Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

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Bonus Episode! The sneaky plan that doubled the number of Thai restaurants in America Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

In our last episode with actor Lauren Weedman, she wanted to know why there are so many Thai restaurants in Seattle. And we left her (and you) hanging!

But now we have answers. In this bonus episode, Rachel explores why there are so many Thai restaurants in the United States with Mark Padoongpatt, author of 'Flavors of Empire: Food and The Making of Thai America' and assistant professor of Asian American studies at University of Nevada Las Vegas.

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Lauren Weedman, Pad Thai Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

Lauren Weedman wants to love food again. The comedic actor, a former The Daily Show Correspondent and current The Moth host, with roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm and HBO's Looking, has a complicated relationship with food. She wants to make eating a more soulful experience, starting with her last meal; a food she never lets herself enjoy. And yes, we used phrases like "complicated relationship with food" and "soulful experience," but rest assured: Lauren is one of the funniest guests to grace Your Last Meal; chortles ahead.

Lauren's love of pad Thai takes us to Little Uncle, one of Seattle's best Thai restaurants. Chef/owners Poncharee Kounpungchart and Wiley Frank painstakingly squeeze tamarind pods to make the sauce for their pad Thai and they tell Rachel why they refuse to put chicken in the dish, no matter how nice a customer asks.

Lauren Weedman was raised by a ballerina who was always watching her weight, so Rachel interviewed Kari Brunson, a former professional ballet dancer who retired from dance to explore her love of cooking. Today Kari co-owns Seattle's Juicebox Cafe and one of Rachel's favorite ice cream shops, Frankie & Jo's.

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Moby, A Single, Organic Orange Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

Musician and producer Moby is also a major philanthropist: he donates all the proceeds from his Los Angeles restaurant Little Pine to animal rights organizations, as well as all the money he makes from his albums and his latest memoir, "Then It Fell Apart." He's been a vegan for more than three decades and tells host Rachel Belle he can whip up healthy, filling, vegan meals for under a dollar. Which we imagine is a useful skill when you're giving all your money away!
Moby's last meal is...oh-so Moby. He celebrates the fruit that we ate by the slice after every childhood soccer practice, the fruit that shares its name with a color, the fruit that rhymes with approximately zero other words.
So we welcome Mike Osborn to the show, owner of Sosio's Produce, located right smack dab in the middle of beautiful, historic Pike Place Market. Mike has been wheelin' and dealin' oranges for nearly 30 years. He's got the sass of a sailor, the palate of a chef, and he wants to teach you how to pick out perfect, in-season produce so you don't take one bite of a mealy apple and throw it away.
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William Shatner, Sushi and Mexican Food May 24, 2019

Show notes

Prolific actor William Shatner has strong opinions about avocado toast, considers himself a sushi connoisseur and loves beautifully made Mexican food.
So host Rachel Belle took a trip to Sushinola, one of the country's few Sinaloa style Mexican sushi restaurants, in Kent, Washington. Rolls are stuffed with carne asada, topped with pico de gallo, drizzled with housemade chipotle sauce and deep fried.
And psychology professor Dr Julia Hormes joins the show to share her fascinating research on cravings & pregnancy cravings.

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Mary Sohn, Ice Cream with Hot Fudge & McDonald's French Fries May 09, 2019

Show notes

Actor and improviser Mary Sohn currently stars in the NBC comedy A.P. Bio, but when she's not in front of a camera she can be found happily dipping food into other food. Chips into dips! Crispy bacon into oatmeal! Mary is a dipping fool! And she especially likes pairing sweet with salty, crunchy with creamy and super cold with scalding hot.
So Rachel consulted with a fast food giant to discuss the ultimate cult combo: french fries dipped in a Wendy's frosty. And chef and "How To Taste" author Becky Selengut stops by to answer questions like: why does wasabi burn your nose but spicy peppers burn your tongue? What's a supertaster? Why are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups so beloved?
Your Last Meal is a James Beard Foundation nominated podcast! Follow along on Instagram: @yourlastmealpodcast

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Rainn Wilson, A Vegetarian Israeli Spread Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

Actor Rainn Wilson is best known for playing Dwight Schrute on the American version of The Office. But when he's not acting, he's trying to make the world a better place. Rainn and his wife run a non-profit called Lide Haiti, to help educate at-risk girls in Haiti, and last year they attempted to transition from voracious meat lovers to plant chomping vegans. Which leads us to Rainn's last meal: a vegetarian Israeli feast!
Rainn's last meal allowed host Rachel Belle to unpack a topic she's been ruminating on for years: the disappointing state of hummus in America. David Nussbaum, owner of Seattle's fantastic Aviv Hummus Bar, joins the conversation to discuss the difference between American hummus and Israeli chooomousse (emphasis on the guttural "ch"), why it took him years to perfect a dish with only three ingredients and why he refuses to water down his recipes to suit American palates.
If you pronounce bruschetta "broosketta" and say "cwassan" instead of croissant, this is the episode for you! Or! If you think it's pretentious to pronounce bruschetta "broosketta" and say "cwassan" instead of croissant...this is also the episode for you.

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Isaac Mizrahi, Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce & Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

Acclaimed fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi has it all: humor, heart and hot takes on the culinary world. He knows what he likes (beefsteak tomatoes from his Long Island summer garden) and what he doesn't like (today's pickling trend), and he shares it all with award winning host Rachel Belle in the latest episode of the James Beard Award nominated podcast "Your Last Meal."

Isaac sends Rachel on a mission to uncover a mint chocolate chip ice cream mystery. So Rachel summons Ben & Jerry's flavor guru, Eric Fredette, who's responsible for creating flavors like Tonight Dough and Brownie Batter Core, Heather Hodge, head chef and manager of culinary operations at Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream in Seattle, and Nestle's test kitchen manager Meredith Tomason. Nestle invented the chocolate chip, or the "morsel," back in the 1940s and Meredith shares the history of the legendary Toll House chocolate chip cookie.

Everything Isaac Mizrahi, including how to get his new book I.M.: A Memoir, is available at helloisaac.com.

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Steven Page, Jewish Holiday Feast... and Soup! Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

Steven Page is best known as the lead singer, guitar player and songwriter for the band Barenaked Ladies, but he's been going at it as a solo musician for the last decade. Michelin stars and fine wines were Page's jam; he hosted a food TV show and has eaten at fancy restaurants around the world. But these days he's attracted to humble, home cooked foods. Like soup! Boy does Steven Page love soup! So Rachel interviews Larry Thomas, who was nominated for an Emmy for playing "The Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld, while the actor gave out soup samples in a Seattle grocery store. Page grew up Jewish and always keeps a jar of gefilte fish in his fridge, no matter the season. So we called upon Jeffrey Yoskowitz, co-founder of The Gefilteria, co-author of The Gefilte Manifesto and an artisan gefilte fish maker who ships his gefilte loaves across the country. We discuss the notorious gefilte fish jar jelly and Yoskowitz's mission to get people cooking traditional Jewish foods again, not just on the holidays.
Click here to buy Steven Page's new record Discipline: Heal Thyself, Part II and to get tickets to his upcoming Canadian tour.

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Samin Nosrat: The Entire Menu at El Molino Central Mar 01, 2019

Show notes

Samin Nosrat is the James Beard Award winning, New York Times bestselling author of the book "Salt Fat Acid Heat" and the charming host of the Netflix series by the same name. Samin laughs easily, is brimming with curiosity and brings new life and authenticity to the saturated world of food media. Get yourself a boyfriend who looks at you the way Samin looks at a roast chicken.

Rachel chats with Karen Taylor, owner of El Molino, about what makes her tortillas and tamales so special and Samin and Rachel debate which is the best way to wrap a burrito: in foil or yellow paper.

Then we welcome Bon Appétit magazine's senior editor Andy Baraghani to the show. Andy says he spent his life trying to hide his Iranian heritage until a food magazine asked him to create a Persian spread that reconnected him to his culture. And Rachel cooks tahdig with Omid Roustaei, a passionate Persian cooking teacher in Seattle.

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Phil Rosenthal, Hot Dogs Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

Phil Rosenthal is the creator and co-producer of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (yo, that show got 69 Emmy nominations!) but now his passion is introducing Americans to fantastic foreign food destinations as the host of his Netflix show "Somebody Feed Phil."

Phil enthusiastically eats al pastor in Mexico City and pastéis de nata in Lisbon, but his last meal would be a collage of classic American childhood favorites, including the humble hot dog.

Welcome to Your Last Hot Dog! A show about buns (heh heh) and the cylindrical meats that rest inside of them!

First we head to Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in Coney Island, Brooklyn to learn the history of the century-old company. Then, Rachel chats with Major League Eating president Richard Shea about their annual 4th of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, an event so popular it's aired on ESPN. And Rachel and Producer Aaron discuss their favorite hot dogs toppings or, spoiler alert, the lack there of.

Next stop: Copenhagen, where hot dog carts have been a street food staple since 1920. Rachel consults with Danish food and wine journalist Rasmus Palsgard about traditional Copenhagen hot dog toppings and is surprised to learn what drink is commonly paired with a street dog.

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