Happy Thursday

This week's episode is with my good friend Julie White, Tony Award winner, Iron Chef America judge, and one of the most fun and entertaining people I have the pleasure of hanging out (and sometimes cooking) with. Julie sent me a text wanting to talk shop about all things food TV and film, and of course we had to get it on camera. The conversation definitely went down some windy roads, but all things considered, one of the most fun episodes to date. And there is a not-so-small chance that there is a cooking show in our future...

Julie is from Texas, and also happens to love Pimento cheese. So, this week I'm sharing my recipe.  It's a banger. I make it more often than a person of my age and cholesterol probably should, but I highly recommend trying it out. (Pro Tip- pimento cheese dip is incredible on hot dogs, so add this to your July 4th grill-out rotation too).

We found a clip from Chef Vojtech sharing some tips on how to use old bread, and it's a lot more than just breadcrumbs and soup.

Speaking of bread and pimento cheese - they both have allergens!   Bread has wheat.  Pimento cheese has milk and nightshades.  The SB-68 (the ADDE Act) goes into effect on July 1, 2026, requiring qualifying restaurant chains to disclose the presence of the nine major allergens across all customer-facing menus and ordering channels.  meez can help!   (I know, I know, that was a really smooth product drop:)

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🎙️ The meez Podcast

Julie White on food TV and the best food movies

Julie White has judged Iron Chef America, competed on Chopped, auditioned to play Julia Child, and can quote the Iron Chef Japan voiceovers from memory. We went deep on how food TV went from teaching you to cook to just being something to watch, and why that shift changed the whole industry.

• Judging Iron Chef America (Bobby vs. Michelle, battle egg)
• Why Iron Chef Japan was the best food show ever made
• Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, and the Great British Baking Show
• How Bourdain rewrote the rules with food travel
• Top Chef, David Chang, and chefs becoming celebrities.
• The food movies that actually nailed it: Big Night, The Menu
• Chefs Table could be for other more than chef?
• A Saving Private Ryan fiasco
• 🤔🌶️ Hot Take -> Josh and Julie ideate their show for Talking Crabs

👉 Watch the full episode

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📔 Chef Notes

Leftover bread is more than you think.

Bread is just water, flour, and fat.

So Chef Vojtech Vegh asks: where do water, flour, and fat already appear on your menu?

Bechamel. Sausage binders. Cake batter. Pancakes. Cheesecake crust.

All of them can be made with leftover bread.  I really love this framework, and Vojtech always surprises me with how thoughtful he is about utilizing 100% of food.

👉 Watch the clip on Instagram or LinkedIn

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Recipe:

Pimento Cheese Dip

The unofficial pate of the South.  I understand that pimento cheese is technically a dip.  And I can definitely crush a 25 ritz cracker sitting each piled high with it.

That said, I tend to like it a lot more as a condiment.  I'll often use it on a ham sandwich, on a burger, a bacon and egg sandwich, a hot dog, or even just on top of a seared steak.

I have used this recipe at two restaurants now Bark and Make.  It uses piquillo peppers but feel free to use simply roasted red peppers.  You can also swap the honey for maple syrup.   The Sriracha works great in it, though I'm sure you can use a different hot sauce, just know flavor will likely lean more heavily towards the sauce if it's not neutral like Sriracha. (sidenote - the Jalapeno Cream hot sauce from Trader Joes is crazy good, we buy like 6 bottles at a time, and I'm just realizing I'm going to try that with this dip next time, very different direction but i bet it will be really good).  

👉 Get the full recipe on meez

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💬 Want to Be a Guest on The meez Podcast?

If you’re building at scale, or wrestling with hard zero-to-one problems worth talking about, I’d love to hear from you.

Apply to be a guest or nominate someone we should talk to.

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🍤 Want to get allergen compliant with SB-68?

👉 Find some time with our team here

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