Podcast

S1 EP 5: LIVE at Taste 2019 (with Karen Akunowicz, Tony Maws, & Scott Kearnan)

CREDIT: PROVIDED (Karen Akunowicz), MIKE PIAZZA (TONY MAWS), Kiki Larouge Photography (Scott Kearnan)

11/19/2019

S1 EP 4: The Highs and Lows of Starting a Cannabis Supper Club (with Samantha Kanter & Nicholas Escoto)

S1 EP 6: Restaurant Partnership, AKA Platonic Marriage (with Ken Oringer & Jamie Bissonnette)

Top Chef may have made Karen Akunowicz a household name among foodies nationwide, but Bostonians knew her first from behind the wok-flames at Myers + Chang, where she was executive chef from 2011 to 2018. Shortly after winning the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northeast, it was time for Akunowicz to strike out on her own. She opened the Southie Italian enoteca Fox & the Knife in 2019.

Joining her on stage is Tony Maws, another JBF winner and restaurant industry veteran. Maws is known for introducing local diners to nose-to-tail fine dining with the celebrated Craigie Street Bistrot in Cambridge, opened in 2003. In 2008, he moved the concept and opened Craigie on Main. The past year has been filled with change for Maws, who shuttered Somerville neighborhood spot Kirkland Tap & Trotter after six years, and debuted Craigie Burger in Fenway’s Time Out Market.

Rounding out the conversation is Scott Kearnan, food editor of Boston Magazine. Kearnan discusses restaurant trends and the state of food media. He also lets us in on the process of picking Boston’s best restaurants for the magazine’s annual November issue, which names the top 50 spots to eat and drink.

We are coming to you live from Boston Magazine’s Taste 2019, the annual event celebrating this year’s Top 50 restaurant list, featuring dishes from some of Boston’s best chefs! We manage to steal Chefs Karen Akunowicz and Tony Maws from their food stations for a double interview. We talk about the fast casual approach that both have successfully pulled off. Along the way, they share the history of their beloved sit down restaurants; Fox & the Knife and Craigie on Main.

Our second interview of the evening features Scott Kearnan, food editor of Boston Magazine. Scott weighs in restaurant trends, the state of food media, and of course, lets us in on the process of picking Boston’s best restaurants for their annual November issue.