Savor with Tiffany Pham

Johnny Norton, Co-Owner of Culture Espresso, is a 2026 Savor Honoree for Excellence in Chocolate Chip Cookies. For more, view here: savortheuniverse.comForty bakeries were invited. Two hundred judges. A blind taste test, an open bar, and a few Michelin-starred kitchens in the field. Culture Espresso won first place, and Johnny has been hanging his hat on it ever since. "It was also a great opportunity to tease our friends in a Michelin-starred kitchen that one day they'll catch up."The recipe hasn't changed in seventeen years.Tiffany Pham sits down with him over the cookie that keeps winning. He is clear that there is no trick to it: "no shtick other than really high quality." French ingredients, small batches all day so nothing sits, and a flat refusal to get more efficient. People have told him for years he's foolish to use an ingredient that expensive, or that a machine could replace half the staff. "We haven't made a single stride towards efficiency."The route there was not a bakery. He was a bookseller, then a teenage drummer who toured with punk bands and worked in cafés between tours. He got obsessed with coffee in the years before you could learn it on Instagram, when you had to find a secret coffee wizard and train with him. He was young and could not get a lease in Midtown on his own. His business partner Jody LoCascio had met the landlord of this building in a bar and been offered a good deal on it, and Johnny talked his way in with a pitch to run the coffee program.The idea he keeps returning to is one he borrowed from the Eameses: the best, for the most, for the least. He knows a six-dollar cookie isn't the least. "But I'd like to think that both Eames and ourselves made it as fair as we could while trying to make it as best as we could."Savor with Tiffany Pham, a Representation production, is a companion to the television docuseries premiering May 2027. Cinematography by: Kym Pham.CHAPTERS00:00 Meeting Johnny: "the best chocolate chip cookies in New York"00:36 "Cookies are like pizza and bagels"00:49 Forty bakeries, two hundred judges, one blind taste test01:32 Teasing the Michelin-starred kitchen02:11 "No shtick other than really high quality"02:34 The crunch on the outside03:36 "We haven't altered this recipe in 17 years"04:03 A group effort, and Jody's sourdough04:57 "The longer I was a barista, the better a barista I wanted to be"05:17 "We were going to be way too serious. Only coffee."05:58 Seeking out the best ingredients06:39 "We haven't made a single stride towards efficiency"07:04 Small batches, and waiting five minutes07:53 Punk bands, touring, and working in a cafe between tours08:36 Before Instagram: finding a secret coffee wizard09:17 Signing a lease in Midtown at 2409:56 "Coffee felt like the working man's wine"11:00 Meeting Jody through a drummer12:01 The Eames idea: the best, for the most, for the least12:49 "If it ain't broke": on burrata, and not chasing a trend14:07 Three stores in 17 years, all within three blocks15:11 Fourteen-hour days, and delivering cookies by bicycle through COVID15:55 "Now I have a one year old that is the light of my life"16:51 The chemical engineer he met over nachos18:21 Mornings with his son, and the scone he's chasing19:39 Rapid fire: pho at Two Wheels20:48 Burger: Red Hook Tavern, and J.G. Melon21:28 Noodles: Xi'an, and the COVID noodle kits22:26 Cinnamon roll: Sunday Morning. Pizza: Christy's in Greenpoint23:40 The bookseller, and the cookbook he's still writing24:34 The Harvard shirt, and a ninth grade dropout24:58 "I used to be embarrassed. Now I don't care"25:52 "Better than I had ever imagined it would be"26:10 The Rolex, and what his father never had27:57 On kids, and saying goodbyeABOUT CULTURE ESPRESSOCulture Espresso: cultureespresso.com🎬 The Savor with Tiffany Pham docuseries premieres May 1, 2027🌐 savortheuniverse.comClick here to view the episode transcript.

Armando Litiatco, Chef & Co-Owner of Sunday Morning, is a 2026 Savor Honoree for Excellence in Cinnamon Rolls. For more, view here: savortheuniverse.comThe bakery is called Sunday Morning because a restaurant person almost never gets one.Days off land on a Tuesday, or wherever they land. But if you get a Sunday, Armando Litiatco says, that's a good Sunday. And what he did with his was wake up early enough to start a dough that would not be ready until late, and spend the day doing nothing and making cinnamon rolls.Tiffany Pham sits down with him over four of them: the classic caramel pecan, strawberry Earl Grey, blueberry lemon curd, and Brooklyn Blackout, which is chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. He explains why the dough is American rather than European, gooey and fluffy in the centre; why enriched dough deserves more love than it gets; and why the staff are in at half four for a bakery that opens at nine.He was born in the Philippines, raised in San Francisco, trained at the California Culinary Academy, cooked at Daniel early in his career, and was working at Google as an accountant when he started picking up catering gigs on the side. He asked a friend named Ahmet Kiranbay to help with the holiday rush. Ahmet never went back to his office. Twenty years later they run Rana Fifteen, their Aegean Turkish restaurant in Park Slope, and two bakeries together.Asked what's next, he says he'd like to see Sunday Morning in other cities, and then immediately explains why that frightens him: there are only two people who know the actual recipe, and he still tastes the dough every day.Savor with Tiffany Pham, a Representation production, is a companion to the television docuseries premiering May 2027. Cinematography by: Kym Pham.CHAPTERS00:00 Meeting Armando, and the four rolls on the table00:28 "I'll tell you what we have in front of us"01:35 "I always go for the classic, because I want to taste the dough"01:55 American style: gooey, fluffy, not European02:23 Enriched dough, and why it doesn't get enough love03:23 French butter, brown sugar, Saigon cinnamon04:26 "The staff is here at 4:30 in the morning"04:41 Fine dining, brought to the cinnamon roll05:16 "As you mature as a cook, you understand where your lane is"05:35 "Cook what you love to eat"05:58 Strawberry Earl Grey, and everything made in house06:47 Blueberry lemon curd07:25 Brooklyn Blackout08:17 Born in the Philippines, raised in San Francisco08:40 New York, 2003, and the place you always want to go back to09:09 The accountant, the catering gigs, and Ahmet who never went back10:08 Twenty years, and hashing it out like a kitchen line10:55 Daniel, and the hours11:33 A schedule completely flipped by a bakery12:20 The dough: started the night before12:43 Why it's called Sunday Morning13:43 "It's a lot of pressure on the shoulders"14:41 One item, done right15:22 Two bakeries, a Turkish restaurant, and splitting the duties17:05 "I wake up and I think about what I'm going to eat"17:47 What's next: growing the bakery18:12 "Only two of us know the actual recipe"18:33 The pattern across the season: why franchises succeed19:54 "Number one is the food": you should be able to cut it with a fork20:38 What you give up as a cook, and learning to step back21:34 "The true definition of reinvention"23:06 Rapid fire: pho, burger, noodles25:37 Favorite chocolate chip cookie26:29 "It's been such an honor"26:51 The preserves, and a two-year-old companyABOUT SUNDAY MORNINGSunday Morning: @sundaymorningcinnamonrolls on Instagram🎬 The Savor with Tiffany Pham docuseries premieres May 1, 2027🌐 savortheuniverse.comClick here to view the episode transcript.

Euripides Pelekanos, CEO of Bareburger, is a 2026 Savor Honoree for Excellence in Burgers. For more, view here: savortheuniverse.comThe Supreme Burger at Bareburger exists because of a McDonald's drive-through.Euripides Pelekanos ran a bar in Bed-Stuy called Sputnik through the 2000s, a room where KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Premier all played and where Pratt students, the housing projects and the Hasidic community all stayed until three in the morning. He would get out at half four, five in the morning, stop at McDonald's on the way home and order four cheeseburgers, large fries, and a Diet Coke. Then he would open every cheeseburger and stuff the fries inside."I'm embarrassed to tell you this story," he says, and then tells it anyway.Tiffany Pham sits down with him over the burger that story became: a grass-fed patty, applewood smoked bacon, an onion ring on top with french fries packed inside it, and a special sauce he will happily tell you is ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise, because every special sauce in the world is.The rest of the conversation is the harder half. His parents came from Cyprus as refugees in 1974, two years before he was born, into a five-room apartment in Astoria. He was stocking sodas at Dom's Deli at twelve. He taught social studies for two years before he opened anything. The first Bareburger was a shuttered bakery in Astoria with a poster of a bear on a unicycle in the window, and the neighbourhood decided they were California hippies. Six months later there were a hundred people waiting outside.Then fifty restaurants, in Santa Monica and Japan and Germany and Dubai. Then COVID, and the decision to close the ones that were not in his backyard. Thirty restaurants now, in the tri-state area, plus two in Ohio.Asked who he is making this for, he says: everybody.Savor with Tiffany Pham, a Representation production, is a companion to the television docuseries premiering May 2027. Cinematography by: Kym Pham.CHAPTERS00:00 Meeting Euripides, and the Supreme Burger00:38 Old school New York: Cyprus, 1974, and a five-room apartment in Astoria01:30 Dom's Deli at twelve years old02:32 Two years as a teacher02:58 1999: opening Sputnik in Brooklyn04:00 KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Premier04:37 2007: the Sputnik Burger06:21 The 2008 recession07:49 An old bakery in Astoria08:00 The bear on a unicycle08:28 A hundred people waiting outside09:48 Fifty restaurants: Santa Monica, Japan, Germany, Dubai10:50 COVID12:41 Consolidating back to the backyard13:58 Impossible, plant-based, keto: how the menu changed15:08 Smash burgers, and 30 restaurants left16:50 "I'm embarrassed to tell you this story"17:06 Four cheeseburgers, large fries, a Diet Coke18:05 The onion ring, and the fries inside it18:58 It's the Supreme20:37 The ultimate Wagyu22:10 Medium rare, and letting the meat shine23:38 Who are you making this for?23:49 "Our burgers are for everybody"24:54 Come here with your kids25:58 Headwinds, and the North Star26:19 "This place is the best"ABOUT BAREBURGERBareburger: bareburger.com🎬 The Savor with Tiffany Pham docuseries premieres May 1, 2027🌐 savortheuniverse.comClick here to view the episode transcript.

Jimmy Ly, Chef & Owner of Madame Vo, is a 2026 Savor Honoree for Excellence in Pho. For more, view here: savortheuniverse.comTen years ago there was almost nowhere in New York to get the Vietnamese food Jimmy Ly and Yen grew up eating. She had come from a big Vietnamese community in Mississippi by way of Houston; he was born and raised here, baking at his parents' Paris Sandwich in Chinatown. The first real conversation they had was about where you could get good Vietnamese food in this city. The answer was nowhere, so they got married and opened a restaurant.Tiffany Pham sits down with Jimmy over the bowl that has just been named the best pho in Manhattan for 2026. He explains why it's Southern-style rather than Hanoi, and how the broth is his mother's recipe and Yen's mother's recipe argued into one: one was too sweet, one was too light. He talks about the 24 hours, which was never a gimmick. About the short rib, which came from the night Yen's mother carried a tray of them out at a family dinner while he and Yen were still dating, and he had never seen anything like it. "Like dinosaur ribs. It blew my mind."His parents wanted a banker or a lawyer. He went into hospitality instead, and they have since retired because he asked them to. "Mom, we're okay. You don't have to do this anymore."Asked who he's cooking for, he says: we cook as if we're making this for the people that we love.Savor with Tiffany Pham, a Representation production, is a companion to the television docuseries premiering May 2027. Cinematography by: Kym Pham.CHAPTERS00:00 "So happy to see you", and the best pho in Manhattan01:36 Ten years, and a love story that started with food02:39 Paris Sandwich, and learning to bake in Chinatown03:44 "Become a banker, become a lawyer"04:11 Why Southern-style, not Hanoi04:40 Merging his mother's recipe with Yen's mother's05:14 The short rib: a tray of dinosaur ribs06:48 On the copycats08:05 Southern vs northern, and the noodles09:30 The 24-hour broth09:42 "Penicillin for the soul"10:23 Bolder, more đậm đà11:44 Who are you cooking for?13:07 "You are coming into our home"14:07 His parents, retired at last15:03 The decal goes on the windowABOUT MADAME VÔMadame Vô — madamevo.com🎬 The Savor with Tiffany Pham docuseries premieres May 1, 2027🌐 savortheuniverse.comClick here to view the episode transcript.

Jason Wang, CEO of Xi'an Famous Foods, is a 2026 Savor Honoree for Excellence in Handpulled Noodles. For more, view here: savortheuniverse.comJason Wang was supposed to go corporate. Instead he drove back from the Midwest, moved his things out of the car in a day, and started working in his father's noodle stall the next morning.Twenty years on, Xi'an Famous Foods is a New York institution, and the spicy cumin lamb noodles are one of the city's signature dishes. But it began as a bubble tea shop in Flushing, because his father wasn't sure New Yorkers would want food this spicy and this heavy on cumin, and wanted a hedge. Within six months the food was outselling the tea.Tiffany Pham sits down with Jason over the dish that made him famous. They talk about his father, still the keeper of the recipe and the only person who makes the chili oil. About the thirty proprietary spices, some so obscure they don't have names. About the nights he drove his staff home to Flushing after thirteen-hour days, and the one where an employee started crying in his car and he realised he was just as tired. And about a young woman from Xi'an who came to New York alone at nineteen and ate the same bowl of beef noodle soup at his East Village store because it tasted like her parents' house.Asked whether he feels like he belongs here now, he says no, not entirely, and probably not for another ten or twenty years. Then he explains why that isn't a sad answer.Savor with Tiffany Pham, a Representation podcast production, is a companion to the television docuseries Savor with Tiffany Pham premiering in 2027. Cinematography by: Kym Pham.CHAPTERS00:00 Meeting Jason, and the dish that made them famous02:14 Inside the bowl: the noodles, the lamb, 30 spices04:01 The scar from a lamb skewer05:35 Why it went viral07:23 His father, keeper of the recipe09:21 "I always feel a bit of an imposter"10:21 Every complaint still goes to his phone13:23 A bubble tea shop in Flushing16:12 The Golden Shopping Mall stall17:27 Bourdain, 200717:42 Leaving corporate, driving back from the Midwest21:01 On belonging22:42 Legacy, 20 years in23:42 The hardest moments26:02 Driving his employees home29:18 How to savor it31:23 What he eats at home33:53 Rapid fire: pho, pizza, burgers, cakeABOUT XI'AN FAMOUS FOODSXi'an Famous Foods: xianfoods.com🎬 The Savor with Tiffany Pham docuseries premieres in 2027.🌐 savortheuniverse.comClick here to view the episode transcript.

A first taste of Savor with Tiffany Pham, where the most iconic chefs of today share the dish that made them, and the story behind every bite.Season One premieres September 1, 2026. Follow now so you're at the table for the first course.