Some cuisines don't just feed the body, they carry entire cultures, stories of migration, resilience, and innovation that are reshaping how the world eats. On this week's Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates sits down with Joe Cordero of Rosa: Agave & Wine Lounge in Tribeca to explore the vibrant world that is Latin cuisine.

From the soulful kitchens of Mexico and Peru to its growing influence on fine dining and modern menus, Joe shares insights on how Latin flavors, techniques, and traditions are becoming a powerful force of identity, legacy, and creativity in the restaurant industry.

Together they explore the deep history and cultural roots of Latin cuisine, how Mexican and Peruvian flavors are transforming fine dining, resilience, innovation, the stories ingredients tell, and the challenges and triumphs for today's Latin hospitality professionals.

Because some cuisines aren't just eaten, they're lived.

Some cuisines don't just feed the body, they carry entire cultures, stories of migration, resilience, and innovation that are reshaping how the world eats. On this week's Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates sits down with Joe Cordero of <a href="rosalounge.com">Rosa: Agave &amp; Wine Lounge</a> in Tribeca to explore the vibrant world that is Latin cuisine.
From the soulful kitchens of Mexico and Peru to its growing influence on fine dining and modern menus, Joe shares insights on how Latin flavors, techniques, and traditions are becoming a powerful force of identity, legacy, and creativity in the restaurant industry.
Together they explore the deep history and cultural roots of Latin cuisine, how Mexican and Peruvian flavors are transforming fine dining, resilience, innovation, the stories ingredients tell, and the challenges and triumphs for today's Latin hospitality professionals.
Because some cuisines aren't just eaten, they're lived.

Each week, on CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Christina Cates - a seasoned foodie who has worked at some of the New York City's top restaurants, will share her passion for the culinary world. Whether you're a professional chef, a restaurant enthusiast, or a lover of good food, Christina dives into the heart of hospitality - exploring the trends, triumphs, and challenges facing the food service profession...And you won't want to miss her chats with some of the most interesting and influential industry voices. CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Sunday nights, at 9PM... exclusively on AM 970 The Answer.

Each week, on CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Christina Cates - a seasoned foodie who has worked at some of the New York City's top restaurants, will share her passion for the culinary world.&nbsp;Whether you're a professional chef, a restaurant enthusiast, or a lover of good food, Christina dives into the heart of hospitality - exploring the trends, triumphs, and challenges facing the food service profession...And you won't want to miss her chats with some of the most interesting and influential industry voices.&nbsp;CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Sunday nights, at 9PM... exclusively on AM 970 The Answer.

Culinary Confidential with Christina Cates

The Power of Latin Cuisine with Joe Cordero

Legacies can anchor cities, yes, but rare ones go much further - they shape people who grow up inside their glow. And few legacies have left a deeper imprint on American culture than the LeRoy dynasty, whose influence stretches from the soundstages of Hollywood to the shimmering lights of Tavern On The Green, the New York landmark that turned dining into pure spectacle.

This week, Christina Cates sits down with Jennifer Oz LeRoy, a woman who has lived her entire life at the intersection of imagination, ambition, and reinvention. Her lineage is a cultural constellation:

Jack Warner, the visionary who co-founded Warner Bros.

Mervyn LeRoy, the filmmaker behind The Wizard of Oz.

And Warner LeRoy, the showman who transformed Tavern On The Green into a world of fantasy, glamour, and unforgettable hospitality.

Jennifer didn't just inherit a legacy, she grew up inside of one.

And in this conversation, she reveals what it means to honor that history while carving out a voice that is unmistakably her own.

Jennifer shares what it felt like to grow up inside a Hollywood-New York dynasty, the weight, wonder, and responsibility of carrying a legendary name, how her father turned restaurants into theater long before the word 'immersive' existed, the evolution of the New York dining scene through her own eyes, and the moment she realized legacy is a choice and not a script.

For Christina, this episode serves as more than just a reunion. It's a return to the place where her own New York story began. For Tavern On The Green wasn't just a workplace, it was her first stage. And Jennifer wasn't just part of a storied lineage, she was Christina's first boss, the person who showed her what hospitality looks like when it's done with heart, vision, and fearlessness.

Certain legacies echo through history. Others keep evolving. One story, one voice, one generation at a time.

Legacies can anchor cities, yes, but rare ones go much further - they shape people who grow up inside their glow. And few legacies have left a deeper imprint on American culture than the LeRoy dynasty, whose influence stretches from the soundstages of Hollywood to the shimmering lights of Tavern On The Green, the New York landmark that turned dining into pure spectacle.
This week, Christina Cates sits down with <a href="https://www.ozfarmny.com/jennifer-oz-leroy">Jennifer Oz LeRoy</a>, a woman who has lived her entire life at the intersection of imagination, ambition, and reinvention. Her lineage is a cultural constellation:
Jack Warner, the visionary who co-founded Warner Bros.
Mervyn LeRoy, the filmmaker behind The Wizard of Oz.
And Warner LeRoy, the showman who transformed Tavern On The Green into a world of fantasy, glamour, and unforgettable hospitality.
Jennifer didn't just inherit a legacy, she grew up inside of one.
And in this conversation, she reveals what it means to honor that history while carving out a voice that is unmistakably her own.
Jennifer shares what it felt like to grow up inside a Hollywood-New York dynasty, the weight, wonder, and responsibility of carrying a legendary name, how her father turned restaurants into theater long before the word 'immersive' existed, the evolution of the New York dining scene through her own eyes, and the moment she realized legacy is a choice and not a script.
For Christina, this episode serves as more than just a reunion. It's a return to the place where her own New York story began. For Tavern On The Green wasn't just a workplace, it was her first stage. And Jennifer wasn't just part of a storied lineage, she was Christina's first boss, the person who showed her what hospitality looks like when it's done with heart, vision, and fearlessness.
Certain legacies echo through history. Others keep evolving. One story, one voice, one generation at a time.

Jennifer Oz LeRoy

Passover isn't just another date on the calendar. It's a ritual that carries memory forward - a night where symbols turn into stories and the journey from slavery to freedom is retold so each generation can feel it anew.

On this week's Culinary Confidential, we gather at the Seder table with voices bridging past and present. Spencer, a Hebrew school student, brings the clarity and curiosity of the next generation. Jay Buchsbaum, a leading educator in the Kosher wine world, traces how tradition and craftsmanship shape the bottles poured at holiday tables. Chef Naomi Nachman, cookbook author and culinary force, brings the creativity and precision that define her Passover kitchen.

Together, they explore why matzo matters, how bitter herbs teach resilience, and why asking questions is the heartbeat of the holiday. It's a conversation on liberation, legacy, and the way food, wine, and storytelling turn a meal into a vessel for identity. Because while stories are told, some are inherited.

Passover isn't just another date on the calendar. It's a ritual that carries memory forward - a night where symbols turn into stories and the journey from slavery to freedom is retold so each generation can feel it anew.
On this week's Culinary Confidential, we gather at the Seder table with voices bridging past and present. Spencer, a Hebrew school student, brings the clarity and curiosity of the next generation. Jay Buchsbaum, a leading educator in the Kosher wine world, traces how tradition and craftsmanship shape the bottles poured at holiday tables. Chef Naomi Nachman, cookbook author and culinary force, brings the creativity and precision that define her Passover kitchen.
Together, they explore why matzo matters, how bitter herbs teach resilience, and why asking questions is the heartbeat of the holiday. It's a conversation on liberation, legacy, and the way food, wine, and storytelling turn a meal into a vessel for identity. Because while stories are told, some are inherited.

Culinary Confidential's Spotlight on Passover

Dining Rooms. Some of them become neighborhood favorites. A few of them become institutions. Then you have the rare ones that turn into something larger than life. One of them was situated just outside of Pittsburgh, PA in McKees Rocks - The Primadonna. Opening in 1986, The Primadonna reshaped Pittsburgh's dining identity, blending ambition, elegance, and Italian American tradition into a restaurant that became a cultural landmark and a family crucible.

Christina Cates sits down with Maria C. Palmer, co-author of On The Rocks, to explore the rise, impact, and emotional cost of one of Pittsburgh's most talked about restaurants. The Primadonna wasn't just a business, it was a world unto itself. A place where power players emerged, regulars became loyalists, and the dining room carried an energy that couldn't be replicated.

At the center of this world was Joseph Costanzo Jr., a man whose drive, charisma, and contradictions fueled the restaurant's meteoric ascent and its eventual unraveling. Maria takes us inside the story with clarity and candor, sharing what it meant to grow up in the orbit of a father whose identity was inseparable from the restaurant he built.

The glamour, the pressure, the expectations, the fallout: it's all there.

Dining Rooms. Some of them become neighborhood favorites. A few of them become institutions. Then you have the rare ones that turn into something larger than life. One of them was situated just outside of Pittsburgh, PA in McKees Rocks - The Primadonna. Opening in 1986, The Primadonna reshaped Pittsburgh's dining identity, blending ambition, elegance, and Italian American tradition into a restaurant that became a cultural landmark and a family crucible.
Christina Cates sits down with Maria C. Palmer, co-author of&nbsp;<a href="mariacpalmer.com/on-the-rocks/">On The Rocks</a>, to explore the rise, impact, and emotional cost of one of Pittsburgh's most talked about restaurants. The Primadonna wasn't just a business, it was a world unto itself. A place where power players emerged, regulars became loyalists, and the dining room carried an energy that couldn't be replicated.
At the center of this world was Joseph Costanzo Jr., a man whose drive, charisma, and contradictions fueled the restaurant's meteoric ascent and its eventual unraveling. Maria takes us inside the story with clarity and candor, sharing what it meant to grow up in the orbit of a father whose identity was inseparable from the restaurant he built.
The glamour, the pressure, the expectations, the fallout: it's all there.

The Power of Latin Cuisine with Joe Cordero

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