Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 4 - Greg Grunberg

Episode Date: June 2, 2020

Welcome to the family! This week Tom breaks bread with actor/producer Greg Grunberg. Greg takes us to his grandmother's kitchen for an amazing chicken sandwich and off to outer space as his co-pilot in Star Wars. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hey, but don't you know, it's also a show. Hey. Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Breaking Bread. Hope you're enjoying yourself. Thank you for listening. And thank you for joining us. I have to say, I do feel like I am hosting you every week and that you can be a part of this and be a part of these conversations.

I don't know. It's a pretty great thing. Hopefully you're cracking open some wine and eating some good stuff along the way as well. I know we're talking a lot about people's amazing dishes and how they grew up and it's just, it makes you hungry. It makes me hungry for sure. So sincerely, thank you for joining us. This week we've got the great Greg Grunberg on the show, an amazing actor, producer, writer. His list of stuff is so long. Heroes, alias, most recently, Star Wars, great actor, great guy. I've known him intermittently for most of my career when I've been in Los Angeles. He's just one of those guys that I had to get on the show because he's just larger than life. He just enjoys life. And when he starts telling us stuff about about the great sandwiches that he has enjoyed as a child with his grandmother. And, uh, and, uh, and, And just everything I thought about Greg that why he would be perfect for this podcast, it all comes through. Great guy, great conversations, and great insights into what makes life worth living. So enjoy it.

And thanks again for being here. Enjoy Greg Grunberg. What are you drinking? I got a little DC, as they say. I usually put a lemon in there, but. Is that your thing or do you do coffee also? I do coffee. I do Death Wish coffee.

Are you into the Death Wish Coffee yet? Oh, no. What's that? Oh, I'm going to hook you up. You know, I'm the king of hookup. So there's this, these guys, since I'm doing some with Barstool Sports and they, these guys advertise on Barstool and I've met them years ago there, they kind of go after the rock and roll community and it's the strongest coffee in the world. Oh, my God. But it's not super acidic and it doesn't taste terrible.

It tastes so good. So I usually have that. But, you know, at 53, you can't have too many cups of coffee during the day. Oh, it's so upsetting because I literally could drink coffee 24 hours a day. I love it so much. I know me too. But I'm really now at a point where, you know, you get in the afternoon, are you going to go for that third cup of the day? Are you going to ruin your time between 10 o'clock and 1 a.m.?

when you're trying to sleep. It's true. I know. And I don't know how people, how do people do it in Europe? Are they just, like, their bodies are just so used to having a double espresso, a two, three, four shots of espresso?

I know, like late at night. I think that the espresso, I've been told, doesn't have as much caffeine as what we have in our, you know, we're walking around with big barrels of liquid. Right. And they're just like a little sip in the go,

but I don't know. I want to be, I always try and err back on, well, I should just be more Italian. I should just do what the Italians do. Right, right. But if I have an espresso after dinner. But coffee and like a casual drink like that, it's supposed to be something that, like tea, right? The whole idea behind tea time is to actually relax and take a second for yourself and just, you know, just center yourself again. And then so when I try and do that now, all I think about is my heart, you know, my buddy Kevin Smith had a heart attack doing the stand-up show.

And so I went to the doctor and I checked myself out. And the doctor was like, okay, I got good news and bad news. The good news is you got no blockage. Everything's fine. The bad news is you're fat and you need to get on the peloton. You know, so it's like, so I this is what I think about now when I have a cup of coffee, which is ridiculous. I know. So wait, if you're, if you're, if everything's good and there's no blockage, why do you got to, why do you got to lose all this weight?

Oh, why do I? You're right. I should just gain weight. I got no blockage. No, but like, you know, maybe this is your natural weight. Maybe this is okay. That's true. I'm up in weight, though.

I, I, um, you know, I, the last big job I had was, uh, Star Wars and I had to get into that flight suit. And so I lost a bunch of weight. And JJ, I, um, you know, I, um, I, the last big job I had. Abrams, my old, you know, my dearest friend the world. He's always like, you know, you got to. I just don't want to be the fat guy, dude. I don't want to be a guy that you look at and go, he could lose some weight. Yeah, but you're, but you're never going to be like the skinny guy either.

No, no, no, nor do I want to be. I, I, but I agree with you. But there is a tipping point. There's a tipping point where you look at somebody on TV and go, like Garland is, I fucking love that guy. And I look at Garland and I'm like, okay, when I, when he gets too heavy, I'm like, oh, Jesus. I don't want him to.

No, don't take your underwear off too quickly. You know, it's like I want them to take care. Be gentle, you know? And that's where I feel like I am now because I'm eating everything. Right. I know. I know. Well, that's why I was excited.

I mean, we've been friends for a long time. But I was excited to have you on the show because you seem to me as a person who enjoys life, enjoys being a big part of life. You always have people around. You're always, you've got your family. You do the stuff. So I can only imagine that food and drink is a big part of that as well. Absolutely.

I don't know if you even know this. I did a food network pilot. Like my dream is to do what, you know, Andrew Zimmern is doing with normal foods or what Bordane did. And what Zimmern's doing now, Andrew's doing this great thing where he's really getting people together and discussing topics that they normally wouldn't be able to get along. You know, they're just talking about our world. But yeah, I, food has always been a very big part of, you know, I grew up in a wonderful Jewish family. Food is very important. Yeah.

Where did you grow up in L.A., right? Yeah, grew up at West L.A., right at San Diego and San Diego Freeway and Mulholland. So right up there, you know, the highest bridge in Los Angeles. You drive under, you know, but it. It was a very unique situation. We lived right on Mall Holland, right off Malland, like a block off Mall Holland. And if for people don't know, mall on this famous street, the valley is on one side. It's the peak of the hills.

And on this side is the city, we actually had two different area codes in our house. We had a 310 and an 818 in the house. No way. Yeah. And I went to school, I went to Roscamer Elementary School, Emerson Jr. High and Uni High, which were all in the city, but I could have easily gone to Valley Schools. And it literally would have changed my life if I went to Valley Schools just because of the friends that I made and their lifelong friends, you know. Yeah, yeah. Oh, that must have been a thing growing up because I came here later

in my life. But I know there's like that big thing of like the Valley and the West Side and just having the whole, I didn't know it was a thing until I was in someone's office and the assistant. Justin was sitting at the desk and I was and I said, where can I get a haircut in the valley? And she literally stopped typing, looked up and said, no one gets their haircut in the valley. That is. Yeah. What's wrong with the valley? Right.

I think, I think, so my mom, she accentuates the A. So she's always been, we gravitated towards the valley. I want to live. You got to tell me, there's got to be an area where you grew up that is equivalent to this. where it's just if you, it's almost like you're throwing in the towel. You know, you're trying to keep up with the Joneses. And then you move to the valley, as my mom calls it, the valley. She literally says that to get under my skin.

And it used to be a lot worse. As far as I didn't, I never cared. But it used to be a thing where you just, you know, first of all, you drive down from the city, down the 405 into the valley. So you're going down. Yeah. Right. So there's that negative connotation. And I'm sure you've heard this joke.

where the Jewish couple standing on Mohan, they come over the ridge from the city. This was when the valley didn't have anything. And it was like, look, Sherman, Oaks. And he said, Van Nuys. That's not me. I'm not taking claim to that. I just love it.

I love it. I love that. That's so great. But we had a Jersey town, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we had a Jersey town that was Mawa, New Jersey. And that was near where I grew up. And the thing was, here today, gone to Mawa.

that's kind of perfect. I mean, that's growing up was always like, you know, the valley, the valley, the valley. And then I love it. I love the valley. There is one street. It's called the Ventura Boulevard. You know, and it extends from one side of the valley to the other. I couldn't be happier.

When we moved out to the West Valley where we are, there was no one living out. You had to have your shots to actually, you know, move or visit this far out. Now, everybody's in the valley. Everybody sees value in having not a postage stamp, not living on top of your neighbors, having a little bit of a yard and getting more value for your buck. So I, you know, I love it where we live now. So when you were a kid, would you come into the valley? Was arts around?

Arts deli? Arts deli, but we had DuPars. So DuPars, where Jerry's is now, Jerry's Deli is now in Encino, that used to be DuPars. The Dupars that you know is in Studio City. Right. And that's gone now. It's so sad. Yeah.

And so I think the only remaining Dupar's is at Third in Fairfax. Yeah. It's the only one left. Yeah. And so food for me started with Dupars and my grandmother. So my grandmother, my nanny, we used to call her nanny. It's just the greatest. She had the greatest cackle in the world.

laughed at everything. It didn't, didn't, I mean, gave you shit for everything. I remember, I remember the, she gave me money

for my birthday. She called me the German because I always saved money. I don't know why. She was always, oh, you're the German in the family. Yeah.

And we would go somewhere and, um, we would go to Farmer's Market. And there was a place called Andres. Andres in Farmers Market was a, an Italian cafeteria. Ooh.

Where you could get spaghetti and, uh, cheese bread and, and, for $2.60 And she would take us. And it would be like a grand meal for her. She also,

my nanny, this is, this just, I love your show, by the way, because I just don't have these conversations. Yeah. She would,

she'd do a thing where she would say, um, so if, if you're going to go for a proper meal, it had to have a salad part of, you order and it's got to come with salad soup, um, an entree,

a drink, a side, and dessert. And then if you got all of that and everything was properly laid out, like the soup had to be hot, everything had to be good. She would say, now that's dining. That's how she would end the meal. That's so perfect.

It's the best. Now that's dining. Yeah. I love that. I miss her so much. And she would make these chicken sandwiches and we still to this day, my kids, my boys would ask me, they still do, can you make me a nanny sandwich? And what it is is it's just pulled chicken.

And we use dark meat, chicken off the bone, and toasted sourdough bread, which I cannot wait. Look at that, baby. Come on. This is so good. I just went and delivered that and then came back to do the podcast. Oh, my God. Look at that. It's like a freshly crusted pop zit.

It's like so perfect. How does this rank color wise for you? Good. I actually, that's perfect, but I've been going darker recently where I'm letting it go and I'm experimenting with it because to get it really dark means it's, you know, it's going to be in there a little longer. And it doesn't overcook the bread, but it definitely, the crust is a little more, a little, you know, overcooked. But it also brings out these carmely flavors in it. So that one's perfect. That's what I've been eating for the last couple of years.

You got to have some balls, though, to. let it go past this. Like this, this is just gorgeous. Yeah, no, it is good. But like I said,

it's, I'm going to bring you even better bread than that. I want to see what you think of that. Because I know that's totally good. That's great. I would have got brought it to you yesterday, but we had the holidays and all this other stuff going on.

Yeah. But, but if, but I will bring you the bread that I think is perfect. Okay. And then we'll see what you think. And also, I also get in my head,

I also get in my head what I think is perfect. And then my wife and kids are like, no, yesterday's was so much better. Right. And then do you go thin slice or thick slice? In between, I'm very much a snob. You have to have a really good serrated knife because even the best sourdough, you've got to kind of saw through it. When I come into the kitchen and my wife or children are just hacking away and mauling it, I just, I need them leave the room. I know.

I'm like, out. Get out. Yeah, or I'll prepare a sandwich or buy a sandwich on great crusty bread or something. And then my kids are picking at it and taking stuff off of it. I'm like, what are you doing? Like, do you buy a piece of art and then start messing with it to make it the way you want it? Try it. Try it.

Try the way the master intended it to be. I know. What about your butter? What butter do you like? Straight up land of lakes is good. The Irish one was it the Kelly's? Yeah, I like that. That's good, too.

I do this crazy thing, which I know you will like, where it's called the gentleman's breakfast, where the night before you take a stick out, let it soften up on the counter for a bit, and then you dice up garlic and anchovies, mix that into the butter, put it back in the refrigerator, and then the next morning you get a pretty thick slice of the bread and just smother... Raw garlic? Raw garlic, diced up really small. Same with the anchovy.

I'm telling you, I know, I know, I know it sounds a little bit like a nightmare. But it is so good, it's so good when you take a bite of it, you start pounding on the table. It's so good. I do that all the time. I'm not kidding.

It's so, it's called the gentleman's breakfast where you have that also with these, with like scrambled eggs next to it. Don't even need the eggs. You just do this. Do you, are you aware of the,

the pizza reviews that Dave Portnoy does? He's the head of Barstall Sports. It's, he goes by Davey Pageviews on, on the one bite. They're called one bite pizza reviews. They're wildly famous. He is so brilliant.

He takes, he, you know, he says one bite, everybody knows the rules. And he does, he's doing every pizza place in New York until he, until he finds them all. And he's done over 400, 500 places.

But then he's also branched out when he travels to other places, but he does. And it is, my mouth is watering right now thinking about them. Every time I see it, just like this, every time, I don't know, I know that food is an addiction for me. It makes me so happy.

It makes me the emotion of the endorphins. This must be what it's like to, you know, OD on crack or something. When I have, like, I can't wait for that gentleman's breakfast now. Oh, my God, you're going to flip out. No, and I'm the same way. And this is what's, this back to, your doctor's appointment. This is the unfortunate, this is the injustice of life, is that,

all right, we're not drinking like crazy. We're not doing drugs. We've got a family. We're not running around and partying and stuff. Just let me have the food. Let me have all the food I want. And they won't let you. They won't let you. I know. It's so infuriating. So that's why I wanted to do a show. So I did a show. I did a pilot that I can't wait to. show you. And it's called nickel and dining. Um, and it was finding great food for great value. So you're not breaking the bank. Um, and we went all over L.A. we went to, uh, the nickel diner downtown. That was how we started. That place is incredible. And we went to, uh, bar, um, which is, uh, if you don't know, this chef Joseph Santeno in L.A. He's got like five places. This is a place where

he cooks his grandmother's Mexican food, but kind of fancies it up a little bit. Like El Bondegas isn't just meat. It's a meatball soup, but it's like there's meatballs, the way his grandmother used to make. Unreal. Oh, my God. That's amazing. So back to your grandmother. Yeah.

She would make, it would be sourdough bread that she would make the nanny's chicken sandwich on? Yeah, she would do white bread sometimes, but a lot of times it was sourdough bread most of the time. So she would take sourdough bread. And also I could feel her soft hands and her love that she did. She had a little toaster oven. And, you know, the kind that like slid up and seemed to open like that, you know what I mean? And she would toast the bread perfectly, put a little bit of mayo on it, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and this chicken, that pulled chicken. And somehow none of it hung off.

It was all perfect. It was like Jenga, the way she did it on the breath. But when she put that together, and then when she cut it, I still to this day, I try not to dent it when I'm cutting it. You know, so I do a little bit of the saw, but you can't use a serrated knife on a sandwich. It's not going to go through the, I don't know how she did it. No. But sounds like she had grape bread. Yeah, she had grape bread, but perfect.

And then she had these like, I still would love to find these plastic plates that just, I don't know, I remind reminds me when I was a kid. And my brother and I, my sister, what a memory. God, God. My grandmother used to do a little, she would put the, it was the only place I saw the little pickles. Like the little, the tiny little, what are the, gherkins? Gherkins. She would put those on the side of my thing. And, you know, I'm eating sandwiches my whole life.

I'm running around. My friends are making sandwiches. My mom's making sandwiches. I wasn't making sandwiches, but you go to Nana's house, you got the little pickle on the side. And it was just like, I can't even tell you if they were good sandwiches, but they were the greatest of all time. Yeah. Because it came with that pickle. And what kind of sandwich do you remember?

Was it just like a cold cuts? Yeah, just cold cuts. Probably, probably like baloney. I mean, it wasn't. Right. She wasn't the great cook. It was the other grandmother who was like dialed in with all the cooking. Yeah.

But she threw that pickle in. It was a game changer. That's what she said. So you, what about now? Like, obviously you bake. You love making beautiful, loves of bread for friends and things. But are you in other aspects of the kitchen? I mean, do you do, do you smoke meats?

Do you do any of that stuff? Because I'm enjoying that. Yeah, no, I live in a predominantly vegetarian house. So my wife and two daughters are all vegetarians. So, any meat adventures happen outside at the grill, and I try not to, I can make it. And now that we have a dog, my wife likes feeding the dog meat for some reason. She didn't want me to eat it. I was going to say, your dog is eating better than you are.

Oh, 100%. Like, I'll get a really nice thing. And she's like, what do you have for the dog? And, but I cook a lot of Italian food and stuff in the kitchen. I'm constantly, I cook a lot. I cook a lot and I'm always adventuring out and trying to come up with other stuff

and there's like even like the recipes you know like it'll call for like a little anchovy in the in the I have this great Italian cookbook what is it called? It's right here. I'm using it as my stand. The essentials of classic Italian cooking.

And the whole thing starts off with anchovies. It's all about putting anchovies in all of these dishes and it's like a real old school book. Do you make your own pasta? No. I haven't done that either. I don't. And you know, it's, I learned how to do it when I was in Italy. I took a class when I was on vacation and they showed us how to do it and didn't even try it once. And the problem is you run into some really good Italian cooks who use dry pasta and you're like, well, they're using dry pasta. Right. Why am I going to go through the effort? Yeah, why am I going to go through all of this? No, but I, I, um. But when you have fresh pasta, there's a, there's a, you know, huge difference sometimes. I mean, I'll taste it. Oh, it's so delicious. And it sounds like you don't want to do the work and I don't want to do the work. Yet you just got done telling me this, this took, this took three days, you know, from starter to finish. So no, I know. And I've actually

been camping in the kitchen more. Like on days when I don't have a lot of writing where it's just like going through emails and that kind of, excuse me, busy work, I'm like, I'm just going to spend the day in here. I'm going to sit at the counter with my laptop and I'm just going to make eggplant Parmesan all day. Yeah. I'm going to make the sauce and just kind of don't leave that area. And I, yeah, no, it's, it's amazing. How old are the girls? Turning 18 and just turned 15. Oh, okay. So you're right there with me. I mean, I have a 24 year old, a 20 year old, and a 16 year old. So, I mean, we're all, we're in the same range. What's, what's, what I find just amazing now

is that the torch has been passed. Like my, Ben, our middle guy, he'll prepare the whole meal and Jake will do the asparagus and the Brussels sprouts and they'll get it on. I mean, watching, and Sam loves to experiment. There's so many

great TikTok videos, I guess, or videos on Instagram or Snapchat or whatever. And they do it in super fast, so we have to go back and freeze it and how much. But, I mean, it's it's so satisfying. Like those...

No, I know. My kids have turned into bakers. They're in there. My one daughter makes cookies like it's like putting ice in a glass. Like she's in there and it's like whipped up chocolate chip cookies out of nowhere. I love it. Yeah, no, it's really insane. Now, what is it?

Because I grew up in New Jersey. I grew and lived in New York forever. The whole town that I grew up in was predominantly Jewish. You know, all my girlfriends growing up were, Jewish. I was always in Jewish homes. It just was part of that culture, you know, the New York metropolitan area. What is it about

the Jewish culture that is so good at the sandwich? I mean, and then you come out here and it's arts and canters and why, what was it about what? I think. Why they just dialed that in?

Yeah, this is going to sound terrible, but I really think it's because it's packaging. I think it's saying, you know what, we could enjoy this, and maybe, oh, look, oh, I can wrap it and sell it, and I can package it, and I can take it on the go, I can

it's, it's, and it's also leftovers, like, what do you do with the leftovers? So the meat from the night before, let's slice it then, maybe. I don't know, but it certainly seems like, you know, it's, yeah, they really do, and then they pile it high, like,

you know, you talk about like, you know, Italy, they have a little sips of coffee, whatever. You go to any deli, arts deli you mentioned earlier. Oh, my God. Every sandwich is a work of art. That was their, remember? And the huge thing on the, I mean, one sandwich needs a family of five.

Those, those pictures, they take side shots of sandwiches and they blow them up and they're out there on the wall on the side. Yeah. Not like to order from. This is like the art of the, this is the decoration for the thing. But they're not attractive pictures. No. They're just, look at this, look at this buttload of meat on this. one. And it's almost like the TMJ challenge. Like if you can, if you can dislodge your jaw

enough to get your mouth around that sandwich, I don't understand who's buying that stuff. It's so funny. It's so funny. Or like a club sandwich in a hotel. There's not to me, I love a club sandwich. I am, it's like a gentleman sandwich for some reason. I just love it. And taking that toothpick out and keeping it perfect and trying not to, you know, the bacon coming out. All the fries in the middle. Yeah, the fries in the middle and you're alone in your boxers in a hotel room. You've been there so many times, Tom. The best. The best. And also in a hotel room, you can do that at 2.30 in the morning. Oh, the best. Using a whole shower towel as your napkin. That's exactly right. You spread out on the bed. You're sitting on the edge of the bed watching CNN International.

I'm a club sandwich from downstairs. And it's not even that great, but it's just, oh, it's your time. But you're like, I'm the king. Oh, yeah. Look at me. I made it. Yeah. And I have like little sourdough crumbs stuck in the hair on my chest, and I'm like, this is the best.

I love it. Who is your nanny? Your nanny, was she, whose parent was there? That's my mom's mom. Your mom's mom. Yeah. And Helen Klein. Yeah.

And Helen Klein. Perfect. And did she teach your mother how to cook? She did. My mom was a pretty good cook, actually. Yeah. But I have to say, growing up, a lot of baloney sandwiches, my mom was not very health conscious. You know, she made her chili concarny.

You know, that brick of chili concarney that you can buy in the stores. I think it's X-L-T. I don't even know if they make it anymore. I think it was like outlawed, you know. I don't even know. know what that is. Oh, it's like, it's like a brick of, um, uh, it's, it's chili. What was it, uh, uh, the pie that we made. It's called, oh, I'm drawing a blank. It has olives in it and corn, tamale pie. I'm sorry. It's, it's, it's a tamale pie. So it's like the inside of a tamale

in brick form. Uh-huh. And you take it out and then you break it up and you do layers. It's like a seven layer dip without the beans, but you use that. Oh, it's, it's so delicious. It's, it's, it's, so delicious. It's, it's, It's ridiculous. Oh, that's crazy. But it's kind of prepared. It's like taking prepared or, you know, like baloney. Like, it's all, my mom, my mom, though, a really good cook, though. And she did learn from Nanny how to make things.

But nothing, you know, you can't substitute for the hands and the love of the grandparents. No, I know. I know. There really is a thing. And it's so funny because I watch it now, like with my kids, like it's, I can make the same exact thing is my mother, but my kids will like what my mother makes more. Yeah. Right?

It's coming from me. Although, it's like, I'll rush to put the chicken on a nanny sandwich. And I think there is really something to the time that it took. It's another two minutes at the end of the day. But we rush and we substitute things. My wife, Elizabeth, is a really good cook. And she made, I told you, she made pizza. our best friend has a thing called slowrise pizza.com, slow rise pizza.

He's like the pizza whisperer in Los Angeles and New York. What's his name? Noel Broner. Noel Broner. Yeah. People know him. I mean, he does these, he does private parties. He goes and fixes pizzas at restaurants.

He adjust their oven and adjust their starter. But it's all about slow rise. Let that dough rise. You and I are going to take his class, okay? Oh, I'd love to. I'm doing that for you as a gift. We'll do it. It's on Zoom now. We'll probably do it. Maybe this Friday will do it. Right.

So great. And he's just brilliant. And I want to do it in person. Yeah, I know. I do too. Let's wait. Okay, let's wait. Let's wait. Let's wait. All right. I want to, yeah. I want to meet him. This is too special. Yeah. Yeah. He's the greatest. And he'll do, like, I remember a friend of mine there were, oh, I went over to Stephen Spielberg's house for a party. And they bring in a private pizza chef. And I said, I bet his name was Noel. And they're like, yeah, it was. Oh, really? So he does these private parties.

He does events. Wow. You know. Have you been to his house? Yeah. He has a house in Santa Monica. Pizza oven? He doesn't have a pizza oven in his place.

He's an apartment. So he's, um, he, he ran an incredibly successful nightclub in L.A. Many, many years ago, cashed out, made a, made a fortune, made a great amount of money. And then just said, I want to, what do I want to do with my life? Like, he decided we moved to New York. and it's kind of everybody's dream. You know, it's like, you talk about, you know, I just want to go to a pizza.

I just want a bagel shop. And when you describe working in the bagel shop, dude, it kills me. I had a frozen yogurt store years ago. Oh, yeah. When you describe, you're like, ah, she bends over. I'm like, I'd hit that.

Like, it's so funny, dude. The characters that you describe. And the best part of that bit when you say, I don't want to own it. I want to work there. It's so funny because it's like I want to shed all responsibility. I don't want any of that. I just want that nine, you know, whatever.

That's a nine to three job making bagels, you know. Oh, it would be a dream. I know. It would be a dream. Oh, just the ritual of it. You know you're doing something mindless but also very meaningful at the same time. Oh, I would do it in a second. Where do you get your bagels?

Okay, this is interesting. You bring that up. because I've been, as you know, out as a New Yorker, you come out here, and it's, you're flailing. You're really flailing. Without question, yeah. So, you know, I would do like Western bagel, which was always, you know, and it, you know, a New Yorker would turn their nose up on it, but a cheese and jalapeno bagel toasted with cream cheese. I mean, come on.

That's just mind blowing. And don't talk to me. Don't talk to me while I'm eating. a nice cup of coffee, a little half and half, little splendor, and a little cinnamon in there, I'm gone. You will get bit if you come near me. Exactly. But it's still not like, you know, the traditional bagel. It's still like, it's its own thing.

And then I started making my own bagels for my sourdough starter. Wow. And, yeah. And I have to say, you know, I live also with some bagel. snobs as well. And everybody was like, you're on to something. You've got, these are legit, good solid bag. The crust on those bagels must be ridiculous. Ridiculous, ridiculous. And the only problem is it's really labor intensive and I don't have the routine of it. Like I should be doing it all the time to get good at, but I just haven't been. So do you boil it? Yeah, yeah. You boil them

both sides and then you bake them. Oh, yeah. So it's not just taking the dough, rolling it into a bagel shape, and baking it. You're doing the whole thing. Yeah, and the dough is a little different. The doughs, I actually use a mixer for it

to get the right consistency. Okay, you're making me bagels. You're making me bagels. That's what I want. I'll make you bagels. Yes. Oh, my God. Or we'll make it together.

We'll make it together. All right. So there's this group, this company called Bub and Grandma's. Have you ever heard of them in L.A.? Bub and grandma's, this guy, Andy, is amazing breadbaker. And he started at home, just as a like a little home hobby. And then he just kept getting deeper into it.

And I befriended him when I was doing this thing for the Food Network. I used him as the first guy to do the pilot for the show. He just had this little warehouse space in L.A., but he supplies bread for all these restaurants in L.A. Moza, I mean, everywhere. Just like a crazy amount of brand. And he just distributes it all around. And he just started making it.

And he had some other gig. This is what's so great. Like all these people, they start off with some gig doing something. And then they just follow this passion. And he was really perfecting. I love when he tells the stories of perfecting baguettes, which is so hard to do. It's baguettes in a home oven is just a shit show.

I'm sure. You've got to get the steam. and he was literally to the point where he was putting bricks into the oven. Oh my God. To create his own brick oven inside his oven to finally nail it. Right. And then he realized this is no longer just a hobby. I've got a, I've got a problem.

Right. And then moved out and got a proper oven and stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, so good. So anyway, he hooked up with this company Bell's Bagels in L.A. It's like a little south of Glenda. I'm confused of what those neighborhoods are over there. But it's over there, and that's towards downtown.

Altadena. He's in the Altadena area, maybe. Is that the Altadena area? I think something like that, yeah. So Bell's Bagels, during quarantine, I saw, you know, you're trying to support all these local ones, and he's like my conduit to all these different great offshoots. So I got in my car, and what would normally take an hour to drive from my house to get down there is, like, 15 minutes because no one's on the road. And man, I'm telling you these, I got home and my, it's like my kids thought I flew to New York

and got bagels and got bagels. I can't wait. Bell's bagels, B-E-L-E-S or B-E-L-L-E-S? L-L-E-S. Okay, Bells bagels. Look them up on Instagram and that'll link you to all of it. And you just go and stand in line, you know, everybody's six feet apart, but everybody's, everyone starting to know about them.

Right. And, oh, you just look, you look at the Instagram. You'll be like, oh, yeah, this is a bagel. Right, right, right, exactly. I bet you. Andy is his name? Andy, Andy, but Andy, Andy worked with him somehow.

I don't think Bubbs and grandma is associated with him any longer. Oh, okay. He was there, like, also making bread and stuff, but they've had a relationship, and Bell's bagels is just cranking out bagels all the time. I have an idea for my next food. Network show that is just, it's so great. And now with COVID, I don't know how I'm going to do it.

Yeah, you got to wait it out. To be honest, yeah. But I can still, actually, I could still do it. I'll tell you offline, because I don't want it to get stolen, but it is one of those ideas that I, every time I mention it to somebody who knows that whole world or it's done it like you have and I have, it's just an idea that goes much beyond just the tasting of the food. It's it's where the food came from and the people involved and the passion of it and all of it.

I know. That's, yeah, I know. But you know what? It's almost the kind of thing and not to talk, you know, to inside baseball. But the food network is all about contests. They're all about, you know, devouring everybody. And it's like they've given the guy Fieri does the thing on the road and everything else's contests. And which is such a shame because there's so many stories to be told in the food.

Food Network is such a great spot. It's like. But food has permeated the other networks too. I mean, travel is into it. Yeah, obviously the cooking channel. That's all scripts. But they've got, you know, the history channel. I mean, you could do the show that when I tell you this idea, you're going to just be like,

what? It's great. We should do it together. It's like, it's one of those. It's just so great. I love, I love meeting people through food. Have you, you need to have, I just did a talk show. You and I just recently spoke about Twitch and how this is a whole other.

level of entertainment, gamers, all that. But on there, believe it or not, there's inside a video game, you build a house, you build a farm, you sell your crop, you meet your neighbors,

all these people are building. So it's kind of like Sims or any of those games, right? A guy named Gary Whittle, he wrote Rogue One, he's a writer, he built the Tonight Show set in the basement of his house, inside the game and he's been hosting a talk show.

No. Yes. So they create a little avatar of you and then you are on the show and it's called Talking Animals. Right. And I was like, he reached out to me and I'm like, that sounds like really quirky and weird and yeah, why not? All I have to do is do the microphone thing and somebody else is controlled because I don't

play the game. Right. So he said, okay, yeah, you'll be on the episode. And I'm getting around to who you need to have on this show. but he said you'll be on the episode with Elijah Wood and Danny Trejo. And I was like, wait, wait, wait. The real Danny Trejo and Elijah Wood? Yeah, they're on the show with you.

They'll be sitting there on the couch, they're little on the fake couch inside the game. So we did it. Now, Trejo has Trejo's donuts, Treos, you need to talk to him. Like, Danny needs to see your guest. I know. He is serious food guy. Yeah, and he's passionate. And it's not just licensing that bad guy image.

Like, he's a sweetheart. He's a great business. man, but he really has a passion. And there's so many vegetarian options at Trails Tacos. Right. I mean, it's amazing. The guy is like incredible. Yeah, no, people told me I have to have on my

serious XM show because he shows up with food. He like brings tons of food. That's really funny. You're like, Danny, your episode's going to be about three minutes, but I just need you. Show up. Just be my delivery guy for this episode. Funny.

Wow, that's amazing. That is really cool. Have you always been this passionate about food? Like, where did your love of all this? Did it come from your family? Like, were they big? Like, did they have, I mean, we know your grandmother, but was it, were they a hosty kind of family? Where there's celebrations? Yeah, I mean, my dad, he was in the Schmata business for 30 years and always, you know, that we had parties at home and things.

But we would always seek out. That would always be an adventure. Like, it was only, you know, now we take our kids to sushi on a week. weekly basis. It's ridiculous. It is ridiculous. I mean, give me a break. Remember when going out to eat what that meant? When you were a kid? That's what I'm saying. It was always a special event. Huge.

I mean, we would go to, we go to Montes. Like, you know, this place where you'd get what my grandmother, nanny, referred to as dining. And it was just, you know, the courses and everything. Lowry's. We'd go to Lowry's for Prime Rib. Only once a year. I know. Now I ask my boys. I'm like,

hey, what do you guys want tonight? They're like, can we go to Lowries? I'm like, what are you talking about? No, I'm not spending $400 on a meal. Like three, four times a week. Right. No, it's not happening. But it was, yes, we went and enjoyed those experiences together and, you know, had these wonderful meals together. But I was very independent. I was like, I tried to be independent and I was independent, very young. I guess by today's standards, it's not that young, but I, back then it was, you know, I ate, I was gone, man. I was out of the house.

I was in college and I wasn't coming back to live at home. So to show your independence as a kid, you could do it in certain ways like, no, I'm going to put fog lights on my car at 16. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to get a job. I'm going to get my own money. I'm going to do my own stuff. You can't tell me.

And then it also translated into the kitchen. Like, I want something to eat. I'm going to make it. Right. You know, I'm going to put these things together. I'm going to try and make lasagna. Like, I'm going to do that. Right.

You know? That's cool. That's really cool. Now, during this time, were you thinking, were you thinking as a kid, like, acting as my path? Were you pretty clear on that? I, so growing up, my friends were all in one form of the business or another, their parents. You know, growing up in L.A., a lot of people. So I give J.J. Abrams as an example.

Like, when we were nine, we were making movies together. We were making, between 9 and 12, 15, we were making, we were doing prank from prank phone calls to little fake commercials to, you know, he had his little Super 8 camera. Matt Reeves, who's another brilliant filmmaker. Matt was, you know, friend, was in our group, Ryan Burke, Mark Sanderson, all these guys. And so, JJ, we have movies where I'm acting in these little things. And you just get the bug of pretend, you know, and getting a reaction out of people. It's very similar to food. Like when I cook something and I watch the reaction, I want to see that first bite, you know?

Or I know you're like this. I'll make something. My boys will be upstairs. And I'll yell. I'll be like, dinner. If I don't hear their feet coming downstairs right away, I get pissed off. This thing, this is prime every minute that's going by. I've already rested the meat.

I've already taken the toast is now getting cold. Like, no. You're like, I know. I'm the same way. I've gotten to a point now where I call. call them earlier because I want them, I don't want you judging this when it's, no, this, you got to see what I made at the moment. It's supposed to be eaten.

Yeah, I did. This morning I did that. This morning before I put butter in the pan, I scrambled the eggs, but before I poured them in, I was like, breakfast, ready. So by the time they got downstairs, there's a place right by you in L.A. called Petit-Tois. Oh, yeah. I love that place.

Love that place. That's one of the places that during this where we can't go out to eat, that is one of my little daydreams is sitting at the bar in there. Me too. And having a drink. Now the bar, do you sit at the bar or do you sit at the kitchen bar? Oh, I've never sat at the kitchen bar. I've never.

Are you kidding me? You know how there's the bar here. Yeah, and then there's the kitchen. You can sit right where there. preparing all the meals and probably now you know in the future now it'll be a big glass or plastic barrier right right but to watch that the food in there i wish ludo ludo lefev ludo yeah incredible they're bread so good they're bread i know i know because i am a as you know i am a bread snob so when i go out to eat even a good restaurant you'll be like the bread

will come and my kids will look and be like what do you think and i'm like it's all right right that place, you're like, oh, shut up. I don't even, I don't even know how to make bread yet. I've been in there a bunch of times, and they have run out of bread, Tom. When you run out of bread in a restaurant like that, you know it's good. So good. Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, is that place? We were on a plane.

This is hilarious. We're on a plane. The only time I've taken my kids to Europe about shooting Star Wars. And then I had to go back and shoot. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to take them back with me. We have vacation. My son is a baseball player at LMU.

My other son is baseball. They were traveling always just sports, sports, sports. We actually had some time. And I was like, all right, let's go. So he took him to Europe. We're on the plane. And this stewardess, she says, she watches me eat.

I didn't even know she was watching me. And she goes, she leans over and she goes, you like to sop it up, don't you? You like to sop it up. And I said, what? And she goes, you sop it up. I was watching. You take the bread.

You saved the bread to the end. I was watching. I was like, I wonder if he. he's going to sop it up. And then you did. You took it and you sopped it up. And I was like, oh my God. She's been analyzing.

Then she turned to my family and she's like, he soaps it up, doesn't it? We're in like, you know, we're not in business class or anything. We're in the back of the problem. Like, this is embarrassing. No, that's a badge of honor. Are you kidding? Oh, my God. Oh, no, that's, I mean, the petite tuas is that kind of a place too.

I mean, when you get like the escargo and stuff and you have that buttery extra. Oh, my God. And that's right. Forget it. By the way, that's what you should do is you could go there and even if you're a vegetarian or vegan or whatever, you could say, I want the escargo with no snails. Just bring me the garlic butter and the bread. I'm done. Oh, so perfect.

Now, wait, let's not let's not go past this so lightly because I know it's common to you. You've been friends with JJ since you were a child. but to be able to say the sentence, my kids came over while I was shooting Star Wars. Yeah, crazy. I mean, that is a big, fat, weighty dream of a thing. Yeah. Do you get to carry?

Do you carry that? Like, do you realize how special that is? I do. And it's a job that I'll never be able to. I can't measure anything up against it. Yeah. Every time I work with JJ, he's my best friend. And you know this.

You have incredibly talented best friends. And when you get a chance to work with something like that, number one, it's not work. And number two, you just feel so lucky you just want to soak it up. I mean, when I sop it up, when I was over there shooting, you know, everything is historic. We're on the Roger Moore stages. We're at Pinewood. We're shooting where they've shot every Star Wars movie. I'm now a character, Snap Wexley.

I'm an X-wing pilot. Now I'm an A-wing pilot. And I'm like one of the best. They've written all this stuff about my mom and this lore and the history, the canon. They've expanded my character. Like, what the hell are you talking about? Why, me?

What a gift. I mean, oh, it's so great. We're shooting. We're shooting, there's a scene in The Force Awakens. We're all standing around and I've gone on sort of recon and I come back and I'm telling everybody and Oscar goes, all right, so Snap went out and tell us, snap, what's happening? I'm like, all right, so they've got this and this and this.

And I'm looking around. There's Harrison Ford. There's Anthony Daniels. There's Carrie Fisher. And I'm just, and between my lines, my jaw is on the floor. And so, you know, we've got three, four cameras going. JJ comes over to me after two takes and he was like, that was really good, but you're watching the movie. I can see you watching the movie.

And he was so right. Like, I am, I've always been a Star Wars fan. I grew up with it with JJ. God. To be doing this. Yeah. That's so crazy. I don't take a moment for granted.

So the originals and that, they were all shot at. the same studios there? Pinewood Studios. Pinewood Studios. Yeah. And then, you know, they go, they've gone to the Middle East many times, you know, all those great shots of the desert.

But no, that's where they, that's where they shot. And we actually shot, Rise of Skywalker is on the large, the Roger Moore stage is the largest stage, I think, in the world. And all of that incredible, all the greenery and the falcon

and all of that cave feeling. That's all real. We had a couple people pass out because it was so, dank. They created such a sweaty swampy feel. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And there was an extra, we're all just

supposed to be standing there looking. And we're all frozen. We're listening to this speech. And I'm, you know, I'm keeping it alive. Everybody's keeping it alive. And I see this person in front of me. And she just, she passes out. Oh, no. Because her legs were locked up. She was standing there so long, stiff. And I went up to her and they rushed her out and I said, she was like, I didn't want to ruin the shot. So I went up to JJ and I'm like, dude.

And he goes, what? He went up to her. He's the sweetest guy in the world. He's like, don't ever, ever try and save a shot. We can always get another shot. Oh my God. Yeah, it was. Yeah, but it must have felt like pressure.

I mean, when he first got the offer to go do it, I mean, you got to have to been one of the first people he called, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he talked to his wife about it and the, how time consuming it was going to be and labor intensive over the course of two years or what more. but then he called me and he's like I think I'm doing Star Wars and I was like

what? I like first of all so excited that he was going to bring this back and then of course my next question of course was who am I playing? What are we doing? And he's like I'll look out for you we're going to write I'll think of something think of something and I got to

and he said come over to London and they were starting to shoot I still didn't know I knew I had a part but I didn't know what it was I didn't know and I get there and food food of course plays a roll. The entire cast, they were in a Chinese restaurant in London, down underground. And I remember

going in the restaurant, then going downstairs into the basement. I see them all, a bunch of fresh faces. I didn't really know who some of these people were. And Larry Kazden is sitting there with JJ, and Larry looks up at me and he goes, there he is. There's Snap Wexley. And I'm like, as soon as I heard that name,

I was like, that has to be a cool character. I mean, it's not a creature. I'm not wearing makeup. That sounds like a pilot. me. Wow. That is the coolest. Oh, man. Oh, man. He's the best. J.J. is just the greatest. Yeah. I met him, I met him briefly at a friend's house. And he was just very, very quiet, very unassuming. And, you know, and I was trying to play it cool. You just don't want to be like, you're JJ. Well, now you can. Now you can. But I mean, what a cool thing. I mean, he's taken up that, he's taken up that, uh, that mantle is, you know, the.

guy, the Spielberg-esque thing of our generation. I mean, that's such a cool thing that you guys were such pals. And he just as much as I appreciate every moment. I mean, you should see him when he's on the set. He just, he literally said to me number of times, he's like, look around, man, because this is, we're not going to shoot a movie this big ever again. Like, this is just it. This is huge. And you know. It's so great. Oh, I mean, isn't that with the the whole key to life is when you're in those moments, not letting it pass, like letting it just kind of seep in

and just for a beat and they get back to work, but just take that beat and be like, oh, holy shit, we're here. So let me ask you about that. You talk to yourself a lot. You have conversations with yourself, man. You're a lunatic.

You comedians, you're on stage, and there's no one talking back, and you just keep going, And I know it's like a long monologue and everything, but you keep it so conversational. When you have that moment, when you're standing in front of those, and you've played these huge crowds, and you've got them all. They're just all. The laughter and then the pins and needles are like, what is the next thing you're going to say? You tell me how I'm supposed to react.

You make me happier. I couldn't be more happy. And now you're going to make me even happier. I'm forgetting about my babysitter and the thing and my uncles in the hospital and whatever all worries. You got them all, dude. What is that moment like when you're, I mean, does it sometimes do you kind of go, I'm just going to go for a little water here on my stool because this is, this is incredible. It is incredible.

It is, but there's also, there's a lot of those moments I'm thinking, what would happen if I just fell over right now? There'd be no show. Right. Like, how weird is that? Like, all of these people, all this thing. And like literally, if I just pass out right now, that's it. That's literally the whole show. So do you remember?

Do you remember, I forgot the name of the comedian, but he used to, I saw him in Beverly Hills. He was a one-man show. I got to remember his name. Oh, he was really funny. And he was at the Canon Theater, and he does this thing where intermission, he lays down, takes a nap on stage. And he laid down, and he took a nap one night. I saw him do the show, and he laid down, took a nap, and everybody goes out and you're like, is he ever, he's not going to get out? Oh, that's intermission.

The lights are up. And you go and as you're leaving the theater to go in the lobby for whatever, you look back and he's still there. He stays there and naps. And then he gets up. When everybody comes back and he gets up and he finishes the show. Anyway, Oh, my God.

He did that in an intermission and he died right there on stage, laying there taking his neck. How do I not know this? I know. How do I not know this? And his brother, he's got a famous brother. I think Eddie Arnold was his brother from Green Acres. So weird.

Oh, my God. Do you see it when you were recently or when you were? I was younger. I went with my parents and we saw his one-man show. Oh. And I forgot his name. Oh, my God. We got to look that one up.

Yeah. It's crazy. Oh, he's like a classic, you know, a famous older comedian. Yeah. Just brilliant. That's so crazy. But that just reminded me. Yeah, but I think about that all the time.

It was like, what happens if you just go in a show? Well, Kevin Smith did, he was doing a special, stand-up special and he did, he was doing two shows like you told me you guys do. He did the first show and he ran along because he rambled. and he ran along and it was brilliant and he was backstage and he started getting dizzy and he laid down. He was on the ground. They called the paramedics. And the paramedics came and they were like, you're not going out to do the second show. We're taking you to the hospital right now.

You just had a heart attack. No. And it was during that, yeah, between shows. Oh, that you're special. Between shows. You've been waiting all that time. I know. God.

What a nightmare. When was this? This was his, this was two years ago. And he's lost all that weight. He became a vegetarian. Oh, yeah, yeah. And now he's, yeah, he drops a ton away. Thank God, he's healthy.

He's a guy who never, like I feel anything. I go to the doctor, I'll get a stress test. I do everything. I just want to stay on top of it. And I've caught some things, you know, like, oh, my cholesterol. I got to work on this, what I'm out. Some people just don't go to the doctor. And he, he apparently, if you should listen to his podcast right after it, it's fascinating.

He talks, he talks through it. He didn't want to take his pants down in front of the doctor. It's funny. But it was also, you know, it's a wake-up, where you're like, if you're not feeling well, get yourself checked out. I know, I know, I know. And that, you know, that's kind of like the, that's kind of the, the way I'm treating like all of this, like we were talking about, you know, just being able to eat all of the foods and do

all of the stuff. At this point, it's like, you know what? I don't want to waste my time with garbage. It's like if I'm, if you have to pick your spots of when you're going to go off, like this should be a great wine. Yeah. Or this should be a, you know, this should be Petitue. you know, S-cargo.

Absolutely. Right? You know what I mean? Like the days of just rocking through and plowing cool ranch into my fat face. Not that I still don't do that, but I try my best to like really pick my moments. And it doesn't have to be expensive, by the way. You don't have to go fancy. Like when you watch the Food Network shows, the one thing that I do appreciate when I watch like, you know, diners,

driveans and dives or something. I mean, you look at those and you're like, yeah, he says they're diners, drive-ins and d'i. But there's passionate. These are artists, man. These people are, you know, it may not be the healthiest, but it's, at least you're getting, someone actually took the time and the care to prepare something for you. When I, when I go to a restaurant, and I just know it's a shorter thing and they're throwing it together and it's just whatever, I get so angry. I know. I do too. And you can feel it. It's just like, You feel like you're being conned. Yeah.

That's the problem. It's like you want to, you want to like kick the door to the kitchen open and go, just so you know, I know better. Exactly. I'm aware. But by the way, by the way, same is true with a stand-up that just gets up there and just plows through it and doesn't give much thought. The homework, it's all about preparation and homework. And this is what I tell like, actors ask me, they're like, how did you make, how do you make, what? do you do? And I said, just stay in line. And I don't mean, I say, don't get out of line. And I don't

mean don't get out of line like abusive or whatever. Stay in line because it may not happen for you today, but the longer you stay in that line, the more prepared you're going to be, the better you are. Yeah. You know, it's almost better when it takes longer. No, I know. I always, my analogy in the same thing was waiting never hurts. You know, it's like a rubber band. It's like you're pulling it back and they're pulling it back and pulling and you think you're ready to let it go and they don't let you. Yeah. So it'll just be that much stronger. That's really, that's a great one. Yeah. No, I know. Any way to stop yourself from driving yourself crazy when you're out of work. Exactly. This is good. I'm a rubber band.

I didn't get this job because I'm going to be better at the next one. Oh, brutal. So having your kids all home now? Are they all home? Yeah, they're all home. Yeah, they're all home and, you know, baseball season got cut. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. They're beasts, though. They're all working out like crazy.

I had to kind of upgrade our gym at the house. We didn't really have technically a real gym and we got a squat rack and, you know, all the stuff that. Jeez, really. So I was all, I've been all over off for up and Craig's List and everything, just getting, you know, weight plates and all that stuff. And I have to say this is a second chance to have our boys home. again and you know it's been it's been amazing I mean we've had

you know we have I mean Jake our oldest has epilepsy right so right to have everybody in the house and knock what he's he's doing great and everything's fine but it's like to know that there are you know more eyes on him and yeah you know it's

just wonderful like to see you know when your girls when they're best friends when they're hanging out together when they actually love spending time together and doing things together you did something right you and your wife are doing something right, you know. I know, I know, and as aggravated as they get, and I understand it, you know, at that age, like you said, 18, and you were leaving and not coming back. Yeah. Imagine if they came to you at 19 and were like, no, you have to go back. Right. You would

have, you would not have been happy. No, but, but your parents would have been like, this is pretty great. Right. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, that's, you know, and luckily we, they're, they're able to be independent, but also they love, like I said, they love doing things together and they love cooking and you know it's trying to find a silver lining I I just recently had a Zoom conversation with a bunch of friends and old friends from high school and that have they're living all over the world and it just really reminds you and smacks of that this is a real thing this is not a joke and you know one guy he's like yeah I'm burying my mother-in-law tomorrow and I'm like oh my God he lives in Italy another guy I just got over it another guy you know and you just

realize you know in our area the valley the valley the valley we've been relatively unscathed. There's been a lot of cases, but not as much as other areas. No, I know. It's been, I mean, well, L.A. has been the highest in California. Yeah. But it's still, it's hitting a lot of people that are working and a lot of people that are living in down neighborhoods. And yeah, I know.

It's this weird thing, especially now that it's nice out, everybody's like, well, it's summer. I guess that's, that was weird. Weird. It's over now, right? Yeah. And by the way, nothing changed with the virus. Like, it's all the same. It's still, in two weeks, we're going to hear of this great spike. When I look at that, Michael Rappaport, who, you know, screams and yells, and I can't, I can't listen to him too much. But he's a really funny guy, and he's a great guy.

And he put out a video of the boardwalk somewhere. I think it was Maryland or somewhere, a boardwalk. And he played knocking on Heaven's Door over it. Because everybody's walking around. without a mask and it's it's exactly right like what the hell are wrong it's wrong with these people I know they show the thing of the Ozarks that pool at the Ozarks well that was crazy yeah it was like spring break they're like hundreds of people in this pool just yeah although I have to say you know COVID is the least of your worries of something you can catch in that pool I know that's what

I was saying I'm like even regardless of a pandemic that is not a place you want to be no that is Exactly. So gross. Oh, man. Well, thanks for spending some time with me. It really means a lot. Dude, my pleasure. I knew I knew you would be a great guest because you do. You sop it up. I sop it up. By the way, that is, you know, here lies a man who sopped it up. That was either, there's two things. I'll put that on my gravestone or starting tomorrow. That's, that's on my gravestone, man. I, anytime, I will follow you into any bakery shop or any oven. You ask me, I love you, Tom. So thank you for having me on.

All right. Let's go to that, let's go to that pizza class. We'll do the pizza class and we'll make bagels. I want to make bagels with you. Oh, yeah. Oh, man. All right. I'm going to bring them to you and see what you think.

Now that's the pressure. There's so much pressure. Exactly. This is when your kids come in and they're too late. I'll be like, no, you should have had the bagel last night. I know. Well, bagels, though. Like, so what is, what do you recommend?

in, how do I reheat this? Just put it in the oven. No, just, I would just slice it. Just slice it and toast it. That's going to be the best for that bread at this point. Yeah, for sure. Oh, yeah. Do whatever you want with it. A little, uh, a little almond butter and, and honey on top. Yeah. Or, uh, make, or just some, a grilled cheese would be good. If you have a pinini press. Come on. Come on. That's not, that's not Tom Papa. It's close. Look, hey, it's Tom. Welcome to breaking bread.

Exactly. You're the best, ma'am. Thank you, man. We'll talk soon. All right. All right. Sounds great.