For over three decades, Tom Papa has built an impressive career as a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, and radio host, earning widespread acclaim for his observational humor and relatable storytelling.
He has seven top-rated comedy specials, including his latest for Netflix, “Home Free,” released last year, in addition to his many best-selling books, and beloved radio and TV appearances.
But more recently he’s dug his hands into another passion—baking. And he’s found that it has a lot of surprising similarities to standup.
“You can get very good at it, but you’ll never truly master it,” Papa told Revue about how baking and comedy are similar. “Even the best of the best, having decades of experience, you try something new, it's going to humble you, because you are going to fail, and you just have to be OK with that. That process is very close to standup.
“The good thing with baking is even if it flops, it's still going to be pretty good to eat,” he added.
Fully leaning into his newfound hobby, and always ready with a good dad joke, Papa is calling his latest trip across the country the Grateful Bread tour (coming to GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Dec. 6).
It’s as much an open call for baked goods, and a namecheck to Papa’s popular podcast “Baking Bread,” as it is a reference to the legendary jam band pioneers.
“I was a Grateful Dead fan,” Papa said. “I used to go see them all the time. When we were in college, my friends and I would go to maybe two or three cities at a time, and that feeling that there's something going on in the city, but you're kind of on the outskirts of it… There’s people going to work and doing all this stuff, but you're coming in for a different reason. I think that's part of the lifestyle that maybe people don't realize when they first venture into that world (of touring) is that you are kind of this separate industry and entity from like all the other things that are going on.
“We're definitely closer to circus folk,” he added.
When live shows and touring resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic, Papa said he noticed a real sense of gratitude amongst his live audiences, with them embracing the opportunity to just laugh together.
“They know that I'm someone that they can rely on to come and see for an hour and a half, that's going to snap them out of any other of the toxic stuff that they're fed the rest of their day,” Papa said. “I feel like people are just a little more isolated, and they're on their devices. You know, you don't see as many people in your community. We've lost a lot of sense of where we gather... And it's definitely carried over to live performing. It's like you can stream stuff on your night television, or on your phone, or on your iPad, but it's very isolating. There's something really different (about seeing a live show).
“It's really important,” he added. “It's healthy. Literally healthy for your soul. You can feel that people are disconnected in a lot of different ways. So anything that unites us and brings us together, and live performing, especially. In my act, when I'm talking about all the things that kind of aggravate you in your everyday life, you can sit in a theater and other people are relating to the same stresses that you have. And you're going to walk out of there feeling a little less alone.”
That warmth is at the center of Papa’s comedy, and it’s a big reason why he has such a loyal fanbase across all ages.
“When I sign books and stuff at the end of a show, and a family comes up, usually a 14-year-old or 16-year-old and a parent, that really makes me happy,” he said. “I'm always curious, like ‘what made them laugh?’ I'm talking from my perspective, but for you to relate to it, the only prerequisite is that you come from a family. You might be the young, annoying kid, or you may be the exhausted father, but you're going to relate to it.”
In his many stories, Papa has been both that young kid and that exhausted father. So it’s no surprise that his family is at the heart of his love for baking as well.
After talking with friend about sourdough starter, and becoming fascinated with the science behind it, his daughter got one started for him and gave it to him for Christmas.
“I always say that was my best acting, was pretending I was happy to get this ball of goo Christmas morning,” Papa said. “But once I actually used it, and baked bread off of it, there was something very intoxicating about it. And I haven't stopped.”
On his podcast “Baking Bread,” Papa will often welcome his friends and fellow comedians for a conversation over a loaf of fresh sourdough, or another oven favorite. It’s become something of a starter for a podcast that playfully and deeply explores the world of comedy.
“The most fun you have is when everybody's comfortable,” Papa said. “And I think that the process of somebody something, first of all, that you made, and then something that they can enjoy. Their shoulders relax immediately, and then you can get into the conversation.”
While working on his Food Network show “Baked with Tom Papa,” which premiered in 2021, Papa noticed there’s one big difference between the baking world and the comedy world: Bakers will give you advice, but they won’t give you everything.
“How many times do you hear of a place and it's like, ‘Oh, we have a secret recipe, but we're not going to share it with you,” he said. “They're very territorial. People are much more giving in comedy than they are in baking.”
Earlier this year Papa launched his own line of bread tools with Nambé, which is an opportunity he never imagined having as a comedian.
“They make such beautiful items,” Papa said about Nambé. “And I wanted it to be very practical because it has to be useful. So we went back and forth designing it for about a year. And it just came out, and I'm very excited.
“It sounds silly, but I would collect, like, wooden spoons in my travels and stuff,” he added. “I’d buy stuff for baking. And now that we have what I really believe are like the coolest ones that I've found it’s a pretty great achievement.”
The Breaking Bread Tom Papa x Nambé collection includes a wooden bread board, bread knife, scraper, proofing basket, whisk, canisters, utensils, and measuring spoons.
“We all have those little measuring spoons, and they're always lame, they're always just like these little metal ones, or plastic ones, and there's nothing stylish about that,” Papa said. “But we actually have them carved out of wood. They almost look like wooden pipes. And there's something so satisfying about pouring salt into a two-tablespoon wooden measuring spoon. I never thought I'd be talking about this in a comedy interview, but it makes me very happy.”
View the collection now at nambe.com/tompapa.
Tom Papa: Grateful Bread Tour
GLC Live at 20 Monroe, 11 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
Dec. 6, 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show, $52.50+
Glcliveat20monroe.com, tompapa.com
