Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

Latest Episodes:

Dorie Greenspan (re-air): Ice Cream, Lobster, Ice Cream Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

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 member and support public media!

Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.

Follow along on Instagram.

Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atsuko Okatsuka: Gluten-Free Spaghetti Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

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 member and support public media!

Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle.

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.

The Leftovers with Rico Nasty Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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.

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rico Nasty: Five Guys Burger & Boardwalk Fries Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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.

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Leftovers with Tilly Ramsay Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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.

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tilly Ramsay: British Sunday Roast Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Leftovers with Matteo Bocelli Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matteo Bocelli: Carbonara Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

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 member and 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

Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Leftovers with Pramila Jayapal Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

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 member and support public media!
Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe 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.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: Thali Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

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 member and support public media!
Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe 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.