Lots of busy things happening, but at Grub Street and the Reader, not here.

I interviewed the lovely Nigella Lawson.

I told the story of an old school Italian place and its dedicated owner.

I got nice words from Rick Bayless.

I’m big in Japan England: Sky Full of Bacon videos are running on a public affairs satellite/cable channel in the UK, and I’ve gotten several nice comments from viewers over there.

I tried to explain what Indonesian food is about.

I interviewed the charming Fabio Viviani:

I shot a cool bar 18 stories up:

And here are the Key Ingredients since the beginning of the year:

Matt Kirkley of L2O with warabi starch, making a fish ball out of a Japanese dessert:

I love when chefs get something totally plebeian: like celery for NoMI’s Ryan LaRoche:

Someone was bound to get durian eventually, and it was Lee Wolen of The Lobby:

Wolen gave another Asian fruit, buddha’s hand, to Gaetano Nardulli of Near in Barrington:

Noah Sandoval, who as you’ll see has already been in the background of a past KI video, with chestnut flour:

And for the first time, we unmistakably kill something on camera: lobster tamalley for underground chef Jake Bickelhaupt (Sous Rising):