I love a good second conversation, especially when there is SO much more to somebody's story than we had time for the first time around. Phil Meyer came back to The Studio at The Beacon in Manchester, New Hampshire, and we got right back into food, people, and the kind of connections that happen when someone asks where to get a great meal.

You may know Phil as the Farm Boy Foodie or the man behind New Hampshire Eats. But wait until you hear how an Iowa dairy farm, the Air Force, and a love of food all fit together. We even got into a donkey pulling a cart full of watermelons. I am serious!

What I really appreciate about talking with Phil is that he understands how powerful a simple food recommendation can be. It can introduce you to a restaurant, sure. It can also help somebody feel welcome, introduce neighbors, and bring attention to a local business that deserves it.

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Phil Meyer did not begin his story as a New Hampshire restaurant personality. He grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa. He tells Carol Erickson about the experiences that shaped his early years and about joining the United States Air Force at eighteen. The military chapter is part of the path that eventually led him to the New England food scene, the community conversations, and the work that people now associate with the Farm Boy Foodie.

That background is what makes his story particularly interesting for readers searching for Phil Meyer, Farm Boy Foodie, New Hampshire Eats, or food community leadership in New Hampshire. His public-facing work centers on restaurants and food, but his perspective started well before Facebook groups and recommendations. A dairy farm teaches you that food comes from real people, real work, and real places. His discussion connects those roots to the businesses and diners people talk about today.

One of the most unexpected parts of the interview is a story from his travels involving a donkey, a wooden cart, and an enormous load of watermelons. The moment is funny, a little surreal, and a reminder that food stories do not have to begin in a restaurant. Sometimes a story about food is really a story about the people you meet and the places you have been.

Phil's return to Beyond the Plate is also an actual redo of an earlier conversation. Returning guests can share things that never made it into the first conversation, and Carol has room to ask what happened next. It is a fresh look at the person who helps make discussions about where to eat in New Hampshire part of people's everyday lives.

If you live in New Hampshire and love finding restaurants, you may already know New Hampshire Eats. The Facebook food community is a place where people exchange dining recommendations, ask questions about restaurants, and compare favorites from around the state. The appeal is not just discovering a new breakfast place, barbecue stop, or neighborhood restaurant. It is the possibility of asking a question and getting an answer from somebody who cares about the same thing.

Phil and Carol revisit the rule that helps shape the group: no negativity. That approach is especially noteworthy in a social media environment where restaurant discussions can turn combative in a hurry. Rather than using the community to pile on a business or fight over whether somebody else's favorite is wrong, the focus is on helping people find food they might enjoy. The episode considers what that choice means for members, moderators, restaurant owners, and people who simply want a useful suggestion.

And here is a point that matters to anyone searching for the best restaurants in New Hampshire: there is no single universal best meal. The most helpful recommendation depends on your preferences. Somebody looking for smoky brisket, another person looking for a quick lunch, and somebody who wants a special night out may need completely different answers. The smartest question is not always 'What's the best restaurant?' It is 'What do you like?'

For restaurant owners, chefs, food trucks, and independent small businesses, those conversations can matter. Being mentioned in an active local food group may help someone who has never visited discover a new place. Phil's point of view keeps the conversation focused on the food and the people rather than a contest to tear somebody down. That is why this part of the interview works for both local food lovers and the hospitality businesses they support.

New Hampshire Eats is the best-known name in this particular story, but the discussion extends beyond a single New Hampshire Facebook group. Phil talks about New England Eats and related regional food communities, including Vermont Eats, Rhode Island Eats, Maine Eats, and Connecticut Eats. These names are useful for readers looking for food recommendation groups across the region and for the people who help those communities thrive.

The interview touches on the relationships behind these communities, including conversations about Rhode Island Eats and Fuego Foodies. It also reflects a larger idea: New England diners do not stop loving good food when they cross a state line. A person who follows New Hampshire restaurants may also want places to eat in Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, or Massachusetts. That is part of why regional food networks are interesting. They connect a local recommendation with a wider landscape of destinations, creators, chefs, and small businesses.

Phil's follow-up Facebook comment also highlights New England Eats and Petros The Super Greek, Merrimack Valley Eats with Lauren Smith and Gerald Schiavoni, Rhode Island Eats with Fuego.Foodies, Vermont Eats with Julie Haslam, and Monadnock Eats. Those are additional people and pages he suggested tagging around the episode, not a claim that every one received a full discussion in this interview. They provide a useful starting point for people who want to explore the New England food community beyond New Hampshire Eats.

In other words, the conversation is about more than the growth of a group. It is about what happens when people are excited to recommend a place they love and help someone else find a memorable meal. The platform may be Facebook, but the connection is personal.

Of course, this is Beyond the Plate with Carol. We were not going to spend the entire visit talking about community without getting into what everybody wants to know: the food! Early in the episode, Carol and Phil sit down for a chai latte taste test featuring Williamson and Sun and another local chai stop, Mocha Pot. It is a wonderfully down-to-earth way to start a bigger conversation. People have different expectations for spice, sweetness, tea flavor, and balance, and a comparison can lead to a fun discussion without requiring everybody to pick the same favorite.

Later, Carol asks Phil for his top three barbecue joints in New Hampshire. Now THAT is a question guaranteed to get local food lovers talking. His picks lead into an enthusiastic discussion about New Hampshire barbecue restaurants, ribs, brisket, smoke, flavor, and why a particular place makes someone's personal list. Rather than treating any ranking as a definitive statewide award, the episode lets Phil explain what he likes.

If you came here looking for New Hampshire barbecue recommendations, the episode is worth watching for the complete discussion and the actual names behind Phil's personal favorites. Different cuts and styles matter, and he has reasons for his choices. Someone who wants competition-style barbecue may judge a place differently from someone seeking a particular sauce or a certain kind of rib. That is exactly why food recommendations work best when people describe what they enjoy.

The combination is part of what makes this conversation fun: chai lattes, barbecue, local restaurant talk, and a running connection to Phil's experiences. A listener may come for a New Hampshire Eats recommendation, but they leave with a much bigger picture of the person behind it.

Phil Meyer also serves as volunteer CEO of Nourish New England, a nonprofit that brings another layer to his work with food and community. Nourish New England is important to his story because it connects an enthusiasm for food with questions about helping people and bringing communities together. In this episode, he and Carol touch on the organization without trying to turn the entire visit into a full Nourish New England interview.

That was a deliberate choice. Carol and Phil discuss the idea of bringing the Nourish New England group back for its own dedicated conversation. Keeping this section as a preview means the New Hampshire Eats interview stays focused while giving viewers a reason to follow the next chapter. If you are searching for Phil Meyer, Nourish New England, New Hampshire food community projects, or conversations about food and giving back in New England, this is a useful introduction to the people and themes.

The episode also includes a mention of the New Hampshire World Christmas Market. Phil's follow-up comment highlights the NH World Christmas Market as one of the topics to help audiences discover. Because dates and event details may change, check the event's own current information before planning a visit. What matters here is how these projects and gatherings fit into a broader network of people who care about food, local experiences, and community connections.

Carol's podcast has always been about more than what's on the menu. This conversation makes that clear. Restaurants, nonprofit work, markets, and social groups all depend on relationships. When those relationships are handled with genuine interest and respect, good things can happen well beyond a single meal.

If you've ever asked the New Hampshire Eats Facebook group where to grab dinner, discovered a small restaurant through a recommendation, or wondered how someone turns a love of food into community work, I think you'll get something out of this one. Watch Phil Meyer return to Beyond the Plate with Carol for the whole conversation, including his Iowa and Air Force background, the donkey and watermelon story, the chai latte taste test, and his New Hampshire barbecue picks.

And now I want to hear from you: what is one New Hampshire restaurant you think more people should know about? Tell us in the comments, share the episode with somebody who loves New England food, and keep those great local recommendations coming!

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This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant.
Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years.
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ABOUT CAROL ERICKSON

Carol Erickson has owned Red Arrow Diner since 1987 -- four locations across New Hampshire, open 24/7. She started Beyond the Plate to tell the real stories behind the people who make New England's food and hospitality scene what it is. Not just what's on the menu. What's behind it.

Red Arrow Diner: redarrowdiner.com  |  @redarrow24diner