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.