Food Network Obsessed

Casey Webb on His Wildest Man v. Food Meals

Episode Summary

Host of Man v. Food, Casey Webb, shares what it was like to live and work on the Jersey Shore and how that slice of the country tends to get misrepresented.

Episode Notes

Host of Man v. Food, Casey Webb, shares what it was like to live and work on the Jersey Shore and how that slice of the country tends to get misrepresented. Casey talks about the quintessential Jersey foods he loves, how he found himself in a position to audition for the iconic Man v. Food show and how he actually secured the gig. He reveals what the shooting schedule on the show is like and how he plans for the outrageous meals he consumes. Casey puts to rest any rumors that the show is fake and assures Jaymee that no one eats or clears the food for him. He talks about what he does during his downtime when he’s on location filming and some of his favorite food cities he has discovered over the course of Man v. Food. 

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Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/casey-webb-on-his-wildest-man-v-food-meals

Episode Transcription

Jaymee Sire (00:02):

Hello, hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host Jamie Sawyer, and today we have a booming personality on the podcast to talk about traveling across the country to face colossal culinary challenges and his most difficult to date. He is a food lover actor, restaurant industry veteran, and the host of Man versus Food. It's Casey Webb. Casey, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Casey Webb (00:45):

Woo. I'm doing great. Thanks Jamie. This is so fun. I love, I just love talking generally . So the fact that we get to talk all things food and food network and, um, and life and lifestyle is exciting for me. So yeah, Thanks for having me.

Jaymee (01:01):

Yeah, thanks for joining us. And a fellow Brooklynite, as I understand it, are there any enormous or crazy foods, uh, around Brooklyn that I need to see to believe?

Casey Webb (01:10):

So, there's no shortage of amazing foods throughout Brooklyn, as we know. Of course. Whether it be huge or hot or small or not. It, there's, you know, there's a variety of things we can choose from, right? So, I don't know, I think you can literally, quite honestly put your finger on the map of Brooklyn being the biggest borough and just go to any neighborhood and you're gonna find something that's delicious and tasty and worth the travels. But I mean, I don't know, you can just go right to juniors and get a whole cheesecake and call a day. Right, . Cause not every place has a huge or hot option. You know, there's a lot of hot, cause I was living for many years was, um, LE's Gardens, which is Little Caribbean or a little uh, Caribbean. Mm. Yes. Which is incredible. It's also historic District of Brooklyn.

(01:54):

It's near Brooklyn Gardens. It's right near Prospect Park. The queue, um, being a Cuba right there, it's like access to everything. Um, that place is incredible. And there was a lot of hot food there, which was, I just mm-hmm. luckily moved there and had all this beautiful food from the Caribbean, um, at my disposal BC before Casey and the beginning of the show, and like colleges around the country, they were ha they would have these challenges, you know? So a lot of those new ones have popped up. I don't even know about, you know, quite honestly, I don't necessarily search for them when, um, when it's my time off

Jaymee (02:26):

. Yeah. That, that, that's fair. That's very good.

Casey Webb (02:29):

Take my time to digest while I'm off the road, you know? And, uh, when it comes time back to work, we find those places where we can go, you know, do the show. So

Jaymee (02:36):

What are some of your places in Little Caribbean? Ooh,

Casey Webb (02:39):

By name? It's so funny cause it's like hot pot, you know? And it's like

Jaymee (02:43):

. Yeah. You're like, just know where it is.

Casey Webb (02:44):

Physically. I know how to get there. I could, I could close my eyes and my dog will bring me there. Um, , you know, I did since leave, uh, Brooklyn to come back to Jersey for a hot, hot, hot minute, you know, family, they're getting older. So I crossed the waters and I came back here for a, a while. So I've been spending a lot of my time down here. But, um, yeah, I do make it in there to, uh, to walk those streets to get, um, to the beauty about the city. And, and what I love about New York, you know, I've been there since my early, the early nineties, mid to late nineties, rather, is that you could pretty much walk anywhere and find food. And the best way to see the city is to walk. Um, and then when you get tired, you jump on a train and go home. Uh, or you jump in a cab or you know, uh, you know, a pet cab. Have you ever been in one of those, You know,

Jaymee (03:26):

Yes. Not, not in New York, but yes. I, I have been in a pet cab at at some point. But, um, yeah,

Casey Webb (03:31):

It's a fun way to travel.

Jaymee (03:32):

Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned New Jersey, uh, which is where you grew up. And, and I know you worked in the food industry kind of up and down the Jersey Shore growing up. Yeah. How could you best describe that slice of the country as you know it, and not necessarily how it's been portrayed? Portrayed on tv? Yeah, exactly. ,

Casey Webb (03:49):

Um, you know, TV is a beautiful, it's, uh, it's a great way to see the world and be before you travel anywhere, typically. We do that right now with the advent. The advent, it seems like it just came up, We discovered the internet yesterday, But with the, you know, with, with social media and how much people are traveling these days, it's very visual and we can go on these journeys, you know. And TV for me as a kid was always an escape. And like, I always wondered about these places that I would eventually travel to. And very much like New Jersey. I, I, I don't think it's given, you know, it's, it's given a broad stroke of what New Jersey represents. It's 130 miles of beaches, you know, so there's no shortage of beach, which, and it's also the garden state, so there's tons of great farm to table foods. Mm-hmm. , um, you know, season being, you know, during, in season. Uh, so there's a, there's so much great fresh and available food and not necessarily, you know, how it's been depicted on TV as like a microcosm in the summer at the boardwalk when, you know, teenagers fist

Jaymee (04:49):

Pumping are wild

Casey Webb (04:50):

. Yeah. I mean, that's fun. There's to, there is totally that you can go down the street and get that and it's, that's a, that's a beauty that we, he, we have that only we have that here in New Jersey. And if you wanna experience fist pumping, you gotta come to Jersey to do it just in the summertime. Yeah. The, uh, you know, there's a thing called local summer. So as soon as the, uh, you know, the holidays over or the summer ends, it becomes local summer. And then a lot of people just disappear. And then, you know, it's like the tide goes out before the tsunami again next year of the wave of people that come back. But, you know, we pride ourselves on tourism and, you know, and respite for people. You know, I mean, this has been for hundreds of years and people have been doing this.

(05:24):

So it, it's, it's to be here, to be from here. It's a really cool place to represent. Cuz the food scene's incredible. We get direct, you know, everything. You know, my parents are from New York originally, so we would go to New York as kids. So all this food is trickled down the shore. Right. And all this food is trickled up to the city because all this fresh seafood, so, you know, it's a beautiful proximity Is is is so great because I can get to the city if I need to be there and eat and do work or whatever. Um, but being from here, it's, it's, uh, you know, it's uh, it's a cool place to brag about cuz most people don't give it it, they give it a bad name, you know, but they've never been here. When they say, Oh, Jersey, where's your accent? It's like, wait a second. Have you

Jaymee (06:03):

Ever been there? ?

Casey Webb (06:04):

It's amazing. You know, and we're just shy of the city. So, um, you know, I I think it's a bad rep, but I think people that know, know, and then eventually when they see for themselves, like, Oh, this is not like it was on tv. This is totally different.

Jaymee (06:17):

So totally different. I mean, working in the restaurant industry there, was that something that was like an aspiration at the time? Or, or was it kind of like, all right, I need to get a job, .

Casey Webb (06:26):

Yeah, I mean, it started honestly at 10. Wow. My dad put a spatula in my hand and taught me how to make eggs. And then four years later I'm working, um, at 14 in a pizza place, washing dishes. And so it ha I was pretty young. Um, usually that wouldn't happen at 14, but we knew the family and they let me work there. And that's when, you know, you know, I come from humble beginnings, I guess, as far as food is concerned because my parents were New Yorkers and my, you know, they're of the generation of like, if you didn't eat the food that was on the plate, you didn't eat. And it's like a lot of things came outta cans, you know, , it's a canned food generation. Um, at least my parents were so, you know, it wasn't until we came down here till I was, I was born here, but my parents came down here where they were exposed to.

(07:09):

I mean, it is the garden seed, as I mentioned. So there's all this great produce, there's markets everywhere. We even grew for the first time, you know, we had a, we had a garden. I, it was amazing. My mom got too much manure and the things were, you know, there were, I've like 60 pound eggplant and, uh, as a kid, you know. So as far as the restaurant industry, I was, I was, it was my first job. So I quickly, it was exciting because I guess why I'm talking about the, the, my parents' background of food is that it exposed me to so much other kinds of food and how food is prepared. And, and it just kind of opened my world by washing all the, you know, the hard cheese off the pans and, you know, and, and really sinking in and getting my hands dirty. And, you know, it was a respect between the front of the house and the back of the house. There was a front of the house, even in a pizza place and the back of the house where they're making pizzas and where they're, you know, washing dishes. So it, I learned a lot just by observing and just putting my head down and going to work at 14, it was like, cause without the, without the dish room, without the dishwasher, everything kind of crumbles. And it's like, you realize that cuz they tell you that

Jaymee (08:15):

You,

Casey Webb (08:15):

You're gonna yelled at like, we need case, we need these now. Okay, stop eating pizza. You know,

Jaymee (08:19):

You can't mess with people's pizza cravings either. So no,

Casey Webb (08:22):

That's a thing. And that's, you know, it's a big staple here. You know, every, there's a pizza place literally on every corner. Like every town has at least two throughout the state.

Jaymee (08:29):

What are some other quintessential jersey foods would you say?

Casey Webb (08:33):

Um, because, you know, it's rich in its agriculture. At least it was for a very long time. You know, there's tons of local produce in season seafood, there's no question. Um, there's a lot culturally, there's a lot of pockets of different people here, which is amazing. Which makes up very much like the city. You culturally have different pockets. Italian, Irish, Caribbean, and, and so for Jersey here, it's seafood, it's pizza, it's, you know, boardwalk food is a huge thing, you know, so it's like everything fried is is is quintessentially jersey custard.

Jaymee (09:07):

But again,

Casey Webb (09:08):

Yeah, I mean, you know, it's cool. Custard really came up through the south as I understand it. And, and they, but they, you know, Delaware, there's a place called Dickies, uh, in Delaware, in Bethany Beach. And they do this amazing cud with fresh peaches, which is incredible. Which I brought back here and made it for all my friends, which is kind of amazing. I'm plugging Dickies because we film there, so it's

Jaymee (09:28):

Great. perfect.

Casey Webb (09:29):

Yeah. So, you know, there's a, you know, there's a lot of Italian food here. Yeah. Because there's a lot of Italian folks here. My mom's Italian, my dad's ours. So we, we fit in right. Well fit in pretty good even though I've basically have the face of Ireland,

Jaymee (09:41):

,

Casey Webb (09:43):

Uh, yeah, there's, you know, um, quintessentially jersey seafood pizza and boardwalk food. I would say your zappies, your funnel cakes, your fried, everything, you know, hot dogs, hamburgers, I feel like it's like a constant barbecue in New Jersey. Everyone's grilling, everyone's outside. It's different in the city cuz you can't really do that stuff. So it's like true. It's barbecue being outside, being in the lawn, uh, in the backyard. Cooking out, you know, cooking outside is a big thing here too. Especially even, it's like a four season thing now with, with grills where they've come, you know,

Jaymee (10:15):

Are, are you a team pork role or Taylor Ham, what do you call it? Oh,

Casey Webb (10:20):

. Yeah, exactly. There's, there's a, there's a dividing line between the middle of the state where they would be considered Central Jersey and, uh, where I'm at, which is the shore. Um, so to answer your question, it would be team pork role. Just, uh, just, that's how you grow up. It's like, you know, my dad's a Giants fan and a Yankees fan, so I pretty much became a Giants Yankees fan. You inherit these things. Yeah. You

Jaymee (10:41):

Know, Of course.

Casey Webb (10:41):

Yeah. I didn't ask for this .

Jaymee (10:42):

That's what your dad said.

Casey Webb (10:43):

But it's pork girl. But you know, the thing is that we can all enjoy equally. I think that's important, you

Jaymee (10:48):

Know? Agree. I agree.

Casey Webb (10:49):

Cause Taylor Ham is the brand. Pork girl is the thing, right?

Jaymee (10:53):

That's true. That's true. What for, for somebody listening that is not, you know, aware of what this product does, can you explain what, what pork roll

Casey Webb (11:01):

Is? Yeah, it's from, so it's, it's a pork product made from, it's from snout, the tail and it's made in a roll form. Looks like essentially like baloney

Jaymee (11:09):

.

Casey Webb (11:09):

Yep. And a fattier baloney. And you slice it and you, you grill it. Basically it's on flat top. So I personally like it pretty well cooked just cuz it has a great texture when cooked. So think of spam but thinner with less bits in it.

Jaymee (11:25):

,

Casey Webb (11:26):

But it's delicious on your Kaiser bun with cheese and egg and, uh, ketchup, salt pepper. Typical of course what people go for, you know. And there's, you know, there's no shortage of that. So it's like, you know, everyone asks where's the best pork roll in jersey? I was like, there's so many pork roll places in Jersey. You gotta go find 'em yourself. There is no best. Yeah, I don't think there's a best of anything. I think it's like, people ask me all the time, What's the best of anything, pizza, burgers. I was like, I'm always chasing the next one, you know? Mm-hmm. Know. Mm-hmm. , I'm not thinking about the last one as much as I'm thinking about the next one. So, you know, I think, uh, choose adventure. Don't choose, you know, better or worse is what I say to people.

Jaymee (12:03):

Uh, do you like to cook? I know you mentioned the, the scrambled eggs at, at age 10. Uh, have your uh, cooking skills evolved since then?

Casey Webb (12:09):

10. Yeah, from 10 on. So, you know, I was lucky enough for my father to, to either not want me to burn the house down by teaching me how to cook. Or he was probably tired of me asking me, asking him to cook me eggs. And uh, that gave me like this skill set and it was like really kind of, it was like empowering, right? I mean, I tell you, if you have kids put a spatula in hand in, in their hand as soon as you think they're ready. Because it was really empowering for me because I learned so much just by not burning myself. You know, that, that respect, you know, the heat, respect the flame . So that turned into working in a washing dishes that turned into working in the back of the house cuz you ba eventually graduate. Cuz that's one skill set you have in a kitchen.

(12:49):

And you know, it's one of the only places you could still learn by doing and work your way up, you know? And I think that's a beautiful thing that our industry or the restaurant industry, you're able to still do that. You could start by washing dishes and end up cooking, you know, be a sous chef, you know, without necessarily going to culinary school. So for me, that's what I was able to do. You know, I worked my way up through the back, back of the house in kitchens, um, and to basically to short order cook, right? That was kind of as far as I got. And then I realized all the money's in the front of the house, and I talked too much, so they put me in the front of the house, . So it started waiting tables bartending, but it started with running food, busing tables, you know, that sort of thing.

(13:26):

And then it graduates at bartending and, and waiting tables and then management. But you know, I, I did some culinary in vocational culinary in high school, which really all the knife skills, you know, all the things I had learned when I was a kid just made sense when, you know, when the chef puts a knife in your hand. So I was lucky to have that experience mm-hmm. that just kept me from cutting myself when I was that line cook. And working summers in a kitchen on the beach, and then with man versus food, you know, we've done six seasons at this point. That's, uh, 200 and some odd restaurants. Wow. You know? Wow. So I feel like I went from short order to sue. You know, I feel that that's where my confidence level is now because all those, all those cooking experiences and all those kitchens with all those chefs in and those folks in the kitchen, it's been so that's been empowering.

(14:13):

You know, you think about one spatula when your dad hands you a spatula teaches the eggs. I had 270 some odd dads teach me, and moms and kitchen folk teach me how to cook their way. So, you know, and, and that's not lost on me. There wasn't, at least, and that's what's the most exciting part of the show for me, is like, yeah, wow. I'm learning a, a you know, I'm deepening my skill by just listening, you know, even though I'm there to talk and lead the show and mine for sound bites for the show, but it's like the, the skill set as a result is incredible, you know? So yeah. It's, it's been an incredible journey with that, you know, from 10 to however old I am now, you know, .

Jaymee (14:49):

Absolutely. I mean, mean knowing your career path now and that you did end up moving to New York to pursue acting. Can you, you know, I know you said you, you, we were always a talker. Did you have like those performative streaks growing up? Like what, what peaked that interest in wanting to become a performer?

Casey Webb (15:06):

So I guess I was being the youngest of two, I was always jockeying for tension from be it my parents, be it my brother, my brother's friends, my family. So I really had a, you know, it was, it was competitive, you know, for other people's time, you know. And so I think it just kind of something that I, this came naturally, I guess mm-hmm. . And then I put that energy into Sports , which helped kind of focus my energy without using, you know, you know, using my, using the, the Lip service . And, um, so, you know, it, I didn't start doing, I didn't start acting until after co after I got outta high school. So I played sports, went to college, played some football, and then I started doing theater, and then I got to improv and sketch and standup. And there was a lot of time between I, when I started that and when I got the show, and it was, I lived in New York City three different times, but it was the last time that I went back and I realized like, I tried every other job, you know, , I tried, I tried to do what everyone else is telling me that I was supposed to do.

(16:05):

And then I realized like, you know what, like none of this is working. I should really be listening to myself. And I did. And then I went back to New York and, uh, I just started auditioning and bartending. I was, uh, couch sitting, dog sitting, cat sitting, taking every shift I could. I was air being me, my apartment. But, you know, the thing is, I I, there was a hustle that I had and I, I, I just, I loved working so much in the industry and I loved working so much in the acting industry. So, you know, one day it really hit me. It was like I was, I wasn't quite happy bartending. I was like, What's wrong? Why am I just happy acting? Like, wait a second, you're the same person. And then just the light went off and I just, I, I started just my whole, my whole kind of career switched gears because my attitude changed and it was really about focusing on the work, stay the course.

(16:52):

And that's when I started, It actually happened when I had an audition for some cop show, some comedy cop show. And, and I shaved my beard and I had a mustache and I, uh, I didn't get that job , but I got every job after that. It was like five commercials and then it was man versus food. And, um, you know, it was just that one slight change of attitude and just, you know, um, got rid of the beard and I wound up, um, you know, landing man versus of food. And that just set me off in a whole other trajectory. I mean, it, it like launched me into the stratosphere, into the food space. So, um, yeah, it's, and that, and I've, you know, been, we've been doing that since 2017. Wow. The show specifically with a little bit of break there. Yeah. When we all, when we all had a break, when

Jaymee (17:38):

We all had to, that, that one break that we all had for a couple years. Yeah.

Casey Webb (17:41):

We all went on vacation at home,

Jaymee (17:42):

Casey Webb (17:42):

At home. We all stayed at home for two years.

Jaymee (17:44):

I don't think you can say this, uh, as much anymore, but man versus food is kind of a, a show that just stands alone. It's, it's one of those shows you, you put it on when no one can agree on what you wanna watch because everybody likes it. Were you a fan of the show before you became the host?

Casey Webb (17:59):

I knew the show was on, and I, I, I caught it a bunch. But, you know, quite honestly, I was, I hit the pavement to audition for, to actually work and, and was working a ton. Didn't travel much and didn't watch a lot of tv. I was like, not even in my, not even in my apartment all the time mm-hmm. . So I knew of the show and I was like, this is such a fun show. It's so different than these traditional food shows. It's just a whole other adventure. And I honestly, I qu I, I honestly thought it was still in the air when they were, when they brought it back in 2017, because they just, they run in syndication. They just keep playing them, you know? And, um, that's a funny story is that when I auditioned for it, they were saying, Oh no, this isn't man versus food.

(18:37):

This is a show called Big Eats. And I was like, Oh, okay, this feels like a lot. Like man versus food, still thinking that it was on. And then, uh, when I wound up getting it, it, you know, the first piece of paper, first part of the contract said, um, it said Big Eats. I was like, Okay, this is the show that we I auditioned for. And the second page said, Big Eats. And then the third page it said, Man versus Food. I was like, No way, , come on. I know it. I knew it. And so that's when, you know, it dawned me like what this was gonna be potentially. Yeah. Because they weren't sure what it was gonna be. Cuz the show had been off the air for five years before they brought it back. So 2012 is when it went off the air, new episodes. And then it was five years later that they, they brought it back and I was like, and it's been since then, so it's almost going on six years. You know,

Jaymee (19:25):

Casey tells us how he got the job hosting Man versus Food, and he reveals how he prepares for those insanely huge and spicy meals that's coming up next. What was the audition process like? I mean, you said you were, you were kind of, you know, just auditioning for everything and, you know, commercials, whatever the, the work was that came across your desk kind of thing.

Casey Webb (19:52):

You know, as luck would have it, I did this project in LA that led to the director introduced me to an agent in New York City, and then I started pitching some shows to him and I pitched them a food show and he didn't really, he was being nice to me and he was like, Oh, I like the food show. Why don't you shoot a proof of concept that's basically like a mini version or a trailer of what a show would be. I was filming that and he is like, Hey, I got an audition for this food show. Do you have any desire to audition for it? I was like, Yeah, I'm out here filming this thing . Uh, yeah, sure. I've never done, I never hosted a, a live show or a show on tv, you know, as, uh, in programming. I've done live shows before and I just kind of landed in my lap.

(20:32):

And, and so it started off with an interview with a producer, very much like how you and I are talking, you know, via, via Zoom. I, you know, was in my apartment. And, uh, , my partner was immaculate, by the way. It's, and I was in my kitchen and I had taken my computer out of the closet because I was Airbnb, my apartment, of course . And you know, it was like, you're the, you know, the host's closet that locks. I had all my stuff in there, jammed in. So I sat down and had this interview with the producer and she was lovely. And like, walked and talked through like just the q and a kind of stuff, little, you know, like answering questions about myself, my experiences. And then she was like, Oh, are you ready to talk about food and have food prepared and talk about food? And honestly, there's nothing in my apartment . And I was like, Can you gimme a second? And I just actually got up from the, my kitchen table and went to the fridge. And the only thing I had in the fridge was, I think it was like, I think it was like armen hammer, baking soda

(21:24):

To refresh it and a bottle of moonshine. And so I took out that bottle of moonshine that I was bringing with me when I was leading, when that Italian couple was coming in, in like a half an hour. and I, I talked about moonshine for 20 minutes and that led to, that led to the physical ion for the show. So not only did I have this interview via, I guess it was FaceTime at the time, it led to a physical interview where we actually did a mini version of the show where there was a kitchen beat. There was, um, what we call driss or dining room interaction. And then there was an actual challenge at a place called Clinton Hall, which there's several of them in the city now. Mm-hmm. , which is great place. Um, if you love burgers and outside games. And, uh, so yeah, I had to really try to eat a giant burger and fries and like, but it was all condensed.

(22:08):

So it was like, we did this whole thing in like 20 minutes. Cause they would bring people into edition. So yeah, it was, I, I really like to think it was talking about moonshine for 20 minutes, . I, I'm pretty good on my feet. So yeah. That, that was, and it was legit because like, you know, a friend of mine brought it up from the Carolinas and I, you know, he was giving it to me and I was gonna go share it with friends. And so there's a story there, you know, and like, that's the beauty about food. There's always a story of some kind mm-hmm. , whether it be from your family and how you, you know, you got to make this, prepare this food or, you know, that's, I think the best form of storytelling is sharing food or cooking food or preparing food with someone or people or, you know, that's the beauty about tradition and coming together on a lot of people do Sunday sauce and they, you know, they come together as families traditionally on Sundays and or the holidays, you know, so like that segue from . Yeah. Uh, how I got the show to storytelling, to food and yeah, it was an interesting process and I was told later on that that was the reason it was really about, you know, just connecting with moonshine and, and, and sharing that story is why I think I got the job.

Jaymee (23:08):

Yeah. I mean, I think, I think storytelling is, is so important, especially in a show like this, because you don't want it to just be about these crazy challenges. Like you said, there's so many people that you've had this opportunity to, to meet and interact with and, you know, prop up their businesses and that kind of thing. I think that that part is really cool. But I know people are, you know, kind of like very interested in, in these crazy challenges. What, what, how do you prepare? Do you prepare or do you just like kind of go into it and wing it? ?

Casey Webb (23:37):

At first I winged it and that was a mistake. Okay. Because, well, I, I learned a lot. I learned a, a tremendous amount because it, it is, is an undertaking cuz you know, if you've ever seen the show, it's either something huge or hot. And, um, the, the, the poundage varies depending on where we're at. And you know, I was lucky enough to, there's other people that do this more successfully than I do, and they do it more often than I do . So I was able, and you know, historically they have done it. And so I was, I had some pros to refer to to help me along the way. How you actually prepare to take on something huge versus something hot. And you know, if anything, it really taught me how to respect food and especially the hot stuff. You know, I, I grow hot peppers to this day and I'm thankful that I haven't, you know, after, you know, 90 episodes I haven't been turned off food.

(24:26):

So and, and you mentioned earlier, you know, everyone can agree on maybe watching Man Universal food because it's like, oh it's fun to watch. And, you know, that was one of the coolest things that I was hearing when the show started airing because I was like, I don't know if this is gonna last. Like who's watching this? Why would anybody wanna watch this? I was just completely questioning the whole thing. But it was when parents would come up to me or hit me up on social media and, and a direct message and be like, Hey, you know, we just wanna say we love the show because we can make dinner and put the show on and kids can watch it. Mm-hmm. , there's no, it's clean, it's safe and, and you know, it's fun and it's exciting. And I was like, Oh, okay. Like, cuz that through the first season I was like, I don't know if I could actually physically do this anymore.

(25:05):

You know, like, this is a lot. We were shooting three episodes in a row, like on the road, you know, and that's three challenges on the road. So I was like, this is a lot. And then it was like, oh, someone had mentioned it was like, oh, you know, we have the potential of increasing business of these restaurants that you travel to, not just man versus who, but all other shows that travel logs by 40%, you can increase their business. I was like, whoa, that's amazing. Like, okay, so, you know, it's good for kids, it's fun, it's funny, it's safe to watch and then we're potentially helping someone's business. So I was like, okay, I'm in, I'm in for as long as I can, you know, as handle as I can do it. As long as I can handle it, I'm gonna do it. So, you know, like I said, it's been six seasons and 90 episodes and we're still trucking along, so Yeah.

Jaymee (25:44):

How much of a break do you get between episodes or meals that you're shooting?

Casey Webb (25:48):

Meals? Uh, so typically, you know, we moved from three episodes in a row, which means that's, you know, for for instance, so we only from three to two to three to two, three to two in a season, we would do three episodes on the road, come back, have a break, then go out and do two, come back and then go out and do three mm. That was a lot on production. That was a lot on Casey. Um, that's me, . Um, and we realized, I was like, okay, we got a bunch of episodes out. Great. So we went down to two. So typically fly out land, go to the hotel, next day we shoot for three days. The third day is the challenge day. So at the end of that third day, the last hour is when, you know, three cameras go up, the lights go up, the crowd form is behind us, and then we do the challenge, um, which is like, as real as it gets.

(26:35):

So that's our Friday, that's our Friday night . So as soon as the challenge is over, whether I finish it or not, cameras go down, cameras, uh, cameras go down, lights go down, and then they, everyone loads up in the caravan and we're off back to the hotel to the next place. Mm. So it's fast. Um, but it's, you know, it's, it's three days of shooting for a 22 minute episode. So there's a lot of filming, um, for one episode. And then the next day we would travel to the next place. And then that following day we would start again, three, uh, three, you know, three days in a row filming Challeng on that last day. And then we'd fly out. So it's like eight days on the road and then 10 days off in between.

Jaymee (27:12):

Okay.

Casey Webb (27:13):

Roughly to digest,

Jaymee (27:15):

To digest

Casey Webb (27:15):

Three, all six of those restaurants. And then two of those challenges. Um, yeah, it's, uh, you know, it's a lot. It's security. It's a, yeah.

Jaymee (27:23):

What, what are you, what are you eating when the cameras aren't rolling? Like how hard is it to balance parrots salad, some roughage, roughage?

Casey Webb (27:31):

Uh, I, um, I, you know, it's, it's, I eat really clean regardless, and, and I always kind of have, I'm just a big guy and I, you know, um, I just look like I eat a lot, you know, . Um, so it, you know, you gotta find some balance and you really gotta trust your gut. You know, I learned a lot about that stuff. That's, um, in the process of doing the show is really taking care of yourself when the camera's off because honestly, you know, restaurant food, you know, oftentimes higher and fat, higher and sugar, higher in carbs and these sodium things be crave. Yeah. Sodium, all the above, you know, And we love to eat out and I eat out often. Um, but I think it's fine the balance between what's really good for you and what's helping you and, and the foods that you crave, you know, cuz if I eat all the foods that I craved all the time, I, you know, um, , I don't know if I would be in, in my fighting shape to do the show, you know, .

(28:23):

Cause you really gotta find the balance there. And that's, you know, that's just, that's, that's an individual's pursuit, you know? So I found my balance and what works for me and what doesn't. And when the show is on, it's a different story cuz we, you know, it's like, you know, with the cool thing about the two other restaurants that we visit, you know, we get to explore that restaurant fully. Um mm-hmm. , the show is really about the challenge. But like, I love the fact that we get the taste these other foods, whether they be something of tradition in that city or, um, a place that's been there forever or a new cool fun place. And then it's about the, you know, the third day is about challenge. So we get to explore a lot in a small time. And it's not a lot of time, you know, it's like three days typically. If it's the second episode of that run, when we're on the road, I might stay, you know, like we went to, in the beginning they were like, Hey, where do you wanna go? Where do you want? I'm like, uh, Hawaii, you know,

Jaymee (29:12):

Of

Casey Webb (29:12):

Course. And then we went to Hawaii. I was like, No way. I'm just gonna throw another place in Alaska. They're like, And we went to Alaska. So, Wow. And then I would stay and then I would find myself at the other, you know, when we joined up somewhere else, hopefully on that side of the coast, you know, on the west coast or where, wherever it was. So I've been able to do that a lot. I've been able to extend my stays, which is incredible. You know, like I stayed in Alaska for six days afterwards and then I had a, then I flew to, uh, Portland and then I drove, No, I flew to Seattle, then I drove down to San Jose. Okay. So I got to do this crazy adventure, you know? Yeah. So listen to me going on.

Jaymee (29:47):

Sorry. No, it's amazing. No, I love, I mean, I was like, I wanted to ask you about the travel as well. I mean, what are, what are some of your favorite food cities that you've had the opportunity to visit?

Casey Webb (29:56):

Ah, you know what? I think all cities, your food cities, some are smaller than others, some are bigger than others. And, you know, it wasn't until I started going to those places where it's like the, you know, we find nooks and crannies. We find the places that have been there for 50 years and we find the new places, which is really great. And we have a, you know, a, uh, a team of producers that really dig deep for places. And so, you know, I, I didn't realize some of the places, these smaller markets, these smaller towns, these smaller cities that were thriving with really cool food and whether they, you know, whether there's a distillery or a brewery or a Michelin star place, like there's places around the entire country that are worth visiting. Um, and I didn't know that until we got there. And I wouldn't really do a ton of research cuz I really like to show up with like a kid's sensibility and discover stuff.

(30:42):

Mm-hmm. and then learn from locals and, and then while I'm there, you know, at night, like while I'm doing my homework for the next day, like, figure it out where I'm gonna spend my time after we we're done shooting. So, you know, I was really surprised and I was really, it was exciting like in a smaller market, no place specifically that I found that, that people that like grew up there, call it anywhere in Middle America, uh, they left to go to a bigger city, whether it be New York City, Chicago, Detroit, la and craft their, you know, their skills and then come back to where they grew up. And then there was that distillery, there was that bruise. Like, where'd you go to, you know, where'd you do all this? Oh, I was in, you know, I was in Austin for a long time doing barbecue.

(31:22):

And then I came back here and brought it back home and oh, oh, I was, I was brewing beer and in Detroit and then I came back and, you know, I'm now down in Florida. So, you know, it's really, it was really beautiful to see what they went away, learn their skill sets and brought it back and then created their own thing where the places where they grew up. And it really changed the kind of the landscape of a lot of these smaller markets where you wouldn't think there'd be, you know, because there's a lot of fast food on the road mm-hmm. , you know, and um, but there's a lot of other places that have percolated in the last, you know, in my experience the last 10 years traveling that are worth the journey to those smaller areas. You know, the smaller, But for me, love New Orleans.

(32:01):

The first time I went there was before I started doing, doing the show and I just fell in love. And then we got to do an episode there and um, that's a major food city for me on the episode we, I got to cook with, um, well I sat there and listened as she talked, but Leah Chase of Dookie Chase, she was in her mid to late nineties then she since passed, but she taught me to make Creole Gummo from scratch. And I'm like, Wow. Oh my God. She could barely walk, but she could stand and talk. And she did. And she, was so funny. And for two hours after we were filming, we sat there and she sat, we sat at a poker table in the kitchen, and food kept coming in and people would come greet her and see her because she was like, she was a huge part of that community.

(32:41):

And we just talked and she fed me and I met all these people that I wouldn't maybe never see again. And that was a special, that's a special place for me. But yeah, you know, I'm always in search of like, I, the nooks and crannies for me, I, I, I like to like hit the ground running in a city in a place that I'm going to because that's the only way you really, you don't really see it driving by often. Yeah. You know, you gotta walk the city. So that's how I try to discover new places. Um, you know, but you had asked about other cities. I mean, New Orleans is a mecca for food. New York is a mecca for food. Chicago is a mecca for food. And and I think this is growing. I think that is trick trickled into these smaller communities. Cuz I'm from a smaller community, you know, I'm from the suburbs of New Jersey and the, the kind of, um, the what we get from New York is incredible cause everything trickles down here. You know. Um, so it's, you know, I think it's, you have to be willing to look and search and find in any city that you're going to. And you know, one of the cool things about doing the show is that a lot of people, they're like, We went to every place that you went to

Jaymee (33:41):

.

Casey Webb (33:41):

Wow. When you were, when you were in Iowa. We went to all three of those places. Like, that's really cool. Like that's awesome. It was our vacation, we're going there cuz kids going to college there. And we, we went to all three of those places and it was really great. Thank you so much. And like, and like that was inspiring. I was like, Oh, cool. So we're actually helping people navigate around the country and not just to sh not just man versus food, food, but all the other travel logs, you know? So, you know, we're giving people a roadmap Yeah. To find great foods, you know, and if we're helping keep people in business, then you know, I'll, I'll continue to do what I'm doing, you know?

Jaymee (34:11):

Yeah, absolutely. I think that that's have

Casey Webb (34:13):

A long way to get to

Jaymee (34:14):

. It's okay. I like, I like story. I like story time with Casey.

Casey Webb (34:20):

You ready? You ready for

Jaymee (34:21):

Story time? Uh, can all right, can you put to rest any skepticism that's out there that the show is somehow staged? Apparently Reddit has a, a field day with this one.

Casey Webb (34:30):

Oh, I've read it before. . I encourage any and all to come to a taping. So Yeah. I can only speak for myself and the 90 episodes that I've done and I've done all of them, whether I was successful or not. It's, it's, it's as real as it gets. And that's that's literally the, the last hour

Jaymee (34:49):

Yeah.

Casey Webb (34:50):

Of the shooting. And that's, uh, like I said, it's our Friday and as soon as I'm done, it's done and we shut everything down. You know, I, I would tell you this is changed from the beginning. Like we, we definitely changed some of how some of the heat items, some of the hot items. Mm. Cause in the beginning we were using like, we let chefs use extract. So pure capsaicin, which is basically, I would say you could define it as poison, right? , ,

Jaymee (35:18):

Liquid fire, ,

Casey Webb (35:19):

Pretty much liquid fire. So we're like, why can we control this a little bit? Or how do we just use only fresh or dried? I'm like, I'll do whatever, but just to, you know, so that was, that's the only thing that has changed. But, but as far as it being real, not, it's a thousand percent real. I have the different pants sizes to prove it.

Jaymee (35:36):

,

Casey Webb (35:37):

I have the sweatpants to prove it. Um, yeah, that was the, you know, there are times where, you know what's interesting about that too? I was like, I'm, I'm about to do the challenge. There's a crowd behind me. There's, there's three cameras, there's lights set up, All I see is lights, you know, and the food in front of me and all I hear is a crowd behind me. And, and there were times like there's no way finishing this. You know, like as confident as you have to go in. Cause it's like a sport, you know, it's like a one person sport. This, you know, it's man versus food, but it's a one person's sport and you really have to get yourself psyched up. If, if I didn't have this sports background, the man, honestly, like, I don't think I would've been able to make it as far as I have.

(36:16):

It's, you really gotta bring yourself somewhere else. And, and um, and that was exciting to me cause it was, that became its own challenge. Like I have to mentally prepare as, as well as I do physically. Yeah. And if it wasn't for the crowd, and I could tell you at a 90, probably, you know, 25 of them, if it wasn't for the crowd cheering on, that pushed me to a whole other level somewhere psychologically, physically. And I beat it and it's like, whoa. I don't know how that happened. I have no idea. And it's real, I get chills talking about it cause it's so real. It was really the crowd that pushed me over to actually finish the thing. And there's only so much room, you know, like I'm a five nine guy, you know, and I can only physically eat so much. I don't know how some pe some people do it. I don't know how my brother does it. He's six two, he could eat for days. Like he just, he keeps eating. To answer your question, yes, it's all real. It's just chopped down. You know, we have a half an hour, you see probably a minute of it. You know, that's the only thing that's edited is the time that we do it. Otherwise, it's as real as it gets.

Jaymee (37:13):

Yeah. No, that's so interesting what you say about the crowd because that, that is like, you hear, you know, I worked in sports for so many years and, and you hear that from athletes all the time. Like, I, I couldn't have done it without like, the crowd behind me. That's what, that's what really like, pushed me over the edge. So it's interesting to, to hear that, that that translates into food challenges as well. . Uh, no, this has been so much fun. I could talk to you for forever about this. Thank you. But, uh, we're gonna finish things up with some rapid fire questions and then one final question for you.

Casey Webb (37:39):

Yes.

Jaymee (37:40):

Uh, alright. So rapid fire round theme song for your life.

Casey Webb (37:45):

Uh, Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen.

Jaymee (37:47):

Okay. I like that. Love

Casey Webb (37:49):

Bruce. Some big Bruce fan.

Jaymee (37:50):

Yeah. I mean you're from Jersey so it makes sense. Woo. Um, most difficult challenge to date on man versus food.

Casey Webb (37:57):

Um, they're all difficult in their own right. I would say the first hour one we had to do it was an hour long. Mm. And by minute 22 I was like, just can we, can we just stop

Jaymee (38:09):

?

Casey Webb (38:10):

And that was in Montana and it was a huge steak. It was fries

Jaymee (38:15):

Where I'm from Montana actually.

Casey Webb (38:17):

Yeah. We were, we were in Billings. Billings, Okay. Um, and it was this, it was really, it. The food is incredible, but there comes a point where, and I think easy it was, that was the first time I was like, whoa, you know, . Um, and honestly it was the first one cuz that was this like five pound sandwich. Oh

Jaymee (38:35):

Wow.

Casey Webb (38:35):

And then it was the billings one. But I think I, I think there's, there's more out there that, that are probably would beat those, I think. Yeah. I think that's the one I haven't done yet, is what I usually

Jaymee (38:45):

Say. But that's like the one, like, you remember Yeah. Best prize you've gotten from a challenge on the show

Casey Webb (38:51):

Back to the crowd. I think it's really the response of the people that were there and how excited they got to be part of the thing. And the smiles from that. I would say, you know, that and the travel to these obscure places, be it Hawaii, you know, those were the benefits, you know mm-hmm. as far as physical process, a lot of it's merch, you know, it's like a shirt, you know, or an apron or a fireman's little plastic fireman's hat. And, you know, those are all cute, but it's really me meeting all these people and just the, there's stories mm-hmm. . And then the travel part has been the greatest part of, I think, doing the show for me.

Jaymee (39:25):

Speaking of travel, something you never travel without.

Casey Webb (39:29):

Um, I learned early on, uh, noise canceling headphones for flying. Big one. That's a huge one. And a speaker. Bluetooth speaker. Yeah. So you have some music in the room.

Jaymee (39:40):

I love that. Um, fa favorite late night snack.

Casey Webb (39:44):

Ooh. Ah, you know, I'm a chocolate person so I, I could dig into a court of anything chocolate. So, but the problem with that is it's like a time release. Uh, so three hours later I'm wide awake. Yeah. Uh, you know, on the computer typing nonsense, you know, . So I'd say, I'd say late night snack would be ice cream. Something chunky in the middle of it too. Okay. Like a textured ice cream or

Jaymee (40:07):

Some kind. Yeah, definitely. Uh, all right. If man versus food went international, where are you going first?

Casey Webb (40:12):

Wow. I, uh, Asia. Yeah. Um, I want honestly, uh, everywhere. Let's go to Asia, let's go to Europe, let's go to the Middle East, let's go. You know, I think, uh, those are places that I've yet to explore personally. So, um, you know, those are on the docket for, I don't, you know, honestly, I would love to go to Canada. Let's go to Canada with the show. Let's do the Caribbean, you know, let's go there, let's explore. But yeah, there's no place. A lot of those folks, they're like, When are you coming to Ireland? I'm like, Ah, I don't know, . That's not entirely up to me. You know, it's, uh, but yeah, there's fans all over, which is really cool that people watch a show over the world, which is incredible. Yeah.

Jaymee (40:52):

That's that's awesome. Uh, well we have one final question for you. This is not, this is not rapid fire, this is just, uh, the same question we ask everybody at the end of our conversations. And that is what would be on the menu for your perfect food day. So we wanna hear what you were eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. There are no rules. You can travel time, travel, spend as much money as you want. Anyone can cook the meals. Uh, it's your day. We just wanna hear about it.

Casey Webb (41:16):

I'm a huge fan of preparing food from the night before. Mm-hmm. . So I'm a huge fan of leftovers. Mm.

Jaymee (41:24):

Same

Casey Webb (41:25):

. I don't know if it's, you know, it's pretty, a pretty humble, based on your question, that's a pretty humble approach to it. No, but I would say it would have to be somewhere outside of where I am. You know? Uh, I would say Italy Pavarotti is cooking and uh, we're and cuz he's gonna sing. Right?

Jaymee (41:45):

Yeah. Okay. At

Casey Webb (41:45):

The same time he's gonna sing

Jaymee (41:47):

At the same time. Yeah. Yeah.

Casey Webb (41:48):

Just cuz I'm, I am of course I'm somewhat some somewhat Italian. Yeah. And, uh, I just have, I've never been to Italy. Okay. And I just have such a love affair of that country, um, not being, you know, having visited there. So I would say, uh, breakfast with Pavarotti.

Jaymee (42:05):

Okay. Wow. That sounds incredible. doesn't, doesn't matter what he's cooking because No. Having breakfast,

Casey Webb (42:12):

Just to hear the guy sing. Guy sung like an angel. There's a, there's a, Ron Howard did a documentary about Pavarotti and I've seen it on the plane. I watch it on the plane every time I fly and I ultimately cry. I don't know if it's cause the altitude. It's just a guy at such a crazy special life and um, you know, he's a big guy too. I, you know, I feel, I feel, you know, the big guys, I got a soft spot for, you know,

Jaymee (42:32):

Kinship.

Casey Webb (42:32):

Yeah. My girlfriend might not like that. She, she can come along too. She can come

Jaymee (42:36):

Along too. Okay. She's invited. .

Casey Webb (42:37):

She's

Jaymee (42:38):

Invited, of course. Alright, so what, Wait, so that's breakfast. What are you having for lunch?

Casey Webb (42:41):

Oh, there's, Oh, all all meals.

Jaymee (42:43):

All the meals. Yeah. We wanna know all the meals.

Casey Webb (42:45):

Oh, okay. Are these all different people? Do I, I can pavarotti with me to Tyler?

Jaymee (42:49):

No, I mean you can if you want, but like, you don't have to, you can, you can say goodbye to paparazzi and then like hop on a supersonic ju to Thailand for lunch if you want.

Casey Webb (42:58):

I think, you know, I, I as a, as a young person and being the restaurant business and just being enamored with travel and exploring, even though I never got to leave, I, you know, I traveled throughout New York City and that was my food experiences around the quote unquote the world. Right. So, and I think who did it best was Anthony Bourdain. So Sure. You know, he was always someone special to me growing up, you know, reading his book and then watching his shows. Um, it was just very different than any of the other formatted shows that were, were on tv, you know, so that was exciting for me. So I would say, you know, I would say lunch in Thailand with, uh, with Anthony Bourdain. Love that, you know?

Jaymee (43:37):

Yeah. And then, uh, so where are we headed for dinner?

Casey Webb (43:40):

Dinner I would say who dinner? Where could we go for dinner? I, uh, you know, I've never been to France. I would love to go to France with, uh, Jacque Cuo. Cause that guy's in I got meet his grandson. Uh, uh but yeah, Jato in France cuz I feel like that guy would know a thing or two about, um, about seafood in, in, let's say Paris.

Jaymee (44:04):

Sure.

Casey Webb (44:05):

I've never thought about this until right now. So

Jaymee (44:07):

Yeah. I love it. I love it. I love being on this journey. I love

Casey Webb (44:10):

It. Yeah. Because I, you know, the guy has so many stories and he is been on the open water more times than Yeah. You know, probably Carnival cruises, you know, so , he, he probably has a thing or two to share about his experiences.

Jaymee (44:21):

I love that I did, I did, I remember I did a report on Jacque Gusto, like in elementary school. And then I named my cat Jacque. Like I had a cat come on. I had a cat named Jacque, like kitty all through my, uh, yeah, it was super random. Um, alright. Are you so ice cream for dessert or are you going somewhere else?

Casey Webb (44:39):

Ice cream. Um, uh, yeah, you know, uh, you know what, maybe back to New York. Okay. For, um, what are we gonna do? Uh, let's do, I think I have, How about, um, l and b Spam ice cream in there. You go in. All right. That's probably the way to go cause that's amazing. I just had it recently. So that's the, that's the first thing I'm thinking about

Jaymee (44:58):

It down with some pizza

Casey Webb (44:59):

wash it down with the, uh, square pizza couple squares. I actually, I have a quarter of it in my freezer cuz I was just, I was there recently. Yeah, it's pretty

Jaymee (45:06):

Amazing. All right, well perfect. Uh, that sounds like a wonderful food day and we are so looking forward to more episodes of the show. It's, uh, always a delight. So thank you so much for taking the time.

Casey Webb (45:16):

Thank you so much for having me, guys. Enjoy watching man versus food and um, I'll see you on the road. Eat well.

Jaymee (45:27):

You can catch Casey on new episodes of Man Versus Food On Cooking Channel Tuesdays at nine eight Central and catch up on old episodes, which are streaming on Discovery. Plus, make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.