Kitchen Round Table

While taste and smell are the senses that matter to most to foodies, this audio production aims to stimulate the ears as well. It features up close and personal interviews with well-known chefs, television hosts, and writers, including Lidia Bastianich, Betty Fussell, Madhur Jaffrey, Judith Jones, and Deb Perelman. The topics discussed range from experiences with food to recommendations for making different dishes. The back-and-forth between narrator Samson and her subjects is enjoyable and the production well edited. However, the sound quality is inconsistent. Many of the interviews take place in kitchens, and while this makes sense, it creates challenges—during transitions between interviews and food preparation it can be hard to hear some of the conversation. (Nov.)