Aberdeen born and bred foodie Julia Bryce is teaming up with Somebody Feed Phil star for the second time this weekend.
The duo appeared together during season seven of Phil Rosenthal’s show, Julia showing off her expansive foodie knowledge in the Scotland episode.
Now, she’s joining him for an event in Glasgow, interviewing the star on stage at the O2 Academy this weekend.
Julia, who grew up in Bridge of Don, also plans to bring Phil a selection of “good old Aberdeen rowies”.
The show will begin with Julia’s Q&A with Phil, before the audience have a turn to ask their own questions.
The food and drink journalist and content creator says: “I’ve got a couple of products I plan to bring, and hopefully he might be able to try these on stage.
“Some whisky, Irn-Bru and I’m doing a buttery run.
“I don’t think he’s ever tried one before!
“I’m just hoping the O2 Academy has a toaster…”
From Bridge of Don to Netflix: Julia’s ‘surreal’ TV appearance
Julia filmed for the Somebody Feed Phil episode back in summer of 2023, and it aired in March 2024.
And at first, she wasn’t planned to make an appearance on the Netflix show.
She explains: “Long story short, his production team reached out to ask if I could help them confirm if the locations they were considering would fit the show nicely.
“I was more than happy to help with that.
“And it wasn’t until the second call that they said: ‘we think you would be great on the show, would you be up for coming down to film?’
“I was like ‘hell yes!’.
“I have watched every episode of this show probably three times over – I am obsessed with it.
“Phil is just like sunshine in a person.”
Being asked, she says, was “really surreal”.
“I just felt so grateful. After the call, I just remember crying,” says Julia.
“It’s not just a Netflix show – people tell me it got them through the pandemic, or difficult times during their lives.”
In the episode, Julia appeared alongside Malaysian Scottish restauranteur and author Julie Lin at popular Glasgow restaurant Ga Ga.
“It was like lights, camera, action and let’s roll once Phil arrived,” says Julia.
“So that first interaction of Phil and I meeting on camera is us meeting in real life.
“It was wild.
“I’m quite a people person, so it was like meeting a friend for dinner.
“It was so relaxed, I kind of forgot that I was speaking to a Hollywood star.”
How did Julia end up on Netflix?
After filming, Julia wasn’t sure if she would appear in the episode.
“We had no idea if we were going to make the cut until it actually aired on Netflix,” she admits.
“It was to safeguard the integrity of the show to make sure that it was a surprise for everyone.
“It was really hush hush, and that’s the magic of it, the anticipation of who is going to be featured.”
Julia is well known for her Instagram page with nearly 20,000 followers, and has recently started working as a presenter on radio station Original 106.
“My network is so vast,” she says, “and I am so grateful to know so many talented people.
“It was all about that community that I’ve built online and in person.
“It was a culmination of a decade of hard graft, of networking with the right people and just being in the right place at the right time.
“Being on the show is one of the most insane, epic things I’ve done in my life.
“And I’m so grateful to Phil and his team for involving me again.”
Her Instagram page started off as a personal page, before becoming the North East foodie hub it is today.
“That community has changed my life in ways that I will never be able to repay them,” she adds.
“You are tied nostalgically and emotionally to food – it serves every sense possible.
“It’s at the heart of everything. Your grandma passes away, you’re making her Scottish tablet recipe.
“Your friend is ill, you batch cook for them.
“It ties us all together.”
An Evening with Phil Rosenthal takes place at the O2 Academy Glasgow this Saturday from 6.30pm.
Conversation