L-R: Mariana van Zeller and Michael Voltaggio stand in front of symbolic graffiti art by artist Banksy on the Israeli West Bank barrier.
The concept of Breaking Borders is quite intriguing. As the world continues to spin on its axis, so do the rivalries and tensions among ourselves, they go round and round in what seems like a never ending spiral. Prejudice, racism, political, and religious quarrels still plague the planet but in this new series from Travel Channel, chef Michael Voltaggio and journalist Mariana Van Zeller try to quell the arguments over a feast. A little dinner and conversation – what have you got to lose? You may lose your lunch after reading some of the meals Voltaggio prepared. Zeller tells us about one dish while they were in Cambodia “…he brought these amazing looking meat dishes to everybody else and to me, he brought it on a special plate, and he uncovered it and there it was – a snake, a rat covered by ants and that was my dinner.”
Below is the transcript of the conference call with Voltaggio and Zeller. Though I wasn’t able to participate on the call, I wanted to share the transcript. Also check out some of the photos from the series premiere after the transcript.
“Breaking Borders” follows Peabody Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller and acclaimed chef Michael Voltaggio as they travel to conflict zones around the globe with a unique and challenging goal: to gather people from all sides of the conflicts for an amazing meal and animated discussion in search of common ground and hope for the future.
In each episode, van Zeller and Voltaggio take viewers on a journey through a different country in conflict. They meet people affected by the unrest, while exploring the history and culture that has created it. As van Zeller digs deeper into the issues, Voltaggio goes on a culinary adventure, collecting ideas and ingredients to create an unbelievable meal inspired by the people he has met.
Breaking Borders premieres Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 9/8c on Travel Channel.
Travel Channel’s BREAKING BORDERS
Conference Call with Michael Voltaggio and Mariana Van Zeller
Thursday, March 05, 2015
Karen Davidson: Hi everyone. Thanks and welcome. So it’s my pleasure today to introduce Mariana Van Zeller and Michael Voltaggio, host of Travel Channel’s newest series, Breaking Borders. The show pairs Peabody award winning correspondent Mariana Van Zeller and celebrated chef Michael Voltaggio as they journey to uncover the personal stories and perspectives as well as the rich cultures and deep divides in well-known conflict zones.
They share a simple but unique goal – to gather people from all sides of the conflicts for an amazing meal and an animated discussion in search of common ground and hope for the future. Breaking Borders premiers Sunday, March 15th and the first episode takes place on an Israeli settlement in Palestine and in Israel and Palestine throughout.
So we’ll start things off with some comments from both hosts about their unique background and how they got involved in the show. I’m going to throw it first to Mariana who will give you a little intro and then Mariana will toss it to Michael and then we can open it up to questions. So Mariana.
Mariana van Zeller
Mariana: Sure thing. Thank you (Karen). Thank you all so much for joining the call. Yes, (Karen) asked me to give just a little background on myself. Well I spent the past 15 years traveling all around the world and covering stories mainly about sort of human struggles and conflicts – everything from embedding with Nigeria’s own militants to cover the oil conflict in that country to spending time in the Amazon Jungle filming a story about the fight for diamonds between Indians and miners to camping out in the mountains of the Iraqi/Iran border with a group of female guerilla fighters – Kurdish guerillas who are fighting against Iran’s regime. So I’ve had a lot of experience covering conflicts.
But, you know, what I think makes this show so unique and what really attracted and drew me to it is this incredible opportunity of – I think it’s sort of taking it to the next level. As a journalist I’m not just going to these countries to report but, you know, Michael and I go there with a mission to bring people together from all sides of a conflict to sit at a dinner table and enjoy an amazing meal and talk and I think that’s the most important premise of the show.
It’s to really bring people together to talk – something that you think is quite simple and yet, you know, many times it’s incredibly difficult to achieve. And being a journalist and covering these conflicts you all, you know, I’m used to sort of hearing from one side. You interview one side and then you go and you hear from the other side. And this was the first time that I got this incredible chance of hearing from both sides at the same time – letting people air out their opinions, their stories, you know, their suffering, their hopes and really bury it all in front of the other side of the conflict and hope that in the end they can sort of find a common goal.
And I think one of the biggest lessons for me of the show really has been the importance of talking, the importance of communication. What I’ve learned that I hadn’t really thought about much until we started filming this is that it’s when there’s a breakdown in communication that usually the conflict starts.
And so here we had sort of this once in a lifetime opportunity of bringing it all back to the origins and bringing it back to communication and really what separates us humans from other human beings in this world and this was it. This was these amazing dinners that were hosted all around the world and it’s really the premise of the show.
I think that a moment from this whole adventure that I’ve been, you know, so incredibly fortunate to share with Michael but a moment that I will never forget was when in one that Michael and I visited this church where 10,000 people were killed. Mostly (unintelligible) and moderate (unintelligible) were killed and the church has been sort of left almost practically untouched since the massacre with bloody clothes and skulls and bones and really a heavy site.
And the person who gave us the tour was one of only seven survivors of the massacre. He was seven years old when it all happened and he saw his family, friends be killed right in front of him. And he was able to survive because he covered himself up with blood and he pretended he was dead. And I will get emotional when I talk about this scene again but he obviously got very emotional while giving us this tour and when we asked him why – why do you do this – why do you, you know, your obviously – this is such an emotional thing for you. Why do you keep telling this story?
And he said, you know, because I really believe that it’s important to share my story. What happened to me is important to share because it’s the only way that you can prevent it from happening again. So again it’s that whole idea of preventing – the importance of sharing stories, of talking and of listening. And I think Michael and I have both talked about this experience several times and I think it was really one of the most sort of touching moments that we’ve had but I’ll let you listen from Michael – Mr. Voltaggio’s words himself.
He’s my partner in crime and I think the most talented and certainly the most stylish chef and cohost in the whole world. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been sharing this opportunity with him. Michael?
Michael V: Can you guys hear me?
Mariana: Yes, I think they hear you. I think they can only talk when they press one.
Michael V: Am I supposed to press some number or something?
Mariana: No, I think everybody can hear you.
Michael Voltaggio
Michael V: Okay. Sorry. Don’t hold me accountable for the background noise. I’m standing on Las Vegas Boulevard right now and that’s a whole different conflict that I’ll tell you guys about another time.
Thanks Mariana for the introduction and everything like that. Mine is sort of simple. I’ve been a chef my whole life. I started cooking when I was 15 years old. I’m a chef in Los Angeles, California. I have been exposed to some food television and stuff like that in the past whether it be Top Chef, judging, doing projects at the food network and so forth, even some scripted things by accident that sort of fell in my lap.
But for the past few years I’ve been focusing my efforts on working on my restaurants, writing my cookbook and building by repertoire as a chef. And then when the opportunity came and I was pitched a lot of different projects over the past several years since Top Chef to do this project. I was intrigued by it because any time there’s the opportunity to travel, I like to jump on that because one famous chef once said that he didn’t start learning until he got outside of his kitchen and I think that this show for me has been a huge learning experience.
And then my contribution as a chef, you know, food is meant to bring people around the dinner table. Food is a conduit to get people together and so for me the opportunity to go and do that and get people together that normally wouldn’t sit down together at the table but then share a meal that I’ve prepared and using that meal to get them together for me was a huge opportunity, humbling experience.
And then the opportunity to take that dinner table and make it a global dinner table – have a global conversation – the same conversations that we have week after week, episode after episode, country after country, conflict after conflict – we’re hoping that these conversations will be much larger than the ones that are just happening at the dinner tables when Mariana and I are sitting together.
As far as traveling with Mariana – she’s not just a correspondent. She’s a person who has empathy and compassion and definitely something more than just a journalist for sure. She’s a great sous chef and she’s not afraid to get dirty and wash dishes either.
Mariana: Thank you Michael. I’m a terrible sous chef. (Karen) is there questions now?
Karen Davidson: I think if you guys – yes let’s open it up to questions and we’ll get things rolling.
Michael V: And Karen if we could direct the questions to the names like Mariana or Michael because I’m going to mute my phone because like I said, I am standing in front of the Venetian right now and there is tons of background noise so I’m going to mute my phone and then respond when you ask me to.
Karen Davidson: Sounds like a good plan.
Coordinator: Our first question coming from the line of Kathy. Ma’am, your line is open.
Kathy: This question is for Michael. How did you decide what dishes to make?
Michael V: When we first left for Israel I did a lot of research going into it and I realized that a lot of the research was a waste of my time because much like researching – I mean I researched both the conflict and the cuisine everywhere we went and I thought that that would help me prepare for where I was going and what I was going to do.
Once I got on the ground I realized that the conversations that I had with people, the meals that I had – because we actually film the show, the viewer’s seeing the show in the order that we’re basically filming it. So when we get on the ground, you know, it takes a few days to interview – for Mariana to get the guests together and so forth. And so while she’s doing that, we’re also tasting food.
And so I’ll taste food. I’ll try and buy a cookbook but my goal is to cook my version of the local cuisine pretty much on every episode and I’ve stuck pretty true to that because for me it’s about the learning experience of getting the cooking of food too. So I basically try and take in as much as I can and then basically produce my version of the local cuisine in each country.
Mariana: I’d like to just add to that to what Michael just said is that I don’t think people realize what an incredible thing Michael does in every single one of these shows. He gets to these countries with nothing but a bag of knives and he has, you know, just a few hours to cook several dishes – many, many dishes – a cuisine that he has never cooked before in a kitchen he’s never – sometimes there isn’t even a kitchen – with zero help. It’s not as if he has his staff with him or anything. It’s just him in the kitchen and me hovering over him trying to see if I can be of any help and really I’m more of a nuisance than I am of any help.
And it’s really incredible and every single place that he puts together these incredible meals and it’s not just one, two, three dishes. I mean we’re talking about 8, 9, 10, 12 dishes at a time that come out and people start eating the food and, you know, I’m sitting at the table before with the guests and everybody’s sort of tense and waiting and nobody’s really talking to each other because at the end, you know, these people don’t really like each other usually.
And suddenly Michael brings the food and as soon as people start trying the food, their reactions to the food are incredible. I mean just how good it is and then they say – they say Michael is – this is the best food that I’ve had. This is my favorite dish but this is the best one dish that I’ve had and please don’t tell my mother or don’t tell my wife I said this.
I think they called him the best – if he can become a housewife in all of these countries, right Michael. They said something about you becoming a housewife in all of these countries.
Michael V: Yes, I’ve got a couple of marriage proposals on the road and not from the ladies. I think I’d make a good housewife in a lot of these countries apparently because that’s what I’ve been told. But like Mariana said, you know, I challenge myself. I don’t just show up and go through the motions. My goal is to – I mean every single one of these meals is the most important meal I think I’ve cooked I my life and I approach it like that because for them it’s, you know, it’s one of the most important meals they’ve ever eaten in their life so for me I think I need to reciprocate that gesture.
Mariana: Yes.
Coordinator: Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Lori. Ma’am, your line is open.
Lori: Hi there. I have a lot of questions. I’m trying to decide which would be the most pertinent. Okay, alright I think the question would probably be for Mariana. What is it about sharing a meal that you feel will help mend fences and if I could just add to that – how many people are typically going to be at a table?
Mariana: The number varies. Usually we have between two and four guests – two, three or four guests. You know, as a journalist having traveled to conflict zones and then, you know, we set up the camera, we start the interview and we ask questions and then we shut down the camera and those opportunities when you get to actually go out with the person that you just interviewed which happens many times where you go out afterwards for a meal or just for a coffee or something.
When you sit down at the table and you start talking to the person that you just interviewed that, you know, it just happens every single time where it’s like I wish I could have gotten that on camera. I wish – this is exactly what I wanted to hear, you know. There’s just something about sharing food and sitting at a table that just allows for people to be much more open and to really bear it all – bear it all and with no reservations in a wonderful way.
And so when I got the call – when they sent me the pitch for this show, I was like yes. I mean such a simple and brilliant idea because it really is. It’s an amazing – amazing opportunity of hearing all of these stories – these personal stories of how these people are affected by these conflicts. And again the story – the show is not, you know, it’s not about conflict per say. It’s about the people in these conflicts and how the conflict has affected them personally and the opportunity to share their stories.
Lori: Okay, great. Thank you very much.
Mariana: Thank you.
Coordinator: Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Karita. Ma’am, your line is open.
Karita: Hi. I was curious as a journalist what’s the greatest challenge in having two sides of the conflict represented around the table without starting an altercation around the table itself?
Mariana: Well first of all it’s to be able to hear both sides because a lot of times they just want to talk over each other so that’s I think one of the biggest challenges. But also getting people to sort of be respectful. And I think everybody engages in the conversation. Usually all you need is one question and immediately people just want to share their story.
And really I think the importance of listening – I think that’s what lacks many times. You know, you can talk, talk, talk but if there’s nobody listening then what – there’s nothing’s going to change. So the fact that you can sit at the table with the other side and you’re sharing your story and you’re knowing that that person is there and they don’t have any other option but to listen is incredible.
And we’ve seen it every single time where after the dinner, you know, there have been, you know, we’ve had tears. We’ve had fights. We’ve had screaming and – not screaming but higher voice. And at the end there hasn’t been one single situation where at the end people haven’t either, you know, gone to each other and sort of hugged each other or given a handshake and come to us and told us how much they appreciated this and what a wonderful experience and how at least, you know, maybe it’s not going to solve – it’s obviously not going to bring world peace but it had an impact in their lives personally and we’ve heard this again and again.
Karita: I wonder if I can just get a follow-up. I was just curious is there a situation where – I know it’s a micro chasm of a very big conflict in every episode but is there one where you felt particularly hopeful that if people really did listen to each other, this could be solved?
Mariana: You know, I think both Michael and I – the first episode we shot was the one in for the Israel/Palestine conflict and it was the first meal that we did together, the first dinner that we had. It was – and we were, you know, we were excited about the show but we weren’t quite sure of what was going to happen.
And then when they sat down at the table and immediately again it was one of those where all we needed was one question and then immediately the debate started. But one – when it ended they all stood up and literally they went and hugged each other and they got emotional and so did I and Michael and we were both looking and we both got emotional and we said, you know, what an amazing, amazing opportunity that we have here. That’s I think when it really hit home to us that this was really, you know, this was – there was this – that it was an amazing concept and that it really did have an impact at least in these peoples’ lives.
I’m not saying that we’re going to bring about world peace but it did have an impact in these peoples’ lives and it certainly had an impact in our lives as well.
Michael V: But I think one of the biggest compliments that we’ve gotten and we were surprised probably the first time it happened and now it’s sort of consistently happened trip after trip is that, you know, somebody at the table would usually say if Michael, if you can come in and understand our cuisine and give it back to us in a way that we haven’t seen it before or Mariana, you can come in and inspire us to speak to each other then hopefully other people will be inspired to have bigger conversations.
And that like – like for a chef to hear somebody say that about food, like thank you for understanding us enough to be able to recreate a version of our food or thinking outside of the box with something that has been, you know, been done here year after year. It’s sort of, you know, a lot of the dishes are rooted in tradition.
And so to come in and put that on its head and bring it back to the table in a different way – I think Mariana’s doing that with the conversation as well. So it’s like we walk away from that like wow, you know, this – this is amazing.
Mariana: Yes and in that episode – the one in Israel and Palestine the (unintelligible) conflict, you know, we had at the table – I’m not sure if you guys have seen that episode but we had at the table – it was this Palestinian who had never been to a settlement, an Israeli who was against settlements and two settlers. And the Palestinian and the Israeli who was against settlements who has an organization basically – they were both – one of the requirements is that they didn’t want any food – to have any food or wine that came from any of the settlements.
And on the Israeli side – the Israeli settlers – they had never actually – even though they lived right next to Palestinians, they had never actually had dinner or sat down at a table with Palestinians. So that in itself – I mean the opportunity to make this happen was incredible in itself.
Karita: Thank you so much.
Mariana: Thank you.
Coordinator: Thank you. Alright, we have the next <follow up> question coming from the line of Kathy. Ma’am, your line is open.
Kathy: Hi. This question is directed I guess at Mariana. Do you have any stories of what maybe happened after the cameras stopped rolling? These meetings happening at all is groundbreaking but I was wondering if any bonds were formed that continued after the show.
Mariana: I would say that again, you know, we don’t usually – as (Michael) said – that show was filmed as it airs so the day after the meals we usually leave. But I would say that just witnessing what happens after every single meal where people stand up and, you know, go to each other and either, you know, give a hug or a handshake and one of the most important things for us and things with this show I think with all of these dinner conversations and especially, you know, as a moderator that I try to make happen every time but it actually usually just happens naturally is that you hear people’s stories.
You hear how they have these different opinions and how the conflict has affected them each in different ways.
And then the main goal is to find some common ground, you know, to find that there’s – and we – it happens every time where people find, you know, there’s much more that unites us than that separates us. And so that – you see this how it evolves at the dinner table and at the end there’s again this idea of we all have so much in common and we have so much that we can work together on. And just sitting down at the table and being able to do this has been such an accomplishment that it usually ends on a very high note.
And then people just stand up and go and when the camera is shut off they go and they hug each other and they start talking to each other and they exchange email addresses and telephone numbers and they always say let’s stay in touch. It was so incredible to meet you and I really want you to, you know, keep the conversation going and this has happened I think in every single country we’ve been.
Michael V: But I definitely think in Northern Ireland we felt a little bit more of that because there was this comradery in the sense that, you know, they were both still from different sides – Catholics, Protestants (unintelligible) nationalists – however you want to call the whole thing – and they were basically saying that they do communicate with each other on a regular basis because they find that it’s important to remind the next generation of what happened so that they can prevent it from happening again. So their efforts together are now focused on education and not on conflict with each other.
Coordinator: Thank you. Now our next question coming from the line of Deborah. Ma’am, your line is open.
Deborah: Thank you. This question is for Michael. First of all I want to say that I did see the first episode and I was so impressed with the respect and reverence that you showed as you worked your way through these holy areas for so many different religions and getting to know the people and the places and all of that leading up to the meal was very intense and I found it very impressive.
The question that I had Michael was in that episode because the adversaries live in the same region, etcetera and many of the same foods and ingredients are there, you know, you had some commonality of ingredients. Have you been to a place where you had very different food likes and ingredients and requirements that were particularly challenging?
Michael V: Yes. I could say one of our most recent trips we went to Cambodia and I’m actually afraid of spiders and we had the opportunity to eat tarantula in the street and then as we continued our walk we found that things like beetles, snakes, rat was offered.
And so I felt compelled because like I do in every episode to use the local ingredients and some of the local techniques. I needed to taste and experience and understand these ingredients so that I could ultimately cook a few of them in which one special guest at the table – I won’t say that it was the guest that we find when we’re on these trips but I can say that she might be on this call – may or may not have had another person on this call prepare her a plate full of those special ingredients garnished with a sprinkling of ants.
Mariana: So he served – he brought these amazing looking meat dishes to everybody else and to me he brought it on a special plate and he uncovered it and there it was – a snake, a rat covered by ants and that was my dinner.
Deborah: So are the two of you going to sit down with a special meal now to bridge that gap?
Mariana: Well let’s just say that sometimes I organize for payback (unintelligible).
Deborah: Thank you so much.
Mariana: Thank you.
Michael V: Thank you.
Coordinator: Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Karita again. Ma’am, your line is open.
Karita: I watched the Egypt episode as well and can you talk a little about those moments where your connection is about to get arrested on a couple of locations? I mean there’s got to be a moment where you think this is the worst idea for a TV show ever.
Mariana: I don’t think our connection was about to get arrested. He obviously didn’t feel comfortable because of what happened to us too where we were speaking out as soon as we got the camera out as soon as we landed in (unintelligible) Square where we were sort of detained and our passports were taken.
Obviously, you know, the situation is very tense and was very tense in Egypt when we were filming so he didn’t feel incredibly comfortable speaking out only because he thought, you know, that we would get our passports arrested, they would start asking him lots of questions just like they did our guide when we were there every time we were detained. So he felt more comfortable filming that interview inside our van – inside a moving van.
But he felt comfortable enough and obviously our priority number one is the safety of our guests obviously and so he felt comfortable and we asked him on several occasions and he felt very comfortable coming to the dinner and expressing his views.
So we did have the dinner and we were nervous at moments that the, you know, that the police – the authorities could show up. But, you know, again the safety of our guests is the most important thing on every one of these trips and we wouldn’t do it if we thought that there was – that they were risking – that there was a real risk there.
Karita: Michael, how did you feel when they took your passport in that moment?
Michael V: Well my first reaction was, you know, in Egypt they – the police or the special police or whatever they were, you know, they walk up. There’s no uniform. There’s just a guy with a Walkie-Talkie and a huge gun on his side and so they’re like give me your passport.
And I’m thinking to myself if I was in LA and somebody walked up to me in plain clothes with a gun on their side and said that to me like what would I think. Well I’d probably give it to him because he has a gun but I just, you know, I immediately handed it over sort of out of fear and then asked Mariana like how do I know if these guys are even police or soldiers or whatever. And she’s like, you know, you just have to trust that they are and give them your passport, you know, and it’s going to be okay.
And so that was the first time that I thought, you know, this – not that this is dangerous but, you know, you definitely have to be on alert everywhere you go because you don’t know and, you know, I was impressed with Mariana’s calmness because she’s, you know, reacting to it as if this is normal and I’m sitting here thinking to myself this is one of the craziest things that’s ever happened to me.
Like I’m texting my family back home my passport’s just been taken and, you know, my parents are responding with should we reach out to Obama? Like what should we do, you know? And it was like it wasn’t as serious as it felt to me at the moment but certainly that’s the first time in my life that something like that has happened.
Coordinator: Alright speakers, at this time there are no further questions. Thank you.
Woman: Thank you. Thank you all.
Woman: Yes, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone as well. As you heard already, this call will be recorded – is recorded – so there’ll be a transcript available for direct quotes and if you have any other requests – digital, photography, video clips – you can reach out to myself or our friends at Ferencomm and thank you so much for joining this call and thank you Michael and Mariana.
Michael V: Thank you. Thanks everyone.
Mariana: Thank you so much. Bye.
Woman: Bye, bye.
Coordinator: Thank you and that concludes today’s conference. Thank you for participating.
END
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Tune in to the premiere of Breaking Borders, Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 9/8c on Travel Channel.
For more on the show, visit http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/whats-new-on-travel-channel/articles/breaking-borders
Follow Michael on Twitter @mvoltaggio
Follow Mariana on Twitter @MarianaVZ
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Judy Manning
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