The Splendid Table
Impact Report—February 2025
The Splendid Table Celebrates 30
Years of Celebrating Food
American Public Media (APM), the national programming division of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world. APM is the distributor of several public radio programs reaching 16 million listeners on nearly 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week, and its suite of podcasts delivers over 18 million downloads every month.
One of these programs, The Splendid Table, hosted by award-winning food writer Francis Lam, is an original weekly companion that has been celebrating the intersection of food and life for more than 30 years. A culinary, culture and lifestyle program, The Splendid Table hosts conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture and introduces listeners to generations of food dignitaries. The Splendid Table explores different cultures, cuisines and ideas, as well as the small personal stories that come out of the expansive world of the table. As a former restaurant cook and culinary school graduate, Francis is keenly interested in people and their stories and believes that one of the keys to understanding people better is to learn what they cook and how they eat. Donor support inspires and enables creative content and makes programming like this available for all our listeners.
Highlights:
The Splendid Table began as a live, Saturday-morning call-in show on Minnesota Public Radio in 1995. As the program’s popularity continued to stretch across the nation, The Splendid Table eventually became the pre-recorded program that is heard on more than 400 public radio stations in the United States and as a podcast. The Splendid Table has been at the forefront of food issues and policies since its inception. Long before eating local became a catchphrase and farmers’ markets became ubiquitous, The Splendid Table was talking about the changes needed in the food system and what was happening on the grassroots level. At the end of 2017, after 22 years of hosting The Splendid Table, founding host Lynne Rossetto Kasper retired from the show.
In 2025, The Splendid Table is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and the team will be heading out on tour. Sign up for their newsletter, Weeknight Kitchen, and you’ll be the first to know when tickets go on sale. Stops include Los Angeles, Seattle, Des Moines, Tampa, New York City and St. Paul.
Some favorite episodes from the program include:
- The annual Thanksgiving show, Turkey Confidential, invites listeners to submit questions to an amazing roster of guests. Guests on the 2024 episode included Andrea Nguyen, author of Ever-Green Vietnamese, Super Fresh Recipes Starring Plants from Land and Sea, Dallas-based chef Tiffany Derry of Roots Southern Table and The Great American Recipe on PBS, Washington Post food editor and author of Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, Joe Yonan and pastry chef Paola Velez, author of Bodega Bakes, Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store. And, of course, Francis!
- In the Cooking by Feel episode, listeners learned about how to be intuitive with food with Vivian Howard, star of the award-winning show A Chef’s Life and author of This Will Make It Taste Good, and scientist-turned-cook Nik Sharma, author of The Flavor Equation and Veg-table.
- Explore one of the richest food scenes in the U.S. in this episode, recorded live with LAist in Orange County, California. Award-winning journalist and Taco USA author Gustavo Arellano talked about the evolution of OC’s culinary scene. Chefs Brenda and Daniel Castillo of Heritage Barbecue described how they’ve made Texas barbecue their own in Southern California. And Kenneth Nguyen, host of The Vietnamese Podcast, and Patricia Huang, former general manager of the famous 626 Night Market, talked about Orange County’s Asian street food culture.
Reach:
followers on The Splendid Table’s social media channels
(Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
Average Impression Count per Month:
YouTube views in 2024
More than
episodes since 1995
At least
More than
Winner of
James Beard Foundation Awards for Best National Radio Show on Food
Listed on numerous
podcast lists including being named an outstanding food podcast by New York magazine, Huffington Post, Oprah Magazine and CNN.
I’ve enjoyed listening and following The Splendid Table radio show and podcast for over 30 years and believe in the great work that Sally started with public radio years ago. Even though I am an accomplished cook and chef, I always learn something new or find a new recipe to try. Thanks for all you do and continue spreading the joy of cooking.”
– Aimee in Atlanta, GA
Every Sunday morning, I listen to be inspired to try something new in my kitchen. Thank you.”
– Janelle in Springfield, NJ
Love the programming. Love Francis’ sensitivity, curiosity about different cultures and culinary explorations. Thank you, Francis.”
– Jenna in New York, NY
It is a pleasure and a great privilege that we do not take lightly—to talk to people every week about one of life’s most intimate and important things—what we eat.”
– Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table