Susan Feniger

Chef Susan Feniger has endless enthusiasm and creativity in the kitchen, but her personal soundtrack is designed to slow her down. She favors songs that inspire introspection, with themes of hope, love and loss. Susan is the owner of Susan Feniger's Street and co-owner of the Border Grill and Ciudad. She will also be competing on season two of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters premiering in April.

For More:

www.eatatstreet.com

www.marysueandsusan.com

Tracklist

1. Joni Mitchell - Circle Game

2. Liz Lachman - Rumble

3. Annie Lennox - Why

4. Bill Evans - Emily

5. Eva Cassidy - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Transcript

Anne Litt: Hi I'm Anne Litt and I'm here with award-winning chef Susan Feniger, owner of the LA restaurant Susan Feniger's Street and co-owner of the Border Grill and Ciudad. Today we're going to be playing excerpts of songs that she's selected that have inspired her over the years as part of KCRW's Guest DJ Project. Susan, first of all, welcome back to KCRW.

SF: Most of the songs that I picked are sort of deep moving songs for me. I think they're all a little bit down and intense. I think I sort of live my life out there and publicly and I'm passionate and up. I mean, music is just huge for me, always has been, and it's something that I think often brings me back inside. And so, “Circle Game” I is one of those songs that, because my life is so fast, there often are those things that happen where they take me back to thinking about my life and it's going by so quickly and “Circle Game” is sort of all about that. About how life, just all of the sudden a year's gone by, or three years have gone by, and we can't really change that. It's the circle of life and it's true. It takes those things…maybe some passionate song like this or some big incident or some sad incident that makes you stop and look back and appreciate your life and try to enjoy it more in each moment. And it sort of tells the story of how I often live my life -- which is very, very busy -- and then all of the sudden it's like "oh my god, that just went by," and how do I make my life more rich in the moment.

SF: I mean, they all are! “Why” I just think is one of those incredible songs that asks that question of -- something is so fantastic and yet something's off in it and do you communicate it or what is it or how do you communicate it. We don't get any textbook that tells us when something's not right how you deal with it exactly in a respectful way or are you being honest and then it's being mean.

SF: “Emily” and this is played by Bill Evans and he’s one of the most amazing piano players ever. And, you know, I love that song, but having him play it and the way that he goes from one chord to the next. I mean, I think if you're anyone that loves jazz and you hear a Bill Evans song you almost always can know it's Bill Evans because of how those changes happen.

SF: I think Eva Cassidy’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” -- for every single reason. Taking me back to my childhood, which “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” that's about that time. And knowing Eva Cassidy's story of her life, which is just moving and unbelievable. But to hear her sing the song -- I mean it's about dreams and childhood. I've always had tons of dreams and always have thought they'd come true and many of them have come true. It's a song about hope and I see it as, even though it's interesting and it's sad, it's actually very moving and uplifting because it is, it's about dreaming and life and being a kid and what you imagine and everything you want to do and be and you just couldn't have someone with a more gorgeous voice singing that song. I just love that song.