Salt & Spine

Alison is the author of Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes and a contributor to Bon Appetit magazine and the New York Times. She also wrote Lemons (Short Stack). We sat down with Alison at our studio in San Francisco’s The Civic Kitchen to discuss her style of cooking, her advice for home cooks, the uber-viral The Cookie, and what lipsticks to pair with various dishes.

It's the final episode of our four-part Baking Week and we're joined by Cathy Barrow, Washington Post columnist and author of Pie Squared. We sat down with Cathy at the San Francisco’s The Civic Kitchen to discuss slab pies, her recipes for exciting crusts -- like the caramelized onion crust or a hash brown crust -- and tips for great pie baking at home, like avoiding that dreaded “soggy bottom.”

It's episode three of our four-part Baking Week: Magnus Nilsson. Magnus is the author of The Nordic Cookbook and his latest, The Nordic Baking Book. He's also the head chef of Fäviken, his two Michelin star restaurant 400 miles north of Stockholm. Magnus joins us to talk all things Nordic baking, his cookbooks, and more. Plus, Paula Forbes, editor of Stained Page News, shares her top baking books this fall.

It's episode two of Baking Week! Rose Levy Beranbaum has written a dozen baking books, including the iconic The Cake Bible, first published and 1988 and now in its 55th printing. Rose went on to produce other iconic works, like The Bread Bible, The Baking Bible, and Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, and now she’s back with her latest, Rose’s Baking Basics. We sat down with Rose and her collaborator, Woody Wolston, at the San Francisco’s The Civic Kitchen to talk about some tricks behind great baking, Rose’s collection of best-selling and iconic baking books, and their cookbook influences.

Episode 1 of Baking Week: Kristen Miglore is the Creative Director at Food52, where she oversees the Genius Recipes column. Her latest cookbook, Genius Desserts, is packed with 100 recipes that Kristen says will “change the way you bake." We sat down with Kristen at The Civic Kitchen—plus, we chat with Celia Sack in our From The Vault segment.

Michael and Steve are the duo behind Zahav, Abe Fisher, and other Philadelphia restaurants. Their latest cookbook, Israeli Soul, takes readers on a culinary journey across Israel; their first cookbook, Zahav, won Best Cookbook of the Year from the James Beard Foundation. We talk with Michael and Steve in our studio at The Civic Kitchen—plus, we talk with Reem Kassis, author of The Palestinian Table, about her friendship with Michael Solomonov, and we stop by Omnivore Books in San Francisco.

Nicole and Miguel are the authors of I Am A Filipino: And This Is How We Cook, as well as the dynamic duo behind Maharlika, the popular and highly reviewed New York City restaurant serving home-style Filipino food. We talk with Nicole and Miguel at The Civic Kitchen—plus, we chat with Yana Gilbuena, founder of the SALO Series, and with Celia Sack of Omnivore Books.

Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker are co-authors of Wine Food: New Adventures in Drinking and Cooking. The two friends pair their backgrounds in wine and food: Dana's a sommelier, fierce natural wine advocate and owner of urban winery Bow & Arrow and wine shop Bar Norman in Portland. Andrea is a six-time cookbook author (The Picnic, Eggs on Top, Beer Bites and collaborated on titles like Pok Pok and Six Seasons) and food stylist. We sat down with Dana and Andrea at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to talk about how the pair break down the basics of how to pair great food with equally exciting and affordable natural wines. Plus, we talk Thanksgiving food and wine. First, we head into the kitchens at Jackson Family Winery in Sonoma to cook up a squash dish that'll make a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal. Then, we talk with Stevie Stacionis, owner of Oakland wine shop Bay Grape, about wines that go great with Thanksgiving staple foods.

Yotam Ottolenghi is an Israeli-British chef, owner of multiple restaurants (including the eponymous Ottolenghi) and the author of seven cookbooks, which include the award-winning NOPI and Jerusalem. We sat down with Yotam at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to talk about his new book Ottolenghi Simple, what makes a recipe "simple," and the food and people who've influenced him. Plus, hear a special excerpt from his podcast Simple Pleasures, where he gets in the kitchen with friend and cookbook author, Nigella Lawson.

Julia Turshen is the author of Small Victories, Feed The Resistance, and her latest: Now & Again. We sat down with Julia at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to talk leftovers, her latest project Equity at the Table, and about how cookbooks can be tools for social and political change. Plus, we’re talking to Shakirah Simley about Nourish/Resist and stopping by Omnivore Books in San Francisco to chat with Celia Sack.

François-Régis Gaudry is a food critic, radio host and author of Let's Eat France! We sat down with François-Régis at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to explore where French culture and cuisine intersect and the army of food experts that informed this 432-page, 6 pound (2.7 kilo) cookbook. Plus, Paul Forbes of Stained Page News dishes on other cookbooks that break the typical cookbook mold.

Naz Deravian is the author of Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories, her first cookbook. We sat down with Naz at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to #TalkCookbooks, Persian cuisine, and the impact of today’s political climate on her work.

Nik is a cook, author, and photographer of Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food, his first cookbook. The Bombay native fell in love with cooking as a kid, but only after a move to America and a medical degree later did he begin to pursue his passion for cooking. Through his blog, A Brown Table (and later a San Francisco Chronicle column of the same name), Nik documents his exploration — and celebration — of time spent in the kitchen and how the flavors of his life influence the food he creates. We sat down with Nik at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen cooking school to talk about creating food and flavors accessible for home cooks, celebrating the small moments in the kitchen and how he proudly tells his own immigrant story through food.

Cal Peternell is the author of three cookbooks, including his latest: Almonds, Anchovies, and Pancetta. You might also know him from his two-decade tenure leading the kitchen at Chez Panisse, Alice Water’s famed Berkeley restaurant. We sat down with Cal at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to #TalkCookbooks.

Leslie Jonath is a book producer and author of Feed Your People, a big-batch, big-hearted book on serving up great food and memories with your community and those you love. We sat down with Leslie at San Francisco's The Civic Kitchen to talk latkes, cookbook trends and the importance of taking time to gather in the kitchen and around the table.