Interviewing strangers over a meal since 2008 (as featured in the Washington Post)
My 96th dinner interview took place on a cruise ship somewhere in the Caribbean back in January 2017. That’s when I met Matt Yee, who at the time was a mainstay on gay and straight cruises, and also in high demand on land, for his drag cabaret show. Over a…
Let’s get physical with the 134th interview with a stranger — my meal with personal trainer Raine Storm McKeython. A (mostly) lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Raine grew up with a love and natural talent for basketball, with childhood dreams of playing in the NBA. He carried this through to…
Far too late with posting this news, but food critic and radio host Tom Fitzmorris died on February 12 in his beloved hometown of New Orleans, at the age of 74. It was due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, NOLA.com reports. Tom was the 49th stranger interviewed for this site…
For the 95th dinner interview in December 2016, I met W. Ralph Eubanks. He’s a researcher, writer and more and a self-described “light-skinned” African American who spent his childhood growing up among the racial strife of the civil rights era in Mississippi. Since then, he’s had an extensive career both…
Writer Jonn Elledge, the utterly charming, smart and funny 131st dinner interviewee, was the first interview on this site in almost five years back in January. He discussed his book “A (Brief) History of the World in 47 Borders,” which at the time was only available in hardback or audiobook…
In September 2016, I offered dinner with me as a prize in a silent auction for a fundraiser, after being contacted by the organizers who were hosting the auction for charity. David Stivaletta, an accountant in Washington, DC, bid the winning amount. That’s how we came to meet for Italian…
“Hi, I’m Joe Himali.” Spend any time on social media and you might be familiar with that greeting from Joe, a real estate agent in Washington, DC, who has found viral fame with his quirky videos sharing architectural secrets in the city and beyond. I met Joe in the District…
Gary Krist, a New York Times-bestselling writer of historical non-fiction and the 70th stranger I met, will be in DC next week to talk about his latest book. He’ll discuss Trespassers at the Golden Gate: A True Account of Love, Murder, and Madness in Gilded-Age San Francisco at Politics &…
Brad Rushing is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer who has enjoyed great success in charge of photography for movies, music videos, commercials, and more. During a visit to DC in September 2016, he met me for the 93rd dinner with a stranger to talk about how he got into the industry…
For the 132nd meal with a stranger, I met Naomi Paxton in London for an enjoyable brunch. She’s an academic, researcher, magician, performer and more, always on the move as she hustles for her various interests. It means she wears many hats, the most obvious being the literal colorful hats,…