April 2022
You never know what you're going to find over that second cup of coffee
Hi all —
Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn / keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.
Tacos, Chart Toppers, and Charlotte
It’s been a ritual for years. Every so often, over that second cup of coffee, I scan the podcast charts for arts and food shows to see whose topping them. Scrolling and curious, sipping as I go, and occasionally adding new shows to my listening cue.
And this month, when I went a-scrolling, I saw this.
Instagram story of first time I saw The Southern Fork on the Apple Food Podcasts chart.
After seven years, this month The Southern Fork landed on the US Apple Podcasts charts for the first time, debuting at #50 for food podcasts. It’s a wild stat for an independent show without any network or publication behind it, and it’s all thanks to those of you who subscribe, rate, and write a review, tell a friend about the show, tag the show on social media, or allow the show an active link in my bio. The numbers on these charts change by the minute (think Billboard) but the show is consistently ranking in the top #200 food podcasts in the US. And that’s a stunner of a number when there are 2 million + podcasts and counting.
Beyond the mic, I also had a significant editorial month. First up, my first byline for Garden & Gun showcases a Chef Eddie Herndandez tour of some of the best Mexican eats on Atlanta’s Buford Highway, punctuated by Matt Taylor-Gross’ sparkling photography. And yes, I ate all those tacos!
And I had the distinct pleasure to interview Jacques Pépin again (here’s our podcast interview if you missed it), this time for Saveur. The article is titled Jacques Pépin Is the Teacher and His Ultimate Apprentice is America, and it involved interviewing him on Zoom from my kitchen table while he was sitting at his kitchen table. Watching the video later in order to get the quotes right was difficult — the recording captured me smiling (mostly goofily) the whole time.
Episode Updates
Orlando Pagán of Wild Common in Charleston, SC was diagnosed with MS a few years ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his culinary passion. He was nominated for a James Beard award this year.
Charcuterie isn’t just beef and pork, and Eric Montagne of Locals Seafood in Raleigh, NC and I chat how the craft of butchery can support the seafood industry as well. There’s also some discussion (per usual for this show) of French fries!
Some of Charlotte’s hottest chefs have Jesse Leadbetter & Erin Bradley of Freshlist to thank for bringing them the goods that make them great. Jesse and Erin, along with their team, help get the products of more than 200 farmers into the hands of chefs who are itching to use it.
And one of those Freshlist chefs is Ashley Boyd of 300 East in Charlotte, NC, who describes herself as a “restaurant kid for life.” In taking the executive chef reigns for the family business, she’s taken the restaurant from already great to regional powerhouse.
Have you left a review yet on your preferred podcast app? Please take the time to do so if you can. EACH and every review makes the show more important to advertisers and podcast platforms, and helps the show get discovered by new listeners, both of which support the sustainability of the show. Thank you!
Other podcast episodes I like right now: There’s a great business brain behind that blonde wig that I’ve always admired, so hearing Dolly Parton on WorkLife with Adam Grant was a treat. And I’ve mentioned the South Carolina ornithologist Drew Lanham in this newsletter before, but he popped up in a recent episode of On Being, talking the nature of observation, history, and what it’s like to be a nature lover who is also a black man. Of course, I had to listen — you might like too, too.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. This month? Taxes. It’s the yearly reckoning of the creative person’s chicken and egg dilemma: “I really need more accounting help to afford more accounting help.”
Cooking soundtrack album: We Are, John Batiste
Best thing I cooked this month: Sausages on the grill from local Charleston butcher Ted’s Butcherblock. I added some grainy mustard, grilled onions, and good buns, and we ate like royalty on a Monday night.
Until next time,
Steph
Always fun to hear about new food venues!