If you live in New York City, here’s a place you should go to eat:  Roberta’s.  It’s a skip hop from the Morgan Ave. stop on the L train in Brooklyn and well worth the trip even if you live many miles away like I do. They make great pizza in their wood-burning oven, support local farms, have their own garden and serve the kind of meat we (non-vegetarians) can feel good about eating. Roberta’s lot is also the physical home (actually housed in two shipping containers) of Heritage Radio Network, an internet-based radio station featuring a growing crop of interesting shows related to food, drink, earth, culture, etc.  Remember, I told you about it last year? I was a guest on “A Taste of the Past” today, hosted by Linda Pelaccio. Linda was one of the people involved in the early days of the Food Network (then TVFN) and is well-versed in food media and culinary history. You can listen to our conversation here. Don’t forget to check out the other great shows on HRN, too. And a trip to Roberta’s will not disappoint.

On “A Chef’s Table” today (WHYY FM 90.9), the topic was celebrity chefs. My interview was sandwiched in between “Top Chef’s” Tom Colicchio and one of the stars of Watching What We Eat, LaDeva Davis. LaDeva is as charming and entertaining (and velvety-voiced) today as she was on her PBS show “What’s Cooking?” in the mid-1970s. You can watch a clip from her egg show on the WHYY show page. Prepare to be smitten by both LaD and her retro kitchen set.

That 70s show!

If you’re in the Philadelphia listening area, “A Chef’s Table” on WHYY 90.9FM will be airing more of my interview with Chef Jim Coleman this Saturday, October 3, at noon.

I was one of four authors interviewed in the current Bitch Magazine: Feminist Response to Pop Culture in a feature called “Appetite for Deconstruction-Four writers on consuming passions.” While the article is not available online, I support you supporting Bitch Magazine. Look for it in your local independent bookstore.

Thanks to friend and Slate movie critic, Dana Stevens, I saw a screening of “Julie & Julia” earlier this week. Here’s Dana’s review along with the audio clip of us talking about the movie on this week’s Spoiler Special. Now get thee to the theater!

Chef Jim Coleman invited me on his radio show, “A Chef’s Table” (WHYY Philadelphia) this past weekend where he was celebrating all things Julia. I was honored to be part of a line-up that included Sara Moulton, Nora Ephron, Julie Powell and – especially near and dear to my heart – a curator from the Schlesinger Library which holds the papers of Julia Child and where I did an enjoyable research stint.

On a highly relevant note, I just returned from a screening of “Julie & Julia,” and without spoiling anything, I will just say that it left me with two very urgent needs: to eat Bœuf bourguignon and to go to Paris.

Meryl Streep as you know who

I was invited back to kibbitz with Beverly and Barbara, The Saucy Sisters, as they celebrate Julia Child’s 97th birthday. You can listen to the whole show here.

This Sunday’s New York Times Magazine has a cover story by Michael Pollan. The topic? Television cooking shows. Pollan’s article, “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch,” is accompanied by an interactive timeline where I trace  highlights of the genre over time. It’s like an amuse-bouche for Watching What We Eat. Enjoy!

The Joy of Julia Child

I had a really nice interview with Boston University student Liza Katz a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the result on GoodEater.org, a great blog (co-edited by a vegetarian and a meat eater) that describes itself as “the hub for information and conversation on sustainable food.”

Where is he now? "Emeril Green"

I’ll be on the air with Leonard Lopate on Tues., June 30 at 12:40pm. Tune in at 93.9FM, 820 AM or streaming online at wnyc.org. Julie Powell, the author of Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, will be on at 1pm.  “Julie & Julia,” the movie, releases August 7. In case you live under a rock, Julia is being played by none other than Meryl Streep. I’m counting the days!

Meryl Streep as Julia Child