0:06
Strawberry Olive Oil Cake
I’ve got a go‑to cake that almost never misbehaves, even when you’re juggling a few things at once. The secret is a simple mix of yogurt and olive oil, which keeps the crumb super moist and lets the cake sit on the counter for a day without drying out.
It’s built to be flexible: swap the yogurt for buttermilk, kefir, or sour cream, and toss in whatever fruit you have—strawberries and blueberries for summer, rhubarb in spring, stone fruit later, or even a citrus upside‑down version in winter. The batter holds up well, so you can prep it the day before a gathering.
Just remember the bake time is longer than you might expect. In most ovens it needs at least an hour, and if your heat is uneven, give the pan a gentle turn partway through. Patience pays off with a tender, buttery slice.
If you’re looking for a July 4 treat, try the strawberry‑blueberry version and finish it with a generous dollop of homemade whipped cream. Let me know how it turns out!
0:46
Reading (and Shooting) the Room
Dear Readers, today we’ll take a look through a few of my favorite restaurant cookbooks whose photographs are especially memorable. Please note that this post may be too long for some email providers, but you can click the subject line to read it on the Substack website or app.
And a quick announcement: One of the photographers featured here, Patricia Niven, is offering a free seat in her next iPhone food photography workshop on Saturday, June 27th, to anyone signing up for a subscription to her new Substack. Details are here.
And now, on to our “Notable Creatives”…
A restaurant cookbook photo set is a busy working space that can be cramped, messy, unpredictably lit, and filled with cooks, servers, and diners who may or may not be sympathetic to a photographer’s cause. In these cases, knowing how to read the room is an invaluable skill for a photographer. Making beautiful images of composed dishes is key, but reflecting the spirit of the people and the place is what sets an excellent restaurant cookbook apart from an average one.
The four photographers we’re meeting today are the total package—they make the food look enticing while capturing the other, more subtle qualities that make each of the following restaurants so special.
Website / Instagram
Photographer location: Petaluma, California
State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook by Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, with JJ Goode. Ten Speed Press, 2017. Design by Betsy Stromberg.
Ed Anderson has shot several notable cookbooks, but I really like the energy of his work for the San Francisco restaurant State Bird Provisions. There is so much texture and movement in these photos, and I love how Anderson’s camera draws out the beauty in every quiet corner and rough edge. He also gets right in the center of the action, both in the kitchen and the dining room, and you can feel the concentration, hustle, and joy in these spaces.
Website / Instagram
Photographer location: London, England
Ester: Australian Cooking by Matt Lindsay with Pat Nourse. Murdoch Books, 2023. Photography assistance by Hellene Algie, styling by Jessica Johnson. Designed and illustrated by Daniel New.
I never tire of looking at Patricia Niven’s photographs. They often have a sly, dramatic edge to them that I find very compelling. Her work for Ester—a restaurant in Sydney, Australia, that features dishes prepared in a wood-fired oven—is filled with gorgeous photos of their food. But the images of author and chef Matt Lindsay and his team (many of them shot by Niven’s talented assistant on this project, Hellene Algie) are particularly fun. Designer Daniel New does an excellent job building a visual narrative through the expert sequencing of the images (see the ice cream before-and-after spread and the friendly little wipe of burnt Pavlova from chef and friend-of-Ester O Tama Carey’s lip, below).
Website / Instagram
Photographer location: Brooklyn, New York
Diner: Day for Night, by Andrew Tarlow, with Julia Gillard, Caroline Fidanza, and Becky Johnson. Ten Speed Press, 2023. Design and art direction by Becky Johnson.
Julia Gillard’s photographs are an intimate glimpse into the beloved Brooklyn restaurant, Diner. Gillard tended bar at Diner and photographed its food, staff, and patrons throughout the years. The resulting images fill Diner: Day for Night and are an evocative accompaniment to the essays about the restaurant’s place in the lives of its founders and friends. Gillard’s images are immediate and authentic and pique my curiosity (and sometimes even inspire a tinge of FOMO). The photograph of green tomatoes bathed in a green glass reflection is striking, and I really love the lazy presentation of the Lemon Fool dessert (both below). Shoutout to designer Becky Johnson, whose hand lettering feels like a perfect complement to Gillard’s bright green asparagus (also below).
Website / Instagram
Photographer location: New York, New York
La Copine: New California Cooking from an Oasis in the Desert by Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, with Ben Mims. Abrams, 2026. Cover design by Diane Shaw. Hand lettering and illustration by Kris Chau.
Gentl & Hyers never disappoint: their work is consistently elegant, vibrant, and sensual. Their photographs for La Copine, a restaurant located near the Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, capture the love story1 of authors and proprietors Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, and the unique character of the desert community around them (including the Haus of Derma Drag Queens—see them toasting us with spritzers, below). The images of food are punctuated by dramatic landscape photographs—many are black-and-white chapter openers that set alongside illustrations and hand lettering by Kris Chau—and images of La Copine’s team and diners.
3:55
When Traveling, Always Listen to Your Gut. Also, *Closely* Check Your Tickets!
For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here.
A few years ago, when Michael and I were living in Sibiu, Romania, we decided to take the train to Budapest, our next digital nomad destination.
“Let’s get our tickets early,” I said. “I don’t want them to sell out.”
When it comes to travel, I like things to be fairly well planned, so there’s less confusion and chaos at the last minute. Plus, it was an overnight trip, and I wanted to make sure we got a sleeper.
So the next day, we walked the two kilometers to the train station to purchase our tickets.
The clerk didn’t speak English, but we used Google Translate to explain what we wanted, and she printed out our tickets: the first leg on a Romanian train to Mediaș, about an hour away. Once there, we’d catch a Hungarian train with a sleeper to Budapest.
With that chore out of the way, I could finally relax.
But a couple of days later, Michael said to me, completely out of the blue, “I think there’s a problem with our tickets to Budapest.”
“Oh?” I said. “What kind of problem?”
“Let’s just double-check them, okay?”
So we got the tickets out and examined them. We had different tickets for the two different trains, and everything was in a foreign language. They also used the European twenty-four-hour clock, which we still weren’t quite used to.
But everything seemed to check out okay.
I looked at Michael. “Why exactly did you think they were wrong?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just have a funny feeling.”
I was tempted to tease Michael, but this was shortly after the rollout of the COVID vaccine, and there were a lot of travel restrictions — and regulations were constantly in flux.
Plus, after six years of travel, we’d both learned that you should try to pay attention to your gut.
But when we searched online, there didn’t seem to be any new travel restrictions either. So finally, Michael admitted, “I guess I was wrong.”
A few days later, still a week before our trip, Michael said, “I still think there’s something wrong with our tickets.”
He fiddled with his phone for a moment, then said, “I knew something was wrong. The online schedule doesn’t match up with our tickets. The schedule must have changed.”
Once again, I was tempted to tease him, saying, And you knew this how? Communing with the Great Beyond?
But once again, I respected his gut. So instead, I said, “Let’s go back to the train station and get this sorted.”
When we got to the station, this clerk didn’t speak English either, but we used Google Translate to explain the differing schedules.
She looked from our phone to our tickets, then pecked away at her keyboard. Then she looked up and said, “Trains fine — tickets good.”
“So the schedule hasn’t changed?” Michael said.
But she was already hustling us along to talk to the next customer.
Outside the train station, Michael stopped on the sidewalk.
“Now what?” I said.
“I still feel like something is wrong,” he said.
“But we just had the clerk look at them,” I said. “She confirmed that everything is okay.”
It’s true that I always try to respect the “travel gut,” but in addition to being a fairly organized traveler, I’m also very fundamentally a rule-follower. And no less an authority than the clerk in the train station had just said our tickets were fine.
“Maybe Google made a mistake,” I said. “Even without COVID, they’re wrong a lot. And with COVID…”
He nodded. “Yeah.” But he still didn’t sound convinced.
The day of our trip to Hungary, Michael showered and packed early, but our train didn’t leave until five PM that night, and we’d arranged with our Airbnb host to stay there that afternoon. So I was taking it easy. It was well after noon, and I was only now getting around to taking a shower.
Suddenly, Michael appeared in the bathroom. “We have a problem!” he said through the glass.
I wiped the fog and stared out at him. “What kind of problem?”
“I just checked the times on our tickets again, and I think our train arrives in Mediaș after our train leaves for Budapest!”
I didn’t say anything for a second. “Is this about that funny feeling you had?”
He nodded.
“But the clerk in the train station said our tickets were good!” I protested.
“I guess she was wrong!”
The pipes in the shower squealed as I turned off the hot water. “You think our train arrives after our second train leaves, or you’re sure?”
Even though I was still dripping wet and naked, he showed me the tickets. Now that I knew what to look for, it did seem like we arrived into Mediaș at 7:12 PM — forty-two minutes after our train left for Budapest.
“There’s a train at two-fifty,” Michael said. “That’s the only way we’ll make the second train.”
“But that means…”
He looked at his phone. “We have exactly forty-four minutes to get to the station!”
I started to panic. “But it’s two kilometers, and I’m not even packed!”
“Well, then you better hurry.”
“That can’t be right!” I said even as I was already roughly toweling off.
7:13
This Is Your Song
The essay in PUNCH follows a single, on‑the‑ground look at Montero Bar & Grill as it shifts from the founding Montero family to the sailor‑brothers who now own it. The writer, who lives above the bar, notes that the new owners have pledged to keep the place’s historic vibe intact.
A key part of that vibe is the karaoke nights run by Amethyst Valentino. She’s described as a warm, almost mystical host who’s become a draw for regulars and occasional celebrity guests—Matt Damon, Clairo, Phoebe Bridges, even Kevin Bacon have all taken the mic.
The piece also touches on the bar’s quirks: the lingering “ghost” of a longtime patron, the eclectic song requests that fill the jukebox, and the writer’s own brief forays into karaoke, including a surprisingly fitting rendition of “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).”
Overall, the story suggests that, despite new ownership, Montero’s core community and character are staying the course, with the karaoke host acting as a central thread that ties past and future together.
7:55
Baking On The Hottest Day Of The Year
Welcome to my newsletter, The Boy Who Bakes, a subscriber-supported newsletter dedicated to all things baked. For more bonus posts, filled with exclusive recipes just like this one, you can become a paid subscriber to receive the weekly newsletter, Second Helpings. It costs just £5 a month and, in addition to the weekly recipes, unlocks access to the full archive of past recipes. To subscribe to either the paid or free newsletter, click the link below.🎉
I do not know why I thought it was a good idea, but on the hottest day of the year, I decided it made sense to make dessert, and not just for me but for a whole bunch of friends. When it is this hot I try to make things as simple as possible which generally means keeping the oven off or at least off as much as possible. No heavy lifting here, I want simple and easy. But for some reason, I decided to make meringue. Did I already say it was the hottest day of the year? And incredibly humid? Know what the one thing you don’t want when making meringues? Yep…humidity. But don’t worry, I’ll get to that in a little bit.
To use the meringue, I opted to make a British classic, done in a more modern manner. Eton mess is a classic British dessert, made up of strawberries, meringue and cream. The mess part of the name is an obvious nod to the dessert's messy nature: broken meringue is layered with cream and chopped strawberries to make a delicious mess. The Eton part of the name is clear to most Brits, but may be a little murkier to those who don’t know the inner workings of our private school system. Eton is one of, if not the, most expensive schools in the country and is known as the centre of privilege and wealth, as well as the school that has spawned 20 of the UK’s Prime Ministers. The story goes that the dessert was created when a pavlova, which was to be served at a cricket match in the 1920’s (or 30’s in some tellings), was dropped, making a mess. Some stories somehow involve a Labrador causing the accident, but it seems like these stories are apocryphal, as the first written mention of the dessert is in 1893, when a strawberry Eton mess was served to the queen.
Whilst the dessert is traditionally made with strawberries, many different versions exist, and this particular one is incredibly summery, made with raspberries, passion fruit, and hazelnuts, along with the usual suspects of cream and meringue. That cream is also not traditional, as it is made with the addition of white chocolate. Altogether, it is a fabulous, really easy dessert when you need something for a crowd. This is often served spooned into individual bowls, but I prefer to serve it family-style on a large platter; it looks so much more attractive. If you’re also someone who really enjoys Wimbledon, there is nothing more appropriate for watching the finals weekend, although making it with strawberries instead of raspberries would be more fitting.
When it comes to making meringue in this sort of heat, there are a couple of things that help. Firstly, adding cream of tartar or lemon juice to the egg whites is a non-negotiable; the acid helps stabilise the meringue. I also never make a French meringue on this type of day; this sort of meringue is, from my experience, much more prone to weeping, and we really want to ensure every grain of sugar is dissolved in the egg whites. Instead, use a Swiss or Italian meringue. Secondly, the baking time will always be a very big suggestion. Meringue has to be dried out, which is done by baking at a low temperature for a long time. When it is humid, this can take much longer, so whilst it normally takes an hour or two to dry out, on these days, who knows. To ensure the meringue becomes dry and crisp, I bake it for about an hour and a half, then instead of switching off the oven as I would usually, I actually switch it to the dehydrate mode, which operates at a very low 60ºC and helps dry off any excess moisture, giving a perfectly crisp meringue. I leave the meringues in the oven on this low setting for as long as necessary for them to feel completely dry and crisp. If you are going to be storing these for longer than a couple of hours, try to put them in a cool, dry spot, and, if you have any, pop a couple of desiccant packages into the container to absorb any moisture that gets in.
10:46
Little Tres Leches with Meringue and Berries
Tres leches has a long origin story that many Latin American countries claim as their own. It has become ubiquitous worldwide, with popularity in places as far-flung as Turkey and the Balkans.
Its popularity as a celebration cake is well-earned; it’s very easy to put together, it’s delicious, especially on a hot summer day, and it can feed a lot of people. Baked in its usual pan (a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex), it’s very portable, too, making it perfect for picnics and potlucks. Some of its other attributes are that it can be—no, must be—made ahead, and can sit happily in your fridge for up to two days before finishing and serving. If you’re pressed for time, you could get away with a few hours, giving the cake enough time to soak in the triple-milk mixture and get nice and cold.
A few weeks ago, when I was workshopping this recipe for publication here, it also happened to be my niece’s 25th birthday, and she was paying us a visit at the end of a very long bike ride. Always one to kill two birds with one stone, I decided to make the cake smaller for the occasion for two reasons: number one, I wanted it to look more like a birthday cake, i.e., round, and number two, I didn’t want to have so much leftover cake. Sadly, this is one that I don’t think would fare so well in the freezer (but you never know!).
So, I cut the recipe in half and made a few other tweaks to a recipe I had developed a few years ago (always tweaking) and found it worked best in an 8-inch round (or square) cake pan. You can use a springform too (you won’t be soaking the cake in the pan, so there’s no risk of leaking), but don’t use a 9-inch pan because that would make the cake too thin and shallow.
This cake is very fast and easy to put together, and it can sit in the fridge until almost serving time. If you don’t want to make the meringue icing, which I think looks and tastes amazing, you can simply top it with whipped cream, serving the berries right on top or on the side. If using meringue, you can use an offset spatula to give the cake the traditional swoopy decoration, and it can be returned to the refrigerator for many hours or even a whole day before serving. The meringue won’t slide off, despite being on a wet cake!
I’ve been wanting to join in on the fun of using a giant basketweave tip (Ateco #789) for a while now. Though this tip was designed to make a very large cake look like a basket, it’s way more fun to go freeform with it. The soft and flowing texture of the meringue makes it easy to pipe the mixture through the decorative tube. And just look at it! Best $8.59 I’ve ever spent!
Add some mixed berries on the side, and it’s perfect for the Fourth of July!
These bars are easy, delicious, and quite beautiful, with their gorgeous red and glossy glaze. They are perfect for an outdoor gathering because they transport well and are easy to eat out of hand on a napkin. Add blueberries for an even more festive look!
These bars are the perfect thing to serve at a Fourth of July party, or any other backyard soirées you have planned this summer. Fully cool them and cut into squares for bars you can eat on a napkin, or make them a few hours before you want to serve so that they are cool but still squidgy and soft for more of a pie experience.
Homemade is almost always better when it comes to dips, and they are easy to make. This one in particular is a great option if you have a vegetable garden or belong to a CSA and have found yourself swimming in zucchini—plus it’s a crowd pleaser!
If you’re planning on making a pie or galette for the Fourth, this post will set you up for success. In it, I go over all of my tips for making the flakiest crust, as well as some pointers for baking galettes. Wondering which galette to make? This Peach and Almond one would be welcome at any party.
13:18
no. 198: mediterranean lemon tuna pasta salad with feta and olives
Something truly earth shattering happened last week, which is that I put together an extremely cool (AND COMFY) outfit. I would consider myself a self-proclaimed Barrel Pant Connoisseur, and I just got a new pair that I really, really love.
There is truly no drug quite like a fresh tan after a day in the sun, a sunset after 8 pm, and a delicious dinner with your girls. We went to Barra Santos, which I’m going to go ahead and label as my favorite restaurant in LA right now. The melon salad is beyond words, and the calamari toast was also quite special. NO NOTES ON ANY OF IT.
My pants are from Free People (and they come in a bunch of colors so I may have to cop another), my top is old from Zara but this one from Reformation is similar, and my shoes are from Amazon (and honestly they’re pretty comfy). I’ve also been wearing my big gold hoop earrings more often, and I can’t explain it, but I just feel more like myself when they’re in.
Serves: 4-6
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Pasta salad season is clearly here because it’s all I’ve been making these days. This one features two products that I genuinely love so much. Brami pasta is on heavy rotation in my house, and I promise you I’m not just saying that because they brought me to Sicily. But I certainly didn’t mind that, either.
And of course, Fishwife is the only tinned fish you’ll ever see in my pantry. I used the lemon tuna for this recipe, but the trout or spicy tuna would be equally delish.
This pasta salad gives you everything that you love about a Greek salad, but secretly has a ton of protein from the tuna and the pasta. I am slowly inching my way towards a 200-pound back squat so every meal is now an opportunity for me to consume as much protein as possible. I’m chasing these gains, mmmkay?!
Today’s recipe is free, thanks to Brami and Fishwife! Now everyone say “Thank you Brami and Fishwife! Please bring Sara back to Europe!”
Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound Brami Cubetti pasta
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tins Fishwife Lemon Tuna, drained and flaked
⅔ cup crumbled feta
½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
½ cup pepperoncini peppers, drained and chopped
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 cup)
½ cup red onion, minced
2 small cucumbers, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, leaves torn
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook Brami pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta, along with Fishwife tuna, feta, green olives, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and mint. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve immediately. Salad will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
15:18
summer dreams are made of this
sunshine. heat. fresh fruit and veg. you know what that means…it’s officially my favorite season of all: SUMMER. I love everything summer has to offer, including the sticky, humid, scorching hot days. you’ll never catch me complaining about the heat.
this year, i’m looking forward to chilling at home with the fam while shooting a new show (yay!! can’t wait to be back on set); feasting on juicy tomatoes; cooling off by the pool; and soaking up as much sun as I can while the days are long.
I put together this list of summer essentials that I’m reaching for. it’s everything you need for hot weather, whether you’re staying local, heading lakeside, or traveling abroad. think sunglasses, cute summer dresses, water bottles, picnic essentials…if you need it, it’s on this list. trust.
☀️ cheers to summer!
xo,
e
when we’re not enjoying a trip abroad, the Grinshpans love hanging by the pool or escaping the city to a gorgeous lake in the summertime. here are the things that come with me every time we head out to swim and plan to spend lots of time frolicking in the sun.
bathing suits + the perfect beach wrap
everyone needs a classic black bikini, some colorful prints, and of course, a classic one-piece that lets you comfortably chase the kids around. here are some of my faves in rotation right now.
unsubscribed textured metallic one piece
this one piece will have you feelin’ sexyyyy. yes, brown is one of my favorite colors ever, but the real show-stopper for this suit is the textured metallic fabric. it catches sunlight in the most gorgeous, flattering way. i’m obsessed.
same los angeles triangle top & 90s bottom
a black string bikini is a must-have. the top is unpadded, which I personally love, and the bottoms are slightly higher cut to give you that perfect 90s vibe.
negative underwear swim cutout top
this cutout top is for when you’re feeling a little spicy. super sexy but still refined. pair with one of the beach wraps below for the perfect beach club vibe.
throw on this wrap (or this one!) for the perfect post-swim look.
jenni kayne crochet sun hat
you know it’s officially summer when the straw hats and bags make an appearance. this raffia hat from jenni kayne is perfect — lightweight, breathable, and perfect to keep the sun off your face.
sunglasses
I love sunnies…and I probably own too many pairs, but these are the TWO pairs I’ve been reaching for daily.
prada symbole sunglasses
I just bought these in Florence and can’t take them off. they’re a really flattering shape, and I love having a tortoise option.
khaite 1993 sunglasses
these are my classic, go-to sunnies. I’ve been wearing these for years, and I still get so many compliments on them. I love how modern the cat eye feels.
summer bags
if I could leave the house with just my wallet and phone, I would, but we know that’s not realistic lol so these are some of my go-tos. I also really love the natural look of raffia. staud is really having a moment.
lani raffia bucket bag
a great bag that holds more than you think. I love that this bag combines classic raffia with chic leather straps that are super soft against your skin. staud just gets it, as you’ll see below ;)
large raffia moon bag
this is truly the perfect vacation/summer evening bag. it’s small enough to fit in your carry on, and big enough to hold all your essentials.
del mar bucket bag
I mean. look at this bag!! it’s just so fun and screams summer. sea glass beads? she’s whimsical and gorgeous. this one is reserved for a night out.
I love a picnic, it’s one of my favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon with the girls. pack some yummy food (like my heirloom tomato sandwiches - so refreshing - or my loaded herbed potato salad from TAHINI BABY), some toys + games for the kids, and just enjoy the weather while it’s here.
sunnylife picnic basket cooler
this is the ultimate picnic basket, complete with plates, utensils, and a cutting board. load it up and head to the beach, park, or even your backyard. we use ours all the time with the kids.
coming soon the pill travel cooler
a travel cooler shaped like a pill?! it’s playful, useful, and kitchy all in one. this would also be such a fun gift.
blue apron meal delivery
if you’re like me, summer can get BUSY. between the kids, travel, work, and trying to soak up every minute of sunshine, it’s always nice to have dinner sorted when you get home. I recently made the chicken satay bowls, and it was delicious and SO easy to put together. the perfect weeknight dinner in 30ish.
one of my favorite things about Blue Apron is that you can order just a handful of meals without committing to a full subscription, which is so helpful when I know we have a busy week ahead. I love that it’s all whole, fresh ingredients and sometimes I just need a BREAK from thinking about what to make for dinner.
I know i’ll be relying on these kits a lot this summer between filming my new show and keeping up with the fam.
18:33
Community, Authenticity and Virality w/ Logma's Farsin Rabiee and Ziad Halub
Good morning and welcome back to The Vittles Podcast! A reminder that you can listen to our back-catalogue of episodes with Shuko Oda, Songsoo Kim, Joké Bakare, Ravneet Gill, Ferhat Dirik, Gemma Bell, Ruby Tandoh, and more, both on here and wherever you get your podcasts. If you prefer to watch your podcasts, you can now do so on our YouTube channel!
Some quick notes before today’s episode. Firstly, postage for EU orders is going up by £3 due to a new tariff that comes in on 1 July. Therefore if you want to order Issue 2 or Ice Cream City to the EU then this weekend is the best time to do it. On Monday, we will have to add the new tariff.
Secondly, if you're a shop or ice cream parlour that wants to stock Vittles’ recently published Ice Cream City guide by Ruby Tandoh, we have limited copies left. Please get in touch with us soon on [email redacted] to register your interest as we're currently working on wholesale in time for the summer.
Today’s episode of the Vittles podcast is a joint interview with Farsin Rabiee and Ziad Halub, the duo behind Logma, the Iranian-Iraqi bistro cafe, which opened close to London Fields at the end of last year. Earlier in the spring, Rabiee and Halub began opening one evening a week, on Wednesdays, for a communal, supper club style dinner service, which is Logma’s genesis. However, its sandwiches — or in the words of Hester van Hensbergen, who reviewed the café last month, ‘gargantuan pitas filled with lamb kofte or aubergine’ — have since taken the ‘Goldsmiths Row Riviera’ by storm and immediately went viral on social media.
In the episode, we discuss creating something that people really want in a moment when so many hospitality businesses are feeling the pain; about the meaning and importance of community and authenticity; about navigating virality and hype online; and about how, despite all their early success, neither are trained chefs.
We hope you enjoy the episode.
Like our recent podcasts, this episode is free to listen to for all subscribers. You can listen to it here in Substack, on Apple Podcasts or through Spotify. If you’re so inclined, please like, share, rate and comment wherever you get your podcasts. A massive thanks as usual to Lucy Dearlove, our producer and to the whole team at Young Space for hosting our recording sessions.
Like last month’s episode with Koya’s Shuko Oda, you can also watch this podcast on YouTube. For that, huge thanks to our videographer Zaineb Abelque and editor Callum Winter.
Thank you for listening, reading, watching and supporting our work.
Please note this is an extra episode and we'll be back again soon, as promised last time around, with the conversation Adam had with Will Gleave, the head chef at Sargasso in Margate, who will be talking about the early days of P. Franco, the role of Australians in London and getting out of the city. We’ll see you then.
The Vittles Podcast is presented by Vittles Restaurants editor Adam Coghlan.
Farsin Rabiee was born in Colorado and raised in Sweden amid a strong Iranian diaspora community where he developed his understanding of Iranian cuisine – embracing multigenerational cooking, learning from his mother, grandmother and aunties. Farsin lived in Spain, before moving to London 15 years ago. He is a journalist and news producer who has worked in different projects and for a number of major Persian-speaking channels. His work focuses on Iran, and the Middle East, with a particular interest in human stories with a goal to raise awareness for marginalised communities within Iran or about human rights violations within Iran.
Ziad Halub was born and raised in London to Iraqi communist parents from Basra who were exiled. His parents are prominent writers, and he was raised among Iraqi creatives in London which deeply influenced how he connected with his homeland. Like many diaspora, unable to visit their homelands, Ziad understood his culture first through food, and then with art. Background first in archaeology and heritage. His professional life was multi-hyphenate working with photography, writing, and international brands with the theme of exploring junctions between material culture and consumption.
Lucy Dearlove is an audio producer, sound designer and writer originally from North East England, now based in St Leonards-on-Sea. Her food podcast, Lecker, is a two-time winner of the Fortnum & Mason Podcast of the Year Award.
The full Vittles masthead can be found here.
21:32
A Duo of Carrot Dishes
Two carrot‑focused recipes are pulling in a million views, and the creator’s thrilled to see the humble root finally getting its moment. One is a bright grated carrot salad that lets the raw sweetness shine, while the other is a cooked dish that builds depth by treating carrots as the star rather than a background note.
The writer also opens up about how stepping away from the kitchen can feel like a setback, but those pauses actually spark a burst of creative energy. They compare the drive to compete on a field with the internal push to keep improving their cooking.
In short, the carrot dishes are getting big love, and the pause between projects is turning into a useful recharge period that fuels fresh ideas and keeps the business humming.
