Phil Rosenthal on why the world is a better place when people eat together and travel
The creator of "Somebody Feed Phil" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" shared his food journey at the CREATE conference, and how that has shaped his mission of encouraging people to break bread together across borders.
July 22, 2026
Phil Rosenthal never had fresh garlic until he left home for college.
His mother’s idea of seasoning was salt. Not even pepper. She once made a matzo lasagna. (“I think she found the recipe in an antisemitic cookbook,” he said.)
In his freshman year at Hofstra University, he went to a cheap Italian restaurant and had simple pasta and sauce. There were “little white bits.”
Fresh garlic.
“It was the most delicious thing,” said Rosenthal at the CREATE conference at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Tuesday, in a conversation on the main stage with Nation’s Restaurant News Executive Editor Alicia Kelso.
It was also the beginning of a food journey that would take the sitcom writer/producer/actor/author/restaurant investor — and now restaurant operator — around the world. Rosenthal is also the host and creator of the show “Somebody Feed Phil,” which was previously on Netflix, but next year will debut on YouTube.
Rosenthal describes the show as “I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain — if he was afraid of everything.”
But it’s not really about the food. The mission is the notion that “the world will be better if we all could experience a little bit of other people’s experiences.”
One of his most memorable experiences was visiting a Palestinian chef in Dubai who made him a raw lamb dish with herbs and spices. Initially he was concerned about food safety, but one taste was transformative.
“History says we’re not going to be friends, with my background and her background,” he said. “That ended the moment I met her.”
The two have remained friends, even through the more recent troubles in the Middle East, he said.
Rosenthal is a believer that travel can change perspectives. “And how do we get people to travel? What if you show them the best places in the world to eat?”
The seed for “Somebody Feed Phil” was planted while Rosenthal was was working on the hit TV show he created, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which this year celebrated 30 years on TV.
In one episode of the show, centered on comedian Ray Romano, Rosenthal borrowed from his own experience visiting Europe for the first time. In the episode, Romano’s character goes to Italy for the first time. It was also the actor Romano’s first trip to Italy, and it was as mind-blowing in real life as it was for Romano’s character.
“Ray comes running up to me and says, ‘Phil, have you had gelato?!’” Rosenthal laughed. “Right then and there I said, 'What if I had the opportunity to do this for other people?'”
Rosenthal has long been a restaurant investor, but in November, he partnered with famed Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Nancy Silverton to open the diner Max & Helen’s, named for his parents, and run by his daughter.
It was inspired by a diner he went to in Maine that just offered the best version of simple, familiar food, with great ingredients.
He shared the difficulties of getting the restaurant open in Los Angeles, a city notorious for red tape. (“You think about murder,” he said. “Just think.”)
He got advice from fine-dining chef Thomas Keller (“Staff is number one,” Keller told him). He read the book “Unreasonable Hospitality,” by Will Guidara, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park in New York, and a preacher of going the extra mile.
His advice for operators: “You catch more flies with honey. That’s the secret. People are so longing for a place where they belong, you know, like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name,” he said. “You want the great food, but you can get the great food in a lot of places. You can’t buy that feeling.”
About the Author
Lisa Jennings
Executive Editor, Restaurant Business
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Her experience includes other industry publications as well as the daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., where she was Food Editor. Her work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, FoodBeast, The Huffington Post, Time.com and more.
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