It’s no secret that students and Chef Instructors at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts are passionate about food, education, and personal development.
When not studying, teaching, or practicing, we love talking about food and sharing stories. Whatever your interest, there’s a podcast for you. Here are ten of the top podcast series we recommend for current and aspiring culinarians.
1. The Ultimate Dish
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention our own podcast. Hosted by our own incredibly talented and personable Chef Kirk T. Bachmann, President of the Boulder campus and Provost, The Ultimate Dish dives into various facets of great food, with inspiring stories and deep-dive talks along the way. We feature many of Escoffier’s own Chef Instructors as well as other distinguished guests from across the industry and beyond.
What’s unique about the podcast is that in addition to successful chefs and bakers, we also host authors, entrepreneurs, food influencers, educators, and more. We cover a wide range of topics that’ll leave you feeling inspired and encouraged on your journey — like how to run a Michelin-starred restaurant, sustainable farming techniques, why chefs ride motorcycles, and how mistakes can help you grow as an entrepreneur.
Listen to The Ultimate Dish here.
2. The Sporkful
The tagline of The Sporkful says it all: “It’s not for foodies, it’s for EATERS.” Sound like you? This podcast might be right up your alley.
Host Dan Pashman is a two-time James Beard and Webby award winner who, in 2021, invented the pasta shape cascatelli, which Time magazine named one of the Best Inventions of the Year. Pashman’s guests include world-renowned chefs, culinary experts, and even comedians, with podcast topics covering everything from diet culture and imposter syndrome to hunting down hard-to-find native fruits.
3. Gastropod
If you’re fascinated by the history and origins of certain foods or ingredients, this is the podcast for you. Hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley meld science and history to cover topics ranging from the health implications of Omega-3 fatty acids to whether insect guts are the secret ingredient for making the best kimchi.
Graber and Twilley both boast extensive journalism credentials. Graber was a Knight Fellow at MIT and Twilley wrote a book in 2021 that was named among the year’s best by Time magazine, NPR, The Guardian, and The Financial Times. The pair takes listeners on virtual field trips around the world. They interview experts, visit labs and fields, and sometimes swing by archaeological digs to understand how the ancients grew food.
4. The Splendid Table
The long-running The Splendid Table is a spinoff of a popular 1994 book of the same name by food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rosetto Kasper. It debuted as a Saturday morning radio call-show in Minnesota in 1995 before becoming syndicated on hundreds of public radio stations around the country a couple of years later. The current host is award-winning writer Francis Lam, who “hosts our nation’s conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture and introduces us to generations of food dignitaries,” according to the website.
Past topics include an episode with drag queen Kim Chi, discussions with frozen burrito royalty, tips for pairing wine with junk food, and a deeper look at the foods that connect us regardless of culture.
Listen to The Splendid Table here.
5. Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Host Christopher Kimball, one of the founders of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated magazine, brings together top-notch guests and experts in this wide-ranging podcast that covers a host of fascinating topics.
From the show description, “Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio goes anywhere and everywhere to ask questions and get answers about cooking, food, culture, wine, farming, restaurants, literature, and the lives and cultures of the people who grow, produce, and create the food we eat.”
You also can’t beat the teaser on Spotify, which says stories include “children who harvest cod tongues after school in Norway and a detective who tracks down food thieves. And on Milk Street Radio, you can always find the unexpected: a visit to the Museum of Failure, the joys of eyeball Jell-O and how to eat your way through Italy.”
Listen to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio here.
6. Table Manners with Jennie & Lennie Ware
A UK-based mother-daughter duo get together at mum Lennie’s house each week—save for the pandemic-era episodes on Zoom—to talk music, culture, and politics while having a bite to eat and maybe more than a little to drink. Oh, plus celebrities – the likes of Cher, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Dolly Parton, and Sam Smith have dropped by for interviews.
The two women published a cookbook in 2020 filled with recipes they’ve made for their guests. The book description mentions sausage and bean casserole they made for Sheeran, a drunken crouton and kale salad for chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and blackberry and custard tarts they served food writer Nigella Lawson.
7. Gravy
This podcast is all about original narratives from the world of Southern cuisine. Created by the Southern Foodways Alliance, Gravy covers some of the more diverse aspects of the history behind Southern cuisine, from Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken to the blend of Mexican cuisine in Arkansas. You’ll visit Alabama and the Carolinas, hear from Floridian Cuban Americans, and talk about tempeh with Indonesian immigrants in Houston.
8. The Food Chain
Produced weekly by the BBC, The Food Chain “examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.” Ruth Alexander, a senior journalist for the BBC, is the presenter (they don’t refer to her as a host).
At 300 episodes and counting, this cerebral podcast covers a lot of ground, including pesticide exports, the rise of private chefs, and whether the right foods can help you live to 100.
Listen to The Food Chain here.
9. Dinner SOS
Ever have a dinner emergency and wish you had a pro to call upon? That’s the idea behind Dinner SOS, in which Bon Appetit food director Chris Morocco fields questions from home cooks and provides two solutions. The caller then chooses one and reports back on whether the advice helped.
Recent episodes include a healthy reset after traveling; picky eater therapy; birthday menu for a tiny apartment; and a recipe for a brownie that’s not too sweet.
10. Radio Cherry Bombe
This podcast is a must-listen for women in the culinary industry. Each week, host Kerry Diamond features female chefs, bakers, entrepreneurs, and other creatives who are shaping the future of women’s role in the industry.
Tackling some tough topics and sharing stories from the culinary road, you might find parts of your own life — or that of someone you know — in these episodes.
Listen to Radio Cherry Bombe here.
Have Something to Share? Now It’s Your Turn.
Do you work in a restaurant or run a food business? Or perhaps you have specialized knowledge about a specific food or technique? Consider becoming a guest on one of these podcasts by getting in touch with the podcast host or creator to share your story.
Podcasters are always on the hunt for new content, and being featured as a guest speaker is a great (typically free) marketing strategy for building your business or culinary career.
And if you want to find out more about furthering or starting your own food journey, contact us for more information about attending culinary school.
WANT MORE CULINARY RESOURCES TO CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY OF LEARNING? TRY THESE ARTICLES NEXT:
- 7 Books All Chefs Should Read According to Professional Chefs
- 7 Best Pastry Arts Books According to Pastry Chefs
- 5 Best Cooking Shows According to Professional Chefs
This article was originally published on June 17, 2015, and has since been updated.
