Allstar Podcast Guests
From a Nobel Laureate to a Pulitzer Prize winner, National Book Award Finalist, and James Beard Award-Winning Chefs, we've had some incredible guests on the podcast!
This is week two in my short hiatus from the Foodie Pharmacology Podcast. I began this podcast in collaboration with Los Angeles-based producers Christine Roth and Rob Cohen in 2019. Since then, we have aired a total of 161 episodes over the past 4.5 years!! One of the most exciting things about this experience of hosting the podcast has been the opportunity to meet some incredible people making ground-breaking advances in the fields of science, literature, and food.
Today, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite episodes with the gamechangers I’ve been so fortunate to meet!
The Taste of Pain with Nobel Prize Winner Dr. David Julius
How many of you love hot sauce? What makes chili peppers so alluring to our palates? Well, it has much to do with pain and how our bodies react to stimulants like capsaicin. Join me as I speak with Dr. David Julius—an expert on pain receptors—as he discusses how humans sense certain spices and what this means in the search for new non-opiate pain therapies.
Hooked with Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Moss
We’ve talked a lot about food security and food choice on the show, and I think most of you will agree that it can be hard to keep a healthy diet. But, have you ever considered if some of our food decisions are beyond our control? Are certain foods engineered to be addictive, like drugs or alcohol? How complicit is the food industry in creating and marketing such foods? We’ll cover these topics with our special guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author Michael Moss. He’ll share insights from his latest book, Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Please find out more at his website or follow him on Instagram [at]michaelcmoss.
Indigenous Eats with James Beard Award-Winning Chef Sean Sherman
Did you know there is a fragrant shrub with medicinal properties against respiratory infections, pain, and diabetes used by indigenous people spanning North America, Europe, and Asia for centuries? Labrador tea is still valued in treating many ailments and is consumed as a traditional beverage. It is just one of many wild plants that make up the indigenous cuisine of Native peoples in the US and Canada. In this episode, I speak with three-time James Beard award-winning chef and indigenous activist Chef Sean Sherman, who raises awareness about the cultural and medicinal value of this and many other unique wild ingredients with his company, “The Sioux Chef,” and nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems.
A Walk in the Garden of Eden with National Book Prize Finalist Victoria Johnson
In the early days of the foundation of the American Republic, a charismatic dreamer with a love for plants and medicine made his mark on the world by establishing the country’s first public botanical garden: the Elgin Botanic Garden, once located where Rockefeller Center in NYC, stands today. He would grow more than two thousand species on a 20-acre plot of land, where he taught medical students about the healing virtues of plants and conducted pharmaceutical and crop research. Join me as I chat with author Victoria Johnson about American Eden, her award-winning biography of the physician botanist Dr. David Hosack.
The Doomsday Seed Vault with Frank Meyer Medalist Dr. Cary Fowler
Join me as I speak with leading agricultural scientist Dr. Cary Fowler about the importance of seed banking and conserving crop diversity. Ever heard of the “Doomsday Seed Vault”? Though it may sound like something out of a sci-fi thriller—this important gene bank where millions of seeds are stored in a tunnel carved into the Arctic ice—is 100% real. Tune in to this episode of Foodie Pharmacology to learn why saving seeds is critical to the future of global food production in a changing climate.
I’m always looking for new ideas and guests for the podcast! Let me know which topics you’d like me to cover on future episodes. All subscribers can vote on the poll below.
Paid subscribers: leave a comment with topic or guest ideas! I’d love to get suggestions from you!
Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.
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