Your Mama’s Kitchen
Arts & Culture Podcasts
“Tell me about your mama's kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's media company.
Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Conan O'Brien, Ina Garten, José Andrés, John Legend, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.
With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.
Your Mama’s Kitchen is a production of Higher Ground.
Produced by Sonia Htoon.
Associate Producers are Jenna Levin, Stella Hartman, Itxy Quintinilla and Camila Thur de Koos.
Sound design and engineering from Andrew Eapen, Ryan Kozlowski and Roy Baum.
Executive producers for Higher Ground are Mukta Mohan, Dan Fierman and Michele Norris.
The show’s closing song is 504 by The Soul Rebels.
Editorial and web support from Melissa Bear and Say What Media. Our talent booker is Angela Peluso.
Copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC / Sound Recording copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC.
Location:
United States
Description:
“Tell me about your mama's kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's media company. Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Conan O'Brien, Ina Garten, José Andrés, John Legend, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story. With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that simple, initial prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen—the heart of the home—where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a production of Higher Ground. Produced by Sonia Htoon. Associate Producers are Jenna Levin, Stella Hartman, Itxy Quintinilla and Camila Thur de Koos. Sound design and engineering from Andrew Eapen, Ryan Kozlowski and Roy Baum. Executive producers for Higher Ground are Mukta Mohan, Dan Fierman and Michele Norris. The show’s closing song is 504 by The Soul Rebels. Editorial and web support from Melissa Bear and Say What Media. Our talent booker is Angela Peluso. Copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC / Sound Recording copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC.
Language:
English
Episodes
Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich History
7/1/2025
Bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan, reflects on his “Huck Finn-style” childhood in Singapore. He shares the real-life inspirations behind Crazy Rich Asians (including a memory from director Jon Chu’s own life that made it into the film) and regales Michele with some truly extraordinary family stories. Plus, he shares a delicious cross-cultural recipe for curry puffs!
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Duration:01:10:12
The Borinquen Family that Keeps Lala Anthony Grounded
6/24/2025
Actress, producer, best selling author, and previous MTV VJ, Lala Anthony talks about her Brooklyn upbringing. She shares how boricua food was a constant in her household, the power of her lively Puerto Rican family, and how a cross country leap landed her right into the world of tv and radio. Plus, she shares her family’s Arroz con Pollo recipe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Duration:00:54:59
Priya Krishna: Food Writer in Disguise
6/17/2025
Journalist, author and New York Times critic Priya Krishna joins to dive deeper into the kitchen that inspired her cookbook Indian-ish. She talks through her mom's weeknight dinner routine (all done in a pristine white linen shirt), traveling to new cities and countries for free, and the lengths she goes to avoid being recognized at restaurants. Plus she shares her mom's quick and simple Dal recipe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Duration:01:04:15
Karen Pittman on Acting Against the Odds
6/10/2025
In this special, live-taped episode actress Karen Pittman join Michele on stage to talk about her journey from Nashville to her career in Hollywood. She revisits the childhood kitchen where she watched her parents' fraught dynamics play out and where she learned to build worlds of her own imagination. Plus, we learn how to make her mama's buttery cinnamon rolls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Duration:00:42:56
Malika Andrews Found her Sportscasting Voice in the Kitchen
6/3/2025
ESPN Sports journalist Malika Andrews takes us back to her childhood kitchen in Oakland, California where she learned to speak up and raise her eyebrow (when the situation called for it). She opens up about what it was like to grow up in a multicultural household and how she dealt with not looking like her personal superhero -- her mom. We hear about how Malika strives to be an inspiration for the next generation of young women hoping to break into sports. Plus, we learn how to not skimp on the butter when making her mama's special Carrot Cake.
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Duration:01:00:45
The Restaurant That Made Antoni Porowski Proud to Be Polish
5/27/2025
Antoni Porowski, food expert on Netflix's Queer Eye and host of the new show No Taste Like Home, joins Michele to talk about being Polish-Canadian and why he was never allowed in his kitchen growing up. He opens up about why he hasn't spoken to his mother in several years, and how cooking and a shared passion for food connects them to each other. We also learn about the iconic restaurant that helped him settle into his Polish identity and the secret behind a classic Polish recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls!
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Duration:00:58:09
Tom Colicchio on Hunger, Food Deserts, and a Broken System, from Assembly Required
5/23/2025
Introducing Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Each week, Stacey breaks down the biggest issues we face into digestible, actionable items, introduces us to the warriors for good already working towards solutions, strategizes, and shares tangible ways to get involved. In this episode, Stacey talks to renowned chef, activist, and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio about why the United States has a food insecurity crisis despite being the richest country in the world — and why this issue is especially pressing with an incoming Trump administration. They discuss what can be done to address the problem head on, including what Colicchio has learned from years of advocating for school lunches and solving for food deserts on Capitol Hill. You can listen to more Assembly Required at https://crooked.com/podcast-series/assemblyrequired/
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Duration:00:46:40
Why You Don’t Stand Next to Brad Meltzer in a Lighting Storm
5/20/2025
New York Times Bestselling author Brad Meltzer joins the show to talk about his Sesame Street home in Brooklyn and the several influential kitchens that followed. He tells Michele about his mom’s gift for interior design, visits to his future father-in-law’s restaurant as a teenager and a propensity for the men in his family to get struck by lightning - literally. Plus he shares the Fried Conch recipe from the famous Miami restaurant and Civil Rights landmark, Jumbo’s!
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Duration:01:01:07
The Caribbean Kitchen That Nourished Michelle Buteau
5/13/2025
Actress, comedian and writer Michelle Buteau joins the show to talk about growing up in a lively Caribbean household in New Jersey. She shares how music, dance and food shaped her upbringing and the smells and flavors that took over her childhood kitchen. We also learn about the healing power of humor and how she found the confidence to become a comedian. Plus, she tells us how to make her family’s Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken.
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Duration:00:54:35
Roy Choi on The Comforts of Underwear Rice
5/6/2025
Chef and gourmet food truck creator Roy Choi takes us back to his childhood in Los Angeles, where different cultures and cuisines came together for public park barbecues. He opens up about being a hot-headed teenager and shares how he learned to rebuild the bridges in his life that he previously burned down. Plus we learn how to make his Bimbim Noodle Salad.
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Duration:01:02:50
Why Binging with Babish Had to Detox from Craving Online Fame
4/29/2025
Michele chats with Andrew Rea, the creator behind the massively popular Binging with Babish, to talk about how a Reddit side project turned into a culinary empire. Andrew opens up about losing his mom at a young age, why making cooking videos connects him to both his parents, and how he handles the highs and lows of social media fame. Plus, he shares his spin on his mom’s Cookie recipe. The trick? “Let out your inner child monster”!
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Duration:00:55:19
Should You Wash a Cast Iron Skillet? From A Hot Dog Is A Sandwich
4/25/2025
Sharing an episode of A Hot Dog Is A Sandwich. On the show, Mythical Chefs Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati discuss, debate, and dissect the web’s most hilariously controversial culinary quandaries. In this episode, Josh and Nicole debate whether a cast iron skillet needs to be washed every time you use it. Listen to more “A Hot Dog is a Sandwich” episodes at https://link.chtbl.com/AHDIASYMKFD
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Duration:00:46:05
Food that Connected Susan Orlean to the Land her Parents Fled
4/22/2025
Author Susan Orlean joins to talk about her upbringing in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She describes the life skills her mom failed to teach and the Hungarian food that reminded her parents of the home they could never return to. Plus we learn about her mother’s cocktail party treat, Cheese Balls.
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Duration:00:53:29
The Secret Behind Tanya Holland’s Famous Cornmeal Waffles
4/15/2025
Michele chats with with chef, cookbook author, and TV personality Tanya Holland—best known for her beloved Oakland restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen. Tanya reflects on the gourmet supper club her parents hosted, her unexpected role as a U.S. Culinary Diplomat (yes, that’s a real job!), and why hospitality—not just food—is her true passion. Plus, she takes us behind the scenes of her world-famous Cornmeal Waffles!
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Duration:00:58:25
Randall Park on Following Dreams without Parental Permission
4/8/2025
Actor, comedian and director Randall Park takes us back to his upbringing in Los Angeles, where he learned important lessons about community in his father's small 1-hour photo shop. He gets into how he managed to jumpstart his career in entertainment without telling his parents -- while living under their roof. Plus, we learn how to make his mama's Korean soup, Tteokguk.
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Duration:00:56:09
How Sarah Ahn Built a TikTok Empire From Her Mom’s Korean Kitchen
4/1/2025
Cookbook author and content creator Sarah Ahn—best known for “Ahnest Kitchen” on Instagram and TikTok—takes us inside her mama’s kitchen, a place you’ve likely seen on your feed! She shares her family’s incredible story of surviving the Korean War, the secret to perfect Korean fried chicken, and how her 66-year-old mother feels about her unexpected rise to social media stardom.
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Duration:00:52:18
From Jazz to Cooking: Freedom within Form with Wendell Pierce
3/25/2025
Actor and author Wendell Pierce takes us back into his home in Pontchartrain Park, Louisiana. He shares how he got his mother's love of learning and his father's sense of adventure. Plus, we learn his mom's secret for cooking Okra to avoid all that slime.
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Duration:00:48:00
Why Dan Pashman Keeps His Pork Pan in the Garage
3/18/2025
Food podcast pioneer, Dan Pashman, takes us back to the "great Pashman family fajita craze of the late '80s," when his mom became determined to crack the code on a legendary fajita marinade. Dan and Michele reminisce about the copper tin fish mold that seemed to adorn every mother’s kitchen, Dan discusses the kosher negotiations in his marriage, and, of course, the epic journey to invent his very own pasta shape: Cascatelli.
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Duration:00:47:30
Introducing IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
3/12/2025
Sharing something special from one of Michele’s closest friends… the incomparable Michelle Obama. On her new podcast IMO, Michelle and her big brother Craig Robinson bring their candid perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us. Each week, they’re joined by a guest to tackle real questions from real folks just like you, offering practical advice, personal storytelling, and plenty of laughs. Topics range from dating and relationships, to family and faith. In this episode, they share stories about being there for each other throughout their lives, from first crushes and fraught college years, to landing at the White House, to losing their mom. For six decades they’ve been each others’ most trusted counsel—and now, they want to be that counsel for you.
Listen to more IMO episodes at imopod.com.
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Duration:00:54:36
Lashana Lynch on Leading with Jamaican Pride
3/11/2025
British actor Lashana Lynch takes us back to the tight-knit West London community where she grew up and to her grandparents' record shop, which was the soundtrack to her childhood. She talks about the importance of bringing her Jamaican heritage to the red carpet and how she channels her mother's strength and discipline to prepare for certain roles. She also share her love for her mama's Saltfish Dish and why she craves Jamaican comfort food when she's on set.
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Duration:00:53:10