124. Bennett Rea- A Guest Ep!
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!
Bennett Rea
Host
Bennett Rea is the writer, chef and creator behind Cookin’ with Congress, the viral social media series with half a million followers where he recreates unhinged recipes from politicians, eats like presidents, and connects to everyday people through the insanity of American food. His writing has been featured in Food & Wine, Business Insider, Atlas Obscura and Cracked, and he trained in improv at UCB Los Angeles and iO West. Bennett earned his BA in Politics and went on to work in F&B for six years before becoming a freelance writer and creating Cookin’ with Congress. Now, the video series garners 15 million views a month and has been featured on NPR, NBC California, Eater, The Los Angeles Times and many other outlets, blending history, satire, fun, education, joyous disgust and a true love for everyday folks while roasting (sometimes literally) the foods of powerful politicians. Bennett is a practiced speaker, presenting at colleges, universities and other venues on the nexus of food and politicians and the creative journey of being a full-time social media creator. When Bennett was six years old, he wanted to be the President of the United States and a chef at the same time. This is close enough.
