The Jiffy Newsletter Podcast
A documentary audio zine about upstate New York, exploring cozy histories, odd mysteries, and personal dispatches from the land of bucolic barns and Kinderhook blobs.
Each episode is an upstate odyssey. From high-stakes bake-offs and haunted antiques to roadside cows and quaking trees, host James Cave brings you stories from New York’s non-Manhattan regions – told with curiosity, humor, and the occasional text message from a stranger.
The Jiffy Newsletter Podcast
The Hungry Eye Looks At Ruth Reichl And The Screaming Focaccia
I locked James out of the studio for this one.
Because Ruth Reichl – my hero, my origin story, my reason for existing – came to Chatham, New York, to judge the Great Chatham Bake-Off. And I, The Hungry Eye, the anonymous food critic for the podcast, had to be there. In the gazebo. In the humidity. Bearing witness.
In this episode, I take you to the center of it all in the village square as 30+ bakers compete for the coveted first place ribbon: There’s a pineapple-pistachio-bacon crumble cake. A focaccia interpretation of Edvard Munch's "The Scream." A one-year-old that I'm not quite convinced actually baked what they said he baked.
Jack Shear, Betsy Thorleifson, and Ruth – each gracious, judicious, precise – guide us through the cakes, pavlovas, brownies, pies, cobblers, savories, and sweets, as they wield fate and crown the worthy.
It's an immersive experience on the show today, a show that is now proud to be a James Beard Award Winning-Adjacent podcast. And if you want the full hour-long conversation I had with Ruth (we talked about her NYT disguises, how she invented such personas as Chloe and Aunt Betty, and how I might improve my disguises as the anonymous food critic), it’s available to premium subscribers as an Audio Exclusive in The Jiffy-Mart Members' Lounge.
You can upgrade to a premium membership here.
Be sure to read Ruth's memoir of her time as the restaurant critic for the New York Times, "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise."
Learn more about the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation here.
And follow Betsy Thorleifson on Instagram: @ninecakes
"The Jiffy Audio Newsletter Podcast" is an audio documentary zine – the official podcast of The Jiffy – exploring the odd histories, cozy mysteries, and surprising characters of upstate New York. Each episode is a small adventure, told with curiosity, humor, and the occasional text message from a stranger.
New episodes drop every other week. Subscribe, share, and take the scenic route with us.
Follow James on Instagram: @jamescave
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Jiffy Podcast, a podcast about upstate New York that really takes you places. And right now, okay, so we're in Chatham, New York – specifically in the gazebo.
Melissa Davis:If you don't mind. Also, yeah, just if you can write for each this information on the back. Okay. Because we're, that's the judging card. Yeah. Okay. So Ruth Reichl will be announcing the winners at noon. Cool. So make sure to come back and then if there's leftovers after the judging, which I'm sure there will be. Are you okay with the community having some? Okay, Great.
The Hungry Eye:People are dropping off their baked goods as submissions because it's the annual Great Chatham Bake-Off. And I don't know if you caught that, but that was Melissa Davis name dropping Ruth Reichl. Melissa is a co-organizer of this competition, and Ruth Reichl is a star of the culinary world. A six time James Beard Award-winning editor and writer – seven awards., if you count the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award she received in 2024. Ruth has a storied career, and today she's a judge at the Great Chatham Bake-Off. As for me. I'm The Hungry Eye, the anonymous food critic for the Jiffy Audio Newsletter podcast, as well as the James Cave Instagram feed. James Cave, your normal host, he just couldn't be here today, and that's why I'm filling in. You maybe have noticed a little change in the voice here. Actually, I told him he couldn't host the show today. I locked in out of the studio because, well, Ruth Reichl is, uh, she's everything to me. She's my hero and inspiration, and quite frankly, she's the reason I exist. You see, when Ruth was the restaurant critic for the New York Times, she pioneered the practice of critics who wear disguises when dining at restaurants under review. She'd wear wigs and costumes and she'd create all these new personas with names like:
Ruth Reichl:Brenda, Chloe, Betty.
The Hungry Eye:Because you see, if she showed up as Ruth Reichl, well, she'd get all sorts of special treatment. And for Ruth, it was important to write about the dining experience that us normal folk would've had at New York City's highest echelon of restaurants: Ruth Reichl's restaurant reviews for the rest of us readers. Without her example and her memoir about this era of her life titled "Garlic and Sapphires" The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise," which has become a Bible to me, well, I'd be completely lost in my role as the anonymous food critic for the James Cave Instagram Feed, and when Melissa Davis told me that Ruth would be here to judge the bake-off right here in the gazebo, well. I just had to come out and see it for myself with my own two eyes. It's what I do. I'm The Hungry Eye. I take a long hard look at the foods and food culture of Upstate New York. And lemme tell you what I'm seeing now as I stand here during Chatham Summerfest and 90 degree weather is that, uh, the submissions are arriving, bakers each with the hopes of winning that first place ribbon. And what's at stake? Hundreds of dollars. Okay. Let's go talk to a few of these bakers and see what they're dropping off. Hey, how's it going? I'm inter--, I'm interviewing people who are dropping off their submissions. Can you tell me what you're bringing here to the Bake-Off today and what's your name is?
Jennifer June:Uh, my name's Jennifer June and I'm bringing candied kumquat madeleines.
Ms. Janet:I am bringing a very simple blueberry cobbler. I got the berries at Stearn's, and this is basically the only thing, well, practically the only thing I bake during the summer, 'cause who wants to turn on your oven, but I serve it usually with vanilla ice cream and I think it's the perfect summer dessert.
The Hungry Eye:Okay. A new submission, Melissa. A new submission. Fantastic. Now we have here, we have with us Mendy, also known as Angry Baker, at the Bake-Off.
Mendy Waits:Well, you could call me angry and
The Hungry Eye:just angry for short.
Mendy Waits:Just angry for short. That's my nickname.
The Hungry Eye:What have y'all submitted here today?
Mendy Waits:Um, I haven't submitted anything but my daughter Holland submitted a chocolate cake over there. The one with the berries on it.
The Hungry Eye:I mean, she went above and beyond with those berries.
Mendy Waits:She really did. She piled them individually one by one, and then she dusted them, light sprinkling powdered sugar on the top.
Holland Waits:So my name is Holland Waits. Um, this we have here is a chocolate cake with some nice chocolate frosting. I've been using a recipe that my mother showed me in a book called I believe "Handmade Baking" and, um, I've made it a lot in my life. We've got, um,
The Hungry Eye:about how many times would you say?
Holland Waits:I'd say about maybe five or six.
The Hungry Eye:Ooh, that's, that's a lot. Yeah.
Holland Waits:Yeah, yeah.
The Hungry Eye:Perfecting it.
Holland Waits:Mm-hmm. It's important. I have never measured the amount of water that goes in it. It's a guess every single time.
The Hungry Eye:Gut you're going with your gut.
Holland Waits:Yes, yes. Um, we've got blueberries on the top with some blackberries and raspberries piled to create kind of a, uh, peak point at the cake. Nice. Yeah.
The Hungry Eye:I mean, you definitely did it with the berries. There's a lot of berries, A whole medley. Yes. It's like, almost looks like two pints of berries. Very fresh.
Holland Waits:They, they are fresh from Hannaford.
The Hungry Eye:Oh, we love Hannaford. Yep. Shout out to Hannaford. Your mom had told me about a contribution that she brought, which is, you had some issues with the, the, the cocoa powder, is that right?
Holland Waits:Yes. The cocoa powder created clumps. In the frosting. It was really awful.
The Hungry Eye:Sounds dramatic.
Holland Waits:Mm-hmm. But she did some research and you find that if you use an immersion blender, you can actually fix that. So we, we got it
The Hungry Eye:Oh, problem solved. Crisis averted. Well it looks beautiful.
Holland Waits:Thank you.
The Hungry Eye:What were you gonna do if you win?
Holland Waits:Um, I'll be very happy and I will display the medal proudly.
The Hungry Eye:Put it on your LinkedIn?
Holland Waits:Yes.
The Hungry Eye:Amazing. Well, good luck. It's a pleasure to meet you, Holland. Thank you. I can't wait. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Ruth Reichls just arrived. Uh, Ruth, what are your first impressions now that you just got here?
Ruth Reichl:It's amazing. I mean, I'm looking at these really beautiful, impressive looking cakes. I'm excited. I can't wait to start eating.
The Hungry Eye:So what do you think you're gonna start first? What's your process today?
Ruth Reichl:Um, well there are, there are a few things here that look fragile. I mean, there's a pavlova, it's very humid. So I think the sooner we get into the pavlova, anything with buttercream, I mean we want to get some of these buttercream things are likely to just start sliding off of their cakes. And so I, I think most reasonable thing to do is, is to attack the ones that are the most vulnerable to heat first and then, you know, move on.
The Hungry Eye:Joining Ruth on the judging panel today is Betsy Thorleifson, the baker of Nine Cakes fame in Hudson. I asked Betsy how she approaches the task of judging what is now looking to be more than 30 submissions today. Talk to me about your judging process when you come in. How does this, how do you handle something like this? This is quite a task.
Betsy Thorleifson:I, I don't know, actually. Um, I mean, in the last couple years I've gone around and tried everything before making any sort of assessments or judging. Um, but this is a lot to take in, so I, I'm a little nervous for my sweet teeth.
The Hungry Eye:Do you have a notepad with you and take notes or how do you keep track of everything?
Betsy Thorleifson:That is a great idea. Um. Indeed In the past years I've taken mental notes, but this year might require some. I have a notepad you can borrow. I might borrow that. Yeah.
The Hungry Eye:Oh, and here's Jack Shear, the third and final judge on the panel. He's an artist and the executive director of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. It looks like Jack brought with him Kerala, his assistant, and Kerala brought with her a notepad. Okay. Kerala is prepared. Mr. Jack Shear. So what's your typically pro, and I've heard you've done this before. What's your process for this type of,
Jack Shear:so this year we're changing it up a little bit. Usually we give, uh, five points for appearance and five points for taste. Mm-hmm. We're changing it up a little bit this year. It'll be, it'll be four points for appearance and how many, and
Kerala:six for taste
Jack Shear:and six for taste.
The Hungry Eye:I'm recording audio for a podcast episode about the bake off and all of the, all of the tension and drama around the judging deliberations.
Jack Shear:Well, there's a lot of drama, not much tension.
The Hungry Eye:Well, how do we make more tension?
Jack Shear:Uh, you eat really bad baked goods and that's where the tension comes in. Yeah.
The Hungry Eye:Hopefully there's no tension
Jack Shear:This is my assistant right here. She's been working with me for four years.
The Hungry Eye:Okay. And, and you've been doing all the all the task administrative tasks?
Kerala:Yeah, I'm taking all the notes.
The Hungry Eye:Oh, okay. That's very important. You've got the notepad. You're already well ahead of the other judges.
Jack Shear:Yes. Well, that's why she's my assistant. You get it. You know, it's like. That's what assistance do.
The Hungry Eye:It's good that you have her. She is crucial. She's proven crucial.
Jack Shear:No, she, she sought me out this year. This is my friend's niece and she just calls me when the bake off is around.
The Hungry Eye:Time to go. Suit up.
Jack Shear:Come on,
Sam Reilly:what you guys might do. One out of five or out of 10. 10. I
Betsy Thorleifson:think 10. And I think that was like we were adding in like
Sam Reilly:appearance five for presentation,
Betsy Thorleifson:five for taste? Yes. And then the combination of those that we thought, well, we're changing it
Jack Shear:this year. Okay. Good. What, doing two more for appearance. Okay.
Betsy Thorleifson:And
Jack Shear:six and six for taste. Alright.
Betsy Thorleifson:Okay.
Jack Shear:I, I had a dream last night and
Betsy Thorleifson:I like, I love it. I'm happy to follow a dream. All right.
Sam Reilly:No pressure.
But, uh, it's 11:07, so we told him we would ounce at noon. Okay. Alright.
Ruth Reichl:Okay, so we gotta eat fast.
Sam Reilly:Alright. And you all need,
The Hungry Eye:alright, there they go. Okay. Now it's really hot here in the gazebo, in Chatham. So while the judges follow Jack's dream of a revised judging format and it started deliberating, I want to cut to an interview that I had with Ruth earlier in the week we were indoors. It was much cooler inside. And Ruth, who happens also to have been a judge on Top Chef Masters for three seasons talked with me in more detail about her approach to judging dishes and competitions like this and how cooks might go about winning one. Alright, here's my interview with Ruth Reichl. You've had such an illustrious career. Six time James Beard Award winner, Lifetime Achievement Award, editor of of Gourmet. You, uh, you are on tv, you're on PBS shows. And now you're, you, you're now the, the judge at the Chatham Bake-Off. So this is it. And it is very exciting. And, and you, you we're talking about baking. I think it's a Great segue into talking about the process of judging a, you know. Chatham Village, uh, Bake-Off. So how do you approach, can you walk me through your overall approach to, uh, your process for judging something like something someone put the, put it together, they're presenting it to you, you're walking up to them. Are you an intimidating figure? Are you like taking it in very seriously, or are you letting them off easy? How do you go about this? What's your process?
Ruth Reichl:No, I mean, you, you don't let them off easy. I mean, it, it's not about whether you're an intimidating figure or not, but. First of all, let's just say that whether it's restaurant criticism or judging a baking contest, the interesting thing about judging food is we have no way of knowing whether, when I taste something, I'm tasting the same thing that you taste, but it's, it's like you pretty much know if you're judging a piece of art, you pretty much know that you're seeing the same thing that I would see. Taste is so personal. So, you know, the first thing to understand is there is no right or wrong in this. It's like we're talking about what I am perceiving and you know, the only thing I can say is, um, I have been focused on foods for my whole life. So I do have some tools for doing this, but I'm not right. And, um. Somebody else would probably come up with a completely different conclusion and they're not wrong. So I think you have to approach this with a certain degree of humility, which is I am going to, let's understand that I am judging this from a very personal point of view, and especially with something like this kind of a contest, which is different than. For instance, you know, France has this famous test called Meilleur Ouvrier de France and the best worker in France. And when they do that, everybody's making the same thing. So you're judging oranges against oranges and in a bake off kind kind of thing. You are not right. I mean, everybody's bringing their, their favorite cake, so you're not judging, you're judging 15 angel food cakes. It's pretty objective. I mean, you can even see it just visually, you can see which angel food cake is higher than its neighbor. But here we're judging, you know, people are just, you know, people who have been told that they're Great bakers are bringing their specialty. So, you know, you start with this notion that I have to apologize to you because I'm just going to pick. Thing I like best, and I come to this with certain prejudices. If things are very, very sweet, they don't go over as well with me as this. If there's, you know, a balance of sweet and safe.
The Hungry Eye:Mm-hmm. I was gonna ask, what are you typically drawn towards? Like what would be something that is a surefire? All right, this is what's gonna get her this. I know I'm gonna make this and this will win.
Ruth Reichl:Um, a really Great lemon tart. I listen my first cookbook, which I wrote when I was 22, I have all chapter in lemons. Um. And getting the sugar balance right in lemon tart is hard. And, you know, and getting the crust right on a Great lemon tart would do very, very well with me. I, I, this time of year, I mean, we're talking, we're in fruit season. I mean, it's such an amazing time to do things with fruit. I mean, I would hope that people would think about seasonality. I would hope that, you know, on a day when it's gonna be what, 90 and muggy. On the day that we're judging this I mean, I would hope people aren't going bombard us with heavy chocolate desserts. I mean, I once had to judge really early in my career. I had to judge a croissant eating contest and the cro, I mean there were like 75 croissants. I didn't need another croissant for like 10 years. It is. So I'm hoping that we don't get like a hundred heavy chocolate cakes
The Hungry Eye:It's 83 degrees outside. Humidity is 91. And the judges are in the making their notes and deliberating, they're discussing in secrecy. While we have some of the contributors standing around, milling around trying to unobtrusively, looks like some of them may be trying to listen in. Okay. I'm walking up to one of the sub submission. Okay. So what do you think? I see you watching them deliberating. I'm just curious, how are you feel? How are you feeling right now on the outside of the gazebo?
Ms. Janet:I'm curious,
The Hungry Eye:are you, it looks like maybe you got one ear to the tent here.
Ms. Janet:Not so much. I just like watching and seeing. I actually, part of why I wanted to do this was that Jack Shear is my next door neighbor, who I've never met. So I wanted, I figured this was an occasion to see who he was and to, so I truly
The Hungry Eye:Have you met him yet?
Ms. Janet:No.
The Hungry Eye:Alright, well now I, I think your moment is coming.
Ms. Janet:Maybe, I don't know if I'm going to go up.
The Hungry Eye:Wouldn't be amazing if he chose you to win and then he didn't know.
Ms. Janet:Unlikely.
The Hungry Eye:Unbeknownst to him, you would live next to him.
Ms. Janet:Unlikely.
The Hungry Eye:Then you could bake for him all the time.
Ms. Janet:Unlikely.
The Hungry Eye:So we're checking with Melissa now. What were you saying?
Melissa Davis:I'm really impressed with the quality of the entries this year. Unbelievable, gorgeous, gorgeous baked goods.
The Hungry Eye:What are some standouts, early standouts for you?
Melissa Davis:Oh gosh. I, uh, I don't know. We have some gorgeous cupcakes on the kids' table. I mean, ridiculous.
The Hungry Eye:The kids really showed up on the kids table.
Melissa Davis:They really showed up.
The Hungry Eye:It's gonna be a to a tough competition.
Melissa Davis:Okay. And can I tell you, one of the kids was one and a half years old. I actually saw photos and videos of him baking it to prove
The Hungry Eye:Yeah, was there proof? because I'm feeling, I'm feeling there maybe some cheating going on like that. I,
Melissa Davis:I think he actually did most of the work. Crazily enough
The Hungry Eye:prodigy in our midst.
Melissa Davis:That's right. Exactly.
The Hungry Eye:But over here is Sam Reilly, Sam is Melissa's co-organizer for the event. The bake off here. Sam's been in the gazebo this entire time with the judges, seen a lot. Uh, Hey Sam, have you noticed the judges returning to any particular dish?
Sam Reilly:Yes, in fact, I, I just counseled with one that they would like to go back and revise a score. Now that they've tasted everything, they, they have new feelings about those early. Early scores they gave.
The Hungry Eye:Oh, that's so interesting. Very exciting. Deliberation is a long process
Sam Reilly:Yes. And we encourage conversation between, between the judges during the, uh, process. So this is the third year we've done the baking competition and our intention is always, was always that it would be sweet. Desserts like cakes, although we've failed to put that anywhere in the marketing, um, we just assumed everyone would, would know. Um, and this year, on year three is the first year anyone has ever even attempted to do a savory.
The Hungry Eye:So you think this could be interesting if there's a savory as a winner?
Sam Reilly:Well, we have several savories this year, which is very exciting. So I think, yeah, there's always room for a new winner.
The Hungry Eye:History could be made here this year. I think
Sam Reilly:it is. I think this is the year
The Hungry Eye:back in the gazebo. 10 minutes till the announcement of the winner. How's it going, Jack?
Jack Shear:Well, all we have is The Scream left.
Kerala:The Scream We have to get through it. It. It looks really cool though.
The Hungry Eye:Okay. I've gotta jump in here and describe the submission. I mean, it's too bad this is a podcast because you really need to see it to believe it, but it's a focaccia recreation of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" the classic image of a figure clutching its face in terror against a swirling, apocalyptic sky. But here it's made entirely out of vegetables. And at the center is the ghostly figure itself. Its mouth, agape in horror, formed from garlic slices placed just so in a pale onion ring for his head. Long green onions stretch upward, like warped fence posts, swirls of red pepper, black olives, caramelized onions mixed together to recreate that chaotic howling backdrop. Just close your eyes. I picture it. It's vivid, it's expressive, it's bizarrely accurate, and it really looks delicious. Why do you, why was, are you, you feel trepidatious or?
Jack Shear:No, because Edvard Munch is one of my favorite artists, so we wanted to save, like, as a tribute to, Edvard Munch.
The Hungry Eye:So it's good that they, they didn't know this about you, I'm sure. So see how it goes.
Jack Shear:Exciting. Wait, look. Those olives spell out Jack. Just kidding. They don't, they don't. I'm just, I was kidding. Kidding.
The Hungry Eye:You can see things in, in art, in works of art sometimes that maybe others can't. So who's to say you're wrong?
Jack Shear:Almost everybody.
The Hungry Eye:We're with Emma, who has, who has baked The Scream Emma, this is a, is a visionary work of art. Tell me about, tell me about this story. Sam, tell, take me to the beginning of the vision.
Emma:Well, Sam Reilly texted me and threatened my life if I didn't submit. Um, so I complied. I was
The Hungry Eye:And you made something called The Scream?
Emma:Yes.
The Hungry Eye:Was it a call for help in that way?
Emma:Yes, it was a call for help. I mean, I think we all feel that way. In this day and age, um, I also, uh, don't have an oven right now, so this was really a feat of, uh, resilience and fear. So that's why I thought the scream was fitting. I used a, it's like, kind of like a easy bake oven type situation, but anyway, I made it work.
The Hungry Eye:Jack, what did you think of the scream? What's your opinion?
Jack Shear:Uh, highly inventive, uh, Great use of vegetables.
The Hungry Eye:And the quality of the focaccia,
Jack Shear:uh, I liked it. Um, we don't have knives, so we had to pull it apart, and it was very, uh, it was satisfying,
The Hungry Eye:satisfying to destroy. The judges are taking one final pass. Anything left to try?
Ruth Reichl:No, we, we have, yeah, we've done it all
Jack Shear:and in time.
The Hungry Eye:How do you feel? How's everyone feeling? Satiated? Satisfied.
Ruth Reichl:Sick to my stomach.
Kerala:Yeah. Bloated.
The Hungry Eye:The bell has tolled, the bell has tolled
Kerala:just 12 o'clock now. the votes are coming in
Sam Reilly:Melissa's on way. Okay,
Jack Shear:ladies and gentlemen, we're just about to announce the winners of the Bake-Off the Great. Chatham Bake-Off.
Melissa Davis:We have our celebrity Judge Ruth Reichl. Woo.
Ruth Reichl:I just wanna thank you all for coming on this crazy hot day, and especially thanks to the Bakers. I mean, the idea of baking, and I know that some of you got up early this morning because some of these were still warm when we were tasting them, so it was very impressive showing. Okay. Second place in the children's division is the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and berries. Wow. By Holland Waits. Woo.
The Hungry Eye:Hey, congratulations Holland. You remember Holland? We met her earlier in the episode. She described her mere cake destroying cocoa powder mishap. Well, now that she's a ribbon winner, I guess she's gonna have to update her LinkedIn. Oh, and how did that Screaming Focaccia Loaf by Emma Fair with the judges.
Ruth Reichl:This we call the Jack Shear special. This is the second prize.
The Hungry Eye:Look, we we're here with Emma now she's just taken the second prize ribbon. Yes. How do you feel? Did you see this coming?
Emma:I didn't see it coming. I'm really glad Sam Reilly forced my hand 'cause I was gonna keep it at home and eat it all myself.
Ruth Reichl:It's a good day for the Emma's so you get $50.
Emma:Oh my God. Thank you.
Ruth Reichl:And I wish you had seen Jack's face when he saw that.
Emma:I can only imagine.
Ruth Reichl:So first place. Goes to this pineapple cake with pistachio and bacon crumble, and it's not only a really delicious cake. It's a really original cake. I mean, the bacon, it's got sage, it's got these pistachios. Um, if this is all open for people to taste, you really do wanna taste this. It is a, I'm very proud to make this the first prize winner and it goes to. Christina Harrigan. Woohoo.
Christina Harrigan:Christina? Yeah, I'm Christina and I'm submitting a pineapple cake with pistachio and bacon crumble.
The Hungry Eye:Okay. Describe it visually. Talk to me about your process, this recipe you've been perfecting over many years. What's the story?
Christina Harrigan:It's a newer recipe to me, so I wanted to wing it and try something new this year. And uh, so it's got pineapple on the inside, but then on the outside I took pistachios bacon, baked that up in the oven so it got nice and crispy, and put that on top of a cream cheese frosting.
The Hungry Eye:Congratulations to Christina, the baker of the Sage Pineapple Pistachio Bacon crumble cake and grand prize winner of this year's Great Chatham Bake-Off, and congrats to all the winners and players this year. Hey, by the way, I had a wonderful conversation with Ruth Reichl almost an hour long, if you can believe it. In addition to hearing about her thoughts and judging baking contests, we also talked about her job as a restaurant critic for the New York Times, how she invented all her personas, including Aunt Betty and Chloe, how there was almost a male persona who never quite made it past the front door. And she gave me tips on how to improve my disguise as the anonymous food critic of the podcast. It's available as an audio exclusive to patrons of the podcast community here. Paying subscribers really support this show, and you can upgrade at the link in the show notes to get perks like this. Okay, well that does it for me. The Hungry Eye. The guest host of today's episode, if you liked it, could you share it with a friend? Word of mouth really helps this show grow, and James will be back in the next episode, I promise. Until then, I'll see you on the Instagram feed.
