Episode Details

This week on Five Rules for the Good Life, I’m joined by the one and only Dana Cowin—former Food & Wine editor-in-chief, zine creator, podcast host, and party-throwing legend—for a conversation on how to entertain with joy and intention. Dana shares her Five Rules for Throwing a Sustainable Party, from the power of the potluck to the importance of local beeswax candles, and saying no to the disposable single-use platter. We talk about rethinking leftovers as party favors, the ethics of bodega bouquets, and how to host with less waste and more meaning. This one’s for anyone looking to throw a party that feels good and does good for the environment.

Photo By Morgan Foitle

Editorial Note, Updated 7.31.25: Dana left Food & Wine in 2016, not 1996.

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Hello, and welcome to Five Rules for the Good Life.

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I'm your host, Darin Bresnitz.

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Today, I am joined by food and media legend, Dana Cowin.

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For over 20 years,

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she was the editor-in-chief at Food & Wine Magazine until she struck out on her own

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creative culinary journey,

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launching such incredible zines like Speaking Broadly and her new podcast and event

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series,

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Progressive Hedonist.

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She joins me today to share her five rules for throwing a sustainable party.

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We chat about taking the pressure off yourself as a host by asking your guests to

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pitch in for a potluck,

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how to source locally grown flowers to make the perfect details for your setting,

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and how to make sure that no food goes to waste.

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It is a delicious, fun, and educational conversation.

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So let's get into the rules.

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Dana, so good to see you.

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Always a pleasure when we can make time to sit down and chat.

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So happy to see you.

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With such an illustrious career in food,

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especially from an editorial perspective,

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have you been able to spot the difference between a trend or fat in cooking versus

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something that becomes more permanent?

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I gave up my trend spotting.

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I started in print, so Legacy Media, in 1982.

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And all I focused on for the next three decades was what is the trend?

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What are people talking about?

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When I left Food & Wine, which was in 1996, I was like, I'm done with that.

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I'm not interested.

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I don't care.

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The trends, they do come and go.

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Some are longer, some are shorter.

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But at the end of the day,

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they actually distract from some of the bigger questions that we should be asking

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ourselves about the food that we're eating and the people we're supporting and the

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way that we're living on this planet.

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The biggest trend that I see right now is people looking to find a more restorative way of life.

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I have to imagine,

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given all that time looking at recipes and looking at different dishes and what

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people want to cook,

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when you're throwing a dinner party,

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how do you select from your deep arsenal of dishes what to cook when you have

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