Ira’s Everything Bagel

Noshing With David & Susan Schwartz – September 21, 2023

This week, Ira spoke with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of “The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z.” In this low-price but quality episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” David and Susan talk about why they decided to write the book as a couple; Costco’s business model; strategies for buying holiday merchandise and food there; the importance of the culture of the company; and how their book, in a whimsical A to Z format, covers topics ranging from chicken and eggs to more serious topics like Costco’s code of ethics, sustainability and good works.

Noshing With Alex Gambal – September 14, 2023

This week, Ira spoke with Alex Gambal, author of “Climbing the Vines in Burgundy: How an American Came to Own a Legendary Vineyard in France.” In this fermented episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Alex talks about why he decided to write this book, which is both a family memoir and an accessible, detailed look at the worlds of gastronomy and enology; how he learned “winespeak” very quickly; the “seminal moment” when he sold the business; ego vs. knowledge; and turning the page to a new chapter of his life.

Noshing With Lisa Bronner – September 7, 2023

This week, Ira spoke with Lisa Bronner, author of “Soap and Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.” In this clean episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Lisa talks about her special memories of her grandfather; her circuitous road to working for the family company; what sets her new book (available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, with the official release date of October 10) apart from other books in this field; how she wrote and designed the book to give a comprehensive view of care (self-care, house care, body care); the long history of soap; where the term, “magic soap” came from; and the guiding principle of simplicity.

Noshing With David Prentice – August 31, 2023

This week, Ira spoke with David Prentice, author of “Unwilling to Quit, The Long Unwinding of American involvement in Vietnam (published by University Press of Kentucky). In this escalating episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” David talks about why he decided to write the book (and how he became interested in the history of the Vietnam War; the most surprising thing he found out in his research; the conflict between leaders’ private doubts and their public pronouncements; why there was hope for the “Vietnamization” policy; the most pivotal figure in changing American policy towards Vietnam; and his approach to writing history.