What is "Cooking By Heart?"
In this podcast series, the discussions with well-known actors, directors, authors, chefs, politicians, business figures, and comedians will center on memories of the meals or favorite foods we all grew up with, from the exotic to the mundane, dishes that still tickle or tantalize us as adults and, most importantly, we’ll discuss the stories and people that accompany those memories. We’ll also post our guests' favorite recipes on our website.
“In one episode, actor Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) recalls spending time in Spain as a boy, and still dreams of his father cooking delicious Spanish omelets (Tortilla Espaniola). In another episode, famed chef, PBS personality, and author, Jacques Pepin, describes his mother’s wartime specialty when he was a boy which he has named after her, Eggs Jeannette (Les Oeufs Jeannette). Multiple Grammy and CMA award winner Kathy Mattea reminisces about a summer vegetable salad her father loved to prepare: now, when she makes it for herself, she imagines they are still at lunch together. And actor/author/gourmet cook Michael Tucker (LA Law) remembers the mouth-watering brisket sandwiches he would surreptitiously devour when, as a delivery boy carrying precious gems for his jeweler uncle, he would also pick up lunch sandwiches for his uncle’s staff at a local pool hall.
Actor Chris Sarandon is best known for his roles as Prince Humperdinck in “The Princess Bride,” as the lead speaking voice of Jack Skellington in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the cunning vampire in “Fright Night,” and his Academy Award-nominated role in “Dog Day Afternoon.” He grew up working in his Greek immigrant father’s restaurant in West Virginia. Both of his Greek grandfathers owned diners and coffee shops, and his son is a trained chef, the family business. (BTW, his daughters are also accomplished cooks!) Sarandon was initially taught to cook by his mother and various cooks in his father’s restaurant. He combines his love of food with an actor’s keen ear for human stories.
Composed by Aaron David Gleason