Phil Rosenthal serves up consolation meals and reminiscences at Max and Helen’s

After eight seasons touring the world for his Netflix sequence “Someone Feed Phil,” Phil Rosenthal’s subsequent meals journey is holding him a lot nearer to residence. The 65-year-old producer is opening a neighborhood spot in Los Angeles referred to as Max and Helen’s.

“It is a hundred-year-old neighborhood,” Rosenthal mentioned. “I need it to seem like we discovered a hundred-year-old diner and it has been right here for 100 years.”

The diner, set to open later this month in Larchmont, is known as for Rosenthal’s late dad and mom, who have been regulars on his journey present and impressed characters in “All people Loves Raymond,” the CBS sitcom he created practically 30 years in the past.

The menu will lean on consolation meals: Powdered donut holes, sourdough waffles with maple butter and fluffy scrambled eggs, a nod to his father’s favourite dish.

“My dad beloved fluffy eggs a lot on his tombstone, it says, ‘Are my eggs fluffy?'” Rosenthal mentioned. “The lesson for me is, if you could find a easy pleasure in your life, possibly you may be pleased each day.”

Rosenthal grew reflective when talking about his father’s absence. 

“I am getting slightly emotional that he cannot be right here for this excellent rendition of the factor he beloved probably the most,” he mentioned.

Constructing the world of “All people Loves Raymond”

Simplicity, Rosenthal mentioned, has all the time been key to his work. “All people Loves Raymond” ran for 9 years by avoiding topical humor. 

“You do not put in Invoice Clinton jokes within the ’90s,” he mentioned. “You do the issues that appear to be eternal.”

After struggling to discover a follow-up to the sitcom, Rosenthal pitched his Netflix present with one line: “I am precisely like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of every little thing.” The food-and-travel sequence grew right into a shock hit, even drawing sold-out crowds when Rosenthal spoke about it on tour. “Ray [Romano] got here out on stage with me and could not consider the dimensions of the gang,” he mentioned. 

Rosenthal has enlisted acclaimed chef Nancy Silverton as govt chef, whereas his soon-to-be son-in-law Mason Royal will run the kitchen. Past the meals, he hopes the diner will anchor his neighborhood.

“Diners are disappearing from America,” he mentioned. “These develop into facilities of communities…. If the middle of the group disappears, possibly you lose the sense of group after which possibly you lose the nation. So I am gonna repair every little thing with my diner.”

His manufacturing firm is known as Fortunate Bastards, a label that also matches as he finds new pleasure in easy pleasures and recent initiatives at 65.

However Rosenthal dismissed any suggestion of retirement. 

“I might. That is not enjoyable,” he mentioned. “In case you suppose you’ve got obtained one thing to say or a degree to make, or really feel like your work is impacting on one man or one little child even, who desires to cease?”