Records spin and pots boil in a San Francisco Inner Sunset apartment. A food and music site is pushing through the fog and taking the interwebs by storm. Sounds about as unlikely as finding love on the N-Judah, but Kasey and Matthew, the couple behind Turntable Kitchen, prove inspiration can be found in any space and any place. One part hip, two parts gourmet, and three parts brilliance — Turntable Kitchen
is the union of two passionate people who have come together to turn up the volume on a night of homecooking. “Dedicated to all things delicious and melodic,” Kasey and Matthew are here to prove that no meal is complete without the right groove.
How did you guys meet?
Kasey: We met each other on the train (the N-Judah, specifically) going to work. We used to live 3 blocks away from each other on the same street and would often find each other on the same train car. We started talking, went on one date, and then didn’t talk for months after that before going on our 2nd date. The rest, as they say, is history!
Matthew: Yeah, after I had seen Kasey on the train a few times, but before we had spoken to each other, I’d refer to her as my “eye contact crush.” But, at least in my mind, the first date was a bit of a wreck. I had thought I had blown it. We quit running into each other on the train, and I kinda thought maybe it was on purpose. Later she e-mailed me saying, “I thought we had a good time. What happened?”
Why did you start Turntable Kitchen? What makes the two expressive arts, food and music, so complementary to each other?
K: Originally, I started a food blog that I called “Eating Through San Francisco” which later became ‘eating/sf.’ The lower case letters were a nod to my favorite poet, e.e. cummings. One day I was running and thinking about how all of our meals were always accompanied by a hand-picked musical “pairing” and I thought, “Why doesn’t Matt recommend music for other people to listen to while they eat?” And so, Musical Pairings was born. To us, food and music can’t be separated – it’s kind of like food and wine. The right combination can make your night. It’s even more true for music. In November of 2010, we rebranded eating/sf and Musical Pairings, giving them one singular, united home: Turntable Kitchen.
San Francisco is renowned for both its food and music. Is this how you ended up here, or was it just a happy accident?
M: After I completed my undergraduate degree in Ohio, I was looking for places where I’d like to live while I went to law school. I visited a friend who was already living in San Francisco, and I definitely fell in love with the city’s food and music scene. It wasn’t too long after that trip that I was on a one-way flight back to San Francisco with a suitcase, my CD case, and a small stereo. My roommate at the time worked a lot of evenings, so I’d entertain myself by going out to various venues to watch random live bands. It’s when I really started to fall in love with the local music scene.
K: I didn’t do much (if any) cooking before I moved to San Francisco. I was living in San Diego, going to college, and eating a lot of fish tacos and burritos. When I moved north to be closer to family, I got a place with a high school friend. She made a lot of delicious Indian food and sort of opened my eyes to cooking things outside of my comfort zone. We’d often have friends over and tried to inspire each other to cook. Simultaneously, I also started becoming more interested in recreating some of the dishes I grew up eating at home. I started seeking out recipes and ingredients. I was amazed to learn about the incredible bounty surrounding me (the farmer’s markets, restaurants, cheese shops, wine shops) and I just got sucked into it all. I certainly didn’t move to San Francisco for the food. But now, I can hardly imagine living (or eating) anywhere else.
Do you ever disagree about a musical pairing? Are your palates and music tastes on par with each other? Does Matthew ever try his hand at cooking?
K: Matt cooks all the time! In fact, some of the more impressive meals we’ve made in our household have been prepared by him (like the Striped Bass with Sage and Red Wine Butter). Most nights, we cook together, side by side (as much as we can in our narrow little kitchen). There have been nights where I’ve said, “Wait, what are we listening to?” – not in a good way – but they’re few and far in between. He can tell you more about my attempts at Musical Pairing.
M: I don’t think we really disagree about the pairings, but that isn’t because our tastes in food and music are identical. Rather it’s because we trust each other’s opinions. Still, there are days where I’m like, “I don’t want to roast and carve a whole chicken tonight,” and other days where Kasey is like, “The National are so sad; can’t we listen to something more upbeat?” If Kasey had her way, there would probably be a little more Lady Gaga on the site.
What are your day jobs?
K: I work as an Editor at a startup, so writing is actually my day job (though, not writing about food, which is still my moonlighting gig).
M: I’m a lawyer at a boutique-style law firm in the city. We do a little bit of everything ranging from entertainment law, sports contracts, insurance law, and so on. It keeps me pretty busy when I’m not blogging.
What’s your inspiration for this site?
K: The inspiration for the site is our life: our passions are food and music – it’s what our lives kind of revolve around. It’s what we know a lot of people are passionate about. And it’s about bringing our two passions together in one place.
What is your favorite dinner and what is its musical pairing?
K: I love homemade pasta, and we make a lot of it. This homemade spaghetti with mussels, leeks, fennel and lemon is one of my favorite dinners, as is this crab pasta. This was maybe the best damn pizza we’ve ever made.
Could a misguided musical pairing make a meal go bad?
M: I think so. Creating a perfect meal is in part about creating the right ambiance. If you are enjoying a rustic, earthy recipe for a romantic meal and you played “Skin Tight” by the Ohio Players or Wu-Tang Forever, I think it might ruin the atmosphere. But I do think there are recipes where those albums would pair perfectly.
What new band is making you excited right now?
M: This is tougher than you might imagine, because there are a lot of new bands that have been making me excited recently. I’ve been in love with James Blake’s self-titled debut record this year; Evenings is working on his follow-up and I can’t wait to hear it; Loch Lomond from Portland just released a great record; and We Are Trees gave me a preview of his newest and I think it sounds great.
It seems to me a lot of music venues in the city have pretty killer combinations of food and drink. Yoshi’s, Great American Music Hall, etc. What do you recommend? What perfect pairings of venue, drink, food, and music would make for a great night out?
M: You now, I’ve been to Great American Music Hall so many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried their food! Still, it is definitely one of my favorite venues in a city full of great venues. I watched Beirut play there once and he told the crowd that it was the prettiest venue he had ever played at. And Yoshi’s is pretty phenomenal too. We saw Jose Gonzalez playing at Yoshi’s. So yeah, with good sushi, great cocktails, and killer music – that is a pretty awesome combination.
What is something that no matter how hard you try to master in the kitchen, you always seem to not get quite right? Do you think changing the tunes might help?
K: You know, the one time I have ever tried making marshmallows from scratch, it was a total disaster. I mean sticky goo all over my kitchen cabinets. Just a total mess. I was home by myself when I tried making them, which means I probably wasn’t listening to music, but who knows – the right music may have helped me persevere and try the recipe again!
In a growing movement of food blog frenzy, why does Turntable Kitchen stand apart from the rest?
K: We’re not a food blog. We’re a food and music site. 50/50. We’re not trying to do too many things at one. We don’t write about music because it’s popular, or recipes that we think will appeal to the “masses.” We write about the food we make at home, and the music we listen to because we love the way it sets the mood for a meal, or a party. And we do it together, because it’s a part of who we are as people and as a couple.
