This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from musicians Aly and AJ, who landed their first record deal as teenagers in 2005, and are still singing for their suppers! 

Aly and AJ are bandmates and sisters who give off big BFF energy, and when it comes to food and fashion, they have a lot in common. So host Rachel Belle quizzes them to see just how much they know about each other’s culinary tastes.  

If you missed last week’s Your Last Meal episode with Aly & AJ, give it a listen.  

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Aly and AJ signed their first record deal when they were just 13 and 15 years old, and nearly 20 years later they’re still singing for their supper. Literally! The sisters love to eat and keep a running list of their favorite restaurants at tour destinations around the world.   

One of their favorite spots in the U.S. is Marfa Burritos, a hole-in-the-wall, family-run Texas burrito joint with a cult following. Columnist and author Gustavo Arellano joins the show to talk about what makes the long, skinny bordertown burritos so special.  

How many times have you dribbled spaghetti sauce down the front of your previously clean white shirt? Aly, AJ and host Rachel Belle wonder why adults don’t wear bibs! So British food historian Pen Vogler tells us how people used to protect their clothes from stains.  

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This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from actor Thomas Doherty, who stars in Disney’s Descendants movies, the reboot of Gossip Girl and the new indie romance film Dandelion. 

Thomas is from Scotland, but moved to the U.S. to pursue acting. When he goes back home to the U.K., his dad always cooks up a big batch of his favorite comfort food: haggis served with neeps and tatties (you can learn all about these dishes on last week’s episode of Your Last Meal!).  

Eager to learn about other traditional Scottish dishes, host Rachel Belle asks Thomas about classics like cullen skink and cock-a-leekie soup, but ...Thomas is just as stumped as she is! Listen to the hijinks and learn a bit about Scottish cuisine along the way!   

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Scottish actor Thomas Doherty (Gossip Girl, Descendants, Dandelion) isn’t hungry in America. But the Brooklyn-based film and TV star says he’s famished in Scotland, where artificial dyes and chemicals are banned from food products.

Doherty went to a 900-year-old high school in Scotland, so he loves the fresh energy that a young country like the United States offers. But he’s not a fan of American food, and misses the strict UK food regulations, saying he pretty much lost his appetite since moving to the States.

What he does love is haggis. But Scotland’s national dish is outlawed in the U.S.! Scottish food historian Paul Gilchrist joins the show to talk about the ban and tells you everything you’d ever want to know about haggis.

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Every Labor Day weekend since 1990, tens of thousands of people descend upon a Nevada desert to build an elaborate, eccentric, temporary town called Black Rock City. This is the famed Burning Man festival, and once you’re inside the gate, nothing (but ice) is for sale and bartering and trading are forbidden.  

So how do 70,000 people feed themselves at the Black Rock Desert festival without electricity or running water?

Burning Man runs on a gifting economy, and food is a major currency. On this Very Special Episode of Your Last Meal, we’ll explore Burning Man’s culinary camps, where festival attendees set up makeshift restaurants and feed thousands of Burners for free. You’ll meet the creator of Cheese & Advice Palace, who says waiting in line for a grilled cheese sandwich is part of the experience, and the chef behind Domakase, a desert sushi bar.

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This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from J. Ryan Stradal, the bestselling author of three novels, all set in Minnesota: Kitchens of the Great Midwest, The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. 

Through a not-so-rapid-fire speed round, J. Ryan tells host Rachel Belle about his favorite Minnesota State Fair food, what the J. in his name stands for, and why you really need to open that bottle of wine you're forever saving for a special occasion. 

And we'll explore the history behind a Midwestern fried-food debate: corn dog vs Pronto Pup! What's the difference? Listen and find out! 

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The New York Times bestselling novelist J. Ryan Stradel tells host Rachel Belle it was “totally weird to be a teenage foodie in the 1990s.”

He couldn’t wait to get his driver’s license so he could drive into the Twin Cities and eat at restaurants serving mysterious, flavorful, global food — a complete contrast to the bland dishes his parents cooked at home.

Food plays a role in all three of Stradal’s novels, all set in his home state of Minnesota: Kitchens of the Great Midwest, The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club — supper clubs being a uniquely Midwestern throwback institution. Rachel chats with the owners of two multigenerational supper clubs, Lehman’s and Ettlin’s Ranchero, about what sets them apart from other restaurants.

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This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from G. Love, frontman for G. Love & Special Sauce! The band is celebrating 30 years since releasing their self-titled first album, featuring beloved bangers like Baby’s Got Sauce and Cold Beverage.

G. Love tells host Rachel Belle about his big backyard garden, where he grows both edibles and smokables, and shares how he turned his “special sauce” into a tangible product.

When it comes to sugary kid’s cereals, you most likely know the mascots and slogans even if you've never taken a single bite. We learn the stories behind mascots like Cap’n Crunch and Tony the Tiger with Tim Hollis, author of “Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era.”

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It has been 30 years (!) since G. Love & Special Sauce put out their first album, and in that time G. Love has written a whole lotta food and drink lyrics. He tells host Rachel Belle the origin stories behind songs like Milk & Cereal, Cold Beverage and his album Lemonade. 

Lemonade has special meaning to G. Love, so Rachel chats with Gastro Obscura editor Anne Ewbank about the history of the sweet, puckery drink, the different ways it's prepared around the world and why American children have taken on the responsibility of selling it!

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This week on The Leftovers, never-before-heard audio from Geraldine DeRuiter, author of the new book If You Can't Take the Heat & James Beard Award winning writer. 

Geraldine tells host Rachel Belle about her dream Costco sample, shares her perfect birthday cake and, perhaps the most fun part of the episode, the long string of blooper cuts after the credits run!

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