In this heartfelt episode, Mark welcomes Chef and culinary storyteller Bill Poulson to explore how food becomes a powerful part of our family legacy. Bill shares warm memories of simple childhood meals, such as Velveeta cheese and grilled sandwiches, that created a sense of comfort, safety, and belonging. Today, he’s preserving those traditions by digitizing his mother’s 40-year-old, hand-typed cookbook so it can be passed down and shared more easily.
Together, Mark and Bill talk about why cooking with family matters just as much as passing down the recipes themselves. They discuss how inviting loved ones into the kitchen creates living traditions, encourages communication, and strengthens family identity. From spatchcocking a turkey on a pellet grill to preparing a pit-roasted holiday feast wrapped in banana leaves, this episode celebrates the way old and new techniques come together to honor heritage.
Most importantly, Mark explores how food traditions naturally fit into the conversation about legacy planning. The stories we pass down, the recipes we preserve, and the meals we share carry just as much meaning as the financial assets in an estate plan. When we preserve both, we protect the full story of who we are.
