Your Last Meal With Rachel Belle

Business doesn’t always mix with pleasure, but for comedic actor and writer Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Reboot), Olive Garden left a big, saucy mark on both her personal and professional life, popping up on her award-winning TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and in her last meal!  Host Rachel Belle calls up Marilyn Hagerty, a 96 year old newspaper columnist, to talk about the viral Olive Garden review she wrote for the Grand Forks Herald. A review that earned her a book deal with Anthony Bourdain!  And Rachel Bloom shares which Hollywood award shows have the best/worst food & her appreciation for public school home ec!   Get tickets to her live show, Death, Let Me Do My Special. Get tickets to a LIVE taping of YLM podcast at Crosscut Festival May 5, 2023! Listeners get 50% off VIP Tickets (the taping is a VIP event) with the code FOOD at checkout! Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! Subscribe to Rachel's free newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to

Margaret Cho has been a standup comedian for four decades (since she was 14 years old!) but she also LOVES to cook and collects specialty cookware and gadgets – she has her very own mochi machine!   Her last meal takes us to Hawaii, where Spam is so popular it’s even served at McDonald’s. But here on the mainland, Spam is often stigmatized. Robert Koo, author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA, walks us through the complicated history of the world’s favorite canned ham.   True food fanatics appreciate the highs and the lows; they can equally enjoy caviar and Cap’n Crunch, and Margaret is no different. Margaret shares her strangest cravings, and listeners call in to talk about theirs. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! Subscribe to Rachel's free newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! Support the show by becoming a paid subscriber! Thanks to our sponsors: Ooni Pizza Ovens Safe Catch & Pure Cravings G

Cousins Kim and Tyler Malek opened Salt & Straw Ice Cream over a decade ago in Portland, Oregon, and from the very start they were scooping up unusual flavor combinations like pear & blue cheese and bone marrow with bourbon smoked cherries. Tyler shares the WORST flavor he's ever made (hint: there was seafood involved) & they talk about Grandma Malek, the matriarch behind both of their last meals.  Food historian Sarah Lohman joins the show to talk about the history of ice cream (Black Americans played a huge role) and we'll learn about Staten Island's delightful Enoteca Maria, a restaurant staffed by a rotating crew of grandmothers who cook up dishes from their native countries. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! Subscribe to Rachel's free newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! Support the show by becoming a paid subscriber! Thanks to our sponsors: Ooni Pizza Ovens Safe Catch & Pure Cravings Get 15% off at checkout with

Every home cook worth their can of anchovies can throw together a dish based on the bits and bobs knocking around their cupboards and crisper, and for writer Tucker Shaw, his pantry pasta is last meal worthy.   Tucker’s debut novel, “When You Call My Name,” follows two, gay teenage boys who are navigating the AIDS crisis in 1990 New York City. But host Rachel Belle became a fan of Tucker’s in 2005, when she was gifted his book “Everything I Ate: A Year In The Life of My Mouth,” a book of photographs documenting every single thing Tucker ate in a year.  Two archeologists join the show to share the discoveries they’ve made about how early humans ate, including some 70,000 year old burnt bread crumbs that debunk the Paleo diet!  And Tucker loves cereal, so we explore the stories behind some of the most iconic cereal mascots (Tony the Tiger! Cap’n Crunch!) with Tim Hollis, author of “Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era.”  Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! Subscribe to Rachel's fre

A New York Times best-selling author of several humorous essay collections and novels, including her latest, Cult Classic, it’s no wonder Sloane Crosley’s last meal doubles as a culinary memoir. Sloane’s last meal is a collection of her current favorite foods and their childhood equivalents: the fancy bok choy and watercress salad from a New York City Japanese restaurant contrasted with the Wishbone Italian dressing of her youth. Host Rachel Belle interviewed a dozen kids to get their take on Kids’ Food VS Grown-Up’s Food. And we meet the coolest lunch lady in America: Chef Emme Collins, Food Network Chopped champion and district chef for Seattle Public Schools. Plus, Sloane spontaneously opens up her freezer to reveal its shocking contents! So Rachel digs into the oh-so-American phenomenon of households with multiple refrigerators and freezers. Follow Rachel Belle on Instagram! Subscribe to the  newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! Su

Glen Phillips recently released his first solo album in 6 years; a collection of love songs to counter his last album, written following a divorce. Glen and host Rachel Belle talk about what foods he’s drawn to when he’s sad and what he tends to eat when he’s happy.   Glen grew up on his mom’s microwave cooking, so we’ll learn the connection between microwaves and feminism and why acclaimed food writer Barbara Kafka wrote (and was mocked for writing!) The Microwave Gourmet cookbook.   Glen’s last meal is a food Indians have been eating for thousands of years. Ayurvedic chef/owner of New York City’s Divya’s Kitchen joins the show to tell us more about kitchari.  Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! Support the show by becoming a paid subscriber!Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Cheech & Chong's 50th anniversary! The epic comedy duo is best known for their cinematic pot smoking antics, but Cheech's palate is far more sophisticated than stoner snacks. The enthusiastic cook first tasted chicken marbella, from the legendary Silver Palate cookbook, at a dinner party and he swore he heard angels singing. The Silver Palate cookbook "changed the way Americans ate" when it came out in 1982, and host Rachel Belle chats with its editor, Suzanne Rafer about the impact it had.  And chef, cannabis cookbook author, and founder of Laurie + Mary Jane edibles, Laurie Wolf, joins the show to talk about how far we've come from the ubiquitous potent pot brownie. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! Support the show by becoming a paid subscriber! Get tickets to the SF Sketchfest Tribute to Cheech & Chong: 50th Anniversary Celebration on January 31, 2023

Duff is famous for baking and building thousands of big, bonkers cakes, like the giant R2-D2 robot cake he baked for Star Wars director George Lucas and a lifelike elephant cake that stood taller than him. So you know the Food Network star, and longtime owner of Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes, baked his own wedding cakes. Cakes! Plural! Including a four-tiered meat cake topped with hot dog bride and groom.   We’ll learn the fascinating history of the wedding cake with Claire Stewart, author of As Long As We Both Shall Eat: A History of Wedding Food and Feasts.  Duff grew up in a town that shares its name with a very popular food. We’ll explore some of the country's most ridiculous (and tasty!) town names and, of course, reveal the name of Duff’s hometown!  Pick up Duff’s new cookbook, Super Good Cookies For Kids!  Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! This episode is

My first exposure to Eden Grinshpan was a photo on Instagram: she was extremely pregnant and her bare, bulging belly was wall-papered with huge slices of pizza. I instantly wanted to be her friend. Eden is host of Top Chef Canada and author of the cookbook Eating Out Loud, where she shows off her contemporary middle eastern cooking chops with dishes like tahini Caesar salad and Sesame Schnitzel Sandwich with Harissa Honey and Tarter Slaw. Eden is tahini obsessed, so I chat with the CEO and co-founder of Soom Foods (makers of delicious tahini) about the history of the ancient condiment and what to do with the half empty jar in your fridge after using it to make hummus. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! This episode is sponsored by:Ooni Pizza Ovens!Safe Catch tinned fish! Enter YOURLASTMEAL at checkout for 15% off!Pure Cravings cat food! Enter YOURLASTMEAL at chec

Yuna is an internationally acclaimed R&B pop star, born and raised in Malaysia. But after a decade of living in LA, and missing her mother’s homemade nasi lemak and banana leaf rice, she and her husband finally succumbed to learning to cook the Malaysian dishes they miss most! Award-winning London chef and cookbook author Mandy Yi says it’s common to eat six meals a day in Malaysia, and walks us through a day of meals, snacks, street food and night markets. Yuna talks about what it was like trying to get a record deal, as a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, and she shares a hilarious story about how a late night snack attack nearly got her into deep trouble with the Canadian government. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! This episode is sponsored by:Ooni Pizza Ovens!Safe Catch tinned fish! Enter YOURLASTMEAL at checkout for 15% off!Pure Cravings cat food! Enter

Surprise! It's a Thanksgiving treat: a bonus episode featuring actor Aimee Carrero, who stars in the new culinary thriller (yes, I invented a new film genre, no big whoop) The Menu, in theaters now. The Menu is about twelve wealthy food snobs who travel to a secluded island for an exclusive dining experience prepared by a revered chef. But the dinner...doesn't go as planned.  Aimee elaborates on her own, personal dinner party disaster, talks about what it was like waiting on Larry King when she worked at a restaurant, and shares her family's Puerto Rican and Dominican holiday traditions! Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers! This episode is sponsored by:Ooni Pizza Ovens!Safe Catch tinned fish! Enter YOURLASTMEAL at checkout for 15% off!Pure Cravings cat food! Enter YOURLASTMEAL at checkout for 15% off!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystud

If you're one of Tieghan Gerard's 6.6 million social media followers, or you've drooled over the come-hither food photos in one of her Half Baked Harvest cookbooks, chances are you're familiar with her cozy, comforting (read: so much melted cheeeeeeese!) recipes. But how much do you know about the woman behind the camera?  Tieghan pulls back the curtain on what a day-in-the-life of a full-time recipe content creator looks like. And if you still don't believe that being a social media influencer is a real job, Tieghan will put you in your place!   If we're talking about groundbreaking culinary content creators in 2022, we'd be remiss not to talk about Justine Doiron, known as Justine Snacks online. Justine started the viral butter board trend, both beloved and reviled by millions! Why did bread and butter make people so mad? We discuss! What's the strategy behind creating a viral video? We discuss! How was she able to quit her job within months of starting a TikTok page? We...you know what we're going to do. 

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

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.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.See omnystudio.com/l

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! 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

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! This episode is sponsored by: Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world's first portable pizza oven company! Rachel B

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! Get a ticket to see "Your Last Meal" LIVE at THING festival, Friday, August 26, 2022 in Port Townsend, WA!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

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.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. F