Robert Kennedy Jr.

Review: RFK Jr.'s YouTube Cooking Show Is Both Informative and Unsettling

The Real Food Show features chefs making dishes alongside the health and human services secretary.

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Robert F. Kennedy alongside a nutrition chart and a logo for his show 'The Real Food Show' | Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. YouTube
(Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. YouTube)

People tend to think of propaganda as "war is peace" rhetoric, not as an instruction to add nutritional yeast to your salmon cakes because it's "great for your microbiome." The Real Food Show reminds us that sometimes propaganda can sound like a guy selling home-brewed kombucha circa 2010.

Produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this YouTube cooking show features HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alongside a different chef each episode. Each of the first two episodes is a little over 19 minutes long. One features chef Andrew Gruel making salmon cakes with an arugula, apple, and white bean salad, and one features chef Geoffrey Zakarian making a French omelet.

The show's aim is to translate updated federal dietary guidelines into meals, according to an HHS press release. "Each episode combines simple recipes with the science behind them," relying on inexpensive ingredients and basic kitchen equipment. … [Subscribe to continue reading]

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