Your Last Meal With Rachel Belle

Fran Drescher (The Nanny) is an actor, cancer survivor, and LGBTQ activist. On this episode of YLM, Host Rachel Belle dishes with the New York native about being a gay icon, how she uses her celebrity to advocate for important causes, and why Fran was the first guest to object to sharing her last meal. We also dig into the habits of picky eaters. Rachel talks to a woman who has never let a vegetable pass her lips, and chats with Stephanie Lucianovic, author of Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater's Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate. To support the Cancer Schmancer movement visit www.cancerschmancer.org. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Allison (Risk!, MTV's The State) is a freaking delight. Whether it's his infectious laughter, his willingness to be honest no matter the cost, or a shared love of eating Doritos with milk, Rachel may have found her new best friend. And we think you will too! Exclamation point! On the latest YLM, we learn about Kevin's early life as a gay kid in Ohio, explore his imperfect veganism, and in honor of Risk!, Rachel and Producer Aaron share stories about some of the weird & risky foods they've eaten. Rachel also talks to "Cocktail Evangelist" Robert Hess about the history of, and how one should make, the perfect martini. (HINT: James Bond has it all wrong.) Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a celebrity astrophysicist, Director of The Hayden Planetarium in NYC, host of "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" and the "Star Talk" radio show, and the guy we love to blame for Pluto not being a planet anymore. On this episode of YLM, Rachel talks with one of the greatest scientific voices of our time about his love of melted butter, the time he almost became a stripper, and what foods Neil would take with him if he could travel to space. Speaking of space travel, former NASA Astronaut & Hubble Space Telescope repairman Mike Massimino tells Rachel all about eating in zero gravity, the last meal he ate before his first shuttle launch, and what food options are available for a crew orbiting Earth. Thanks also to lobster expert Barton Seaver, author of "For Cod and Country." Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://s

Happy Mother's Day! To celebrate, we took a little time to talk to the woman responsible for bringing our beloved Rachel Belle into the world: her mom, Barbara. From the streets of Brooklyn, to digging through another Barbra (Streisand)'s garbage in LA, Barbara's life has never been boring. And speaking of moms, how 'bout that placenta?! Rachel talks to Heather Woskey of Seattle Placenta Encapsulation about the practice of mothers eating their placenta. (It's put into pills, so it's not as gross as it sounds. Unless you're already totally grossed out, then it might not get that much better...) Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York Times Bestselling author Augusten Burroughs has written several deeply personal memoirs including "Running with Scissors," "Dry," and his newest "Lust & Wonder." Host Rachel Belle also talks with the delightful "Queen of the Cooking Infomercial" Cathy Mitchell (Dump Cakes!), and gets stuck between two warring sides over the hotly-debated origins of Brunswick Stew: a traditional dish in the American South created in either Brunswick, Georgia or Brunswick County, Virginia, depending on who you ask. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ann Wilson is widely considered one of the best vocalists in rock and roll history. On this week's YLM, she dishes about her favorite karaoke jams and her love for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Host Rachel Belle chats with Lori Eberenz, at KFC HQ in Kentucky, to learn the incredible true story of Colonel Sanders - a journey he began in his 60s while on social security. AND Rachel cooks and eats her first beef heart (get it?! "heart") with Crowd Cow founder, Ethan Lowry. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top Chef Season 14 winner Brooke Williamson talks about life behind the scenes on Rachel's favorite reality TV show, how much of the improvised cooking is truly off the cuff, and the simple joys of dough. Of course you can't talk about donuts without mentioning their biggest fans: Cops. So we've got three of Seattle's finest in-studio for a taste-test of their favorite beat treats. We get to the bottom of the (apparently true?) stereotype, and learn about the muddled history - and spelling - of America's favorite confection. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2017 marks the 25th anniversary of Sir Mix-A-Lot's monster hit "Baby Got Back." (I know, right?!) Rachel asks the rapper/producer about his iconic tribute to tush, what the song really means, and why it was good getting banned from MTV. OH, BUT THE FOOD! YLM goes down to Louisiana to uncover the difference between Cajun and Creole (cuisine and culture) from Chef & TV host John Folse, author of The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, and Louisiana Eats' Poppy Tooker. Rachel also talks to Georgea Pappas, daughter of the founder of Pappadeux: the home of Texas Redfish Ponchartrain and a favorite of Hip Hop's finest. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Pashman's podcast "The Sporkful" is one of Rachel's favorite shows and one of the most popular food podcasts on iTunes. On this week's YLM, Dan schools us on the most delicious way to eat pizza and burgers and explains why his six-and-a-half year old daughter is a better dinner date than his wife. Plus, the history of the tortilla with Jeffrey Pilcher, author of Planet Taco, and prepare to get hungry as we break down the Phorrito (pho + burrito!!) invented by Chef Erwin Tjahyadi at Komodo in Los Angeles. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Known to millions as "Mary Ann," one of Gilligan's Island's seven iconic castaways, Dawn Wells is a television legend. So sit right back, and you'll hear a tale - a tale of Dawn's nostalgic past, a philosophy professor's take on the ethics of eating animals, and food facts from a precocious 9 year-old Ginger on this episode of YLM. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Inman's "The Oatmeal" is one of the most popular webcomics on the entire internet. His game "Exploding Kittens" holds the record for the most successful Kickstarter game campaign of all time ($8.8m of its $10k goal!), so for his last meal we had to bring in the big guns... Have you seen "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" about 91 year-old Jiro Ono, Japan's greatest sushi chef? His apprentice Shiro Kashiba was the man who brought sushi to Seattle, and he joins Host Rachel Belle in-studio to tell us about the history of sushi, the proper way to enjoy Matthew's final dish, and why he's still working 5 nights a week at his restaurant Sushi Kashiba at Seattle's Pike's Place Market. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrity Librarian (yes - that's a thing), and regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition Nancy Pearl is one of Rachel's favorite people. And she isn't your average librarian: She's been made into an action figure, had a bluegrass band named after her, and her best-selling Book Lust series has helped millions of people discover their new favorite stories. Nancy's choice for last meal is as classic as a dusty old tome: good ol' macaroni and cheese. We'll learn the history of one of America's most beloved dishes. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former drummer of The Shins, and current hatch green chile impresario, Jesse Sandoval joins host Rache Belle to discuss bringing New Mexico's much-loved pepper to the masses, the band's fallout with fans after "selling-out" in a McDonald's ad, and with which Golden Girl would Jesse most like to eat cheesecake with. We learn about Jesse's last meal with 3rd-generation Valencian paella chef Perfecte Rocher (who LA Weekly called the best paella chef in Los Angeles), and we get the history of saffron - a key ingredient in the dish and one of the most expensive spices on Earth! Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary East Coast rapper Prodigy (Mobb Deep) served over 3 years in prison, but because of his sickle cell disease, had to eat well or he'd be painfully ill. The prison food, as you can guess, wasn't exactly full of vitamins. So, he wrote "Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook," with dozens of recipes he and his fellow inmates would cook with foods available to them on the inside. Host Rachel Belle also talks with Death Row Chef Brian D. Price, author of "Meals to Die For," who has cooked 218 last meals in Texas for condemned inmates before they banned last meals in 2011. He's got some amazing stories, and is trying to get the practice reinstated. Also on YLM this week, Matt Rodbard, author of "Koreatown: A Cookbook," and Rachel makes & eats a dish from Prodigy's cookbook called Prison Surprise! Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade P

You know Mario Batali. His passion for Italian cuisine made him one of the most recognizable celebrity chefs in the world. Well... that and his signature orange Crocs. Join Rachel as she mambos Italiano with "Molto Mario" from his humble beginnings in Washington State to cooking for President Obama's final State Dinner. And speaking of the White House, Rachel gets unique insight into the kitchens at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from former White House chef John Moeller whose tenure spanned both Bush's and the Clinton's presidencies. This week's YLM also includes advice on how to become the best chef you can be, and profiles the history of America's first celebrity chef: fellow Italian-American Chef Boyardee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Kimball is the founder of Emmy-winning America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated magazine, and Christopher Kimball's Milk Street. Mr. Kimball is old-school, and on this episode of YLM, Rachel digs into everything from table manners to his Rockwellian choice for last meal. We learn the history of apple pie, which apples make the best pie, and that there more passionate opinions about how to make this delicious treat than you knew existed - a la mode, anyone? Thanks to author, illustrator, and adorable person Jesse Oleson Moore from cakespy.com; poet and pie expert (she was an Iowa State Fair Pie Contest judge!) Kate Lebo of katelebo.com. Also, Rebecca Loions, International Marketing Director at The Washington State Apple Commission. Original music by Prom Queen. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.o

Dan Savage is an author, journalist, LGBTQ activist, and media pundit. From his internationally syndicated sex-advice column "Savage Love," to his massively popular podcast "Savage Lovecast," Dan is never afraid to speak his mind. On this week's YLM, Rachel talks to Dan about food, sex, food during sex, food after sex... and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We've got a special treat this episode! Since it's our last show before the big election, we've got a presidential-style debate about Dan's (and America's) favorite food that you don't want to miss. Special thanks to Cathy Johnson from the National Peanut Board. Original music by Prom Queen. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mara Wilson, the little girl from Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda, and Miracle on 34th Street, is all grown up. But what's she been up to? Writing articles, plays, and books - including her new memoir Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame - and dreaming of her last meal: A San Francisco Mission Style Burrito Host Rachel Belle consults author, ¡Ask a Mexican! columnist and burrito authority Gustavo Arellano, and FiveThirtyEight.com writer and ultimate burrito bracketeer, Anna Maria Barry-Jester, to find out everything she can about her and Mara's favorite food. Original music by Prom Queen. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luke Burbank is the host of the podcast TBTL, the NPR radio show and podcast Live Wire,  is a panelist on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and reporter for CBS Sunday Morning. Host Rachel Belle goes to Din Tai Fung, where folks wait in long lines for soup dumplings, to learn how they make Luke's last meal. And she talks to professors at both Harvard and MIT about the psychology and economy of waiting in line. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4 is chock full of surprises - especially for Rachel! Don't miss this special episode of YLM as Rachel talks with hilarious, albeit confusingly-named, comedian Quincy Jones who is living with terminal cancer. Quincy shares how his appearance on Ellen led to a stand-up special on HBO, his strong opinions on cereal, and Rachel talks to the granddaughter of the man who created the Caesar Salad. Follow along on Instagram! Please subscribe to the *new* Your Last Meal newsletter so you can be the first to know about events, giveaways & content only available to subscribers!Support Cascade PBS: https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.