An Evening with Phil Rosenthal

🎟️ Event Review:

📍 Quick Facts
• Event Type: Live storytelling/comedy event
• Location: Jack Singer Concert Hall, Werklund Centre, 205 8 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0K9
• Duration: Approximately 2 hours
• Ticket Info: Tickets required

If you’re a fan of Somebody Feed Phil or, to take it back even further, Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal is a bit of a household name. When we heard he was coming to Calgary, we knew it was a must-attend event for foodies like ourselves.

For years, we had drooled over every episode of Phil’s travel show, Somebody Feed Phil, a heartwarming Netflix travel docuseries hosted by Phil Rosenthal, the creator of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. In each episode, Phil travels to different cities around the globe to explore their culinary cultures, local traditions and unique history.

Rather than acting as an expert food critic, Phil approaches every destination with a childlike sense of wonder, an infectious sense of humour and an open mind. He tries everything from high-end Michelin-starred restaurants to humble street food stalls, focusing heavily on the universal joy of sharing a meal and the connections made across different cultures.

Beyond the food, the show is anchored by Phil’s expressive reactions, his genuine warmth toward the people he meets, and regular video calls to his family, making it as much about human connection and optimism as it is about gastronomy.

We ate out before the show, and I have to admit, I kept looking around as we wandered through downtown Calgary, convinced we were going to spot Phil out in the wild. After all, if anyone was going to be wandering around looking for a good meal, surely it would be Phil.

Parking was easy, and the Jack Singer Concert Hall was a lovely venue for an evening like this. The one drawback was the seating, with the chairs packed quite closely together. At 5’8″, I found the legroom uncomfortable, while Geoff, who is over six feet tall, was almost hurting by the end of the show. It didn’t take away from the overall experience, but it was something we definitely noticed by the time the evening wrapped up.

Phil Rosenthal’s appearance at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on September 4, 2025, was a warm, funny, and deeply comforting evening that felt like sitting down with an old friend.

Phil is an exceptional storyteller who uses food and travel as a lens to talk about human connection and kindness. He was interviewed and hosted on stage by Buzz Bishop, morning show host on XL 103 Calgary, and brought the exact same gentle, self-deprecating humour and infectious joy to the stage that fans love in Somebody Feed Phil. He shared hilarious and heartfelt anecdotes about creating Everybody Loves Raymond and travelling the world for his food show.

The second half opened up to the audience, turning the auditorium into a lively, loving conversation between Phil and the Calgary crowd. The energy inside the packed venue was electric yet cozy.

It was an uplifting, laugh-out-loud night that reinforced all the reasons why we love watching Phil Rosenthal on TV. We never did spot him out in the wild, but after spending an evening with him at the Jack Singer, it felt a little like we had a close encounter of the ‘Phil’ kind.

📊 Scorecard

• Organization and Flow: 4.5/5
• Engagement & Content: 5/5
• Location & Venue Comfort: 3.5/5
• Value for Money: 4.5/5
• ⭐ Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars