The Beef Medium Podcast

Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) is an American legend from entertainment to eating. Originally known for this work during (what many fans refer to as) the golden years of The Simpsons, he's done quite a lot over the course of his career including writing cult classics Mission Hill and Space: 1969. as well as contributing to the likes of Portlandia, Futurama, and much more.

Several years ago, Bill decided to indulge in his secondary passion of food a little more seriously, ultimately turning to the internet to launch his side career as a foodie content creator. It started with a review of McDonald's non-frozen Quarter Pounder back in 2018. Since then, Bill's amassed a community of hundreds via his Steamed Hams Society dedicated to all things food. His most recent effort is his Culinary Curiosity Dinners tour, meeting up with fans and foodies alike for evenings of culinary exploits and stories from his years an entertainment at restaurants across the United States.

Join us as we listen to Bill's recounting of the moment the iconic Steamed Hams sketch became an international meme, his early experiences with McDonald's, and all the incredible things he's been up to as of late across his many creative pursuits.

My real-life brother Matt Ciampa (@mattciampa / @mattychomps) joins us today for a very special episode of Beef Medium—marking a big change: he’s officially my new cohost! This isn’t the first time we’ve shared the camera, though. The truth finally comes out: we actually started making content together back in the early days of YouTube as the LEGO-crazed duo brickboys518.

It’s been nearly two decades since that journey began, and while we still love LEGO, there’s one thing that continues to bring us together above all else—food.

Like me, Matt’s path led him into the world of food media. After graduating with a degree in film, he moved to LA, eventually becoming a producer for BuzzFeed’s Tasty and later an editing powerhouse for names such as Jubilee, Gordon Ramsay, the Try Guys, and countless other pop culture icons you know and love. Through it all, he’s continued to follow his culinary passions in a way that beautifully complements my own, which is why I’m beyond thrilled to team up again for this new chapter of the podcast.

Today’s episode is a great reintroduction where even I learn things I never knew about him. My own brother. You’ll hear stories from our childhood, some of his favorite culinary and gardening tips, and yes, the time he ended up at a Christmas party with Smosh (among other colorful characters).

There’s no food item that takes you back to your childhood more than cereal. Today, we’re joined by the one and only Cereal Life (@cerreallife), the man who lives and breathes the stuff so much that he used to eat fifty bowls in a week. It’s always exciting when we get a category expert here on Beef Medium and cereallife is no exception. Full disclosure, this episode was recorded back in January but a lot is going on with our favorite cereal connoisseur. Cereal Life has now become a cereal dad, he’s working on a book about the spanning history of his favorite meal, and he’s hot off another stint acting as Questlove’s personal cereal curator. Yes, we said “another”—the man’s done it three times now.

Being a professional food taste taster is a dream job for many. Today, we’re living vicariously through the multi-talented Jordan Myrick (@jordanmyr1ck) as they walk us through just what it is they do and how they got there in the first place. Jordan’s resume is nothing to be laughed at, although considering they’re a comedian it definitely wouldn’t be inappropriate. From their regular appearances on Good Mythical Morning to being the host of Dropout’s new culinary competition series Gastronauts, they truly have done it all. Join me in hearing all about Jordan’s exciting career through entertainment as well as what advice they have for making it on your own terms in the world of food and beyond. 

Simply put, Luke Collins (known by most as Lukefoods) is an internet icon. For the better part of two years, he's been one of my favorite food reviewers which is why I just had to bring him on to the podcast. Luke's original plan was to get into gaming content, but after finding a path in food, he experienced mega-viral success which brought him over a million new followers in less than a year. Pretty much everyone who watches him knows that nobody can do it quite like him—he's genuine, he's hilarious, and all around, a good time. If you haven't gotten the chance to know Luke outside of his videos, this episode is for you. We explore how he got started, his health battles and weight loss journey, and plenty of fun antics throughout his time as an internet food critic

On a trip to Hardee's test kitchen down in Nashville this past September, I met a lot of wonderful folks, one of them being Chef Tim Clowers (@cheftimclowers). A true Tennessee native, he became something of a social media icon after closing his catering business to become a full-time content creator. Chef Tim’s story is one that stems from a natural desire to do something more with his life and help others in the process. The grandson of a pro chef, he started his career as a dishwasher and grill cook before dropping everything to travel the world on mission trips until he ultimately settled back in Knoxville. Everything he’s learned about the culinary arts after that was self-taught, and it’s taken him many places both literally and metaphorically. 

When Teddy Siegel (@got2gonyc) first started her social media pages dedicated to locating publicly-available restrooms in New York City, she had no idea that it would become a movement working to destigmatize bathroom access for the masses. As someone affected by a gastrointestinal disease myself (and a former New York City resident), I resonate heavily with Teddy's mission, but why am I having her on a food podcast? Well, the consumption of food and beverage ultimately leads to one place: the bathroom, and at some point, everyone's got to go.

Tyler Bowers (@teamsupernovafb) is probably the most knowledgeable person you'll ever meet when it comes to soda and he's one of my best friends in the industry. It all started as a platonic love affair with a Mountain Dew flavor called Supernova about fifteen years ago. Today, Tyler (or as we call him, Tebow) continues to bring snack news to the masses, through both his own pages and as a contributor for Sporked. Join us as we explore the depths of his fizzy knowledge.