The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters 837: The Universal Language of Bread with Tony Shalhoub and Maureen Abood
Oct 31, 2025
Join acclaimed actor Tony Shalhoub, known for his role in Breaking Bread, as he shares tasty Lebanese-American food memories blending cultures from kibbeh to grilled cheese. He discusses how bread connects people and his family's immigration journey. Joining him is Maureen Abood, a cookbook author who specializes in Lebanese baking. She reveals mouthwatering recipes like za'atar manakeesh and explores the art behind these beloved flatbreads. Together, they celebrate the delicious ways food brings us together.
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Bread As A Universal Connector
- Bread serves as a basic, global connector that reveals culture and sustenance across societies.
- Tony Shalhoub frames bread as a way to return to simple, shared human moments amid modern stresses.
Midwest Table Blended Cultures
- Tony Shalhoub grew up in a Lebanese-American household in Green Bay with both Lebanese and Midwestern foods on the table.
- His neighbors loved coming over for kibbeh, hummus, and other dishes, making his house the ‘cool’ one.
Pandemic Pivot Saved A Bakery
- In New York, Mary O’s Irish pub pivoted during the pandemic by baking soda bread that locals helped sell and promote.
- The owner now splits time between a bakery and the pub, surviving via community support and grit.
