From Public Radio To Podcasting To Pasta And Beyond
Dan Pashman joins the cookbook world with Anything's Pastable
Welcome to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If this is your first issue, I’m so happy that you’ve joined us. I noticed that some of you found CulinaryWoman through
and so thanks for signing up. I’m glad our regular readers are here, too.Dan Pashman’s Career Is An Inspiration
If you listen to food-focused podcasts, I’m betting that you are a fan of The Sporkful. Dan Pashman launched the show back in 2010, in what now seems like the dawn of podcasting. I’ve been a guest on it once, when we talked about whoopie pies, and I’m a loyal listener.
I’ve always been fascinated by radio, much more than television, and Dan was, too. “When I graduated from college, my dream was to host my own radio show,” Dan told me. “I spent 20s in news radio, talk radio, news talk comedy.”
He worked at places including The Bryant Park Project, a short-lived NPR effort to attract younger listeners, and at Air America, which spawned talents like Marc Maron and Rachel Maddow, and where Al Franken hosted a show (on which I was a guest). But in the 2000s, radio was going through a rough transition, as the digital world intruded on a century of over-the-air tradition.
“I got laid off from six jobs in eight years,” Dan recalls. Discouraged, he briefly considered law school, but then figured that creating his own show might be a safe venue. “If I own my own podcast, nobody can lay me off,” he said.
In launching The Sporkful, “the goal, the dream was that someday this would provide a full-time job, with which I could pull my own weight for my family. And that was it.” He decided that food should be his focus. “I have this super obsessive, hyper detailed approach to food,” he says.
Dan declared that “each show will be about one food. The more ridiculous and granular the detail, the more entertaining it will be. I’m going to talk about this topic for longer than anybody can have anything to say about it. People will listen and say, I never knew I had such strong opinions about that.”
Expanding his reach
The Sporkful has become much more than a podcast. It spawned Dan’s first book in 2014, Eat More Better: How To Make Every Bite Delicious, a guidebook to all kinds of eating tips. I constantly use Dan’s advice to spread peanut butter on waffles before adding maple syrup. (Try it: you get creamy texture and maple goodness.)
Over time, Dan ventured into live events, and won his first James Beard Award in 2017. His success was steady, but hardly overnight. “For most of the time, it’s been a slow, steady build that feels more like a slog,” he says. Then, during the pandemic, The Sporkful broadcast a series that sent him in an entirely new direction.
Before his first book came out, Dan was fascinated by Planet Money’s effort to design, manufacture and sell a t-shirt. Over five episodes on NPR in 2013, Planet Money staff explained all the steps involved, from creation to sales. They explored everything from growing cotton, to producing cloth, settling on a design and shipping the t-shirts to customers.
In 2014, the podcast Serial, a spin off of This American Life, took listeners by storm. The first season looked at the disappearance of a high school senior, Hae Min Lee, and the arrest of her boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who was sentenced to life in prison for her murder. (He was later released, but her family continues to challenge the ruling.)
The birth of Cascatelli
Serial’s exploration of the case was compelling listening, and Dan vowed that some day, he would do something that impactful. “I want to tell a big epic story on the Sporkful,” he said.
In 2018, he decided to explore creating a new pasta shape. Over three years, Dan reported on every imaginable step of designing, testing, producing, and bringing his pasta to market. The series, Mission ImPastable, aired over five parts beginning in March 2021. It resulted in Cascatelli, which looks like little ruffled half circles.
Sfoglini, a specialty pasta producer whose noodles are made with organic North American grains, agreed to begin making it. Dan says Sfoglini’s participation was something of an accident. “None of the bigger companies wanted to work with me,” he said.
But for Dan, the destination was secondary to the journey. “Whether it’s a success or a failure, as long as it’s a great story, that’s all I care about,” Dan says. “The worst thing is something that’s mediocre. Yes, I was thinking it would be great if this takes off, but it didn’t feel like a launch of a new product to me.”
From the airwaves to a cookbook
If the story ended right there, Dan could feel satisfied with his audio accomplishment. But Cascatelli had a life of its own. Buoyed by the attention it received from podcast listeners to national media, Cascatelli sales expanded from Sfoglini’s website to stores across the country, including a version that is sold by Trader Joe.
His pasta was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year. while Vice called him "a modern pasta legend."
There are now two more pastas in the Sporkful lineup at Sfoglini. As they discovered the shape, pasta fans began posting their Cascatelli results on social media, demonstrating the ways they were deploying the noodles. Dan noticed a pattern: many of the methods involved simple preparations, such as tomato sauce, pesto, and macaroni and cheese.
“Most Americans are drawn from a very limited range of pasta dishes. That gave me the idea,” Dan says.
Thus, Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Recipes For Saucy People was born. He borrows ingredients beyond Italy to come up with combinations such as Kimchi Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp, Shakshuka and Shells, and Mapo Tofu Cascatelli. There are lesser known Italian recipes, like Spaghetti all’Assassina (spicy pasta pan fried until charred and crispy crunchy) and an entire category of baked pastas.
Dan is setting off on a nationwide series of events, teaming up with some of the country’s best known chefs, authors and food writers. And while there is a lot on his plate — literally and figuratively — he sounds content.
“This is my dream job,” Dan says. “When I have time to stop and reflect and think about that, we created it out of whole cloth. It’s a pretty cool accomplishment.”
We have one copy of Anything’s Pastable as a giveaway for a paid subscriber. Reply to this newsletter or send an email to culinarywoman (@) gmail dot com if you’d like to be in the drawing. I’ll announce the winner next Sunday.
Two Famous Football Players Are Launching A Steakhouse
Kansas City is one of America’s favorite food towns, and the Kansas City Chiefs dominate the National Football League. Pro athletes often tread into the restaurant world. So it’s probably no surprise that star players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are teaming up to open a steakhouse.
The pair have become investors in 1587 Prime, which combines their jersey numbers. It will be located in the Loews Kansas City Hotel, with global hospitality group, Noble 33, developing the spot. The opening is set for early 2025.
It stands to be massive, at 10,000 square feet that takes up two floors. 1587 Prime will house several private dining rooms, a top-flight chef’s kitchen, and meat will be on display.
Renderings show that 1587 Prime looks like a pretty typical upscale steakhouse, but the particulation of the two players will make it a go-to spot in Kansas City, beyond its barbeque and chicken.
Jamie Oliver’s Next Focus Might Already Be In Your Kitchen
Britain’s most prolific chef has chosen his next television theme: air frying. Jamie Oliver is teaming up with appliance maker Tefal for a prime series called Jamie’s Air-Fryer Meals. It will be broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4 this spring.
You might be surprised that Jamie would tackle what seems like a specialty topic. But surveys show that 45 percent of British kitchens have an air fryer.
Says Channel Four, "Each episode is jam-packed with inspiration, tips and hacks plus four to five air fryer recipes including mouth-watering grilled courgettes and aubergines, a perfectly cooked whole roast chicken inspired by the beautiful flavours of Kerala, and an impressive Baked Alaska.” (Seriously, Baked Alaska in an air fryer?)
He’ll be joined in the series by Tik Tok star Poppy O’Toole, who will focus on potato recipes, and by Sabrina Gidda, author of Modern South Asian Cuisine, who will show how to air fry lamb chops.
I do not own an air fryer, but if you do, please tell me whether this is a program you would watch.
The Cookbook You’ll Buy Next Year
Congratulations to Dorie Greenspan! Her next cookbook, tentatively titled Kitchen Cakes, is coming out in 2025. Reading about it on her newsletter, XOXO Dorie, the topic sounds right up my alley. I love simple cakes - what many people call snacking cakes. I am not much of a frosting fan, and the cupcake trend passed me by. But if Dorie suggests an easy cake, I will give it a try.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
I had a wonderful time chatting with Wisconsin Public Radio listeners last week about electric vehicles. I didn’t realize EVs were so popular in Wisconsin, and it was interesting to hear their impressions.
I had a great visit to Toronto and wrote about my train ride on Intersection: Everything That Moves. I’ll bring my dining observations to paid subscribers tomorrow in Red Beans & Advice.
Here’s how you can reach and follow me.
Website: www.michelinemaynard.com
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Etsy shop: City Tips Vintage
I hope you’ll have an enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day celebration, if you’re observing it, and a great week.