Sound Bites

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 hungr...

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 activate...

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 Christ...

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...

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...

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 Steak...

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? ...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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 challeng...

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, ...

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 gl...

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 nicknam...

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 cann...

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 tr...

Hey there food fans! We've missed you! After a brief hiatus, we're back with episode 119 of The Food For ThoughtCast. What is your favorite casserole? Do you live for tuna noodle or despise it like Melissa does? We talk about the regional differences between casserole and hotdish, and likewise what technically makes a food a casserole. Is it the ingredients, or the pan it is cooked in? After this episode, we are no closer to an actual answer but we sure did have a great time. Thanks for listenin...

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast, it's time for Episode 118! Steve has returned from his birthday weekend in Alpine, TX and Melissa is busy eating homemade pizza. Today we're talking a little bit about bed and breakfasts. What are some possible things we would serve if we ran one? Where would it be? Melissa has a quiche planned for every day of the week, and Steve dabbles in a la carte service. Full disclosure I looked up bed and breakfasts for sale near me and seriously considered tryin...

Hey there food fans, Episode 117 is here and it's all about the culinary history of Appalachia! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast. First, Melissa gives a recap of her weekend in Black Mountain, North Carolina and tells Steve about all of the most amazing things she ate and then Steve and Melissa journey together through the awesome culinary history of Appalachia, courtesy of the museum education Melissa received on her recent weekend getaway. Find us where you find your other favorite foo...

Hey there food fans! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast episode 116, it's time to talk about the 90s-- but first Melissa and Steve catch up a bit, we've both eaten ribeyes lately- and we can both commiserate about the heat. Tonight we're discussing some failed, discontinued snacks from the 90s that nobody seems to remember. There are a few standouts on the list, but for the most part we can agree-- please stop trying to make a cookie a cracker. Just stay in your lane, Keebler Elves! Find u...

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast, food fans! It's time for Episode 115- It's a little chat about salad. Not particularly extensive, but certainly always tasty talk for the day. We found a list of some of the most popular ones in North America, and gave our takes. Steve gets assigned Texas Caviar, and Melissa gives her opnion on iceberg lettuce. Don't know your Cobb Salad from your Chef Salad? Boy are you in luck! Find us in all the podcast places, and don't forget to watch along on YouTu...

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast- We've got a guest for Episode 114! Today we're talking to Chef John O'Larnic from Chef's Backyard. We tackle the perils of creating content, grilling preferences, and the fun of paying your industry dues. We had a great time hearing from John and we hope you will too. The first listener to share this content TWICE anywhere on social media and tag The Food For ThoughtCast wins a free copy of John's awesome cookbook, Flavor Formula: 25 Recipes to Turn You ...

Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast - It's time for Episode 113! After catching up a little, Melissa and Steve are taking you through the pages of a few of their cookbooks at home. We're asking each other.... What was the one recipe you bought this book for? What is your favorite part? What all have you actually cooked out of this book? Why did you buy it? Sometimes, not unlike some of our listeners I'm sure- we've purchased them for the title or the pictures-- and other times, the book has...

Hey there food fans! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast. In Episode 112, Melissa and Steve are talking about breakup foods, first date foods, and a smattering of other off-topic rabbit trail tidbits- -you know, the usual! What do you eat when you are stressed, when you are sad? We've had an episode based on comfort food but today we want to look at this from a bit of a different angle. Do we think foods can really help change the way you feel? It's a strong resounding "maybe". We also go s...