Actor
Phil Rosenthal’s Kids Follow His Footsteps With a Love of Food
Phil Rosenthal, the creator of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, has gained recent fame for his food and travel documentaries I’ll Have…
Phil Rosenthal, the creator of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, has gained recent fame for his food and travel documentaries I’ll Have What Phil’s Having and Somebody Feed Phil.
He has a loving marriage with his wife, Monica Horan, and they have two children. While Rosenthal has given fans a glimpse into his personal life through his shows, little is known about his children as he keeps details private.
This article will explore what is known about his children and how they follow in their famous father’s footsteps while enjoying cuisine worldwide.
Meet Phil Rosenthal’s two children
Rosenthal likes to keep his family life private, but a few details about his son Ben and daughter Lily are unknown. Ben’s exact birth year is unclear, but because he celebrates his birthday every August 1st, he is likely the older sibling.
His sister Lily was born on August 3rd, 1997, making her 26 years old as of August 2023. While Rosenthal doesn’t share many specifics, he has said that his kids have inherited his passion for food and travel.
Phil Rosenthal’s two children, Ben and Lily Rosenthal (Source: Instagram)
Lily, in particular, seems to share her father’s adventurous spirit when trying new dishes. When she was younger, Rosenthal brought back smelly durian fruit for her to taste. According to him, she loved Southeast Asian fruit and acquired taste.
As they’ve grown older, Rosenthal’s son Ben and daughter Lily have gotten to experience some of their dad’s culinary adventures firsthand. While Rosenthal likes to give his kids a normal, private upbringing, it’s clear his passion for food and travel has rubbed off on the next generation.
Phil Rosenthal’s son is a food entrepreneur and actor
Rosenthal once proudly posted about his son Ben on social media, praising him as an entrepreneur for his new cookie company, Zaza’s. This specialty business, which Ben co-founded in 2021, aims to provide high-quality, gourmet cannabis-infused cookies.
The concept for Zaza’s was born out of Ben’s dual interests in culinary arts and cannabis. He joined with partners Gabe and Otis to create a bake-at-home cookie mix that delivers potent yet flavorful edibles without a weed taste or smell.
They use cutting-edge nanotechnology to maximize the bioavailability and potency of the THC in their products. As outlined on Zaza’s website, Ben leverages his background in the culinary world to develop edibles that are as delicious as they are effective.
He felt unsatisfied with the quality and taste of other cannabis edibles on the market, so he launched his own company to show they can be both gourmet and potent.
Phil Rosenthal’s daughter credits him for her love of food
Lily is an accomplished actor, writer, and producer. Still, her passion for food and travel can be directly attributed to her famous father. As the creator and host of food and travel documentaries, her dad instilled a genuine excitement for cuisine in her from a very young age.
One of Rosenthal’s rules for his kids growing up was to try at least any food they were served, no matter how unfamiliar. This gave Lily an adventurous palette and openness to dishes from around the globe, shaping her into a food lover like her dad.
She credits him for exposing her to various flavors and cultures through their travels. As an adult, Lily has translated her love of food into creative pursuits and projects to support local restaurants.
Phil Rosenthal with his daughter Lily Rosenthal (Source: Instagram)
In 2021, for example, when Asian hate crimes were spiking across America, Lily partnered with a friend to create a Jewish-Chinese fusion chicken sandwich.
Its success inspired her nonprofit “Liv A Lil,” which facilitates colorful cross-cultural culinary collaborations between LA eateries. All proceeds from Liv A Lil events go to charities chosen by the participating chefs.
Lily has made her mark on LA’s dining scene through acting, influencing, and producing food-focused content. But she openly credits her father and the family’s travel adventures for instilling that initial intrigue and love for dishes from around the world.
Phil and Lily Rosenthal published a book together
The famous father-daughter duo of Netflix personality Rosenthal and his daughter Lily have teamed up to write a hilarious children’s book based on their real-life experiences called “Just Try It.”
The book, published in February 2024 by Simon & Schuster, is aimed at picky eaters and illustrated by acclaimed artist Luke Flowers.
The story follows food-loving Phil, modeled after Rosenthal himself, as he tries to get his reluctant daughter Lil, inspired by Lily, to expand her very narrow palate during a visit to a food truck festival.
Despite Phil’s pleas, Lil refuses to venture beyond her safe foods of plain pasta and bread. But a lucky mustard mishap ultimately changes everything.
Phil and Lily map out the perennial conflict between adventurous and picky eaters through this charming plot.
They draw from their father-daughter dynamic, as Phil has made a name for himself, globe-trotting and tasting local cuisines. At the same time, Lily was considerably more selective during her early years.
The Rosenthals indicate they wrote the book to help families everywhere cope with and gently expand the horizons of picky eaters. They hope Lil’s ultimate willingness to try something new will inspire more kids to find joy in culinary adventure.
Both Phil Rosenthal kids appear in ‘Somebody Feed Phil’
Rosenthal’s love of food and travel is a family affair. His popular Netflix show Somebody Feed Philoffers viewers a glimpse into his culinary adventures across the globe.
Joining him on some of these food-filled escapes are his two grown children, Ben and Lily. In the Nashville episode of the latest season, Lily accompanies her dad to sample the city’s hot chicken joints, barbecue restaurants, and other Music City staples.
During the outings, Rosenthal affectionately jokes with his daughter about the far cry these meals are from the bland buttered noodles she preferred as a picky eater kid.
Lily also assists her dad in connecting with charitable initiatives in the places he visits on the show. For example, she joins him in serving food at a local community kitchen.
Lily has followed her famous father’s footsteps into food philanthropy with her pop-up dining events that donate proceeds to charity.
While less screen time has been awarded to son Ben, he also makes cameo appearances with his dear old dad. Ben is yet another member of the Rosenthal crew who shares that distinct family passion for cuisine.