Questlove is not only a well-known musician and dee-jay, he is also an epic foodie and gracious host of Food Salon events at his home. As a writer and thinker of food, he also knows a lot of people -- chefs, artists, actors, musicians -- who love to cook, eat and share stories about feeding people. Questlove's new book, Mixtape Potluck, includes many recipes from these friends. He recently spoke with Francis Lam about his love of food, being a somewhat shy dinner host, and the joy he gets from bringing people together over food and music. Hit the link above to listen to their conversation. Questlove shared three recipes from the book (with his own introduction to each) from chefs Greg Baxtrom, Nyesha Arringon, and Matty Matheson. Keep these dishes on hand for your next party!


Photo: Marcus Maddox

Crab Rangoon

Greg Baxtrom is the man behind Olmsted, a restaurant in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect Heights. This dish has the fine-dining background of Greg’s culinary history with the accessibility of a crowd-pleasing dish for your potluck. For extra credit, grow your own kale. Do yourself a favor and head to your local grocery store for sweet & sour sauce!

 

Photo: Marcus Maddox

Sweet Potato Kimchi Pancake

Nyesha Arrington is an expert at fusing food and place and then building narratives around that fusion. This dish is actually a great introduction to kimchi, both for those who shy away from it and those who don’t know how they feel about it. The sweet offsets the sour and spice while creating a well-balanced pancake you wanna stack high on your plate.

 

Photo: Marcus Maddox

Grilled Bologna Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls

I was fortunate enough to have Matty Matheson participate in one of my Food Salons in New York. Matty is a slider expert, and this dish is a perfect illustration of his expertise. Sliders are bite-size, so they’re able to do things with taste that full-size hamburgers cannot.

 


Photo: Michael Baca

Questlove is a author of Mixtape Potluck. The book is full of wonderful stories and crowd-pleasing recipes from chefs, artists, actors, and musicians.