Favorite New Podcast: Dinner Party Download

This podcast has become our secret weapon at parties and events where we know there will be a lot of mingling. In fact, we weren’t sure we wanted to share it with you because then you’d know where we’ve been getting all our jokes and clever stories! But no, this podcast is too good to keep to ourselves.

As you know, we’re always on the lookout for good cooking-related podcasts, and we heard about Dinner Party Download during a recent episode of the Splendid Table. The two hosts, Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam, were smart and funny during their interview, and the concept for their show definitely sounded intriguing. We downloaded the most recent episode…And then almost immediately followed up with the rest of their archives.

Each 15-ish minute show is broken up into several acts that roughly follow the course of a dinner party. First there’s an ice breaker in the form of a cheesy and usually groan-inducing joke. This is followed by a few minutes of small talk, during which the hosts ask fellow NPR co-workers about their favorite news story from the past week.

The next section pairs a short history lesson with an accompanying cocktail (ie, Cocktail Hour). And finally, every episode has an interview with a guest of honor before moving onto the “main course,” which talks about something new and interesting in the food world.

The topics covered and people interviewed in each of these section truly run the gamut. Howard Zinn makes an appearance on one episode while another has a running commentary while waiting in line for Korean barbecue. Even the music snippets between segments spark our interest! In short, and as promised by the hosts: this show has everything you need to win your next dinner party.

So go check it out!

• The Dinner Party Download from 89.3 KPCC is available bi-weekly and can be downloaded directly from their website or from iTunes.

Related: Dinner Parties: 5 Great Tips for Newbies

(Images: Dinner Party Download)