Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

We absolutely adore actor Zosia Mamet in Girls and The Flight Attendant and now she's dipped her toe into our favorite world: food! She just released her first book, My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings, a collection of food-centered essays written by folks like Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, David Sedaris and Rosie Perez.In the book, Zosia writes about her favorite holiday meal, which includes a couple of hot button, controversial American dishes: sweet potato marshmallow casserole and canned, jellied cranberry sauce. Zosia and host Rachel Belle opine on these holiday classics, and then Rick Rogers, author of Thanksgiving 101, joins the show to share the history of the sweet potato marshmallow casserole, and the folks at Ocean Spray pop in to talk about the origins of canned cranberries. Do you snack snack snack your little butt off every time you fly? Zosia always packs a carry-on full of food, and insists there must be science behind her airplane hunger. Turns out, there is! We will discuss with Katie Sehl, writer for En Route, Air Canda's In-Flight magazine. Follow along on Instagram!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jewel has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and this year she released Freewheelin' Woman, her first album in seven years! But fame and fortune is a stark contrast to the way she grew up in the wilds of Alaska. Jewel tells host Rachel Belle how her family gathered food, growing up on a remote Alaskan homestead without plumbing, electricity or a grocery store, and what it was like trying processed food for the first time after she moved out of her family's home. Then Clay Newcomb, host of Bear Grease podcast, joins the show to talk about cooking with bear meat and bear fat, an ingredient that was once a huge part of American tradition. Follow along on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil Rosenthal is the creator, co-producer and writer of Everybody Loves Raymond (yo, that show got 69 Emmy nominations!) but now his passion is introducing Americans to fantastic foreign food destinations as the host of his Netflix show, Somebody Feed Phil (and a new book coming out October 18th!). Phil enthusiastically eats al pastor in Mexico City and pastéis de nata in Lisbon, but his last meal would be a collage of classic American childhood favorites, including the humble hot dog. We head to Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in Coney Island, home of the annual 4th of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, to learn the history of both. Next stop: Copenhagen, where hot dog carts have been a street food staple since 1920. Host Rachel Belle consults with Danish food and wine journalist Rasmus Palsgard about traditional Copenhagen hot dog toppings and is surprised to learn what drink is commonly paired with a street dog. Follow along on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jack Johnson just released his 8th studio album, Meet The Moonlight, but after twenty years of touring the world, his values remain the same. A lifelong surfer, and Hawaiian, Jack is an environmentalist focused on keeping plastics out of our oceans. He tells host Rachel Belle the lengths he goes to to reduce waste and support local farms when he's out on tour. Zero Waste Chef, Anne Marie Bonneau, joins the show to share her tips for a zero-waste home kitchen. Have you even dehydrated fruit in your car, bro?And Jack has been married to his wife, Kim, for nearly 29 years and his last meal, and the story behind his song Banana Pancakes is a sweet little slice of their love story. Follow along on Instagram! Listen to our episode with another lovely Hawaiian musician, ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple weeks ago, Rachel Belle hosted a LIVE Your Last Meal show at THING, an arts + music festival in historic Port Townsend, Washington. Her first guest is blues rock musician Ian Moore, who's put out 11 full length albums, and toured with folks like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and ZZ Top over the span of his 30 year career. Ian's from Austin, Texas and, living in the Pacific Northwest, he desperately misses Tex-Mex food, something Rachel can relate to as a burrito obsessed, native northern Californian who still hasn't found one she loves in Seattle. Up next, Jon Heder, best known for his starring role in Napoleon Dynamite! The film is famous for its references to tots and mispronounced quesadillas and a llama named Tina who refuses to eat her food. Jon regales us with tasty behind-the-scenes stories and shares his experiences with eating competitions while living in Japan. Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 21 years old, a baby faced and baritone Brit named Rick Astley released his first single, and "Never Gonna Give You Up" was an instant #1 hit in 25 countries. In 2021, the song surpassed a billion streams thanks to Rickrolling, a viral Internet prank. On this episode of "Your Last Meal," we propose a theory: Rickrolling is the culinary equivalent of molecular gastronomy! You think you're getting one thing and POOF! you get something completely different. Culinary technologist and modernist cooking enthusiast Scott Heimendinger joins the show to exhibit how he uses molecular gastronomy to create culinary humor. Plus, Rick shares his favorite European road snacks (he loves to drive)! Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There must have been a magical elixir flowing from the drinking fountains at Seattle's Garfield High School. Alumni include Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, Macklemore and our very special guest Ishmael Butler, rapper and founding member of Shabazz Palaces and Grammy Award winning hip-hop group Digable Planets.Host Rachel Belle first met Ish eight years ago, when she interviewed him at his house for a column called Show Us Your Fridge. So, it felt right to indulge in another round of culinary voyeurism and take a peek into the healthy home cook's refrigerator.Ish and Rachel discuss the Shabazz Palace song Chocolate Soufflé, so Seattle pastry chef Brittany Bardeleben joins the show to walk us through how to make the fussy French dessert, and opines on why you rarely see it on menus these days.Follow along on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sona Movsesian has been Conan O'Brien's assistant for 13 years, and podcast co-host for five, but their relationship feels more like brother and sister. Sona loves snacks, and Conan loves to manically knock them out of her hands. Sona likes to watch TV at her desk, and Conan likes to tell the world what an awful assistant she is. And her new book, The World's Worst Assistant, is an up close and personal look at just this sort of high jinks. A card carrying, native Californian, it is Sona's birthright to love In-N-Out Burger -- and she does! So professional hamburger expert, George Motz, joins the show to do a deep dive on the iconic hamburger chain. Why isn't there an In-N-Out in your town? What does it mean to order your fries Animal Style? Why do the employees smile so much? George tells all! Sona loves chocolate. She eats it every day. And if she doesn't? She gets a headache. Neuroscientist Dr Nicole Avena is an expert on this topic and tells host Rachel Belle why humans are born to be addicted to sugar. Follow along on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life visit: www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this spirited interview with host Rachel Belle, comedian Hannah Berner realizes her true calling: talking excitedly about how much she loves to eat! And she has what many of us dream of, a spunky Italian grandmother who cooks up a big pot of sauce every Sunday, has a pantry full of pasta, and feeds her family plate after plate of Italian-American food until they're unbuttoning their pants at the table. Nana Vera joins the show to tell us how she makes her famous eggplant parmesan, and shares an old Italian wives' tale about why it's always important to salt your eggplant before cooking. Hannah went to college in Wisconsin, where it's perfectly normal for a Bloody Mary to hit the table garnished with a fragrant bouquet of hamburgers, corn dogs and egg rolls. Rachel chats with the owner of Milwaukee's Sobelman's Pub and Grill, who believes he was the one who started this deliciously gimmicky national trend. Follow along on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life visit: www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When John Rzeznik is on tour, he only requests one thing: a plain, grilled chicken breast. But, to his frustration and amusement, chefs can't resist zhuzhing up the bird with their own brand of pizzazz. He shares his long, arduous chicken-y journey with host Rachel Belle, including the story of a celebrity chef who tried to come to his rescue. John wants to cap off his last meal with a deep dish apple pie from Sweet Lady Jane, a Los Angeles institution frequented by folks like Barbra Streisand and the Kardashians, so Rachel calls them up to find out what makes the pie so special. And while we're on the subject of pie, John has plenty to say about pizza -- his favorite pizzerias just so happen to be two of the oldest in the United States. Host Rachel Belle chats with the owner of NYC's Lombardi's, America's first pizzeria. Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lola Kirke isn't particularly interested in modern day restraint and Instagram wellness trends. She stays up late, likes to drink, eats whatever she wants and just released a Jane Fonda era workout video as a companion to her new album, Lady For Sale. Lola loves Phish Food, a Ben & Jerry's collab with the jam band Phish, that just-so-happens to be celebrating its 25th anniversary! Host Rachel Belle chats with the iconic ice cream company, and Phish's long-time manager, about the history of the flavor and why it's the only product Phish has ever put its name on. Do you drink Fernet? If so, you're either a bartender or you impressed your bartender by ordering it. Rachel interviews a San Francisco bartender, whose bar sells more Fernet than anywhere else in the country, to learn more about the history of the drink they call the "bartender's handshake." Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Hanson is the middle brother in Hanson, the band he's been performing in with his brothers Isaac and Zac since he was nine years old. So it's not surprising that this Oklahoma boy had a palate changing culinary epiphany while touring in Europe when he was 15. That epiphany revolved around a perfectly ripe, locally grown tomato, and anyone who's ever picked a pink, mealy tomato slice off their burger knows that commercially grown tomatoes leave much to be desired. Host Rachel Belle chats with Dr. Harry Klee, a horticulture professor who has worked for nearly three decades to develop a flavorful, affordable grocery store tomato. And he answers the question: why are supermarket tomatoes so bad?? And the Oklahoma Historical Society joins the show to share the story behind Oklahoma's official state meal. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life visit: www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Harris is Type A, self-help skeptical and looks the part of a TV anchorman. But he recently quit his 20 year career at ABC News to fully embrace his side hustle: convincing Americans to meditate. Dan wrote a memoir, 10% Happier, about his unlikely journey to mindfulness, that has since expanded into a podcast and meditation app. Dan loves sweets, specifically cookies, and even more specifically, warm cookies delivered by Insomnia Cookies. Host Rachel Belle speaks with Insomnia's founder and CEO, who started the company nearly 20 years ago when he was a 20 year old living in a college dorm room. And we'll do some cookie detective work: what's going on when a batch of cookies spread in the oven or come out dry and cakey? Cookbook author and host of Zoe Bakes, Zoë François, joins the show to troubleshoot the most common cookie baking mistakes and shares how she became a professional baker after growing up in communes and cults that forbade sugar. Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When soul/funk/pop artist Remi Wolf hopped on Zoom to chat with host Rachel Belle, she was getting ready to leave for a tour that would take her away from her LA home through October. So she was trying to eat every last remaining scrap of food in her fridge and pantry. Stars, they're just like us! Remi talks about her love of concocting meals from the wee bits and bobs hanging around her refrigerator and her disregard for planning or using recipes. Before she was a professional singer, Remi was a junior Olympics skier and she developed some...interesting eating habits on the slopes. One snack was strange enough that Rachel reached out to the FDA to confirm/deny its safety. And Irene Yoo, the Korean American chef and creator of Yooeating, joins the show to talk about banchan, arguably the best part of a Korean BBQ meal! Follow along on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kenji makes a late-night grilled cheese sandwich in his kitchen, with a Go-Pro camera strapped to his head, more than 10 million YouTubers tune in to watch. His recipe for scrambled eggs was the New York Times' most clicked on recipe in 2021 and every book he writes goes straight to the bestseller list, including his newest, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. But his last meal goes back to his childhood, when he was more focused on being a scientist than a sous chef. The defining ingredient of Kenji's last meal is Sichuan peppercorn, a spice that numbs and tingles the tongue and is, frankly, not a peppercorn at all. Dr Stuart Farrimond joins the show to explain the science behind the Sichuan peppercorn and answers host Rachel Belle's questions about spice, such as: can you learn to like spicy foods or is a tolerance for heat genetic? But if there's one reason to listen, it's to learn Kenji's well-researched method of how to boil eggs with guaranteed easy-to-peel shells. Follow along on Instagram and please subscribe and review!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By the end of this episode, you'll feel like the charming, hilarious and down-to-earth Julia Sweeney is your best friend! Julia and host Rachel Belle discuss everything from her true love of eating alone (and how that makes her husband feel) to the 60th birthday gift she gave herself: never dieting again. Julia wants to cap off her last meal with Canada's favorite, no-bake, layered dessert: the Nanaimo bar! Rachel chats with Joyce Hardcastle, the contest winner who created the city's official recipe back in 1986, and the current mayor of Nanaimo, about the history of the bar and how ubiquitous it is in the Vancouver Island city it was named after. Follow along on Instagram! Get tickets to Julia Sweeney's Spokane, WA live shows on March 26th, 2022!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Camila Alves McConaughey co-wrote a new children's book called Just Try One Bite, about a couple of kids who try and get their picky parents to eat healthier foods. In the McConaughey household, there's one thing that everybody loves: the secret family spice rub created by Camila's actor husband, Matthew. But not all family recipes are so pure! Listeners call in to share stories about the day they learned that their family's beloved, homemade lasagna/baked beans/peach pie actually, secretly came from a can, a recipe on the back of a box or...a chain restaurant. Camila grew up in Brazil, so host Rachel Belle chats with Brazilian food writer Jaíne Mackievicz about the history of Brazilian food and one of Camila's favorite dishes, Brazilian lasagna! Follow along on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jessica Seinfeld's latest cookbook, Vegan, At Times, is an ode to her current lifestyle of eating mostly vegan, but she still enjoys the occasional bowl of warming chicken soup or nostalgic spaghetti and meatballs. She calls it a "gentler approach" to veganism and doesn't believe in creating rules around eating or doing any plant-based proselytizing. Jessica's last meal took us down a path we never thought we'd go: organized crime! Host Rachel Belle chats with Anna Van Valin, co-host of the podcast Every Day Is A Food Day, about how Italian-American restaurants became the clubhouse of choice for the mafia. And Rachel consults with the folks at Ragu, the jarred spaghetti sauce of her youth, about an Al Capone rumor splattered all over the Internet. Jessica says her vegan mac & cheese is indistinguishable from the real thing, which got Rachel thinking: what allows cheese to melt and how do you get vegan cheese to do it? She spoke to the CEO of New Culture, a group of cheese loving scientists who've discovered the secret ingredient to creating vegan mozzarella that melts and tastes like the real thing. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Janeway is a southern boy from a small Alabama town who's had his world blown wide open thanks to music. Touring the world with his band, St Paul & the Broken Bones, has drastically expanded his palate -- he's eaten everything from pigeon heart to fancy Michelin star meals. But only one dish truly has his heart: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! Paul and host Rachel Belle go deep into their Blue Box memories and idiosyncratic preferences, and then we learn the history of this iconic product with food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson. Paul lives in Birmingham, Alabama, which is also home to a very niche, regional cuisine that we were completely unaware of! Rachel Belle chats with Birmingham filmmaker Jessica Chriesman and the owner of Alabama's longest running family restaurant, The Bright Star, about Greek soul food. Follow along on Instagram and learn more about the show at www.yourlastmealpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob's Burgers star (he voices Gene!) Eugene Mirman took an unorthodox route to becoming a professional comedian: he actually earned a bachelor's degree in comedy! And a quick scroll through his Instagram page reveals a man who loves home cooking; he's whipped up everything from pad Thai to homemade pasta while spending lots of time at home during the pandemic. So this episode is all about the intersection of food and comedy. Gastro Obscura's senior associate editor, Anne Ewbank, takes us on a historical journey, from the ancient Greeks and their genital-heavy seafood jokes to the vaudeville and silent film days, when slipping on a banana peel or smashing a pie into somebody's face was the height of hilarious high jinx. Follow Your Last Meal host Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 90 years old, William Shatner is an exuberant, curious, ridiculous flavor of hilarious and his chat with host Rachel Belle feels like a live improv performance with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Shatner is best known for his role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek and "singing" popular songs in his signature spoken word style, but he also has strong opinions about avocado toast, considers himself a sushi connoisseur and loves beautifully made Mexican food. So Rachel took a trip to Sushinola, one of the country's few Sinaloa style Mexican sushi restaurants, in Kent, Washington. Rolls are stuffed with carne asada, topped with pico de gallo, drizzled with housemade chipotle sauce and deep fried because co-owner Anayancy Reyes says most Mexicans are decidedly not fans of raw fish. And psychology professor Dr Julia Hormes joins the show to share her fascinating research on cravings. Turns out, food cravings are cultural and psychological, not a universal human experience -- the word "craving" doesn't even exist in many languages. The whole thing about pregnant women craving crazy combinations like pickles and ice cream? Dr Hormes will set the record straight. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award winning ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro is a lifelong Hawaii resident, where catching a big fish in the morning means feasting with friends and family that evening. One of his favorite catches is kumu, a fish that exists nowhere else in the world except Hawaii. Host Rachel Belle chats with Mark Healey, a Hawaiian professional surfer who has been sustainably spearfishing for his dinner since he was a toddler. Mark shares his secrets to charming and successfully hunting a kumu while also holding his breath (under water, not during our conversation!). Jake also loves poi, one of Hawaii's most sacred and traditional foods. Don't know what poi is? We got you! Learn its history and cultural significance with the owner of Oahu's Waiahole Poi Factory. Plus Jake shares his secret to making fried rice pop and you'll hear a song from his brand new album, Jake & Friends!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vanessa Lachey's new book, Life from Scratch: Family Traditions That Start with You, features recipes and entertaining ideas, but the book is rooted in a deep and vulnerable place. Vanessa's mom left when she was a little girl, depriving her of motherly advice, care and the Filipino food she craved. It took decades, but the actor and TV host finally felt empowered to stop mourning what she lost, and start creating her own special traditions for her young family -- including a chicken adobo recipe her husband, 98 Degrees' Nick Lachey, loves. Vanessa and host Rachel Belle discuss how she secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records (it's food related!) and why her family celebrates the holidays with a dish called Wiener-Bun Surprise. Vanessa loves lasagna, so obviously Rachel had to talk about America's favorite, curmudgeonly, lasagna loving cartoon cat and she digs into the etymology of the comforting Italian casserole. We'll also learn about Lasagna Love, a non-profit started during the pandemic. Rachel's favorite lasagna recipe! Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life, or give the gift of pizza this holiday season, visit www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winning Season 6 of The Great British Bake-Off completely changed Nadiya Hussain's life. The fan favorite went from a stay-at-home mom to the author of more than a dozen books, she's hosted nearly as many television programs and was commissioned by Buckingham Palace to bake Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday cake (orange drizzle cake with orange curd and orange butter cream, in case you're cake curious). Nadiya grew up in a British Bangladeshi family, with a dad who owned and cooked in Indian restaurants. As a kid, she was frustrated that he served watered down, westernized versions of her family's favorite foods. That is not the case at Seattle's Spice Waala. Host Rachel Belle chats with Dr Aakanksha Sinha and Uttam Mukherjee, Indian immigrants who had grown so frustrated with the lack of regional Indian food in America, they quit their corporate jobs to open an Indian street food restaurant showcasing kathi rolls and chaat. They've also translated their social justice morals and values into caring for their employees and the community. Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life, or give the gift of pizza this holiday season, visit www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milk Bar founder, chef and CEO Christina Tosi loves dessert so much, she would happily give up savory foods for three square meals a day of cookies and milk and ice cream. We talk about the special cake her husband designed for their wedding (that he made her promise to never make for anyone else), the career she almost chose instead of baking and the wacky flavor creations her colleagues won't let her put on the menu. Christina is known for flipping childhood classics and suburban grocery store staples on their heads, and spinning them into fantastical, crave-worthy cakes and cookies. Her three-tiered, rainbow sprinkle flecked, naked birthday cakes are one of Milk Bar's signature desserts. So we investigate the history of the birthday cake (why is it ubiquitous to celebrate with cake?) and birthday candles with Alysa Levene, author of Cake: A Slice of History and Anne Byrn, author of 15 books including her newest, A New Take On Cake. Christina has a new children's book out called Every Cake Has A Story. Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life visit www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carla Lalli Music has found success in so many culinary corners of the food world; from her job as Shake Shake's very first manager to Bon Appétit magazine's food director to bestselling cookbook author. Her new, cheery, bright yellow cookbook is called That Sounds So Good -- a phrase we've certainly all moaned after reading about a particularly droolworthy dish. Carla's last meal doesn't contain a drop of religious significance, but the combination of foods she craves are unavoidably biblical. So host Rachel Belle talks with Italian archaeologist and researcher Generoso Urciuoli about what Jesus and his 12 apostles would have actually eaten at The Last Supper.Carla shares the condiment her family loves so much, they go through a jar nearly every day and the gimmicky TikTok food trends they've tried over the pandemic. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel Belle has been making incredible, chewy, bubbly, melty pizzas in her Ooni for more than three years. If you want to make the best homemade pizza of your life visit www.ooni.com/yourlastmealSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate Ken Jennings' return to the Jeopardy stage, we're re-airing his episode, which happens to be one of our favorites! In 2004, Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings won 74 games in a row, making him the record holder for longest winning streak. In 2020 he slayed Jeopardy's Greatest of All Time tournament and he will be sharing Jeopardy hosting duties through the end of the year, alternating with past YLM guest Mayim Bialik. In this episode, Ken shares how he became obsessed with trivia, Alex Trebek's shockingly sugary breakfast choice and, a huge barbecue lover, tells us why he doesn't want to be known as a "Barbecue guy." He also clues us in to the regional food of Utah: Jell-O! We learn the history of Jell-O with Lynne Belluscio, executive director of the Jell-O Gallery in LeRoy, New York. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phoebe Robinson is all grown up. The standup comedian, New York Times best-selling author, and co-host of the 2 Dope Queens podcast and HBO show recently started her own imprint with Penguin Random House to focus on publishing women, POC and queer authors; including her own new book, Please Don't Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes. And even MORE adult: she says she finally has matching dishes and an Instant Pot! Phoebe's favorite tacos in the whole wide world are from a taqueria in...Copenhagen! Hija de Sanchez's Mexican American chef/owner, Rosio Sanchez, joins host Rachel Belle to share the challenges of cooking fantastic, traditional Mexican food Denmark, where many people still attempt to eat tacos with a knife and fork. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Country music star, Martina McBride, has won 15 major music awards, sold more than 23 million albums, written two cookbooks and has a brand new exhibit in Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. But her roots are in a small, Kansas farm town where she grew up eating plenty of canned vegetables and ground beef with her musical family. You know what other musically gifted gal grew up on a farm in Kansas? Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz! We take a trip down the Yellow Brick Road with William Stillman, author of The Road To Oz, who shares both the fun and unfortunate food facts behind the most watched film of all time. After Martina tells host Rachel Belle about Fluff Salad, where Cool Whip is a salad dressing, we needed to know: what defines a salad?? Meggan Hill, creator and executive chef of Culinary Hill, a midwestern recipe website, explains how popcorn salad, Snickers salad and cookie salad are all...salads. A couple of years ago we did an episode all about the tomato sandwich, but have you ever had a banana sandwich? North Carolina food writer Sheri Castle says in some parts of the south, it's more common than peanut butter and jelly. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know Antoni Porowski as the charming, gentle, earnest food and wine expert on Netflix's Queer Eye, but before he got his big break, he was an out of work actor who spent years working front-of-the-house restaurant jobs. Antoni shares his biggest home kitchen splurge, after landing the coveted job as one of the Fab Five, and Your Last Meal listeners call in to confess their most extravagant food related flings. Antoni and host Rachel Belle were both intrigued by TV dinners as kids, something neither were allowed to have, so we'll learn the origin story of those little compartmentalized trays filled with frozen Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. And the co-author of the new Gastro Obscura book joins the show to share the stories behind some of the world's most remarkable, strange and fascinating foods of past and present. Who invented Hawaiian pizza? Why were single Austrian women putting apples under their armpits? Listen in! Pre-order Antoni's new cookbook, Antoni: Let's Do Dinner! Follow along on Instagram!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony and Grammy nominated performer Joshua Henry has been in nine Broadway shows, including In the Heights and the role of Aaron Burr in the first run of Hamilton, and he's about to release his first solo album. Joshua grew up in Miami, on his mom's Jamaican food, so host Rachel Belle welcomes Jamaican culinary historian and cookbook author Victoria Burke to the show to lay out the long, fascinating history of Jamaican cuisine. Burke was a dear friend of Bob Marley, and she shares the incredibly healthy, culinary rituals of Rastafarians, including why they don't use silverware or metal pots and pans. And Rachel and Joshua bond over a shared history of Shake N Bake (and I helped!). Stars, They're Just Like Us: they shop at Trader Joe's! Joshua shares his Top 5 favorite foods from Trader Joe's and we learn what shoppers voted as their very favorite TJ's products of the year. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Your Last Meal's 5th Anniversary, but instead of the traditional 5th anniversary gift of wood, we're giving you the gift of...this podcast episode! The show's very first guest, back in August 2016, was Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas. So we flipped the script and rallied Tom to interview host Rachel Belle about her last meal! This episode is all about party foods, so Rachel welcomes back some of her favorite celebrity guests to talk about the tiny, toothpicked party snacks they can't resist. And because there's nothing better than a surprise party, you'll have to listen in to find out who the mystery guests are! So BYOB, grab a bag of ice on your way over & please take your shoes off before you come in because it's podcast party time! Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lake Street Dive's singer, Rachael Price, and drummer, Mike Calabrese, have been buddies since college, when they formed their first band together at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music. Years and years of touring, and eating every meal together on the road, means they know each other's eating habits inside out. But there was one thing they didn't know about each other: their last meals! Through Rachael's last meal we'll learn the history of America's favorite snack food and then, inspired by Mike's last meal, we'll hop down a babysitting rabbit hole. Sittercity.com founder, Genevieve Thiers, answers every babysitter's question: can you really help yourself to anything you want in your charge's fridge and pantry?! And we discuss the role of food in The Baby-Sitters Club books with Marisa Crawford, co-editor of a new book of essays and art, We Are the Baby-Sitters Club, and writer Jennifer Epperson who wrote a critical essay about Claudia Kishi, the series' beloved junk food junky. Follow 'Your Last Meal' and host Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Bittman is a veteran food writer and prolific cookbook author known for his unfussy recipes and "How To Cook Everything," a 2,000-recipe tome that's sold more than a million copies. So when it comes to his last meal, Mark stays on brand and keeps it simple. So simple, in fact, he won't actually name a specific dish! Mark is also a dad. So as a Father's Day treat, host Rachel Belle invited Mark's daughter, Kate Bittman, to join the conversation, to talk about what it was like growing up with a food obsessed dad. The verdict: it was embarrassing. Former Bon Appetit magazine food director, and current cookbook author, Carla Lalli Music teaches us how to improvise a delicious meal, without a recipe, based on what looks fresh at the market. And listeners share the delicious, disgusting and darling dishes their dads cooked when they were growing up!Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Belle hosted the very first Your Last Meal *LIVE* at Crosscut Festival! She was joined by brothers Mark and Brian Canlis, third generation owners of Seattle's 70-year-old fine dining institution, Canlis. The Canlis brothers just hired a new executive chef, only the 7th in the restaurant's history, and they share the quirky and unconventional application process they used to help weed out a leader without ego, who isn't afraid to be vulnerable. Canlis' doors have been closed over the past 15 months, but they've gained international attention for their ingenuity, launching 18 different pandemic culinary concepts that sold out one after the next: everything from a parking lot crab shack to the virtual learning platform, Canlis Community College. And Brian reveals his Secret Shame Food, a concoction that made his wife think twice about marrying him. Then Chinese Soul Food cookbook author, and maker of a million dumplings, Hsiao-Ching Chou joins us to talk xiao long bao, otherwise known as Chinese soup dumplings. Follow Your Last Meal and Rachel Belle on Instagram! (Photo by Chona Kasinger) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Zauner is famous for playing music under the name Japanese Breakfast, but it turns out she's one of those obnoxiously talented people who creatively thrives in multiple genres. Michelle just released a wildly popular memoir called Crying in H Mart, about her complicated relationship with her Korean mother who died of cancer when Michelle was 25. Korean food plays a huge role in the book and in her conversation with host Rachel Belle. Michelle takes us to Korea, where she and her mother insatiably ate their way through Seoul every other year of her childhood. She talks about who taught her to cook Korean food, since her mother never got a chance to teach her, and how the Korean grocery chain H Mart now brings her comfort. Immigrant parents and grandparents are infamous for not writing down recipes or measuring out ingredients, making it virtually impossible to perfectly recreate their food after they're gone. Melissa Miranda, the Filipina-American chef/owner of Seattle's Musang, opened her restaurant in an effort to preserve Filipino home cooking in the community her dad immigrated to in the 1970s. She joins the show to tell her story. Follow Rachel Belle and Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor Mayim Bialik (Blossom, Big Bang Theory, Call Me Kat) is a pickle monster. If it's crunchy, face puckering sour and floating in brine, chances are she's going to love it. Pickles are one of humanity's most ancient foods, so host Rachel Belle consults with Jan Davison, author of Pickles, a Global History to suss out their origin story and Alan Kaufman, owner of The Pickle Guys, Manhattan's last standing pickle shop. Mayim also shares her journey to veganism, her favorite Jewish holiday foods and what it's been like since she revealed that she's in recovery for an eating disorder that developed in her 40s. Follow Rachel Belle and Your Last Meal on Instagram! Check out Every Day is a Food Day, a podcast that explores the stories, scandals, holidays and heroes behind your favorite foods, hosted by Anna Van Valin and Lia Ballentine. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening to Your Last Meal!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been 41 years since Raffi's hit children's song Baby Beluga was released and he's still plucking away at the guitar and writing new tunes. Raffi is arguably the most famous performer of children's music in North America, but he's also an outspoken environmentalist and activist for climate change, which greatly influences the way he eats (read: so many vegetables!). Raffi loves pesto, a seemingly simple, five ingredient, raw Italian sauce. But every time host Rachel Belle makes a batch, she's disappointed. So Daniel Gritzer, culinary director for Serious Eats and recipe tester of many pestos, breaks down what it takes to make the most delicious, creamy, vibrant green pesto. Hint: you won't be needing your food processor. Keeping with the theme of children's entertainment and food, Rachel chats with Erika Thormahlen and Jeremy Konner, creators of the wonderful new Netflix show Waffles and Mochi, a food and travel program for kids starring two culinary curious puppets. It's the first show produced by Michelle and Barack Obama's new production company, Higher Ground. Follow Rachel & Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up, Friday nights were for slumber parties, pizza delivery and the best TV of the week: the TGIF lineup, starting with the very best show, Full House. Candace Cameron Bure was a big part of host Rachel Belle's childhood, and she's wiggled her way into the nostalgia of a new generation, reprising the role of DJ Tanner on Fuller House and writing her latest children's book, Candace's Playful Puppy. Growing up in a big family, Candace says almost every night was taco night. But her parents served them with a very American twist: ketchup! We learn the ancient history of ketchup and hear some Ketchup Confessions from listeners who get way more creative with the condiment beyond French fries and hot dogs. Plus, the history of carrot cake with The Cake Historian, Jessica Reed! Follow Rachel Belle and Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Quinn is a New York Times bestselling author 19 times over, but a whole new audience has been introduced to her work since her popular Bridgerton romance novels were turned into a fantastically popular Netflix show. Julia doesn't write much about food in her Regency Era novels, so host Rachel Belle called on Paul Couchman, a food historian known as “The Regency Chef,” who offers Regency Era cooking classes at The Regency Town House, a restored 1820s mansion in Brighton, England. He indulges us in what the Bridgerton family would have eaten and says vintage British cuisine was far bolder and spicier than it is now. Seattle might be famous for salmon and Starbucks, but with nine months of gray and rain, locals (including Julia Quinn & family) are in love with pho, the aromatic Vietnamese beef and noodle soup. Rachel chats with former Washington state governor Dan Evans and the owners of Seattle's first pho restaurant, Pho Bac, about why there are so many pho shops in Seattle. And Julia once won $79,000 on the game show The Weakest Link, so Rachel challenges her to a round of food trivia! Follow Your Last Meal and Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the 100th episode of Your Last Meal, host Rachel Belle welcomes three, 100-year-old women to the show to share their extraordinary lives, their last meals and the secret to a long, happy life: red wine and “keeping your own teeth.” It is our pleasure to introduce you to Antoinette Underwood, a World War II nurse with a love of dry, Italian wines, Ruth Samuelson, who walked a half marathon at 96, and Eleanor Owen, whose career spans from Broadway actor to co-founder of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness. IKEA’s US culinary director joins the show to tell us how an umlaut-happy furniture store became synonymous with Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. And if you're single, living alone and loathe eating solo during the pandemic, Sutanya Dacers, host of the podcast Dinner For One, shares the story of how learning to cook for herself, post-divorce, made her feel whole again. Here are some highlights from the past 99 episodes, in case you missed them: Ice cream icons, Ben & Jerry, reveal the reason their ice creams are so famously packed with sweet blobs, chunks and ribbons: Ben has no sense of smell or taste and insists on loads of texture in every bite. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson had us thinking about the intersection of fashion & food, so we called up Franc Fernandez, designer of Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress, which is very appropriately made from...yes, skirt steak. Filmmaker John Waters wants to know how long it takes for a slice of coconut cream pie to show up as fat on his body. So Rachel interviews a dietician who explains the science of weight gain, busting just about every Internet myth in the process. François Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, loves okra, even its notorious slime. As does Adrian Miller, the Soul Food Scholar, who shares the history of many African American dishes that came over from west Africa during the slave trade. Actor and activist Rose McGowan loves Taco Bell and maintains the exact same order since she was 13, which she can rattle off at record speed. Rachel chats with Taco Bell's unofficial historian about how a white guy started a Mexican fast food empire. Actor Danny Trejo, notorious for his villainous roles, has died on-screen more than any other actor. But in real life, he’s focused on living; he only serves healthy versions of Mexican dishes at Trejo’s Tacos in Los Angeles. Rachel chats with Denise Vallejo, vegan chef/owner of LA's Alchemy Organica, who says the original, pre-colonial Mexican food was practically vegan and completely void of the cheese, tortillas, pork and sugar you see today. Follow Rachel Belle and Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to be the best tennis player in the world? Start playing when you're four years old! That's what Maria Sharapova did and after five career Grand Slams, an Olympic medal and an impressive 28 years of playing, she retired last year. But Maria is still working -- she's CEO of Sugarpova, her very own candy company, inspired by her love of collecting sweet treats when she traveled the world playing tennis. Maria was born in Russia and her happiest childhood memories are eating pelmeni and honey cake in her grandmother's kitchen. So Bonnie Morales, chef/owner of Kachka in Portland, Oregon, joins the show to talk about why she was inspired to open a modern Russian restaurant. Turns out, Maria, Bonnie and host Rachel Belle share an undying love for one the world's most under appreciated condiments (that's what we call a tease!). And Jewish linguist and professor Sarah Bunin Benor explains why we might pronounce hummus, challah and latke differently depending on who we're talking to. Follow 'Your Last Meal' and host Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the ice cream equivalent of Cher or Madonna: they need only be introduced by their first names. The boyhood buddies are just as well known for their activism as they are for flavors like Cherry Garcia and Chubby Hubby, unabashedly seeking equality for all on their own time and through Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors. It seems social justice + ice cream go together like hot fudge + whipped cream: host Rachel Belle chats with Madison, Wisconsin's Katrina Ervin, founder of Ice Cream Social, who started selling ice cream for a cause after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murders. Ben reveals why Ben & Jerry's ice creams are famously studded with so many delicious chunks & Rachel interviews two doctors who have collectively been studying smell and taste for decades, Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta and Dr. Pamela Dalton. They say suddenly losing these senses to Covid can have serious psychological effects. And, we are all familiar with the fifth taste, umami, but Dr. Datta says there is also a secret sixth taste! Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian Cameron Esposito wants to be clear: she's not from Illinois, she's from Chicago. Specifically, Little Italy, where her Italian American family has lived and ate red sauce and melted mozzarella for generations. Cameron is sentimental about Chicago's famed Italian beef sandwich, a big, sloppy, drippy, delicious mess that she has given up for a vegetarian lifestyle in Los Angeles. Chicago's Al #1 Italian Beef claims to be the inventor of the Italian beef, and host Rachel Belle gets the history from owner Chris Pacelli, who has worked in his family's business in some capacity for more than 60 years. Plus! Cameron and Rachel ponder the age-old question: "Is guacamole a lesbian food?" and Cameron reveals the unorthodox midnight snack she invented while working long, late hours on the road. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Christmas Day 2012, a video was uploaded to YouTube featuring a woman in a pink top, costume jewelry and a styled coif prancing through a Florida park. A few months later the video went viral, and everyone from John Mayer to your mom's hairdresser was talking about Prancercise and its creator, Joanna Rohrback. Rohrback defines her Prancercise exercise program as "a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse's gait and ideally induced by elation." Rohrback is a very regimented eater. Once, when traveling abroad, she packed her suitcase full of her favorite, healthy foods to take along on vacation. So host Rachel Belle chats with a TSA spokesperson about the kookiest food people have tried to bring through security. We also talk about Chrissy Teigen's hack for getting gravy through TSA. Plus, food scholar Clifford Wright joins the show to share the history of the iconic Italian dish, eggplant parmesan. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef and TV personality Carla Hall (The Chew, Crazy Delicious) took a long and winding road to the kitchen. She started her career as an accountant, moved on to modeling and eventually charmed Americans with her charisma and from-the-heart cooking (and her catchphrase "Hootie Hoo!") on Bravo's Top Chef. Carla's last meal is pure Americana. In fact, pretty much every modern president, from Clinton to Trump, has been widely documented as a rabid cheeseburger fan. Host Rachel Belle chats with Matthew Wendel, the chef who cooked for President Bush and his family, about the cheeseburger that was famously, and regularly, served to foreign diplomats. Home DNA tests are all the rage, but when Carla Hall got the results of hers, it changed the way she cooked forever. We talk with Sarah Anderson from the Boston nonprofit, Oldways, about the African Heritage Diet and why food pyramids are not one-size-fits-all. Follow your Last Meal and Rachel Belle on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the Food + Friendship episode! Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are long-distance best friends who host the popular podcast Call your Girlfriend and co-wrote the new, best selling book Big Friendship. Just like New York City was the fifth character in Sex and the City, snacks might be the third wheel in Ann and Aminatou's friendship. After years of lounging on each other's couches, chatting and watching Gossip Girl in their comfiest clothes, the pair have perfected their snack game. Learn the bizarre, over-the-top history of the cheese ball (Ann's snack specialty) with its political ties to President Thomas Jefferson, and the not-so-wacky history of Texas queso (Aminatou's snack strength) with Lisa Fain, author of the cookbook Queso and The Homesick Texan blog. Is there a food that defines one of your friendships? A meal that has become a friendship tradition? In the 90s, when their friends were cooking sophisticated and foreign dishes, Seattle's Joelle Nole and Michelle Dideon forged a friendship over their secret love of beef stroganoff. But 28 years later they're still arguing over who won the Beef Stroganoff Off. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram! "What would your last meal be?" On this James Beard Award finalist for best podcast, National Edward R. Murrow award-winning reporter Rachel Belle asks guests like Greta Gerwig, John Waters, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jenny Slate this question; but that’s just the beginning! Each dish’s origins, preparation, and cultural influence are among the many stones upturned as Rachel consults chefs and culinary anthropologists, fishmongers and fry cooks on her quest to explore every facet of Your Last Meal. Original music by Prom Queen.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filmmaker (Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, Cry Baby) John Waters built a decades long career creating strange, sometimes grotesque, cult art that, for years, had most of America clutching its collective pearls. But in his day to day life, John craves order and embraces a bit of the mundane: he cooks almost exclusively from the now defunct Cooking Light magazine. John eats healthy on the weekdays and splurges on the weekends and wanted to know how many hours/days/weeks it takes for a couple slices of coconut cream pie to show up as fat on his body. So host Rachel Belle interviews Seattle dietician Mya Kwon about the science of weight gain and how your feelings about food can influence the shape of your body. And learn the long history and art of fake plastic food with Justin Hanus, owner of Fake Food Japan. Justin works with craftspeople in Osaka, Japan who apprentice and train for years to work in factories that painstakingly create extremely detailed, plastic versions of ramen, sushi, spaghetti and ice cream that look identical to the real thing. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listening to Matthew Amster-Burton & Molly Wizenberg host the popular culinary comedy podcast 'Spilled Milk' is like eavesdropping on a giggly slumber party between two curious, well-read best friends who love to eat. Molly's last meal takes us to Oklahoma City, home of one of her favorite childhood treats: the chocolate malt at Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Store. We'll learn the fascinating history of old timey, 19th century pharmacy soda fountains (which is where the malt was born, aww!) with beverage history buff Darcy O'Neil. And host Rachel Belle tries her very first (and second and THIRD!) malted milkshake. Matthew's last meal takes us to Japan, by way of Oakland, California with the owner's of Umami Mart, who break down okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake best enjoyed late at night with plenty of beer. Last but not least, legendary Italian chef, cooking show host and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich joins the show to share the history of cacio e pepe, one of Rome's most ancient pasta dishes. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram! 'Your Last Meal' is a James Beard Award finalist for Best Podcast & has been the #1 food podcast on Apple Podcast. Each episode, award winning host Rachel Belle interviews a celebrity (Greta Gerwig, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jenny Slate, Betsey Johnson, etc) about what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then, she digs into the history/science/culture of that dish with experts from around the globe. Don't let the name fool you, 'Your Last Meal' is not morbid! We use food as a catalyst to learn about people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are hard at work on a brand new episode of 'Your Last Meal,' but until then we are re-releasing an updated version of one of our favorite interviews with Isaac Mizrahi! Acclaimed fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi has it all: humor, heart and hot takes on the culinary world. He knows what he likes (Long Island beefsteak tomatoes) and what he doesn't like (calling lemon juice "acid") and he shares it all with James Beard Award nominated host, Rachel Belle. When Isaac sends Rachel on a mission to uncover a mint chocolate chip ice cream mystery, she summons Ben & Jerry's flavor guru, Eric Fredette, who's responsible for creating flavors like The Tonight Dough and Brownie Batter Core, Heather Hodge, head chef at Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream in Seattle, and Nestle's test kitchen manager, Meredith Tomason. Nestle invented the chocolate chip back in the 1940s and Meredith shares the history of the legendary Toll House chocolate chip cookie. Months after this episode originally aired, Rachel and Isaac met up in Isaac's Manhattan kitchen to cook together. You can watch those videos here!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.