Snacky Tunes

To kick off the holiday season, Darin is joined by Mackenzie Hoffman, Harley Wertheimer, and Caroline Leff of Stir Crazy, and Kat Turner and Cary Mosier of Highly Likely for a live roundtable chat at the Snacky Tunes Salon. They share their favorite seasonal traditions, what it means to host the community this time of year, and finally agree on if Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not.A huge shout out to our presenting sponsors for the event, Square and ChowNow, along with support from Jumbo Time Wines, Skyduster Beer, and American Water.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It’s an anthology of memorie

Darin sits down with Andrew Lawson, the GM and co-owner behind LA’s latest hotspots, Ètra and Café Telegrama. They chat about Lawson’s roots growing up in LA, his game-changing years in NYC's restaurant scene, and how he teamed up with some stellar partners to create two of the most buzzed-about spots in Los Angeles. And for a little throwback treat, Darin digs into the archives to feature a performance from one of Brooklyn’s favorites, Erika Spring of Au Revior Simone and NAF. It’s a tasty trip back to Roberta’s shipping containers and a reminder of all the magic made there.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated play

On this episode of Snacky Tunes, Darin sits down with Ashley and Colby Frey of Frey Ranch Distillery, a farm-to-glass whiskey farm that's truly one of a kind. They dive into what it means to be fifth-generation farmers, the music they listen to while crafting their spirits, and how they bring a thoughtful, farming-first approach to their delicious bourbon, rye, and other spirits. It’s a lively conversation that captures the essence of their craft.Later in the episode, Darin digs into the archives, featuring a performance from The Spring Standards, who stopped by to share their folk tunes and offer their thoughts on the Philadelphia Flyers.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in t

Darin sits down with Steven Clarke, VP of Marketing at Golden Krust, the iconic Jamaican fast-casual restaurant celebrating its 35th anniversary. They chat about his journey into the family business, the enduring appeal of Jamaican cuisine, and how Steven balances his professional life with his passion for DJ'ing.Plus, the episode features a throwback to May 2015 with singer-songwriter Lily McQueen, who shares tracks from her EP and talks about her musical influences, life in the city, and her favorite studio snacks.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It’s an anthology of memories, meals and mixtapes

Darin sits down with our good pal all the way from Melbourne, Australia; Ben Shewry, whose new book Uses for my Obsessions: A (Chef’s) Memoir is a fantastic, unique look into his journey through the culinary world. He offers up a lot of personal philosophies, a lot of great stories, and shows how Fugazi helped him learn Thai cooking. We've also included a link to one of the playlists that is included in his book.And then we dip into the archives for a legendary performance from Sinkane, who has some new music out now and whose last album We Belong has been in heavy rotation at our house.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and

Darin is in the DC / Virginia metro area for an all new episode today. First up, he sits down with co-owner and executive chef of Ama, Johanna Hellrigl. She talks about being born into the restaurant industry, her coming up and cooking through the DC scene, and how Italian love inspired her new restaurant.Then we head down to Virginia to hang out with Jeff and Jake of Illiterate Light, whose new album Arches will be out November 1st. They perform some live songs from the album, talk about the difference of their eating habits at home and recording in Hollywood, and how they brought the community into their new recording session.As the year rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives.

Host Darin Bresnitz sits down with Mike Traud, the executive director and founder of The Chef Conference, which is coming to Los Angeles on October 21st at the ChowNow headquarters. They discuss why Mike chose to bring the conference to LA, as well as the diverse mix of topics this year; including kitchen leadership and mental health, and what attendees can expect to eat at the event. Tickets are on sale now, with a link available in the episode write-up.Then the show dives into the archives with Color Collage, who visited the studio and transformed their sampling of MP3s into a sweeping cacophony of beautiful indie songs.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The che

Darin is joined by legendary chef Renee Erickson, who sits down to chat about her new cookbook, Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food with Creativity and Curiosity (Abrams; September 24, 2024; US $37.50; Hardcover), which is available for pre-sale now! They chat all about her creative process, how her restaurants are extended art projects, and how painting came back into her life during the pandemic.Then, we dip into the archives for a little post-punk performance by The Wants. They were currently working on their first album back in 2017 and Lydia and Madison of the band gave us a preview of what they were working on. The album turned out great and you should check it out wherever you listen to music now!As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share pers

On today’s episode, Darin sits down with producer and director Antonio Diaz, alongside chef Diego Argoti, to dive into the new PBS SoCal series, Rebel Kitchens SoCal, where Diego’s innovative restaurant, Poltergeist, is featured in one of the episodes. We chat about what it means to tie your art to your life, and of course, the incredible soundtrack you can expect to hear at Poltergeist over the next few weeks.Later on, we’re dipping into the archives to revisit one of our favorite performances from 2019 at Dangerbird Records with the legendary post-punk quartet from Compton, The Pantheons. It’s a killer performance paired with a great conversation.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral fo

On this week’s episode, Darin is delighted to be sitting down with Ben Hundreds and Kate Burr, two of the owners of The Benjamin Hollywood, one of LA's best new restaurants and instant clubhouse for everyone who likes a good martini and a great burger. They talk about their road to opening, why Ben took so long to open up his first restaurant and what one can expect on the soundtrack at any given night.Then we dip into the archives when singer-songwriter, Rodes Rollins, stepped into the studio in 2017 for a live performance of her signature Americana-infused psychedelic rock from her debut EP, "Young Adult."As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give pe

This week, Darin presents a special episode celebrating the new book Taste in Music. The book offers a fantastic and fun look at eating on tour with indie musicians, written and compiled by Alex Bleeker of Real Estate and Luke Pyenson of Frankie Cosmos. They share their fascinating insights into how meals on the road can be just as important as the shows musicians play.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It’s an anthology of memories, meals and mixtapes. Pick up your copy by ordering directly from Phaidon, or by visiting your local independent bookstore. Visit our site, www.snackytunes.com for more inf

There have been a lot of words used to describe Justin Chearno in the last few days: father, husband, inspiration, colleague, supporter, and the one that keeps popping up over and over and over again, friend. Justin‘s true gift was to make anyone in his presence feel like they were his close friend, whether they had known him for years or they had just met him.For anyone lucky enough to share a meal or a show or a few bottles of wine with him, it was a true pleasure and something you wanted regularly in your life.  He was one of those rare people who could bring so many people together because his excitement for life was so palpable, so infectious, anyone wanted to be a part of what he was doing and enjoy what he loved.I can say that my life would be very different had it not have been for Justin. From when we met at UVA, he immediately welcomed me into his world and introduced me to so many people, restaurants (essentially all of Paris), bands and wine that are a big part of my life today.  To sit across a t

Today Darin sits down with the co-owners of Ggiata, Max Bahramipour and Jack Biebel (with Noah Holton-Raphael in spirit) as they chat about their new location in Highland Park. They talk about their shared childhood love for Italian delis, growing up in New Jersey, and what drove them to open up a sandwich spot in Los Angeles. And then it's a deep dive into the archives when the sisters of Zambri stopped by the studio to play live. We learned about the many incarnations of the band, their musical training, and how their Italian heritage developed their palate.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It’s an

Today, Darin dives into a nostalgic chat with modern-day Renaissance man, Harley Wertheimer, the owner of LA’s Stir Crazy. They reminisce about their early days in New York City, spinning tracks at East Village Radio, and savoring the culinary delights of the mid-aughts. Harley shares how his passion for music, hospitality, and art culminated in the creation of one of the city's most beloved restaurants. He also created a Stir Crazy x Snacky Tunes playlist to accompany your summer vibe, which you can listen to here. To celebrate their conversation and the era, we unearthed a gem from the archives: a live performance by Ramesh of Voxtrot from 2012.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral forc

We have an all new summer fun filled episode and we're kicking things off in DC with Brian Lowit. You may know him from his legendary indie label, Lovitt Records. He's also the label manager over at Dischord and one of the owners of Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in DC. We talked about how we started his own label, some of the different shows we've been at together throughout the years, and what it means to make an ice cream shop your new clubhouse.Then we head over to Iceland for the first time ever in Snacky Tunes history where we sit down with Paddan, who talk about their new EP, Fluid Time, which is out on Lovitt Records. We talk about their times in the early punk scene of Iceland, their long creative journey together, and what they like to put on the kettle when they're in the studio.As summer rolls on, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstore

We are so excited to share an all new jam-packed episode, starting in Vegas and ending in Brooklyn. First up, Darin chats with the Executive Chef of Momofuku Las Vegas, James Bailey. We talk about him growing up in Las Vegas, him cutting his teeth at different burger bars in the city, and him rising through the ranks of Momofuku Las Vegas. Then we dip over to Brooklyn for a live chat and performance from singer-songwriter Elly Kace. She talks about her new music she's been releasing throughout the year, what she eats when she's on the road, and how to stay centered.As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists to

Today, Darin heads to Portland to chat with Louis Lin and Jolyn Chen of Xiao Ye, one of the city's best new restaurants.  They chat about their LA roots, their time in DC, and why they eventually called Rose City Home. Then we head into the archives, when we welcomed musical guest Pree to the show, hailing from D.C. Talking about the live music scene, Philadelphia roots, music venues, and inspiration for their new record, “Rima," tune in as the group “creates a unique sonic realm through their colorful and shape-shifting pop gems.”As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It’s an anthology of memories, m

Today Darin sits down with food writer and cookbook author, Khushbu Shah, whose new book AMRIKAN is a love letter to the culinary traditions of the Indian American Diaspora. We talk about how immigration shapes food cultures, how her parents adapted their pantry, and she shares some of the delicious recipes that you can find in the book. In the second half of the show, Anni Rossi joins as musical guest.  An American singer, violist, and keyboardist from Minnesota, she graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley and is notable for her unique style of playing the viola and singing, often at the same time.  Anni shares details surrounding her uniquely constructed instrument as well as her newest release due in the spring.As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eight

Today Darin sits down with Josh Hartley & Eric Bedroussian of one of L.A.'s most delicious and new Izakaya's Budonoki. We chat about their early day dorm dinners, their incredible playlist that rules over the restaurant, and how they are taking an open mind and wide approach to the food they serve. Then we dip into the archives when multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells joined us for a chat and live performance from songs off her album "Regards to the End." We talked about creating art out of disaster, her process for writing an album, and sharing comfort in her songs.As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists

Today, we're back in Brooklyn for an all-BK episode. First, we sit down with Tomer Blechman, chef and owner of multiple restaurants. He shares stories about growing up in his grandma's kitchen, building community through his restaurants, juggling multiple operations, and creating a family-friendly space with live music on Sunday evenings.Next, we dip into the archives for one of our favorite soulful performances from Eli "Paperboy" Reed. If you have a chance, check out his Instagram, where he teases his rendition of Sam Cooke's live performance at the Harlem Square Club. We're eagerly awaiting its full release because what he has shared so far leaves us wanting more.As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Snacky Tunes here on HRN.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world’s top chefs