Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Nadia Caterina Munno, known to her 10 million social-media followers as The Pasta Queen, which also happens to be the name of her new Amazon Prime Italian cooking and travel show. On this bite-sized episode, Nadia reveals her all-time favorite pasta shape, how many times she's been to The Olive Garden and the Roman dish she thinks all Americans should be eating. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadia Catarina Munno is best known to her 10 million social-media followers as The Pasta Queen, a glamorous, dramatic Italian who crumples her face in ecstasy and throws her fork across the room after slurping up a sauce-slicked noodle. Cooking traditional pasta dishes in her Florida kitchen has earned Nadia two bestselling cookbooks and a new Amazon Prime series, The Pasta Queen. Nadia says she sees a lot of Americans committing unforgivable pasta-cooking crimes, so she created The 10 Commandments of Pasta, a list she shares with host Rachel Belle along with a story about what she ate immediately after giving birth to her third daughter. Nadia comes from a long line of farmers and pasta-makers, but she spent decades bucking family tradition. So we’ll hear from Cara Nicoletti, a 4th-generation butcher who founded Seemore Meats & Veggies so her customers would eat less meat. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Sign up for Rachel's new (free!) Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings, coming April 2025! Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from singer/songwriter Kevin Morby. Kevin grew up in Kansas, and after 15 years of building a successful music career living in the coast’s largest cities, he has returned to his hometown. He tells host Rachel Belle why living in the Midwest can spark creativity, what Kansas City meal should be as famous as its legendary BBQ, and what he and his girlfriend (the musician, Waxahatchee) always eat when they return home from a long tour. Listen to Kevin on Your Last Meal. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter Kevin Morby is a peanut butter and jelly man. Like most kids who grew up in the U.S. before peanut-allergy-mania, he loves the classic lunchbox version. But as an adult he’s taken to adding some very unorthodox ingredients like ... scrambled or fried eggs! In this economy?! You know who else eats a TON of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? NFL players! Actually, they eat a ton of Uncrustables, and there is data to prove it. Host Rachel Belle interviews the co-creator of Uncrustables to unpack why the world needed a premade PB&J. And we’ll learn a bit about the history of the PB&J from an expat American journalist who is heartbroken that her England-born children have no interest in her favorite nostalgic sandwich, just like everyone else in the U.K. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow host Rachel Belle on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from TV host, chef and author Alton Brown. Alton famously loathes single-use gadgets, but the one he despises most still has a home in his kitchen drawer. He tells us why. And he shares how he developed a deep love for Jewish deli food as a kid growing up in 1970s Georgia. Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas joins the show to talk about his special relationship with his late mother's 70 year old stove. And Allen Salkin, author of The Uncensored History of the Food Network tells a juicy behind-the-scenes story about Ina Garten and Martha Stewart. Listen to last week's episode of Alton on Your Last Meal. Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alton Brown hosted Good Eats on the Food Network for 16 seasons, and says Julia Child, Mr. Wizard and Monty Python were his inspirations for the wacky, science-driven TV show he created. He just released his 10th book, Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations. Alton famously despises single-use gadgets, but he tells host Rachel Belle about the one item that must be present in every kitchen. He talks about why he is not worried about ChatGPT taking his job as a recipe developer, and admits that his wife Elizabeth, an interior designer, is a far more talented cook than he is. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame. Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from comedian Paula Poundstone! If you listened to last week's episode of Your Last Meal, you know Paula has a serious sweet tooth, from the Ring Dings she wants for her last meal to the sugar packets she used to eat for dessert. Same holds true in this episode where Paula shares her perfect birthday cake, the same one she's adored since childhood, and her very unexpected favorite holiday meal. Hint: it comes in "fun size." Follow along on Instagram! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame & get tickets to an upcoming book event! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran comedian Paula Poundstone loves Ring Dings, her favorite little chocolate snack cakes only sold in a handful of East Coast states. She once told a very skeptical Michael Pollan, on NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, that they are her reason for living. So host Rachel Belle interviews the pastry chef/owner of The Ring Ding Bar in New York City, a bakery that’s recreated the confection with “real ingredients” in 25 flavors. Paula talks about how she lived on a Greyhound bus in the 80s, when she didn’t have enough money for motels, why you should read the recipe on the marshmallow fluff jar very carefully, and why Dick Van Dyke will most likely never have dinner at Paula’s house again. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Sign up for Rachel's newsletter! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Ani DiFranco, singer/songwriter, activist and feminist icon. Ani started her own record company in 1989, put out her first record in 1990 and just released her 23rd album. But what do her two school-aged children think about her music? She will discuss! Plus she shares her family’s boozy holiday traditions, and reveals what is no longer on her rider. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame & get tickets to an upcoming book event! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you listened to the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter in the ’90s, she wants you to know she’s still making music: Ani DiFranco just released her 23rd album! Ani is known for lyrics that explore politics, social justice and feminism, but in real life she is smiley, friendly and down-to-earth – not the “angry feminist” she was often mislabeled as. Ani grew up in Buffalo, New York, where she was tasked with cooking dinner for her family starting at age 9. Today she enjoys cooking for her own family in New Orleans – a soothing ritual that balances the craziness of touring. Ani says she’ll eat anything, so I pulled out a list of America’s most hated foods & quizzed her – listen in to hear what they are! And a social psychologist joins the show to talk about how a country’s culture influences our likes and dislikes. Plus, Ani’s opinion of school lunch and a story about a school district that refuses to dumb down dishes for its young eaters. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand-new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Rachel Belle celebrated the launch of Open Sesame at Book Larder, Seattle's only dedicated cookbook store. The event sold out, but you can listen in! Rachel is usually the one asking the questions, but on November 13 the tables were turned! She was in conversation with Becky Selengut, a beloved Seattle cookbook author, cooking instructor, podcast host and chef. Rachel tells the magical story of how she was offered a book deal (despite having a small social media presence!), a reminder of the importance of building in-person, real-life professional relationships. She tells Becky what it was like to write a cookbook in only six months, describes how the testing process works, shares her biggest recipe fails & talks about how the word “fart” ended up in Open Sesame. Plus, an audience Q&A! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France, two of the stars of the popular Netflix show Queer Eye. Last week on Your Last Meal, Tan said his love language is cooking for the people he loves. So just imagine the fight that breaks out in this episode when Tan tells JVN he’ll bring him take-out instead of a homecooked meal! Tan and JVN reveal their favorite city to eat in and Jonathan, an avid home farmer, gives us a report on what’s growing in his garden. Listen to last week's episode! Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queer Eye Season 9 just dropped on Netflix, and Jonathan Van Ness (beauty expert), Tan France (fashion expert) and the rest of The Fab Five are back to make over folks who have big hearts but need lots of help in the self-care department. This episode is chock full of big energy and big personalities – so much so that host Rachel Belle hardly had to lift a finger as the buddies interviewed, complimented and lovingly roasted each other! British-born-and-raised Tan talks about his first-ever magical visit to Olive Garden and what he thinks of the food in Utah, where he now lives with his husband and children. Rachel asks, “Have you ever eaten pet food?” and JVN and Tan talk about what it’s like going to a restaurant with Antoni Porowski, Queer Eye’s food and wine expert. Get tickets to their Fab Five Live show! Listen to YLM with Ken Jennings. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Al Roker, longtime weather presenter and co-anchor of NBC’s Today. Al and his chef daughter Courtney Roker Laga just released a cookbook called Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By – Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion. Al tells me about the strangest recipe in the cookbook (hint: It involves fish + breakfast cereal), which of his recipes Henry Winkler is obsessed with & his opinion on leftovers. Also: When is the perfect time to show up for a party? Listen to Al Roker’s full episode of YLM Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime Today show weatherman and anchor, Al Roker, just released a cookbook of family recipes with his chef daughter called Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By...but it took some convincing. When Courtney Roker Laga asked her dad if he wanted to write a cookbook together, he knew his answer immediately: No thanks! Fifty years into a busy career, Al wrote a couple cookbooks years ago and knows how much work goes into them. But finally, they made a deal: Al would write the headnotes if Courtney develops and tests all the recipes. Al tells host Rachel Belle about a breakfast tradition that started with his dad, that he carried on with his own teenaged son. Several of the cookbook’s breakfast recipes call for American cheese, so Rachel called up a cheese scientist (with a Ph.D. in cheese!) to find out what American cheese actually is, and in the process learns that it wasn’t even invented in America! And Rachel couldn’t resist asking the weatherman what he likes to cook when it’s raining, snowing, sunny and the perfect spring day. Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Portland, Oregon, novelist Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club and nearly 20 other books, including his new novel Shock Induction. Chuck tells host Rachel Belle about his family’s favorite processed food gimmicks from the ’70s, who his dream dinner party guests are, and his favorite Portland restaurant. Spoiler: He says the food is terrible (So Chuck!). Plus, learn the creation story of the iconic Thanksgiving side dish, green bean casserole. Listen to Chuck on Your Last Meal! Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Palahniuk is best known for his novel-turned-cult-classic-film Fight Club, but the prolific author has published a book nearly every year for the past two decades. His newest is called Shock Induction. Chuck tells host Rachel Belle about the recipes fans have sent him from prison (and which he’s made!), why he can hardly look at a peach, let alone eat one, and why his mouth waters at the mere thought of a crusty, stale Hostess snack cake. Chuck’s mom was not a great cook, but she was excellent at frosting cakes, specifically the Barbie cakes she made for her children in the 1960s and ’70s. We explore the long history of decorated doll cakes with food scholar KC Hysmith. And, an extreme culinary creature of habit, Chuck reveals the meal he’s eaten three times a day for the past several years! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Ken Burns, the prolific, award-winning filmmaker who has been making historical documentary films for PBS for more than 40 years. Ken lost his mother when he was just 11 years old, a tragic event that has shaped both his personal life and career; in last week’s episode of Your Last Meal he said his mother’s death is what led him to filmmaking. She also shaped his taste in food. Ken shares his favorite dessert, one his mother made for his birthday when he was a child. Ken shares what it’s like making films with his eldest daughter, Sarah Burns; why he’s not a big fan of Christmas; and his favorite movie theater snack. Ken Burns' latest film, Leonardo Da Vinci, premieres on Cascade PBS in two parts on Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19 at 8:00 pm, and will be available to stream with the Cascade PBS app. Subscribe to Your Last Meal on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube. Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Order Rachel’s brand new cookbook Open Sesame! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past 50 years, Ken Burns has written, directed and produced historical films on a wide variety of topics, from country music and baseball to the Vietnam War and the Brooklyn Bridge. His brand-new film investigates the life of Leonardo da Vinci who, very appropriately for this show, painted The Last Supper! So host Rachel Belle consults an Italian archaeologist about what Jesus and the 12 apostles were actually eating in the famous painting. Over 20 years ago, Burns helped open a restaurant in his small New Hampshire town called The Restaurant at Burdick’s. He claims to be a silent partner, but his name is printed on the brunch, lunch and dinner menus! He'll explain what the Ken Salad is and how it came to be. Many famous dishes are named after real people, from the Caesar salad to eggs Benedict. We explore the stories behind some of the most well-known eponymous foods, like Granny Smith apples and the Cobb salad. Pre-order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame, out November 12, 2024! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Get tickets to Food Fight, a culinary game show hosted by Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food can play a significant role in a presidential race as candidates attempt to show how relatable they are through the dishes they eat and the restaurants they visit. Not only do Vice President Kamala Harris and presidential hopeful Donald Trump have different politics, they have extremely different tastes in food. In this special election episode of Your Last Meal, award-winning New York Times food reporter Kim Severson says if Harris is elected, she will be the first president with a genuine love and prowess for cooking. Severson elaborates on what a big role cooking has played in the Harris/Walz campaign. American food scholar KC Hysmith joins the show to tell us more about Trump’s tastes, and how big a role McDonald’s has played in both his personal and professional life. Then we’ll go back in time to learn what was served at the very first American elections and rehash some embarrassing moments from years past, when a politician’s public display of eating went terribly wrong. Here's the recipe for the original Election Cake recipe! Pre-order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame, out November 12, 2024! Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle! Follow along on Instagram! Get tickets to Food Fight, a culinary game show hosted by Rachel Belle! Support the show: http://rachelbelle.substack.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.