The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef

It's time for Episode 138 of The Food For ThoughtCast- Welcome back food fans! Melissa and Steve catch up a little about what they are cooking and eating and then dive right into this week's topic-- favorite cereals, custom builds, and forgotten favorites. We take a look at 11 forgotten cereals that vanished from supermarket shelves. Some of these we are old enough to remember and some are way before our time. Before you got cuckoo for Coco Puffs, did you find yourself urgent for Urkel-Os? We talk some of the best and some of the worst, and Melissa housed a mixing bowl full of Cheerios right after we stopped recording. Sometimes you just need cereal for dinner in your grown adult life. Enjoy! Find us where all the podcasts reside and thanks for watching on YouTube!

Hey there food fans! Welcome back to the Food For ThoughtCast-- you're just in time to talk about the foods of the early settlers, the time of the revolutionary war, and a few of the colonies. It's time for episode 138! Melissa and Steve are all over the place and all over the map, literally, in today's quick look at some of the most commonly eaten foods and cooking techniques used during this monumental time in our nation's history. There is a only a tiny, un-American amount of talk devoted to apple pie- but that's ok, we salvage it by having a full conversation devoted to whether possums are friends or food. Enjoy ! Find us everywhere that you find only the most amazing food podcasts and don't forget to watch us on YouTube!

Sometimes sauces can be a real mother... Hey there food fans, welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast! It's time for Episode 137. Today we are talking about the five mother sauces of classical cooking. We take a look at each one and explain how to make them and how they are used, and we give our favorite riffs and variations. These sauces are a great foundation for your cooking journey. Whether you find yourself making a braised beef short rib, mac n cheese, or spaghetti and meatballs- you'll need these basic techniques and methods to make it a success. Melissa and Stephen debate the merits of sweet potato hot chocolate (there is no winner) and talk about what we ate during the icepocalypse. Find us in all the usual podcast places, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Thanks for listening and for watching on YouTube!

Hey there, food fans! We had an absolute blast talking to Lisa Parda, and we know you will love her too! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast. You're just in time for Episode 136. We're talking all things SteakUmms, real cheesecake, and potlucks. Lisa is the founder of RealtyScape and the cohost of Lisa and Robyn on The Mic. Lisa shares her journey to cooking, her philosophy on entertaining, and her love for gathering people. We talk about the quirks of paper plates vs the fine china, and wax poetic about the sacred kitchen spaces that are largely underutilized in most homes. Her cookbook, My Love Language Is Food, will be available in March. Find our podcast in all of the usual places, and grab the cookbook as fast as you can. It is sure to become one of your favorites. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Hey there food fans! It's time for Episode 135. It's a solo snack! Sometimes Stephen and Melissa cannot make the stars align to record together, but we dare not deprive you of the tasty content that you've grown to know and love- so today, you get Melissa. I'm talking about fried chicken! We'll go on a global tour of some of the notable types, talk about what makes them different, and then a little bit about the history, and I'll give you a crash course on breading and deep frying. I am so hungry right now, I wonder if KFC is still open. It's not the best, but it's good in a pinch. Enjoy this episode of The Food For ThoughtCast and thank you so much for listening. May your wings be crispy and your onion rings intact. 

New Year, New Us! Hey there food fans, it's time for Episode 134 of The Food For ThoughtCast! Not to fear, it's the same old us that you've grown to love, and today we're catching up about all the New Year's cooking and eating. After we get that out of the way, Melissa needs to celebrates Steve's new hairdo with a one-time-only segment called "Just A Little Off The Top"- we take a look today at foods you think maybe aren't edible, but they actually are! Tangents are gone on, vocal stims activated, and hilarity ensues- don't miss our second episode of 2026. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and thanks so much for watching us on YouTube. 

Food For ThoughtCast Fam, are you ready for 2026?! Happy New Year to our listeners and food fans, whether you've been here since the beginning or just found us recently,  we are so glad that you are here with us. Today's episode was our official Christmas episode- and Christmas week ended up being so busy, that we pushed it to today. Enjoy listening to Episode 133 of The Food For ThoughtCast as you triumphantly charge into the new year. Just remember that nobody was ever upset about extra Christmas. Steve and I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Stay tuned in 2026 for new guests, returning guests, and continued tasty content. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and share us with a friend. Don't forget to eat your black-eyed peas today if that's what you're into.

Trade routes, spice roads, and Hippocras-- it's time for the holiday edition of The Food For ThoughtCast! Welcome back food fans, on Episode 132 we're talking about flavors... not just any flavors, but the flavors that make Christmas, well, taste like Christmas. We are examining the origin and special features of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, gingerbread, white chocolate, nutmeg, peppermint and more and digging into why these specific flavors are associated with the holiday season. Happy holidays to you and yours, thanks so much for listening, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll never miss any tasty new content. Cheers!

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast- it's the Holiday edition! We missed you, food fans! We missed each other too. In Episode 131, Melissa and Stephen are reunited and doing the whole Peaches n' Herb whatcha been eating, whatcha been cooking dance. We recap our Thanksgiving meals, go on a thousand tangents, and talk about what lies ahead for meal prep and Christmas. Enjoy this random reunion and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Thanks so much for listening and for watching us on YouTube.

Welcome back , food fans! It's time for episode 130 of The Food For ThoughtCast! Today, Melissa is telling Steve all about her recent cruise that left from Miami and sailed to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. It was a culinary journey of island foods, delicious seafood, Dutch lunch favorites, Carnival Horizon dining room favorites, and some birthday fun with an amazing chef's table menu. She gives a rundown of the greatest hits from her vacation, as well as some insight into the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and Jiji's menus from the ship. While not sponsored by Carnival, they have really upped their culinary game and Melissa gives them their flowers. When you travel, don't forget to try new foods and seek out culinary adventure. You never know what you might find. Catch the podcast in all the usual places and don't forget to watch us on YouTube. Steve and Melissa love to talk with their hands, so it just makes more sense that way. Despite searching everywhere, Melissa failed to locate Kokomo just after Aruba and Jamaica. She'll have to keep looking. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. 

Hey there food fans! Today we take to the skies--- well not really, but we are taking on the subject of airplane food. On Episode 129 of The Food For ThoughtCast we are looking at some of the best and worst airline menus from all around, and also speculating what we might serve if we had our own airline catering programs. Melissa dreams about having hot food on real plates someday,  while Stephen says enchilada casserole for everyone. What is the best or worst hot meal you've ever had in-flight? Tell us all about it over on the socials. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and thanks so much for watching us on YouTube.

Steve and Melissa are back at it with the travel recaps. Steve tells us all about his most recent trip to Philly, with some new foods  and places to celebrate. Melissa has gone to the NC State Fair for the first time and has big props for the street corn nachos and crispy chicken pancake tacos. It's time for Episode 128 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We're glad you're here to share in all the amazing things we ate! Did you recently go somewhere with great food? Try something new? Tell us all about in it the comments on Facebook or over on Instagram. Find us in all the podcast places and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Remember, you are what makes the podcast great!

Welcome back food fans, today we are joined by Dylan McDonnell for Episode 127 of The Food For ThoughtCast. Dylan is the founder and CEO of Foodini- an app that helps people find safe food to eat whether they have food allergies, dietary restrictions, or religious preferences.  A former corporate lawyer, Dylan moved into the world of food and technology to solve a problem he suffered from himself - dining out as a celiac. The app is currently being beta tested in LA and Santa Monica, and someday coming to a market near you! This technology and platform will bring incredible awareness to food allergies and intolerances. We have a delightful discussion about the privilege of knowing what is in our food, the accessibility of safe food for people who need it, and the trials and tribulations of navigating the restaurant scene. Dylan was an amazing guest and we loved getting to know him, we know you will too. Find us in all the podcast places and don't forget to watch us on YouTube! Find Foodini in the App Store. 

Hey there food fans, we're back and bringing you our second ever Fan Feature! Today we are joined by travel writer (and fan of the show) Melissa Thomas, for episode 126 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We talk about trying new things when you travel, Melissa's recent trip to Scotland and all the amazing things they ate there,  and how vacation calories don't count. Melissa can be found over at MelissasPage.com and also @melissaspage on Substack, where she encourages people to have the courage to solo travel and follow their dreams. Her writing style is inviting and informative and not to be missed. We had an awesome time chatting, and not to mention these two Melissas have been dear friends for a while- so we know that you will enjoy this. Thanks for listening. Find us in all the usual podcast places and don't forget to watch on YouTube! 

Hey there food fans, welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast-- today we are talking to Lenzy Ruffin in Episode 125! Lenzy Ruffin is the Cooking Show Advisor for Park Road Studios. He specializes in teaching chefs how to use YouTube to host a weekly cooking show on TV. Lenzy is on a mission to change our relationship with food. He believes we can make better food choices for both our personal health, as well as for the health of our planet. We had a blast talking to Lenzy about the SNAP challenge, the value of understanding what is in our food, and the opportunities that chefs have to create not only an online presence, but also revenue streams, using YouTube. Lenzy is a not only a well of knowledge , but also a really nice guy who made for a fascinating conversationalist. Consider us fans! We hope you enjoy meeting him as much as we did.

Would you ever try beef tongue jello or Newt's fruit? What about tuna loaf or a mayonnaise ice cube with pears and nuts? Bennett would, and he has! Buckle up food fans, today we're talking to Bennett Rea from Cookin' with Congress. It's time for Episode 124 of The Food For ThoughtCast. You may have seen his content through Facebook or Instagram, the Los Angeles Times, Eater, or NBC California. Bennett is an incredible guest with tales of woe from all over the culinary map- including his unique, and data-backed take on why most American presidents' diets qualify them for psychopath status. He has turned his blog into a viral sensation with people watching from all over every week to see him eat like famous politicians and also everyday Americans. Not only was this a fun and exciting conversation for us, Melissa was definitely fan-girling the entire time, but Bennett reports he had a great time too- thank God! We can't wait to see what he tries next. Find us in all the usual podcast places and maybe steer clear of any recipes that use both jello and lunchmeat together. Thanks for listening to (and watching) the Food For ThoughtCast!

Hey there food fans! It's time for Episode 123 of The Food For ThoughtCast. Maybe it's just in time for October, or Thursday for those who celebrate, but today we're talking about kitchen myths, wives' tales (please don't cancel us, could also be spouse tales), and downright half-truths. I talk smack about our two Amish listeners and their disdain for serving food after 8pm, and we are sure to lose all of our other listeners who wash their chicken with Dawn dish soap. Whatever the case, we're glad you stayed. We really love that we're your favorite food podcast, but don't forget to tell everyone else too! Rate, review, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to watch us on YouTube. Sorry moms, this episode is feisty. 

Hey there food fans! Get ready to lose your minds and be inspired to grow creative facial hair- because Chef Joe Sasto is here! You may know him from Top Chef: Colorado, Chopped, or The Great Food Truck Race or you may also know him for having the sickest handlebar mustache this side of a crazed railroad villain. Whatever the case, we're glad you're here. It's time for Episode 122 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We are talking about pasta, white people taco night (that's what Chef Sasto has nicknamed his regular Taco Bell order), cookbook releases, and why traveling to eat is the only way to do it. We had a great time with Chef Joe and we know you will too. Be sure to check out Breaking the Rules: A Fresh Take on Italian Classics , now available on Amazon for pre-order. Thanks so much for listening and for watching us on Youtube. If you need me I'll be over in the corner absolutely housing an entire bag of Tantos! Cacio E Pepe puffed pasta chips. Tell a friend about us, or tell us about your friend. Have it your way.

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast! It's time for a guest episode. Today on Episode 121 we are honored to be speaking to Nicole Patel from Delysia Chocolatier in Austin, Texas. She was generous enough to share two collections with us that we were able to try while we recorded. Her whimsical and creative truffle collections and flavors are awe-inspiring and really fun to experience. Steve and Melissa bond over their shared love of both lemon curd and chipotle, and unfortunately Melissa cannot hide her disdain for licorice but Nicole is a really good sport about it. Nicole is super polite while Melissa spouts off fifty new flavor ideas for Delysia to tackle. These are not your grandma's truffles, and the one secret (ok not a secret but a really fun fact!) Nicole is hiding about how she crafts the flavors will absolutely blow your mind. Listen to find out! We can't wait to try the rest of the flavors, like green chile queso- yes you read this correctly! Thanks for listening and for watching us on YouTube. Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, but most importantly share us with a friend who loves food.  Check out Delysia Chocolatier if you're in Northwest Austin, or order online at www.delysia.com

Hey there food fans! We've missed you. We're back and ready for the next episode of The Food For ThoughtCast! This is a check-in episode. Steve and Melissa missed each other so much that we couldn't go any further without talking about the most amazing things we ate in the time we were apart. Melissa has finally found a restaurant close by that doesn't suck (finally...FINALLY) and we talk with Steve about trying to hunt birds with rocks. Melissa has a go at cottage cheese alfredo and we talk troubleshooting the texture. Steve had a great time in Florida, went hard in the brussels sprouts, and we get into a lively discussion about the merits of black drum and the tragedy of people leaving the tails on the shrimp. We had a great time catching up and we hope you missed your favorite food podcast as much as we missed each other. Find us wherever you find the finest podcasts, and don't forget to leave us a review. Find us on YouTube (nearly) every Thursday.