Feel-Good Cooking returns this season with something more powerful than a new recipe—it returns with a new cross-campus partnership. For the first time, the series brought together the creative energy of Klein College of Media and Communication and the public health expertise of the Barnett College of Public Health, blending storytelling and science in a way that feels uniquely Temple. This episode will premiere on January 14, 2026 at noon and 8pm.
The episode opens with host Anthony Oliver introducing a fresh mission for the show: taking Philadelphia’s most beloved comfort foods and showing viewers how they can be reimagined as healthier, accessible meals. That idea immediately comes to life when Temple students from across campus begin sharing their favorite Philly staples. Cheesesteaks, pretzels, Chinatown dishes, Reading Terminal classics, neighborhood pizzas—each answer became a small love letter to the city’s food culture and a reminder of just how much identity, nostalgia, and pride food can carry.
But it was the partnership with the Barnett College of Public Health that elevated this episode into something more than a cooking show. Anthony’s guide for the day, Milton James, is a graduate student in the College’s nutrition program, and together the two venture into unfamiliar territory: creating a healthier cheesesteak. Their collaboration feels natural and full of curiosity—Anthony bringing culinary enthusiasm and storytelling, Milton offering grounded, research-backed insights into healthier ingredient choices. Lean flank steak replaces fattier cuts, vegetables take on a more substantial role, and mozzarella steps in as a low-sodium cheese option. Even the choice of avocado oil becomes part of the story, a small but meaningful step toward heart-healthy cooking.
Before they start prepping ingredients, though, the episode takes an important detour—one that showcases one of Temple’s most innovative new learning environments. Student ambassador Paris Ford leads viewers on a tour of the Aramark Community Teaching Kitchen, located in the newly opened Barnett College of Public Health building. The space is expansive, modern, and intentionally designed for hands-on nutrition education. Six cook stations, a flexible lecture area, industrial equipment, demonstration cameras, and gleaming appliances fill the kitchen, creating a space where food becomes a bridge between public health, science, and community engagement. Feel-Good Cooking is one of the first TUTV programs to use it, marking a new chapter in how Temple brings its academic strengths directly to students and viewers.
Back in the kitchen, Anthony and Milton begin chopping, sautéing, and assembling their cheesesteak. Their conversation naturally drifts from cooking techniques to personal stories—Milton’s passion for nutrition, his background in athletics, and the ways food has shaped his understanding of health. The more they talk, the more the show becomes a reflection of Temple itself: students from different backgrounds, studying different fields, finding shared purpose through discovery and creativity.
The cheesesteak they create looks familiar, but it represents something new—a bridge between enjoyment and well-being, indulgence and intention. Even their dessert, a quick mug cake made with healthier ingredient swaps, reinforces the message that food doesn’t need to be perfect to be satisfying. It simply needs to be understood.
As the episode closes, Anthony thanks Milton and the Barnett College of Public Health for sharing their expertise and their kitchen. What began as a cooking lesson ultimately becomes a celebration of what Temple does best—bringing students together across disciplines to learn, create, experiment, and serve their community.
This season of Feel-Good Cooking doesn’t just highlight healthy recipes. It highlights what happens when audiences benefit from the combined strengths of two colleges committed to education, wellness, and storytelling. The collaboration between Klein and Barnett is more than a one-episode feature—it’s a model for experiential learning that nourishes students and viewers alike.
