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The Meal Of Your Life

Storytelling Podcasts

Two-time Emmy Award-winning lifestyle, entertainment and culture obsessed Restaurateur Billy Dec, is driven by what it takes to create the most memorable experiences ever, by searching out what people really want, need and desire.. how they satisfy their appetites, feed their souls, nourish their wellbeing, and fulfill their dreams. So, in each episode, with a unique and unforgettable guest, we explore and discover what fills their plates literally, but also what feeds their mind, body, and soul, discovering the Meals of Their Lives.

Location:

Chicago, Illinois

Description:

Two-time Emmy Award-winning lifestyle, entertainment and culture obsessed Restaurateur Billy Dec, is driven by what it takes to create the most memorable experiences ever, by searching out what people really want, need and desire.. how they satisfy their appetites, feed their souls, nourish their wellbeing, and fulfill their dreams. So, in each episode, with a unique and unforgettable guest, we explore and discover what fills their plates literally, but also what feeds their mind, body, and soul, discovering the Meals of Their Lives.

Twitter:

@BillyDec

Language:

English

Contact:

3122138911


Episodes

Ming Tsai: TV Host/Chef & James Beard Award Winner

7/7/2021
Ming Tsai, Chef, TV host, and Executive Producer of the renowned cooking show Simply Ming, joins Billy Dec to discuss the struggles of the food industry throughout COVID, the required steps to keeping a healthy body and mind, and the inspiration behind his newest creation, MingsBings.

Duration:00:35:19

Andrew Zimmern: James Beard Award-Winning TV Personality, Co-Creator/Host of Bizarre Foods, Chef, Food Writer

1/3/2018
James Beard Award-Winning TV Personality, Co-Creator/Host of Bizarre Foods, Chef, Food Writer, Andrew Zimmern, chats with Billy about the differences and similarities in meal experiences around the world, challenges within the restaurant world, how they met up in Namibia for a super memorable meal, and Andrew's amazing story on how he hit rock bottom and built himself back up to be the successful and positive person he is today.

Duration:00:24:34

Macy Gray: Grammy-Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, Actress

11/9/2017
Grammy-Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, Actress and longtime friend Macy Gray shares funny waitress stories with guests like Barbara Streisand, how her dad shot a rabbit, how we met over a buffet 15yrs ago when I apparently dissed Charlize Theron (haha, had no idea), and what she eats before she performs (and how her hype music is Britney Spears?!).. OH, and how I should have acted crazy when Bobby Brown tried to beat me up at her bday party haha.. enjoy!

Duration:00:39:35

Carla Hall: Celeb Chef, TV Personality, Cookbook Author

10/10/2017
Celeb Chef, TV Personality, Carla Hall, chats with Billy about her time on Top Chef, why she believes dishes have male and/or female energies, her love of Nashville (where she was born and raised), and her views on what makes the differences and similarities in cooking cultures so wonderful.​

Duration:00:21:07

Curtis Stone: Celeb Chef, TV Personality, Restaurateur, Cookbook Author

10/4/2017
Celeb Chef, TV Personality, Restaurateur, Curtis Stone, chats with Billy about the food scene in Melbourne, his food and life philosophy, why his one-ingredient based menu at Maude pushes him to consistently evolve, and why good quality condiments are the key to a successful quick meal.

Duration:00:24:37

Aarti Sequeira: Food Network Celebrity Chef, Winner of “The Next Food Network Star,” Host of shows “Aarti Paarti” & “Taste in Translation,” Cookbook Author, Judge on the Food Network’s Cooks vs. Cons

9/11/2017
Celebrity Chef on Food Network.. Winner of “The Next Food Network Star,” Host of shows “Aarti Paarti” & “Taste in Translation,” Aarti Sequeira, gives us an inside look into culture, culinary, & community.. from India where born, Dubai where grew up, to her rise on Network TV in America becoming a celebrity chef! Learn tips on throwing house parties, how she teaches her kids about her Indian culture through food, and why she believes that when it comes to cooking, “you don’t need to be fancy to make an impact” and more!

Duration:00:40:25

Joseph Sikora: Actor

8/28/2017
Tommy from the TV Show, Power, Actor, Joe Sikora, chats about how he expresses his creativity not only through acting but also through graffiti, what he put into his role as Tommy (the amount of food he eats, the chain he wears, choices he makes, etc.), his love of the Polish American culture and cuisine, and his death row meal of choice, his Mom and Dad’s flank steak marinated in soy sauce and brown sugar.

Duration:00:50:54

Larenz Tate: Actor, Producer

8/28/2017
Actor from Power, Dead Presidents, Menace to Society, Love Jones & many more! Larenz Tate discusses his acting roots, his plant-based lifestyle, his love for the slow cookers, why he can’t take lunch meets with his producing partner brothers, and his Grandmother’s fried chicken secret!

Duration:00:50:18

Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Mayor of the City of Chicago

8/15/2017
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, discusses why Bon Appetite named Chicago the Restaurant City of the Year, how he lost part of his finger while working in a kitchen, why arguing at the dinner table when he was young prepared him for parenthood, and his favorite dining memory to date.

Duration:00:20:15

Liz Dozier: CNN star of “Chicagoland” Principal who led turnaround of extremely rough high school after student was killed by mob of kids all caught on youtube and went viral around the world, now Managing Director of Chicago Beyond

8/8/2017
Liz Dozier, star of CNN Original Series “Chicagoland” chats about turning around the worst scenario ever that happened with her school, how she came from a white nun and black father in jail, food in schools in underserved neighborhoods, gangs, changing lives, the importance of mentorship, and her love for travelling, sharing meals and new experiences with people along the way.

Duration:00:38:52

Chris Sayegh: Marijuana/Cannabis Infused Fine Dining Chef aka “The Herbal Chef”

7/25/2017
Chris Sayegh, Cannabis Infused Fine Dining Chef aka “The Herbal Chef” shares science and health benefits behind cannabis, the future of cannabis sommeliers, the importance of using food to create memories, and why the absence of his Grandma and Mom’s cooking in college made him change his career path.

Duration:00:25:01

Tony Abou-Ganim: Author of The Modern Mixologist, The Godfather of Cocktails, Three-Time Iron Chef America Winner

7/12/2017
Tony Abou-Ganim, Author of The Modern Mixologist, The Godfather of Cocktails, discusses the art of hospitality, how his passion for acting lead him to pursuing bartending full-time, the romance behind crafting a drink, and his most memorable meal at Chez Henri in Paris - charcuterie, cassoulet, pomme frites, duck confit and amazing friends.

Duration:00:35:22

Paul Adelstein: Actor, Producer, Musician

7/5/2017
Paul Adelstein of Scandal, Prison Break, Private Practice, to name a few, is an accomplished actor, producer, musician who chats about his humble beginnings as the worst waiter ever, taking classes Piven Theatre Workshop, how boys camp changed his life, and how family meals took a drastic change in the 80s. So such a blast talking with him, super hilarious- enjoy!

Duration:00:38:58

Mario Rizzotti: Iron Chef America Judge, TV personality, & Italian culinary expert

6/27/2017
Iron Chef America Judge, TV personality, and Italian culinary expert, Mario Rizzotti, talks about dolce vita (the sweet and beautiful life), the differences between authentic Italian cuisine and American Italian cuisine, and how he considered every single day his Mom cooked as the meal of his life.

Duration:00:19:15

Charles Joly: "World's Best Bartender" & Founder of Crafthouse Cocktails

6/20/2017
Global Bartending Champion and Founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, Charles Joly, talks about the global cocktail movement, the secrets behind great cocktails, how not to crack under pressure, and how he'd break being a vegetarian to have one meal all over again.

Duration:00:43:22

Ming Tsai: TV Host/Chef & James Beard Award Winner

6/13/2017
In this episode, Billy talks with James Beard Award Winning Chef, TV personality, cookbook author, Ming Tsai. They dive into everything from closing down to birth new concepts, integrating ethnic heritage, importace of feng shui, steps of service, social media courtesy, “foodie” & “celebrity chef” culture.. and the idyllic meal at Les Crayeres that made him feel so high he smacked his face into a mirror and forever left an impression that changed his life forever!

Duration:00:29:55

Ed Asner: Emmy Award-Winning Actor

6/5/2017
Iconic Actor, Ed Asner, discusses how he evolved throughout the acting world, his love/hate relationship with his mom’s sweet spaghetti, and the sport of latke eating.

Duration:00:19:04

Nick Kokonas: James Beard Award-Winning Restaurateur

6/5/2017
James Beard Award-winning Co-owner & Founder of Alinea Group and Founder & CEO of Tock, Inc., Nick Kokonas, digs in to his unique approach to business, the hospitality industry and how he’s changing things up.

Duration:00:28:04

Sarah Grueneberg: Top Chef & James Beard Award Winner

5/23/2017
Winner of 2017 James Beard Award- Best Chef, Great Lakes, Sarah Grueneberg, Chef/Partner of Monteverde, talks Top Chef, cooking Italian with a wok, hardest parts about opening a Restaurant, and how her baked potatoes, sausage bread & martinis make her ultimate meal!

Duration:00:31:26

David Schwimmer: Actor/Director/Producer

5/18/2017
In the first episode, Billy talks with longtime friend, actor, producer, and Co-Founder of Lookingglass Theatre, David Schwimmer. Billy & David talk about the critical importance of the meal experience, drawing comparisons between shared moments in live theater and those over meals, they relive the incredible Peking Duck they shared in Beijing while covering the Olympics, to their late hotel hallway raiding of guest leftovers left out in Spain, and what they made from it before eating at 4a. David also shares the meal of his life, and how it made him convinced he could be an actor and director for the rest of his life.

Duration:00:27:44