Events & Appearances
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Past Events, Appearances and Podcasts
Modern Brazilian Cuisine, Explained: Meridian Executive Chef Junior Borges in conversation with Leslie Brenner
Junior Borges, Executive Chef of the groundbreaking Dallas restaurant Meridian and a native of Rio de Janeiro, deliciously deciphers the cultural phenomenon that’s poised to dazzle North America. He’s interviewed by Leslie Brenner.
Lived streamed on Jan. 26, 2022 from the first modern Brazilian restaurant in the U.S., the conversation elucidates the ingredients, dishes, history, cultural composition and culinary traditions that give contemporary Brazilian cooking its delectably exuberant character.
To watch, sign up for a free account on Kittch, then watch the replay.
The Communal Table Talks No. 6 – Food Hall Forward
Featuring Special Guest Michael Morris, Cana Development
Every mixed-use development needs a food hall. Or does it? Should a food hall be an amenity or a destination unto itself? What can and should a food hall be? Coming out of the pandemic, what have we learned about this seemingly shiny new — yet actually ancient — institution? In our sixth conversation, Food Hall Forward, we posed these questions (and many more) to Michael Morris, principal of Cana Development. His firm has created world-class food halls including Cross Street Market and Mt. Vernon Marketplace in Baltimore and The Bourse in Philadelphia, with projects in development in Washington, D.C.; Boston; High Point, NC; Boca Raton; and Allentown, PA.
The live, virtual event took place July 8, 2021
Cooks Without Borders Makers, Shakers & Mavens: The Grain Revolution with Roxana Jullapat and David Kaisel
Two exciting leaders in the grains movement joined Leslie Brenner and Juliet Jacobson to talk about ancient, heirloom and artisan grains and how to embrace them in your home or restaurant kitchen. David Kaisel is the founder and owner of one of the country's top artisan mills: Capay Mills in Northern California. Roxana Jullapat is the renowned Los Angeles baker and co-owner of Friends and Family, and author of the cookbook Mother Grains.
The live, virtual event took place May 27, 2021.
Roxana Jullapat (left) and David Kaisel / Photographs by Kristin Tei and Deborah Biback-William
Makers, Shakers & Mavens: The Grain Revolution with Roxana Jullapat and David Kaisel (60 minute program)
The Communal Table Talks No. 5 — Agents of Change: Growing Labor into Talent
Featuring Special Guest Alice Cheng
In a special 45-minute episode, Alice Cheng, founder of Culinary Agents — an innovative online resource for cultivating and celebrating culinary talent — joined us to talk about how becoming a better employer will help attract the best employees. Cheng inspired us with actionable ideas for how to create a more sustainable, supportive and resilient environment that employees won’t want to leave. Produced and hosted by Leslie Brenner, CarloMaria Ciampolli and Bradford Thompson.
The conversation took place on May 25, 2021.
The Texas Standard
“A Dallas-Based Restaurant Critic Spent the Pandemic Traveling the World in her Kitchen”
Texas Standard host David Brown interviews Leslie Brenner about Cooks Without Borders. May 4, 2021
The Communal Table Talks No. 4 — Experimental/Experiential: How Invisible Technology and Hospitality Converge
Featuring Special Guest Benjamin Calleja
Can a restaurant be an innovation lab for extraordinary guest experiences? How might hospitality design and technology come together to reimagine what a place for food and people can be?
In our fourth conversation — Experimental/Experiential — we posed those questions and many more to our special guest Benjamin Calleja, CEO of Livit Design. Livit is the world’s largest restaurant design company, focused on improving brands’ performance through guest experience design. Produced and hosted by Leslie Brenner, CarloMaria Ciampolli and Bradford Thompson.
The conversation took place on April 28, 2021.
Cooks Without Borders Culture Dive: Vietnamese Cooking and Food Culture with Andrea Nguyen and An-My Lê
Hosted by Leslie Brenner and Juliet Jacobson, this live video event took a deep dive into Vietnamese cooking and food culture with cookbook author Andrea Nguyen and photographer An-My Lê. They also discuss Nguyen and Lê's experience as refugees and what cooking the heritage foods of their homeland means to their identity.
Nguyen is the award-winning author of six books, including Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and Vietnamese Food Any Day. She also writes at her website, Viet World Kitchen. Lê is a renowned photographer and MacArthur Fellow, whose work is at MOMA, the Whitney, LACMA, Art Institute of Chicago; she's also an accomplished home cook — and fan of Nguyen's cookbooks. Jacobson is the award-winning design director of Cooks Without Borders, as well as co-founder of Digital Gizmo.
The live Cooks Without Borders event took place April 27, 2021.
Cookbook author Andrea Nguyen
Vietnamese Cooking and Food Culture with Andrea Nguyen and An-My Lê (60 minute program)
The Communal Table Talks No. 3 — The Phoenix Effect: Unleashing a Creative Explosion!
Featuring Special Guest Nancy Silverton
No American chef embodies inspired innovation, resilience, inventiveness and resourcefulness — as well as a dedication to deliciousness and heartfelt hospitality — more than Nancy Silverton. In our third conversation, a special 45-minute edition, we talked with the celebrated Los Angeles restaurateur about how the industry as a whole can think about reinvention. Produced and hosted by Leslie Brenner, CarloMaria Ciampolli and Bradford Thompson.
This event was held March 25, 2021.
Cooks Without Borders Live Q & A: Next-Wave Masa with Jorge Gaviria and Olivia Lopez
Hosted by Leslie Brenner, this live video event focused on nixtamalization — the traditional process of treating dried corn and grinding it into masa — which has been on the rise in the most interesting Mexican restaurants in past years.
Olivia Lopez, chef de cuisine at Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, is on the leading edge of a nascent movement to take the process one step deeper: using heirloom corn sourced from dedicated farmers all around Mexico. Visionary purveyor Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda, talked about traditional maize culture, the farms and farmers — and how to nixtamalize corn, make masa and tortillas (with perfect puff!) at home. Read about next-wave masa at Cooks Without Borders.
The live Cooks Without Borders event took place March 17, 2021.
Olivia Lopez and Jorge Gaviria
Next-Wave Masa with Jorge Gaviria and Olivia Lopez (60 minute program)
Built in Texas hosted by Jasmin Brand
Leslie was a guest on the debut episode of Jasmin Brand’s live LinkedIn show featuring “Texas women who build epic things.” Aired March 1, 2021.
Cooks Without Borders Live Q & A with Ottolenghi-sphere Author Tara Wigley
Hosted by Leslie Brenner, we chatted with Tara Wigley, co-author of Ottolenghi Simple and Falastin, about developing recipes, traveling and writing with superstar chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Aired February 25, 2021.
Tara Wigley, co-author of ‘Falastin’ and ‘Ottolenghi Simple’ / Photo by Jenny Zarins
The Communal Table Talks No. 2 — Flexibility: Restaurants and Their Infinite Potential
Featuring Special Guest David Walker, Stantec
In our second 30-minute conversation, we talked about how reimagining physical space, rethinking culinary approach and reinventing hospitality’s goals can foster community and create an exciting new people-centric business model. David Walker presented design images of our prototype for a forward-looking restaurant. Aired February 24, 2021.
Produced and hosted by Leslie Brenner, CarloMaria Ciampolli and Bradford Thompson.
Cooks Without Borders Live Q & A: The Woks of Life’s Sarah Leung
Hosted by Leslie Brenner, this live video event with the founder of popular Chinese cooking website The Woks of Life dove into how to begin exploring Chinese cooking at home, how to buy, use and care for a wok, Chinese-American food culture and more. Aired January 28, 2021.
The Communal Table Talks No. 1 — The Human(e) Factor: Moving Beyond Clean Surfaces to Evolve Restaurants
In our first 30-minute conversation, we talked about how restaurants can express community, whom they are for and how they can work better for the people who run them, work in them and own them. Aired January 27, 2021.
Produced and hosted by Leslie Brenner, CarloMaria Ciampolli and Bradford Thompson.
Marination Live: Why Dallas, Why Now?
A Conversation with Dallas Morning News Restaurant Critic Michalene Busico and Lucia & Macellaio Chef-Owner David Uygur — hosted by Bullion
Moderated by Leslie Brenner; hosted by Seth Brammer; event produced by Leslie Brenner, Seth Brammer and Josh Sutcliff in partnership with Bullion and FestEvents.
Filmed live at 400 Record in Dallas, October 28, 2019
The Food Talk — Dining Out in Dallas: Past, Present and Future
With Special Guests Stephan Pyles & Misti Norris
Moderated by Leslie Brenner; hosted by Seth Brammer; event produced by Leslie Brenner, Seth Brammer and Josh Sutcliff in partnership with The Adolphus and FestEvents.
Filmed live at the Adolphus hotel in Dallas, September 23, 2019
Chef Stephan Pyles, moderator Leslie Brenner and chef Misti Norris talked about the past, present and future of dining out at the Adolphus in Dallas. / Photograph by Nancy Farrar
The Texas Standard
“Hot in Plano: Chinese Cuisine is Everywhere in North Texas, and it’s Great”
Texas Standard host David Brown interviews Leslie Brenner about Plano’s burgeoning regional Chinese cooking boom. March 24, 2017
Taiwanese Lamb Hotpot at a Taiwanese restaurant popped up inside Yama Izakaya and Sushi in Plano in 2017 / Photo by Leslie Brenner
The Texas Standard
“The New York Times Keeps Trolling Texas Cooking, So We Trolled Back”
Texas Standard host David Brown interviews Leslie Brenner about her plan to Texas-ify New York’s dining scene. October 22, 2015
Chicken-fry this sucker! / Photo by Leslie Brenner
Marketplace
“A food critic’s power in the Internet age”
Sam Harnett’s story about how the Internet has changed how reviews impact the business of restaurants and how professional critics do their jobs. January 6, 2015