Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

Julia Collin Davison & Bridget Lancaster co-host the most-watched cooking show on public television – "America’s Test Kitchen!" The brand also publishes magazines and cookbooks, like their brand new baking book, "The New Cookie: Creative Takes on the Classics You Love."

Julia & Bridget chat with host Rachel Belle about:

• How many times they test each recipe (so many times!) and how much it costs to produce a single recipe (it's so much!).
• How they met their chef husbands (we love a good meet-cute!).
• Which food related words give them the ick.
• How many different varieties of butter they have in their refrigerators.

Then we’ll head to Waco, Texas to visit the Dr Pepper Museum. What are the 23 flavors that make up Dr Pepper? How did it get its name? Why were sodas invented in pharmacies? Listen and find out!

• Get tickets to Food Fight on November 10th, 2026!
• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on "The Leftovers," never-before-heard audio from actor and comedian Ilana Glazer!

Ilana tells me:

• How grocery shopping has changed since she stopped smoking weed before she goes!
• But also...her favorite stoner snacks...
• Her feelings about infomercial king Ron Popeil!
• What makes her grandma's matzo ball soup so special.

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Ilana Glazer here!

• Get tickets to Food Fight on November 10th, 2026!
• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Ilana Glazer co-created and starred in one of Rachel Belle's favorite TV shows of all time: the hilarious "Broad City!" She's an Emmy and Tony Award winning actor, producer, activist and comedian & she's on tour right now -- get tickets to see Ilana's standup show!

Ilana and Rachel talk about:

• The only food that's okay to eat while you're naked
• How Ilana blew her paychecks from her first job on Kielbasa
• The power of breastfeeding at brunch
• All of the delightful things she ate while touring her standup show around Europe over the summer
• Her love of the Gilda, a classic, pickly, one-bite Basque pintxo

Then food journalist and chef Marti Buckley joins the show from San Sebastián, Spain to talk about Gildas: What they are! Their history! And why they're named after a glamorous Hollywood starlet from the 1940s.

GET TICKETSTO RACHEL BELLE'S LIVE FOOD FIGHT SHOW! The evening of Tuesday, November 10th, 2026 at the Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on "The Leftovers," never-before-heard audio from Alexis Nikole Nelson, known to her nine million followers as Black Forager. Alexis' brand new, debut cookbook is called "Happy Snacking, Don't Die!"

Alexis tells me:

• Which foraged food her partner hated when they met, that he can't get enough of now.
• Her dream foraging destination and what she'd like to discover there.
• Which recipe from her cookbook she'd choose to have chiseled onto her gravestone someday.

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Alexis Nikole Nelson here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

More than nine million people have their eyes glued to Alexis Nikole Nelson’s BlackForager videos, to watch her frolic through forests, fields, urban neighborhoods & her own backyard, foraging and cooking plants, flowers and funghi with exuberance, joy, silliness and humor. Her brand-new, debut cookbook Happy Snacking Don’t Die! is out now!

Alexis tells me:

• Why there are so few Black foragers in America today & the importance of naming her social accounts BlackForager.
• The most magical recipe in her cookbook (actual science magic – she can turn your lemonade hot pink using plants!)
• What it was like testing, photographing and writing recipes for a cookbook when your star ingredients are highly seasonal and not available in grocery stores!
• And much more!

Then we’ll learn the history of the Pop Tart from junk food journalist, Carolyn Wyman.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

If there is a new TV show or movie, D'Arcy Carden is probably in it! She stars in the new show The Five-Star Weekend and many others like Barry, The Handmaid’s Tale, A League of Their Own, Broad City and the show that kicked off her career, her first big role, playing Janet on The Good Place.

But Rachel has known D’Arcy since college, so they do a little walk down memory lane! D’Arcy shares some behind-the-scenes tidbits on how food props worked on The Good Place and they bond over a shared love for a Bay Area ice cream shop from childhood.

Rachel talks to Alan Finkelstein, who has worked at McDonald’s since 1971, about the history of their famous fries. And, things get real sweet with Lauren Wilson, owner of Sweet Lo's Ice Cream, who gives us the scoop on Rocky Road.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on "The Leftovers," never-before-heard audio from bestselling, award-winning humor writer David Sedaris, to celebrate his new book of essays, "The Land and Its People."

David tells me:

• What snacks he stops for on his daily 10+ mile walks
• About the incredible, homemade dessert his husband makes for his birthday
• The type of person he loves to share a meal with
• Where to find the best doughnut in New York City

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with David Sedarishere.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Bestselling author David Sedaris has been writing our favorite funny books for more than 30 years, and his newest book of essays is called "The Land and Its People."

David tells me:

• Why he never orders room service, even though he stays at hotels all the time
• How his childhood dinner table helped him become a better storyteller
• How many boxes of Jello he eats every day (!!)
• His husband can recreate any meal, even one of David's favorite childhood dishes, despite never having tried it himself!
• And more!

Then I chat with Sarah Masoni at the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon, who The New York Times has called "The Million Dollar Palate." Sarah can pick out every single ingredient in a dish she tastes, and uses her skills to help some of the country's most popular brands formulate tasty products.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from 4x Grammy-nominated artist Grace Potter!

Grace talks about:

• Her disdain for wet foods and her high tolerance for dry ones!
• Her favorite diner foods, as a touring musician who stops at a lot of them!
• What she prefers to eat instead of sweets!
• Her deep love for Gilligan's Island!
• And more!

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Grace Potter here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician Grace Potter grew up in a tiny Vermont mountain town with hippie artist parents who encouraged her and her siblings to live highly creative lives!

Grace tells me about:

• The most ambitious cooking she's done on a tour bus
• The food that is currently banned from the tour bus!
• The meal that turned her chips & dip loving son into a restaurant appreciator at age seven
• The story behind her childhood kitchen table
• Her favorite road trip snack
• And lots more!

Then we meet a British chef who cooks intricate meals in hotel rooms using the tools it comes with: an iron, hair dryer and electric kettle!

Grace Potter's new album is called Trespasser.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from award-winning singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson!

Lukas talks about:

• The unusual way he got over his fear of flying.
• His favorite restaurants in Maui and Austin, Texas -- the two places he splits his time.

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Lukas Nelson here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson descends from country music royalty: his dad is Willie Nelson! Lukas' new record is called American Romance.

Lukas tells host Rachel Belle about:

• Growing up on a tour bus, crisscrossing the country with his family.
• His love for Americana diners, as someone who is on the road touring up to 250 days a year.
• How he likes his eggs cooked, and how challenging it can be to get them right.
• Regenerative farming in Austin, Texas and deer hunting on Maui.
• And so much more!

Then Rachel chats with America's most-published diner expert about how the buildings got their iconic architectural style, the oldest remaining diner in America and more.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from award-winning singer-songwriter, and Lilith Fair founder, Sarah McLachlan!

Sarah talks about:

• Why she wouldn't put on another, modern day Lilith Fair
• Her favorite farmer's market
• Her favorite ice cream flavor, as someone with a hit song called "Ice Cream"
• And more!

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Sarah McLachlan here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

She created Lilith Fair! She's sold more than 40 million albums! She's a 90s music icon, but her new album “Better Broken” just won Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the JUNO Awards (Canada's version of the Grammy’s)!

Sarah McLachlan tells me:

• About the cookbook she wrote in the 90s, and what recipes she still makes today!
• The story behind her Writer's Block Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
• Which food her daughters say she made way too much when they were kids!
• How many times a year she eats a Thanksgiving dinner!
• About the homemade "pig's breakfast" Green Goddess dressing she always keeps in her fridge!

Between its healthy green, herbaceous glow and its hippie dippie sounding name, Green Goddess dressing gives off big 1970s health food store vibes. But it was actually invented in 1923 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco! You'll learn the dressing's star-studded history & the controversy surrounding its name.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Hannah Dasher, country music star and author of the new cookbook, Stand By Your Pan!

Hannah talks about:

• Why sooo many country singers have written cookbooks!
• Chocolate gravy - it's a thing!
• Why she has 9 recipes that start with "Getcho man" in her cookbook.
• The difference between food in Georgia (where she grew up) and food in Nashville (where she lives now).

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Hannah Dasher here!

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Hannah Dasher is a country music star and author of the new cookbook Stand By Your Pan, named after her super popular cooking videos enjoyed by her millions of TikTok and Instagram followers.

Hannah’s house in Nashville is a 1970s time capsule and her kitchen is an avocado green dream, stocked with nostalgic, vintage cookware, including the Tupperware so many of our moms bought at parties.

It's Tupperware's 80th birthday, and the iconic plastic bowls, not to mention the Tupperware parties, found their place in the American Zeitgeist thanks to a woman named Brownie Wise. Never heard of her? Most haven't. We’ll tell you how she rose to Oprah-level fame in the 1940s and was erased from the history books in a span of a couple years. Plus, the company's fascinating, post-war origin story.

Hannah and host Rachel Belle also talk about:

• The most bizarre food items Hannah has found wrapped in a napkin in her purse
• Why she included Naomi Judd's Possum Pie in her cookbook
• What foods she insists on making from scratch and which she doesn't mind getting from a box or a can.
• And so much more!

Catch Hannah on tour!

To celebrate the big anniversary, Tupperware re-released its Servalier bowls, the ones with the sunburst lids, in the classic 1970s colors, check em out!

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from filmmaker, writer and actor Jay Duplass!

Jay shares:

• Where he buys his favorite birthday cake -- he's been getting the exact same one since childhood!
• The two movies he's seen the most, that he can watch over and over again.
• The coolest movie theater in the world!

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Jay Duplass here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Director, producer, writer and filmmaker Jay Duplass is from New Orleans, therefore he sprinkles Tony Chachere’s seasoning on everything, from lasagna to his "white guy huevos rancheros."

Jay tells me:

• What foods he gave out to hungry hikers when he was a trail angel on the Pacific Crest Trail
• The best condiment packets to steal from gas stations
• The worst healthy, hippie food his parents served him growing up
• What he ate when he was a struggling filmmaker in Austin, Texas

And I chat with Barry and Sandy Mann, who are perhaps the most famous PCT trail angels -- they've welcomed more than 8,000 thru-hikers into their home!

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Oscar, Grammy and Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge!

Melissa shares:

• What it was like writing her new album, "Rise," after the death of her son.
• Her favorite, indulgent dessert in L.A.
• How she ended up marrying her best friend
• and more!

Listen to the full episode of Your Last Meal with Melissa Etheridge here.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.

Oscar, Grammy and Juno award-winning artist, Melissa Etheridge, started playing with an adult band when she was just 12 years old and this year she released her 17th album, "Rise."

Melissa tells host Rachel Belle:

• Her favorite stoner snacks (And which celebrity she'd like to smoke pot with!)
• About her mom's "angry dinners" growing up in Kansas
• Her tradition of eating at women-owned restaurants when she's on the road with her wife, Linda
• How she met her best friends, the owners of Cathy's Kitchen in Ferguson, Missouri

Then Cathy and Jerome Jenkins, owners of Cathy's Kitchen, join the show to tell us more about Melissa's last meal and the unconventional road they took to becoming restaurant owners.

• Become a Cascade PBS memberand support public media!
• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.
• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter
• Follow along on Instagram.
• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.