This week, Jmore’s Facebook Live show “The Food Enthusiast” with local foodie Dara Bunjon will celebrate its 100th episode. (Can you believe it, 100 episodes?)
To mark this milestone, Jmore turned the tables on Dara and asked our intrepid host some of her own typical questions.
Catch new episodes of “The Food Enthusiast” every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at facebook.com/jmoreliving, and be sure to take a dive into the archives of all past episodes, available at jmoreliving.com, on Facebook and YouTube.
Jmore: When was your “aha! moment” when you knew you wanted a career in food?
DB: I always loved food, though I can’t say there was an ‘aha! moment.’ It was a career that just sort of evolved from my hobbies.
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Take care of your teeth.
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill or talent, what would it be?
A higher metabolism isn’t a skill, is it? The ability to burn off calories faster.
What was your most epic culinary fail?
I was not raised in a kosher home. And my mother would make ham, but there was never sausage served in our house.
With that in mind, I was dating someone and he must have said that he liked pasta and sausage. I didn’t know from sausage. So I used pickled sausage from a jar and put it in the tomato sauce. And then I served it. And after tasting it, I grabbed the plate and threw it in the trash. And I grabbed his plate and threw it in the trash.
And I think we went out for something or ordered a pizza. I soon learned what sausage was after that.
What has surprised you most during the first 100 episodes of “The Food Enthusiast”?
I knew I knew people [in the food industry] and I knew I could ask them questions, but from when we started in the studio to now doing it from home, I’ve learned that I’m a pretty good interviewer. At least, I think I am.
I like the way the show has evolved. And I like thinking of how to make it interesting for the people who are listening, to think of what’s in it for them.
I like the diversity of it and the range of guests, from Matteo Troncone, who spent eight years making a movie about Neapolitan pizza, to friends who’ve been on the show, from international people to national (like Sara Moulton) to local. It all has a food or beverage connection in some form. And I find it entertaining.
Who knew that there was an eating psychologist? The guests have been so diverse, in various corners of the culinary world, and food is so universal. And it’s such a fun subject to discuss.
Who would be your dream guest to have on a future episode of “The Food Enthusiast”?
I have been lucky enough to have so many great guests on. I can’t think of anyone in particular.
What about your dream dinner guest list, living or dead?
I know I couldn’t keep up, but Anthony Bourdain. I would love to have Julia Child. I had the opportunity to meet both. With Julia Child, it was at a crab feast. She was in town. It was probably a dozen people. She had never had steamed crabs.
And Anthony Bourdain, I met him at the first StarChefs conference and he was signing books, I can’t remember which one, but I was putting together with Jeffrey Spear our own cookbook compilation, ‘Yum! Tasty Recipes from Culinary Greats.’ And [Bourdain] signed a skull with a chef’s hat with crisscrossed chef’s knives with blood dripping from it and his email address. I reached out to him multiple times, and I never heard back. (It was grillbitch@…com).
I’ve been lucky enough to meet numerous chefs. Who else I would love to have is Jose Andres. I’m just amazed at all that he’s accomplished.
One final question: what didn’t we ask you that we should have?
How’s it going on match.com? [Laughs]
And how’s it going?
Dating in your 70s is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It all comes down to, can they still walk?
Dara Bunjon can be reached at food@jmoreliving.com (for food inquiries or more.)
The Food Enthusiast By The Numbers
First Episode: Dec. 5, 2019
On the debut episode of “The Food Enthusiast,” veteran food writer Dara Bunjon discusses favorite Charm City restaurants of yesteryear with Kit Pollard, co-author of the recently released “Lost Restaurants of Baltimore.”
Most Viewed Episode: Harvey Shugarman
On this episode of “The Food Enthusiast,” Dara Bunjon talks with Harvey Shugarman, who dazzled Baltimore diners for years at Harvey’s restaurant in Green Spring Station and now runs Shugarman’s Little Chocolate Shop in New Mexico.
Youngest Guest: Bryce Taylor
On this episode of “The Food Enthusiast,” Dara Bunjon talks with Chef Bryce Taylor. Currently a student at Frostburg University, Taylor competed on “Chopped Junior” at the age of 13 and has already built a career with a small catering company, youth cooking classes and more.
What’s your favorite episode so far?
Dara Bunjon talks sustainable farming, chocolate, and more with farmer, chef, educator and chocolatier Mark Mills of Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm in Middletown.
Dara Bunjon talks with cook, writer and television host Monti Carlo about her new cookbook, "Spanglish: Recipes & Stories," and more.
At a time of economic uncertainty, Yossef's Laffa-Milia, a new kosher restaurant in Owings Mills is thriving.
This lemon and dill salmon recipe from Elite Jakob celebrates the delicious colors, aromas and tastes of spring.