A fabulous Thanksgiving potluck with Good Food's chosen family

Good Food

KCRW

Society & Culture

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

All the best food with people you actually like? We're in!

We kickstart Thanksgiving with Nashville chef Arnold Myint, author of Family Thai, who joins Evan Kleiman to co-host a special Thanksgiving episode about chosen family.
Although Minneapolis chef Yia Vang cooks Hmong food that's rooted in his family's refugee story, he treats tradition as something living and adaptable.
Atlanta chef Deborah VanTrece, who has been transforming narratives about soul food, brings us a bunch of killer sides.
Bar expert and cocktail consultant John deBary has just the thing for keeping your holiday libations fun, festive, and nonalcoholic.
What better way to complete the Thanksgiving meal than a few unapologetically sweet desserts from pastry chef Justin Burke?

Connect with Good Food host Evan Kleiman on Substack.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From KCRW, I'm Evan Klyman.
0:03.8	And I'm Arnold Mint.
0:05.1	And this is Good Foods Thanksgiving episode.
0:08.9	Hi, Arnold.
0:10.0	Hi, Evan.
0:11.1	Thanks for letting me join you today.
0:12.7	Well, you know, it's our tradition every year to ask a friend of the show to co-host our Thanksgiving episode.
0:18.5	And I have to say that the moment we hung up on the phone during
0:22.2	our first interview for your book, Family Tie, we knew we were going to ask you if you'd be my
0:28.0	co-pilot for today. So thank you for making time for us today. Oh my gosh. That is so kind of you
0:34.4	to say. I've been a huge fan forever. And the fact that we clicked and became friends, I mean, geez, this is my pleasure.
0:41.6	So before we get into this big food holiday we're about to embark on,
0:46.1	I want to introduce you to folks who don't know you yet.
0:49.0	You're from Nashville, where you were born into a beloved restaurant family.
0:54.4	Yes.
0:54.7	So my parents opened the first Asian market and restaurant in 1975.
1:01.2	We actually just turned 50 this year.
1:03.6	And even though my parents have passed away a few years ago,
1:06.6	I have taken on the responsibility with my sister
1:09.4	to continue their legacy and celebrate their Thai flavors in Tennessee.
1:13.9	Oh, it's such a great story.
1:15.9	And we should mention that you're also a 2024 James Beard Best Chef Southeast semi-finalists.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 15 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.