Most college kids eat cheap or bad but that didn’t stop wannabe food writer Daniel Schumacher penning a food column in his student paper. 

Daniel went on to become a professional food writer in New York, Birmingham Alabama, and now in New Orleans as editor of Louisiana Cookin‘.

Daniel describes what it’s like writing about food. It’s a fascinating procedure that most of us have never thought about, involving the doubly hedonistic pursuit of eating followed by the pleasure of reliving the pleasurable experience so you can describe it. It’s an elegant and passionate combination of all the senses and intelllect. Daniel makes being a foodie intellectual about the most romantic gig out there. By the end of this conversation you’ll be dashing for your keyboard to describe lunch.

Daniel also takes us into the unknown world of the magazine publishers’ Test Kitchen. Daniel works with a full time staff of 8 whose daily job it is to take recipes from well known contributors – chefs and other foodies – and translate them from a collection of creative concepts and approximate handfuls of contents into a form that retains the essence of the passion but is a repeatable and readable pathway to recreation.

The effervescent Market Manager of the Crescent City Farmer’s Market, Elisa Munoz, is Daniel’s +1 guest. Like Daniel, Elisa came to New Orleans via the hitherto little understood food cosmos in Birmingham Alabama. 

Daniel and Elisa have a culinary and personal relationship that started out with beer and rhubarb and has blossomed into beer and well, more beer. Under Ray and Margo’s thoughtful questioning they talk about their friendship and their relationship to New Orleans. Admittedly it doesn’t have much to do with food but somehow Ray and Margo get away with this kind of fascinating and illuminating “I hope this is not too personal” conversation with their guests and everyone ends up happier. This show brings a whole new meaning to “Bon Appetit!”