Quinta Brunson and William Stanford Davis talk scrapple and hoagies on ‘The Pizza Interview’
“Basically I’m saying Philadelphia is ahead of the curve,” Brunson said on the latest episode of The New York Times’ “The Pizza Interview” series.
Standing side-by-side in a studio kitchen, Quinta Brunson and and William Stanford Davis point out the various bowls of ingredients in front of them.
“Everyone eats scrapple, right?” Brunson asked. “No? I didn’t realize scrapple wasn’t universal. But it is quite literally the scraps of the animal.”
Holding up packaged scrapple, she exclaims, “look how beautiful it is.”
“Pork skins. Pork something else. It’s got a lot of pork, pork liver, pork hearts,” Davis said, reading the package.
“Oh God,” Brunson responds. “It’s got five grams of protein.”
On the latest episode of The New York Times’ “The Pizza Interview” series, Abbott Elementary stars Brunson (who plays Janine Teagues) and Davis (Mr. Johnson) learn to make pizzas while answering questions.
A clip posted on the publication’s Instagram account shares the interaction between the two co-stars.
In the full video posted on YouTube, fans learn that West Philadelphia native Brunson worked as a hostess at Friendly’s. “They didn’t let me serve,” Brunson said. “But look at me now, serving every day.”
Later, the producers ask what food the two would show each other when in their hometowns. As a St. Louis native, Davis said barbecue first then they would hit up the city’s robust Chinese restaurant scene. “In fact, the ones in Philly remind me of that,” he told Brunson.
“Philly has great Chinese food,” Brunson added. “It’s one of the first things I get when I touch down in Philly.”
But Brunson said she would take Davis to a hoagie spot first — and not somewhere fancy. “I really like holes in the wall ... just a corner store. I had one two days ago. Oh, I’m still thinking about it.”
Brunson’s order? Turkey, cheese, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, mayo, lettuce, and pickles.
“America’s on this protein craze, and I realize I used to have a hoagie every day in school for lunch — it used to be $2.50," she said to Davis. “Now, they’re $10. I was like this is so much protein in a hoagie that I’ve never really thought about it ... basically I’m saying Philadelphia is ahead of the curve.”
With their pizzas out the oven and sourdough starter completed, the stars were tasked with one last question: what food dish would each of them be.
Brunson answered for Davis, identifying him as “a great plate of ribs.”
And Davis said: “She would be a Philly cheesesteak or a hoagie.”
