Your Last Meal With Rachel Belle

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

François Clemmons is best known for playing Officer Clemmons on Mr Roger's Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993 and he shares the story of his life in a new book called Officer Clemmons: A Memoir. François tells James Beard Award finalist Rachel Belle about his special relationship with Fred Rogers, the first man who ever told him, "I love you." A resident of Vermont for decades, François' favorite foods are rooted in his family's southern upbringing. He got his local health food store to order him chitterlings and his favorite part of okra is its notorious slime. Soul Food Scholar Adrian Miller joins the show to share the history of those African American dishes, many of which came over from West Africa during the slave trade.One of the most controversial and divisive southern dishes is cornbread. African Americans tend to put sugar in their cornbread, while white southerners scoff at sweetener, arguing that cornbread shouldn't contain a speck of sugar. North Carolina food

Danny Trejo has happily played the villain, the bad guy & the mean dude in more than 300 films. And now that he's hit his 70s he's added a new career to his incredibly diverse portfolio: restaurant owner! Danny opened Trejo's Tacos and Trejo's Coffee & Donuts in Los Angeles and was adamant about packing the menu with healthy dishes like vegan jackfruit tacos, cauliflower tacos and horchata sweetened with dates instead of sugar.But if you're a taco snob who doesn't think vegan Mexican food is authentic, the history books will tell you otherwise. Denise Vallejo, vegan chef/owner of LA's Alchemy Organica, says Mexico didn't have flour tortillas, cheese, pork or sugar until the Spanish invaded. She connects to her ancestors by cooking with pre-colonial ingredients.And L.A. Taco's editor-in-chief and associate producer of Netflix's Taco Chronicles, Javier Cabral, joins the show to defend $5 fancy tacos. He believes it's merely culinary evolution and a celebration of quality ingredients.  Pick up

Actor, activist and musician, Rose McGowan, was born and raised in Italy, in what many would describe as a cult. When she moved to the United States at age 10, she said she cried, knowing her days of eating delicious Italian food were over. Rose offers up two very different versions of her last meal: one that speaks to her Italian palate, and another that's reflective of her teenage life in America.Turns out, Rose and host Rachel Belle had very similar teenage tastes: both got by on a steady diet of Taco Bell. Or, if you're Rachel: Taco Belle. Taco Bell's unofficial historian and PR manager, Matt Prince, joins the show to share the history of the 58 year old fast food giant and he reminds us that a Taco Bell themed wedding can be a reality if you can just get yourself to Las Vegas.Listen to Rose McGowan's new album, Planet 9! Follow 'Your Last Meal' on Instagram! Join Rachel Belle's new 'Talk Less, Read More' BOOK CLUB, to educate yourself about race and the inequality Black people face in America. 

Actor and Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli's happiest childhood memories are set in her Aunt Adeline’s basement kitchen, where pots bubbled with marinara for her mom's lasagna and her nonnie stood at the counter expertly rolling out gnocchi. But her favorite meal, her most comforting meal, her last meal is a delicate Italian dish that traces back to medieval times and was commonly served on Christmas. Which dish? You'll have to listen to find out!In honor of Valerie's beloved, late nonnie, host Rachel Belle interviews Vicky Bennison, creator of the "Pasta Grannies" YouTube channel and James Beard Award winning cookbook. Vicky travels around Italy, documenting elderly Italian housewives responsible for keeping the daily pasta making tradition alive. It's the most charming and delicious combination of floral house dresses and luscious looking hyper-regional pastas.Watch the new season of Valerie's Food Network show, Valerie's Home Cooking!Follow Rachel and "Your Last Meal" on Instagram!Check out

The affection that Best Coast's singer, songwriter and guitarist, Bethany Cosentino, has for suburban chain restaurants is not ironic. A musician who's (almost) always on the road (thanks, quarantine), she finds it comforting to experience the same decor, menu and flavors no matter what city she's in.Bethany's favorite chain of all is The Cheesecake Factory, so host Rachel Belle chats with chief culinary officer and executive Vice President, Donald Moore, about how the restaurant's menu expanded from a small cafe in 1978 to the mammoth 250 item, 21 page tome we know today. He shares behind-the-scenes R&D secrets, like how simply tweaking the name of a burger can make it a best seller, and reminisces over dishes he loved and painstakingly developed...but nobody ordered.Bethany and Rachel also dive into The Internet's favorite topics: cats and pizza! Treat yourself to Best Coast's wonderful new album, Almost Tomorrow and support artists!Follow along on Instagram where you can join Rachel's Quarant

Actor Laura Prepon (That 70s Show, Orange is the New Black) is the mother of two tiny children and just released a book called You and I, as Mothers: A Raw and Honest Guide to Motherhood. But in her conversation with host Rachel Belle she opens up about her own mother, who was a serious, eccentric home cook who also taught Laura how to have an eating disorder.Laura's last meal is a dish she grew up eating at her family's east coast vacation home and a meal she hasn't enjoyed in years because she's either been pregnant or breast feeding.In honor of Laura's role as Alex, a federal prison inmate on the TV show Orange is the New Black, we revisit a 2016 interview Rachel did with the late rapper Prodigy, who passed away from complications due to sickle cell anemia in 2017. Prodigy wrote a book called Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook, featuring recipes he cooked while locked up at various New York state jails. He reveals how inmates procured various ingredients and where they whipped u

Betsey Johnson has been a fashion designer since the 1960s and her clothes are just as colorful and vivacious as the true stories in her new book, Betsey, A Memoir. From her courthouse wedding to the Velvet Underground's John Cale to years of eating nothing but Red Vines and almonds, she is the most free spirited, joyful, foul mouthed punk rock grandma the world did ever see.Betsey is teeming with creativity, but she has no interest in channeling it into cooking. A true creature of habit, she eats the same thing, day in and day out, and prefers to dine at a restaurant each night. She's been in the habit of eating salmon two meals a day, so host Rachel Belle checked in with the world famous Pike Place Fish Market, where they sell schools of salmon and famously throw fish to the delight of a pre-quarantined cheering crowd.Perhaps the most infamous intersection of fashion and food is the raw meat dress Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV VMAs. The dress's creator, creative director Franc Fernandez, joins the show to

Comedian Judy Gold's email signature reads "Sent while thinking about my next meal"...but what about her last meal?! A stand-up comic for nearly 40 years, Judy won two Emmy's for writing and producing The Rosie O'Donnell Show, has countless TV acting credits and, the highest honor of all, a bagel sandwich named after her at New York City's famous, and now defunct, Carnegie Deli.When describing her last meal, Judy speaks passionately, occasionally emitting a guttural moan of pleasure at the mere thought of one of her favorite foods. She craves a procession of comforting and sentimental dishes she grew up eating in her mother's New Jersey kitchen. Judy was raised kosher, but as an adult she's slowly welcomed forbidden foods like shellfish and bacon onto her plate.To properly explain kosher law, host Rachel Belle welcomes Rabbi Menachen Genack to the show. He's the CEO of OU Kosher, the world's oldest and largest kosher certification agency, responsible for giving products like Heinz Ketchup and C

Hello, friends! Normally we would be releasing a new episode today. But a certain pandemic, of which we will not name, has complicated things a bit. We are still working on making new episodes, because we believe it's important to take a break from the news and spend 30 minutes talking about Lucky Charms or Banoffee Pie or Chicken Katsu, but it's just coming along a bit more slowly.In the meantime, follow along on Instagram to join in on this weekend's Your Last Meal Quarantine Cooking Club!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, Postal Service) hates brunch. But heck, so did Anthony Bourdain! Host Rachel Belle explores the history of the mid-morning weekend meal and asks New Yorker writer Sadie Stein what's not to like about bottomless mimosas and Instagrammable #yolkporn. Ben is an ultramarathon runner who runs 100 mile races and, in turn, consumes a whole lot of calories. But what (and how??) does one eat while running for 23 hours straight? Ben shares his pregnancy-level food cravings and the drink that must be present at all races to keep the runny people from rioting. BURRITOS! We also talk about burritos! Ben's last meal takes us to the epicenter of burrito fanaticism: San Francisco's Mission District. Turns out, Ben and Rachel have been equally obsessed with the same burrito at the same taqueria for the past 20 years. And writer Gustavo Arellano, author of the book Taco USA, joins the show to share the history of the burrito. Follow Your Last Meal on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for p

Comedian and writer Guy Branum (Chelsea Lately, The Mindy Project) grew up on an almond farm in the northern California farming community of Yuba City, where he was forced to hunt pheasant with his dad and ate a steady diet of dishes his mom plucked from the trusty church cookbook.The centerpiece of Guy's last meal is his mom's juicy, cakey peach cobbler, a fairly untraditional recipe that he loves so much he included it in his (decidedly not food focused) memoir, My Life As A Goddess. But what is a cobbler versus a crisp versus a buckle versus a brown Betty? Seattle pastry chef, and lifelong baker, Brittany Bardeleben (Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery) enlightens us.Guys home town, Yuba City, CA, is the prune capitol of the world! But how did the innocent little dried plum get its not-so-savory association to grannies and staying regular? I consult the California Prune Board and food writer, and Big Time Prune Lover, Gabriella Gershenson, who urges you to give prunes a chance.FollowYour Last Meal on In

Legendary radio DJ, Marco Collins, was the first disc jockey in the world to play records by Nirvana, Weezer, Beck, Pearl Jam, Garbage, and many others, when he was music director and DJ at Seattle's 107.7 The End in the '90s. Breaking these bands earned him a spot in the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame. Marco loves breakfast, so host Rachel Belle takes a field trip to Glo's, one of Seattle's long standing diners, to try his favorite eggs Benedict and learn the secret of their hallowed hollandaise.And everybody knows, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," but did you know that phrase was actually a marketing ploy by General Mills to get Americans to eat cold cereal in the morning? Culinary historians Ken Albala and Heather Arndt Anderson join the show to explore the fascinating history of American breakfast. And! The even more fascinating history of cereal, via the Kellogg's brothers, who believed corn flakes could curb one of the world's great evils: masturbation.Subscribe to the podcast! Leave us

Forty years ago, disco queen Gloria Gaynor won a Grammy for I Will Survive, a universally relatable anthem that's still blasted and belted out at pride parades and karaoke parties and inside showers and cars the world over. Now she's back with a new album, Testimony, that's been nominated for two Grammys. Gloria grew up surrounded by good music and good food and despite being poor, neighbors would crowd around her dining room table to enjoy the humble spread and fantastic company her mother provided.Gloria wants chicken wings for her last meal, so we dig into the history of the Buffalo wing with Anchor Bar, an 85 year old institution in Buffalo, New York. Anchor Bar's owner took a seemingly worthless chicken part and turned it into a finger lickin' snack that Americans can't get enough of, especially over Super Bowl Weekend.Make sure you're subscribed to Your Last Meal and follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram!For the first time in two years, Your Last Meal has space for new spon

Director and actor Greta Gerwig chatted with host Rachel Belle two years ago, after her award winning coming-of-age film Lady Bird came out. Now she's back with a new movie, the Louisa May Alcott classic Little Women, so we decided to spruce up the old episode and re-release it, nice and fresh and funky for 2020.When it comes to food, Greta has a soft spot for sentimental childhood favorites, including the ubiquitous 1990s birthday party staple: boxed Pillsbury Funfetti cake.But some folks are, ahem, thinking outside the box. Molly Yeh, host of Food Network's Girl Meets Farm, tirelessly recipe tested nine different types of sprinkles and three cake batters to perfect her homemade 'sprinkle cake.' She chronicled her journey on her popular blog, My Name Is Yeh, and joins the show to talk all things sprinkles...including how to make your own.Follow along on Instagram, and feel free to email host Rachel Belle anytime (any hour! any day!) at rbelle@bonneville.com with your feedback, stories, and gue

It's Hanukkah, friends! And in an attempt to build a human menorah, host Rachel Belle invited Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz into the studio, hosts of the world's leading Jewish podcast, Unorthodox! (We are still five "candles" short, if you know anyone). Together, we attempt to tackle the most important Jewish food topics of our time: is it more Jewish to wrap your leftovers in tin foil or plastic wrap? Is it a good idea to blend schnitzel and Israeli salad into a savory smoothie? And the most shocking topic of all: are bagels even a Jewish food anymore? Food writer and cookbook author, Leah Koenig joins the show to share the history of bagels, cream cheese and lox in America. And we revisit the biggest bagel scandal of 2019, the tweet that rocked the nation: Bagelgate! A couple of St Louis food writers weigh in on the St Louis tradition of "bread slicing" bagels. All this and, of course, the last meal reveals of Mark, Stephanie and Liel! Buy Mark, Liel & Stephanie&rsquo

Alison Roman is everywhere these days. She's been zipping around the world promoting her new, New York Times best selling cookbook, Nothing Fancy, never without her signature orange-red lips and matching nail polish. Opinionated and sassy, with a penchant for lemons and anchovies and a fuss-free approach to cooking, the Internet goes absolutely wild for a Roman recipe. Honestly. Just Google 'The Cookie' or 'The Stew.' I'll wait.And how many times have you heard someone say, "It's the water!" while trying to justify why pizza and bagels are only at their peak deliciousness within the boundaries of New York City? Well, turns out this is not an urban legend. Paul Errigo owns New York Watermaker, a company that can convert any tap water in the world into New York City tap water. He did it for Tony D'Aiuto, a New York City restaurateur who struggled to produce high quality pies when he tried to open a pizzeria in Los Angeles. Pizzerias, bagel shops and bakeries in 30 American cities are using this t

Chef Graham Elliot has a knack for creating delicious, wacky, highly Instagrammable dishes that are as effervescent as his big, bubbly personality. His lobster corn dogs are adored by Eminem, Rihanna and Dave Grohl and YLM host Rachel Belle is a big fan of his foie gras lollipops rolled in Pop Rocks. But for his last meal? Graham craves a humble, breakfast table staple that he grew up eating in his grandparent's home state of Maryland: scrapple!Rachel Belle welcomes William Woys Weaver, author of Country Scrapple: An American Tradition to the show to answer the age old question: what exactly is scrapple? And Mike Rassmussen, owner of Painted Stave Distillery in Smyrna, Delaware, tells us how and why he created his uber popular scrapple vodka.Make sure and subscribe to Your Last Meal, leave a review and follow along on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Snack! It's not a full episode, just a quick & tasty bite where host Rachel Belle asks the previous week's guest a handful of lightning round style questions.  Rachel Belle and new episodes of the podcast will be back stateside soon! If you'd like to follow along while she kayaks with baby fur seals and cooks on the world's tiniest stove in a van, you can find her in New Zealand - or on Instagram!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Standup comedian Hari Kondabolu is known for his smart, political humor. But when it comes to what the self proclaimed "killjoy who does comedy" craves, this dude has a serious sweet tooth. According to Hari, his childhood was a fever dream of cookies and candy bars: chocolate milk sprayed from his shower, cars rolled around on Oreos instead of tires and colorful gummy worms wriggled around his garden. I mean, not really. But I was a creative writing minor in college and I really wanted to write that sentence. Hari reveals his favorite Halloween candy and what he believes is the tastiest treat when flying the friendly skies.But his last meal is far more savory, a southern Indian dish prepared by his mother. So host Rachel Belle calls upon Asha Gomez, an award winning Atlanta, Georgia chef and cookbook author, who talks about her unique style of cooking: south India meets the American south. Gomez doesn't want to be pigeonholed as an Indian cook. After 30 years living in the US, she is an American with a kid w