How the 2024 Election was Shaped by Food

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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 host Rachel 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food can play a significant role in a presidential race as candidates attempt to show how relatable they are through the dishes they eat and the restaurants they visit. Not only do Vice President Kamala Harris and presidential hopeful Donald Trump have different politics, they have extremely different tastes in food.  In this special election episode of Your Last Meal, award-winning New York Times food reporter Kim Severson says if Harris is elected, she will be the first president with a genuine love and prowess for cooking. Severson elaborates on what a big role cooking has played in the Harris/Walz campaign.   American food scholar KC Hysmith joins the show to tell us more about Trump’s tastes, and how big a role McDonald’s has played in both his personal and professional life.   Then we’ll go back in time to learn what was served at the very first American elections and rehash some embarrassing moments from years past, when a politician’s public display of eating went terribly wrong.  Here's the recipe for the original Election Cake recipe! 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 the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Tim Heidecker, one half of the sketch comedy duo Tim & Eric, actor and musician.  Eric shares a very controversial opinion about pizza (that host Rachel Belle does not agree with!) and, a big baseball fan, he talks about what he likes to eat at the ballpark.  Listen to last week's YLM episode with Tim! 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! Pre-order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame, out November 12, 2024!Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Heidecker, one half of the Tim & Eric comedy duo, is best known for sketch comedy and acting, but he’s also a musician – he just released his eighth album, Slipping Away.   One thing Tim isn't? A foodie. He would take a hoagie from Wawa over a fancy meal any day. Tim is from Pennsylvania, which is also the birthplace of Wawa, a convenience store/gas station chain with a cult following. Why? A Wawa-obsessed food writer explains how their hoagies, soft pretzels and iced tea create a sense of belonging.  When Tim’s on tour with his band, he spends a lot of time on a tour bus – he tells host Rachel Belle about a solitary eating ritual he looks forward to when he’s out on the road.   Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Pre-order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame, out November 12, 2024! Listen to YLM with Graham Elliot to learn more about scrapple.Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.