The Splendid Table turns 20

The Splendid TableWhile some cooking programs have turned to high drama to attract bigger ratings, one show has remained rock steady for 20 years: NPR’s The Splendid Table. Host Lynne Rossetto Kasper reminisces with Eater about the show, recalling the early episodes which featured luminaries like chefs Danny Meyer and Michael Romano of The Union Square Cafe, food scientist and cookbook author Shirley Corriher, and Julia Child, who appeared regularly on the early shows.

Kasper also discusses the changes that have happened over the past two decades. She feels there is now “more varied material on food. We were always tracking what was happening in the food world in the broadest sense. One of the great changes was that in the beginning, whenever we mentioned the word “sustainable” or “organic,” we had to explain it. Today, you don’t even have to think about explaining it.”

The Spendid Table has certainly contributed to the broader U.S. interest in food today. Says Kasper: “We saw the changes. Some people have said we nudged some of those, or at least broadened the awareness of those changes in what we were doing. I consider that a great compliment.” Congratulations to The Splendid Table and Lynne Rossetto Kasper on twenty years of great food radio.

 

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2 Comments

  • hillsboroks  on  July 30, 2014

    Lynne's show came to Oregon Public Broadcasting back in 1996 and I was hooked immediately. Several years ago I had a chance to see her and Sally Swift at an OPB event where they were introducing their book "How to Eat Weekends" and they talked about their books, the radio show and answered lots of questions. She is such an enthusiastic cook and radio host that you cannot help but get excited about trying whatever new dish she talks about. I have nearly all her books and love them all. Lynne would be the perfect next door neighbor to share recipes with, have a cup of coffee with and borrow sugar from.

  • ellabee  on  July 30, 2014

    My s.o. is a big fan of the show, which he catches while driving to a nearby city to play hockey; the station that carries it doesn't come in where we live. I should check out whether a podcast is available. He made a Christmas gift of the How to Eat Supper book the year it came out, and several recipes have become favorites. I also value the many excellent tips scattered through the book.

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