Table Talk: 10 Delicious Questions for Good Food Jobs

Welcome to Table Talk, where we sit down to chat and talk gossip with new and noteworthy voices in the food world. Got a suggestion for an interviewee? Email me.

Photo: Nicole Franzen

Meet Taylor Cocalis and Dorothy Neagle. The two met at Cornell University in 2004 where they became friends. In 2010, they would launch the much-needed food-job website Good Food Jobs. The six intervening years had sent them each in their own direction, but connected by their love of good food, they reunited in NYC and started Good Food Jobs. The venture, in their own words, "is a gastro-job search tool, designed to link people looking for meaningful food work with the businesses that need their energy, enthusiasm, and intellect."

Sounds like a Grade-A plan to me! Today they share their thoughts on the future of food jobs, success in the food world, and whether or not food is getting good-er (apparently my grammar is not). Read on!

Will: What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Taylor: Kix. Hands down. Or when I was super little it was Cheerios with honey drizzed on top (not to be confused with Honey Nut Cheerios).

Dorothy: That's hilarious! We also loved Kix. It was the only 'junk food' cereal that my mom would allow more than once a year.

What drink would you order on a first date?

Taylor: Well that depends on where we are. Casual? Arnold Palmer (only if the lemonade is fresh squeezed and the iced tea is homemade). Beer Bar? A saison to start off the night. Wine establishment? A glass of Lambrusco.

Dorothy: I'm always nervous on a first date, so I just order red wine.

Table Talk: 10 Juicy Questions for Spilled Milk

Welcome to Table Talk, where we sit down to chat and talk gossip with noteworthy voices in the food world. Got a suggestion for an interviewee? Email me. 

Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton are the voices behind the hilarious food podcast Spilled Milk. Each episode, the duo dishes up their thoughts and tries out a recipe on a different theme, be it Thai salads, hot dogs, or milkshakes. Molly is the blogger behind the simply splendid food blog Orangette. Matthew is a food writer for Gourmet.com, the Seattle Times and much more, in addition to his blog Roots and Grubs. Oh, and they've each published a book. It suffices to say these two know how to talk about food.

Today, they share their thoughts on food and comedy, eating at college, the time Molly slept walked into a pool, and much more. Read on!

Will: What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Matthew: Cracklin' Oat Bran, although it was then just called Cracklin' Bran. It hasn't held up well.

Molly: Like Matthew, I was a fan of Cracklin' Oat Bran - though I'm pretty sure it was called Cracklin' Oat Bran, not just Cracklin' Bran. But Matthew is an old man, so maybe things changed between his day and my day?  I also liked Honey Nut Cheerios.

What drink would you order at the bar on a first date? 

Matthew: I'm terrible at ordering drinks and hope I never again have a first date. The drink you order says a lot about you, right? Is there a drink that says, "Don't sleep with this guy under any circumstances"? I would probably inadvertently zero in on that one.

Seriously, if we were at a cocktail-oriented place, I'm probably confident enough to say, "I don't know a lot about cocktails; what do you think I should try?" Otherwise, beer.

Molly: I love Campari, so I'd probably have a Negroni.  Or just a Campari and soda. But actually, if I were on a first date, I wouldn't want to be in a cocktail-type bar.  I'd hope to be somewhere less fancy, maybe a dive or an old pub, and there, I'd just order a beer.  Probably a lager.  And some potato chips.

If Lady Gaga came over for a dinner party, what would you serve her?

Matthew: Pasta. Who doesn't like pasta?

Molly: I'm with Matthew on the pasta.  I think I'd make Marcella Hazan's recipe for tomato sauce with butter and onion, and I'd cook up a batch of meatballs.  Lady Gaga's outfit is going to set us all on edge, so it's best to keep the food easy.

Table Talk: 10 Juicy Questions for Big Girls, Small Kitchen

Welcome to Table Talk, where we sit down to chat and talk gossip with noteworthy voices in the food world. Got a suggestion for an interviewee? Email me. 

Phoebe Lapine and Cara Eisenpress, aka the Quarter-Life-Cooks, started their blog Big Girls, Small Kitchen in 2008. They provide some of the best recipes (particularly for college-aged and twenty-something cooks) anywhere around, in addition to dinner party guides, cooking tips, videos, and more. Their website has expanded to include Small Kitchen College (!), a must-have resource for all dorm room chefs. This duo knows a thing or two about small cooking spaces, tight budgets and limited time.

Today, they talk tricks for eating well in college, food blogging, dating and much more. Read on!

Will: What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Phoebe: I was a classic rice krispies gal—although, it was probably some other brand that my mother purchased at the health food store. I used to sprinkle sugar over the top of the cereal, probably in rebellion to the fact that I wasn’t allowed to eat Lucky Charms.

Cara: Frosted Mini Wheats. Despite the thick layer of sugar, they subverted my mom's rule of "no sugar cereals at breakfast" (sugar cereals were allowed as after-school snacks).

What drink would you order at the bar on a first date? 

Phoebe: Probably a beer. Whatever looks good on tap. Specialty cocktails are expensive, and I’m always mindful of that if I’m not the one paying.

Cara: Likewise. Whatever's on tap. If there's a lot of choice, I usually alternate between a New England or Midwestern IPA and good old Guiness.

Table Talk: 10 Juicy Questions for The Amateur Gourmet

Welcome to Table Talk, where we sit down to chat and talk gossip with noteworthy voices in the food world. Got a suggestion for an interviewee? Email me.

First up: Adam Roberts, "The Amateur Gourmet." Adam started his blog seven years ago and since then has become one of the biggest names in the food blogosphere. Along the way he has hosted an online show for the Food Network, written a book, and contributed to Serious Eats, Salon, The Huffington Post, Epicurious and more. His first cookbook will be released next year.

Today, Adam shares his thoughts on breakfast cereals, gays in the food world, and his plans to wear Lady Gaga's meat dress. Say what!? Read on to find out.

Will: What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Adam: I loved all the sugary ones that came in those snack packs. Remember those? Corn Pops being the best one; I'd save that for last. I'd also enjoy Applejacks, Lucky Charms and Kix on occasion. (It's a wonder I wasn't more hyper as a kid.)

What drink would you order at the bar on a first date?

In summer, I'm a gin and tonic kind of guy; in the winter, I drink Scotch and soda. But now that I live in L.A. where it's warm all the time I'm going to have to shake things up. As far as a first date, I always think it's a good idea to order what your date orders. That way you can have a shared experience.

If Lady Gaga came over for dinner, what would you serve her?

Meat Dress Tartar!