‘The Splendid Table’ host speaks at Sun Valley Writers’ Conference
By Eric Valentine
The Washington Post proclaimed him “the voice of America’s food culture,” but Francis Lam won’t even refer to himself as “chef.” In fact, the host of public radio’s The Splendid Table and the winner of four James Beard Foundation awards for food writing doesn’t even like being called “critic.”
“It’s a cliché to say that food unites us, and it definitely does, but it can also separate us. I was one of the kids at school with the ‘stinky’ lunch,” explained Lam, the son of Chinese immigrants who stayed true to their gastronomic roots. “When it comes to critiquing food, perhaps you can objectively say, ‘This set of flavors tastes better than that,’ but food has so much emotional connection to it, your family’s roast pork recipe being done right means just as much as a three-star Michelin rating.”
It’s with that sensibility—and humility—that Lam has built himself a career as far more than a restaurant critic. He is a food anthropologist, a gastronomic storyteller, who was invited to speak at this year’s Sun Valley Writers’ Conference.
“I love the West. Every good decision I’ve ever made in my life came after a road trip out West,” said Lam, who has been to, among other Idaho parts, Craters of the Moon, but never to the Wood River Valley.
“I was honored to be invited here, and how could I say ‘No.’?” Lam explained, gesturing from the lobby of the Sun Valley Lodge toward the skating rink and hillside views nearby.
Lam touched on a variety of topics during his talk, from how food evokes emotional memories across cultures and how his career has evolved to focus on what he calls “the entire ecosystem” of the food industry, including the “invisible army” of people behind the chefs who get the credit for palate-pleasing plates.
“I respect great chefs and many have become friends of mine, but if you go to Mario Batali’s restaurant in Las Vegas, Mario is not boiling your pasta, because you’re in Vegas and he’s in New York City,” Lam said. “I want to know the story behind the food. I want to know about the people who actually did the work and where the recipe came from in the first place.”
Lam On Idaho Cuisine
So what does one of America’s premier tastemakers think about some of Idaho’s benchmark foods? For instance, the ones noted in the Foodie Finds section of The Weekly Sun’s “101 Things To Do” edition now on stands through the fall.
Fry Sauce
Lam admits—like many non-Idahoans—to not having heard the term. He also admits to being a mayo-on-french-fries lover.
“Anything mayo-based on anything fried works for me,” Lam said.
Game Meat
“We have so many species of animals on the planet, but when you go to a restaurant, your choice is beef, pork, chicken and maybe four types of fish,” Lam remarks. “So when you’re talking about game meat, you’re really opening the door to a food ecosystem, especially the predator-prey hunting ecosystem that makes us human.”
Funeral Potatoes
The Americanized version of potatoes au gratin is something Lam had come across in the Midwest, where he attended the University of Michigan and majored in Asian studies and creative writing. He sees the dish affectionately called Mormon potatoes as the quintessential example of what he loves most about food—the emotional connection we have to it.
Lam On The Culinary Map
We asked Lam how Idaho could make a name for itself gastronomically—beyond potatoes, of course. It reminded him of a story he wrote about a man in the Faroe Islands, a rocky volcanic chain of islets off Denmark that can’t grow much outside of potatoes. But it had sheep and fish, and a persistent restauranteur who petitioned the prime minister to open up mussels harvesting so he could use locally sourced ingredients at his eatery. The concept caught on and today it is Michelin-star rated.
From his vantage point, Lam believes any restaurant focused on the dishes Idaho can do best—from Basque to huckleberry—would not only succeed, but would expand cuisine.
“If you truly love your food, you’ll let the culture do the talking,” Lam said.