20 years of pumpkin spice power

It’s Been A Minute | Sep 5, 2023
It's been 20 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. Why did the PSL become so powerful — and how do food trends garner so much meaning? Host Brittany Luse chats with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power.

WNYC Homepage - Top Stories

'It's chaos': LIRR commuters face shutdown, workarounds on first weekday of strike

The History Wars and America at 250, with the Historian Jill Lepore

What Péter Magyar's Election in Hungary Says About 'Strongmen' Today

Mayor Mamdani says he's balanced NYC's budget

How they handle crises in Brownsville, often without police

YOU ARE ONLINE