Heritage Radio is the food-focused internet radio station that broadcasts from a studio attached to Roberta's in Bushwick. Every week, many of the big players in the food world host and appear on shows, and oftentimes they reveal interesting tidbits about their work. Here's a guide to five notable pieces of programming from the last week:
1) The Morning After with Uncle Boons: Ann Redding and Matt Danzer of Uncle Boons hit the HRN studio to chat with Jessie Kiefer and Jen Tullock of "The Morning After." Here's Redding on the challenge of hiring staff for the restaurant before the place gained any sort of notoriety:
It was tough from the beginning trying to get people to come in and be behind it. You hear Thai restaurant, and people were like 'Eh, I don't want to work there.' So when I started advertising on Craigslist, at first it was like 'Cool, Trendy Neighborhood Restaurant' and I wouldn't tell them it was Thai until they got in, just try to slip it by in passing.
2) Exotic Table with Aliya LeeKong: Chef Aliya LeeKong, Chef and Culinary Creative Director at Junoon talks to Cathy Erway of "Eat Your Words" about her newest book Exotic Table: Flavors, Inspiration and Recipes From Around the World to Your Kitchen. Here's LeeKong on the art of borrowing flavors respectfully:
At the end of the day, if you're not saying you're creating a traditional dish, or recreating a traditional dish?it's not about 'elevating' some cuisine, which I find really condescending. It's paying homage, but through your way of cooking. It's really about seeking flavors out or seeking a specific ingredient out, or a technique that you see is used in a different cuisine, and using it in a way that you want to use it.
3) Brooklyn Greenmarket Wheat: Maia Raposo of Brooklyn Brewery stops by "Beer Sessions Radio" to chat with host Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy's No. 43 about their Greenmarket/GrowNYC collaborative beer, the Greenmarket Wheat:
We don't make a lot of special beers at Brooklyn Brewery, so we have to believe in the mission of the beer and what it's all about. We've been supporters of the Greenmarket both as individuals and a company for a long time. For a beer like this the big issue is dealing with the yields of the grain and wondering how the grains will work with our system.
4) Good Times at Gotham Bar & Grill: Mitchell Davis sits down with Gotham Bar & Grill's managing partner Bret Csencitz and pastry chef Ron Paprocki to talk about the core elements of the quintessential upscale neighborhood restaurant. Here's Paprocki on his inspiration:
I like to keep an approachable aspect to my desserts. I want people to walk away and think that everything is tasty. I want to bring in flavors that are reminiscent of my childhood and not scare people off.
5) Boston's Jamie Bissonnette's Plans to Expand: The Finger on the Pulse guys, aka Greg and Darin Bresnitz, invite Jamie Bissonnette of Boston restaurants Coppa and Toro to talk about his plans for NYC expansion:
There's things that you can get down here that are more readily available?cool seafood that doesn't come from here. [In Boston, we] use all New England seafood, and down here you don't use as much New England seafood, but there's a lot of cool imported stuff. We're still in the developmental stage with that.[Photo: Jamie Bissonnette at Stella/Jamie Rogers]
— Peter Henry
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