Episode notes
In New Jersey, the tomato is king. Almost a century ago, a scientist at Rutgers University developed a variety that became the tomato that lined grocery store shelves for decades. Now, Rutgers scientists are at it again.
Podcast
The Sporkful
Dan Pashman · Food & Cooking · English
3x James Beard Award winner. Named one of TIME's 100 Best Podcasts Of All Time. We obsess about food to learn more about people. It's not for foodies, it's for eaters. Hosted by Dan Pashman, inventor of the viral pasta shape cascatelli. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of T
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E921 · 18 Sep 2026 · 41 min
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E920 · 14 Sep 2026 · 34 min
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E919 · 11 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Why Won’t Anyone Invite Michael Pollan To Dinner? (Reheat)
You know that friend of yours who rails against the evils of high fructose corn syrup? The one who’s obsessed with where every single morsel of their food comes from? Writer Michael Pollan — author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Food Rules, and Cooked — may have made your friend like that.
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E918 · 7 Sep 2026 · 37 min
After His Father’s Murder, Carlos Frías Found Solace In Miami’s Ventanitas
Fernando Frías was a successful cafe and restaurant owner in Havana, but when Fidel Castro came to power, the government nationalized Fernando’s businesses and imprisoned him when he tried to leave the country. Eventually he got out, settling near Miami like so many other Cuban expats. Even though Fernando never went back to Cuba, he was always searching for pieces of his homeland in the Cuban-American community in Miami.
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E917 · 4 Sep 2026 · 31 min
"No Murder, Yes Pork Chops," Says Comic Negin Farsad (Reheat)
Negin Farsad loves to negotiate. And when it comes to negotiating, nothing is off-limits — even religious law. "I feel like Allah would be like, 'Get the pork chop but don't kill anybody,'" the Iranian-American Muslim comedian and host of Fake the Nation says. This week, Negin uses her lamb kebab to school us on campaign finance reform.
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28 Aug 2026 · 18 min
The Single Mom Who Changed Myrtle Beach Dining Gets Her Due
When Dan had to plan his mom’s big 80th birthday dinner, he knew just where to take the whole family: Myrtle Beach, SC. The group of ten celebrated at Hook and Barrel, a sustainable seafood and wine restaurant owned by restaurateur Heidi Vukov, who’s a legend in Myrtle Beach. She started out as a single mom who opened a small bakery, and 31 years later became the city’s first James Beard semifinalist.
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E915 · 24 Aug 2026 · 45 min
Why Are People Hooked On A Fake Food Delivery App?
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E914 · 21 Aug 2026 · 32 min
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E913 · 17 Aug 2026 · 48 min
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E912 · 14 Aug 2026 · 44 min
The Rise, Fall, And Redemption of Belgian Waffles (Reheat)
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