Dinner Last Night (with Emma & Dimity)
We’re Emma & Dimity—identical twins, mamas, and co-hosts of Dinner Last Night.
When we became parents, figuring out what to make for dinner—and how to get our families to eat it—was hard. One minute, we were serving up a home-cooked meal; the next, we were in high-stakes negotiations over one bite of broccoli.
Between finding time to shop and cook, dodging tantrums, balancing nutrition, and honoring traditions, we often felt like we were facing the daily dinner struggle alone.
So we started asking other parents, “what did you have for dinner last night?” We quickly learned we’re all connected by this daily ritual—but also discovered a world of game-changing mealtime tricks and recipes.
That’s why we started Dinner Last Night, a podcast where we swap unfiltered stories with parents around the world, diving into how culture, family dynamics, and daily rhythms shape mealtime.
Whether it’s pasta from scratch or cereal in a pinch, every meal has a story—one that proves we’re all in this delicious mess together.
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A bit about your co-hosts:
Dimity Palmer-Smith is a co-host of Dinner Last Night, a hobby fitness instructor (her secret accountability hack), and a career educator and nonprofit leader. With a knack for fostering connection and community, Dimity understands the magic of shared meals and the delightful chaos of family dinners. She swore she wouldn’t be a short-order cook, but here she is, whipping up gourmet meals tailored to each kid’s whims! When she’s not discussing dinner with parents worldwide, you’ll find her on the soccer field, at the climbing gym, advocating for local education issues, or exploring nature.
Emma Frisch Emma Frisch is a co-host of Dinner Last Night, a chef, culinary instructor, and writer known for helping people fall back in love with home cooking through simple, seasonal recipes. She’s the author of Feast by Firelight and Seasonal Family Almanac, and co-founded two hospitality ventures—La Buena Onda in Nicaragua and Firelight Camps in Upstate New York—before she had kids and dinner got complicated. A Food Network Star finalist and Fulbright Scholar, Emma’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Epicurious, and more. She lives in the Finger Lakes with her husband and two daughters.
Dinner Last Night (with Emma & Dimity)
Liesha McKinley-Barnett: Food Justice, Honoring our Roots, and Health at Every Size
From Navy chef to farmer, food justice educator and advocate, TEDx speaker, and health-at-every-size nutritionist, Liesha McKinley brings a powerful, multifaceted lens to how we feed our families and ourselves. In this episode, she talks with Emma and Dimity about raising kids with autonomy in the kitchen, navigating “picky” eating with empathy, and the deep impact of food access—especially in communities affected by food apartheid.
Liesha shares stories from the garden, classroom, and her own experience raising and feeding her children, reminding us that food can be a joyful tool for connection, healing, and justice. We cover her work with programs like The Edible Schoolyard Project, after-school snacks, growing your own food, and why “yucky” isn’t a fair word at the table. You’ll walk away inspired to rethink how food connects us all.
Learn more about Liesha:
- TikTok: @ChefLiesha
- Instagram: @theoaklandgirl
- Substack: The Oakland Girl
Listen + Subscribe:
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Credits
- Produced: Dinner Last Night & REP Studio
- Edited: REP Studio
- Music by: Emerson ‘Longstory’ Bartlett, lyricist/songwriter/philosophizer
- Saxophone: Drew Martin