BFF with the Chef

Today, I'm interviewing Elaine Benoit, the blogger and podcaster behind Dishing with Delishes, a podcast where she dishes with other successful food bloggers to find out their tips and tricks to help others in the space reach the next level. Elaine started by blogging at her site, Dishes Delish because she wanted to share her food and cocktail recipes with the world. To Elaine's surprise, it was her cocktail recipes that became so popular that she tripled her traffic in less than 4 months

Today I’m interviewing Julia, the blogger and photographer behind Julia’s Recipes, a blog that’s dedicated to sharing her passion for food and her deep love of baking. Julia got started in the Summer of 2016, and she’s amassed more than 10,000 followers on Instagram alone. A self-taught baker, Julia seeks to share her vision of love in every bite by showcasing the homemade meals she’s prepared with fresh and local ingredients.

Today I'm interviewing Chef Ryan Peters. A former restaurant owner and now the current sous chef at Fish nor Fowl located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After short stints in both Florida and Pittsburgh working under chefs such as Chef Kevin Sousa at the Former Salt of the Earth in Pittsburgh. Ryan opened his own restaurant inside of a Pittsburgh food hall. Ryan has also stodged at some of the best restaurants around the country to include one month at the famed French Laundry in Yountville, California.

On this week’s mini episode, I share five cooking tips that I've learned from my podcast guests. The show is on hiatus this week, but will be back March 6th with a new episode. I’ve been using these tips since I have been interviewing guests here on the show. They've really changed the way I cook. I've learned so much from these people. I really highly recommend if you want to improve your cooking, go back, listen to season 1. Start listening to season 2. You will learn a lot. I know I have.

Today, I’m chatting with Jo Thrasher from Jo Eats, a blog that chronicles her recipes and musings on daily life. Jo is a self-taught home cook who pretty much loves all things food. She’s obsessed with creating, photographing and sharing beautiful and accessible recipes with her readers. And, in just 12 months, she’s managed to grow her Instagram account to more than 1,800 followers despite working a full time job.

This week’s guest is Meeta Arora, the blogger behind Piping Pot Curry; a blog that is dedicated to showing you how to make simple and easy recipes. A former computer engineer, Meeta is now a full time blogger who primarily focuses on Indian food; her love of global cuisine such as Italian, Thai, and Mexican, amongst others, also occasionally shows up in her repertoire. Meeta strongly believes that everyone has an inner chef and that we just need some inspiration to explore ingredients and create great foo

This week’s guest is Amy Lauren Pottinger, the self-taught chef, food blogger, and caterer behind Caviar and Crayons, a food blog and catering service that focuses on elevated comfort food. Amy gained national attention when she auditioned and landed a spot on season 13 of Food Network Star. Since the show Amy has continued to grow her business and brand, while remaining rooted in her love of food.

This week’s guest is Emmeline Kemperyd, the blogger behind Always Use Butter, a blog that’s dedicated to bringing quick, easy and healthy-ish recipes that are designed to make sure her readers eat delicious every day. A Stockholm based foodie and management consultant, Emmeline was raised in a Swedish American household in Stockholm, where her international palate was first cultivated by her American Dad.

This week’s guest is Ridhima Gugnani, the blogger behind Everything Dessert, a blog that focuses on the sweet treats that she loves to make. Ridhima originally fell in love with baking when she was just 10 years old when her grandmother taught her how to make a sponge cake. A visual communications designer by trade, she fell in love with food photography, which led to her starting her blog in June of 2018. In less than a year, she's gained more than 5,000 followers.

This week’s guest is Madalaine McDaniel, the blogger and YouTube host of Lakeside Table. A channel that is dedicated to showing you how to make simple and tasty recipes each week. A native of Saint Louis, Madalaine was a former medical sales rep, and a single mom that started out cooking by listening out for the fire alarm, however, after meeting her husband Jerry, and moving with him and his family to rural Illinois, she decided to buckle down and learn to cook.

This week’s guest is Olivia Hersey, the owner of LivFit Training, a company dedicated to helping women and men meet their fitness goals. Olivia has been living the dream in Hawaii, where she's been a certified personal trainer since 2014, and she's also a group fitness coach at F45, a high-intensity interval training student. Liv is also an avid foodie and takes her meals quite seriously. She aims to have her clients have a healthy and balanced approach to nutrition so that they can meet their goals.

Have you ever wondered what cookbooks a food podcaster loves? Join host Nicole Schwegman as she shares & explores her top 10 cookbooks of 2018! From no-knead breads to incredible smashburgers courtesy of the Baking Steel, sinfully delicious brownies, pad thai to incorporating more vegetables into your meals, delicious Persian meals, reimagined roast chicken, how to make elevated gourmet meals for one, odysseys of food and heritage, to divine pies and wine pairings, there’s something for everyone!

Join host Nicole Schwegman on a recap of BFF with the Chef’s first season and our 13 amazing guests! Hear the best cooking tips, recipes and eating advice shared by chefs and bloggers Jen Wooster, Emily Wilson, Riz Asad, Ben Myhre, Brenda Sickles , Nick Hortense, Haylie Abele, Andris Lagsdin, Madison Surdyke , Wendi Spraker, author & food critic Morgan Murphy, Kathleen Phillips, and Sandy Axelrod.

This week’s guest is Andris Lagsdin, the chef and inventor of the Baking Steel. Andris started out as a chef, but gave up restaurant life to work for his family Steels business, where he had the brilliant idea to create a Steel surface to cook pizza. Andris spent 16 months tinkering with a prototype before he started his first Kickstarter, which was wildly successful. Andris is also the author of Baking With Steel: The Revolutionary New Approach to Perfect Pizza, Bread, and More.

This week’s guest is Jen Wooster, the creator of the healthy food blog, Peel with Zeal. Both Jen and her husband, who she affectionately calls Mr. Peel, suffer from different autoimmune diseases. She has Celiac Disease, while Mr. Peel suffers from a more serious diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. They both follow the Wahl's Protocol, which Jen blogs about each week. Both she and her husband invite their readers to join them as they create healthy recipes that focus on healing your body through food.