Rachel Hope Cleves has written a book full of sex and transgression. The book is all about food, the development of restaurants, and how we left some of the prejudices about good food and sex behind us in the world of foodies. Today we think of healthy eating as our path to good sex.

You can also find Rachel on Blue Sky.

If this podcasts interests you, I recommend a conversation that Rachel and I mentioned on this podcast. A conversation with John Birdsall about his book The Man Who Ate Too Much.

Do remember Saveur magazine from the 1990’s? Well, it’s back. Kat Craddock, who grew up reading and admiring the magazine, who found her first dream job working there in the test kitchen, is now the Editor and CEO.

We talk to Kat about Saveur and its new incarnation. Listen, it’s on Tip of the Tongue.

Kat’s New Book written with Dr. Marie Pierre St. Onge

Caroline Chambers has made her much deserved reputation of Substack. Her new book, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking is out there. She tells her story and muses on the future. Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

You can read more about Caro on her website.

The interview is fun and personal. The cookbook has great ideas for food that is either very easy, when that is what you need, and also food that is a bit more elaborate for when you are in the mood.

Ilan Stavans and Margaret E. Boyle have written a book, Savor Judío, which explores the influences of Jews on the cuisine of Mexico. The book is full of sidebars that explain origins and happy mash-ups that can made of a delightful new dish reflecting both Jewish and Mexican cultures.

The book discusses holiday treats and surprises like Baba Ganoush con Chile.

Ilan Stavans is Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latino Culture at Amherst College. Margaret E. Boyle is Director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at Bowdoin College.

Read more about Ilan Stavns.

Read more about Margaret E. Boyle

You might also be interested in this podcast: Tip of the Tongue Episode 183: The Sephardic Experience.

Try TIp of the Tongue Episode 169: Food & Memory

The Port of New Orleans has been importing green coffee from the Americas for centuries. Green coffee distribution has been an industry in the city for a long time. And roasting and selling roasted coffee, while a newer industry, has serious roots in the city too. And coffee shops abound. Local ones, not only national chains.

French Truck Coffee is one of those local ones that has grown from one shop to many shops, brewing coffee and selling beans, and now its own food to accompany the coffee. We talk to Geoffrey Meeker, founder of French Truck Coffee, to see what’s up with coffee. Listen. It’s on Tip of the Tongue.

If you eat breakfast in Brooklyn you have probably eaten at Ciao, Gloria. Italian baking and lots more. Renato Poliafito’s 5th book, Dolci! American Baking with an Italian Accent is out and it makes you want to bake and eat everything. We talk to Renato about baking, Italian food, and so much more. Listen, it’s on Tip of the Tongue.

There are many influences on New Orleans cuisine. It is constantly changing and adapting to all of the delicious things being brought to the city. One of those influences that has been in New Orleans since the late 70s is Vietnamese. And there are mutiple generations of people who have Vietnamese jeritage in the city cooking and eating and sharing their food. Listen to Chef Nini Nguyen as we talk about Vietnamese food, changes made by local cuisines and traditions, and the difference that generations make.

Her book, Đặc Biệt, which means “to be special” definitely describes the book itself as well as its contents. Listen to our conversation about Đặc Biệt.

Are you ready for an opera about macaroni and cheese? Will we recognize ourselves in an opera about a cooking contest with contestants representing America and the different versions of macaroni and cheese that can be found all over the country? Listen to the conversation with conductor, Josh Slater, and General Manager of the New Orleans Opera, about the opera, The Cook-Off. It is performed at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

Joshua Anand Slater is an Indian-American conductor and composer, known equally for his work in new music and for “rich, full-throated” interpretations of established repertoire. Equally at home in the concert hall and the theater, his most recent opera credits in the 2024 season include the Toronto Premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning Angel’s Bone and jumping in to lead the piano vocal workshop for Des Moines Metro Opera’s world premiere of American Apollo.

Librettist Lila Palmer is deeply committed to expanding the perspective of stories on operatic stages. Her advocacy for arts across the public sphere has led to ground-breaking collaborations with active-duty female military personnel (Dead Equal), healthcare professionals and patients (The Jewel Merchants), and several heritage spaces, including The Museum of London, The London Transport Museum, and Trebah Gardens. Her operatic work has recently been recognized with an Edinburgh Fringe Lustrum Award, and she was honored to be named an Aix-en-Provence Festival Women in Opera Professional Artist. In art song repertoire, This Be Her Verse, her song cycle with Kathleen Tagg for soprano Golda Schultz, earned critical acclaim for international premieres in Canada, Scotland, Switzerland, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Hailed by Opera News as “a new repertoire staple,” the work’s Alpha Classics album was named one of The Times 10 Best Classical Records of 2022.