Mole is a sauce derived from spices, dried chilies, seasonings, cocoa, and more. Each mole is different, and many are passed down from prior generations. Today we have the honor of speaking with Chef Bricia Lopez about her family’s incredible journey from Oaxaca to Los Angeles, the importance of community, and how she is keeping her family’s traditions alive. Then we take a trip back to Boonville, California, to speak with Krissy Scommegna & Nacho Flores about his childhood memories of Mole and how Boonville Barn Collective tends its chilies each year. Watch our interview on YouTube HERE ..read more

Christian Petroni, chef and TV personality, shares his love for parmesan cheese, what he refers to as the "undisputed king of cheese." He walks through its flexibility and versatility, from grating and microplaning to shaving and slicing. Giacomo Veraldi, CEO of Ambrose Food USA, a leading parmesan cheese producer and importer, details the history of the cheese, the aging process and color profiles, and its everyday use in Italy. Follow @christianpetroni @ambrosicheeseusa @ingredientinsiders This episode is sponsored by Ambrose Food USA https://www.ambrosifoodusa.com/ In partnership with Th ..read more

Please enjoy this episode from the Ingredient Insiders Archive! Self-described ramen junkie Ivan Orkin, owner of Ivan Ramen, shares the philosophy of the ramen noodle - from falling in love with the ramen noodle in Tokyo, Japan, to opening up his famed slurp shop in New York City. Sun Noodle President Kenshiro Uki talks about the noodle company's relationship with chefs like Orkin, the art and soul of making fresh ramen noodles, and the company's fascinating family history. Follow @ramenjunkie @sunnoodles @ingredientinsiders This episode is sponsored by Sun Noodle https://sunnoodle.com/ In ..read more

Please enjoy this episode from the Ingredient Insiders Archive! Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton of Mozza Restaurant Group joins from her restaurant kitchen to talk all things mozzarella and shares some of her favorite recipes with the ingredient. Stefano Bruno of di Stefano Cheese, a family-owned​ dairy company in Southern California, reflects on their tradition and passion for making cheese and the introduction of burrata to chefs in the United States, including Silverton. Follow @nancysilverton @distefanocheese @ingredientinsiders In partnership with The Chefs' Warehouse, a specialty f ..read more

While miso isn't an ingredient commonly associated with Italian cuisine, Chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow reveal how miso plays an integral role in the menu at their restaurant Flour & Water in San Francisco. Supplying the miso to Flour & Water and many restaurants in the San Francisco area are Kevin Gondo and Eleana Hsu from Shared Cultures. These small business owners, foragers, and fermentation experts detail how they became interested in foraging and more! Watch our interview on YouTube HERE! Follow @thomasmcnaughton @ryanpollnow @sharedcultures @ingredientsinsiders @whe ..read more

Single Thread Farm, Restaurant, & Inn is a 3-Michelin Star powerhouse helmed by Chef Kyle Connaughton. Today we dive deep into California tomatoes and how his wife, Katina Connaughton, farms their bountiful array of vegetables for their restaurants. We then speak with Hugo Gomez of Munak Farms to talk about his family’s farm, selling at the California farmer's markets, and how they are meticulously growing some of the best tomatoes in the world. Watch our interview with Kyle on YouTube HERE! Follow @kyleconnaughton @singlethread @ingredientsinsiders @wherechefsshop In partnership with ..read more

Chef Nicole Brisson has an incredible story, from leaving home at 14 years old to completing her culinary degrees at Johnson & Wales University to moving to Italy at age 21 and working for Fabio Picchi at Cibrèo in Florence and Chef Dario Cecchini’s butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini, in Tuscany to moving across the country to Las Vegas and building her culinary career to new heights. We also have a returning guest, Rolando Beramendi from Manicaretti Italian Foods! Chef Brisson and Rolando deeply appreciate Cruschi peppers and the sweet, even herbaceous, note they bring to dishes ..read more

Umami is more than a buzzword you’ve heard in the last decade. It’s a savory note, a depth of flavor that takes a dish or component and enhances it with that extra pop, and nothing brings that flavor quite like fish sauce. Mark Andelbradt, Executive Chef and Culinary Director, sits with John and Andrea in the stunning Lotus of Siam restaurant in the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas to talk all things fish sauce. Then we take you around the world where Cuong Pham and Tiffany Pham, the father/daughter duo of Red Boat Fish Sauce, are recording from Vietnam and give us the amazing backstory of how th ..read more

In this episode, we sit with a Portland rockstar, Chef Gabriel Rucker. Gabriel holds multiple James Beard awards, was Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” in 2007, and owns Canard and Le Pigeon restaurants. Then we sit with Bob Ambrose and Sergio Saravia at La Belle Farms, a 40-acre, family-run duck farm located in Sullivan County, NY, to talk all things duck and foie gras! You can watch our interview with Gabriel on YouTube HERE! Follow @ruckergabriel @labellefarm @ingredientsinsiders @wherechefsshop In partnership with The Chefs’ Warehouse, a specialty food distributor that has been purveyi ..read more

We continue our California tour in San Francisco to speak with Liz Prueitt about all things honey! Fresh off the 20-year anniversary since starting Tartine, Liz brings us inside her decades-long journey in the bread and pastry world, her father’s beekeeping days, and how honey has endless possibilities to enrich our food, coffee, and more! Joining the honey talk is Ted Dennard of Savannah Bee Company, also celebrating 20 years in the business! Ted is a bee expert who is passionate about education, sourcing honey from beekeepers across the world, and creating an impact through The Bee Cause Pr ..read more