Episodes

  • SPECIAL REPORT: The Untold Story of Taylor Ham! Scandal, Cruelty and an Affair!

    SPECIAL REPORT: The Untold Story of Taylor Ham! Scandal, Cruelty and an Affair!
    Jan 7 2026
    Everyone knows the Taylor Provisions Company as the biggest name in Taylor ham and pork roll — they literally invented it all the way back in 1856, and their cherry red packaging is as synonymous with the stuff as eggs, cheese and kaiser rolls. What you don’t know is the family behind the company is rife with enough scandal, infighting and legal drama to make the Taylor ham/pork roll name controversy look like a footnote. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com enterprise writer Brianna Kudisch, who wrote "The untold story of Taylor ham: Inside a N.J. family legacy tainted by scandal, cruelty and a tawdry affair," the story that details the drama that surrounds the company. Jeremy and Brianna break down the history of the company and how it invented Taylor ham as we know it and why the government made them change the product's name (5:51), the woman who has taken over the company and ushered in an era of scandal (9:45) and multiple harassment lawsuits (15:00). Then Brianna goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Taylor Provisions edition (38:40)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Brianna at @BriannaKudisch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Jersey’s Best New Years! New Jersey New Years Resolutions for 2026

    Jersey’s Best New Years! New Jersey New Years Resolutions for 2026
    Dec 31 2025
    Happy New Years from Jersey’s Best Podcast! While 2025 may have been the year this podcast launched, we’re just as excited for 2026! And as New Jersey prepares for the New Year, we have some New Year’s resolutions for the Garden State. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian Jourdan McKinley to prepare for the New Year with pledges related to the 2026 World Cup coming to MetLife Stadium, some of New Jersey’s best movie theaters and the food trends we want to see (and not see) in 2026. Jourdan also explains the biggest issue facing New Jersey in 2026. Then Jeremy puts Jourdan through the Garden State Gauntlet, New Years edition! Happy New Year! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Jourdan McKinley at @jourdanmckinley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Jersey’s Best Slang — Why Do We Talk Like This? (RE-RUN!)

    Jersey’s Best Slang — Why Do We Talk Like This? (RE-RUN!)
    Dec 24 2025
    Merry Christmas Eve, fellow Jerseyans! Jeremy is off throwing bagels at elves so we are re-running one of our favorite episodes of the year! We'll be back with a new episode next week — happy listening! Our, uh, colorful New Jersey language unites us, even if it separates us from the rest of the country. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian and noted Bennie dissenter Allie Mae to break down all their favorite Jersey slang, from saltpepperketchup (7:34) and 20regularcash (14:42) to the more obscure Jersey Slide (16:29) and Goosey Night (22:38). They also bond over which New Jersey highway has not yet been lost to corporate America (13:36). Then Allie takes on our trickiest Garden State Gauntlet yet, identifying Jersey town nicknames (41:38). Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Allie Mae at @defaultprogrammer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Jersey Restaurant Insider Reveals His Favorite Dishes of 2025 — And So Do We!

    Jersey Restaurant Insider Reveals His Favorite Dishes of 2025 — And So Do We!
    Dec 17 2025
    This week, Jersey’s Best Podcast is going out to eat! Because of all the myriad things New Jerseyans adore about the Garden State, there’s one thing we love above it all — food. We’ve done a delicious job of documenting New Jersey’s culinary obsession on Jersey’s Best Podcast. And this week is no different — we’re breaking down the best things we ate in New Jersey in 2025. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Michael Barreto aka Mikey Mortadella, the manager at Judy & Harry’s in Asbury Park, as they go down the list of the best meals of the year. From pop-up smash burgers down the Shore (16:26) and Vietnamese egg coffee in Bergen County (21:51) to a final meal at a legendary New Jersey diner (24:42), an Iberian pasta dish that showcases why anchovies are so overlooked in cuisine (31:23) and why the dining scene is a pillar of humanity in New Jersey (40:37), Jeremy and Mikey break down a very tasty year in Garden State eats. Then Jeremy puts Mike through the Garden State Gauntlet, 2025 food edition (49:45)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Michael Barreto at @Mike_Barreto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • Jersey’s Best Christmas! How to Celebrate the Perfect NJ Holiday.

    Jersey’s Best Christmas! How to Celebrate the Perfect NJ Holiday.
    Dec 10 2025
    Happy Holidays from Jersey’s Best Podcast! The holiday season is in full swing, and what better place to be for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years than New Jersey. But we know the holidays can be stressful as you look for things to do with your family — and fine, thing to do to get away from your family. So we’re here to help! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com data reporter Katie Kausch to discuss all the funnest things to do in New Jersey during the holiday season. Jeremy and Katie draft the ultimate New Jersey holiday experience, ranging from snowshoeing in one of New Jersey’s most scenic state parks (6:25) and visiting holiday-themed aquariums (9:30) to building menorahs while eating latkes (12:38) and hitting the mall to meet Santa, even if it’s the worst time of year to be there (15:11). Then Jeremy puts Katie through the Garden State Gauntlet, holiday edition (35:16)! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Jersey's 99 Best Restaurants, Ranked — with the NJ.com Food Team!

    Jersey's 99 Best Restaurants, Ranked — with the NJ.com Food Team!
    Dec 3 2025
    NJ.com’s intrepid food team just released its biggest story ever, the 99 best restaurants in New Jersey! The list covers every county in the state, every type of cuisine you can think of and runs the gamut from fine dining to divey greasy spoons. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined once again by NJ.com food writers Pete Genovese, Lauren Musni and Chris Burch to break down everything that went into the story and some of their favorite spots that made the rankings, everything from a food truck in Morristown (6:29), a sandwich shop in a shipping container (15:21) and one of the state’s elite diners (16:49) to elite Korean barbecue (24:33), soothing ramen (22:44) and the best Iberian restaurant in the state (27:15). Then Jeremy and the team break down the top 10 of the NJ.com 99 best restaurants list (30:55), including crowning the No. 1 restaurant in the great state of New Jersey (50:30)! ⁠Read the full list of Jersey's 99 best restaurants here! ⁠ Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Pete Genovese at @petegenovese on X and @peteknowsjersey on Instagram. Subscribe to Pete’s newsletter, Jersey’s Secret Sauce, here. Follow Lauren at @laurengisellemusni Follow Chris Burch at @swishburch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • It's JERSEYGIVING! All the Weird Stuff We Should Actually Be Thankful For!

    It's JERSEYGIVING! All the Weird Stuff We Should Actually Be Thankful For!
    Nov 26 2025
    Happy Thanksgiving from Jersey’s Best Podcast! We have a lot to be thankful for in New Jersey this year… but plenty to be embarrassed of, as well. Jeremy is joined once again by Jersey City comedian Nick Fierro to give thanks for some of our favorite things in the Garden State in 2025, and also to crown some Garden State turkeys — the people that made New Jersey look so bad we want to disown them. Listen in as Jeremy and Nick break down why they’re thankful for old men doing karaoke in Secaucus (5:17) and a very specific Thanksgiving sandwich (10:09), plus the New Jersey turkeys who got a little too excited at a Korn concert (33:51) and cursed out their own restaurant’s customers (38:53). Then Nick goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Thanksgiving edition (43:11)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Nick Fierro at @schtickfierro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Devils Hockey is As Jersey As It Gets. Inside the History, Insane Fandom and Stanley Cup Odds.

    Devils Hockey is As Jersey As It Gets. Inside the History, Insane Fandom and Stanley Cup Odds.
    Nov 19 2025
    We’re the DEVILS! Yes, the Garden State is home to plenty of professional sports teams. But only one of them puts New Jersey and New Jersey alone in their team name — the Devils of the National Hockey League! With the NHL season in full swing and the Devils playing well, it was time to talk puck. Jeremy is joined by NJ.com Devils beat writer Ryan Novizinsky as they break down what the Devils mean to New Jersey (2:52), the way the Devils have embraced the Garden State in ways other New Jersey sports teams don’t (6:59), what the franchise lost when it left the Meadowlands (10:22), what it gained when it came to Newark (13:11) and if Devils fans are crazy (17:52). Then Ryan gives us the outlook on the season for the Devils (24:35) before going through the Garden State Gauntlet, Devils edition (35:27)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Ryan Novozinsky @RyanNovoNHL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins