In 2015, having experienced the lack of food media coverage of South Los Angeles' emerging food scene, host Brad Johnson, the restaurateur behind Post & Beam in South LA, took a chance at getting a response and contacted Sam Sifton at the New York Times to somewhat playfully bring attention to the situation. Sam took the message to heart resulting in the article, "A Belle Epoque for African American Cooking" by Jeff Gordinier, which stated "a new generation of black chefs and cookbook authors has been reinventing, reinterpreting and reinvigorating what’s thought of as African-American food."  

A child of Brooklyn and a graduate of Harvard University, Sam started his career as a freelance reporter while working as a public-school teacher in New York. Eventually he landed at the New York Times and has served in a number of leadership positions including food editor, national news editor and culture editor, and was for a number of years the newspaper's restaurant critic. He is the author of three cookbooks: "Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well"; "See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends"; and "The New York Times No-Recipe Recipes Cookbook." Today, Sam is an assistant managing editor at The New York Times, responsible for the coverage of culture and lifestyle, and the founding editor of New York Times Cooking.

Join us to hear how Sam and Brad, as well as their fathers, could have crossed paths many times in their lives having shared similar experiences, despite being from different backgrounds. Sam discloses where his education began for culturally diverse food, people and the ritual of gathering to share meals. We learn about the role of inclusion, truth and storytelling as he describes his thoughts on the power of the New York Times to make us better. A truth-seeker and bridge-maker, Sam's desire to welcome diversity shines through. 

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