Antoni Porwoski may have carved out his name as the endearing foodie on Queer Eye, but now he’s headed out on another journey with help from National Geographic. In his new series No Taste Like Home, Porowski – who is Canadian-born, New York-dwelling with Polish-heritage – teams up with the research team from Nat Geo and a cast of celebrities for the six-episode series. “Food is one of those things often in our everyday or periphery that we don’t really take a close look at, but what’s so fascinating is it has this rich history,” says Porwoski.
When it came to selecting talent for the series, it wasn’t just about celebrity status. “We had a lot of talent that we considered. They didn’t just go after the big names,” says Porowski. “They wanted to make sure there were food-centric stories to be told.” At the same time, the stars are certainly A-List: Florence Pugh, Justin Theroux, James Marsden, Issa Rae, Henry Golding and Awkwafina are all guests. In each episode, food is consumed but also put under a keen research lens, where each dish or ingredient acts as a culinary clue, unveiling more about the six different guests’ heritage and lineage. Each goes on a different journey to uncover more details about their family histories through food, from Theroux enjoying tortellini en brodo in Italy’s Bologna region; to Golding feasting on just-grilled fish with torched ginger in Borneo’s Sarawak.
The project goes well beyond the scope of a typical travel and food show, with the National Geographic team doing three to six months of research as well as thorough fact-checking for each storyline. “[Usually] I say a lot of things that aren’t necessarily fact-checked, and I get in trouble on Twitter afterwards, but with National Geographic, everything that I say has to be said with utmost certainty.” To this end, all information conveyed in the show – from family lineage to culinary origins of dishes – has to be vetted by three independent sources. “If you’re in Germany or if you’re in Italy, that’s public record. [But] if you’re in Borneo or Senegal, they don’t necessarily have the infrastructure or all of the public documents. So we have to find out from three different village elders, instead.”
Porowski and the team also explore how migration, colonisation, war, recessions, agriculture and cultural shifts can have an impact on the everyday things we eat. “Food can have an incredibly rich historical context that talks about occupation, colonisation and retention,” says Porowski.
While the historical throughline is the most integral to the show, there are plenty of surprising and tender moments dotted throughout the series. “If you have a beating heart, you can’t not get emotional,” says Porowski. And of course, many scenes will encourage viewers to explore their own history in a more delicious way. “Food is obviously emotional, and it’s sustenance, it’s connection and community and culture and all those things. But it also has this strong historical element, it’s like a book,” says Porowski.
No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski streams on Disney+ from February 24.
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