Podcasts · The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

858: Mindful Cooking with Eric Ripert and The Two Saddest Kitchens with Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein

9 Oct 2026 · 50 min

This week, we go from a mindful kitchen to maybe a neurotic one? First, legendary chef Eric Ripert visits us in the studio to talk about practicing mindfulness and how he learned to bring it into his cooking. He talks about his visits to monasteries, learning about temple foods in Korea and making the most out of flavorful vegetables and delicious plant-based foods. Eric Ripert is the chef of Le Bernardin in New York City and the author of many cookbooks, most recently Mindful Cooking, Simple Recipes for Nurturing Body and Soul. He shared his recipe for Southern's France's delicious Socca Niçoise.

Then, New Yorker cartoonists Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein join us in Francis' kitchen to talk about their latest book, about the mysteries that reside in the kitchen. Which includes an on-the-spot inspection of Francis’ kitchen junk drawer! Roz and Jason are the authors of The Two Saddest Kitchens: A Comics Conversation.

Head to our YouTube channel and watch this extended cut of our interview with Eric Ripert. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

Broadcast dates for this episode:

October 9, 2026 (originally aired)

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Links in the notes 6

• https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Cooking-Nurturing-Plant-Based-Cookbook/dp/0593978269/?tag=tsplent-20
• https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2026/10/09/socca-nioise
• https://www.amazon.com/Two-Saddest-Kitchens-Comics-Conversation/dp/1639735186/?tag=tsplent-20
• https://www.youtube.com/@TheSplendidTable
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoIjteKP92c
• https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/ST-POD