n this episode, award winning actress Jill Eikenberry talks about her peripatetic Midwestern childhood, her diet heavy on luscious meat and cheese dishes, frozen vegetables, visits to her aunt’s farm, and a bloodthirsty story about her grandmother’s chickens. She also recalls a story about a blind friend guiding her through the school cafeteria during a college blackout, her introduction to gourmet eating from her husband, actor/writer/cook Michael Tucker, followed by her and her husband’s...

In this episode, Illeana Douglas talks about growing up in two worlds of food: that of her Hollywood Royalty Grandfather Melvin Douglas and her Queens, NY Italian/Romanian family. She describes her father’s creating a hippie commune and later her on-and-off-camera relationship with Martin Scorsese, along with an extraordinary evening with Scorsese and Marlon Brando. Join me for an audio or video conversation with this amazing Actress/Writer/TV Commentator. Don't forget to follow all of the...

In this episode, Michael Urie remembers his mother’s delicious eclectic cooking and his often-frustrated efforts to recreate it. He also describes his roundabout career route, the serendipity of his acceptance into the prestigious Julliard Acting Program, being introduced to his Queens NY Italian family & their raucous meals, and his efforts to find the perfect neutral eating regimen while performing on Broadway 8 times a week. A wonderfully colorful culinary journey guided by this...

In this episode, Rosanna Arquette remembers her peripatetic childhood, her working artist parents, and eating lots of ‘high quality’ fast food. A vegetarian menu follows at a commune, then leaving home in her teens, being 'discovered' in LA, and becoming a self-taught cook with her sights on healthy food. She describes her go-to salad and stuffing, and longs for more get-togethers with her siblings centered around creative meals. We also touch on her directing career, the conflicts actresses...

In this episode, Alice Waters recounts that as a child she didn’t look forward to going to the table to eat her creative mother’s pedestrian cooking, but began a life-long love of strawberries and anything garden-fresh. A trip to France changed her life and started a culinary revolution in America, and later provided the impetus for the creation of the Edible Schoolyard. A brilliant episode with an extraordinary woman.

In this episode, multi-talented actor/author Ed Begley, Jr. talks about the family cook who changed his life, the startling family secret he learned at 15, his wild youth, and amazing stories about his friends Marlon Brando and The Beatles from his memoir "To the Temple of Tranquility...and Step On It! You can't miss this one! Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on Twitter  @TheOfficialChrisSarandon on Instagram  Chris Sarandon on Facebook...

In this episode, award winning chef Rocco DiSpirito talks about his high spirited Italian family, 1st food adventures, his chef training at 16, & work in Europe with great chefs. He also speaks about his famous restaurants & answers questions from our live audience about his brilliant new cookbook, ‘Everyday Delicious. A fun & informative episode!

In this episode, Oscar Nominee and Golden Globe Winner Brad Dourif describes a bland culinary childhood diet until a wonderful cook joined his family and describes the southern cooking at his boarding school. Moving to NYC, he lived on fast food, became a movie actor (and the voice of Chucky!) and has, thanks to his actress daughter, moved on to cooking and eating a splendidly healthy diet. A fascinating conversation with this multitalented actor.

In this episode, singer/songwriter/producer/former record exec Billy Mann talks about his educated mother's moderate quality but volume-heavy cooking, formal meals with grandma (and her giant meat pies), his after-college road busking tour living in his car with Mom's gift of many cans of Chef Boyardee spaghetti while he discovered America and it's food...and his world travels as a record executive and those many culinary awakenings. These stories and more from this fabulously accomplished...

In this episode, actress Catherine Hicks talks about growing up in the desert with her mother's indifferent cooking (and great desserts) but revels in her parents' glamorous cocktail hour finery. She further describes her rocket-like rise as an actress in New York and Hollywood, and frankly discusses the difficulty balancing work and family life while on the long-running series '7th Heaven'...and working with Chucky in freezing Chicago on the original 'Child's Play'! Don't forget to follow...

In this episode, legendary Broadway producer Emanuel  “Manny” Azenberg and I discuss his Bronx upbringing, his mother’s relentless cabbage and chicken soups, eating out in delis, and food and making friends for life in the army. We talk about his Broadway intro working for David Merrick, and a softball game with Neil Simon that led to producing 20 of Simon’s plays (while also producing Sondheim & Stoppard and “Rent”). Producer of 65 Broadway shows, with 8 Tony awards. An amazing...

In this episode, Federal Judge Goodwin offers up memories of a small-town childhood, his mother's cinnamon rolls, and a kitchen helper's amazing homemade bread. He also talks about his serendipitous entry into the law,  and being mentored by the legendary Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (with great stories from Byrd about Richard Nixon). Food and politics are a potent combination in this fascinating episode.  Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on...

In this episode Rick Nielsen, co-founder, songwriter and lead guitarist for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick tells of his working parents and growing up eating almost exclusively in restaurants, and flying with his parents to 48 states while sampling local food. He also tells of his early days as a touring musician, and discovering Japanese food while being lionized in that country. A unique and sometime hilarious conversation with an eccentric and 'permanently jet-lagged'...

In this episode, veteran child and character actor Clint Howard talks about his normal, happy childhood growing up in an acting family, his mother's fondness for serving canned vegetables, and acting with a PB&J sandwich at the age of 2 on the Andy Griffith Show. And he relates that both his and his bother Ron's earnings were saved for their future by their parents, who never spent on themselves. Howard's journey through over 60 years of show business is a fascinating view of a lifetime...

In this episode, Food Channel Star, Chef, and Author Carla Hall talks about her parent's cooking, her grandmother's Sunday divine skillet cornbread, and her family's weekly haul of that day's leftovers. She also relates her journey from accountant, to model, to caterer, to chef, to her current status as cookbook author, Food Channel Chef, and host of her upcoming MAX TV series. A lively and informative conversation with a remarkable woman. Don't forget to follow all of the social media!...

In this episode, actor/director/producer LeVar Burton talks about his army family's time in Germany, his mother's cooking, and his grandmother's farm fresh food juxtaposed with the 'horrendous' food at the seminary where he studied. He also relates how his travels to Asia and Africa spurred marvelous food discoveries. A stimulating and humorous conversation with this multi-talented, Renaissance man. Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on...

In this episode of  'Cooking By Heart,' long-time show business actress/producer Lucie Arnaz talks about growing up with famous working parents, having meals made by the family’s help and by her grandmother, followed by weekends with father Desi’s improvisational Cuban cooking and her mother Lucy’s basic All-American, health-conscious cuisine, fun family picnics, and dining out at exotic LA eateries. She bravely recounts her early culinary mistakes when she moved from home as a teen and then...

In this episode, the inimitable Tony Todd talks about his being raised in Hartford, CT by his extraordinary Aunt Clara, whom he watched cook with both Jamaican and South Carolinian influences. He remembers watching and discussing classic films with her after dinner and loved the city's fish sandwiches and Italian grinders. He talks about discovering Shakespeare at 13, the great teacher who set him on his acting path as an actor, his first forays into cooking, and his many culinary adventures...

Join the inimitable Melissa Gilbert and me as we discuss her unusual childhood food experiences, her growing up on television, and her becoming a hardworking Hollywood icon. She’s a brilliant life force who now facilitates empowering ‘evolving’ women. @OfficialModernPrarie @MelissaGilbertOfficial Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on Twitter  @TheOfficialChrisSarandon on Instagram  Chris Sarandon on Facebook...

In this episode, “High Cuisine” creator & Michelin-trained Chef Noah Tucker talks about growing up in NYC in a mixed Jewish/African-American Family, resulting in some unique and hilarious growing-up food stories. Now a successful restaurateur in Amsterdam, he contrasts the every day “drugs” we all consume, such as caffeine and sugar, with his current passion for cooking conventional haute cuisine that incorporates cannabis and naturally occurring psychoactive substances. Noah is a Ted X...

In this episode, Kelli O’Hara, whom the NY Times calls Broadway’s undisputed queen, remembers her teacher mom making comfort food for a busy farming family, her mom’s loving attitude at Kelli’s being a chubby kid, and helping mom make exciting tailgate meals during harvest time. Kelli also talks about school classmates fighting over attendance at her grandma’s copious homemade lunches, prepping dinner at 8 years old until her mom came home, and proudly making a nearly raw burger for her...

In this episode of Cooking By Heart, the prolific and critically acclaimed Director Mike Flanagan talks about growing up in a military family, his childhood aversions to food and his mother’s efforts to circumvent them, his discovery of sushi, his youthful stabs at filmmaking, his discovery of his life‘s work as a Director, staging food scenes in his movies, and his unique, very personal approach to a successful career in the horror genre. A sometimes humorous and very humanistic conversation...

In this episode Diane English, multiple Writers Guild Award and Emmy Award winner and creator of numerous half hour comedy shows including ‘Murphy Brown,’ talks about growing up in a mixed Italian-English family, fish Fridays, traditional Italian Christmases and English Easters, and the family’s English master bakers. She remembers discovering Jewish food with her best friend, and, later, her determination to become a writer. Moving to New York City, with no phone in a one room apartment, led...

In this episode, actor/performer/writer/Sirius XM host and Unofficial Broadway encyclopedia Seth Rudetsky talks about his mom’s TV dinners and Jewish/Israeli specialties, his father’s barbequing, his sister’s vegan cooking, heated story competitions at the dinner table, and his family’s outdoor camping/cooking. He reveals growing up gay and overweight, and navigating the dichotomy of being bullied and feeling smarter than his tormentors. He also remembers being obsessed with Broadway...