The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef

Melissa Reagan, Stephen Gonzalez
  • 5.0 (16)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A place for food fans, picky eaters, the flavor-curious and everyone in between! We'll discuss all things culinary and food-related; tune in for fun guests, amazing true stories, and lots of must-haves and places to try sprinkled in along the way! Good people+ good conversation makes good food even better! Join us for some serious Food for Thought. My name is Melissa, but you can call me Chef!

  1. 133. The One Week Throwback... to Christmas Again

    9H AGO

    133. The One Week Throwback... to Christmas Again

    Food For ThoughtCast Fam, are you ready for 2026?! Happy New Year to our listeners and food fans, whether you've been here since the beginning or just found us recently,  we are so glad that you are here with us. Today's episode was our official Christmas episode- and Christmas week ended up being so busy, that we pushed it to today. Enjoy listening to Episode 133 of The Food For ThoughtCast as you triumphantly charge into the new year. Just remember that nobody was ever upset about extra Christmas. Steve and I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Stay tuned in 2026 for new guests, returning guests, and continued tasty content. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and share us with a friend. Don't forget to eat your black-eyed peas today if that's what you're into.

    47 min
  2. 132. Christmas Flavor Favorites

    12/18/2025

    132. Christmas Flavor Favorites

    Trade routes, spice roads, and Hippocras-- it's time for the holiday edition of The Food For ThoughtCast! Welcome back food fans, on Episode 132 we're talking about flavors... not just any flavors, but the flavors that make Christmas, well, taste like Christmas. We are examining the origin and special features of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, gingerbread, white chocolate, nutmeg, peppermint and more and digging into why these specific flavors are associated with the holiday season. Happy holidays to you and yours, thanks so much for listening, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll never miss any tasty new content. Cheers!

    47 min
  3. 131. We Gave The Thanks

    12/11/2025

    131. We Gave The Thanks

    Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast- it's the Holiday edition! We missed you, food fans! We missed each other too. In Episode 131, Melissa and Stephen are reunited and doing the whole Peaches n' Herb whatcha been eating, whatcha been cooking dance. We recap our Thanksgiving meals, go on a thousand tangents, and talk about what lies ahead for meal prep and Christmas. Enjoy this random reunion and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Thanks so much for listening and for watching us on YouTube.

    49 min
  4. 130. Never Found Kokomo

    11/20/2025

    130. Never Found Kokomo

    Welcome back , food fans! It's time for episode 130 of The Food For ThoughtCast! Today, Melissa is telling Steve all about her recent cruise that left from Miami and sailed to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. It was a culinary journey of island foods, delicious seafood, Dutch lunch favorites, Carnival Horizon dining room favorites, and some birthday fun with an amazing chef's table menu. She gives a rundown of the greatest hits from her vacation, as well as some insight into the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and Jiji's menus from the ship. While not sponsored by Carnival, they have really upped their culinary game and Melissa gives them their flowers. When you travel, don't forget to try new foods and seek out culinary adventure. You never know what you might find. Catch the podcast in all the usual places and don't forget to watch us on YouTube. Steve and Melissa love to talk with their hands, so it just makes more sense that way. Despite searching everywhere, Melissa failed to locate Kokomo just after Aruba and Jamaica. She'll have to keep looking. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe.

    50 min
  5. 129. Airplane Food!

    11/13/2025

    129. Airplane Food!

    Hey there food fans! Today we take to the skies--- well not really, but we are taking on the subject of airplane food. On Episode 129 of The Food For ThoughtCast we are looking at some of the best and worst airline menus from all around, and also speculating what we might serve if we had our own airline catering programs. Melissa dreams about having hot food on real plates someday,  while Stephen says enchilada casserole for everyone. What is the best or worst hot meal you've ever had in-flight? Tell us all about it over on the socials. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and thanks so much for watching us on YouTube.

    47 min
  6. 128. State Fairs and Philly

    11/06/2025

    128. State Fairs and Philly

    Steve and Melissa are back at it with the travel recaps. Steve tells us all about his most recent trip to Philly, with some new foods  and places to celebrate. Melissa has gone to the NC State Fair for the first time and has big props for the street corn nachos and crispy chicken pancake tacos. It's time for Episode 128 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We're glad you're here to share in all the amazing things we ate! Did you recently go somewhere with great food? Try something new? Tell us all about in it the comments on Facebook or over on Instagram. Find us in all the podcast places and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Remember, you are what makes the podcast great!

    57 min
  7. 127. Dylan McDonnell- A Guest Ep

    10/30/2025

    127. Dylan McDonnell- A Guest Ep

    Welcome back food fans, today we are joined by Dylan McDonnell for Episode 127 of The Food For ThoughtCast. Dylan is the founder and CEO of Foodini- an app that helps people find safe food to eat whether they have food allergies, dietary restrictions, or religious preferences.  A former corporate lawyer, Dylan moved into the world of food and technology to solve a problem he suffered from himself - dining out as a celiac. The app is currently being beta tested in LA and Santa Monica, and someday coming to a market near you! This technology and platform will bring incredible awareness to food allergies and intolerances. We have a delightful discussion about the privilege of knowing what is in our food, the accessibility of safe food for people who need it, and the trials and tribulations of navigating the restaurant scene. Dylan was an amazing guest and we loved getting to know him, we know you will too. Find us in all the podcast places and don't forget to watch us on YouTube! Find Foodini in the App Store.

    1 hr
  8. 126. Fan Feature- Melissa Thomas!

    10/23/2025

    126. Fan Feature- Melissa Thomas!

    Hey there food fans, we're back and bringing you our second ever Fan Feature! Today we are joined by travel writer (and fan of the show) Melissa Thomas, for episode 126 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We talk about trying new things when you travel, Melissa's recent trip to Scotland and all the amazing things they ate there,  and how vacation calories don't count. Melissa can be found over at MelissasPage.com and also @melissaspage on Substack, where she encourages people to have the courage to solo travel and follow their dreams. Her writing style is inviting and informative and not to be missed. We had an awesome time chatting, and not to mention these two Melissas have been dear friends for a while- so we know that you will enjoy this. Thanks for listening. Find us in all the usual podcast places and don't forget to watch on YouTube!

    55 min
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About

A place for food fans, picky eaters, the flavor-curious and everyone in between! We'll discuss all things culinary and food-related; tune in for fun guests, amazing true stories, and lots of must-haves and places to try sprinkled in along the way! Good people+ good conversation makes good food even better! Join us for some serious Food for Thought. My name is Melissa, but you can call me Chef!

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