Shows
Every Day is a Food DayIt's Wine Crime time: Introducing "Vinfamous"!Hi Listeners! We know you love all our food crime and scandal stories - so how about some wine crimes? We're excited to introduce you to the new podcast Vinfamous, from Wine Enthusiast magazine! As we say, every food you love has a story. That goes for every drink you love, too - especially wine. These stories reveal hidden histories and techniques, flavors and passions. Sometimes they unravel our darkest desires in stories that can only be described as Vinfamous. Brought to you by Wine Enthusiast and hosted by Ashley Smith, each episode d...2023-04-2602 min
Every Day is a Food DayGingerbread: Oh Snap!It's our Season Finale, Listeners! And it's also the holidays! So we're celebrating the end of 2022 with one of our favorite festive foods: GINGERBREAD! Our Chef-Creator Lia Ballentine kicks things off with a brief history of gingerbread, the medieval monk that helped make it popular in Europe, and how food hero Amelia Simmons introduced the first American gingerbread recipes in her pioneering cookbook, “American Cookery.” Plus, Lia tells us about the best days to celebrate the sweet and spicy treat, and the unbelievable gingerbread houses you can see at the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina. In the...2022-11-161h 00
Every Day is a Food DayFilipino Food: "Ang Sarap!" ("It's Delicious!")Mabuhay, Listeners! October is Filipino American History Month, and we're excited to celebrate with a special Filipino food episode! Our Chef-Creator Lia Ballentine shares her Filipino culture with us and dives into her culinary heritage with stories about her favorite family dishes, traditional ingredients, and how Filipino food is becoming mainstream in America (even though Filipinos have been in this country since the 1580s!). Plus we find out which celebrities are secretly Filipino (Bruno Mars! Darren Criss! A quarter of the Black Eyed Peas!) Then in the Deep Dish, our Foodlospher Anna Van Valin unveils another hidden figure in...2022-10-271h 05
Every Day is a Food DayPeppers: Comin' in Hot!Hi Listeners! Anna and Lia are ready to get jalapeño your business, because this episode is all about Peppers! In the Deep Dish, our Foodlosopher Anna Van Valin takes us through the science of what makes Chile peppers spicy, the chemical chain reaction that's triggered in your body when you eat a spicy pepper, and why in the world we keep eating a food that hurts to eat! Anna also tells us about pop culture pepper craze and how the latest YouTube challenges involving eating hotter and hotter peppers have contributed to the gendering of this spicy fruit! B...2022-08-311h 09
Every Day is a Food DayWho Let the (Hot) Dogs Out?Hi Listeners! Anna and Lia are about to get frank with you, because this episode is all about Hot Dogs! Prepare to play detective as Anna Van Valin, our Foodlosopher, helps us solve the mysteries of the mystery meat in the Deep Dish: Is the mismatch between the number of buns and wieners in a pack a conspiracy? Is the Hot Dog a sandwich? And the question we’re all afraid to ask: Why do we call it a hot “dog”??? But first, Lia Ballentine, our Chef-Creator, gives us the history of the frankfurter and how it became a classi...2022-07-201h 04
Every Day is a Food DayCookies: Double Stuffed - Part 2!We’re back with Part 2 of “Cookies: Double Stuffed” Get ready for an extra deep Deep Dish with our Foodlosopher, Anna Van Valin, as she dives into one of the most epic food business rivalries in history: the century-long battle between Oreo and Hydrox. When a ruthless lawyer and two bitter baker brothers collided at the beginning of the 20th century, it led to the creation of the very first food conglomerate, a world-changing invention, and the most popular cookie on earth. She tells us which cookie really came first (it’s not the one you think!!) and how some of...2022-06-2959 min
Every Day is a Food DayCookies: Double Stuffed - Part 1!There’s DOUGH much we want to tell you about cookies, we had to do it in two episodes! In Part 1 of this epic two-parter, Anna and Lia share their fondest cookie memories and tell us how letting their creativity go wild with cookie decorating was important part of their holiday traditions growing up. They also debate Oreo cookie eating methods — the twist and the dunk — and prove there’s no such thing as moderation when it comes to these sweet treats. Then Lia Ballentine, our Chef-Creator, digs into cookie history, presents the “cookie vs. biscuit” debate, and goes through an e...2022-06-2159 min
Every Day is a Food Day"A MEAD-ing of the Minds" with Drinking Horn MeadcastThis is a crossover episode you MEAD to hear! Our Foodlosopher Anna Van Valin and Chef-Creator Lia Ballentine have joined forces with Evan Anderson and Nick Irvine of the Drinking Horn Meadcast to discuss (and DRINK) mead! Evan and Nick tell us all about the world of making and drinking this ancient fermented honey drink at their Meadery in Flagstaff, AZ, the care and feeding of bees, mead’s better-for-you buzz and why it’s good for the planet. Then Anna tells us how every culture has a version of “honey wine” - from the Celts, to Ethiopia to the Anci...2022-05-181h 12
Every Day is a Food DayPretzels: Get it TwistedAnna and Lia are tied up in knots — delicious, doughy knots — because this episode is all about pretzels! Lia Ballentine, our Chef-Creator, starts us off with the pretzel baking basics and tells us how changing the dough’s pH by boiling it in baking soda or dropping it in a lye bath (that’s right, a lye bath) is essential to achieving the perfect pretzel taste and texture. She takes us through the multiple pretzel-related food holidays on the calendar, including National Pretzel Day, which is day loved by all - especially our hero Stanley from The Office. Plus, she tell...2022-04-121h 05
Every Day is a Food DayOysters: a Mysterious and Tragic Dramatic ReadingOverture, curtains, lights! Prepare to be mesmerized by Anna Van Valin’s and Lia Ballentine’s portrayals of the moving characters in this highly-lauded short play written by the world’s most creative storytellers — at the FDA. That’s right, in this bonus episode, we’re performing our much anticipated (and requested) dramatic reading of “Carlos’ Tragic and Mysterious Illness: How Carlos Almost Died from Eating Contaminated Raw Oysters.” In our episode, “Aphrodisiacs: Foods That Put us in The Mood,” our Foodlosopher Anna told us all about the FDA’s campaign to warn people about the dangers of eating raw oysters...2022-03-2309 min
Every Day is a Food DayHoney: 2 Queens, 1 HiveAnna and Lia have gotten themselves into a sticky situation - because this episode is all about honey! First, Lia Ballentine, our Chef-Creator, tells us about the food holidays honoring our favorite all-natural sweetener like National Honey Month, as well as the hard-working bees that produce it. She also shares a bit of Norse mythology surrounding the origin of mead (the original mythical ingredients included blood and knowledge), and she reveals a swarm of famous women you may not know were beekeepers, like Michelle Obama and…Maria Von Trapp? Plus, hear about the summer Lia spent painting th...2022-03-1559 min
Every Day is a Food DayAphrodisiacs: Foods That Put us in The Mood!!Welcome back, Listeners and (food) Lovers! Cue the love songs, because romance (or something like it) is in the air as we kick off Season 3 talking about Aphrodisiac Foods! In this episode, Lia Ballentine, our Chef-Creator, digs into the most popular Valentine’s Day foods, including a sexy pasta dish that looks suspiciously like a “noodle ring,” why steak is considered more romantic than pork or poultry, and how boxes of chocolate became such an in-demand Valentine’s Day gift. Plus, she reveals the terrible truth: “Friends” has been lying to us about lobsters for years. In the Deep Dish, our Fo...2022-02-141h 02
Every Day is a Food Day"Another Round of Firewater!": Our Top 5 Foods from PortugalThe wine! The pastries! Co-host Anna Van Valin is back from a monthlong adventure in Portugal, and she’s giving us her Top 5 food (and drink!) experiences in this special episode. We get the lowdown on local flavors, hear about dreamy Portuguese “petiscos” from hidden cafés tucked away in ancient walled cities, and find out why some of the cobblestone streets in Lisbon are so darn sticky. Anna also reveals why the best pastries come from convents, some fascinating facts about port wine (did you know there’s four kinds??) and introduces us to the infamous “aguardiente” — also known as “firew...2021-11-1047 min
Every Day is a Food DayAnna is Eating Her Way Through Portugal!We’re finally going on a field trip! Co-host Anna Van Valin is in Portugal for a month and she’s sharing all the delicious things she’s eating (pastries!), drinking (wine!) and discovering (ancient stuff!) with us. Follow her culinary adventures on Instagram at @FoodDayPod, and join us for our first Instagram Live this Friday Oct 8 at 12n PT to find out whether she’s tried Portugal’s world famous seafood (...probably not). To see more from Anna's Iberian vacay (including some stellar Castle Porn), follow her @annavanvalin. Obrigada!Connect with us: Follow ...2021-10-0601 min
Every Day is a Food DayAs 'Murican as Apple PieIt’s our Season Finale, so we’re slicing into the most iconic American food - Apple Pie! In the Deep Dish, Anna Van Valin gets to the core of how Apple Pie became a symbol of the US of A and what it means to be “as American as Apple pie.” She shares the history behind pie’s rise in popularity in America, including the spread of apples across the colonies thanks to Johnny Appleseed (a real person!), the shift from savory to sweet pies in the 1800s, and how Apple Pies became a comfort food for the pioneers m...2021-07-271h 22
Every Day is a Food DaySalad: Let Me See That TongWe’re all dressed up and turning over a new LEAF - because this episode is all about Salad. No really, trust us! First Lia Ballentine tells us all about National Salad Month, National Egg Salad Week (yep, a whole week!), and the real person (ahem, the woman) behind Hellman’s Mayonnaise. Then she’ll take us back to Tijuana to hear the history of Caesar Salad, and learn about the dressing so mysterious they made a documentary about it. But that’s just the tip of the ICEBERG! In the Deep Dish, Anna Van Valin gives us an intro to...2021-07-131h 07
Every Day is a Food DayTakeout: Let's Get Carried Away!We've just delivered you a great episode - join us as we unpack the surprising stories behind Takeout! In this episode, you'll hear about Anna & Lia's Covid-fueled takeout habit, and their adventures with drive-thru alcohol joints (of dubious legality). Then Lia Ballentine tells us how the discovery of a snack bar in the ruins of Pompeii means that Takeout has been around since the old (like really old) days, how the COVID-19 pandemic changed our dining experience so much that Takeout finally got is own national food holiday (that's how you know it's important), and the history behind the...2021-06-291h 07
Every Day is a Food DayMargaritas: Sippin' on Satan's PlaygroundGood news: we finally found that lost shaker of salt! Grab your tequila and slice up some limes because in this episode, Anna and Lia are talking (and drinking) margaritas! First, host Lia Ballentine introduces us to a scholarly puppet who teaches us about National Margarita Day, then she spills the controversial origin stories of this classic cocktail. She’ll also tell us about the genius behind one of America’s most prized inventions: the Frozen Margarita Machine. In the Deep Dish, host Anna Van Valin serves up the story of how Prohibition led to tequila being smuggled from Mexi...2021-06-151h 05
Every Day is a Food DayBarbecue: Hot Grill SummerThis week, Anna and Lia get fired up as they put the bae in bar-BAE-cue! Hop in your covered wagon as Anna Van Valin takes us on a trip through the American Barbecue Belt, from the Carolinas to Texas. We explore the influences and histories that make each region’s BBQ style so unique, like the indigenous Tainos’ method of slow cooking spiced meat, George Washington’s obsession with barbecue parties, and the African-American man who put Kansas City on the BBQ map. On the way, she gives handy pro-tips to maximize your BBQ experience (rule of thumb: the yellowy...2021-05-251h 04
Every Day is a Food DayFeelin' Spiky About PineappleAloha! Today we’re feeling spiky about one of our favorite fruits: pineapple! First, we'll hear about hosts Anna Van Valin and Lia Ballentine’s adventures with pineapple, including Lia's ride on the Pineapple Express and Anna's memorable DoleWhip experience at a conference called MurderCon held at Disneyland (you read that right). Then Lia tells us how International Pineapple Day got started as a joke, why pineapples were one of history's most coveted and expensive fruits, and how the pineapple became a symbol of hospitality, friendship and…swingers. In the Deep Dish, Anna explores how pineapple became Hawaiian (because it wasn...2021-05-181h 08
Every Day is a Food DayArsenic & Eggnog: Poisonous Foods with Danny MurphyFollow us into the danger zone! Today we're talking about something a little bit different and a lot more deadly: POISONS! In this supersized episode, we're bringing together our love of food stories with our addiction to true crime, and we’ve enlisted Danny Murphy, host of NOT ANOTHER TRUE CRIME PODCAST, as our accomplice - er, special guest. First, host Lia Ballentine tells us about a few holidays celebrating some everyday foods with poisonous potential, including a Japanese seafood delicacy (and underutilized emoji) more toxic than anthrax. She also introduces us to "extreme eaters" who dare to eat som...2021-05-111h 33
Every Day is a Food DayFrench Fries: Our Favorite Side PieceWe’re back! Today we’re getting salty as we kick off Season 2 talking about the true hero of any fast food meal, the French Fries! But first….are they even French? Lia Ballentine tells us about the national food holidays celebrating French Fries and honoring the sacred potato (our favorite tuber), including some very passionate mashed potato wrestlers. Plus fries’ international origin story, an 18th century Frenchman’s marketing campaign to build love for the spud (#spudlove), the enslaved chef who brought french fries to America via the White House and the early 2000s "controversy" about its name (remember "f...2021-05-041h 08
Every Day is a Food DayEating Our Fair Share: County Fair Foods with Counter ProgrammingIt’s a crossover! That’s right: Anna and Lia have joined forces with Arielle and Shira of the podcast Counter Programming to discuss a topic near and dear to our hearts (and taste buds) — county fairs! In this special episode of Every Day is a Counter Day (or is it Counter Food Programming Day?), Arielle and Shira talk about the history of county fairs, then Anna and Lia go deep on the main reason people go to them: the food! Learn more about how these “jollifications” got started, the craziest foods you can find, and meet the man behind your...2021-04-2851 min