#35: An epic wolf journey becomes a lens on everything from ecology to migration, borders, and what it means to coexist with the wild in modern Europe. In this episode, writer and adventurer Adam Weymouth joins us to talk about his book Lone Wolf: Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wilderness.

Weymouth retraces the thousand-mile path of an iconic wolf named Slavc, tracked by GPS as he traveled from Slovenia across Austria and the Alps to northern Italy—moving through deep wilderness, but also skirting suburbs, airports, and working farmland. Along the way, we explore the long, complicated history between humans and wildlife, the politics shaping species repopulation and rewilding across Europe, and the cultural stories that still cast the wolf as the villain.

We dig into Weymouth's reporting and creative process: walking the route in stages, translating conversations across languages, balancing science with storytelling, and resisting the urge to turn the wolf into a mythic hero or monster. It's a conversation about nature and culture, fear and fascination, and the hope embedded in a species finding its way back.

REDUX: Photographer Roman Cho shares his journey from percussion student to portrait photographer, documenting musicians, the Good Food Movement, and a 1700-mile bicycle adventure along Chilean Patagonia's Route of the Parks. Check out some of his stunning photos on his Instagram: @romanchophoto

#34: Before The French Laundry became a culinary landmark, there was Sally Schmitt, a quietly radical cook whose life helped shape what we now call California cuisine. In this episode, Sally's daughter Karen Bates and grandson Byron Hoffman join us to tell that story through their book Six California Kitchens.

Part family history, part cookbook, Six California Kitchens traces Sally's journey from a Depression-era homestead in Citrus Heights to a scrappy food-and-wine hub in Yountville, and eventually to the Apple Farm in Anderson Valley. Karen and Byron walk us through the early days of the original French Laundry, the teaching kitchen that drew people from all over the world, and the hands-on life of running a small farm and hospitality business for forty years.

We dig into how the book came together: Sally's yellow legal pads, eight years of photographing recipes with nothing but family linens and pottery, and the challenge of weaving memoir, archive, and recipes into one seamless visual story.