Keep It Quirky Podcast

This year in October, I was invited to be a judge for the World Cheese Awards! (Yes, it was as epic as it sounds.) This podcast episode is a recap of my experiences there.The World Cheese Awards are put on my the Guild of Fine Food, and they're in a new country each year. This past year it was in Bergamo, Italy, and 3,800 cheeses were tasted!I talk with Mary Quicke, of Quicke's Cheddar, and she describes why she developed the professional cheese qualification in the UK, the Academy of Cheese.I also got the chance to catch up with Jason Hinds, Sales Director at Neals Yard Dairy. As a member of the international super jury of the awards, he has a unique perspective on the goings on of the event.So, which cheese won? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out!!It's a short and cheerful episode. And on this festive note, I want to say happy holidays to you all! This is my last episode before Christmas and the New Year. Thanks, as always, for listening, and please rate/review if you liked it. Keep it qu

Polly Russell is a food historian and curates the Food Season at the British Library, an annual series of events. In her role as curator of Contemporary Politics and Public Life at the British Library, she curates a variety of events, but all of her work looks at the world through the lens of food. She has a PhD in Food! (Her doctorate looked at food and the politics of identity in post-war Britain.) She writes a fantastic column for the Financial Times called “The History Cook,” and has presented for the BBC's "Back In Time..." television series.I absolutely loved talking with Polly, and I'm thrilled to be sharing the audio from one of the Food Season events that she curated: Women In Cheese, hosted by Bronwen Percival (of Neal's Yard Dairy), who interviewed Mrs. Ruth Kirkham and Carrie Rimes -- both incredible cheesemakers. So after my chat with Polly, stick around to listen to panel discussion.By keeping curiosity at the forefront and by resisting boundaries in her work, Polly Russell curates events that a

"Go for the weird and wonderful," Lydia Harrison told me, and it just may be the best wine advice I've ever heard! Lydia is a Master of Wine -- the incredibly rigorous qualification that less then 400 people have worldwide. She's also a teacher at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, WSET, and she taught me when I took my Level 2 Awards.In this episode, I give you sense of what it's like taking a certification course at WSET (thanks to my seat mate Tom for chatting for the pod, too!), and Lydia and I have a more in-depth conversation about the world of wine, and also answering the questions you all sent me on Instagram that you wanted me to ask! We try not to get too nerdy on you (sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't).To find out more about WSET's qualifications and where to study to go to www.wsetglobal.com.--WSET--Instagram & Twitter // @wsetglobal @wineducationweekWebsite // https://www.wsetglobal.com/Lydia Harrison on Instagram // @lydiaharrisonMW --Keep It Quirky--Instagram // @ke

Jessica Hammer founded the company Taste of Toulouse, which gives walking food tours in English in the city center of Toulouse, France. As an American, she and her husband moved to France a couple years ago and she has hit the ground running ever since. We talk about what it was like starting a business in another (non-English-speaking) country, and resources she tapped to make that transition as smooth as possible. We also talk about mental health and emotional intelligence as an entrepreneur (important!). She says she learned time and again what we all know about ourselves: “I’m stronger than I feel like I am sometimes.”Another part of our conversation that I loved was our chat about introversion and extroversion. Either way you swing, we talk about how recognize how you refuel and find energy is key to a happy work life and personal life.The warmth and hospitality in Toulouse and southwest France is remarkable, and I had such a great visit there -- in large part thanks to Jessica’s help in my research

It’s the 50th episode of the Keep It Quirky podcast! Woohoo! I can't think of a better guest to celebrate the big 5-0...Fuchsia Dunlop is one of my culinary and literary heroes. Her memoir, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read -- and the fact that it’s full of tantalizing food descriptions and recipes is the cherry on top! The new edition of it has a foreword from the fabulous Bee Wilson (a British food writer and historian). Fuchsia has won 4 James Beard Awards for her work. From Sichuan Cookery (which in the US was published as Land of Plenty) to Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, and more, she has shared Chinese food culture with the masses. Some of her other work has appeared in the New Yorker, Saveur, Lucky Peach, Financial Times and Gourmet, and you’ve probably seen her as a guest on Netflix’s Ugly Delicious with David Chang, and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. If you can’t tell by now, Fuchsia is a fo

Katie Parla is a Rome-based food and beverage author/writer/food journalist/cookbook author and guide. She also cohosts a fantastic podcast, GOLA, with a woman named Danielle and they deep-dive into everything food & drink in Italy. Katie recently released her newest cookbook, “Food of the Italian South,” in which she tells us how those southern regions of Italy differ in personality (and food!) from the rest of the country.We discuss the role language plays in her life and career (she’s fluent in Italian). We also talking about staying true to yourself and values as a writer, especially when the gray area of brands pops in. One of my favorite quotes of hers: “I made a conscious decision to not act as a public relations agent of brands a long time ago. I just say what I believe in, and that’s not always popular, but I’m okay with that.”She also tells us some great Romanesco insults, and she teaches us how to say keep it quirky in Italian! It’s a fun episode -- I hope you enjoy it! --Katie Parla--Inst

Rebekah Peppler is a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author (of "Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way), food stylist, recipe tester and all around badass. She splits her time between Paris, LA and NYC and is currently working on a second cookbook, "À Table." She also wrote an article for the New York Times about the Aperol Spritz that blew up the internet, called "The Aperol Spritz Is Not a Good Drink."We talk in her Paris apartment about the fantastical and clichéd things that really do happen in Paris, we chat about how food (and drinks) are personal, how the adage "fake it 'til you make it" is sometimes the best way to go, and how we both handle anxiety when it comes to tackling a big project -- like writing a book!, which is something we're both in the midst of right now.Rebekah is awesome; I loved having a microphone on this conversation, which was, honestly, like one we'd have over a glass of wine or during apéritif.You can follow Rebekah on Instagram at @rebekahpeppler! See acast.com/privacy for

This episode is not all about yoga -- but it is with one of my favorite yoga teachers in London, Mollie McClelland Morris. We use yoga as a jumping off point to understand the creative life and more happily move through -- and create in -- this world.We talk about being incremental about change, following threads of interest, "movement snacks" and the act of creation. I'm sure this conversation will give you a lot to think about and hopefully some tips to enjoy each day a bit more.Thanks to triyoga for letting Mollie and I record this episode in your Shoreditch space! --Mollie McClelland Morris--Instagram // @mollieyogaWebsite // www.molliemorris.com --Keep It Quirky--Instagram // @keepitquirkypodcastKatie Quinn on Insta & Twitter // @qkatiewww.youtube.com/TheQKatie Don’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter! Go here: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I start this episode with some BIG NEWS! I'm writing a book!! (HarperCollins William Morrow will publish it in spring of 2021!) I give a quick breakdown of what it's about, and how it relates to today's guests....First up, I talked with the founder of Natural Born Wine, Oli and Sam. They began their wine importing company three years ago, a career shift for both of them (they came from a writing background). I love their story of how they got into this path, which is unexpected and delightful, and we talk about what it means for a wine to be a natural wine, and the principles behind wines that are biodynamic. I also talked with Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy. Westcombe’s beloved Cheddar is made in Somerset, England (the area that’s home of Cheddar cheese!). He and I talk in their Cheddar maturation cave about what it means to make cheese with raw milk, the concept of farming with flavor, and why he's not a cheese elitist.In this episode, I wove together the wine and cheese interviews because I wanted to make a

Frankie Celenza is a video personality and cook, with a hugely successful Tastemade show called Struggle Meals. In this episode we talk about how his career evolved from studying music production in college (where he would cook Italian meals in his dorm and sell plates to his classmates), to producing/hosting/shooting/editing a food television show for his local New York television station … to being one of the most recognized faces in the digital food space.We talk about finding momentum in your career and the importance of keeping in motion, how A.D.D. and dyslexia didn’t stop him from pursuing his passions and finding his genius, why you never make “it,” because “it” is a moving target, and his bicycle wheel metaphor for career strategies and visualization.Frankie's the bomb. I hope you enjoy the episode! Show notes : Video that Frankie and Katie did together for Tastemade:https://www.tastemade.co.uk/shows/along-for-the-ride/frankie-and-katie-in-athens-as-in-ohio Katie’s video about British

Alexandra -- who goes by Alex -- DiPalma and Kenya Anderson founded Domino Sound, a podcast production company that puts its values front and center: elevating the voice of, and working with, queer people and people of color. In this conversation, we get into how the company began -- and the "jumping off the edge" to make it happen.It was a really fun conversation, we just immediately clicked. It was such a joy to get to know Alex and Kenya. I hope from this episode you’ll get some tips of how to find your business niche and knowing who your audience is (and who your audience isn’t), and inciting loyalty among those people. They are awesome creatives and entrepreneurs who maintain their sense of self as they navigate the media business. They prove that you can be successful and follow your dreams, and stay weird :)Enjoy the episode!Show notes : The Podcasting Fellowship -- podcastclub.linkThe Business of Food Workshop -- thebusinessoffoodworkshop.com--Domino Sound // Alex & Kenya--Instagram // @domin

Mike Greenfield is a passionate cook, teacher, on-camera host and filmmaker. He's one half of the Brothers Green Eats duo; what began as a little YouTube channel with his brother Josh, the show now has 1.3 million subscribers and has had major spin-offs, such as a series on MTV International.A decade into this career, Mike continues to find inspiration in teaching people how to be self-sufficient in the kitchen, and loves deep-diving into things like sourdough bread baking and making kombucha. He has created courses -- video tutorial series -- which are separate from his YouTube content, to help people get on their feet with these sometimes tricky fermented items and other kitchen skills.Mike and I talk about timeless food content, his journey of trying to stay authentic on YouTube and why he defines himself as not just a food host, but a filmmaker (rightly so).Show notes :Watch the YouTube collaborations Mike and I have done in the past:Beginner's Guide to Curing Meat at Home -- https://youtu.be/VGZch3T_Qy05

Michael Harlan Turkell is the author of the travelogue cookbook "Acid Trip." He has also co-written and photographed many cookbooks, most recently "The Offal Good Cookbook" (with chef and coauthor Chris Cosentino). He is an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching food photography AND he puts on Japanese sumo-inspired events called SUMO STEW. As if that's not a full enough plate, he’s also a podcaster with Food Seen, Modernist Breadcrumbs (both on Heritage Radio Network) and Food 52’s Burnt Toast. He says he’s not a renaissance man, though I would beg to differ. On top of all these things -- and most importantly -- Michael is a generous soul, a born teacher... inclusive with things he has learned. In this conversation, we talk about everything from profound taste memories to his life theory of exploration and constantly being a student. He tells us what some of the basics of food photography that he teaches in his course and why he thinks fermentation is be accessible to all. We recor

Anastasia Miari is a writer, with a Guild of Food Writers award under her belt, and she’s also one half of the team behind the incredible project and soon-to-be cookbook called Grand Dishes, which features stories of and recipes from grandmothers all around the world. (Iska Lupton is the other half of Grand Dishes.) I snagged Anastasia when she was swinging through London from her current home in Athens, Greece.Aside from her epic Grand Dishes project -- which is starting a #grannymovement -- Anastasia writes a lot about travel and food. She first began in the industry writing about fashion, but has organically made the transition to travel writing, which of course includes food. It’s safe to say that these writing beats are also an expression of her main passions in life.We hear about how Grand Dishes began, what it’s like to live in Greece, her jam as a freelance writer, and the many joys of getting to know some of the world’s most interesting, lovable, talented and yes, quirky, grandmothers around.-- Show

Liz Schaffer founded Lodestars Anthology indie travel magazine 5 years ago. Australian-born Liz moved to London to be a writer 8 years ago and ended up starting her own publication and thereby making a space for other writers and photographers to explore and express.In this episode, Liz and I discuss the realities of creative life and tackle what imposter syndrome really is, revealing it for the ways it can work to our advantage. Her honesty and curiosity is infectious -- I loved this chat, and I hope you enjoy it, too!-- Show notes --Madeleine Wisecup’s podcast, “The Wise Consumer” features discussions with impact entrepreneurs, whose mission is to use their businesses /organizations as forces for good.  Instagram // @thewiseconsumerWebsite// http://thewiseconsumer.com/Michelle Obama on imposter syndrome: www.good.is/articles/michelle-obamas-fascinating-admissionLory Martinez, the storyteller/podcasting producer based in Paris, France: www.lorymartinez.com-- Liz Schaffer & Lodestars Anthology -- Ins

My guests in this episode roam the world for their careers; sharing stories around the globe with their audiences. They have "the dream job," but there are also some challenges. We dig into the pros and the cons, all of it.Rachel Rudwall is an Emmy-nominated storyteller and adventurer, having living in 3 countries and travelled to over 70 nations.Collette and Scott Stohler are a husband and wife team, not just in their travels but in their business, Roamaroo, which shares stories of fun and wellness everywhere on earth.-- Rachel Rudwall --Instagram & Twitter // @rachelroamsWebsite // www.rachelroams.com-- Scott & Collette, aka Roamaroo --Instagram & Twitter // @roamarooWebsite // www.roamaroo.com--Keep It Quirky--Instagram // @keepitquirkypodcastKatie Quinn on Insta & Twitter // @qkatieDon’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter! Go here: http://eepurl.com/dNtAx2  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today’s guest is Pippa Murray who, 5 years ago, founded Pip & Nut, which is “arguably the brand that kicked off the nut butter revolution” in the UK [The Independent].Pippa began her career in the creative arts! In her early twenties, she was working as a theater producer when she started her nut butter side hustle -- making various peanut and almond butters at home and selling them at a local market.Pippa shares how rewarding it was to start this business and also how her brand has developed over the years. “The power of design and creativity should never be underestimated,” she says. We also talk about carving out time and space for creativity, even/especially as a sole entrepreneur.Something that is increasingly important to me in the products I buy is the sustainability factor as well as social responsibility, and Pippa and I talk about how Pip & Nut puts efforts toward doing good as a business. Pip & Nut not only has a range of nut butter flavors, they also produce nut milk, they published a

Dane Hopkins is the Dairy Director at Lynher Dairies, the lauded cheese producer in West England, Cornwall. Lynher Dairies makes the cheese that was Supreme Champion at the World Cheese Awards in 2017, an alpine-style cheese called Kern. Another cheese they make is Cornish Yarg (wrapped in nettle leaves!!), which is also a multiple award-winning product and is a beloved representation of their special corner of the world. They also make a great cheese called Stithians.Lynher Dairies is a farmhouse cheese and their Supreme Champion Kern is a 'nutty and savory farmhouse cheese with sweet endnotes' (quoting my Food52 article that accompanies the video I hosted for them, linked below)...so what IS farmhouse cheese, anyway?! I set out to answer that question for you in this Keep It Quirky mini episode, with the help of not only Dane Hopkins, but also Gareth Hewer, who works in the maturation team at London's preeminent cheese shop, Neal's Yard Dairy.Dane and I also talk about how he develops recipes for new cheese

My guest today, Lana Citron, is an Irish author, scriptwriter, poet, teacher (and sometimes stand-up comic!). Her most recent book was just released, “Edible Pleasures: a Textbook of Aphrodisiacs," so what better time to talk with her than on the eve of Valentine’s Day?We begin by talking about the fascinating universal experience of aphrodisiacs, which appears in every society worldwide, “The relationship between food and sexual desire goes back to time immemorial,” she says. (Although kissing is not universal! She explains that). She also talks about the correlation between eating and kissing.We also talk about the varied experiences she has had throughout her less-than-traditional career path, and the day-to-day of her life as an author. Lana follows her curiosity to delve into each new project and we chat about what she has learned about humanity and sensuality in the process. Regarding the importance of stories in life, she says, “We have a thirst for it as humans. We want stories. Everything we do is in

Jeremy Pang is the chef and co-founder of School of Wok, London’s only cookery school for Chinese cuisine. Jeremy grew up in London and was initially on track to a career in biochemical engineering. *record scratch* He career path then took a few different twists and turns before he enrolled in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu and then started School of Wok, at the time a mobile cookery school. That was a decade ago, and now School of Wok not only has established a brick-and-mortar cookery school in central London, but has expanded into products, like woks and meal kits, which are sold at grocery stores around the UK. He has also authored two cookbooks and he has a YouTube channel with over 75k subscribers where he teaches a lot of his favorite Chinese dishes in a way that’s super accessible for everyone.We talk about how he first propped up the business, leaning a lot of friends and family for support, and how even as a successful small business, there is constant growth, evolution, and learning. When you’r