Amuse-Bouche is now Power Dining!
And it's a podcast coming to Substack! (Plus, an invite to a live recording!)
Hi everyone!
As you may have guessed, this newsletter has gone through some rebranding. Amuse-Bouche, the food newsletter meant to “delight and amuse” is now Power Dining, a podcast and newsletter exploring the power structures, power moves and power DINE-namics in the world of food.
What is Power Dining all about?
Power Dining is a podcast distrubted through Substack that examines the power that food has on our society, culture and personal lives. Every other week I’ll have guest experts, chefs, and food lovers on the show to delve deeper into everything from the complex relationships we have with food, its impact on us and the world, the unexplainable beliefs about food we just can’t shake, and the overall attitudes around food.
Here are a few upcoming episodes from Season 1 of Power Dining:
The Power of Snacks with Doug Mack:
shares the unexpected backstories in the world of snacks.The Power of the American Chestnut: Jounalist, Kate Morgan, takes us on a journey through the ecological and economic impact of the blight of the American Chestnut tree.
The Power of Gelatin: Author and food historian, Ken Albala, dives deep into the cultural factors that led to the rise and fall aspics.
The Power of Culinary Travel: Having both worked as travel editors, Matt Hershberger of
and Kae Lani Palmisano discuss the impact that travel (fueled by travel media and social media) can have on communities around the world.The Power of Brewing: Beth Demmon of
talks about women in the beer industry and the power of whisper networks.The Power of Fermentation: Julia Skinner, author of Our Fermented Lives and
talks about fermentation and its ability to preserve food, sovereignty, history and culture.
Subscribers will have access to all new episodes. Paid subscribers will get all new episodes, PLUS extras including extended interviews, bonus episodes, and more.
Episodes start airing May 24th, 2023 and will be available here on Substack as well as other podcast platforms.
To give you a little taste, here’s the trailer for Power Dining:
Come to a live recording of an episode of Power Dining!
To help me celebrate the launch, Broad Street Review and I are recording a live conversation about The Power of Food Media. I’ll be joined by Margaret Eby (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Alisha Miranda (Eater, Resy, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Billy Penn) and Kyle V. Hiller (Broad Street Review), who will be moderating what is sure to be a lively discussion.
Tickets are $30. Join us May 25th at 5:30pm at Indy Hall - Community, Clubhouse, & Coworking. We’ll also have snacks from Soul & Busan!
Why the change?
If you’ve followed me for a bit now you’ll know that I “create in motion,” meaning my projects tend to evolve. I like to start with a broad topic and, overtime, see what themes and messages emerge.
When I look over my body of work including Check, Please! Philly on WHYY, Delishtory on PBS Food, and the articles I’ve written for Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Billy Penn, Resy and various other publications over the years, there is a common thread tying almost everything I make together: I like to subvert people’s expectations by examining history, culture and socioeconomics through the lens of food.
It’s why when I create a food guide I make an effort to highlight places you have either never heard before or ever considered (I got so much flack for my Bon Appétit cheesesteak guide for listing an ethiopian, a Korean and a Mexican take on the Philly classic). It’s why Delishtory confronts how food also fueled colonization, whether we’re talking about cinnamon or vanilla and chocolate ice cream. It’s why when we talked about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Check, Please! Philly we dedicated an entire episode to the restauranteurs who were impacted the most: women of color.
Food is a powerful force that shapes us as individuals as well as the world we live in. And if there’s one thing I want people to take away from my work, it’s to recognize those power structures that continue to impact us and, through that awareness, use that power for good.