Emily and Matt Clifton

Emily Clifton's culinary adventures began in her hometown of New York City, where she ate pernil and kimchi more often than peanut butter and jelly. Now she develops recipes that combine locally-sourced ingredients into simple, accessible and delicious dishes. When she’s not cooking, writing, or taking photographs of radish tops, she’s probably hard at work editing a movie or television show, which she’s done professionally for the last twenty years.

Matt Clifton is a Kentish Man, food writer, sci-fi nerd, chicken-keeper and occasional poet. Professionally, he does something with computers, but almost more than anything else, he enjoys swearing at his vegetable garden.

You can find their recipes here on Serious Eats, as well as on their blog Nerds with Knives. They have written and photographed two cookbooks: Cork and Knife (2019) and The Ultimate Dutch Oven Cookbook (2021).

They live in the Hudson Valley in New York.

What's your desert island food?

Emily: Bulgogi (wrapped in a banana tree leaf). Matt: Butterscotch pudding (eaten out of a coconut shell).

What's your favorite condiment?

Emily: Kewpie mayo and chili crisp. Matt: Marmite (I wasn't allowed to bring it to the desert island).