In recent years, critics and jaded diners have deemed the multi-course tasting menu dead. It’s gotten repetitive, the argument goes, with chefs serving luxury courses like caviar at the expense of any point of view. But recently, our host Lilah Raptopoulos had a meal that felt extremely alive, at Victoria Blamey’s restaurant Blanca, in Brooklyn. Victoria is from Chile and worked at Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe before becoming Blanca’s executive chef. Today, she tells us what she’s doing differently (“We want to slap someone's face, like hey, wake up!”) and why restaurants should take bigger risks.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– For some background on the current state of fine dining, listen to our interview with restaurant critic and chef Tim Hayward, which we called “Why fine dining isn’t fine”: https://www.ft.com/content/4ad8f359-396c-4867-af42-5a11d770f3ef

– Victoria is on Instagram at @victoriablamey

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

The discount code for Banking Summit is BTM20 for a 20% discount (applicable on all ticket types): https://banking.live.ft.com/home?promo=BTM20

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Original music by Metaphor Music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re talking about the HBO finance drama Industry, which follows the lives of London bankers as they navigate frantic careers and make chaotic life choices. The third season is out, and snidely pokes at greenwashing and how the corporate world pretends to do good. What is this show reflecting about how we feel about money? Does it take any sort of moral stance on banking? And how well does it land with actual banking and political Financial Times journalists? Lilah invites financial journalist Alice Ross and chief features writer Henry Mance to talk through it.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Alice’s review of ‘Industry’ season 3 is here: https://on.ft.com/487NcPE

– You can read Henry’s 2022 interview with Mickey Down and Konrad Kay here: https://on.ft.com/4eLO1Ab

– Here’s our episode from 2022, where Henry talks about playing himself on the show

– Alice’s book on climate change is called Investing to Save The Planet: How Your Money Can Make A Difference

– Henry is on X @henrymance and Alice is on X @alicemross

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

The discount code for Banking Summit is BTM20 for a 20% discount (applicable on all ticket types): https://banking.live.ft.com/home?promo=BTM20

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips this week courtesy of HBO & The BBC

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before she was the editor of our luxury magazine HTSI, Jo Ellison was features editor at British Vogue, which means that throughout her career she’s had a front-row view of the fashion industry’s love of thinness. In recent years, fashion began to embrace more diversity in body shapes and sizes. But with the rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Jo is seeing the industry fear fat again. She worries that as Ozempic becomes more mainstream, fashion will come full circle, back to placing a premium on rail-thin bodies and judging those who don’t conform. Today, she talks about what this could mean for beauty standards, and how it may trickle down to the rest of us.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Jo’s column about the silence around weight loss in fashion is here: https://on.ft.com/3ZWoDDq

– Check out our colleague Brooke Masters’ recent column on how GLP-1 drugs are changing gym regimens and food industry planning: https://on.ft.com/4050Cdl

– Jo is on Instagram @jellison22

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips this week courtesy of Capitol.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.