Samin Nosrat’s California Love

On this, the 100th episode of the California Now Podcast, host Soterios Johnson interviews James Beard Award–winning author, chef, and Netflix star Samin Nosrat. 

The San Diego native and Oakland resident shares how she began her culinary career in Alice Water’s kitchen at Chez Panisse: “I started, and I was pretty much immediately just enchanted by this place,” Nosrat recalls. “I'd never worked anywhere like that, where everybody cared so much and was just such a perfectionist.” It was there that she came up with the idea for her New York Times bestselling cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which would later become a hit Netflix series. “I saw that it was really these four elements, salt, fat, acid, and heat, that were kind of the points on the compass. And I even went up to one of the chefs at one point, and I said, ‘I think I understand now.’”

Throughout the interview, Nosrat highlights recipes from her cookbook, names some of her go-to East Bay eateries, and celebrates the state's vibrant food culture, from local farmers' markets to ethnically diverse restaurants to her favorite spot for a bean-and-cheese burrito. Finally, Nosrat takes the California Questionnaire, offering insights into her culinary and travel favorites across the Golden State. 

GUEST 

Samin Nosrat, chef and author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

RESOURCES

Samin Nosrat is a New York Times bestselling author, a James Beard Award winner, and the star of the hit Netflix series based on her celebrated cookbook, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. 

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
San Diego
Wholesome Choice
Irvine
Los Angeles
North Park Grocery
Orange County
Berkeley
Chez Panisse
Golden Boy Pizza
San Francisco
The Cheese Board Collective
Sonoma
Napa
Marin
Vacaville
Ferry Plaza Building
Alice Waters
East Bay
Berkeley Farmers’ Market
Berkeley Bowl
Monterey Market
Rose Pizzeria
Zuni Cafe
West Marin
Pyeong Chang Tofu House
Oakland
Comal Next Door
Rancho Gordo
Santa Paula
Ventura County
Ojai
Rory's Place
Ojai Rôtie
Oxnard
Harry's Berries
Big Sur
Big Sur Bakery
Stinson Beach
Muir Beach
Bolinas
Timber Cove Resort
Jenner
San Rafael
Sol Food
Yuba River
San Luis Obispo
High Street Market & Deli
Bellwether Farms
Marin French Cheese Co.
Cowgirl Creamery
Dirty Girl Produce
Santa Cruz
Sqirl
Kismet

ABOUT THE HOST

Soterios Johnson, formerly the local host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on New York radio station WNYC, has been the host of the California Now Podcast since its inception in 2018.

OUR TEAM

Host, Soterios Johnson
Editorial Director, John Godfrey
Producer, Kate Eplboim
Technical Producer, Jessica Marshall
Theme music, Aaron Taos