Not From Concentrate

From Olive Garden to a James Beard Award with Chef Evan Hennessey

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 countr

What Makes a Recipe Work? With Recipe Tester Laura Manzano

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,

A Hamptons Private Chef’s Secrets to Easier Dinners with Robyn Henderson

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

Big Flavor and Bold Living with Claudette Zepeda

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 ca

Overcome Garden Overwhelm with Jess Zander of You Can Do It Gardening

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. J

Grill Time and Letting Go of the Perfect Family Dinner with Noah Galuten

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 Catherin

Back-to-School Lunches, Sheet-Pan Dinners, and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Hillary Dixler Canavan

Back-to-School Lunches, Sheet-Pan Dinners, and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Hillary Dixler Canavan Hillary Dixler Canavan returns to Not From Concentrate as the show’

Building a Better Local Food System with Erin Baumgartner

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,

The Radical Act Of Cooking at Home with Trinity Mouzon Wofford

What if the answer to feeling too busy isn’t making everything faster, but choosing one place to slow down? Trinity Mouzon Wofford, founder of Golde and author of Eating

How to Turn a Busy Brain Into a Creative Advantage with Chef Will Gilson

What happens when the brain that fuels your ambition and creativity is also the one constantly pulling you in twelve directions? Chef and restaurateur Will Gilson, whose

How Cooking Builds Executive Functions with Sophie Mortner

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, lear

ADHD, Masking, and Letting Your Guard Down

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, capab

Ham El-Waylly on Home Cooking, 90s Nostalgia, and Harnessing ADHD Powers in the Kitchen

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

Courtney E. Smith on Ravenous and the Future of Independent Food Media

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. Courtne

Bow Market, Small Business, and Building Community with Zachary Baum

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 b

Wedding Cakes and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Freelance Baker Mackenzie Innis

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with freelance baker Mackenzie Innis about the artistry, logistics, and emotional weight behind her beautiful sea

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

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with Alex Fuentes, Head Chef of Special Projects at SingleThread Farm–Restaurant–Inn in Healdsburg, California.

Jerrelle Guy on Burnout, Creativity, and Finding Magic in Everyday Meals

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart sits down with cookbook author, photographer, and artist Jerrelle Guy to talk about her beautiful new cookbook, We Fanc

Food Budgeting for Busy Brains with Meghan Splawn

Food writer, recipe developer, and longtime meal-planning expert Meghan Splawn joins Catherine Smart to talk about the emotional, practical, and very real work of getting

You Can Cook Indian Food at Home with Heartland Masala

When Indian food is on the menu at Catherine Smart’s house, it usually means ordering dosa, saag paneer, and cauliflower Manchurian from a favorite local spot. But why do