Processing: Recent Episodes
Heritage Radio Network
This unique podcast explores the intersection of food and grief. Mother-daughter cohosts Bobbie Comforto and Zahra Tangorra are joined by a special guest who shares their personal experience with loss, grief, and heartbreak, and how food factored into their journey. Bobbie has worked as a psychotherapist specializing in bereavement and trauma for over 30 years, but before entering the world of grief counseling Bobbie was a culinary entrepreneur. Zahra Tangorra is a Brooklyn-based chef and restaurant consultant. They share a deep love of food and a personal understanding of its connection to grief.
Change and loss are inevitable in all our lives. The relationships that we as humans have surrounding food and loss are universal and relatable across different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. It is our individual adaptation to the things we cannot control that makes us unique. Processing exposes and digests these commonalities and differences in each episode. Change and loss are inevitable in all our lives. The relationships that we as humans have surrounding food and loss are universal and relatable across different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. It is our individual adaptation to the things we cannot control that makes us unique. Processing will expose and digest these commonalities and differences in each episode.
This week we are privileged to welcome cook and writer Ava Truckey. Ava joins us to talk about the 2013 death of her mother, just two days before her 25th birthday. We discuss grief, cooking as a way of managing emotional pain, the writing process, and why Taco Bell is the best fast food on earth. We loved our time with Ava and we know you will too. Please follow her work @avatruckey on Instagram and Twitter, and her substack https://avatruckey.substack.com/. Thank you Ava, we love you!
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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Hello friends! We are back with a very special episode! This week we welcome Laura Davis. Laura the author of seven non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. Her groundbreaking books have been translated into 11 languages and have sold more than 1.8 million copies.
In her new book, The Burning Light of Two Star, Laura examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
Laura teaches writing online, in person, and in domestic and international retreats, and you can find information on how to be a part of these on her website, www.lauradavis.net
Laura is a beautiful writer who has helped so many people with her work, and it was an absolute honor to have her on our show! Thank you Laura
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This week we have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Zahra’s long time best friend, Alexis Arvidson-Needham. Alexis is an Acupuncturist and practitioner of Eastern and Western Herbal Medicine. She joins us to talk about a very complicated and very common type of grief: ambiguous grief. Alexis shares about her strained relationship with her father, and how though he is alive, she deeply feels the grief of a life with him being largely absent from her life. This was a really deep and touching conversation, and something that many of us can relate to, and a new way to recognize grief in our own lives and those we love. Thank you to Alexis for her time and vulnerability ❤️
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's show we have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Erica Hill. Erica is the owner of Sparrow Funeral Home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She joins us to discuss her vision and goals with Sparrow, as well as her own personal and profound experiences with grief. We loved our time with Erica, and we hope you enjoy this very special conversation.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's very special episode we welcome Artist, Bartender, and Pay It Forward Charleston grant recipient, Luka Romonova. Pay It Forward Charleston provides relief in the form of grants to Charleston's food and beverage community. Luka shares their experience with Pay It Forward, as well as their experiences with the intersection of food and grief. Their story is so touching and inspiring, and we were deeply honored to have them join us for this beautiful episode.
Please check out Pay It Forward Charleston, and help support this amazing cause.
Pay It Forward Charleston began as a collaboration between farmers, restaurants, and community members who united in an effort to feed food and beverage workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
With every $10 donated, a Charleston community member received a grocery bag filled with goods purchased at a discounted rate from local farms. The donations created income for farmers who were impacted by restaurant closures in the wake of COVID-19 and provided fresh produce to community members who were out of work.
In all, Pay It Forward raised $100,000 and delivered over 11,000 bags of groceries to the food and beverage community from March - September of 2020, working in collaboration with Feed the Need Charleston. Riding a wave of community support, the program was expanded to serve three area shelters before it was wrapped up that fall.
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This week we read a beautiful listener letter from Lori, who shares with us some complicated feelings regarding travel and celebration after the passing of her husband, Lou. Thank you, Lori, for sharing this letter with us ❤️
HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.
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Hello sweet friends. We have missed you so! This week we are back to talk about the goings on in the world, what we’ve been up to, and how we’ve been handling it all. And we want to hear from you and how you’ve been handing it all too. Please drop us a line at processing@heritageradionetwork.org , or on our IG @processing_podcast if you want to share your story with us ❤️
HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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A special re-broadcast while we are away! On today's show we are joined by film Director and Producer, Risa Morimoto. Risa is also the founder and CEO of "Modern Aging," a foundation that focuses on innovative and holistic approaches and solutions to aging and caregiving. Risa's family also owns The Kura Barn, a homestyle Japanese restaurant in our hometown of Huntington, NY. Our talk with Risa was amazing, and culminated in us all singing and crying together. Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus crisis. We truly hope you are all finding ways to cope with this incredibly difficult time. Please reach out to us at processing@heritageradionetwork.org for emotional support, or if you have a listener letter or story you would like to share.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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A very special re-broadcast while we are away. On today’s show we are honored to welcome the Driscoll family. Ellen and Dan are brother and sister, and Clare is Dan’s daughter and Ellen’s niece. Dan and Ellen both lost their wives to cancer, and Clare, her mother, and they talk candidly about this experience, and how they have found ways to cope since losing their beloveds. What a beautiful and emotional episode this was, one that left us with so much to think about. Thank you so much Ellen, Dan and Clare for sharing this, it was so moving to speak with you all❤️
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A special re-broadcast while we're away! This week we are joined by Cake Designer, Baker and Writer, Monica O'Connell. Monica earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from New York University, and was executive director of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago for eight years. She then pivoted in her professional life,and began to pursue her passion and creative calling as a Cake Baker and Designer. Monica has a deeply spiritual relationship with food, from the stunning cakes that she creates in her business, Curtis & Cake (@curtisandcake), to the foods she prepares in her personal life, to the nostalgia for the foods of her youth. She shares with us the different types of loss and grief that she has been dealing with this past year, including the very painful loss of her mother, and the non stop violence toward and murder of Black people in America. This was a deep and also very tender conversation, and we we’re so grateful to Monica for her generosity in sharing her experiences and emotions with us. Please check out Monica's breathtaking cakes on her Instagram page, @curtisandcake
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A special re-broadcast while we're away! Today is a special day, folks, as we welcome our sweet friend Tovah Shanok. Tovah joins us from her home in Germany to talk about the many different grief experiences she had endured over the past decade-plus. Tovah is a remarkable and very accomplished chef, and it was incredible to hear her talk about trying to grapple with loss while also working in kitchens. Her experiences at the intersection of food and grief are incredibly prolific, and it was an honor to have her join us. Please enjoy our lovely talk with Tovah.
If you like the show, please rate/ review/ subscribe. Want to join us for an episode? Direct message us on Instagram @processing_podcast or email us at processing@heritageradionetwork.org
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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This week we have the honor of welcoming author and teacher Diane Zinna. Diane is the author of THE ALL-NIGHT SUN (Random House, 2020) which was longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Cabell First Novelist Award. She also teaches a Grief Writing Sundays workshop, which we highly recommend for anyone interested in grief writing. Diane joins us to discuss the loss of her beloved mother, and how this tragic loss has impacted her personally and professionally. It was incredibly touching and insightful to speak with Diane. She’s a beautiful writer and person, and we got so much from our talk with her, and we know you will too.
We are on vacation until 6/4/22. Take care of yourselves and each other, and we can’t wait to be with you all again in June ❤️❤️
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On this week's show, we read a beautiful letter from a listener who is coping with complicated feelings surrounding happiness after losing her wife. Thank you to Dylan for this touching letter ❤️
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Hello sweet friends. This week we bring you an episode from 2020. We have the honor of speaking with Serena Liguori, the Executive Director of New Hour For Women and Children. New Hour was founded on Long Island to provide meaningful support to current and formerly incarcerated women, their children, and their families. They build community to promote successful reentry and lasting reintegration, and to reform unjust criminal justice system policies. They empower directly impacted people to use their experiences to affect change in the carceral system. Serena joins us to talk about her own experience in the carceral system, her most profound food memories from prison, and the incredibly impactful work she has done for the community since her release. We were floored by this chat, and hope that Serena's experience and insight can help shed some much-needed light on the failings and injustices in the carceral system in this country. We are deeply grateful to her for her time and wisdom. Please enjoy our talk with her. You can follow the amazing work that is being done at New Hour by checking out their website at newhourli.org or on Instagram @newhourforwomen
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On this week's show, we are joined by Bhavani Jaroff. Bhavani is a Natural Foods Chef, Educator, Farm to School Coordinator, Radio Host, and Food Activist. She has over thirty years of experience cooking healthy, fresh, organic food. Bhavani also lost both her parents within a close time frame, and we unpack that experience, and how her relationship with food and cooking helped her on her grief journey ❤️
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's show, we welcome Beth Kaiserman. Beth is a writer with some incredibly unique and rich food memories. In 2019, Beth's father, Earl, was diagnosed with dementia. She joins us to discuss what life has been like since his diagnosis, and the realities of accepting the realities of losing a loved one to this disease. We discussed caregiver stress, which can be so incredibly difficult and overwhelming for those experiencing it, and we were glad to have the opportunity to talk about it with her. We had such a sweet talk with Beth, and are so grateful for her contribution to this important conversation.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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This week we discuss the tasks of grief and how they factor into the ever-winding grief journey, and where food plays a role. It was a very interesting and enlightening conversation, and we hope it is helpful for anyone who is navigating their own relationship with grief.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's show, we are joined by the wonderful and warm Adam Isserlis. Adam joins us to talk about the multiple losses that he has experienced in his life, how he has come to understand them, and his relationship with grief. This was such a special episode, and we found ourselves laughing, crying, and learning. It was a profound conversation, and we are grateful to Adam for having it with us.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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Hello friends, we’ve missed you! On this week's welcome back episode, we talk with each other about a man whose love for food and cooking was truly incomparable. On the four-year anniversary of Zahra’s dad's passing, we wanted to take the time to remember this wildly creative and complicated human, and all of the rich food memories that we both have of him. It was cathartic to have this conversation at this time, and we enjoy our first episode back from winter break. We missed you, we love you, and it’s great to be back.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's show, we welcome writer Tim Donnelly. Tim joins us for a deep and interesting conversation about the loss of his father, change, and finding the place where he felt like he truly belonged. We really enjoyed our time with Tim, and his insights into grief were unique and profound.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's episode, we talk with each other about several beautiful and interesting traditions from around the globe, where food and grief collide.
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This week we are honored to welcome the warm and wonderful Diana Dietrich. Diana joins us to discuss pet grief, the loss of her beloved kitties, and how the pandemic gave way for her to reinvent herself professionally by starting her own pet sitting and dog walking business. Diana is so kind and heartfelt, and this was a very special episode. Our pets are our family, and when they die, the grief can be very real. Thank you to Diana for sharing, and hug your furry friends extra tight as you listen.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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On this week's show, we welcome Carla Fernandez, Co-Founder of The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party is a nonprofit, building a worldwide community of 20- 40 somethings who have each experienced the loss of a parent, partner, child, sibling, or another close family member or friend. We talk with Carla about the loss of her father Jose in 2010, which set her on course to start this incredibly important organization. Carla is funny and wise and we enjoyed her unique perspectives on grief, loss, and life so much.
Please check out the Dinner Party at thedinnerparty.org and on Instagram @thedinnerparty
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On this week's show, we talk to each other about the defining moments of our lives, the traumas and triumphs that made us who we are today, and what we were cooking and eating along the way.
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On this week’s show, we have the honor of speaking with Sarah Austin Jenness and Thorn Jenness. Sarah is the Executive Producer of The Moth, a global arts organization, dedicated to the art and craft of personal storytelling, and Thorn, her father, who has dedicated his career to Human Resources. They join us to discuss Sarah’s mother and Thorn's wife, Maureen, who passed away after battling an aggressive cancer in 2016. They talk with us about who Maureen was as a wife, mother, educator, and member of the community, as well as her love for cooking. We explore the importance of storytelling as a means to navigate grief and loss, and how new rituals can help to keep those we lost close to us. This was an incredible episode, and we were truly touched by how this family unit dealt with such an unimaginable loss. Please tune into The Moth Radio Hour for incredible personal stories from the people who lived them. The Moth is releasing their first book, How To Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth, published by Crown and debuting on April 26, 2022, in honor of The Moth's 25th anniversary year. The pre-sales have begun! Thank you so much to Sarah and Thorn for joint us and sharing your story with us and our listeners.
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On this week's show, we get to sit down with one of our favorite people in the whole wide world, Mary O’Malley. Mary is a wildly accomplished ceramicist and teacher, and also luckily for Zahra, a true blue best friend. Mary joins us to talk about the realities of grandparent grief. After losing both of her beloved grandparents within a few months of each other in 2018, Mary has experienced deep grief surrounding their passing, and we discuss the specificities of the grandparent/ grandchild bond and the stigma around grieving their loss. We loved where this conversation went, and are so grateful to Mary for her time and generosity of spirit.
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Hello friends. This week we are joined by the wonderful and wise Lauren Golfer. Lauren is a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Gynecology here in New York City. She talks with us about her experiences in the Health Care field during Covid, as well as two deeply significant losses she has endured in her life. Lauren first lost her father at age 24 to cancer, and a decade later, her best friend Mitch, just days before his wedding. Lauren is both incredibly strong and compassionate and brave, and it was an honor having the opportunity to talk to her.
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On today’s show, we are joined by author and survivor, Nelson Simon. Nelson joins us to discuss his new book, “Soul of the Hurricane: The Perfect Storm and an Accidental Sailor”. In 1991, Nelson and the rest of the crew of the Anna Kristina were caught in what became famously known as “The Perfect Storm”. Nelson recalls for us the trauma of this near-death experience, as well as his path to recalibrating himself after the incident. Nelson’s story is absolutely incredible, and we could have talked with him for hours. We highly recommend you read his book and attend some of the release events he has coming up if you are in the NYC area.
To register for the Launch Party on Oct. 26th, listeners can use this link.
To register for the event with Greenlight Bookstore on Oct. 28th, or order a signed copy of the book, listeners can use this link.
Listeners outside of the U.S. can get free shipping anywhere in the world and a 10% discount through the Book Depository.
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On this week's show, we talk with our sweet friend, Lavanya Nambiar. Lavanya is originally from New Delhi, India, and talks with us about the struggles associated with moving so far away from her home and family, the passing of two of her beloved aunts, and how the space between complicated the grief. What a beautiful conversation with a beautiful and brilliant person, and we hope you take away as much from Lavanya’s grace and wisdom as we did.
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On this week's show, we are joined by the lovely and amazing Anthony Johnston. Anthony is a creator and TV Writer, and he graciously joins us to discuss the sudden loss of his older sister Tanya in 2010. He talks to us about the irreplaceable bond of siblinghood, and how he processed his grief through his work as a writer and actor. This was such a beautiful talk with such a beautiful person, and we are deeply grateful to Anthony for sharing his story, and his memories of Tanya with us and our listeners ❤️
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On this week's show, we have the honor of talking with our dear friend Erin Brady. Erin joins us to talk about her and her husband’s journey with infertility, and how it has impacted her health, relationship, and sense of homeostasis. This is such an important topic that so many folks deal with, yet do not talk about nearly enough. We are so grateful to Erin for opening up to us about how this experience has impacted her life and how she has found ways to see her way through it. She is an inspiration and a gift to this world. We love you Erin, and thank you so much❤️
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On this week’s show, we discuss the 20 year anniversary of 9/11. A top the North Tower of the World Trade Center was Windows on The World, a New York City landmark restaurant with a beautiful and diverse staff. We wanted to pay homage to the employees who lost their lives there on 9/11, and also talk about some of the incredible things that surviving employees created after losing their coworkers and friends. We are sending love and support to everyone on this day of remembrance.
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On this week's show, we welcome the lovely Sheila Dee. In 2017 Sheila lost her sister Stephanie suddenly, and she joins us today to unpack her complicated grief surrounding this tragic loss. Sheila talks so candidly and honestly about her grieving process, and also about the beautiful and rich memories that she has surrounding cooking and eating with her sister. Thank you so much, Sheila, and we w encourage you all to take a listen to her music at www.SheilaDeeMusic.com and facebook.com/sheiladeemusic.
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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Today is a special day, folks, as we welcome our sweet friend Tovah Shanok. Tovah joins us from her home in Germany to talk about the many different grief experiences she had endured over the past decade-plus. Tovah is a remarkable and very accomplished chef, and it was incredible to hear her talk about trying to grapple with loss while also working in kitchens. Her experiences at the intersection of food and grief are incredibly prolific, and it was an honor to have her join us. Please enjoy our lovely talk with Tovah.
If you like the show, please rate/ review/ subscribe. Want to join us for an episode? Direct message us on Instagram @processing_podcast or email us at processing@heritageradionetwork.org
Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!
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This week we talk about taking a break. We recently had the opportunity to travel together, and we thought it could be an interesting topic to explore. How/when/if you take a break or vacation during these very trying and scary times. How can we take time for ourselves when it feels impossible? We attempt to unpack these questions and more with our first episode back from break. We missed you, and are so happy to be back.
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We are so honored to welcome back our dear friend, Kathie Bodily, for this week's show. Since we last spoke with Kathie she has been boldly fighting pancreatic and lung cancer, and she joins us to talk about the nuances in the battle she’s been in for the past year and nine months. Kathie is our patron saint, and the most beautiful, intuitive, brave, and wise human that we know, and we can’t thank her enough for joining us again to help listeners feel seen and connected. We love you, Kath!
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This week we welcome the talented and charming Edy Massiah, chef and owner of Edy’s Grocer in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Edy talks with us about his early life as a boy in Lebanon, and his love for Lebanese cuisine which he pays beautiful homage to at the grocer. We talk about the loss of identity, loss of family members, and so much more. This was such a wonderful interview, and we hope to see you all at Edy’s Grocer real soon for some delicious food!
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On this week's show we welcome Reid Peterson. Reid has a Master's Degree in Transpersonal Psychology, and was trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid works as a Grief companion, and has also launched the Grief Refuge App and podcast. After the passing of his stepfather in 2016, Reid spent time in local support groups. This influenced him to create a means of grief support on a larger, more broadly reaching scale. We loved our talk with Reid. His gentle demeanor and wisdom made for a very special conversation. Please download the Grief Refuge app, we can’t recommend it enough. Thank you Reid, and to all you lovely folks out there, take care of yourselves and each other.
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On this week's show, we welcome Aimee Lee Ball. Aimee is a Journalist, co-author of four books, and co-founder of Eat, Darling, Eat, a beautiful blog about the relationships between mothers and daughters and how they intersect with food. We had such a rich conversation with Aimee, and as a mother and daughter team, we found it particaularly interesting to speak with someone who has dedicated so much time to exploring this deeply sacred and often complicated relationship. Please head to eatdarlingeat.net to read all of the amazing essays and features.
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On this week's episode we welcome the wonderful Africa Yoon. Africa is known for her monumental running feats from New York to Chicago and Milan to Cannes. She is also a writer, and her new book the “The Korean: Single and Obese: Then Kimchi Changed Everything!”, details how she lost 110lbs eating Korean and vegan food in one year. Africa so alive and engaged, and it was an incredible gift to get to spend an hour getting to know her, and to hear about her fascinating and unique life story. We loved our time with Africa, and we know you will too. Please preorder her book now, and remember to purchase in stores this November.
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Today we welcome back our friend, writer and film critic Susannah Gruder. We absolutely loved our last chat with Susannah, and couldn’t wait to have her back. Sue has selected two wonderful and complex films that both came out in 2020, “Nomadland”, a film based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. The film is written, produced, directed, and edited by Chloé Zhao, and stars Frances McDormand. It is a beautifully told story of a woman who lives houslessly after the death of her husband and the loss of her job and town. We also discuss “Shiva Baby”, the debut feature from Emma Seligman, And starring Rachel Sennott. Sennott plays Danielle, a soon to be college graduate, who attendants a shiva along with her family and some very unexpected guests. The film is all about the intersection of food and grief, and we really enjoyed both watching it, and unpacking it with Sue. We hope you enjoy the episode, and we definitely recommend checking out both these films. You can read many of Susannah’s thoughtful and poignant reviews www.reverseshot.org
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On today’s very special episode we have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely and talented Gina Hamadey. Gina is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Food & Wine, Rachael Ray Every Day, Women's Health, and other publications, and has just released her new book, “I Want to Thank You: How a Year of Gratitude Can Bring Joy and Meaning in a Disconnected World”. The book is so beautiful and honest, and it prompted us to examine the connection between grief, gratitude and healing. We are so thankful to Gina for writing this book, and for her time spent discussing it with us, and we urge you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore. Thank you Gina for reminding us of the importance of those two very special words.
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This week we have the pleasure of sitting down for a deep and tender talk with Noah and Ari Meyerowitz. You may remember our episode titled “Sproutman” featuring the incredible Beth Robbins, and Noah and Ari are her amazing sons. They talk to us about their dad Steve- his imprint on their lives, both individually and collectively as a family, picking up the family business, and the intricacies of siblinghood in the face of such a massive loss. We loved our time with these two special humans so much, and thank them for their time and insight. Please check out their website at www.sproutman.com and start sprouting!
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Hello friends. This week we welcome our dear friend, Mary Beth White. Mary Beth is a women's health care nurse practitioner, advanced practice holistic nurse, transpersonal nurse coach and former hospice nurse whose interest in non-traditional funerals and green burials was inspired by caring for her mom and family at the end of her mom's life. Mary Beth started her nursing career working in a family-centered Labor and Delivery hospital setting and, to her, the deathing experience offers another opportunity to integrate body, mind and spirit practices and ease what is one of life's most intense and potentially rewarding events. She studied Death Midwifery with Rev. Olivia Bareham of LA and has been mentored by Amy Cunningham of Fitting Tribute Funeral Services in NYC. Mary Beth joins us to discuss Green Burials, Holistic Funerals, and Home Funerals. This was a fascinating episode, with an extraordinary knowledgeable guest, and we hope it offers some insight into alternative options for the send off of a loved one.
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On this week’s show we discuss Joan Didion’s 2005 book, “The Year of Magical Thinking”. This is a brutally honest self observation of her life after the sudden loss of her husband, author John Gregory Dunne, and simultaneous hospitalization of her daughter Quintana Roo. This is a very meaningful book to many folks in the grief community and beyond, and it was a joy to have the opportunity to discuss it at length.
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This is a Mother’s Day episode. It’s a complicated and painful day for many of us, and we address that complexity, as a mother and daughter on this week’s episode. We know that this day can be extremely triggering and difficult, and also celebratory and joyous, and in some cases, it is all of that at once, and we aim to unpack this juxtaposition today on a very special episode of Processing.
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On this week’s show we welcome Dr Suzanne Phillips. Suzanne is a licensed Psychologist, Psychoanalyst, Diplomate in Group Psychology,Certified Group Therapist, Fellowand Co-chair of Community Outreach for the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). She has been a Psychologist for over 35 years and after 28 years, she is a newly retired Adjunct Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at LIU
Post, N.Y. She joins us to discuss the concept of food and grief through her highly trained lense, and calls upon experiences in her incredibly prolific career to offer insight into how the intersection of food and grief affects couples, children and folks who have suffered intense trauma. It was an honor to have Suzanne join us for a deeply interesting and meaningful conversation. Not only is she an expert in her field, but she is a supremely heartfelt and caring human being. We could have talked with her all afternoon. Please enjoy our talk with Dr. Phillips, and tune into her weekly radio show and podcast, “ Psych Up Live” an international talk radio show on the Variety Channel of Voice America.
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On today’s show we are joined by the bold, brilliant, and incredibly warm, Beth Robbins. On September 9th 2015, Beth lost her husband of 30 years, Steve Meyerowitz, in a car accident. Steve had been known as “The Sproutman” for decades, having dedicated his life's work to the growing and eating of all kinds of sprouts. When Steve died suddenly, Beth was tasked with not only caring for her family, but redefining what it meant to care for herself, emotionally, spiritually, creatively, and physically. We can’t express how much we enjoyed our conversation with Beth. She is a writer and teacher, literally, and also one of those special humans we sometimes meet in life that leave us wiser than we were before. Huge thank you to Beth for her time and her enchanting perspective.
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On this week's show we welcome our lovely friend, Paul Manza. Paul joins us to discuss the death of his mother, who passed away shortly after a diagnosis with pancreatic cancer a decade ago. We talk a lot about parenting in this episode, and how it relates to death, dying, grief and mortality, and it was incredibly special and unique. Paul is earnest, warm and open, and we were blown away by the directions this talk took, and where we ended up. Thank you to Paul for his wisdom and vulnerability.
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This week we have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Holistic Healer and Spiritual Psychologist Danielle Joffe to the show. Danielle joins us to discuss her relationship with her late mother, Harriet, who was amongst many other things, an incredible painter and cook. Danielle explains to us the complex dynamics of caring for a loved one with a terminal illness, and reads for us an essay she wrote about her mom, entitled “Starving”. Danielle has such a calming and wise demeanor, and we felt so connected with her and deeply touched by her experience with food and grief.
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On today’s show, we welcome author, motivational speaker, and eating disorder advocate, Iris Ruth Pastor. Iris joins us to discuss her decades-long battle with eating disorders, how she saved her own life, and just what her amazing mantra, “preserving your bloom”, means to her. Iris is such a delight of a human, and we were so blown away, not only by her incredible life story, but also by her humor, humility, and warmth. We felt filled with positivity after talking with Iris, and as with all of our amazing guests, we felt as though we had truly made a new friend. Please check out Iris’ book, The Secret Life of a Weight Obsessed Woman, and head over to her website, www.irisruthpastor.com to subscribe to her newsletter.
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On today’s show we welcome mother and host of “A Peace of Grief” podcast, Sydoney Taylor. Sydoney lost her eldest son Benjamin in September of 2020, and she lovingly shares with us about this unimaginable loss, and how she found ways to cope, and find meaning after Benjamin's passing. Sharing these stories always asks a huge amount of vulnerability of our guests, and we want to extend extra gratitude to Sydoney, and really acknowledge the bravery it takes to publicly open up about such a deep loss, and one that is so recent. This was a mind blowingly beautiful conversation, and urge everyone listening to tune in to Sydoney’s podcast, it is just as bold and beautiful and brave as she is.
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On this week’s show we have the honor of speaking with Martel Catalano, the Founder and Executive Director of Beyond My Battle, an amazing non profit dedicated to reducing the stress of serious illness, rare disease, and disability through emotional support and educational resources rooted in mindfulness, awareness, and compassion. We talk with Martel about her diagnosis as a pre teen with Retinitis Pigmentosa, her battle with eating disorders in the years following, and how she has found homeostasis now in her early 30’s. Martel is a very special human, and this conversation was so rich and complex, and we thank her for her wisdom and vulnerability.
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This week we read a listener letter about the painful realities surrounding mourning our loved ones in the times of COVID. The complex nature of grieving is made bitterly painful by the inability to gather and be around people for comfort, support, touch and food. Thank you to Blair for your touching letter, and we are honored to help you unpack some of these hard truths in this week's show.
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On today's show we are joined by pastry chef and grief survivor, Jess Quinn. When Jess was 25 her mother was diagnosed with dementia, eventually dying from it five years later. Jess shares the brutally unique experience of losing a loved one this way, little by little. She is a brave and honest woman, and her story is both tragic and hopeful. She vividly recants tender and special moments with her mother that brought is all to tears. Jess is a wonderful woman and we felt so lucky to talk to her.
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Hey friends. On this weeks show we are talking about our most deeply nostalgic food memories. The foods and tastes and smells that bring us right back to a specific time and place, and the people that we loved and lost who made those moments so special. We reminisce about pea soup, apple strudel, pizza rustica and more. What are some of your most nostalgic foods? Let us know by emailing us at processing@heritageradionetwork.org or on Instagram @processing_podcast
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We are so proud to welcome Author and Journalist, Tessa Miller to this week's show. Tessa has written a beautiful book, entitled “What doesn’t Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness--Lessons from a Body in Revolt”, which at the time of this airing, has just been released. Tessa’s book is about her struggle with Crohn's Disease. Just as in her writing, Tessa brings rawness and grace to our conversation. She talks about her experiences living with Crohn’s, the loss of her father to alcoholism, and how living with chronic illness has shaped her into the person that she is today. This was a very insightful talk, and we can’t thank Tessa enough for her willingness to share, as we know her work helps others so much. Please buy her book, wherever books are sold, but hopefully at your local bookstore:)
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This week we are joined by Cake Designer, Baker and Writer, Monica O'Connell. Monica earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from New York University, and was executive director of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago for eight years. She then pivoted in her professional life,and began to pursue her passion and creative calling as a Cake Baker and Designer. Monica has a deeply spiritual relationship with food, from the stunning cakes that she creates in her business, Curtis & Cake (@curtisandcake), to the foods she prepares in her personal life, to the nostalgia for the foods of her youth. She shares with us the different types of loss and grief that she has been dealing with this past year, including the very painful loss of her mother, and the non stop violence toward and murder of Black people in America. This was a deep and also very tender conversation, and we we’re so grateful to Monica for her generosity in sharing her experiences and emotions with us. Please check out Monica's breathtaking cakes on her Instagram page, @curtisandcake
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On this week's show it's just us two, and we talk to each other about the complex grief that accompanies heartbreak. Most have experienced at least one great heartbreak in our lifetimes, and yet it is rarely talked about honestly for what it often is; deep grief. We have our different ways of coping with broken heartedness, and many of those coping mechanisms are tied to food. We unpack the emotional and physical components behind loss of love, and how they affect our relationships to food. On this week's show it's just us two, and we talk to each other about the complex grief that accompanies heartbreak. Most have experienced at least one great heartbreak in our lifetimes, and yet it is rarely talked about honestly for what it often is; deep grief. We have our different ways of coping with broken heartedness, and many of those coping mechanisms are tied to food. We unpack the emotional and physical components behind loss of love, and how they affect our relationships to food.
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On today’s show we have the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Kimberly Warner. Kimberly is the creator of the Unfixed podcast and docuseries. UNFIXED is about the stories of everyday people who have learned to thrive with chronic, incurable conditions. Kimberly joins us to discuss the deeply important and innovative work she is doing with Unfixed, as well as some of her own personal experiences with grief and loss. Kimberly is truly a kindred spirit, and this conversation was so captivating to us, we really could have talked for the entire day. We are so grateful to have had this talk, and really hope that it helps to offer a fresh perspective to those in the grief community and beyond. Please follow Kimberly’s sensationally beautiful work, and all things Unfixed at www.kimberlywarner.com.
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On today’s show we are honored to welcome the Driscoll family. Ellen and Dan are brother and sister, and Clare is Dan’s daughter and Ellen’s niece. Dan and Ellen both lost their wives to cancer, and Clare, her mother, and they talk candidly about this experience, and how they have found ways to cope since losing their beloveds. What a beautiful and emotional episode this was, one that left us with so much to think about. Thank you so much Ellen, Dan and Clare for sharing this, it was so moving to speak with you all❤️
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This week we have the pleasure of speaking with an old friend of the family, Chef Ryan Augusta. Ryan joins us to talk about his harrowing and life changing experience with being diagnosed with tongue and neck cancer in his early 30’s. He talks to us about the incredibly complex nature of battling cancer as a young father of three and husband, and also how it deeply affected his relationship with food, both personally and professionally. Ryan articulated his grief journey with such heart, at many times bringing us to tears. Ryan is a special human, and we are so amazed by his will to live, work and thrive, which was fuelled by his love for his family and his love for food.
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On today’s show we have the honor of welcoming chef, writer, TV personality, activist and lover of food, Andrew Zimmern. Andrew has spent his life in the food industry, and as we come to find out, it was the industry that ultimately helped to save his life. He candidly opens up about his struggle with drugs and alcohol, and how he managed to rise from the ashes after trying to drink himself to death as a young man. This conversation was so meaningful, as the current crisis that we are in has left so many in the food industry unemployed, unprotected and unaware of how to move forward. Andrew is wise and warm and deeply insightful, and we hope that his story can offer hope and guidance to folks out there who may be struggling. It was a gift to get to talk about the industry that we live so dearly with someone who cares so passionately about it. Please follow all of Andrew’s charitable endeavours over on his website www.AndrewZimmern.com. Thank you @chefaz for this beautiful and thought provoking chat❤️
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On this week's show we welcome the brilliantly talented writer, Alicia Kennedy. Alicia is a food and beverage writer with a heavy focus on veganism. She joined us from her home in San Juan, Puerto Rico to discuss the loss of her brother Brian, and how that profound grief has intertwined with food over the past several years. Alicia is a beautiful writer and human, and her deep and thoughtful words and ideas surrounding loss were moving, illuminating, and deeply touching. We highly recommend reading her phenomenal essays and columns, and subscribing to her newsletter over at http://alicia-kennedy.com/
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On this week's show we talk with each other about the complicated grief that can often accompany the holiday season. We cover how to handle feeling overwhelmed, strategies for coping with being triggered and the significance of food during this time of the year. Sending love to all of you out there, this week and all weeks.
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Hello sweet friends. This week we have the honor of speaking with Serena Liguori, the Executive Director of New Hour For Women and Children. New Hour was founded on Long Island to provide meaningful support to current and formerly incarcerated women, their children and families. They build community to promote successful reentry and lasting reintegration, and to reform unjust criminal justice system policies. They empower directly impacted people to use their experiences to effect change in the carceral system. Serena joins us to talk about her own experience in the carceral system, her most profound food memories from prison, and the incredibly impactful work she has done for the community since her release. We were floored by this chat, and hope that Serena's experience and insight can help shed some much needed light in the failings and injustices in the carceral system in this country. We are deeply grateful to her for her time and wisdom. Please enjoy our talk with her. You can follow the amazing work that is being done at New Hour by checking out their website at newhourli.org or on Instagram @newhourforwomen
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We have a very special episode for you all this week. Film critic Susannah Gruder joins us to talk about food & grief in film. Susannah recommended three incredible and poignant films for us to watch and discuss on the show, and we had an amazing time watching, and discussing them with her. We watched "Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels", Directed by Chantal Akerman, "Still Walking" directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, and "Dick Johnson is Dead" directed by Kirstin Johnson. Each film was so special and different, and we hope that you take the time to watch them too.
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On this week's episode, we read your listener letters and catch up with each other to unpack some different thoughts we have been having about grief and food. Note: this episode was recorded prior to the 2020 election, Incase you are wondering why we don’t mention it during the episode. Stay safe out there friends, and take care of yourselves and each other.
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Hi friends. On this weeks show we welcome our dear friend Janet Mercel. Janet is a writer and interior designer based in LA. In 2016 Janet confronted a mysterious lifelong illness, and underwent heart surgery, having an experimental pacemaker put in. She joins us to discuss this time of pain, change, and literal heartbreak, and how her relationship with food helped heal her, and reconnect her with people that she pushed away while coping with her illness. Janet is a beautiful human, whose honesty and integrity shines through in everything she does. We loved this deep and winding conversation, and it gave us a lot to think about in terms of losing yourself in the process of becoming who you were meant to be.
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Hello friends. On today’s show we are joined by Chef Eli Sussman. Eli is the author of 4 cookbooks, a board member of Share our Strength, and the Chef/ Owner of the recently closed Samesa, which had multiple locations throughout NYC. He joins us to discuss the multitude of emotions that come from closing a business, from the pain of loss of identity, to the relief of letting go of the daily struggle. Eli is not only an incredibly talented chef, he’s an innovator, and a wildly creative and driven human being, and we can’t wait to see what he does next. We have all the faith in the world in him. Eli is also the host of The Line podcast right here in HRN. Please check it out! You can follow him on Instagram @thesussmans and @samesarestaurant
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On today’s show we welcome Portland Grief House founder, Laura Green. Laura joins us to talk about the amazing project she has started in The Portland Grief House, and how she envisions its place in Portland’s grief community. We talk about the many ways in which Portland has been experiencing communal as of late, and the impact of raging wildfires on her appetite. Laura has a beautiful way of looking at and talking about grief, and it was a luscious and rich conversation. Please check out Portland Grief Houses new virtual community at Griefhouse.org ❤️
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On this week's very special episode we are joined by music legend Judy Collins. Judy is a grammy award winner with a career spanning over 60 years. She not only has a 55 album body of work under her belt, but she is also an author and activist. Judy joins us to talk about her decades-long struggle with eating disorders, the tragic loss of her only son, and the power of acceptance and vulnerability. Judy is wise in a rare way and has a beautiful way of looking at life, having gone through the deepest darkness and come out the other side. This conversation was so rich and textured and we felt changed after it. We also felt deeply honored for her words and her time and her perspective. We hope you enjoy listening to the beautiful Ms. Collins.
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On today's show we are re-airing our wonderful chat with owner of Shelsky's of Brooklyn, Peter Shelsky. Peter joins us to talk about the rich history and traditions of shiva. We talk smoked fish, mourning and much more on this lovely and lighthearted episode. We adore Peter and urge all smoked fish lovers to get dow there ASAP! Hang in there folks, and we are sending love.
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On today’s show we are joined by the lovely Tucker Schwarz. In early 2019 Tucker awoke in the middle of the night to realize that her apartment building was on fire. Luckily she escaped the fire physically unharmed, and no one else in the building was at home. Her apartment, and all her possessions, photos and keepsakes were destroyed. This is such a traumatizing and life altering event, and we felt honored that she opened up to us about the experience and the grief she has experienced in the aftermath. We hope you enjoy this beautiful and candid conversation.
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On today's show, we chat with each other about the intense going ons in the world and how we are coping with them. It was great to catch up just the two of us and just be honest about how this very tumultuous time is effecting us, and what we have been cooking and eating to cope.
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On this week's show we welcome Laura Madaio. Laura is the founder of Grief Hungry, an Instagram handle, and soon to be website that offers recipe sharing for the grief community. In the summer of 2018, Laura suddenly and tragically lost her beloved father, John, in terrible accident. John was as Laura describes, the cornerstone of their tight knit family, and his sudden passing left a lot to be processed and untangled. In the wake of his death, Laura became an advocate for bereavement leave in the workplace. She also started @griefhungry to combine her love of food and cooking with her traumatic loss. We hope you enjoy this beautiful conversation as much as we did, and please follow Laura @griefhungry on Instagram, and share and connect with her via email at griefhungry@gmail.com.
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On today’s show we are joined by Chef and Writer Jasmine Michel. Jasmine chats with us about her upbringing and her families food traditions in relationship to her Muslim heritage, her recent trauma of having a fire in her home and badly burning her partner, and how she is handling the current state of sustained grief that we are all living in. Jasmine has such warmth, and we feel like she’s an old friend already. It was such a pleasure to get the chance to talk with her. Please enjoy:)
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On today's show we welcome writer and television producer/ director/ showrunner Scottie Jeanette Madden. Scottie joins us to talk about her beautiful love story with her late wife Marcy. Scottie and Marcy were married just shy of 30 years before Marcy passed away from a 9 year battle with ovarian cancer. We discuss caregiving, her transitioning, cooking, and ultimately, the meaning of true love. Their story is tender and beautiful, and we were honored to have Scottie share some of the details of a decades long love story. Scottie is the author of “Getting back to me, from girl to boy to woman in just 50 years” and “ Recklass in the kitchen. A year of light, laughter, love, and oh- food!” and Marcy is the author of “Just because my husband’s a woman. Marcys side of the story”. Scottie is an activist and incredibly powerful public speaker. Please check out her TedX talk here https://www.zuzubean.com/ted-talk.html . Learn more about Scottie by checking out her website https://www.zuzubean.com/
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Hey folks. On this week's episode we are joined by brothers Daniel and Justin Wisner. Daniel and Justin are PA natives, living and working together in Brooklyn. They share about their history with body dysmorphia, eating disorders and the tragic passing of Justin’s beloved husband Chris. Their relationship is unique and beautiful, and it was amazing to feel the power of sibling love in the face of unimaginable loss. It was a true delight chatting with them, and we hope you enjoy our chat with them as much as we did.
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This week we have a listener letter episode. We have been hanging on to this one for a while, and are excited to finally air it! Thank you so much to all you amazing and supportive listeners, and especially to this weeks letter writers for their beautiful submissions. It was an honor to read them on air.
Please send us YOUR letters!: Processing@heritageradionetwork.org
In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.
Keep Processing on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.
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On today’s show we welcome the bright burst of light that is Ella Laviolette. Ella is an artist, a cook, a service industry veteran and a professional dominatrix. She grew up on the Lower East Side of NYC, and was raised in a food centric Hatian family. We talk about Hatian cuisine, being raised without a mother and the similarities between sex work and therapy. Ella is a magical person, and we were honored to chat with her. Please enjoy💛
In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.
Keep Processing on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.
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On this week's episode we welcome the wonderful and wise Millicent Souris. Millicent is the Rescue Food Coordinator at the largest emergency food provider in Brooklyn, called. St. John’s Bread & Life. We talk about growing up in her family's bar, the death of her father and handling grief as a young person just starting their adult life. Millicent has so much depth and warmth and strength, and it was such a rich conversation. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Please note, this episode was recorded on the first day of protests for the murder of George Flyod in New York City. We feel it necessary to mention this, as we do not discuss the protests or the incredibly important Black Lives Matter movement that is currently happening throughout the country. We stand with the protesters and people on the front lines of this movement. We are getting involved however we can, and urge you to do the same.
In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.
Keep Processing on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.
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We have a very special episode mini episode today featuring our pals from the Service Workers Coalition. We are grateful for what they are doing to help the service community during this crisis, and wanted to spread the word about their mutual aid services. Please enjoy, and please donate!
*Service Workers Coalition is a grassroots Mutual Aid Fund, and now incorporated Non-Profit Organization, that has mobilized to respond to the evolving needs of laid off hospitality workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The central action of SWC is grocery stipends. The fund offers $50 a week grocery stipends to any out of work service industry workers. We also offer delivery of those supplies if a worker is quarantined for any reason, or does not have access to a bank account, which is needed for wire transfer of the stipend. We are also offering to facilitate harm reduction supply access and coordinate wellness check-ins and other mental health services remotely.
Ioby Campaign: https://ioby.org/project/grocery-stipends
Instagram: @serviceworkerscoalition
Email for aid: serviceworkerscoaltion@gmail.com
venmo for direct donations: @bkservicecoalition
website (about to launch): serviceworkerscoalition.org
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Today we bring to you part three of our crisis catchup series with some of our amazing past guests. We check in with Jess Quinn, Jessie Sheehan and Jenny Indig, to see how they are fairing during this difficult time, and how their past experiences with grief have helped them to handle the current stress and uncertainty of the world. We really enjoyed getting to touch base with them, and we hope you do too. Stay safe and take care of yourselves and each other.
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On this weeks show we welcome the Vintage Baker herself, Jessie Sheehan. She joins us to talk about her battle with breast cancer, her love of nostalgic sweets, and the path that brought her there. Jessie is a true lightning bolt of a woman. Her energy and enthusiasm is palpable, and we had such a wonderful time talking with her. Please follow her on instagram @jessiesheehanbakes and pick up her awesome cookbook "The Vintage Baker."
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Hi folks, we hope you are all hanging in there through this difficult time. On today's show we welcome Jenny Indig, for a very special Mother’s Day episode. Jenny lost her mother to cancer 8 years ago, shortly after she herself became a mom for the first time. Jenny candidly shares her memories of her mother's love of celebrations, and how she memorialises her mother through food in her current life. Jenny is a sweet and thoroughly genuine human, and this conversation was touching, but also more difficult than some others for us personally, as we are a mother and daughter. It really struck a chord, and we are so grateful to Jenny for her sincerity and bravery in sharing this very emotional story. Jenny has an amazing food blog called The Brooklyn Balabusta and is a regular contributor to Brooklyn Based.
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On today's show we are joined by Hannah Borkin, all the way from the UK. Hanna talks with us, remotely of course, about the death of her father in 2017, and the incredible way she has chosen to channel her grief through her new supper club project, "Grief Eats". As a young woman who lost her dad suddenly at age 24, Hannah has a unique perspective on grief, and it was our absolute pleasure to chat with her about her experience, and how she is coping with her past trauma during this current crisis. Be good to yourselves and each other, and please enjoy our talk with Hannah.
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On today's show we catch up with several of our former guests about how they are dealing with this global crisis. Everyone brings a very different and valuable perspective to the show, and we are honoured to have them all to share with you. Thank you to Cynthia Cherish Malaran, Amelia Nierenberg, and Anna Dunn for their time. We hope you are all finding ways to cope and get by in this challenging time, and we hope that hearing these stories helps even just a little.
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On today's show we catch up with several of our former guests about how they are dealing with this global crisis. Everyone brings a very different and valuable perspective to the show, and we are honoured to have them all to share with you. Thank you to Dana Cowin, Laura Silverman, Tracy Wilik, and Lisa Kolb Ruland for their time. We hope you are all finding ways to cope and get by in this challenging time, and we hope that hearing these stories helps even just a little.
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Today we are joined by the warm and wonderful Tracy Wilk. Tracy is the Lead Recreational Chef and Recipe Editor at ICE, and she joins us to talk about the loss of her father to suicide in 2017. We had such a deep and winding talk with her, and like with so many of our guests that we meet for the first time, we somehow felt like old friends. Huge thank you to Tracy for sharing her experience with the complicated loss of a loved one by suicide. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please reach out to a mental health professional, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or dial 911 for help.
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On this week's show we are joined by the lovely Lisa Kolb Ruland. Lisa lost her husband Erik in 2014, in a tragic accident on Mt. Rainier. She shares about her personal journey with grief following such an unimaginable loss, and how she found solace in cooking and writing. Lisa is the founder of the newly launched Unpeeled Journal, a beautiful food blog with a section devoted entirely to food and grief. She is an amazing writer, and her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Food52, Modern Loss, Eater, and more. Please check out unpeeledjournal.com and big thanks to Lisa for sharing her story.
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On today's show we are joined by film Director and Producer, Risa Morimoto. Risa is also the founder and CEO of "Modern Aging," a foundation that focuses on innovative and holistic approaches and solutions to aging and caregiving. Risa's family also owns The Kura Barn, a homestyle Japanese restaurant in our hometown of Huntington, NY. Our talk with Risa was amazing, and culminated in us all singing and crying together. Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus crisis. We truly hope you are all finding ways to cope with this incredibly difficult time. Please reach out to us at processing@heritageradionetwork.org for emotional support, or if you have a listener letter or story you would like to share.
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On this weeks very special episode, Bobbie and Zahra speak with long time friend Jeffery Haynes, aka Mr. Lif. Jeffery is a world-renowned rapper and dear friend to Zahra. In 2006 Jeffery and Zahra were in a near-death bus crash while on a nationwide tour that Jeffery was headlining. We talk about loss, PTSD, family food memories, and trusting your gut. Jeff is an incredibly talented musician, and a brilliant human, and it was an honor to have him on the show. Please stay tuned to what he is doing by following him @therealmrlif on Instagram and twitter
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On today's show we are joined by pastry chef and grief survivor, Jess Quinn. When Jess was 25 her mother was diagnosed with dementia, eventually dying from it five years later. Jess shares the brutally unique experience of losing a loved one this way, little by little. She is a brave and honest woman, and her story is both tragic and hopeful. She vividly recants tender and special moments with her mother that brought is all to tears. Jess is a wonderful woman and we felt so lucky to talk to her.
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Nicole Bailey- This week we are joined by our dear friend Nicole Bailey. Nicole is a NYC service industry powerhouse, and co-host of “Life’s a Banquet” on HRN. Nicole opens up about coping with the sadness surrounding her mother, who had been missing for several years. We talk about eating disorders, mental health and growing up in the Midwest. Nicole is funny, sensitive, deep, honest and totally unique, and we are so grateful that she shared her story with us and our listeners. If you or someone you know is trying to locate a missing person, and have already contacted law enforcement, you can also check out Namus.gov as an additional resource.
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On today's show we are joined by the amazing Rev DJCherishTheLuv aka, Cynthia Cherish Malaran. Cynthia is a world renowned DJ, Reverend, and breast cancer survivor. She joins us to talk about her journey with cancer, from diagnosis thru treatment, which included her DJing for fellow chemo recipients during infusions, and her enlightening concept of primary foods. Cynthia also has a podcast on HRN called "Primary Food," and we were so intrigued by this beautiful concept as a form of healing and self care. Cynthia is a bright shining light, and we were touched and honored to sit down and have this meaningful chat with her. You can follow her @djcherishtheluv on Instagram and Twitter and check out her website at www.cherishtheluv.com. And please tune into her podcast "Primary Food", right here on Heritage Radio Network.
Photo courtesy of Olga Shmaidenko
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On today’s show we speak with longtime friend and honorary family member, Kathie Bodily. Kathie has experienced multiple losses in her lifetime, including that of her partner in business and life of 35 years, Michael Rothbard, her 3 brothers and her mother. Kathie is also a phenomenal home cook, who enjoys food in the most special ways. She is the former owner and operator of IMAC in Huntington, NY, a music theater which hosted thousands of prolific musicians throughout its 25 year run. We were honored to have her share her insight into loss, and we hope you get as much out of this talk as we did. ❤️
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In this week's episode we sit down for a deeply moving talk with interior designer, writer, and bereaved mother, Donna Orbach. In 2012 Donna's son Reuben died suddenly while studying abroad at the young age of 20. Donna opens up about her personal and familial relationship to food before and after Reuben's death, her experience with other people's food after his passing, and the complexities and realities of losing a child. We are so honored and humbled by Donna's emotional generosity and we hope her openness and vulnerability can serve as an outstretched hand to others out there who are experiencing intense grief.
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This week we have an amazingly interesting conversation with journalist, Amelia Nierenberg. Amelia talks to us about her fascinating and touching article in the October 28, 2019 article in the New York Times entitled “For Many Widows, the Hardest Part is Mealtime”. Amelia interviewed dozens of widowed people to hear their perspectives and experiences with eating and cooking after losing a spouse. The perspective she gained through talking with these folks is insightful and touching. She also shares her personal memories and sacred family recipes and food traditions. Amelia is a brilliant writer and journalist, and you can read her work each week in the food section of the New York Times. You can follow her @amelia.nierenberg on Instagram.
Image courtesy of the New York Times.
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Writer, poet, cookbook author, activist and service industry veteran, Anna Dunn, joins us for a beautiful conversation about the death of their dear friend. Our talk expands to cover multiple grief experiences including loss of friends and family and the very real pain of the 2016 election. Anna shares their philosophy on pizza and its perfect architecture, on making it a healing food for them in times of grief. Anna is the author of multiple poems and essays that can be found online, as well as the beautiful cookbook, “Dinner at the Long Table.”
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This week we chat with Peter Shelsky, owner of Brooklyn institution, “Shelsky’s of Brooklyn: Appetizing & Delicatessen.” Peter helps us better understand the Jewish mourning tradition of shiva. We talk about what shiva means. What foods people eat during the process and what it means to him to be able to provide nourishment to people in times of immense grief.
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We have the pleasure of talking with the incomparable Dana Cowin on this week's episode. She shares her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer while serving as the Editor in Chief of Food & Wine magazine during her 21 year tenure. We unpack the intricacies of cancer, and how to help those who look up to you as a leader, while also helping yourself get through the diagnosis, treatment and healing of cancer. Dana is an editor, author and the host of “Speaking Broadly”, on Heritage Radio Network. You can follow Dana @speakingbroadly and @fwscout on Instagram.
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This week we sit down for a conversation with Laura Silverman, whose parents were tragically killed when she was 13 years old. Now as a grown woman, and a mother herself, Laura shares her journey through her grief and her food memories from her childhood in Mississippi, to her relocation to Texas after the death of her parents, to her current current life and food traditions with her family. Laura opens up about the unimaginable pain of losing her parents and the foods and recipes that make it possible for her to keep the warm memories of them with her.
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Hello, and welcome to Processing! In our first episode, we introduce ourselves, the mission of our show, and our own experiences with food and grief. We are so honored to be able to have these meaningful and rich conversations with our guests, and we look forward to sharing their stories with you.
Photo by Becky McNeel
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Processing is a new podcast from Heritage Radio Network that explores the intersection of food and grief. Each week hosts Bobbie Comforto and Zahra Tangorra are joined by a special guest who shares their personal experience with loss, grief, and heartbreak, and how food factored into their journey. Change and loss are inevitable in all our lives. The relationships that we as humans have surrounding food and loss are universal and relatable across different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. It is our individual adaptation to the things we cannot control that makes us unique. Processing will expose and digest these commonalities and differences in each episode.
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