Loading...

PODCAST

50 Tastes Of Gray

Matthew Gray - 50TastesOfGray

Aloha! I’m Matthew Gray, your host of the `50 Tastes Of Gray’ podcast. Aloha from Hawaii! 🌺 I’m a lifelong chef, radio guy, and your host of 50 Tastes of Gray, a smart long‑form conversation served with warmth, wit, and a dash of mischief. 🎙️🍽️ Each episode is a generous helping of stories, laughter, and unexpected insight as I sit down with fascinating guests from across the worlds of food, art, music, and life itself. We talk flavor, sure—but also what feeds the soul: curiosity, creativity, and

arts food

All Episodes

10:34

Rice, Spice, and Missing Home — Harvard Scientist

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/10/07

Why does a Harvard Medical School scientist miss home the most when he's hungry?Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan left Chennai for Boston with a Harvard tag and a suitcase full of spice he couldn't find near Harvard. We talk teeth, temples, Tamil, and what he's eaten today. This one is rice, spice, and a lot of heart. WHAT WE COVER ON THE CUTTING BOARD: 00:00 Why a Harvard scientist was tired of smart-people podcasts 00:42 I butcher his name. He fixes it. (Saravanan 101) 02:15 Chennai → Boston: He left

en

13:58

Why My Corner Office Felt Hollow

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/09/27

Sara Causey joins host Matthew Gray of 50 Tastes Of Gray for an unscripted conversation about authenticity, creativity, art, and building a life that feels genuinely hers. A biographer, author, and artist, Causey explains why she rejected the conventional path to success, how she lets creative projects evolve, and why meaningful work often requires stepping beyond what feels safe.In this episode: Causey defines “eccentricity of purpose” as living authentically instead of conforming to

en

60:24

When Numbness Is About Caring Too Much | with Maria...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/09/19

What if numbness isn't apathy — but overload?In this episode of 50 Tastes of Gray, I sit down with writer and journalist Maria Cassano (The Good Girl Recovery Guide, upcoming memoir Numb, Party of One - Feb 2027) for an honest conversation about depersonalization, derealization, and the cost of being the "good girl." Maria shares what it was like to feel gone for years, why people-pleasing and hyper-empathy can tip the nervous system into shutdown, and how everyday rituals — coffee, boundaries, and

en

84:45

The Food Writer Who Lived Everywhere & Ate...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/09/11

Jenny Linford grew up across Ghana, Trinidad, Singapore, Italy, and London, experiences that shaped her lifelong fascination with flavor, markets, and regional food traditions. In this episode, Jenny explains the difference between British supper, dinner, and pudding; shares her family’s Queen of Puddings recipe; and tells the story of Nigella Lawson DM’ing her to say she was a fan. We explore her self‑taught path into food writing, her global childhood, the immigrant food shops that taught her how

en

49:43

He Paid $50 to Mail Sourdough to Canada

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/08/29

A delightfully unhinged conversation about sourdough, butter wars, cat cuddles, Pittsburgh fries, and the chaos of being human.He paid fifty bucks to mail sourdough to Canada — and somehow that wasn’t even the strangest part of the conversation. This episode is pure, delightful silliness. It’s food, life, marketing, cats, Pittsburgh fries‑on‑everything culture, Dan Aykroyd, poop, and the kind of unexpected stories that only happen when two people stop trying to be serious and just hang out. We talk

en

54:53

He Got Sober. She Has To Heal Too

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/08/22

Katie and Chris Bowick sit down with me on 50 Tastes Of Gray to talk openly about addiction and the ways it shaped their lives. This conversation is not a recovery seminar. It is not a redemption arc. It is two people telling the truth as they remember it, even when those memories do not match.We explore how addiction rearranged their timelines, how humor survived the hardest years, and how storytelling becomes a way to hold conflicting truths at the same time. The episode moves between laughter,

en

76:50

Decadent & Notorious | Mindy Crosato

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/08/15

Decadent & Notorious pretty much sums up Mindy Crosato.She's the force behind Decadent Creations and the creator of Notorious B.A.G.E.L., two very different expressions of the same obsession: making food interesting. On 50 Tastes Of Gray, Matthew Gray sits down with Mindy for a wide-ranging conversation about macarons, champagne, unconventional bagels, food waste, culinary creativity, French food, family and building food businesses. Mindy talks about the precision behind her macarons,

en

41:02

She Survived the Diamond Industry — And Rebuilt Her...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/08/08

In this episode of 50 Tastes of Gray, Matthew Gray sits down with former private jeweler and mental‑performance trainer Kendra Lockhart for a raw, cinematic conversation about the diamond industry’s hidden corners, the solar‑eclipse tattoo that changed her life, and the reinvention that pulled her out of burnout.Kendra opens with a powerful story of loss, intuition, and the white‑ink tattoo she carries as a reminder that “the sun never sets.” From there, she reveals the truth behind the jewelry

en

50:59

"Grief Dismantles Identity" — Tricia Baxley on Loss,...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/08/01

Ten years ago, Tricia Baxley's husband of twenty-one years died by suicide. What followed wasn't just grief — it was the complete unraveling of who she thought she was.In this conversation, Tricia opens up about the addiction and enabling that shaped her marriage long before that night, the eerie moment she felt her husband tell her he was "disconnected," and the minister who broke down in tears hearing her story because it was the exact explanation he'd never been able to give for his own attempt

en

16:11

The Ravioli Whisperer

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/07/25

George Switzer walked into the studio as “the guy who runs Queen Anne Ravioli Factory,” but that turned out to be the least interesting thing about him. What followed was one of those rare conversations where a man’s entire life — the chaos, the humor, the heartbreak, the Brooklyn corners, the cops, the catechism, the liquor cabinet, the inheritance battles — all show up without him ever trying to perform.You opened the episode with the truth: "George doesn’t perform his stories, he just tells

en

55:35

Ghostwriting vs AI: How Real Writers Keep Their Voice...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/07/18

Kristina Gorr is a ghostwriter who's spent her career helping people sound like themselves instead of everyone else. In this episode, she and Matthew dig into the real anxiety writers have about AI accusations, the em dash controversy that made her go viral, what separates ghostwriting from copywriting, and the emotional work of helping someone remember their own life for a memoir. Along the way: Appalachian roots, condiment purism, chocolate snobbery, and a few things you didn't know you needed to

en

64:16

The Laughing Genius: Music, Tech & Chaos with Chad...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/06/24

Chad Gerber is a platinum‑selling musician, inventor, and creative force whose life blends music, technology, chaos, and curiosity. In this episode, we talk about his global lifestyle, the origins of Melocene, the challenges of real‑time remote music, and the deep‑tech breakthroughs behind it.We also dive into food disasters, childhood cravings, Minecraft therapy, sleep struggles, AI futures, and the strange balance between being both an artist and an engineer. It’s a fast, funny, human

en

15:32

30 Seconds, 50 Tastes, 20 Personalities

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/06/05

Twenty guests. Twenty sparks. One very human journey. This tasting‑menu episode brings together the small, surprising, emotional moments that stayed with me — the tension, the laughter, the warmth, the honesty. These twenty people each gave me something real, and this episode is my way of honoring that.This episode features twenty past guests, each bringing their own flavor, energy, and spark. From comedians to cookbook authors, from relationship experts to tech minds, from wine lovers to world

en

40:11

He Called My Podcast "Fifty Shades." We've Been...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/05/29

Adam Barney walked into this conversation carrying more life than most people admit out loud. He’s a leadership coach, a father, a husband, a son, and a man who has spent the last decade navigating the kind of chaos that strips you down to your real self. Losing his mom to ALS, supporting his dad through hydrocephalus, and helping his wife through chemo — these aren’t bullet points. They’re the architecture of who he is now.We talk about caregiving as identity, burnout as a signal, leadership as

en

34:03

She Wrote a Murder Mystery to Survive Turning 40

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/05/22

She wrote a murder mystery to survive turning 40 — literally. British author Gemma Denham sits down with Matthew Gray to talk about her debut thriller The Storm, the “40 Before 40” list that pushed her into writing, and the real controlling relationship she turned into fiction. Gemma opens up about parenting differences between the UK and US, the creative shift from illustrator to novelist, and the hilarious moment her family taped her to a chair for book‑research accuracy.A cozy‑crime, midlife,

en

39:17

The Restless Chef: Jay Reifel on Creativity,...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/05/15

Jay Reifel is a lot of things — simultaneously, always. He's a historical chef who owns a larding needle and uses it. He's a catering director feeding pro baseball teams, law schools, and high-end weddings in the same week. He's a published food writer, a fiction writer with a novel always in progress, a rock climber on unbolted traditional routes, and a chess player who uses the game as a deliberate cognitive reset between creative projects.He's also writing a new cookbook — not a recipe

en

46:32

The Food Granny: Grit, Jam, and a Cat Named Milo

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/05/08

Christine Smith — better known as The Food Granny — joins me for a conversation seasoned with grit, jam, humor, and the kind of lived‑in wisdom that only comes from a life cooked slowly.Born in post‑war Yorkshire and shaped by ration‑era kitchens, Christine learned to cook by watching her grandmothers move through a kitchen like it was a language. She talks about simple food, wooden spoons, jam that forces you to slow down, and why Italian food is “peasant food done properly.” We explore her

en

71:24

He Told Me to "Shut My Mouth"… and I Lost It |...

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/05/01

He's the voice that's lived inside your head for years. "Geico could save you 15% or more on car insurance." But Michael McGlone — Brooklyn-born actor, author, and voiceover legend — is so much more than a tagline.In this episode of 50 Tastes of Gray, host Matthew Gray sits down with McGlone for a wide-open conversation covering food, faith, sobriety, Hollywood survival, and the real story behind one of America's most iconic commercial voices. Michael reveals how he landed the GEICO campaign and

en

45:58

How She Blends Creativity and Business

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/04/24

In this episode of 50 Tastes Of Gray, from Hawaii, Matthew talks with Vikki Werner — actor, producer, and co‑founder of Lighthouse Ladies — about the intersection of creativity and business, and how she built a life that holds both.They explore her multicultural upbringing, her early creative life, the “before” version of herself, the becoming, and the business instincts that allow her creative work to thrive. They also discuss identity performance, food memories, family influence, travel, and the

en

71:47

He Dumpster-Dived Across Europe on a Bicycle

50 Tastes Of Gray ·

2026/04/17

Nathaniel Allenby has lived more lives than most people dream about — and he's not done yet.He cycled 28,000 miles across 10 countries, often with empty pockets and no plan. He dumpster-dived his way across Europe. He produced circus shows at SeaWorld. He's been a gamer, a psychonaut, and now a devoted father. Nathaniel is a man who refuses to live on anyone else's terms. In this wide-ranging conversation on 50 Tastes Of Gray, host Matthew Gray and Nathaniel explore what happens when you follow

en

124 results

Similar Podcasts

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

American Public Media

Soundcheck

WNYC Studios

Abstract Essay

Daniel Lucas

Considering Art Podcast

Bob Chaundy

Hung up

Matt Sitas and Aiden Loughlin