Somebody feed Phil now in the UK
After years of watching Netflix's popular foodie, Brigit Grant met him on his sell-out tour
After six seasons of delighting audiences with his dynamic food travelogue on Netflix, Phil Rosenthal arrived in London this week for his sell-out Somebody Feed Phil tour, which included two nights at the Hackney Empire. First appearing at Theatre Royal Glasgow where he performed to 1500, the Jewish American host then travelled to the capital where fans queued around the East London theatre to meet him after his on-stage chat with TV chef Ching He Huang .
Throughout the talk, which focused on his family and global eating experiences, there were cries of “I love you” and “Phil for President” from the audience; some of whom had travelled from Yorkshire, Birmingham, Kent and even as far as Totteridge in north west London. Though some had been invested in Phil since his 2015 food series I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, the popularity of Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil rose during the pandemic when travel and indeed eating out were off the menu. “We were stuck at home living vicariously through him,” said Tom, 26, a fan from Hull. “And there is something about him that is so likeable because he enjoys eating without being pompous about it. He is also really nice to people. If only everyone could be like Phil.”
These sentiments were shared by others – a diverse mix of young and old – as they queued to have a selfie with their favourite foodie once they had bought a copy of his book. Filled with popular recipes from past episodes, anecdotes and appreciable photos, Somebody Feed Phil The Book is much more than a cookbook for the coffee table, so copies sold. Phil is donating his share of the book’s proceeds to the ALS Foundation in honour of his late mother, Helen, who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; his philanthropy makes it an even more irresistible purchase.
The signed copy also included a hug from the demonstrative author, which led to more than half of Hackney Empire’s 1,275 ticket holders lining up for a cuddle. But this didn’t faze Phil, who stood at the front of the stage for over an hour smiling into phone cameras stoically with jet lag, after his book signing at Fortnum & Mason and the Glasgow show.
There were faith reps in the audience, but I had expected a bigger Jewish turnout at the Empire, as Phil makes a virtue of his faith in his series and says “Oy “a lot while gesticulating. He also got brownie points when he dedicated a previous episode to Israel, doing, among other things, a tour of markets with Masterchef judge Michal Ansky and chef Michael Solomonov. As his enthusiasm for the country was palpable, the impression he delivered to many viewers, especially in the UK, was very different to the usual negative news reports and potentially changed a few minds.
As a typical Jewish son and a flag waiver to treasure, Phil also shared each series with his screen-stealing parents Max and Helen, who were Holocaust survivors. Checking in hilariously with them on his travels, following their respective deaths – Helen in 2019 and Max in 2021 – in a season six tribute, Phil reveals that Max escaped Berlin after Kristallnacht in 1938 and Helen was in a concentration camp in France until she was relocated to Cuba and later America.
Fittingly, Phil’s visit to the UK coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day and the audience could sense the loss he feels for parents. who were key inspirations for the parental figures in his hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond.
As a celebrity with 440K followers, Phil Rosenthal is in demand and has appeared in numerous issues of JN’s Life Magazine, several of which were produced during the pandemic. In that time our Zoom conversations were always enjoyable and we shared stories, so to finally meet him in person in Hackney was the encounter I’d been waiting for as he had become a virtual friend.
When I lost my mother, who was also a fan of his show, I shared it with Phil, who lost his father at the same time and offered words of comfort. This kindness was repeated just recently when our dog died, and Phil – who has a beautiful rescue dog called Murray – understood our sadness. He is that kind of a guy, and this is reflected in the standing ovations he is getting after each show and the food gifts fans are bringing.
“But I didn’t get to hug him,” said a disappointed female fan who brought him biscuits.”I was too busy inviting him to my birthday party.” Fortunately I did get to hug him and if the reaction at the Hackney Empire is anything to go by, if Everybody Loves Raymond, they love Phil more.
The tour continues until Feb 5 then goes to Europe. www.livenation.co.uk
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
