Phil Rosenthal: Creator and Producer of 'Somebody Feed Phil' on the show, his career, liveshows in NZ and Australia

One of the biggest names in food is undoubtably Phil Rosenthal. 

The creator of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ has gone on to write cookbooks, children's books, and present food and travel documentaries, including eight seasons of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’.  

He’s effortlessly entertaining, and has figured out a way to bring his passion to the stage, visiting New Zealand and Australia in a few months' time for a moderated conversation about his life, career, food, travel, and family.  

'Somebody Feed Phil’ is incredibly popular, with Rosenthal's love and appreciation for the things he experiences keeping audiences coming back.  

“There’s enough in the world to make you angry and scared and frustrated, but I’m here to tell everyone that most of the world is not that,” he told Mike Hosking. 

“I sold the show with one line, this is the line: I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain, if he was afraid of everything.”  

Bourdain, an American celebrity chef, hosted a wide range of food and travel programmes throughout his career, exploring international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. 

“I would watch Anthony Bourdain like everyone else and was a huge fan, and I thought, this guy’s a superhero, he’s amazing – I'm never doing that,” Rosenthal explained. 

Unlike Bourdain, Rosenthal is not the type to travel to Borneo and get a traditional hand-tapped tattoo from the native Iban people, and he bet most of the audience is the same. 

“So maybe there’s a show for people like me, who are sitting on the couch, and maybe just getting off that couch is taking a giant step out of their comfort zone.”  

“I figured out a niche for myself.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.