Answer Your Holiday Questions
[Pecan pie and sweet potato photograph: Vicky Wasik.] This year, my wife and I managed to get through Thanksgiving without any major mishaps or blow-ups. That domestic and culinary tranquility was thanks (at least in part) to the answers Kenji and Stella gave on our special episode of “Ask Special Sauce." This week, “Ask Special Sauce” returns with even more reassuring answers to an impressive array of holiday cooking questions posed by serious eaters all over the US and Canada.
Special Sauce: Kenji on Eggs, Plus Wisdom From Two Master Bakers
[Amy Scherber photograph: Buck Ennis. Melissa Weller photograph: Courtesy to High Street on Hudson. Bagel photograph: Vicky Wasik.] In part two of my conversation with the extraordinary bakers Amy Scherber of Amy's Bread and Melissa Weller of High Street on Hudson, we take a deep dive into what makes a proper (and I would say perfect) bagel, keeping wholesale bread fresh and high-quality, as well as the balancing act required to make entrepreneurship, marriage, and parenthood work.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Ed
Contact Ed, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack