I’m going to need a hotel, I’m going to need a bed with a pillow.
YetSomebody Feed Phil, which premiered on Netflix in 2018, was always more than a humorous fish-out-of-water conceit.
It turned out to be something that people wanted.
People say, It looks like you love everything.
But its clear that goes for people, places, and things, too.
Do you remember the first time you left the country?
I love this question because it changed my life.
Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money at all, and we hardly ever went anywhere.
But it wasn’t until I was 23 that I got a courier flight to Europe on a DHL.
So they needed people to take an economy ticket to anywhere they went in the world.
So I went, I believe it was to Frankfurt on a plane.
And I got off in Frankfurt and I handed the luggage tags to a man holding a DHL sign.
And then those two weeks were mine to do what I wanted.
When I got out of that train station, I think my life was changed forever.
I just couldn’t believe it.
And then as if that wasn’t good enough, I ate something.
And that was that.
And the top of my head came off.
They’re my lifelong friends, Dania and Dario.
And then they said, “Here’s our address.
Here’s the bakery where we work.”
I go to the bakery this was 1983 and I’ll never forget it.
They fed me like no tomorrow.
[The baker] gave me everything in the bakery.
And then he called his friends to say, A boy from America is here!
It’s like they conspired to make my life beautiful.
I have welcomed it.
And that’s partially true.
Was including your family, as opposed to more culinary professionals, a conscious choice?
I don’t know.
I feel like family and friends were always part of everything I do.
I come from the sitcom world, and these are the best recurring characters you could hope for.
They’re really funny, they’re really sweet, and we love seeing them.
And I miss them terribly.
How did you land on that idea?
It was almost immediate.
First my mom passed and we did a season without her and it was just my dad.
When he passed, it was natural to me to think, what would he like?
We liked his jokes.
And what better thing to have as a legacy?
I have my family and friends now to carry on his tradition.
You might think,what does this have to do with food?Nothing.
I’m just using food and my stupid sense of humor to connect with you.
And it’s that human connection that I think travel allows you to have.
I hope that comes across.
It does, in that its impossible to watch this show and not feel your infectious enthusiasm.
How does it feel to have that be something that people associate with you?
I could cry thinking about it, because it’s a beyond a dream.
I feel like you’re talking to the luckiest person you’re ever going to talk to.
Because I know how hard a lot of people’s lives are.
you’re able to’t create anything until you like it.
You have to like it before someone else likes it.
So all you’re seeing is my natural enthusiasm for what I get to do.
But the point of the show is you might do it [too].
Turn this off and go!
Somebody Feed Philis all about traveling and trying new things.
What’s been one of the biggest things youve learned while working on it?
Here’s a generalization: Most people around the world are so much better than their governments.
I hope thats true.
I’ve met a lot of them.
I haven’t seen the whole world yet I probably haven’t even scratched the surface.
And to laugh and have joy in their lives.
Guess who feels the exact same way?
Wait until you come to our house."
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
