Aug 22, 2025
The National Writers Series and Traverse City Food & Wine are thrilled to welcome Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski to the City Opera House for an evening about food, connection, and the joy of cooking. A self-taught cook, he will take the stage with writer and podcast host Matt Rodbard, to talk about his unique path to culinary stardom, gastronomic creations, and his work in the realm of animal welfare.
The evening will feature live music, a cash bar, and the opportunity to meet Antoni, the New York Times bestselling author of Let's Do Dinner and Antoni in the Kitchen, which show cooks of all levels how to become more confident in the kitchen using his simple, yet special recipes.
Antoni is a producer and star of Netflix’s hit series Queer Eye, where his warmth and kitchen savvy have made him a fan favorite that has garnered six consecutive Emmy awards. He now hosts National Geographic’s No Taste Like Home, and is host and executive producer of Netflix’s Easy-Bake Battle.
He is now developing a Netflix feature film with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, loosely based on Antoni’s own real-life dating experiences as a sexually fluid man.
Born in Canada to European immigrants, Porowski is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, especially in his family’s native Poland.
Matt Rodbard is a writer, editor, and author of food and culture books with more than two decades of experience working in television, magazines, book publishing, and online media. He’s the author of New York Times Bestseller Koreaworld: A Cookbook, Koreatown: A Cookbook and Food IQ, and winner of a 2023 IACP Cookbook Award (Food Issues & Matters), and the Founding Editor of online food and culture magazine TASTE, winner of two James Beard Foundation Awards.
Please join us for an unforgettable night with one of television’s most beloved food and lifestyle personalities.
*Accessibility Information: https://www.cityoperahouse.org/events/accessibilit... For those needing accessible seats, please call 231.947.1120.
**Parking: The City Opera House is located in downtown Traverse City. Downtown surface parking lots B and T are nearby.
*** Event proceeds help support Raising Writers, a literacy program that seeks to instill in students the joy of reading and writing.
NOTE: TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD OR MANAGED BY THE CITY OPERA HOUSE.