Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

If there is a new TV show or movie, D'Arcy Carden is probably in it! She stars in the new show The Five-Star Weekend and many others like Barry, The Handmaid’s Tale, A League of Their Own, Broad City and the show that kicked off her career, her first big role, playing Janet on The Good Place.  But Rachel has known D’Arcy since college, so they do a little walk down memory lane! D’Arcy shares some behind-the-scenes tidbits on how food props worked on The Good Place and they bond over a shared love for a Bay Area ice cream shop from childhood.   Rachel talks to Alan Finkelstein, who has worked at McDonald’s since 1971, about the history of their famous fries. And, things get real sweet with Lauren Wilson, owner of Sweet Lo's Ice Cream, who gives us the scoop on Rocky Road.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.   Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter.  Follow along on Instagram.   Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on "The Leftovers," never-before-heard audio from bestselling, award-winning humor writer David Sedaris, to celebrate his new book of essays, "The Land and Its People."  David tells me: What snacks he stops for on his daily 10+ mile walks About the incredible, homemade dessert his husband makes for his birthday The type of person he loves to share a meal with Where to find the best doughnut in New York City Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with David Sedarishere. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Bestselling author David Sedaris has been writing our favorite funny books for more than 30 years, and his newest book of essays is called "The Land and Its People."   David tells me: Why he never orders room service, even though he stays at hotels all the time How his childhood dinner table helped him become a better storyteller  How many boxes of Jello he eats every day (!!) His husband can recreate any meal, even one of David's favorite childhood dishes, despite never having tried it himself!  And more! Then I chat with Sarah Masoni at the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon, who The New York Times has called "The Million Dollar Palate." Sarah can pick out every single ingredient in a dish she tastes, and uses her skills to help some of the country's most popular brands formulate tasty products.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from 4x Grammy-nominated artist Grace Potter! Grace talks about: Her disdain for wet foods and her high tolerance for dry ones! Her favorite diner foods, as a touring musician who stops at a lot of them! What she prefers to eat instead of sweets! Her deep love for Gilligan's Island! And more! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Grace Potter here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician Grace Potter grew up in a tiny Vermont mountain town with hippie artist parents who encouraged her and her siblings to live highly creative lives!  Grace tells me about: The most ambitious cooking she's done on a tour bus The food that is currently banned from the tour bus! The meal that turned her chips & dip loving son into a restaurant appreciator at age seven The story behind her childhood kitchen table   Her favorite road trip snack And lots more! Then we meet a British chef who cooks intricate meals in hotel rooms using the tools it comes with: an iron, hair dryer and electric kettle!  Grace Potter's new album is called Trespasser.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from award-winning singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson! Lukas talks about: The unusual way he got over his fear of flying. His favorite restaurants in Maui and Austin, Texas -- the two places he splits his time.  Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Lukas Nelson here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson descends from country music royalty: his dad is Willie Nelson! Lukas' new record is called American Romance. Lukas tells host Rachel Belle about: Growing up on a tour bus, crisscrossing the country with his family. His love for Americana diners, as someone who is on the road touring up to 250 days a year. How he likes his eggs cooked, and how challenging it can be to get them right. Regenerative farming in Austin, Texas and deer hunting on Maui. And so much more! Then Rachel chats with America's most-published diner expert about how the buildings got their iconic architectural style, the oldest remaining diner in America and more.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from award-winning singer-songwriter, and Lilith Fair founder, Sarah McLachlan! Sarah talks about: Why she wouldn't put on another, modern day Lilith Fair Her favorite farmer's market Her favorite ice cream flavor, as someone with a hit song called "Ice Cream" And more! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Sarah McLachlan here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

She created Lilith Fair! She's sold more than 40 million albums! She's a 90s music icon, but her new album “Better Broken” just won Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the JUNO Awards (Canada's version of the Grammy’s)! Sarah McLachlan tells me: About the cookbook she wrote in the 90s, and what recipes she still makes today! The story behind her Writer's Block Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! Which food her daughters say she made way too much when they were kids! How many times a year she eats a Thanksgiving dinner! About the homemade "pig's breakfast" Green Goddess dressing she always keeps in her fridge! Between its healthy green, herbaceous glow and its hippie dippie sounding name, Green Goddess dressing gives off big 1970s health food store vibes. But it was actually invented in 1923 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco! You'll learn the dressing's star-studded history & the controversy surrounding its name. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Hannah Dasher, country music star and author of the new cookbook, Stand By Your Pan! Hannah talks about: Why sooo many country singers have written cookbooks! Chocolate gravy - it's a thing! Why she has 9 recipes that start with "Getcho man" in her cookbook. The difference between food in Georgia (where she grew up) and food in Nashville (where she lives now). Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Hannah Dasher here! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from filmmaker, writer and actor Jay Duplass! Jay shares: Where he buys his favorite birthday cake -- he's been getting the exact same one since childhood! The two movies he's seen the most, that he can watch over and over again. The coolest movie theater in the world! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Jay Duplass here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Director, producer, writer and filmmaker Jay Duplass is from New Orleans, therefore he sprinkles Tony Chachere’s seasoning on everything, from lasagna to his "white guy huevos rancheros." Jay tells me: What foods he gave out to hungry hikers when he was a trail angel on the Pacific Crest Trail The best condiment packets to steal from gas stations The worst healthy, hippie food his parents served him growing up What he ate when he was a struggling filmmaker in Austin, Texas And I chat with Barry and Sandy Mann, who are perhaps the most famous PCT trail angels -- they've welcomed more than 8,000 thru-hikers into their home!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Oscar, Grammy and Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge! Melissa shares: What it was like writing her new album, "Rise," after the death of her son. Her favorite, indulgent dessert in L.A. How she ended up marrying her best friend and more! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Melissa Etheridge here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Oscar, Grammy and Juno award-winning artist, Melissa Etheridge, started playing with an adult band when she was just 12 years old and this year she released her 17th album, "Rise." Melissa tells host Rachel Belle: Her favorite stoner snacks (And which celebrity she'd like to smoke pot with!) About her mom's "angry dinners" growing up in Kansas Her tradition of eating at women-owned restaurants when she's on the road with her wife, Linda How she met her best friends, the owners of Cathy's Kitchen in Ferguson, Missouri Then Cathy and Jerome Jenkins, owners of Cathy's Kitchen, join the show to tell us more about Melissa's last meal and the unconventional road they took to becoming restaurant owners.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from John Cameron Mitchell,  writer, director and star of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; the cult film is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! John shares: His favorite UK candies  His skincare routine -- he has amazing skin! and more! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with John Cameron Mitchell here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

It’s the 25th anniversary of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, one of host Rachel Belle’s Top 5 Favorite Films of All Time! Today we get to hear from the man who wrote, directed and starred in the film, and played Hedwig on Broadway, John Cameron Mitchell! You may also know John from his roles in Shrill and Girls.   John talks about his fraught relationship with food as a youth, digestive issues that completely vanished after he came out as gay and moved to New York City. He tells Rachel who the Hedwig character was based on, and which parts of the story come from his own life. He shares a bonkers story about a man who cooked and served...his own genitals at a dinner party. And he talks about what he ate to stay strong and energetic during his recent 12-week Broadway run, performing eight shows a week as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh Mary!   Then we learn a bit about the history of omakase, which was popularized in the U.S. by a Netflix documentary that came out in 2012.   To celebrate 25 years, John Cameron Mitchell is touring the country, June through November, doing Q&As after film screenings of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Tickets are going fast, buy yours here.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Hrisihikesh Hirway, musician and prolific podcast host and producer! Hrisihi shares: His favorite places to get delicious, vegan fast food The show he watches when he wants comfort & what he likes to eat while he watches it and more! Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Hrisihikesh Hirway here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Your ears are in for a treat -- this week they'll be graced by the velveteen voice of Hrishikesh Hirway! Hrishikesh is a prolific podcaster & he hosts and produces many, including my favorite food podcast of all time, Home Cooking, co-hosted by past Your Last Meal guest,Samin Nosrat, and the excellent music podcast, Song Exploder, that was turned into a Netflix show. He's also a musician and his new album is out now! Hrishikesh tells host Rachel Belle:  How his lifelong cookie obsession began About his mom's mango pie, which has been featured in the New York Times and turned into a Salt & Straw ice cream flavor Why he started drinking coffee, for the first time, in his mid-40s Then we're joined by Jim Henson Company "puppet wrangler" Lara MacLean, who took it upon herself to start baking the cookies that Cookie Monster demolishes on Sesame Street, because she wasn't happy with the last iteration!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Eve Plumb, the actor who played Jan Brady on The Brady Bunch! After spending most of her life in southern California, Eve moved to New York City and in this week's lightning round, she talks about the food she misses most from her home state.  Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Eve Plumb here. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Dawn Richard, singer; animator and Adult Swim creative consultant and owner of Papa Ted’s vegan food truck in New Orleans.    In a lightning round, Dawn talks about graduating from college at the same time as her dad and her grandma, which food celebrity she admires most and how she finds a way to "New Orleansify" everything she cooks!   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Dawn Richardhere. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from singer-songwriter and guitarist M. Ward. In this week’s lightning round, Ward talks about his favorite American cities to get an amazing Mexican meal and what holiday dessert he'd prefer to have on his birthday. Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with M. Ward here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist M. Ward is also half of She & Him (with volcalist Zooey Deschanel) and a member of the indie supergroup Monsters of Folk. And I don't know how to tell him that he may never have his last meal ever again - the restaurant that makes the dish shut down late last year!  M. Ward's last meal comes from Tucson, Arizona, one of only two UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy in the United States. What does that mean? What makes Tucson's food scene so special? You're about to find out!  Ward also shares why he became a vegetarian, his family's immigration story and the Mexican dishes that he grew up with that he still makes to this day.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Karen Akunowicz, James Beard Award winning chef, Top Chef contestant & chef/owner of Boston’s Fox & the Knife and Bar Vulpe.  In this week’s lightning round, Karen talks about the surprising rules and regulations of opening a restaurant in an airport; what her favorite restaurant in Boston is and where to get the world's best carrot cake.  Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Karen Akunowicz here! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Chef Karen Akunowicz is a Northeast gal through and through. The James Beard Award winning Top Chef alum is chef-owner of Boston’s Bar Vulpe and Fox and the Knife, named best new restaurant in America in 2019 by Food & Wine Magazine, Eater and USA Today. And her last meal is sun-drenched and summery, enjoyed on the deck of her favorite Maine seafood restaurant, overlooking sparkly water and the Five Islands.   Karen tells host Rachel Belle what it’s like raising a bougie, foodie toddler; ranks French fry shapes from best to worst; tells the story of how she fell in love with cooking (spoiler: she was trying to get a coworker to fall in love with her) and her secret to making fantastic, award-winning Italian food (an Italian couple once made a reservation at her restaurant 17 nights in a row!). She also talks about her management style, and how she has worked to make her employees happy in a fair and equitable way.  Then Rachel chats with John Birdsall, author of the book What is Queer Food? John shares several stories from his book, froma charming, personal childhood taleabout the culinary awakening he had when his gay neighbors cooked for him in the 1960s, to the story of the man who invented the chiffon cake, to the historical connection between lesbians and potlucks.   Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!          Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.        Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.        Follow along on Instagram.        Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Padma Lakshmi, Emmy nominated TV host, executive producer, best-selling author and activist. Padma hosted Top Chef for 17 years and her brand new show, America’s Culinary Cup, recently premiered on CBS.    In this week’s lightning round, Padma talks about how she decides whether to eat the food fans bring her at meet-and-greet events; what she ate as a 16-year-old teenager in Los Angeles; what the ultimate New York City food is and her perfect birthday dessert.   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Padma Lakshmi here!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

After leaving Top Chef after a 17-year run as Emmy-nominated host and executive producer, Padma Lakshmi vowed to never host another food competition show again. She created and hosted Taste the Nation, an exploration of American food through the lens of immigrant and indigenous communities, continued to write cookbooks (Padma’s All American is her latest) and do activist work for the ACLU and UN.   But last week, her new culinary competition show America’s Culinary Cup premiered on CBS! Why did she break her vow? You’ll have to listen to find out!   Padma and host Rachel Belle talk about the joy of eating in bed; her favorite midnight snacks to eat with her teenage daughter, Krishna; and what valuable lessons her grandmother taught her about life, through the lens of cooking.   Then New York Times food reporter Priya Krishna joins the show to talk about the negative impact ICE detainments and raids are having on American restaurants. The folks she interviewed say it’s harder on restaurants than the pandemic was.   Get the Your Last Meal food crawl Google map that pins every restaurant, pickle shop and pizza joint mentioned on the show over the past 9.5 years!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!         Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.       Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.       Follow along on Instagram.       Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week, we are re-airing one of my favorite episodes with singer-songwriter, surfer and filmmaker Jack Johnson! This interview was extra special, because it was exactly 20 years after the first time I interviewed Jack, when I was a budding, baby reporter, writing for an alt-weekly in my college town, and his music career was just getting started.   Jack is an environmentalist and he tells me the great lengths he takes to reduce waste at venues and how he supports 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 hot car, bro? Jack has been with his wife, Kim, for 33 years and his last meal, and the story behind his song Banana Pancakes, are both inspired by their love story. Jack’s new film, a documentary called Surfilmusic about his evolution from surfer to filmmaker to world renowned musician, premieres March 13th 2026 at SXSW! His SURFILMUSIC 2026 North American Tour has 43 stops from June through October, and he’s being supported by G. Love and Lake Street Dive, both past guests on Your Last Meal!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!        Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.      Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.      Follow along on Instagram.      Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and author of 9 bestselling cookbooks, co-owner of 12 restaurants and delis and a longtime columnist for the Guardian and The New York Times.  In a lightening round with host Rachel Belle, Ottolenghi reveals his favorite food holiday (hint: he and Rachel bond over a love for sour cream); his opinion of British food as an Israeli transplant; and how people react when they find out he’s coming over for dinner.   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Yotam Ottolenghi here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!        Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.      Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.      Follow along on Instagram.      Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

If you're an adventurous cook, chances are you’ve made on Ottolenghi recipe! The chef and newspaper columnist has written nine bestselling cookbooks, including Jerusalem, Plenty and Comfort, and co-owns 12 restaurants and delis, mostly in London.   Yotam and I talk about how he found his way to a food career (he has advanced degrees in completely different subjects) and tackle philosophical questions like: Is cooking an art form? Do homely, but delicious dishes belong in cookbooks despite their lack of beauty?  For the past decade, the brand’s creative hub is the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, where a team of diverse cooks create and test recipes with Yotam at the helm. So I chat with a man who has run many magazine test kitchens, Hunter Lewis, editor-in-chief of Food and Wine Magazine. He takes us behind the scenes of the test kitchen to see how the sausage is literally and figuratively made.  Get tickets to see Yotam Ottolenghi on tour! Get the recipe for Ottolenghi's Clementine Almond Syrup Cake! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!        Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.      Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.      Follow along on Instagram.      Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Lachi, award-winning recording artist, CEO of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), host of the PBS series Renegades, and author of the new book, I Identify as Blind.  In a spirited lightening round, Lachi speaks to her true passion: melting cheese on anything and everything; we debate pulp vs no pulp in orange juice; ketchup vs no ketchup on hot dogs; she shares her favorite food city in America; and what it’s like navigating a buffet as a blind person.   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Lachi here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!       Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.     Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.     Follow along on Instagram.     Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Chuck Klosterman, the pop culture obsessed best-selling author, critic and journalist.  Chuck moved from New York City to Portland, Oregon in 2017, a city known for its creative, eclectic, innovative restaurant scene. A scene that, you will hear, Chuck does not appreciate! Please enjoy his rant. He talks about the book that most inspired his writing career, the importance of having a distinct writing voice and wonders what distinguishes red velvet cake from regular chocolate cake, besides the Red 40.  Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Chuck Klosterman here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!      Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.    Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.    Follow along on Instagram.    Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

In this fantasy world, where my guests can choose anything they want for their hypothetical last meal, there is something very charming and humble about choosing...leftovers. Which is exactly what bestselling author, critic and journalist Chuck Klosterman did!  Chuck told me he’s not that into food, then proceeded to deliver hot take after hot take, passionately opining on everything from candy bar innovation to turkey consumption to his disdain of restaurant chitchat. And he asks me a surprising question no guest has ever asked me before, in the nine years of making this podcast: Why am I a guest on this show?   Do you eat leftovers? A Wall Street Journal food reporter joins the show to share new data on Americans’ relationship with the plastic containers of food piling up in our refrigerators.   Then Chuck and I chat about his new book, Football and he tells me a hilarious story about the times he’s been mixed up with other famous Chucks.   --------------- Listen to the Prodigy episode, featuring an inmate who cooked many death row meals. Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!     Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.   Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.   Follow along on Instagram.   Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Neko Case, Grammy-nominated artist and author of the best-selling memoir, The Harder I Fight the More I Love You. Her brand-new album is called Neon Grey Midnight Green.  On this week’s lightning round, Neko talks about her favorite fair food (her grandma worked at a food stand at her local fair when she was a kid!), what she listens to when she cooks and her farmer aspirations!   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Neko Case here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

The only thing Grammy-nominated musician Neko Case craves more than crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside popovers is Hungarian food from a 61-year-old restaurant in Ohio. Neko tells host Rachel Belle about her favorite Eastern European dishes and how eating at The Balaton helped her reconnect with her long-lost heritage.   But back to popovers! We’re joined by a pastry chef who baked thousands of popovers every day, five days a week, for five years at Acadia National Park’s Jordan Pond House, the popover epicenter of the United States. Sign up for Rachel’s The Nosh Newsletter to get her recipe.   Neko Case’s new album is Neon Grey Midnight Green.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show, The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Jonathan Russell, vocalist, guitarist and founding member of the band The Head and the Heart.  In this week’s lightning round, Jonathan talks about the joy of picking up the tab, what back-up dish he often brings to holiday meals (just in case he doesn’t like the version the hosts made!) and what he loves to cook when he returns home from tour.  Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Jonathan Russell here.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!    Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Jonathan Russell is one of the founding members (vocals, guitar) of The Head and the Heart, a band that organically formed at weekly open-mic nights at Seattle’s Conor Byrne Pub.   Russell didn’t grow up with happy memories around the dinner table. He tells host Rachel Belle about his natural inclination to eat alone, why a crab boil is the perfect meal for an introvert and how working in bars and restaurants changed the way he orders.   Rachel’s friend, Roz Ray, joins the show to share her best party strategies for shy and introverted people, and how to use food as a social glue!  And Jonathan talks about why the six members of The Head and the Heart started seeing a therapist together.  Thanks to the Seattle Symphony for setting up this interview!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.   Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.   Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Alice Waters, award winning chef, creator of the iconic 54-year-old restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley California, food activist and author of the new cookbook, “A School Lunch Revolution.”  In this week’s lightning round, Alice talks about a memorable school lunch from her own childhood, her signature holiday dish, and her favorite comfort food, as someone who eats extremely healthfully, local and organic.   Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Alice Watershere! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!   Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

Alice Waters opened her iconic Berkeley, California restaurant Chez Panisse 54 years ago, introducing the concept of farm-to-table eating to Americans and only serving local, seasonal produce at peak ripeness. She’s also a food activist, and through The Edible Schoolyard Project, has spent the past 30 years showing schools how to integrate locally farmed, organic produce into their cafeterias.  On today’s episode, Alice shares two life-changing experiences that inspired her to open her restaurant; what diners thought about being served two figs for dessert in Chez Panisse’s early days; how schools can afford to serve kids farm fresh food; and what she packed in her own daughter’s lunchbox. And we take a peak inside her her new cookbook, A School Lunch Revolution.  Then the Director of Nutrition Services for California’s Sweet Water Union High School district joins the show to talk about how he flipped the district’s lunch program on its head, buying more than half of the food from local farmers and producers or having the students grow it themselves.   Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from chef and best-selling cookbook author Gaby Dalkin, who's known online and on social as What’s Gaby Cooking.  In this week’s lightning round, Gaby and host Rachel Belle bond over their favorite childhood birthday cake, Gaby shares the late-night, stand-over-the-sink snack she’d never put in a cookbook, and surprises Rachel with her answer to the question, “What do you wish people would ask you about in interviews, that’s not related to food?”   Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, at Seattle’s Town Hall, Rachel Belle was a guest on a sold-out, live taping of Seattle Eats with host Tan Vinh, the award-winning food and drink writer for The Seattle Times. Bestselling cookbook author and chef,J. Kenji Lopez-Alt was also a guest! The first segment of the show is dedicated to Thanksgiving: we learn about a local sushi chef’s recipe for teriyaki turkey, how green bean casserole factors into Tan’s immigrant story, and why Rachel has fond Thanksgiving memories of KFC and Celine Dion.  Then Tan asks Rachel and Kenji about their Seattle favorites (best pizza, best bagels, best place to take a date) and Rachel gets to express her love for 1980s salad bars and The Baby-Sitters Club.    Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR network.   Become a Cascade PBS member and support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show, The Nosh. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best known to her millions of followers as What’s Gaby Cooking, the Los Angeles-area chef is a best-selling cookbook author, creator of the Dalkin & Co spice blend line and you can eat her food at Gaby’s in Neighborly food hall.   Gaby tells Rachel Belle how she went from being a tragically picky eater to having a career as a chef, shares which celebrity she private cheffed for, and the dish that literally broke her website when said celebrity gushed over it on a late-night talk show.   Gaby wants to cook and enjoy her last meal in the Sonora region of Mexico, so Rachel interviews the owner of Caramelo, an artisan, Sonoran-style tortilla maker out of Lawrence, Kansas. Yes, Kansas! And Rachel swears there are no better tortillas in America!   Become a Cascade PBS member and support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show, The Nosh. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prolific, five-time James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan is the queen of sweets, and she just released her 15th cookbook, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes.  Famous for her beloved World Peace Cookies and many baking books, including one she wrote with Julia Child, it's not surprising that Dorie wants to start and end her last meal with dessert. What's wrong with eating dessert first, anyway? Rachel chats with Ayurvedic counselor Jodi Boone about the life-bettering benefits of starting your meal with sweets.   And when Dorie told Rachel she ate the same exact lunch every single day for years, the first person we thought of was Donald Gorske. Gorske has eaten almost nothing but McDonald's Big Macs since 1972, putting his current Big Mac count at over 35,000. Rachel called the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin native on his flip phone to learn why the man eats two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun ... Every. Single. Day.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka’s last meal, and the reason why she sometimes carries cooked scallops in her bag, trace back to her unstable, unpredictable childhood. She talks about being kidnapped by her grandmother and why a gluten-free spaghetti dinner brings her comfort, even as someone who doesn’t have a gluten sensitivity.  Atsuko’s first foray into entertainment was working at an ice cream chain that made employees sing and dance for tips. Atsuko loved it, but host Rachel Belle interviews two other folks who had no idea they had to perform at their restaurant jobs, until they saw it happening on their first day. One at Chicago’s famous Wiener’s Circle and another at a now-defunct steak house chain.   Atsuko is on tour now! You can also watch her standup specials on HBO and Hulu.   Get tickets to Rachel's event: Food Fight x America’s Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8!  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from rapper Rico Nasty, who is on tour now with her latest album, Lethal! In a lightning round, Rico Nasty tells host Rachel Belle about her first concert, and how embarrassing it was to attend with her mom, her ideal 'girl dinner,' her top five favorite things to buy at Trader Joe's and her favorite hiking snacks.  Get tickets to Food Fight x America’s Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sweet and boisterous, rapper Rico Nasty professes her love for making music; cooking for the people she adores most; and her grandmas, all while promoting her new album, Lethal. Her conversation with host Rachel Belle bounces from Maryland boardwalk fries (we’ll tell you what they are!) to Taco Bell (we learn what the Cinnamon Twists are made from) to a popular Puerto Rican party snack her grandma makes her, and only her, as a treat.  Did you know those little strawberry candies, the ones with the cute strawberry-print wrapper and squishy center, most often found in grandmas’ candy dishes and purses, have a name? We didn’t either! Learn their name, their history and a bit more about “grandma candy” with the author of the Snack Stack newsletter.    Get tickets to Food Fight with Rachel Belle x America’s Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Tilly Ramsay, host of the new Amazon Prime show, Dish It Out. She also happens to be the only one of Gordon Ramsay's six children who's pursued a culinary career. A recent graduate of both university and culinary school, Tilly gives advice to young people looking to build their first kitchen and shares a dish she loves making for friends. And she talks about what family meals were like growing up, having a celebrity chef for a dad and a cookbook author for a mum.   Get tickets to Food Fight x America's Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. Follow along on Instagram. Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, food TV host Tilly Ramsay is the daughter of famed chef and TV host Gordan Ramsay, but she is working hard to pave her own way! Tilly recently graduated from culinary school, which she paid for herself, thank you very much, and she tells me about her fateful first day of school, where she was faced with eating her three least favorite foods.   Host Rachel Belle asks Tilly the elephant-in-the-room question: Does her dad shout at his family like he shouts at TV contestants? And Tilly explains why a classic Sunday roast is so special to the people of England.   If you want to be a chef, do you need to go to culinary school? I chat with two chefs, a sister and brother – one who went to culinary school and one who didn’t – about the pros and cons. And they share a bit about their creative takes on Navajo cooking.   Tilly’s new Prime Video cooking show is called Dish It Out.   As Heard on the Episode: Listen to the Gavin Rossdale episode to learn more about the history and culture of the British roast! Get tickets to Food Fight x America's Test Kitchen in Seattle November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame   Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Italian singer Matteo Bocelli!  In a lightning round with host Rachel Belle, Matteo, a self-described romantic, shares which celebrity wedding he had the honor of singing at earlier this summer; sets the record straight on what bruschetta really is; and discloses the only dish his dad – famed singer Andrea Bocelli – has ever cooked for him (and why most Italians would be angry with the way he makes it).  Get tickets to Food Fight x America's Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like any card-carrying Italian worth his focaccia, singer Matteo Bocelli says he could eat pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner! From his home in Tuscany, Matteo tells host Rachel Belle about the super-simple, but deeply delicious, sauce recipe he’s been trying to perfect, inspired by a three-Michelin-star restaurant, and why you should always choose Italian pasta made from ancient grains.  You’ve probably heard the tales: A gluten-sensitive American travels to Italy or France, and can magically stuff their face with croissants, baguettes and pasta without any negative consequences. Rachel asks Dr. Alessio Fasano, professor of nutrition and a Celiac and gluten expert and researcher at Harvard Medical School, if, and how, this is possible.  Matteo just released his second album, Falling in Love, and if his name sounds familiar, it’s because his dad is Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian singer.  As mentioned in the episode: Watch Rachel Belle & Isaac Mizrahi cook together! Get tickets to Food Fight x America's Test Kitchen in Seattle November 8! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the U.S. Representative from Washington’s 7th congressional district.  Representative Jayapal is almost as passionate about food as she is about immigrant rights, universal health care and income equality. Almost! And in this quick lightning round with host Rachel Belle, recorded live at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival earlier this summer, she shares her favorite Seattle restaurants and what dessert makes her the happiest on her birthday.   Listen to last week's full episode with Pramila Jayapal! Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle - Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this very special LIVE episode, recorded at The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival on May 31, 2025, host Rachel Belle sits down with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th District. She’s also the first elected official to be a guest on Your Last Meal!  Congresswoman Jayapal is an activist and fierce advocate of immigrant rights, but she was thrilled to (mostly) take a break from talking politics to chat about one of her favorite topics: food!   She talks about what it was like immigrating to the United States on her own at 16, what she thought of American food when she arrived and what American snack has been her favorite since she was a child living in India. She recalls the time President Joe Biden personally called her to invite her to the White House for breakfast, and a tells a charming story about why her daughter became such an avid cook at such a young age.   Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle - Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Isaac Brock — lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Portland, Oregon-based band Modest Mouse!  Isaac tells Rachel Belle about the time Modest Mouse got to collaborate with an ice-cream company on a flavor that ... wasn’t so well received; he talks about the first concert he went to; and Rachel and Isaac bond over their love of milkshakes.  Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle - Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Bridget Everett, star of the HBO Max show Somebody Somewhere, singer, comedian and cabaret performer.   In this fast and fun lightning round, Bridget sends host Rachel Belle into a spiral of jealousy by revealing her go-to New York City grocery store; struggles to pronounce the name of her favorite cake (Rachel can’t pronounce it either!); and together they discuss a Midwestern delicacy: St. Louis sushi, which is nothing like its Japanese namesake.   Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle - Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from actor Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere), author of the new memoir Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success.   Jeff talks about visiting the real-life cafes featured in Somebody Somewhere, what he thinks of the Swedish food he grew up eating and why he never ever throws a dinner party.  Listen to Jeff Hiller on Your Last Meal! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle - Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you fell in love with Jeff Hiller’s character Joel on Somebody, Somewhere (he was just nominated for his first Emmy for his performance!), you’ll want to pick up his new memoir, Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success.  Jeff tells host Rachel Belle how he got his big break, his first role on a TV show at age 45 after 20 years of auditions, and why his childhood ambitions of becoming a pastor were dashed.   Jeff loves eating in restaurants; he’d eat out every night if his husband would let him. So Tan Vinh, one of The Seattle Times’ food writers and critics, joins the show to talk about what it’s really like to eat at restaurants for a living. What does three dinners a night do to the body? What does Tan eat and drink on his days off? What does he do with the endless leftovers? Listen in to find out!   Then Jeff Hiller shares two options for his last meal: one for the little angel perched on his shoulder and one for the little devil squatting on the other.   Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle -- Season 2 is out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) bi-weekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and pianistRegina Spektor!  Regina grew up in the Soviet Union, moving to the United States when she was 10, and many of her eating experiences are colored by her young life in Russia — including the desserts she likes! Regina tells host Rachel Belle which foods she’d choose over a birthday cake, why she woke up at 3 a.m. to house a container of chopped liver (when she was a vegetarian!) and her thoughts on karaoke.  Listen to Regina Spektor's full Your Last Meal episodefrom last week! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle -- Season 2 is out now! Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) bi-weekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and pianist Regina Spektorgrew up in Soviet Russia, so when she moved to the Bronx with her family in 1990, American food was a bit of a culture shock. Cereal! Oranges! Chocolate pudding cups! It was all brand-new! Regina shares a handful of her family’s immigration eating stories.   When in doubt, order the soup! That’s what Regina does. She tells host Rachel Belle about her (nearly) lifelong love of soup, what caused her to rebel against it in high school and why the simplest of broths would be her last meal.   Cookbook author Caroline Wrightnever set out to have a career in soup, but a terminal cancer diagnosis resulted in a soup club, two vegan soup cookbooks and the title of Seattle Soup Lady. She tells Rachel her story.   Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Dave Barry, award-winning humorist, columnist and author.   Dave tells host Rachel Belle about the all-author band he’s been in for 30 years (that includes Stephen King!), what food he finds the funniest and why he hates lightning rounds (the entire episode is a lightning round!)   Listen to Dave’s Your Last Meal episode from last week!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Molly Yeh, star of Girl Meets Farm on Food Network & bestselling cookbook author. Her latest is a book of desserts called Sweet Farm.  Molly bakes beautiful cakes for everybody’s birthdays, but what treat does she request when celebrating her own? I'll bet you a thousand brownies that you’ll never guess! Molly says there is one kitchen tool that will vastly improve your bakes, something all professionals use, but which many home bakers still haven’t come around to. And she tells host Rachel Belle what inspired her to open a cafe and bakery in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, while already managing a successful TV and book writing career.   Listen to last week's Your Last Meal episode with Molly Yeh! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram!  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Molly Yeh is the Emmy- and James Beard Award-nominated star of Girl Meets Farm on the Food Network; owner of Bernie’s, a bakery and cafe in East Grand Forks, Minnesota; and a bestselling cookbook author. Her new cookbook is Sweet Farm, 100 dessert recipes that feature oh-so-Molly flavors like tahini, marzipan, hawaij and halva, plus a whole chapter devoted to Midwestern cookie salads! Molly tells host Rachel Belle how her relationship to sprinkles has changed as she’s gotten older; how she, a Juilliard graduate with a degree in percussion, ended up living on a sugar-beet farm on the Minnesota/North Dakota border; what a cookie salad is; and her secret to being an excellent baker. Molly bakes beautiful, buttery, super-moist cakes, sometimes testing a recipe more than 30 times to get it right. All that cake talk got Rachel thinking about Cake Picnic, an event in March that went super-viral, where home bakers brought and devoured nearly 1,400 cakes in a San Francisco park! Rachel welcomes Cake Picnic founder Elisa Sunga to the show to talk about how the event was born and how she keeps the cake chaos to a minimum. Listen toMolly Yeh on the Greta Gerwig episode of YLM, talking about her homemade Funfetti cake! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram!  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Prabal Gurung, celebrated fashion designer and author of the new memoir Walk Like a Girl.  Prabal has made a habit of ordering a cheeseburger and fries in every city he visits – he tells host Rachel Belle who makes the best burger in the world. He recalls the magical celebrity sighting he had the first time he went to a restaurant in New York City after moving there from Nepal, and he talks about what he would pack to eat on weeks-long treks in the Nepalese mountains.  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now!  Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings!  Follow along on Instagram!  Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prabal Gurung’s new memoir, Walk Like a Girl, tells his life story: how he went from being a bullied queer boy in Nepal who was always an outsider to starting his own label in New York City, designing gowns for First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey.  Prabal says he loves all kinds of food, but he is OBSESSED with momos, the steamed dumplings from his home country. He tells host Rachel Belle why they're so special to him and which A-list celebrity asked him to take her out for her first momo, when none of his friends or dates seemed interested.   From a $2,300 Chopova Lowena Hellmann’s mayo purse to T-shirts featuring images of tinned anchovies to major fashion houses that open restaurants, food and fashion are currently intersecting in a major way. A few experts join the show to talk about the psychology of why brands are featuring edible images; how a tomato purse reflects our country’s current culture and economy; and why we’re so eager to buy it all.  Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from W. Kamau Bell, Emmy- and Peabody-nominated TV host, comedian, filmmaker and best-selling author.   Kamau tells host Rachel Belle about the delightfully different flavor of attention that came with winning Celebrity Jeopardy; how rare it is to find his favorite kind of burrito in California’s Bay Area, a region famous for burritos; and how losing a family member means he’ll never taste his favorite birthday cake again.  Listen to last week's episode of Your Last Meal with W. Kamau Bell! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kamau Bell has a long and impressive resume, including hosting seven seasons of the CNN docuseries United Shades of America, winning a Peabody Award for We Need to Talk About Cosby, and winning the third season of Celebrity Jeopardy, and he’s about to take off on his “Who’s With Me” standup tour. Kamau wore a T-shirt on TV that read, “Not All Macaroni and Cheeses are Created Equal,” a political message and “insider Black conversation” that he explains to host Rachel Belle. We’ll also learn the true history of mac & cheese in America, a narrative that took 200 years to uncover, with James Beard Award-winning food historian Michael W. Twitty andGayle Jessup White, a descendant of both Thomas Jefferson and James Hemmings, the enslaved head chef of Jefferson’s Monticello kitchen.  Kamau tells host Rachel Belle about his experience traveling to Kenya with Anthony Bourdain, where his unadventurous eating tendencies were seriously challenged, and of course he shares his last meal.  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel’s new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from musician and actor Sharon Van Etten, who is on the road touring her new album now!  An educated wine lover, Sharon tells host Rachel Belle which bottle best represents her personality and which countries are often left out of the conversation when we talk about fantastic wines. Nicknamed “Snacks” by her bandmates, she reveals what she loves to nibble on when she’s on a road trip, on an airplane, hanging with her son or late at night, starving after performing a show.   Listen to Sharon on last week’s episode of Your Last Meal.  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Tony-, Emmy- and Grammy-nominated singer and actor Josh Groban.   Josh is getting ready for a string of shows in Las Vegas, so host Rachel Belle presents him with the most ridiculous, over-the-top, calorie-packed dishes she could find on Vegas menus (obviously Guy Fieri is involved) and asks him to pick which ones he'd eat.   Josh and Rachel bond over a childhood love of New Kids on the Block, and he admits to loving a very trendy Los Angeles treat from a very trendy Los Angeles market (that he is still a little embarrassed to order).  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Josh Groban’s best song about baked beans?  Two foods Josh Groban’s dad turned him onto as a child: pickled and smoked fish and baked beans. So when Bush’s asked Josh to write them a commercial jingle, he took it a step further and composed a semi-autographical baked-bean power ballad! He tells host Rachel Belle the whole story.   Josh learned to cook during the pandemic and developed a soft spot for ugly, misshapen farm produce. So Seattle chef Becky Selengut joins the show to talk about her cookbook Misunderstood Vegetables. Becky wrote it after countless encounters with folks at farmers markets and the grocery store who didn’t know what to do with produce like rutabaga, celery root and burdock.  And Josh shares his last meal, a combination of a favorite childhood treat and a hearty British dinner he fell in love with when he started dating his English girlfriend.   Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Danielle Chang, host of Lucky Chow on PBS. And Rachel Belle takes a very special field trip to Seattle’s Mixed Pantry, a beautifully curated specialty foods shop that exclusively sells Asian and Asian American-made products.   On last week’s episode of Your Last Meal, Danielle told Rachel she never goes anywhere without a little vial of high-quality soy sauce in her purse.  So Rachel popped into Mixed Pantry for a soy sauce tasting, a fun activity open to anyone who visits. The shop sells soy sauces from several countries, but the tasting centers around the five standard types of Japanese shoyu, owner Tak Kunimune’s specialty. You’ll learn the difference between mainstream commercial soy sauces and traditional barrel-aged ones; how Kikkoman came to be America’s go-to soy sauce; and Tak’s tips on what to cook with each one.   Then, a lightning round with Danielle Chang! She shares her favorite Chinatown snack (she's a big fan of the neighborhoods around the world), the Asian dessert she always wants for her birthday and so much more. Season Seven of Lucky Chow premieres May 1 on PBS! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season 2 out now! Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PBS's "Lucky Chow" host, Danielle Chang, has been using food as a tool to promote diversity since her family immigrated from Taiwan to Texas when she was 5, and she eventually turned it into a career! Danielle tells host Rachel Belle which condiment she always keeps in her bag and Your Last Meal listeners call in to confess what flavor enhancers they have sneaked into restaurants, movie theaters and doughnut shops over the years. First Beyoncé sang about having hot sauce in her bag, then Hillary Clinton talked about her spicy stash on the campaign trail. But Emmy-nominated journalist Myra Flynn says the habit of toting hot sauce started out of necessity with enslaved Americans. Season Seven of Lucky Chow premieres May 1 on PBS! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle (Season 2 starts April 3!)! Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from China Forbes and Timothy Nishimoto from Pink Martini! The Portland, Oregon-based band is taking off on tour this week to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Get tickets here! China and Timothy reveal their perfect birthday cakes, the countries they most enjoy eating in when they’re traveling the world, and what foods they can’t wait to eat when they get back home. Listen to last week’s Your Last Meal episode with Pink Martini! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Season Two premieres today!  Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From pear & blue cheese to bone marrow with bourbon smoked cherries, Salt & Straw has always been experimental, and eager to weave local products and ingredients into their flavors. On this delightful episode, we hear how the highly successful brand got started (the story involves Portlandia, an ice-cream maker from Goodwill and Cheetos), the grossest flavor head ice-cream maker Tyler ever developed and, of course, their last meals – both chose sentimental dishes made by their Grandma Malek. Speaking of grannies, we’ll meet the owner ofEnoteca Maria, a Staten Island restaurant where the food is cooked by a rotating cast of grannies from around the world. This month alone, the Nonnas of the World program welcomes women from 12 different countries, eager to share their unfussy homestyle cuisine. It’s hard to imagine a world without ice cream. Food historian Sarah Lohman shares the history of the sweet treat, and says we have Black enslaved Americans to thank for the invention of the creamy, delicious ice cream (and scooping tool!) we know and love today. Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle (Season 2 starts April 3!)! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Nadia Caterina Munno, known to her 10 million social-media followers as The Pasta Queen, which also happens to be the name of her new Amazon Prime Italian cooking and travel show.  On this bite-sized episode, Nadia reveals her all-time favorite pasta shape, how many times she's been to The Olive Garden and the Roman dish she thinks all Americans should be eating.  Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadia Catarina Munno is best known to her 10 million social-media followers as The Pasta Queen, a glamorous, dramatic Italian who crumples her face in ecstasy and throws her fork across the room after slurping up a sauce-slicked noodle. Cooking traditional pasta dishes in her Florida kitchen has earned Nadia two bestselling cookbooks and a new Amazon Prime series, The Pasta Queen. Nadia says she sees a lot of Americans committing unforgivable pasta-cooking crimes, so she created The 10 Commandments of Pasta, a list she shares with host Rachel Bellealong with a story about what she ate immediately after giving birth to her third daughter. Nadia comes from a long line of farmers and pasta-makers, but she spent decades bucking family tradition. So we’ll hear from Cara Nicoletti, a 4th-generation butcher who founded Seemore Meats & Veggiesso her customers would eat less meat. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from singer/songwriter Kevin Morby.   Kevin grew up in Kansas, and after 15 years of building a successful music career living in the coast’s largest cities, he has returned to his hometown. He tells host Rachel Belle why living in the Midwest can spark creativity, what Kansas City meal should be as famous as its legendary BBQ, and what he and his girlfriend (the musician, Waxahatchee) always eat when they return home from a long tour.   Listen to Kevin on Your Last Meal. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter Kevin Morby is a peanut butter and jelly man. Like most kids who grew up in the U.S. before peanut-allergy-mania, he loves the classic lunchbox version. But as an adult he’s taken to adding some very unorthodox ingredients like ... scrambled or fried eggs! In this economy?!  You know who else eats a TON of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? NFL players! Actually, they eat a ton of Uncrustables, and there is data to prove it. Host Rachel Belle interviews the co-creator of Uncrustables to unpack why the world needed a premade PB&J.  And we’ll learn a bit about the history of the PB&J from an expat American journalist who is heartbroken that her England-born children have no interest in her favorite nostalgic sandwich, just like everyone else in the U.K.  Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from TV host, chef and author Alton Brown.  Alton famously loathes single-use gadgets, but the one he despises most still has a home in his kitchen drawer. He tells us why. And he shares how he developed a deep love for Jewish deli food as a kid growing up in 1970s Georgia. Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas joins the show to talk about his special relationship with his late mother's 70 year old stove. And Allen Salkin, author of The Uncensored History of the Food Network tells a juicy behind-the-scenes story about Ina Garten and Martha Stewart.  Listen to last week's episode of Alton on Your Last Meal.  Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from comedian Paula Poundstone! If you listened tolast week's episode of Your Last Meal, you know Paula has a serious sweet tooth, from the Ring Dings she wants for her last meal to the sugar packets she used to eat for dessert.  Same holds true in this episode where Paula shares her perfect birthday cake, the same one she's adored since childhood, and her very unexpected favorite holiday meal. Hint: it comes in "fun size." Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame & get tickets to an upcoming book event! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran comedianPaula Poundstone loves Ring Dings, her favorite little chocolate snack cakes only sold in a handful of East Coast states. She once told a very skeptical Michael Pollan, on NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, that they are her reason for living.  So host Rachel Belle interviews the pastry chef/owner of The Ring Ding Bar in New York City, a bakery that’s recreated the confection with “real ingredients” in 25 flavors.   Paula talks about how she lived on a Greyhound bus in the 80s, when she didn’t have enough money for motels, why you should read the recipe on the marshmallow fluff jar very carefully, and why Dick Van Dyke will most likely never have dinner at Paula’s house again.   Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Sign up for Rachel's newsletter! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Ani DiFranco, singer/songwriter, activist and feminist icon. Ani started her own record company in 1989, put out her first record in 1990 and just released her 23rd album. But what do her two school-aged children think about her music? She will discuss! Plus she shares her family’s boozy holiday traditions, and reveals what is no longer on her rider. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame & get tickets to an upcoming book event! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you listened to the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter in the ’90s, she wants you to know she’s still making music:Ani DiFranco just released her 23rd album! Ani is known for lyrics that explore politics, social justice and feminism, but in real life she is smiley, friendly and down-to-earth – not the “angry feminist” she was often mislabeled as. Ani grew up in Buffalo, New York, where she was tasked with cooking dinner for her family starting at age 9. Today she enjoys cooking for her own family in New Orleans – a soothing ritual that balances the craziness of touring. Ani says she’ll eat anything, so I pulled out a list of America’s most hated foods & quizzed her – listen in to hear what they are! And a social psychologist joins the show to talk about how a country’s culture influences our likes and dislikes. Plus, Ani’s opinion of school lunch and a story about a school district that refuses to dumb down dishes for its young eaters. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Rachel Belle celebrated the launch ofOpen Sesame atBook Larder, Seattle's only dedicated cookbook store. The event sold out, but you can listen in! Rachel is usually the one asking the questions, but on November 13 the tables were turned! She was in conversation withBecky Selengut, a beloved Seattle cookbook author, cooking instructor, podcast host and chef.  Rachel tells the magical story of how she was offered a book deal (despite having a small social media presence!), a reminder of the importance of building in-person, real-life professional relationships. She tells Becky what it was like to write a cookbook in only six months, describes how the testing process works, shares her biggest recipe fails & talks about how the word “fart” ended up in Open Sesame. Plus, an audience Q&A!   Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France, two of the stars of the popular Netflix show Queer Eye.  Last week on Your Last Meal, Tan said his love language is cooking for the people he loves. So just imagine the fight that breaks out in this episode when Tan tells JVN he’ll bring him take-out instead of a homecooked meal!  Tan and JVN reveal their favorite city to eat in and Jonathan, an avid home farmer, gives us a report on what’s growing in his garden.   Listen to last week's episode! Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queer Eye Season 9 just dropped on Netflix, and Jonathan Van Ness (beauty expert), Tan France (fashion expert) and the rest of The Fab Five are back to make over folks who have big hearts but need lots of help in the self-care department.  This episode is chock full of big energy and big personalities – so much so that host Rachel Belle hardly had to lift a finger as the buddies interviewed, complimented and lovingly roasted each other!   British-born-and-raised Tan talks about his first-ever magical visit to Olive Garden and what he thinks of the food in Utah, where he now lives with his husband and children.  Rachel asks, “Have you ever eaten pet food?” and JVN and Tan talk about what it’s like going to a restaurant with Antoni Porowski, Queer Eye’s food and wine expert. Get tickets to their Fab Five Live show! Listen to YLM with Ken Jennings. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame!     Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Al Roker, longtime weather presenter and co-anchor of NBC’s Today. Al and his chef daughter Courtney Roker Laga just released a cookbook called Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By – Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion. Al tells me about the strangest recipe in the cookbook (hint: It involves fish + breakfast cereal), which of his recipes Henry Winkler is obsessed with & his opinion on leftovers. Also: When is the perfect time to show up for a party? Listen to Al Roker’s full episode of YLM  Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube.  Follow along on Instagram!  Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame!  Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle!  Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime Today show weatherman and anchor, Al Roker, just released a cookbook of family recipes with his chef daughter called Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By...but it took some convincing. When Courtney Roker Laga asked her dad if he wanted to write a cookbook together, he knew his answer immediately: No thanks! Fifty years into a busy career, Al wrote a couple cookbooks years ago and knows how much work goes into them. But finally, they made a deal: Al would write the headnotes if Courtney develops and tests all the recipes. Al tells host Rachel Belle about a breakfast tradition that started with his dad, that he carried on with his own teenaged son. Several of the cookbook’s breakfast recipes call for American cheese, so Rachel called up a cheese scientist (with a Ph.D. in cheese!) to find out what American cheese actually is, and in the process learns that it wasn’t even invented in America! And Rachel couldn’t resist asking the weatherman what he likes to cook when it’s raining, snowing, sunny and the perfect spring day. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Portland, Oregon, novelist Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club and nearly 20 other books, including his new novel Shock Induction.   Chuck tells hostRachel Belle about his family’s favorite processed food gimmicks from the ’70s, who his dream dinner party guests are, and his favorite Portland restaurant. Spoiler: He says the food is terrible (So Chuck!). Plus, learn the creation story of the iconic Thanksgiving side dish, green bean casserole. Listen to Chuck on Your Last Meal! Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame!   Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Palahniuk is best known for his novel-turned-cult-classic-film Fight Club, but the prolific author has published a book nearly every year for the past two decades. His newest is called Shock Induction.  Chuck tells host Rachel Belle about the recipes fans have sent him from prison (and which he’s made!), why he can hardly look at a peach, let alone eat one, and why his mouth waters at the mere thought of a crusty, stale Hostess snack cake.   Chuck’s mom was not a great cook, but she was excellent at frosting cakes, specifically the Barbie cakes she made for her children in the 1960s and ’70s. We explore the long history of decorated doll cakes with food scholar KC Hysmith.   And, an extreme culinary creature of habit, Chuck reveals the meal he’s eaten three times a day for the past several years! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Ken Burns, the prolific, award-winning filmmaker who has been making historical documentary films for PBS for more than 40 years.  Ken lost his mother when he was just 11 years old, a tragic event that has shaped both his personal life and career; in last week’s episode of Your Last Meal he said his mother’s death is what led him to filmmaking. She also shaped his taste in food. Ken shares his favorite dessert, one his mother made for his birthday when he was a child.  Ken shares what it’s like making films with his eldest daughter, Sarah Burns; why he’s not a big fan of Christmas; and his favorite movie theater snack.  Ken Burns' latest film, Leonardo Da Vinci, premieres on Cascade PBS in two parts on Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19 at 8:00 pm, and will be available to stream with the Cascade PBS app.   Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past 50 years, Ken Burns has written, directed and produced historical films on a wide variety of topics, from country music and baseball to the Vietnam War and the Brooklyn Bridge. His brand-new film investigates the life of Leonardo da Vinci who, very appropriately for this show, painted The Last Supper! So host Rachel Belle consults an Italian archaeologist about what Jesus and the 12 apostles were actually eating in the famous painting.   Over 20 years ago, Burns helped open a restaurant in his small New Hampshire town called The Restaurant at Burdick’s. He claims to be a silent partner, but his name is printed on the brunch, lunch and dinner menus! He'll explain what the Ken Salad is and how it came to be.  Many famous dishes are named after real people, from the Caesar salad to eggs Benedict. We explore the stories behind some of the most well-known eponymous foods, like Granny Smith apples and the Cobb salad.   Pre-order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame, out November 12, 2024! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Get tickets to Food Fight, a culinary game show hosted by Rachel Belle! Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.