Phil Rosenthal is likely known to you as the creator and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond. He’s also the award-winning creator, executive producer, writer, and presenter of the Netflix gourmet documentary series Somebody Feed Phil, in which he travels the globe showcasing incredible foods and the equally incredible people who prepare them. Rosenthal’s affection for both laughter and cuisine spans decades.
Imitating Family Members
Rosenthal states, “My father was a very, very humorous man. I believe the first time my mother saw him, he was performing on an amateur stage, delivering jokes. He was not a professional comic, but I believe he might have been one due to his humor.” Rosenthal quickly imitated his father. He also said that he mimicked his mother’s speech.
It seems like laughter was common in his household, but tasty food was scarce when he was a child. He shares that as he was growing up, flavorful food was in short supply. Phil Rosenthal even joked that in their house, meat was a punishment because it was the cheapest and toughest piece of meat, cooked beyond recognition. He didn’t even know what “medium rare” was and until he went to college, he didn’t have delicious food or food with any flavor.
As a result of his experiences with poor cuisine, he came to value delicious meals, even more, when he married actress Monica Horan and began a family. He claims that food was very very important and he was going to eat and try everything.
Phil Rosenthal’s First Flavorful Meal
Rosental’s son’s first taste at the family’s preferred Chinese restaurant was one of Rosenthal’s finest moments as a father. The delighted father of two remembers that they would grab all the items from the table. At one moment, he turned to see his three-year-old son Ben playing with the black bean sauce and clams and putting them in his mouth when the parents weren’t paying attention.
Phil Rosenthal thinks that people should treasure moments when they eat with family and friends or when they hug family and friends. He thinks that the key to life is to go out, explore, and make friends.