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...

In this episode, Oscar winner and social activist Susan Sarandon talks about chaos at meals with & younger siblings, countless tuna casseroles, spam, and pasta from an overwhelmed mother who grew up in foster care, her father's Thanksgiving cooking, and "running away from home" at 7 yrs old (and no one noticed!). Susan & and Chris reminisce about their potluck BY wedding, their early cooking disasters, and their stab at being vegetarians. Susan then relates about later years living...

In this season 1 finale episode PBS TV chef/restaurateur/author Lidia Bastianich reminisces about her idyllic hometown, her Italian family being forced to flee a new Slavic Communist government, 2 years in a refugee camp, and immigration to America. Settling in Queens, NY, as she grows from a Queens restaurant owner to a culinary star by being true to the flavors of her youthful homeland. A wise, funny, remarkable woman! Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on...

In this episode, up-and-coming chef and finalist on Gordon Ramsey's 'Next Level Chef' talks about his Italian-American family's standard dishes growing up, his youthful forays into special popcorn recipes, and his pop tart fetish. He also discusses his early college start in catering, experiments into more exotic food, and his first real cooking job in a pub. Then culinary school, followed by work as a line cook at an eclectic array of top New York City restaurants, and his current business...

In this episode cardiologist, nutritionist, and primary care doctor, Sara Seidelmann talks about becoming a young vegetarian and nursing her terminally ill mother. College is followed by multiple graduate degrees in biology and nutrition, then raising 4 children while in medical school, and clinging to her femininity while a resident in macho cardiology. With her empathic approach & specialty training, primary care is her way of preventing disease before it takes root, and she also gives...

In this episode, my conversation with the inimitable Mario Cantone delves into his unique Italian-American family and their food, his love of baking at an early age, and his first teenage comic impression of Julia Child. He also talks about his early career path and how he ultimately became a Broadway and TV star, while ruminating as well on his deep and abiding love of classic Hollywood movies. All in all, an illuminating and hilarious journey with this staggeringly talented comedian, actor,...

In this episode, Alex Vincent discusses growing up Italian American, and vividly recalls many big family Sunday gatherings highlighted by delicious pasta sauce with pork and sausages, and…his discovery of sushi at age 6! He relates his fascination with acting from an early age, and the thrill of being cast as Andy Barkley in the original “Child’s Play.” We also talk about how he has felt the fascinating curse of “Chucky” on his life; and how he appreciates the extraordinary journey of going...

In this episode, multi-Grammy and CMA Award winner Kathy Mattea shares memories of growing up in West Virginia with Italian and American food, eating fresh garden veggies, big family Christmas gatherings, and bonding with her Italian father over his favorite snack. Moving to Nashville was pivotal, plus being “discovered” there 5 years later and a career ascent. She also relates seeing her musical path almost from birth, reveling in the sacredness of music and its ability to bring us together:...

In this episode, Michael Rosenbaum recalls his small-town upbringing in Long Island and Indiana, his mother’s eccentric,  somewhat unhealthy, and improvisational meal combinations, as well as his fast food forays. He also recalls the plentiful choices at his grandmother’s table, and ultimately learned to expand his culinary horizons after moving to New York and Los Angeles. In addition, Michael traces his career path from being a youthful introvert to his emergence as a voice and film actor,...

In this episode, Emmy-winner and Oscar-nominated Carol Kane talks about her parents’ love of cooking and her childhood food fetish, living for a year in Paris as a young girl devouring chocolate croissants, and relates her Parisian dining preferences as an adult. She adds stories about her immersion in children’s theater, and her teenage culinary tastes while going to professional children’s school. She also reminisces, fondly, about working with Al Pacino in  “Dog Day Afternoon” and,...

In this special Valentine’s Day episode, Chris’s Valentine, the multi-talented actress/writer/director Joanna Gleason, chats about her childhood food strike, and her culinary awakening when her family moved from Canada to the U.S., especially the thrilling assault on her senses when discovering Mexican food and culture after moving to LA.  She also talks about her adult transition to French cuisine and its production and performance. AND…she improvises a surprise interview with Chris!  Don't...

In this episode, Tony and Emmy Award winner Hal Linden tells fascinating and often hilarious stories of his immigrant family's background, his growing up in the Bronx, his mother’s kosher cooking, being a teen bandleader/musician in the Catskills just after WWII, and, with the death of the big band era, how he became an actor and singer. Splendid stories that ultimately lead to his illustrious career on Broadway and as the title character in the award-winning TV series “Barney Miller.” Don't...

In this episode, legendary chef, TV cooking show host, and author Jacques Pepin relates stories of his childhood meals and adventures in wartime France, his mother's post-war opening of multiple restaurants, and his father's winemaking. He also tells of his apprenticeship at 13 years old, his ultimate work in famous Paris kitchens, and as a chef to President Charles de Gaulle, after which he embarks on a 60year relationship with America, working at fabled French restaurants and for the Howard...

In this episode, comedian, author and social commentator Greg Proops, whom you may know from “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” leads us through his family’s moves from the Southwest to California, with colorful stories of his mother’s brilliant & eclectic cooking, and preteen trips to the race track with his gambler father (yes, Greg placed bets!). He also regales us with his improv troupe’s adventures touring through American’s heartland and south, reveling in our nations’ culinary heritage....

In this episode, actor (LA Law)/writer Michael Tucker discusses his path to becoming a gourmet cook, from childhood grilled cheese creations to cooking and eating out with Julia Child. His brilliance as a raconteur blooms as he relates stories of a childhood bacchanalian crab feast, then, as a teen, eating the greatest brisket sandwich (with jewelry in his pockets), and, much later in life, cooking a potentially disastrous, tipsy meal for a fabled NYC restaurateur. Don't forget to follow all...

In this episode, Ken Page (voice of The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Oogie Boogie) speaks of the culinary influence of multiple generations of his family and of the passing down of loving cooking traditions (and utensils), while telling of famous guests who appear at his holiday recreations of those early meals. He also relates the story of his 9-year-old disastrous encounter with a cake and his entry into show business being a natural outgrowth of his grandmother’s larger-than-life...

In this part 1 of 2 episode, Lovin' Spoonful co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Sebastian remembers a fascinating childhood around the dinner table with his artistic parents and their famous friends, and his joyous, youthful culinary awakenings in Italy. He also reminisces about his days as a Rock and Roll singer/songwriter, making movie music for Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen, being at the birth of the tie-dye craze, and his legendary appearance at the Woodstock...

In this part 2 of 2 episode, Lovin' Spoonful co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Sebastian remembers a fascinating childhood around the dinner table with his artistic parents and their famous friends, and his joyous, youthful culinary awakenings in Italy. He also reminisces about his days as a Rock and Roll singer/songwriter, making movie music for Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen, being at the birth of the tie-dye craze, and his legendary appearance at the Woodstock...

In this family Thanksgiving episode, Chris interviews his three grown children: they reminisce about growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley and traveling to California to visit their father, as well as being young “sous-chefs” when their parents cooked, and their working in restaurants from their teen years into adulthood. They also tell of their occasional behind the scenes, eye-popping restaurant experiences as servers, bartenders, and cooks, and relate how they’ve used their cooking skills...

In this episode, William Ragsdale takes us back to 1840 and his great, great, great grandfather’s founding of the Ragsdale hometown of El Dorado, Arkansas. He then brings us to his childhood and his close-knit family’s culinary habits, including his mother’s simple but nutritious home-cooked meals. He also describes childhood outings to luscious southern church dinners, and his transition, at 9 years old, from an average kid to his early performance as a ’Munchkin.’ His subsequent love of...

In this episode, Amanda Bearse describes her upbringing in a satellite town of Orlando, Florida, with trips to the mountains and a family farm in Northern Georgia. All American, nourishing food was plentiful at home, while a garden furnished much of the fare on trips to the Georgia farm. Bearse also talks about her earlier coming out to her religious mother, Bearse’s subsequent public reveal as a lesbian at the height of her career, and her subsequent LGBTQ activism. She also describes her...

In this episode, Jonathan Stark reveals details of his upbringing in Erie, PA, where his plain family fare was punctuated by elaborate Thanksgiving dinners and desserts. He goes on to discuss his unexpected entry into the world of improv in The Groundlings and other groups, which, interestingly, led to his being cast in the cult classic, “Fright Night.” A fortuitous spec script began his illustrious sitcom writing career that includes an Emmy Award and the creation of his own sitcom, and he...

In this episode, Cary Elwes describes the sad state of food in the U.K. when he was a boy, and his culinary awakening when he spent time with his father in Spain, with side travels to Morocco. He also vividly recounts the many food adventures during the making of “The Princess Bride” and his one of a kind dining experiences with Andre the Giant. Elwes then chronicles his current tastes and rituals in the rapidly expanding culinary universe. Instagram: @caryelwes Twitter: @cary_elwes Don't...

In this episode, Tom Holland recounts his growing up in a house where food was simply fuel, and it's preparation secondary to his parents' and his work in their clothing stores. His journey then took him to New York as an TV actor, then to Hollywood, where he first struggled and ultimately succeeded as a screenwriter and director. Don't forget to follow all of the social media! @Sarandon_Chris on Twitter @TheOfficialChrisSarandon on Instagram Chris Sarandon on...

In this episode, Michael Patrick King discusses his growing up in Scranton, PA with bland food and blander expectations for success. His hilarious recounting of his journey to New York, where he worked for many years as baggage handler and waiter while writing and performing in his spare time, culminated in a discovery of a world of food and, ultimately, a Emmy winning career as a writer. Don't forget to follow on social media, visit youtube for the video of this episode, and head to the...