Just in time for the holidays, here’s an interview with Santa Claus. All right, it’s actually Ed Downey, a Maryland resident who makes a living dressing up as the jolly man in a red-and-white-suit. As I learned over dinner, Ed’s got plenty of tales to tell — not only about…

It’s been a while since my last dinner interview, but the middle of December turned out to be productive as I met two new strangers. The first of those two interviews is now online. Earlier this month I spent an enjoyable Saturday lunch with Shamia Hollway, learning about her role…

Actor Burt Young doesn’t mind if people recognize him only from his role as Paulie in the Rocky movies. During a brunch interview in New York, Burt told me that he enjoys meeting fans of the boxing films and is grateful for the role. But there’s far more to Burt…

Ed Koch is a New York City legend. The three-term mayor has a lengthy resume that also includes several years as a congressman, a stint in the armed services, and more. Nowadays he’s working at a law firm in Manhattan but keeping just as busy as ever. I met up…

Analyze this: a British journalist sits down to dinner in Rockville, Maryland with psychologist Dr. Andrea Bonior, keen to learn about her profession. Actually, I don’t mind whether you analyze it or not. But I’ll provide at least one conclusion for you: I had a enjoyable meal getting educated about…

Alliteration in the post title! Hooray! Today is one of those rare occasions when I overcome laziness to give you a brand new interview with a stranger. My 36th meal with a random takes place in Charleston, on a beautifully sunny (and only slightly humid) Sunday in August. I sat…

Jason Ryan has it pretty good right now with a new child, renovated house and decent feedback to a book he wrote about pot smugglers in South Carolina. It was Jason’s book “Jackpot” that acted as the catalyst for the two of us getting dinner on a Saturday night during…

Today’s interview is with Florida-based funambulist Will Soto. Will has lived in Key West for 30 years. Five nights a week he heads down to the Mallory Square pier to perform a show for tourists that involves juggling, jokes and finale of tightrope walking without any safety nets below. Click…

I had to put on my dancing shoes for my 33rd dinner interview with a stranger. Problem with that plan is that I have two left feet. Nevertheless Julia Kulakova took pity on me as she gave me a crash-course in learning the art of gypsy dance at her weekly…

That creation above is a 100% vegan fake meat melt. Although I’m a carnivore, I took Katelyn Sornik up on the offer to go out for a vegan meal for my latest interview. She’s relatively new to the vegan lifestyle and uses her blog to write about the adjustment, new…