The Christophers: Food as a Vehicle for Making a Family
Tony Rossi, Director of Communications,
The Christophers
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As co-creator of the hit sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” with Ray Romano—and host of the food and travel series “Somebody Feed Phil”—Phil Rosenthal’s goals are not just to entertain viewers, but to promote kindness and friendship while making people laugh.
The “Everybody Loves Raymond 30th Anniversary Reunion” earned a Christopher Award earlier this year because it demonstrated that this show about a comedically “angry family” was grounded in love, both in front of and behind the camera. During a “Christopher Closeup” interview, Phil explained, “Every family gets frustrated with each other. Every family can even get angry. But as long as there’s that underlying love, that’s what keeps families together.”
“Raymond’s” origins are partially due to family and food. Years ago, Phil bought his parents a subscription to the Fruit of the Month Club as a gift. But when the initial box of 12 pears arrived, they felt overwhelmed by fruit! And when they learned that more fruit would be coming every month, they believed Phil had gotten them involved “in a cult.” Phil’s mother exclaimed, “I can’t talk anymore; there’s too much fruit in the house!”
That exchange made its way into the pilot episode for “Raymond” and helped establish the personalities of Frank and Marie Barone (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle). Phil said, “I thought people would just say, ‘Ray’s parents are crazy.’ What I didn’t realize was that your parents are crazy too, and that you relate to this level of crazy, even though it’s not exactly what your parents are crazy about. But we relate to each other’s specificities, so I learned to write as specifically as possible. That’s where the universality lies.”
Phil also made sure the “Raymond” set had delicious food so everyone could share meals and snacks together, which led to bonding. He said, “Food was going to be this vehicle for making a family...So ‘Raymond’ was about a family, it was made for families, and very quickly, it was being made by a family.”
Though Phil often poked fun at his parents, the love he felt for them was always present. He even made them regulars on “Somebody Feed Phil.” He said that making them a part of his success was “the greatest joy in the world. I owe them everything. I’m so lucky to have been their son, not just because they were a font of comedic material, but because they were the most loving and supportive parents you could ever wish for. When we were lucky enough to win the Emmy Awards, I actually bought an extra one and I gave it to them, and it said, ‘Best Supportive Parents.’”
Phil also credits his parents for his kindness and good nature. He explained, “Kindness was modeled in my house. I always tell new parents, when they ask for any advice at all from an old guy like me, I say, ‘There’s nothing you can do except model the behavior you want to see in your children.’ You can talk and give them rules, but if they see you doing the wrong thing, they’re going to know that you’re not genuine…Well, there’s no bigger role model than mom and dad...Every kid’s going to go through adolescence...the natural state of rebellion…But if you’ve lived by example, you’re going to see that reflected back in your kids, and they come around. We couldn’t be prouder of our kids [Ben and Lily], and we love seeing the grownups that they became.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org
