Sound Bites: Looking back at the smorgasbord so far
Sound Bites has featured nearly 40 guests so far in 2025, including (top, left to right) Stacey Greenberg, Gina Neely, Arturo Leighton, and (bottom, left to right) Cynthia Daniels, Kelly English and Hunter Coleman. (Greenberg photo courtesy Edible Memphis; other photos by Natalie Van Gundy/The Daily Memphian)
The year is long-past its halfway point, but it’s never a bad time to stop and take stock of where we are, who we’ve met and what delicious things we’ve eaten this year.
By the numbers, it is still season 8 of The Daily Memphian’s Sound Bites podcast. So far, producer Natalie Van Gundy and I have released 33 episodes featuring 39 different guests. I’m going to spotlight a few episodes and shout-out some favorite moments.
For a sampling of the smorgasbord of Sound Bites this year, we have:
- Introduced a new food writer
- Announced new restaurants
- Talked with barbecue royalty
- Celebrated a food event’s tenth birthday
- Interviewed Food Network stars
- Shared hot takes
- Offered unsolicited advice
- Shared tips for finding restaurants when you travel.
- Chatted with James Beard Award nominee
- Got a sneak peek at new a wine bar
- Swapped stories with a Memphis restaurateur
- Previewed an East Memphis Italian restaurant
- Welcomed back a Downtown favorite
- Heard secrets from an award-winning bartender
Smorgasbord, indeed. Clockwise from top left: spaghetti and meatballs from Cocozza (courtesy Cocozza); rarebit tartine from Fawn; GFC wings from Good Fortune; Spicy Italian from Hard Times Deli (courtesy Hard Times Deli); caviar from Bar Limina; smashburger from Huey’s (courtesy Huey’s). Photo credit Holly Whitfield/The Daily Memphian unless otherwise noted.
There’s no new Sound Bites episode this week. During our usual WYXR 97.1 FM Sound Bites and Sidebar air time (Thursdays at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively) Eric Barnes and I instead popped into the WYXR studio to go live for their annual pledge drive. Thank you to all who donated.
More news: Some podcasts at The Daily Memphian are going full access on our website going forward. That means you don’t even have to log in.
Now you can listen in one (or maybe two) clicks to Daily Memphian CEO Eric Barnes interviewing local cultural, community and arts figures in The Sidebar.
You can now hear — without the Sisyphean burden of typing in a password — The AM/DM as Editorial Director Mary Cashiola and Daily Memphian reporters give a quick rundown of news, every week day.
Savvy listeners have always been able to listen through the podcast apps or YouTube. But if you prefer to stream your leisurely listens directly from our website as if the device in front of you is a radio, this is for you.
Thank you to The Daily Memphian’s subscribers. They make it possible for projects like podcasts, puzzles, news access in local schools and election coverage to be free to all readers.
Sound Bites will be back next week with a big surprise for bagel lovers! Email me with your guest or topic ideas.
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sound bites podcast Sound BitesHolly Whitfield
Holly has more than 13 years of experience in publishing and digital content, including 10 years at the helm of the I Love Memphis Blog. She began her career at The Commercial Appeal and is author of Secret Memphis.
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