A very long time ago, when I was a sophomore in college, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. What, I asked myself, would I truly enjoy doing all day, every day? Well, I liked to talk to people — strangers as well as old friends — and I loved to eat, and if I could somehow combine those two, I’d have my dream job.

It only took three decades¹, but I guess I’ve got that dream job! My partners — Cathy Erway and Peter Cheng — and I have launched Shut Up ‘n Eat to bring that fundamental sense of joy back to the world of food media. Because, weirdly, it’s often missing! The three of us have worked for every single food publication out there, and we love them all, but lately it doesn’t seem like they’re having enough fun. But this is food! Yes, it’s nourishing, meaningful, emotional, political — but first and foremost, it is (or should be) delicious. Three times a day, more or less, we human beings have the opportunity for pure pleasure and, ideally, the chance to share it with one another. We are lucky creatures indeed!

So that’s the animating principle behind Shut Up ‘n Eat: joy first. We hope you can hear that in our podcast, which will center on interviews with some of the most innovative and influential restaurant chefs working today. (The first episode should be out next Monday, but you can listen to the trailer here, or on your favorite podcast app.) Here’s the lineup for our first mini-season of four episodes, which will appear every other week:

There’s some serious star power, right? But that’s just a coincidence! When Cathy, Peter, and I sat down (on Slack) to talk about interview subjects, what mattered to us was not fame but talent. For each of these, we loved their food, their drinks, their environments — from head-on, foot-on chicken to mango-brine martinis to karaoke party rooms — and we wanted to know how those came to be. What forces, cultural as well as culinary, shaped these restaurateurs? To find out, of course, you’ll have to listen to the podcast! 🤪

(Shout out to Matt Herrero of Haitch Industries, whose patient production was essential to us even getting any of this pod stuff made.)

Each episode of the podcast will contain other elements, too. We’ll take audio tours of the chefs’ kitchens, to try to put you amid the action, and we’re going to play a game with the chefs — one whose winner will be determined by YOU, our newsletter readers. It’s called Chef vs. Robot: We pick three random ingredients and ask the chefs to come up with a dish on the spot, and then we pitch the same ingredients to ChatGPT (or sometimes Claude). Yep. Then, in the next week’s newsletter, we’ll ask you to select the best dish — i.e., the winner. And after that, we’ll send you the recipes!

And so that’s how we’re hoping the podcast and the newsletter will interact: what happens in one will bleed into the other. We’ll use these weekly emails to give more depth and context to the podcast, in ways that should let the newsletter not only stand on its own but go beyond the podcast. You’ll get reports from our travels², deep dives into dishes, restaurant playlists, Q&As, recipes, commentary, and whatever else captures our interest or makes us hungry. Cathy and I are both writers at heart, so expect a regular onslaught of well-honed, drool-inducing sentences!

Some of this, I should note, will be available only to paid Shut Up ‘n Eat subscribers. The magical technology behind this project allows us to hide or reveal different things to different people, so down the line, some of the coolest stuff — both in the newsletter and on the podcast — will be limited to those who love us enough to become paid subs. Because, you know, this is a business! We are hoping we can grow Shut Up ‘n Eat enough that it can become self-sustaining, not just for us, and not just for what it is now. We’d like to do more reporting, from more destinations, about more topics, and with more contributors. (We’d also like to be able to pay the rent!) All of that requires funding. If you feel like upgrading, or offering a one-time donation, please click this link.

(Also: We take advertising, both on the newsletter and in the podcast! Email [email protected] to learn more.)

But we don’t just want to take your money! We want to give you something awesome in return — and not only in newsletter or podcast form. In the very near future³, we’ll be opening the Shut Up ‘n Eat Shop, where you can get T-shirts, hats, tote bags, and more adorned with our logo — and with the adorable little gremlin created for us by graphic designer Matt Timms. We’re producing all of this through a print-on-demand system, so we can create new items easily. Want the gremlin on a dog bowl? Need a pack of baby onesies that scream Shut Up ‘n Eat? Let us know, and we can make ‘em!

And here’s the secret⁴: If you become a paid subscriber to the newsletter/podcast, you’ll get a standing 20% discount on everything you buy in the shop, applied automatically. As a former New York Times “Frugal Traveler” columnist who is reflexively cost-conscious, I can say: That’s a solid deal.

One last thing before I sign off: Introductions! I’ll start with me: I’m Matt Gross, and for the last 30 years I’ve been writing about food and travel (and other things) for just about every publication you can think of. I’ve visited roughly 70 countries, but my deepest loves are Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan (where my wife grew up). I do a lot of cooking at home here in Brooklyn, where I’m known for my epic annual pig roasts. Of all the restaurants in New York City, the one I’ve been to the most is probably Wu’s Wonton King (which has recently changed ownership!). Does that mean it’s my favorite? Sure, why not!

Cathy and Peter, why don’t you guys go next?

All right, that’s enough for now! Next week the podcast is coming, so make sure you follow it on your platform of choice — here’s direct links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube — and don’t forget to tell all your friends. If you’d like to ask us any questions privately and directly, email us at [email protected]. Till next time, shut up ‘n eat, everybody!