Stories

It's no secret that the legendary Julia Child was a lover of kitchen gadgets. For Lisa McManus, who leads all the equipment testing at America’s Test Kitchen, Child's fascination with kitchen tools was inspiring, as well as entertaining. McManus talked with Managing Producer Sally Swift about Julia’s way with tools.

Avid hunter, chef and cookbook author Hank Shaw shares his thoughts on cooking pheasant - a close cousin to the chicken - and about his process of testing recipes with rare and unique ingredients.

Forgot to put your beer in the fridge before having people over for a party? Ben Robinson offers three methods for getting a beer from warm to cold as quickly as possible.

Managing Producer Sally Swift talks with Elle Simone, food stylist and test cook for America's Test Kitchen, about the Edna Lewis-inspired recipe for Chicken and Pastry, a hearty soup with a thick broth that contains bits of dumpling-like pastry.

Toni Tipton-Martin is the author of The Jemima Code, a book that analyzes the history of African-American cooking told through 200 years of black cookbooks. Francis Lam talked with her about the inspiration and encouragement she received from Edna Lewis and the affect it has had on her writing research.

Edna Lewis grew up with and was influenced by such a particular version of Southern cuisine - that of central Virginia. To learn more about the region's food, Francis Lam called on the culinary historian Jessica B. Harris.

Famed Southern chef Scott Peacock was a cherished collaborator and dear friend of the legendary Edna Lewis. Francis Lam talked with Peacock about what it was like to be in the kitchen with Miss Edna, and how her sense of observation, wonder and patience still guide his work today.

Sara B. Franklin is the editor of a wonderful collection of essays about the work, life and food of Edna Lewis. Francis Lam talked with Franklin about the lasting effect that Edna Lewis has had on the world of food, particularly how people view Southern cooking and cuisine.

Beyond her successes as a chef, author and activist, Edna Lewis was a woman with many loving friends and family. To learn more about what Miss Edna was like on a personal level, Francis Lam talked with Lewis's niece Nina Williams-Mbengue.