Sam Stone
Senior Editor
Sam Stone reports on nearly everything for BA, including food culture, restaurant news, and sneaky cooking ideas that (hopefully) make your life easier. A Rhode Island native, he’s currently based in New York City where he can usually be found searching out the city’s best bakeries. Before BA, he spent years working in fine dining while also writing for several publications about food, queer culture, entertainment, and how they intersect. In his free time, Sam occasionally writes humor pieces like this one. samstone.nyc
Culture
Tucker Carlson’s Fox News Ouster Cements the Green M&M as Internet Queen
After years spent stoking weird culinary culture wars, the influential right-wing TV host has been beat by his ultimate made-up enemy: the Green M&M.
Cooking
Pour This No-Prep, No-Cook Sauce on Literally Any Noodle
All you need is a few minutes and a few ingredients.
Restaurants
The James Beard Foundation’s Hyped-Up Food Hall Isn’t Bad. But Can It Live Up to Its Name?
Market 57 in Manhattan has some real hits, but it also has a lot of room to grow.
Culture
Dear Lord, Crumbl Is Supposedly America's Fastest-Growing Dessert Shop
The dessert chain, famous for not-very-tasty cookies, is everything wrong with internet food hype.
Restaurants
Behind the Bonkers Tale of a Cocaine-Fueled Night at Chez Panisse
We called up the mostly-retired chef Jeremiah Tower, now 81, to unpack the first installment of his newsletter, drug use in restaurants, and what he has planned for the future.
Culture
Are Peeps Canceled Now? They Apparently Contain Carcinogens
Plus, Gwyneth Paltrow drinks boring water and Pizza Hut Taiwan launches a “flavorless” pizza.
Restaurants
Mimi Sheraton, the NYT’s First Female Restaurant Critic, Has Died
Sheraton was known for her relentless dedication and extremely strong opinions.
Cooking
A Bold and Buttery Taste Test of 7 Microwave Popcorn Brands
Between all the salt and butter, there was one brand we could agree on.
Culture
A TikTok Ban Could Devastate a Whole Generation of Food Creators
For budding chefs and food creators, the app has been vital for their career. They’re worried about what would happen if a ban becomes reality.
Culture
Inside the Very Real (and Very Complicated) World of Luxury Water Collectors
Water sommeliers taste and collect expensive bottled water as if they’re fine wines. What does it mean to elevate water to this level of luxury?
Culture
I Let TikTok Tell Me What to Eat For a Week. The Results Were… Mixed
Would the famously nosy FYP know exactly what I wanted to cook and eat?
Cooking
Make This Brown Butter Chocolate Soufflé for Passover
Or any holiday, or dinner party, or just because.
Cooking
Which Boxed Brownies Are the Best? A Blind Taste Test of Betty Crocker, Trader Joe’s, Ghirardelli, and More
There is one clear winner, whether you prefer a corner piece or the gooey center.
Culture
Is Gen Z Binge Drinking More… Responsibly Than I Used to?
Millennials had Edward Fortyhands. College students are mixing alcohol with water and Pedialyte.
Cooking
The Secret to the Silkiest Queso? Sodium Citrate
Yes, you can order it online (and use it for all sorts of cheesy recipes).
Cooking
When’s the Last Time You Cleaned Your Dishwasher Filter?
First step: Locate dishwasher filter. Second step: Make it sparkle.
Cooking
A Crispy, Salty Taste Test of 7 Potato Chip Brands
From the shatteringly crisp, to the bland and crumbly.
Culture
The Zombie Fungi That Inspired ‘The Last of Us’ Is Actually Edible—And Super Common
It won’t turn you into a zombie. Instead, it’s typically eaten for health and medicinal purposes.
Restaurants
What Happens In the Mysterious World of Private Restaurants? I Decided to Find Out
Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady, and plenty of politicians are among the fans of private restaurants, where entry fees can be as high as $300K. Are they worth the cost?