Not From Concentrate

Does ice cream really need a job beyond being delicious? Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful and inventor of cascatelli pasta, joins Catherine to make the case for pleasure as a perfectly good reason to eat—and explain how he turns his food obsessions into projects he actually finishes.We talk about following your curiosity without chasing every idea, getting through the middle of a project when the excitement wears off, and why Dan’s seemingly sprawling career comes down to doing one thing at a time. He also shares how six layoffs in eight years led him to start The Sporkful, and why he’s more interested in making something that lasts than going viral.Plus: grilled chicken thighs that do double duty for dinner and lunch, duck-fat tortillas worth ordering by mail, a spirited disagreement about Jack and Coke, and the annual White Castle party at Dan’s house.In this episode: Why Dan hates the term “functional food” Hyperfocus, outside deadlines, and finishing what you start What inventing a pasta shape taught him about playing the long game His approach to family dinners, leftovers, and build-your-own meals Making the kitchen less chaotic before you start cooking Dan’s advice as Not From Concentrate approaches its first anniversary Find Dan on Instagram @thesporkful, listen to The Sporkful wherever you get your podcasts, and look for his cascatelli pasta from Sfoglini.Enjoyed this conversation? Share it with a friend who loves food and has a busy brain.

What do a perfect cookie, your mom’s cooking, and a song you can’t stop listening to have in common?This week, I’m joined by musician Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of Song Exploder and co-host of Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat. We talk about the chole and puri he requested for every birthday, the mango pie mishap that inspired an ice cream collaboration with Salt & Straw, and why he once asked a baker to make thousands of cookies for a live audience.We also get into the complicated business of making things you care about: how interviewing successful musicians fed his own writer’s block, what brought him back to songwriting, and how he’s learning to separate the value of his work from its reception. His album, In the Last Hour of Light, opens up a conversation about grief, family, and the stories we want to tell.Plus: the chocolate chip cookie on his backstage rider, why he resists following recipes, and the little glass bowls helping him bring some order to his kitchen.We get into: Growing up in Peabody, Massachusetts, with a food scientist dad and a mom whose cooking kept his friends coming back. Keeping food memories alive when you can’t quite recreate the dish. “Cookie Exploder,” and how Samin helped him pitch his first food story. Finding his way back to music after years of writer’s block. Making meaningful work without knowing whether it will be a hit. Cooking to audiobooks, improvising dinner, and slowing down enough to clean as you go. Find Hrishikesh and his projects: Website: https://hrishikesh.co/ Newsletter, Accept Cookies: https://hrishikesh.substack.com/ Album: In the Last Hour of Light Enjoyed this conversation? Share it with a friend or leave a review wherever you listen, it helps more people find Not From Concentrate.

What makes a recipe work — and when is an extra step actually worth the effort?This week, I’m joined by Laura Manzano, the recipe tester behind my forthcoming cookbook, Not From Concentrate. Laura grew up working in her dad’s restaurants, honed her skills in the Martha Stewart test kitchens, and built a freelance career helping cookbook authors make their recipes clearer, more reliable, and better suited to the people cooking them.We go behind the scenes of my cookbook to talk about what recipe testing actually involves, why fewer dishes matter, and the challenge of writing recipes for people who love food but don’t have unlimited time or attention. We also compare notes on working with ADHD, building structure into a creative career, and giving yourself permission to work when your brain works best.We get into: How Laura went from restaurant kitchens and food styling to testing entire cookbooks. What a recipe tester catches beyond missing ingredients and seasoning adjustments. When detailed instructions help—and when they get in the way. Writing down your process so you don’t have to reinvent it every time. Being realistic about time, resisting the urge to overpromise, and finding your own working hours. Why collaboration has been my favorite part of making this book. Find Laura on Instagram at @laurammanzano and read her Substack, Laura’s Dinner.Preorder the Not From Concentrate cookbook: geni.us/NotFromConcentrateFor recipes, episode updates, and more, subscribe to my newsletter. Send questions, feedback, or guest suggestions to [email protected] From Concentrate is distributed by PRX and produced by Catherine Smart, with audio and video production by Kevin O’Connell. Our associate producer is Allie Miller, and the theme music is by Kylie Dailey

What makes dinner taste like it’s been cooking all day when you absolutely do not have all day? Chef Claudette Zepeda has a pantry full of answers—and zero shame about canned beans.This week, Catherine welcomes the chef and author of Cooking the Borderlands for a conversation about big flavor, creative freedom, and feeding a family when you’re stretched thin. Claudette shares how growing up between San Diego, Tijuana, and Guadalajara shaped her food, from the Asian pantry staples woven into her Mexican cooking to the smoke and community of carne asada.We talk about using miso, kombu, chicken bouillon, and chili oil to build flavor; the comfort of her mom’s albóndigas; and why a great meal can start with a few cans from the pantry. Claudette also opens up about her late AuDHD diagnosis, pursuing a creative life as a single mother, and honoring the generations of women who came before her.Plus: a refrigerator rearrangement that helps keep vegetables out of the “sludge of shame,” why music gets her cooking again, and how getting outside helps her calm the chaos.Not From Concentrate is produced and distributed by Catherine Smart, with audio and video production by Kevin O’Connell and Asia Garcia. Our associate producer is Allie Miller, and our theme music is by Kylie Daly.

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with freelance baker Mackenzie Innis about the artistry, logistics, and emotional weight behind her beautiful seasonal cakes.Mackenzie shares how she moved from fine dining pastry kitchens to building Ceres, a freelance baking business rooted in local ingredients, florals, seasonality, and deeply personal celebrations. She talks about translating clients’ food memories into wedding cakes, sourcing from New England farms, growing flowers in Somerville, and finding inspiration in bakeries, gardens, mythology, and community.Catherine and Mackenzie also get into the less-glamorous but essential parts of creative solopreneurship: email, bookkeeping, client communication, systems, structure, and managing a busy brain while running a business.For listeners interested in ADHD creativity, this conversation is about what it really takes to turn beauty, skill, and intuition into a sustainable creative practice. And because Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains, they also talk about ADHD cooking, calming kitchen chaos, slowing down, edible flowers, Boston-area bakeries, wedding cake etiquette, and why cake can still matter in complicated times.Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD. Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on Substack

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart sits down with cookbook author, photographer, and artist Jerrelle Guy to talk about her beautiful new cookbook, We Fancy.Jerrelle first burst onto the food scene with her acclaimed debut cookbook, Black Girl Baking, but success came with a cost. In this conversation, she shares how burnout, creative pressure, and the constant pursuit of “more” led her to rethink not just the way she cooked, but the way she lived.Catherine and Jerrelle talk about slowing down, making everyday meals feel special, and using food as a form of artistic expression. They also get into the reality of writing cookbooks, the philosophy behind We Fancy, motherhood, intuition, and the lesson that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”For listeners interested in ADHD creativity, this conversation is a reminder that creativity does not always come from doing more. Sometimes it comes from paying attention, simplifying, and giving yourself room to notice what is already in front of you.They also dive into Jerrelle’s favorite recipes, including her famous Wednesday Sauce, tiramisu cheesecake, and the simple garnishes that helped inspire an entire cookbook.This food podcast episode is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, creatively drained, or disconnected from the joy of cooking. It offers a gentler way to think about ADHD cooking, creativity, abundance, and finding beauty in the small rituals of everyday meals.Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD. Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on Substack

When Indian food is on the menu at Catherine Smart’s house, it usually means ordering dosa, saag paneer, and cauliflower Manchurian from a favorite local spot. But why do so many of us love eating Indian food while feeling intimidated to cook it at home?This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine is joined by Auyon and Jyoti Mukharji, the son-mother duo behind Heartland Masala, for a warm, funny, and practical conversation about bringing Indian cooking into your own kitchen.They talk about building confidence with spices, techniques, and pantry staples; the role of family recipes, tradition, and adaptation across generations; and what American home cooks often misunderstand about Indian food. Auyon and Jyoti also share how Heartland Masala is making this rich culinary tradition feel more accessible, especially for people who want to cook with more flavor but do not know where to start.For listeners interested in ADHD cooking, this episode offers a generous reminder that unfamiliar cuisines do not have to feel overwhelming. With a few foundational ingredients, a little guidance, and permission to begin imperfectly, cooking can become more intuitive, creative, and joyful.This food podcast conversation is also about ADHD creativity: learning through doing, finding your own way into a tradition, and letting curiosity lead you toward deeper flavor.In this episode:*Why Indian home cooking does not have to feel overwhelming*How to build confidence with spices, techniques, and pantry staples*Family recipes, tradition, and adaptation across generations*What American home cooks often misunderstand about Indian food*How Heartland Masala makes Indian cooking more accessible*ADHD cooking, creativity, and finding more ease in the kitchenWhether you have always wanted to dust off your spice grinder or you are simply curious to learn more about the depth and diversity of Indian cuisine, this episode is a delicious place to start.Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD.Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on Substack

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine sits down with chef Spencer Horovitz , a 2025 James Beard semifinalist and the founder of Hadeem, a beloved California-Jewish Cuisine concept that's been popping up in San Francisco. But this episode goes far beyond food.Spencer speaks candidly about living and working with ADHD in the high-pressure world of professional kitchens: the burnout, shame, impulsivity, time blindness, and sensory overload — but also the creativity, resilience, and self-awareness that ultimately helped him build a career that actually works with his brain instead of against it.Catherine and Spencer talk about: Why fine dining kitchens can be especially difficult for ADHD brains The accommodations and systems that genuinely help in restaurant life Hyper-focus, multitasking, and “boy dinner” Why labels, handwriting, and putting things away can feel impossible ADHD-friendly cooking strategies that actually work The emotional side of feeding yourself when your brain is overwhelmed Culinary school, restaurant culture, and redefining success Spencer’s California-Jewish cuisine philosophy and the story behind Hadeem This is one of the most vulnerable and practical “busy brain” conversations the show has had yet — packed with insight for anyone navigating ADHD, creativity, burnout, or simply trying to make dinner without spiraling.Find Spencer and Hadeem: Instagram: @wearehadeem Website: wearehadeemsf.com Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD.Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on Substack