Press, TV & Radio Appearances for David Leite

For almost three decades, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my stories about food, life, and my Portuguese heritage with a global audience. I’m deeply grateful for every opportunity to connect with readers and viewers. Below is a selection of media appearances, interviews, and professional honors from over the years.

Raptive

Yahoo Life

  • Add This Bold Ingredient To Your Pot Roast For A Brighter Flavor
    • A syndicated Food Republic article featured on Yahoo Life, highlighting David Leite’s expert advice on upgrading pot roast. Drawing inspiration from North African tagines, Leite explains how dried fruits (like prunes, apricots, and figs) add a complex sweetness and acidity to create a more balanced, professional-tasting dish.

Food Republic

  • How To Fully Upgrade Your Soup With One Ingredient
    • An article in Food Republic featuring expert insights from David Leite on elevating soups using vinegar as a key ingredient. Leite shares advice on achieving flavor balance and brightness, its impact on perceived texture, pairing specific vinegars with various soup types.

ABC News/Dan Harris

Forbes Magazine

  • How to Make Money as a Food Blogger
    • A Forbes feature on the business of blogging, where David Leite is highlighted as an expert panelist from the BlogHer conference, advising aspiring professionals to “Start with your passion.”

Weekends with Yankee

BlogHer/SheMedia

  • How A Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Broke The Internet
    • A keynote speech from the #BlogHer19 Food conference, where David Leite shares the behind-the-scenes story of his viral New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe. Leite discusses the rigorous testing process (consuming over 100 cookies!), the science of resting dough, and the lessons on innovation versus imitation that every content creator should know.

Eat Your Books

  • Notes on a Banana: Author Interview
    • A detailed Q&A with the premier community for cookbook lovers, discussing the “banana notes” origin story and the challenge of pivoting from recipe writing to memoir.

Between The Covers (WXEL Public Television)

  • David Leite Talks About his Book “Notes On A Banana”
    • A nearly 30-minute, in-depth interview with host Ann Bocock on the WXEL public television program “Between The Covers.” The conversation is a deep dive into David’s memoir, “Notes on a Banana,” exploring its themes of food, love, and mental health.

Publishers Weekly

  • Author Interview: PW profiles David Leite
    • A profile of David Leite in Publisher’s Weekly that explores the rediscovery of his Portuguese heritage through food, leading to his award-winning cookbook, The New Portuguese Table, and the success of his website, Leite’s Culinaria.

RTP Notícias

Observador

The Takeout

  • A 60-Second Intro to Portuguese Food
    • An introductory guide to Portuguese cuisine where David Leite, author of The New Portuguese Table, is featured as a key expert, providing insights on the country’s essential dishes and flavors.

New Haven Independent

  • 185-Pound Hog Grows Community
    • A feature covering the Institute Library’s annual Flying Pig Roast, where David Leite’s personal stories of his family’s Azorean hog traditions provided the central theme and cultural context for the community event.

Connecticut Insider

  • Peeling the Banana — Author David Leite Reveals Himself
    • A feature interview in the Connecticut Insider exploring David Leite’s candid memoir, “Notes on a Banana.” The piece delves into his journey of reconciling his Portuguese heritage, sexuality, and eventual bipolar disorder diagnosis, highlighting how food became his path to self-acceptance and a celebrated career.

Preston Hollow Advocate

  • Central Market’s Passport Event Returns
    • An announcement for Central Market’s “Passport Portugal” event, identifying David Leite as the James Beard Award-winning food expert leading the culinary direction for the promotion.

Houston Food Finder

MedCircle

  • MedCircle Living with Undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder
    • A MedCircle original series featuring David Leite’s candid discussion on navigating life with undiagnosed bipolar 2 disorder. Based on his memoir Notes on a Banana, Leite details his experiences with anxiety, panic attacks, and the stigma of mental illness, sharing how he eventually found the right tools and support to advocate for his own mental health and well-being.
    • Update: Since the recording of this interview and the publication of his memoir, David’s diagnosis has been revised to Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), though the symptoms and experiences discussed remain accurate and relevant.

Dianne Jacob (Will Write for Food)

  • Q&A: David Leite and The One, on Writing about the People You Love
    • A rare, behind-the-scenes interview featuring both David and his partner, Alan (“The One”). They discuss the boundaries of privacy, the decision to make their relationship a central character in Leite’s writing, and how they navigate the public gaze as a couple in the culinary world.

NJ.com / The Star-Ledger

  • David Leite Talks About his New Cookbook Featuring Portuguese Cuisine
    • A video interview with David Leite discussing the inspiration behind his book The New Portuguese Table. Leite explains how the death of his grandmother sparked a journey to preserve his family’s culinary heritage, eventually leading him to explore the modern evolution of Portuguese cuisine—from traditional “peasant food” to the contemporary dishes redefining the country’s table.

Weber Grills

  • Grill Marks™: How to Grill a Perfect Steak
    • A classic grilling tutorial (recorded c. 2008) featuring David Leite and cookbook author Jamie Purviance. In this “Grill Marks” segment, Leite learns the secrets to the perfect ribeye: from bringing the meat to room temperature and achieving the perfect “quadrillage” (cross-hatch marks) to the importance of the “sear and slide” technique.
  • Grill Marks™: How to Grill Salmon
    • In this second installment of the “Grill Marks” series (c. 2008), David Leite joins Jamie Purviance to tackle the intimidation of grilling fish. Leite learns the “70/30 Rule” for timing, the importance of a screaming hot grate, and a “Zen” technique for sliding the skin off right on the grill to reveal a perfectly seared fillet.
  • Grill Marks™: How to Grill Rotisserie Chicken
    • In this final segment of the “Grill Marks” trilogy, David Leite masters the art of the rotisserie. Jamie Purviance walks him through the essential trussing technique (no flapping wings!), how to center the bird on the spit, and the secret of using the infrared burner to get that perfect “sunburnt” crispy skin.

Publishers Weekly

  • Author Interview: PW Profiles David Leite
    • An in-depth industry profile marking the release of The New Portuguese Table. Leite takes Publishers Weekly on a tour of Newark’s Ironbound district, discussing his mission to modernize the American perception of Portuguese food and the journey from ad executive to James Beard Award-winning writer.

Television Appearances

Radio & Podcasts

Mind Body Spirit Food

  • Thanksgiving Prep: Balancing Emotions and Logistics with David Leite
    • A deep-dive interview with host Nikki Sizemore exploring the intersection of culinary logistics and mental well-being during the holidays. David Leite shares his detailed “Saturday-start” timeline for a stress-free Thanksgiving and opens up about managing depression during the festive season, offering his personal mantra for setting boundaries: “If I can’t do it, I can’t do it.”

The QWERTY Podcast

  • How to Be a Food Writer – and More – with David Leite (Ep. 18)
    • In this special “exit interview” episode, David Leite reflects on his tenure as QWERTY co-host and shares hard-won wisdom on the writing life. He discusses the vital difference between imitation and innovation, avoiding the “Google algorithm trap,” and how to cultivate a unique voice in a crowded digital landscape.

Milk Street Radio

  • The World of Food According to David Leite
    • Christopher Kimball sits down with David Leite for a candid self-analysis, discussing the themes of his memoir Notes on a Banana. Leite opens up about his struggles with mental health, the comfort found in cooking, and the complex relationship between food, identity, and mental health.

onGRIT Podcast

  • Resilience: An Interview with David Leite
    • A candid conversation exploring the themes of David’s memoir, Notes on a Banana. The discussion moves beyond food to tackle the “resilience of the human spirit,” focusing on how Leite navigated bipolar disorder and the long road to self-acceptance while building a high-profile culinary career.

The Brighter Side Podcast

  • Bipolar: Notes on a Banana
    • David Leite joins this popular comedy-mental health podcast for a raw and humorous deep dive into his memoir, discussing the highs and lows of mania and the journey to stability.

Harvesting Happiness

The Splendid Table

  • David Leite Opens Up About Family and Food
    • An interview on the nationally syndicated public radio program “The Splendid Table,” where David Leite discusses his memoir, the complex role food played in his journey, and how reconnecting with his Portuguese heritage was central to his healing.

The Azorean Greenbean (Maria Lawton)

  • Our Portuguese Table: David Leite
    • David Leite joins Maria Lawton, known as “The Azorean Greenbean,” to discuss their shared Portuguese heritage, the nuances of Azorean culture, and the stories that shape their culinary lives.

Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen

  • Recurring Guest & Contributor (2015–Present)
    • For more than 10 years, David Leite has been a regular voice on Chef Jamie Gwen’s syndicated radio program. Their conversations span the culinary gamut—from the release of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana to seasonal baking tips, holiday survival guides, and the evolving world of food media.

More

  • Martha Stewart Radio (frequent guest and guest host)
  • WNYC: Last Chance Foods
  • Mad Hungry Radio with Lucinda Scala Quinn
  • KCRW: Good Food with Evan Kleiman
  • WHYY: A Chef’s Table
  • WBUR: Here & Now
  • Food and Wine Talk Radio
  • Food Talk 790 with Mike Colemecco
  • Food Talk (Florida NewsTalk Radio)

Awards & Distinctions

James Beard Foundation Awards

  • 2009 James Beard Nomination for Best Newspaper Writing
  • 2008 James Beard Award for Best Newspaper Writing
  • 2007 James Beard Award for Best Internet Food Site
  • 2006 James Beard Award for Best Internet Food Site

IACP Awards

Cookbook Awards

Other Writing Awards & Honors

Houstonia Magazine

More

  • Best Food Writing (Anthologized in 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001)
  • 2012 Bert Greene Award Finalist
  • 2011 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards Finalist: Best Culinary Essay
  • 2008 In Magazine
  • 2008 Philadelphia Magazine
  • 2007 Rocky Mountain News
  • 2007 Association of Food Journalists Award
  • 2006 Bert Greene Award
  • 2006 Association of Food Journalists Award
  • American Egg Board’s Fellowship at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow
  • Alexa.com Chooses Leite’s Culinaria as Editor’s Pick for Glorious Food

Website & Digital Media Honors