Episodes
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Happy Podcastaversary Number Two to US! We are once again joined by our annual (perennial?) November anniversary guest, Nick Sheist, our first beloved engineer. Kath and Jan briefly rehash the debacle otherwise known as the election, and then Nick joins in and regales us with tales from his wedding, honeymoon (he cooked on his own honeymoon!), his rebooting of The Sheist podcast, his continuing love of bad movies @badmoviesweluv and his slight obsession with Dolph Lundgren. It’s always a blast to see Nick and we never run out of things to talk about – listen in!
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Constance Bauer wears many hats. Mom, Daughter, Sister, Wife, Lawyer, Therapist, Couples Counselor, Sex Therapist, soon to be Podcaster! Kath and Constance dig deep into their memory archives and reminisce about the old days of waitressing at the base of the Prudential Plaza in Chicago (Kath’s first job in the city!) as well as how she and her husband, both lawyers at the time, managed to feed their young family using the infamously named “Dinner Man.” Other far-ranging topics include Lima, Peru, Philadelphia, Sanibel Island, and a recent safari in Africa! A grand old reunion with a true renaissance woman. Listen in!
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Missing episodes?
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Kath and Jan are back! We missed you! To start our long housekeeping and catch-up, we quickly veer into politics, as Jan makes a last ditch effort to show one presidential candidate’s er…shortcomings, to say the least, ending in a tearful plea to vote! Then we head back over to food topics and talk about Kath’s new attitude towards Thanksgiving and a new ramen joint she tried, as well as a bizarre experience in Zion National Park. Later in the podcast, Jan’s best new pal Melissa Sherman joins us briefly (due to throat recovery) to talk about growing up in LA, then moving to a shack as a child, and finally ending up on Oregon! Since we have not been on mic since early August, it was great to be back! Listen in!
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Even though they claim to be simple country folk, in reality, dear old friends Michele and Dave Barbee are displaced city slickers who both are avid foodies. We discuss our mutual history together (Chicago theatre, naturally) as well as the fascinating childhood experiences that Michele had growing up in a restaurant-owning family. We examine their respective migration from Oklahoma and Indiana to New York and Chicago and then back to Indiana and how the cooking duties have shifted during retirement and semi-empty nesting. A grand old reunion with wonderful friends that we need to see more often. Listen in!
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A conversation with Kathryn Schorr is like zooming down a runway in a jetliner, so Kath and Jan strap in with their tray tables up for rollicking good time as we take a deep dive into Kathryn’s childhood, complete with E/R surgeon dad and deceased sibling and then move into her own grown-up life and how a meteor (or maybe two – we lost track!) landed right in the middle of it and we somehow manage to also bitch about food! A few years back, Kathryn had a hit show - “Death – A Comedy” which chronicled the events that changed her life and was proof that even in the worst of times, she can find humor. A fantastic conversation with the fastest talker in the West! Listen in!
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With a name like Viva Krasinski, you know things are going to be interesting. Thanks to our previous podcast guest Emily Vollmer, Viva was brought to our attention and we soon realized she had a lot to say about food and other topics, and we were delighted to meet her. A nurturer from a young age, Viva tells of helping out with her much younger sister and then becoming a very young mother herself. Now living in the high desert, she and her husband maintain two huge gardens and have learned what to grow in the heat! Viva shares her favorite fermenting recipes near the end which has us drooling – a very tasty episode – listen in!
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Kath and Jan have a new friend! The phrase “lovely and talented” gets used way too much, but in this case, it truly applies to our guest, Clara York. Coming in smokin’ hot off her successful play “The Jailbait Chronicles” at the Fanatic Salon (next show, August 4th!), Clara recalls her Maine-born-and-bred Mom’s love of lobster and oysters, her charming but shady high school boyfriend and her husband of 35 years and their adopted daughter. In a remarkable story of survival, she reveals how she literally and figuratively gave their daughter a new life. A terrific episode – listen in!
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Elizabeth Cortell has stories. She has been entertaining Kath and Jan for decades with them, and today’s episode is no exception. A very unique childhood, a killer wit, a keen eye and a razor sharp mind all lead to Liz’s recounting of her Dad’s Christmas menus, her beloved Mom’s cooking, how her folks knew where to shop in Chicago and her own journey with food as she got older, married, had a kid, moved abroad and then back again.
We are lucky to have her nearby (ish) since she may be feeding us from her backyard farm in the future if food prices continue the way they are going. A wonderful conversation with a great friend we don’t see enough of – listen in!
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Jennifer Stander claims she is not a genius, but Kath & Jan suspect otherwise. The three of us do a deep dive into mysterious worlds: computer programing, coding, 8 hour work meetings, vegetarianism, Purple Carrot, train travel and the food in the western suburbs of Chicago. Jen reveals the reason she thought she hated food as a child and the relishes the memory of her first really good steak (with herb butter!), as well as a tofu scramble that went south many years ago. During housekeeping, Kath and Jan discuss a variety of topics, catching up on what's been going on and why they've been away for a minute. A terrific conversation with a new friend, who now seems like an old friend. Listen in!
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Mariann Sauvion has been cooking and feeding the world since the age of 5 and hasn’t stopped since! Kath and Jan enjoy an extremely convivial conversation with Mariann as she recalls her salad days (see what we did there?) as an 18-year old chef in Manhattan at the late great Paris Bistro, her Culinary Institute adventures, the Coffee House Club, her catering business with her beloved late husband and their extremely successful food styling business. They were a team and people knew them as that, even though they both did their own separate jobs. Mariann has carried on with this business alone and it thrives to this day. Best of all, she dishes on the one time she styled for Martha Stewart and reveals her own secret to a successful Thanksgiving turkey at the very end. We were honored to have Mariann join us via Zoom and if you aren’t hungry by the end of this episode, have we even met? Listen in!
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A Bonus Episode as we once again re-visit Jan's mom Frima and her sister Barbara on Kath's patio to honor Frima on her 95th birthday! Amid the pastoral sounds of hummingbirds, wind chimes and our neighbor's incessant leaf-blower, we relay family tributes (more corn memories!), Barbara revisits an old forgotten cookbook, Frima talks about her famous portrait (pictured) and we all look forward to a third (!) birthday cake (this time from Costco). A tasty little episode for a milestone day! Listen in!
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Kath and Jan are joined by the delightful writer and teacher Emily Vollmer, but not before Jan tells a long contentious story about a tomato at a chic restaurant in Santa Monica. Kath initially sides with the restaurant (and the tomato) but suddenly changes her tune when sweet Emily pipes up and supports Jan. Typical Kath behavior. Meanwhile, Emily regales everyone with stories from the front lines of teaching 10th and 11th graders in the Los Angeles public school system, and how the kids are learning about food and nutrition and also how it relates to sports and the Magic Bullet. She talks about cooking for just herself (we're slightly jealous) and what she expects when she dines at a restaurant. A very fun conversation with a lovely soul - listen in!
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The phenomenally talented Maiya Sykes is the real deal – an artist who actually makes a living at it. Once you hear her sing, it all makes sense. She joins Kath and Jan in a lively discussion about food, music, living with her Mom, Michael Jackson’s glove origins, underpaying gigs, who cooks in her house, life on the road, what exactly is in her carry-on bag when she travels (A LOT) and her extremely well-fed dog. Find her on YouTube by searching her name and follow her on Instagram @maiyasykes Be sure to check out her podcast as well, Slap the Power. A fantastic conversation with the best of the best – listen in!
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Back in the Golden Age of Chicago Theatre ™ Kath and guest Keli Garrett were working in tandem as heads of a Women’s Collective and an African American Collective (respectively) for a theatre company. Given our shared history with words, it’s no wonder we embark on a fascinating conversation with Keli as we discuss her PhD studies in London and what the food scene is there, as well as what it’s like cooking for a child as a single Mom here in Los Angeles. Keli recalls her childhood and how both her parents juggled working and the (somewhat) sharing of cooking duties, and we wax nostalgic on Chicago food and spend a great deal of time (spoiler alert!) complaining about LA food. A wonderful, funny and engaging conversation – listen in!
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Heidi Bauer’s creativity is off the charts, whether it’s running her company Rock Scissor Paper with her sister Susie (www.rockscissorpaper.com), entertaining, cooking, baking, designing or just looking at the world in a different way than most people. Kath and Jan both share memories of legendary milestone celebrations, vintage Los Angeles houses, craft cocktails, cookie giveaways, backyard bars and the epic “Cake vs. Pie” party. We touch upon her childhood and marriage and how she strives to reframe her thoughts in a creative way in pretty much any situation, including doing the dishes. A great conversation with one of our favorite people. Listen in!
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The last time Kath saw the married couple James Sie and Douglas Wood, they had not yet adopted their new baby from Viet Nam – who is now 22. Picking right up where they left off (quite literally!), James delights Kath and Jan with homemade blueberry maple scones, which Jan has to force herself not to eat on the air. In a far-ranging discussion on many topics, we talk about the disparity in cooking duties in our respective relationships and come to the conclusion that Food=Love and Love=Control and therefore Food=Control, but is that a bad thing? We also discuss how food can trigger memories not only for children but for aging parents as well. Find Doug’s work at www.douglaswood.net and James' work at www.sieworld.com. A fantastic, often hilarious conversation with two old friends – listen in!
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We’re back! It’s been a minute. Kath and Jan start 2024 off with a bang (okay, a few weeks late) with Los Angeles power couple Joe and Pepper Edmiston, our beloved engineer Will’s parents, who graciously come to the studio en route to the symphony for a free-wheeling, often hilarious and spirited talk about marriage, food, children, grandchildren, rabbits, pigs and best of all, Pepper’s secret to a happy marriage and how she manages to avoid cooking to this day. We talk about Joe’s work as the Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Pepper’s work starting not one, but two camps for children who are seriously ill, all while raising seven children. Find Pepper’s most recent work at www.peppertree.farm and read all about Joe’s efforts to preserve the land at https://smmc.ca.gov. A wonderful conversation to start off the year and an honor to have them. Listen in!
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Kath and Jan close out the year with a visit from the luminous Peggy Dunne, where we discuss far-ranging topics, such as Peggy’s many careers, health and nutrition, depression, acting, blue-green algae and how she somehow managed to marry a guy who was an amazing cook and astonishingly, in the ultimate ‘way to work it’, continues to cook for her even ten years after their separation! A lovely end to 2023 – listen in!
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When Kath and Jan met their pal Maripat Donovan, it was during the run of “The Good Times Are Killing Me” in Chicago, which was supposed to run for six weeks and ran for a year and half. Right after that, Maripat originated her one-woman show “Late Nite Catechism” which was also supposed to run for six weeks…thirty years ago (it’s still running – in fact, Kath does it too)!! We discuss rehabbing buildings, Maripat’s broken leg, famous people, show business, Maripat’s childhood memories of her mother’s pasta sauce (not to her liking) and her various side hustles, namely her old restaurant in Michigan and her food truck in Los Angeles. Maripat reveals the secret to fluffy mashed potatoes (it’s not what you think) and Kath reveals the recipe to Maripat’s favorite chocolate chip cookie. A wonderful funny conversation – listen in!
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It’s a Thanksgiving Special Family Event as our beloved menschy engineer Will makes the trek to the LAX area with all his equipment (and his two dogs!) so we can interview Jan’s Mom Frima and Jan’s Aunt Barbara in person on Kath’s patio! It’s a sizzling holiday extravaganza as the ladies wax nostalgic on what food was like in the old days. We talk about last meals, fussy eaters, fudge, food delivery and the impossibility of food ever tasting as good as it did way back when. A true honor to have these wonderful women speak to us – don’t miss this one. Listen in!
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