On set with the culinary consultant of 'Lessons in Chemistry' on Apple TV!
Plus, what NOT to do when you see a bald eagle pooping
I used to wonder why characters on TV shows always ate Chinese food directly out of the cartons, when I’ve never seen anyone do it in real life. But now I know: it’s for continuity! That way they can edit together multiple takes without having to worry about an egg roll mysteriously shrinking, growing, disappearing and reappearing throughout a scene.
When I had actor D’Arcy Carden on the podcast, she confided that the frozen yogurt the characters often ate on The Good Place was actually mashed potatoes!
I love secret, behind-the-scenes Hollywood food styling gossip. I also LOVED the novel Lessons in Chemistry. So when I was invited to interview the food consultant for the new Apple TV series of the same name, I happily hopped in my car, trusty microphone in tow, to chat with Courtney McBroom at a downtown Seattle hotel.
Courtney is a chef, cookbook author and former culinary director at the famed Milk Bar in New York City — this was her first time working on a set.
Lessons in Chemistry features quite a bit of 1950s-era food, and Courtney not only conceptualized, cooked and styled it, she was also a hand stand-in for the show’s star, Brie Larson, in many of the cooking scenes. (p.s. Brie is perfectly cast for this role!)
Courtney tells me what a day-in-the life of a food consultant on-set looks like, how many lasagnas she made for the show, and her last meal!
You can get all the recipes for the dishes featured on Lessons in Chemistry, including the lasagna Courtney makes every year for Thanksgiving, here — how fun!
Last weekend a friend and I did a little slumber party roadtrip down to Olympia, WA to see a show (past YLM guest Lola Kirke!) & we stopped for an autumn hike at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on the drive down.
Part of the hike was on a boardwalk, over the Puget Sound, where we saw lots and lots of ducks, zero beavers and seals, and one bald eagle that I scared away by screaming, “I saw him poop!! Oh my god, SO COOL!” after watching a long, white ribbon float out of his majestic birdy butt through my binoculars. The other bird watchers were less than pleased. But it WAS cool. A RIBBON of poop! Ooh la la!
We stopped for a little snack, a classic combination I’ve eaten a billion times on various trails over the years, but it tasted extra good this day. I credit the in-season, incredibly juicy Cosmic Crisp apple I picked up from the farmer’s market. Also, Trader Joe’s makes the best natural peanut butter; it’s super roasty toasty and after stirring once, the oil never floats back up to the top.
My friend decided she wants to turn this snack into a pie: shredded cheddar in the crust (maybe a Wheat Thin crust, made in the style of graham cracker crust?) a layer of peanut butter goat cheese caramel and a heap of spiced apples on top.
You may recall from my interview with Christopher Kimball (founder of Milk Street and America’s Test Kitchen), that it’s traditional in the northeast to drape a slice of warm apple pie with sharp cheddar.
If you find yourself in Olympia, we loved our dinner at Chicory & for breakfast, Left Bank is a fantastic French patisserie with wonderfully flaky, buttery pastries, gorgeous little cakes and, sometimes, a line out the door!
Tickets are going FAST for the YLM Seattle live show on November 14th featuring Amanda Knox. Get your tickets before we sell out!
Paid subscribers of this newsletter get $5 off tickets & are invited to a VIP pre-show with complimentary cocktails and catered snacks, hosted by moi!
If you’ve recently upgraded your subscription to “paid” and want to come to the pre-show event, message me for the discount code!
xo
Rachel Belle
LOVED the book and thanks to this episode, finally started watching the show tonight. It had slipped my mind, common with all the streaming show options. Maybe someday you could have the author on, as well. That would be very fun, too!
Can’t wait to see you LIVE and at the member reception in a few days!