Flavorphiles

Do Cookbooks Still Matter with Matt Rodbard

Do cookbooks still matter, or have they become expensive decorations for people who mostly cook from TikTok? This week on Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry crack open the cookbook shelf to ask why we buy cookbooks and what they still give us that the internet can’t. We start with the strange joy of owning cookbooks we may never use, then talk with Matt Rodbard about how cookbooks actually get made and how they shape food culture.  Then we look back at cookbooks as the original food internet — part instruction manual, part status symbol, part cultural record. Finally, we dig into the books that earn their place on the shelf, from the practical workhorses to the ones that just make us want to cook. Amuse Booze is a strange liquor we only read about in a book before tracking down a bottle.  For a full list of all the cookbooks recommended in this episode see flavorphiles.com and look for this episode. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

Show Me The Money

Why is everything so expensive? This week on Flavorphiles, we’re talking about the money behind the meal. First, food professor Sylvain Charlebois joins us to explain what’s really driving food prices, why grocery bills and menu prices keep climbing, and whether things are likely to get better or worse from here. Then, Tanner pulls back the curtain on restaurant profit math. A packed dining room on a Saturday night might look like a gold mine, but once you factor in labor, rent, prep time, food costs, broken equipment, and all the invisible expenses, the reality is much tighter than most people think. After that, we talk about how to get the most out of your money when dining out: why appetizers can be the best part of the meal, when big groups work in your favor, what’s worth splurging on, and what you can probably skip. Finally, we get into the cash vs. cashless debate. Is it annoying when a restaurant tells you how you’re allowed to pay? Absolutely. But there are real reasons restaurants make those choices. Plus, Tanner and Grace have a special announcement. This episode is all about price, value, and why the check at the end of the night tells only part of the story. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

On the Job

How do you actually get started in the restaurant business? This week, we’re going behind the scenes of the jobs that make restaurants work — from the first kitchen shift to the first night behind the bar, and all the chaos in between. We start in the kitchen with the big question: is culinary school worth it? Tanner breaks down the pros and cons, how professional kitchens are organized, and what those jobs are really like once service starts. Then we move to the front of house to talk servers, bartenders, barbacks, hosts, and why some of the least celebrated jobs are often the ones holding the whole place together. From there, we get into the owner’s side of the business: raising money for a bar, figuring out staffing, and the uncomfortable question of how — or whether — you’re going to pay yourself. Plus, Short Order Cooking is back with last meals, famous musicians, and Jerry putting Tanner’s mind-reading abilities to the test. The Amuse Booze this week is a Bourbon Sidecar. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

The Ick: Restaurant Habits That Make You Undateable

This week on Flavorphiles, Tanner and Jerry are making The Ick List — the restaurant habits that instantly make someone less attractive. A dinner date is not just about dinner. It is a test of manners, taste, generosity, patience, curiosity, and whether you can treat a server like a human being. From filming every dish to saying “I know the owner,” we’re breaking down the food behaviors that ruin the vibe. Then relationship expert and sexologist Shan Boodram joins the show to talk about dating performance, spicy food, and why people pretend to like things they don’t. After that, Tanner lays out the green flags: how to order well, share well, handle problems gracefully, and be the kind of person people actually want to sit across from. Finally, we head to the internet for food-centered dating hot takes involving shellfish allergies, chicken fingers at fancy restaurants, stolen fries, and whether an expensive restaurant is too much for a first date. Amuse Booze: Adios MFer — a drink that is absolutely unhinged to order at the start of a date, but maybe exactly right once the night has earned it. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.

Hot Dogs: The Rules, The Rituals, The Glory

This week on Flavorphiles, we’re giving hot dogs the serious culinary examination they obviously deserve. Tanner and Jerry start with a Hot Dog Martini — made with “dirty hot dog water” gin, mustard oil, pickle oil, and a poppy seed/celery salt rim — before breaking down what actually makes a great dog: the meat, the snap, the bun, the toppings, and why ketchup may be the enemy. Then Eric Mittenthal, President of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, joins the show to walk us through the official hot dog etiquette guide. After that, competitive eater Katie Prettyman takes us behind the scenes of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, from training and stage pressure to how someone even gets started in competitive eating. Finally, we travel the world through hot dogs — from Chicago and Sonora to Iceland, Japan, and beyond — and declare the one we think deserves the crown. Hopefully it inspires your next cookout. Thank you for listening! Join us again every weekend for more food inspired fun. Have questions you want answered, comments to make the show better, do you want to join our growing list of radio stations partners, or just keep in touch? Let us know at Flavorphiles.com.  Follow on Instagram: Flavorphiles: https://www.instagram.com/flavorphilespod/ Tanner: https://www.instagram.com/tagaragar/ Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorphiles All episodes produced and owned by Tanner Agar. All rights reserved.