This is Amused Bouche, SAVEUR’s food questionnaire that explores the culinary curiosities of some of our favorite people. This interview series dives deep into their food routines, including dinner party strategies, cherished cookbooks, and the memorable bites they’d hop on a flight for.

“The Emmys have to fly everyone first class because it’s a union thing, so my husband and I skipped breakfast at the hotel and went straight to the Delta One lounge at LAX. They gave us a little juice and hot towel when we arrived and then sent us to private security where I had to put the Emmy through the X-ray machine. You could see the perfect outline of it in the little frame,” Hiller recalls. “It was so luxurious with waiter service in the lounge, and we ate beautiful vegan sushi, pizza, and a bunch of sweets. We were sitting near Colman Domingo and Meghann Fahy, and it was exciting to chat with them; that’s the part I remember most. Then we got on the plane, and the ravioli they served was so good, and they had all this fancy wine so I was like, ‘I just won an Emmy, I’m going to have Champagne.’ And they had Taittinger Champagne! I never imagined that I would win a gold statue for anything, so I had to celebrate the classic way.”

From career milestones to little treats, Hiller’s genuine appreciation for both the big and small things in life couldn’t be clearer. Read on for his Amused Bouche questionnaire, complete with a cooking disaster story that will definitely stick with you.

If you could only eat one thing 24/7/365, what would it be?

I am vegetarian now, but a banh mi that has really good bread—crunchy-soft but not so crumbly that it gets everywhere—and a big schmear of pâté. My husband makes a banh mi with pea protein inspired by one at Zabar’s that’s really good, but this sandwich would be the real pork version. I love mush. I would also eat mashed potatoes every day for the rest of my life. I like a mono taste for my potatoes, so no gravy, just cream, butter, and salt. Pure!

What’s the first thing you learned how to cook?

My mom taught me how to make French toast when I was young. We always made a big stack with leftover bread that was going to go stale, with eggs, milk, a little cinnamon, and strawberries and blueberries or other fruit on top. Making French toast now makes me think of her since she passed away, and my husband really loves it, too. He always says, “A sandwich made by somebody else is so much better than a sandwich that you make yourself,” and that goes for my French toast and makes me feel proud.

How about your latest kitchen adventure?

As part of a silent auction for the Roundabout Theater Company in N.Y.C., the cast of Somebody Somewhere did a cooking class with chef Amanda Freitag. The winners, John and Colleen, were really sweet and they brought their kids and their kids’ friends to make ricotta gnocchi. I am so not a cook, but chef Amanda made it so easy and exciting. She showed us all how to roll and cut and then made a butter and sage sauce. I also spontaneously made a pecan pie a few days ago after my sister reorganized my kitchen cabinets, and I realized I had a full bottle of Karo corn syrup. It was very willy-nilly, but it turned out so good with the perfect jelly-like consistency.

What’s your treat-yourself splurge?

Two of my best friends, Liz and Jeff, and I all have birthdays in the same week of December, so we go to a really fancy place, often with a tasting menu. We have done A Voce in Columbus Circle, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, Del Posto in Chelsea, and Don Angie in the West Village for their pinwheel lasagna. Funny story: Jesse Tyler Ferguson told me that trying to make that recipe nearly killed him. My friend Amy also made it but just did it as a classic lasagna instead of the complicated pinwheels, and it came out amazing. I wouldn’t ever make it—I always just want to go out to have a good time, enjoy the food, and not have to clean up afterward. And if I want to eat more tomorrow, I’ll take a few bites home to go.

What’s your most cherished cookbook?

My husband is the cookbook person in our household, and he has used the Moosewood Cookbook since college. I love this white bean bake he makes from it, the miso soup that he puts his own little twists on, and a French onion soup that is more hearty and almost like a stew. It’s all about the mush for me.

Is there a cooking disaster that made you swear off a dish forever?

When my friend Liz and I hosted my 30th birthday party, we created a signature cocktail that had simple syrup in it. It was a house party with 100 people, and the simple syrup coated the kitchen floor. I mopped it every day for a month and it was always just a little sticky, and my hand would randomly stick to the counter. Until the day we moved out, we’d be like, “Whoops, there’s my shoe!” Never go to a house party with a simple syrup drink. 

A couple of times I have really biffed it with just burning things because I am easily distracted. There are times where the smoke alarm goes off when I have vegan sausages on the stove, and it’s so much smoke all of a sudden and I’m like, “AHHH!”

Which nostalgic foods from childhood bring you the most comfort?

My meemaw would make a sandwich with the dirtiest, whitest bread with mayonnaise and two slices of the most processed of processed cheeses. When you would squeeze the sandwich, the mayonnaise would kind of squirt out, and I loved it. If I had not had that as a child and encountered it now, it would be disgusting. But it holds a lot of sentimental value for me.

When you’re playing dinner party DJ, what’s spinning?

I’ll pick a song that I want the mood of and then choose that radio station. Usually something mellow like Joni Mitchell or Maggie Rogers that I like the vibe of but won’t be distracted by. My playlists are normally like [sings a song from the musical Carousel] “June is bustin’ out all over!” so I gotta keep it tame.

What is your biggest entertaining flex to impress guests?

Just good conversation. I’m really good at putting the right people together and keeping the conversation flowing all night.

Tell me about a meal so good you would hop on a flight to relive it.

There was a seafood stew in Dublin that I didn’t even really know what it was, and then I ate it and I was like, “DAMMMMMN!” I also had butternut squash ravioli in Chicago when filming Somebody Somewhere at some random, not fancy place, but it was so delicious.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.