Quarantine Creatives with Heath Racela

Alejandra Ramos is a chef, food writer, and television personality who hosts the new PBS competitive cooking series The Great American Recipe.  Alejandra joins Heath to discuss the filming of her new show during the pandemic, the evolving definition of American food, plus her journey to sharing recipes on TV and her work as a contirbutor to TODAY.

Elizabeth Almeida is the founder and owner of Fat Moon Mushrooms, a certified organic grower in the Boston area.  She joins Heath to discuss how she kept her mushroom farm afloat during the pandemic, the importance of a resilient local food system, and the wisdom waiting to be discovered in the forest.

Jennifer Reitman founded DAME Magazine as a woman-owned and operated online publication with smart features about contemporary issues.  She joins Heath to discuss the challenges of running an independent media company, how she finds and cultivates talented writers, dealing with the exhaustion that many readers feel from the news, and the role of social media and self-publishing platforms on our information ecosystem

For more than 30 years, Wally Feresten has played an important role in iconic comedy shows like Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the Amber Ruffin Show, where he leads the team that writes and holds the cue cards for every episode.  Wally joins Heath to discuss the technical aspects of the job, what it's been like appearing in frequent cameos during A Closer Look, and the business he started when shows couldn't work in person during the pandemic.

Dr. Steven Gundry was a cardiothoracic surgeon before focusing his practice on how diet can cause or prevent certain autoimmune diseases.  He joins Heath to talk about Heath's experience with the Plant Paradox diet over the last sixth months and he also shares research from his new book Unlocking the Keto Code.

UK-based puppeteer Warrick Brownlow-Pike is best known in the US for playing Gonger on Sesame Street, but he's also had a long career on CBBC playing Dodge the Dog and other characters.  Warrick joins Heath to discuss puppeteering at home durng the quarantine, plus how he developed his craft from an early age, and how he got to Sesame Street.

After a long hiatus, Heath returns for a conversation with maker Jimmy DiResta to discuss his new Netflix series Making Fun.  Jimmy talks about how the show originated with an Instagram post, the challenges of getting it made during the pandemic, and his thoughts on being his own boss and living on a farm in Upstate New York.

House flippers and renovators Jon Pierre and Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin return to HGTV this month with their new series Two Steps Home.  They join Heath to discuss filming the show during the pandemic, giving up their full time jobs to become house flippers, their path to HGTV stardom, and working with Erin and Ben Napier on Home Town Takeover in Wetumpka, Alabama. 

Richard Lui has covered breaking news as both a reporter and anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN.  He's also taken on the role of caregiver to his father in San Francisco, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  Richard joins Heath to discuss juggling a career and family obligations, being one of the few employees allowed at 30 Rock during the pandemic, and his new book Enough About Me about what he has learned about the power of selflessness.

Singer-songwriter Jesse Terry's seventh album When We Wander looks at life as a new parent and the lessons learned on the open road, where he has spent the past decade.  Jesse joins Heath to discuss his writing process, musical influences, and how life changed for him as a working musician during COVID.