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, Mode...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 14
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 trul...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 13
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 doin...
Mar 13, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 12
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...
Mar 05, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 11
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 someon...
Feb 27, 2020•57 min•Ep. 10
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 s...
Feb 20, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 9
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 ...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 8
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 hop...
Feb 06, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 7
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 s...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 6
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...
Jan 23, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 5
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. Processing is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...
Jan 19, 2020•56 min•Ep. 4
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 Ra...
Jan 18, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 3
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 p...
Jan 18, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 2
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 Processing is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 17, 2020•35 min•Ep. 1
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 i...
Jan 14, 2020•2 min•Ep. 1
