Not From Concentrate

48:25

From Olive Garden to a James Beard Award with Chef...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/10/06

What takes a cook from scrubbing chowder pots and working at Olive Garden to winning a James Beard Award? For chef Evan Hennessey, the path led through some of the country’s most acclaimed kitchens — and back home to Dover, New Hampshire.This week, I’m joined by the chef behind Stages at One Washington, The Living Room, and Topolino to talk about building a tiny tasting-menu restaurant in his hometown, finding inspiration in New England’s farms and fisheries, and why great food doesn’t

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54:42

What Makes a Recipe Work? With Recipe Tester Laura...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/09/29

What makes a recipe work — and when is an extra step actually worth the effort?This week, I’m joined by Laura Manzano, the recipe tester behind my forthcoming cookbook, Not From Concentrate. Laura grew up working in her dad’s restaurants, honed her skills in the Martha Stewart test kitchens, and built a freelance career helping cookbook authors make their recipes clearer, more reliable, and better suited to the people cooking them.We go behind the scenes of my cookbook to talk about what

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45:04

A Hamptons Private Chef’s Secrets to Easier Dinners...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/09/22

What does a private chef cook when she’s tired, her family needs dinner, and nobody wants leftovers? Something simpler than you might think.Hamptons private chef Robyn Henderson joins Catherine Smart to talk about cooking delicious food without making every meal a production. From sheet-pan dinners at home to family-style spreads for clients, Robyn shares why seasonal ingredients, simple menus, and less fuss can make for better meals—and why a quick salad once stole the show from her

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41:36

Big Flavor and Bold Living with Claudette Zepeda

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/09/15

What makes dinner taste like it’s been cooking all day when you absolutely do not have all day? Chef Claudette Zepeda has a pantry full of answers—and zero shame about canned beans.This week, Catherine welcomes the chef and author of Cooking the Borderlands for a conversation about big flavor, creative freedom, and feeding a family when you’re stretched thin. Claudette shares how growing up between San Diego, Tijuana, and Guadalajara shaped her food, from the Asian pantry staples woven into

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51:18

Overcome Garden Overwhelm with Jess Zander of You Can...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/09/08

Feeling overwhelmed by your garden? Garden coach Jess Zander of You Can Do It Gardening joins Catherine to make the whole thing feel more manageable—and much more fun.Jess explains how to prioritize garden projects, tackle invasive plants before they spread, choose native plants without becoming dogmatic, and make smart decisions about where and what to plant. She also shares why buying small plants can save money, how to divide perennials without being too precious, and why fall is one of

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49:08

Grill Time and Letting Go of the Perfect Family...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/09/01

What if the best thing you could bring to family dinner wasn’t a perfectly cooked meal, but a better mood?Chef, cookbook author, and TV host Noah Galuten joins Catherine to talk about his new cookbook, Grill Time!, and why the grill deserves a place in your weeknight cooking routine. They discuss shopping according to what’s on sale, salting chicken or steak now and figuring out dinner later, and setting up groceries so they’re easier to use when your busy brain needs them.Noah also gets

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41:03

Back-to-School Lunches, Sheet-Pan Dinners, and...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/08/25

Back-to-School Lunches, Sheet-Pan Dinners, and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Hillary Dixler CanavanHillary Dixler Canavan returns to Not From Concentrate as the show’s first repeat guest! Nearly one year after her first appearance, Hillary joins Catherine for a timely conversation about feeding our families, and ourselves, during the back-to-school rush.They talk about letting go of picture-perfect lunchboxes, choosing foods children will reliably eat at school, and adding joy without

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41:15

Building a Better Local Food System with Erin...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/08/18

What does it actually take to make local food more accessible, sustainable, and financially viable for the people who produce it?Catherine talks with Erin Baumgartner, founder of Family Dinner, a farmers market delivery service that grew from bringing groceries to seven friends out of Erin’s Somerville apartment to serving 120 Massachusetts communities. Erin explains how Family Dinner uses data and predictive analytics to help farmers plan what to grow, reduce food waste, and reach more

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38:09

How Cooking Builds Executive Functions with Sophie...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/07/28

What if learning to cook could help us get better at starting tasks, managing time, working through frustration, and asking for help?Sophie Mortner is an educator, learning designer, executive functioning coach, and the creator of Nibblings, a collection of recipes designed to help kids cook independently. She joins Catherine to explain why the kitchen is such a powerful place to build skills that extend far beyond cooking.They talk about breaking intimidating tasks into manageable first

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09:53

ADHD, Masking, and Letting Your Guard Down

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/07/21

In this solo episode of Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart shares a personal essay about ADHD masking, embarrassment, and the effort of trying to seem easygoing, capable, and “normal.”She reflects on how sensitivity, people-pleasing, and a strong social radar can be exhausting—but can also make us thoughtful friends, generous hosts, and deeply caring people.This is a personal reflection on understanding old patterns with more compassion and learning when it might be okay to let your

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49:46

Ham El-Waylly on Home Cooking, 90s Nostalgia, and...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/07/14

On this episode of Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with chef and cookbook author Ham El-Waylly about the surprising journey that led him from fine dining back to the food that first shaped him.Raised between Egyptian, Bolivian, and Qatari cultures before building a career in New York restaurants, Ham shares how the sudden loss of his mother caused him to distance himself from the recipes he grew up with—and how reopening her handwritten recipe notebook during the pandemic helped

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44:43

Courtney E. Smith on Ravenous and the Future of...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/07/07

Courtney E. Smith joins Catherine Smart to talk about Ravenous, the new worker-owned food and culture publication founded by former Eater writers after a layoff.Courtney shares how the team built an independent media company from scratch, why they’re choosing subscriber support over VC money and branded content, and what it means to cover food, labor, restaurants, and culture with stronger ethics and sharper opinions.She and Catherine also talk about what’s missing from today’s food media

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41:01

Bow Market, Small Business, and Building Community...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/06/30

On this episode of Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with Zachary Baum, co-owner of Bow Market in Somerville, about what it takes to build a place where small businesses can take root.They discuss how Bow Market transformed from an old carport into a vibrant courtyard of independent food, retail, art, and service businesses; why a true sense of place cannot simply be scaled or replicated; and how small restaurants and makers navigate the realities of rent, regulation, labor, and

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37:17

Wedding Cakes and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/06/23

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with freelance baker Mackenzie Innis about the artistry, logistics, and emotional weight behind her beautiful seasonal cakes.Mackenzie shares how she moved from fine dining pastry kitchens to building Ceres, a freelance baking business rooted in local ingredients, florals, seasonality, and deeply personal celebrations. She talks about translating clients’ food memories into wedding cakes, sourcing from New England farms, growing

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51:13

SingleThread, Food Waste, and the Future of Farm to...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/06/16

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine talks with Alex Fuentes, Head Chef of Special Projects at SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn in Healdsburg, California.SingleThread is known for its three-Michelin-starred restaurant, five-room inn, and deeply integrated farm led by Kyle and Katina Connaughton. But this conversation goes beyond the fantasy of wine country fine dining. Catherine and Alex talk about what it means to cook at the highest level without recreating the toxic kitchen

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43:12

Jerrelle Guy on Burnout, Creativity, and Finding...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/06/09

This week, Catherine sits down with cookbook author, photographer, and artist Jerrelle Guy to talk about her beautiful new cookbook, We Fancy.Jerrelle first burst onto the food scene with her acclaimed debut cookbook Black Girl Baking, but success came with a cost. In this conversation, she shares how burnout, creative pressure, and the constant pursuit of "more" led her to rethink not just the way she cooked, but the way she lived.Together, Catherine and Jerrelle discuss:🍅 Why slowing

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50:32

Food Budgeting for Busy Brains with Meghan Splawn

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/06/02

Food writer, recipe developer, and longtime meal-planning expert Meghan Splawn joins Catherine to talk about the emotional, practical, and very real work of getting a food budget under control.After realizing her family had spent more than $32,000 in a year on groceries, dining out, coffee, Costco runs, and food in general, Meghan began publicly documenting her effort to cut that spending in half. In this conversation, she shares why tracking is the first step, how food spending can become

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45:42

You Can Cook Indian Food at Home with Heartland Masala

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/05/26

When Indian food is on the menu at Catherine’s house, it usually means ordering dosa, saag paneer, and cauliflower Manchurian from a favorite local spot. But why do so many of us love eating Indian food while feeling intimidated to cook it at home?This week, Catherine is joined by Auyon and Jyoti Mukharji, the son-mother duo behind Heartland Masala, for a warm, funny, and practical conversation about bringing Indian cooking into your own kitchen.They talk about:Why Indian home cooking

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61:16

Chef Spencer Horovitz on ADHD, Finding Calm in the...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/05/12

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine sits down with chef Spencer Horovitz , a 2025 James Beard semifinalist and the founder of Hadeem, a beloved California-Jewish Cuisine concept that's been popping up in San Francisco. But this episode goes far beyond food. Spencer speaks candidly about living and working with ADHD in the high-pressure world of professional kitchens: the burnout, shame, impulsivity, time blindness, and sensory overload — but also the creativity, resilience, and...

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43:17

Food, Bravery, and Hope in Ukraine, with Felicity...

Not From Concentrate ·

2026/05/05

In this episode, Catherine sits down with journalist and author of Bread and War Felicity Spector to talk about the role of food in one of the most difficult places on earth right now: war-torn Ukraine. Since 2022, Felicity has been traveling to Ukraine to support grassroots food initiatives—from mobile bakeries feeding frontline communities to chefs creating restaurant-quality meals for soldiers. Her work captures something often missing from headlines: the resilience, ingenuity, and humanit...

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