Food and Family Go Hand in Hand for TV Producer and Host Phil Rosenthal

The creator of hit sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” grew up with family dinners every night, cementing the idea that who you break bread with is most important.

Phil Rosenthal (C), the star and creator of the series “Somebody Feed Phil,” shares a meal with family. Andrea D’Agosto

One would think the host of a show about food would be a great cook.

One would be wrong—if the host is Phil Rosenthal.

Fans of his classic television sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” know that food was an important element of the show.

So it’s only natural that the creator of the comedy is now doing a series about food while writing a new cookbook.

Eating His Way Around the World

Rosenthal is the host of Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” which is an appropriate title, since he admits to being terrible in the kitchen. Rosenthal flies around the world sampling everything from basic American staples like New York pizza to exotic dishes in Venice (while, in a hilarious don’t-quit-your-day-job moment, trying out as a gondolier in open waters). “I sold the show with one line. I said, ‘I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain, if he was afraid of everything.’”

While there’s never been a reboot or spin-off of “Raymond,” Rosenthal’s current show was inspired by a conversation he had with star Ray Romano during the show’s run. “I asked Raymond where he was going on vacation. He said the Jersey Shore. And I said, ‘What about Europe?’ And he had never been, because he wasn’t really interested in going someplace different, really.”

Rosenthal, who was the executive producer of the hit sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” with actor and co-producer Ray Romano. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

This led to a two-parter called “Italy” in which the family travels to the country of their ancestors: “That took me about three, four years to convince Ray to go. He didn’t want to go. He was afraid of flying. He just wasn’t interested, even though he’s Italian. If you remember that episode, Ray doesn’t want to go. He complains the whole time, and then he suddenly gets it, gets the magic of Italy. What I saw happen to the character that I wrote, I saw happen to Ray, the real person.”

In every episode of “Somebody Feed Phil,” you can see the magic of the places Rosenthal visits as he experiences the culture along with the cuisine.

While food is the main dish in the series, travel serves as the appetizer and dessert while laughs provide the sauce that covers everything and runs off the plate. His new cookbook, “Phil’s Favorites,” features exactly what the title says: the food he loves, with recipes collected from both his show and family. While there are some exotic dishes, there are also easy meals for the culinarily challenged who could burn a salad. “If you want simple, I’m your guy. There’s a couple of my recipes, they’re almost a joke, but there’s a tuna sandwich recipe in there for you, there’s a wonderful peanut butter recipe. And of course, bread is very important. Because bread is half the sandwich, if you don’t have good bread, you don’t have a good sandwich.”

You’ll also find a braciole recipe from an episode of “Raymond.” The cookbook, released on November 4, 2025, is unique in that each recipe features a story about the origin of the dish.

Rosenthal with chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck (C) and writer David Wild. Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Bringing People Together

Rosenthal’s lack of expertise in the kitchen is apparently a family trait passed down from his parents. He said, “They couldn’t cook very well. Dinner time was important, but the food wasn’t fantastic. My mother was not a great chef, and my father could barely open a can of soup.” However, he said matzoh ball soup was one great thing his mother made.

Rosenthal feels there’s one essential ingredient that is necessary to the perfect meal—and it’s not food, but family. He recalled:

“Dinner was a big deal in that we ate together. No matter that both parents worked, and both of us boys had school, but we had dinner together every night. It wasn’t until I left that house that I realized not everybody gets that. You think when you’re growing up, that’s how it is for everybody, and it’s really not. And so I realized how lucky I was to have this really solid family foundation. I mean, yes, we argue, we fight, but when we weren’t yelling, we were laughing, and my parents were very funny.”

“Phil’s Favorites” by Phil Rosenthal. Simon and Schuster

If your family dinner consists of eating while watching TV or using your cell phone, you’re missing a key ingredient. Try some recipes, set the table, put the phones away, and turn off the television. You might discover that you don’t need to be a great cook to have a great meal.

Rosenthal is opening Max & Helen’s, a diner in Los Angeles. He named it after his parents. His friend, chef Nancy Silverton, will serve classic dishes such as grilled cheese, homemade tomato soup, and “toad in the hole”—that classic British dish featuring an egg filling a hole in the middle of a slice of bread.

Bottom line, he believes food brings people together. He said:

“Not only do I think it’s the great connector for families, I think it’s the great connector for everybody. In my show that’s really what it’s all about. I’m trying to meet people and get to know them through sitting down and eating with them. It’s really a show about people, even though food is central to it. I always say food is the great connector, and laughter is the cement.”

Rosenthal feasts on Korean Fried Chicken Wings. He features the recipe from chef Angel Barreto of Anju in Washington in his latest cookbook, “Phil’s Favorites.” Andrea D’Agosto

By the Way…

Phil’s ‘Last Meal’

“Well, people ask me what my last meal would be, and I have thought about this, and I think it’s comfort food. It’s the food of childhood that I still love, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, roast chicken, fried chicken, French fries. I’m a sucker for French fries—even though it’s the worst thing you could eat. A lot of chocolate. And my mom’s matzoh ball soup.”

Skip the Casino Buffets in Vegas

“Well, the great thing about the Las Vegas food scene is that it’s not all centered on the Strip—which is the part that’s famous, right? Las Vegas has been built over many years by immigrants and maintained by immigrants who have all settled around the Strip and formed their own communities. And of course, they bring their own cultures and cuisines with them, and that’s the fascinating part to explore. That’s where the great food is, off the beaten path.”

Phil Will Try Anything—Well, Almost

“I didn’t eat iguana in Mexico. I avoided that. There are certain bugs that I’m not interested in, although I have tasted a few bugs in my time. There’s things that to a regular American sound unpleasant, but are staples of other people’s cuisines, and I never want to insult anybody’s culture. If it’s presented to me, I usually will try it.”

RECIPE: BILL MILLER’S TURKEY-BRIE SANDWICH

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.