Against the grain

Meet chef and rice evangelist JJ Johnson

Hola everyone!

On this episode of Longer Tables, I’m excited to introduce you to JJ Johnson, one of the most exciting chefs I know and, I can’t leave this out, someone who has been a great supporter of World Central Kitchen.

Both of those would be good reasons to invite JJ on my podcast. But I had another one. I wanted to talk about rice.

Rice is JJ’s true love: Spanish rice. African rice. Indian rice. And all the dishes that you can make with these fascinating varieties. JJ grew up eating rice—his grandma was a great cook—but he never thought of it as high cuisine until a trip to Ghana opened his eyes to a remarkable story.

On the show, JJ explains what he saw and how it inspired his restaurant, Field Trip, which has three locations in New York. We also talk about his new, amazing cookbook, The Simple Art of Rice, which has great recipes for Jollof rice, seafood gumbo, and a Laotian crispy rice salad.

So tune in for talk about why rice IS culture. Your dinner will never be the same!

Oh—and one more thing for those of you who read all the way to the end of this email! We have another live podcast recording coming up in October in New York with special guest LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA!! Even better, the event will raise money for Hispanic Federation, a civil rights and advocacy organization that works to empower Latinos and improve their lives. Tickets go on sale today. You can buy them here.