Karen Katz is a veteran executive TV producer and writer with over 1500 hours of television programming to her credit. Her illustrious career includes producing for networks such as Food Network, Discovery Networks, HBO Family, and more.

She has worked on competition, lifestyle, documentary, reality, children's TV, and music/variety programming both domestically and internationally. Karen was the executive producer of Emeril Live during its pinnacle, and experienced firsthand the whirlwind of excitement, chaos, and creativity that unfolded behind the scenes. Karen’s new memoir, "Getting Sauced: How I Learned Everything I Know About Food From Working in TV is a backstage pass into the enthralling world of early food television, seasoned with humor, heart, and a dash of culinary magic. I loved this book!

Karen's upbringing in Long Island, where Lipton Soup Mix and orange juice reigned supreme in the kitchen, laid the foundation for her flavorful adventures. From humble beginnings to haute cuisine, her narrative charts a course from Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks to Michelin-starred delicacies, offering readers a taste of the glutton-to-glamour transformation that defined her culinary evolution. Let’s have a listen to Karen Katz!

Our guest today is Lisa Ekus, founder of The Ekus Group, a literary agency specializing in “representing a world of culinary talent.” She has over 40 years of experience representing a wide selection of food personalities, writers, cookbooks, restaurants, and food products. The agency she founded represents more than 350 authors and works with numerous leading publishers worldwide. A sought after expert and agent, Lisa’s media training, which was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” helps culinary professionals improve their media presentation, video, and interviewing skills, traveling globally to present seminars, workshops, and panels. She has hosted everyone from Julia Child to Emeril Lagasse in her kitchen and at her table.

Lisa sees food as the common denominator that brings family and friends together, and she sits down for dinner as often as possible with her family, friends, and clients. Last, but not least, she also is the proud owner of more than 7,000 cookbooks. The Guinness Book of World Records just awarded Lisa the honor of holding the largest personal cookbook collection in the world. A Kochleffel of the first order! Let’s have a listen.

We are thrilled that our very first guest on Kochleffel is none other than Joan Nathan, the doyenne, the epicenter of Jewish cooking. Joan is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and other publications. She is the author of twelve books, including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won both the James Beard Award and the IACP Award, and King Solomon’s Table, which won an IACP Award and a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. She shares her time between Washington, DC, and Martha's Vineyard. We spoke with her as she was on book tour with her new memoir, My Life in Recipes. And what a life it is! We are so proud to call her a Kochleffel!