Who didn’t spend more time than usual playing around with food during the pandemic? YouTube star Max Miller went from barely being able to boil an egg to becoming a culinary star who delights a captive audience.
Miller, creator and host of the wildly popular food and history show, Tasting History on YouTube, grew his audience to almost 820,000 subscribers during the Covid pandemic. The charming and out former entertainment executive and musical theater actor also happens to be the perfect small screen host.
Miller is a native of Phoenix, and went to ASU before moving to LA to pursue a career in film distribution for Disney. Inspired by The Great British Bake Off's historical segments, and also by his own interest in ancient times, Miller devised a show that explores the origins, ingredients, and methods of putting together dishes such as pirate guacamole circa 1697, or the hamburgers of Ancient Rome known as Talking Cows. And did you know there was a Medieval predecessor to Turducken known as Cockentrice? It’s all utterly fascinating if not always appetizing — but it often is!
Miller puts around 40-80 hours research and work into each episode and it’s a wonderful way to escape current times via 20 minutes of tasty and sometimes titillating time travel. Do you know what kind of snacks the ancient world served in its brothels? Miller does!
Tasting History has been profiled in America's Test Kitchen, Chowhound, Digital Trends, PopCulture.com, Foodsided, New York Post, Rachael Ray Show, Today.com, UPROXX, plus Miller has a recurring regional segment with Arizona Midday and will release a cookbook in 2022. We caught up for a chat about how it all came together.
How did Tasting History happen?
Max Miller: I’ve always loved history since I was a little kid and I learned to love cooking and baking, specifically after watching the Great British Bake Off and just absorbing that show about seven years ago. And once I did that, I would start to bring in my baking trials to work with me, I couldn't have them at home because I would just eat them. So I’d bring them in to work. And I would tell my coworkers a little bit about the history of whatever I baked, little lectures. And some of them actually found it really kind of interesting. And one of them said, You should put this up on YouTube, people will enjoy it. And I had been thinking a little while about wanting to do a YouTube channel and a couple of months later I put out my first episode. And I stick with it because people would be mad if I didn't. I really enjoy the research especially, I get to do what I would kind of be doing anyway. Now I just have to do it on a schedule.
If you could time travel and really go back and have one of these dishes, what period would you be drawn to?
MM: Anglo-Saxon England is probably my favorite period in history. However, I don't think the food would be particularly good. It was basically just big chunks of meat being roasted and fairly dull bread. So I think when it comes to food, I would like to go back to the Regency period, Jane Austen, that kind of 1790s-1800s time period. The food was starting to be more international. The flavors that were affecting at least England's food were starting to come from India and from the Americas. And they were really big into the French influence at the time. And France at this time was the cuisine capital. This is the birth of that time period in France. So in England, you're getting a little bit of everything. And everything was very ostentatious, so I only want to go back in time if I could be rich.
Do you ever worry about grossing out viewers with some of the ingredients such as the Cockentrice, the pig and the rooster sewn together?
MM: Yes! That was definitely one where I was like, Oh, people aren’t going to like this. But for the most part, I feel like people are very understanding. The people who watch my channel have a higher education level. You know, it's not their first foray into history. And so they come into it with a bit of understanding that this is not what we would eat today. But it was a different time when there was no concept of animal rights, except in some parts of the Far East. There was no concept of veganism. When I do say four or five episodes in a row that are all meat I'll start getting people like, Hey, throw us a vegetarian dish. And so I do think there's plenty a vegetarian dishes out there. But what's funny is they tend not to make it into history’s cookbooks. If you find a cookbook written before 1800, it's going to be 95 percent meat or at least have meat in it. Vegetables were poor people food. They didn't typically get eaten by the upper crust. And if they did it was just, you know, grilling an item on the plate. You don't really need a recipe for that. So it's hard to find those older recipes. But I do have an old Russian recipe for beets coming up, so I am looking forward to that one.
You're a Phoenix native. Did that influence your view of history?
MM: I did love Arizona history, I was obsessed with cowboys growing up and I was also obsessed with the Civil War especially, but Europe was always my draw and I think that's actually just due to my mother. My mother was an English and humanities teacher at a high school in Scottsdale. And so what she tended to teach was English history, English literature, English architecture and music. And so that's kind of what I latched on to. So then my father loves Japan and so I also got a big helping of Japanese history and culture.
What was it like growing up in Phoenix and coming out as LGBTQ?
MM: Growing up in Phoenix was great. I was in the Phoenix Boys Choir for a long time and always involved in theater. I had a very accepting community but I didn't come out until college. I went to Arizona State and after my freshman year, I came out to my parents and they didn't care, they knew. I was so fortunate in that I was never confronted with any real homophobia. I mean, it's everywhere, of course, but not like someone who really has to struggle with it in their family or their community. I was very, very fortunate. And so I was always involved in some way in the gay community, in Phoenix, though mostly simply because of the people that I was around, I was in musical theater and classical music. So a large portion of the people that I were around were gay. So I was always part of the community.
I understand you left Disney to make Tasting History full-time?
MM: I was working in the Walt Disney Studio, specifically the movie studio, and I was working in distribution, getting our movies into movie theaters and all the things that go with that. And I loved it so, so much. I loved every minute of my job, the people that I worked with. So leaving it was actually a tough decision. But I was furloughed last year when the pandemic struck. So that's one reason why I was able to really double down Tasting History and get an episode out each week. I had nothing to do for the last year otherwise. And so when Disney called to say, Hey, time to come back, I had to make that decision. There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision.
You started the show two weeks before the pandemic happened. What have you learned during that time?
MM: What I've learned most in the in the last year is: you can plan all you want, but it's not going to turn out that way. You know, whatever plans you end up making in your life are just that. Plans are almost never what actually ends up happening. I mean, years ago, I would have never thought that I would be cooking for a living because I barely boiled an egg. I guess I would say I would never have imagined that I could make a living doing it. I had my whole life planned out the next 30 years at Disney and then retire. I'm very much a planner. And at almost every turn in my life, those plans are not what actually happens. And this year, more than any I think in the recent past, that's been the case with absolutely everyone in the world. Nobody planned for this. And, you know, good or bad, whatever happened, it surely wasn't what they expected.
To be delightfully surprised, and even learn something about food and history, tune into Tasting History with Max Miller on YouTube.
Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein has become an iconic singer of the modern era. He has entertained audiences and world leaders alike with his jazz standards. Recently he began working with Liza Minnelli to produce a unique stage show that celebrates her mother, Judy Garland's, 100th birthday.
Mr. Feinstein took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions and give us some insight into his creative process, the future of jazz, and the production of this one-of-a-kind show.
Why do you feel the classics still resonate today?
One of the things I love about the music that I primarily sing is that the songs transcend the time in which they were created. They truly are timeless in the sense that they still have incredible power and energy in what they convey to audiences. I always compare them to the timelessness of William Shakespeare or Beethoven or Michelangelo in that people don't experience any of those things and say they're old.
They still resonate with the heart and they have a contemporary sensibility because certain fundamental emotions are forever. The songs that I sing are so amazingly crafted that they're malleable and they can be performed and sung and may any different ways. And that's one of the reasons they survive because they're just adaptable.
And that's one of the fun things about it. Every time I sing one of these songs, it feels fresh to me. And I also know that there are maybe people in the audience who've never heard these songs before. So I'm mindful of trying to present them in their best suit. If you will.
Did Judy Garland influence you more when you were a kid or as an adult?
Judy Garland, what an amazing person; incredible performer. As a child, like most of my generation, anyway, I first became aware of Judy Garland in connection with the 'Wizard of Oz.' That movie was shown every year as an annual event on television. And we would always go to my aunt and uncle's house and watch it there because they had a color television. But the true art of Judy Garland was introduced to me later in my life, when I became aware of her many recordings and other films that she made at MGM, and she had two distinct careers. One was the 28 feature films she made at MGM from 1937 until she was unceremoniously fired by them in 1950.
Then there was her adult concert career from 1951 to 1969. In that period, she performed over 1100 concerts and made classic record albums. And that's such a rich period of American culture and also music. And so the show that I'm doing is a true celebration of the extraordinary joy she brought to her and the pathos and the sadness that's conveyed through the way she sang ballots. It's a multimedia celebration with home movies supplied by the family, a rare recording of hers singing acapella. And I accompany her on the piano that I actually discovered of a song no one had ever heard her sing before. So it's a, a rich program."
In your opinion, has jazz fallen by the wayside in contemporary music, or is it just reserved for a more distinguished crowd?
I think jazz falls into the same category as American popular song, the classic American popular song in that it will always survive, it will always have an audience and perhaps it's more specialized today, but it's the kind of music that people discover when they're a little bit older and then it becomes a permanent part of what they listen to.
Are there any modern songwriters who you feel could be as prolific as Mr. Gershwin?
Well, uh, I believe that Bob Dylan is incredibly prolific. There are many other songwriters who have a work ethic that produces a lot of material. Diane Warren, I'm told, writes every single day, The songwriter Michel Legrand composed, well over 200 film scores as he composed every day. So there are probably songwriters who wrote more than Gerwin, but will their songs be heard in a hundred years as widely as George Gershwins? That I don't know the answer to.
Do you think the best songs are written when the world is in turmoil or when it's more at peace?
Music always reflects the time in which it is created. Uh, if you look at the songs of world war II, the were lots of songs of patriotism that were very, um, what's the word --- jingoistic. Things like, 'Johnny get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.' All these songs about fighting for what's right. And those songs have not lived as long as the love songs that were written in that time.
For example, 'White Christmas' was written at a time when the world was just entering the second world war and that song has lived, and the patriotic songs, uh, have not worn well, even though the sentiment is there. They were very much of their time. I think that there is a certain kind of inspiration that comes out of turmoil. A lot of songs written during the American depression have become lasting standards.
Things like "As Time Goes By.' That was later featured in the movie 'Casablanca' and that sort of thing. So I think that good songs can be written in any time, but perhaps there's more, uh, passion conveyed when there are problems in the world,
Does music constantly play in my subconscious?
Absolutely. Yes. Music is always playing in my brain and that doesn't bother me because sometimes it's music. I know, and sometimes it's new music. That's how I, I come up with the idea for a tune. My friend, George Firth, who died a number of years ago was a brilliant librettist. He wrote the book for the Sondheim shows 'Merrily, We Roll Along,' and company. And he once said that anything that you're whistling or humming in your brain is a subconscious window to what one is really thinking about or what they're really feeling.
So if he ever heard anybody humming or whistling, he would say, what are you singing? What are you humming? He wanted to know the title of the song, because that was his armchair psychoanalysis of what that person was, was going through.
What will the audiences be treated to at the Scottsdale show?
Well, it's a centennial tribute to Judy Garland. And as I mentioned previously, it's multimedia with photographs that have never been seen before, this incredible home recording of Judy Garland, which I found in a house that she once lived in behind a fake wall.
It's just a weird story. Uh, so I'll be accompanying her in this song. So it's a world premiere of Judy Garland singing something that nobody's ever heard before. And I also sing a couple of things that were written for her that never saw the light of day.
And then a lot of familiar things. It's a celebration of the best of her MGM years, and then the concert years, the iconic Carnegie Hall show, and it's a very immersive experience, both, visually and emotionally. The audience reaction has been, spectacular, and I'm very grateful. The enormity of trying to pay tribute to someone with a career, as large as Judy Garland's certainly was not easy, but I feel like we've nailed it.
I had a team of people who helped to put it together, notably, Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, who executive produced the show and was very much influential in helping to shape what it's about. It celebrates the incredible art that she gave all of us. It doesn't delve into the tragedy because that's the tabloid stuff. But the reason people remember her at all is because of the talent. And so that's what I celebrate.
Thank you.
Show & Venue details:
Valley audience members can join Feinstein for this celebration of Judy Garland at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be two concerts at 3 pm and 7 pm on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Tickets start at $79. For information click here or visit or call 480-499-TKTS (8587).
All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. Masks are highly encouraged to protect artists, staff and patrons. For full health and safety protocols click here.
- Michael Feinstein to Share Gershwins' Legacy in Song - OutVoices ›
- Michael Feinstein to celebrate Judy Garland at Scottsdale Arts ... ›
Michael Feinstein will commemorate Judy Garland’s life on March 20 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
Musical icon Michael Feinstein is coming to Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday, March 20, 2022. His smooth voice and playlist of American standards will soothe audiences of all ages in this special live performance. Feinstein is known for having worked with George and Ira Gershwin, two of the most prolific songwriters in history.
His appearance in Scottsdale will pay tribute to another of entertainment's most iconic voices: Judy Garland. The actress and singer would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year. Her music still lives on in the hearts of millions.
Concert is Executive Produced by Liza Minnelli
Audiences are invited to join a nostalgic and spectacular musical exploration of Garland’s illustrious career. Executive produced by Liza Minnelli, this performance will be packed with special surprise moments as Feinstein honors Garland’s unparalleled talent and charisma.
This brand-new multimedia show features big screen film clips, never-before-seen photos, rare audio recordings, great music and good humor. Feinstein will lead you on a historical journey through Garland’s amazing life, telling stories he learned from Minnelli — Garland’s daughter — and from the legend’s close friends.
Audiences will be treated to recently discovered and previously unheard musical arrangements while gaining rare insight into the enduring Garland mystique.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate the iconic Judy Garland on her 100th birthday, especially knowing the authenticity and love that went into this project with her daughter Liza Minnelli as the executive producer,” said Abbey Messmer, programming director at the center. “With the Ambassador of the American Songbook leading this journey, it’s certain that we’ll feel Judy’s spirit when we hear songs like ‘Get Happy’ and ‘Come Rain or Come Shine.’”
Photo courtesy of Michael Feinstein.
The Great American Songbook
Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades, bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. From his multi-platinum-selling recordings that have earned him five Grammy nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS television specials, his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe.
Feinstein's New Album to Feature Music Icons
His live performances, film and television appearances, and 35 albums — including the upcoming release of “Gershwin Country,” featuring duets with country superstars like Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss and more — have made Feinstein an all-star force in American music.
Valley audience members can join Feinstein for this celebration of Judy Garland at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be two concerts at 3 pm and 7 pm on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Tickets start at $79. For information click here or visit or call 480-499-TKTS (8587).
All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. Masks are highly encouraged to protect artists, staff and patrons. For full health and safety protocols click here.
I think it’s fair to say we all want that #fitlife, especially with Spring around the corner — as well as Gaypril on the way. Whether it’s pool season yet or not, everyone would choose to look fit over not looking fit, if they could have it with a snap of their fingers. OK, the vast majority of us would.
If you’ve met me, or have been reading my articles, you know that I live, sleep, eat and breathe fitness; it’s my heart and soul. That being said, I’m here to tell you that the concept of “fitness” is oftentimes tragically misunderstood.
Before you get too aggressive with your goal for pool season, let’s dive a bit deeper into what fitness means on the inside versus what it looks like on the outside, and common misconceptions around this concept.
1. Beware of the cultural pitfalls and misleading information around fitness.
Most of the bodies you see in the media are probably not real, they just look very convincing. As a trainer who also moonlights as a photographer and Photoshop wizard, I’m telling you that it is incredibly easy to alter pictures in materially misleading ways. Once you know the tricks of the trade, the imposters are easily spotted. But that’s not what this is about.
The point is: to the untrained eye, it can be devastatingly defeating to see such impossible standards. It seems as though the cultural pressure to look a certain way, to look perfect, has spread all the way from runway models to fitness novices with the help of smartphone apps.
The truth is that we fitness models look that cut, and that lean for only a couple days at a time. That’s it! In many cases, months or even close to a year of training, dieting and programming all go into looking like that for ONE day. Let that sink in for a second. Day to day, I am less cut, less tan and much flatter muscularly than what you see in some of my pictures. That’s just the nature of the beast. So, when you have a bad day on the scale, in the mirror or in any other scenario, remember that we’re all human and that the most legitimate photos you’re comparing yourself against were from someone’s very best day. That should help to keep things in perspective.
2. Most people want the results, without actually doing the work.
Fitness is not six pack abs, it’s not superficial, it is not temporary and it’s not an isolated phase in your life. Further, fitness is not something you do for someone else, do to spite someone else or even to impress someone else.
Fitness is confidence, toughness, dedication, coordination, power, balance, speed, strength (both literally and figuratively) and persistence in the face of all obstacles. This includes control over your attitude, your mood, your sleep, your schedule, your diet and other aspects of your life. This means getting that workout in when you least feel like it.
It’s not easy, and it’s definitely a grind that has good and bad days. You must show up and keep working on the days you’re tired, stressed, rushed, defeated, doubtful, afraid and so on. The days you actually have to overcome something instead of just checking your workout off your to-do list are the days you have the greatest opportunity to really make progress, push your body and see the most improvement.
3. Fitness is really an internal mindset. The external physique is the fringe benefit.
I’ve said this time and time again, and it might sound strange coming from such an aesthetic-focused trainer, but you are not your body. Your body is a tool, it’s a means to an end, to express your internal mindset, belief system, discipline and dedication to your workout program. Your physique will come and go. Your strength will come and go. Your abilities will wax and wane depending on what you’re training for at the time.
The outside will, and should, be always changing, but the inside is what we’re really after here. Good trainers want to train you to believe in yourself when sh*t gets hard. We want to train you to be resilient in the face of injury, obstacles and other setbacks. We want you to set ambitious goals and shoot for the moon because you can get there with smart programming and relentless will (do yourself a favor and ditch the crash diets and the photo editing software).
So, as you make your spring preparations for swimsuit season, try focusing on developing a sterling, unshakeable internal character and the muscles will come along the way, this I promise you.