In this episode of Repertoire, I travel to the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle to sit down with J. Kenji López-Alt—New York Times bestselling author of The Food Lab and The Wok, James Beard Award winner, YouTube creator, dad, knife nerd, and one of the most influential food writers of our time.

Kenji’s impact on the way home cooks and chefs approach food is unmatched. From reverse-searing steak to slathering turkeys with mayo, he’s built a career on peeling back the science behind cooking and making it accessible, joyful, and endlessly useful. Millions of cooks—myself included—are better because of his work.

We dive into:

• The honor (and surreal weirdness) of being Simpsonized and writing a stew recipe for The Simpsons.
• Gas station cult culture and first impressions of Buc-ee’s.
• Why Duke’s mayo holds its own alongside Kewpie and Hellmann’s.
• The science of washing vs. not washing chicken—and how velveting meat transforms stir-fries.
• Frozen vs. fresh seafood, invasive catfish, and why labels like “fresh” can be misleading.
• Recipe ownership, credit, and the ethics of content creation in the social media era.
• His journey from architecture student to restaurant cook to one of the most trusted voices in food writing.

Kenji and I explore the craft of recipe development, the role of science in shaping instincts, and the joy of cooking with curiosity. We also share plenty of laughs, swap cat stories, and get honest about what it means to carry influence in today’s food world.

Whether you’re a chef, cook, or just a lover of food culture, this conversation is loaded with flavor, science, and unfiltered kitchen talk.

Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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