Shirley Chung is a Top Chef finalist, French Laundry veteran and José Andrés darling. In 2024, she was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer, and it changed her life. Shirley talks about the diagnosis she almost missed, the treatment that saved her tongue, and what it felt like to slowly, painstakingly relearn how to taste. Along the way: an unlikely connection with Grant Achatz, who went through the same thing 19 years earlier and became her north star through the worst of it. She would go on to helm Night Rooster, her modern Chinese restaurant in Dallas, which she opened during recovery. Join Shirley and Kate for this incredibly inspiring story.

Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and please help us grow by leaving us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts.

Follow Mark on Twitter at @bittman, and on Facebook and Instagram at @markbittman. Want more food content? Subscribe to The Bittman Project at www.bittmanproject.com.

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Toya Boudy is back. Since her debut cookbook came out in 2023, life has thrown a lot at her: divorce, her mother's health struggles, sobriety, and raising three kids. Her new book, Cooking from Scratch, is the result of all of it. Kate and Toya talk about rebuilding after everything falls apart, and about Malinda Russell, a free woman of color who published a cookbook in 1866 and packed it with everything her community might need to survive. Toya believes Russell came to her for a reason.

Check out all these incredible recipes from Toya's new book, Cooking from Scratch:

Crispy Potato Salad: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/crispy-potato-salad/

African Spinach Stew: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/african-spinach-stew/

Plain Cake: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/plain-cake/

Homestyle White Beans: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/homestyle-white-beans/

Oyster Dip: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/oyster-dip/

Mini Crawfish Pies: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/mini-crawfish-pies/

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The father-daughter duo talks to our father-daughter duo about their new cookbook and why it's special – and what it was like working on it together. Plus, Courtney's "recipe detective" journey and Al's take on The Morning Show – and Mark's on The Bear.

Get the recipe for Everything-Bagel and Lox Strata on The Bittman Project: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/everything-bagel-and-lox-strata/

Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and please help us grow by leaving us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts.

Follow Mark on Twitter at @bittman, and on Facebook and Instagram at @markbittman. Want more food content? Subscribe to The Bittman Project at www.bittmanproject.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.