Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa, the beloved broadcasters and hosts of the Emmy-award winning Dining Playbook, have a new show airing this Jan. 6 called Meet Boston. They share a sneak peek into the new show and their favorite places in the city.
Abby: Tell me how your new show Meet Boston came to be. You’re the busiest people I know, so I can’t imagine you were trying to fill free time.
Jenny: You’re right. There wasn’t a lull in the action. Billy and I have been working together for just under 20 years and we always knew there was another project for us. Billy and I sat down with Martha Sheridan from Meet Boston. We have a very distinct and unique opportunity to be immersed in the conversation that is the entire city of Boston, not just the food scene.
Jenny and Billy took their team to Woods Hill Pier 4 for a holiday celebration this year.
Billy: Both Jenny and I have lived our entire lives here, so we’ve witnessed all of the transformation—from the Seaport District to East Boston— and we’ve been a part of it. With Meet Boston, we’re going to have all different demographics express how they’re seeing the city right now.
Jenny: We’re working with a number of content creators or “influencers”, because I’m a mom now and Billy’s empty nesting…
Billy: Just say it Jenny, I’m your grandfather.
Jenny: [laughter] No, but the influencers are connoisseurs of different areas in Boston. Some of them are in food, some are in fashion, some are in fitness—we have a former ballerina! The show is diverse, it’s inclusive and we’re showcasing great small businesses that really make our city thrive.
Abby: That’s so smart to bring in people who represent different sub cultures in Boston along with you two trusted authorities.
Jenny: And our partners, our extraordinary team at NESN.
Abby: Who will decide on the content?
Jenny: Everything is a collaboration. Mostly these things will be decided by us, but we want to give the influencers flexibility to go to the places they really enjoy. The best part about this show is all of these people know things that we might not.
Jenny and Billy most recently dined with their spouses at Grace by Nia.
Billy: We’ll be learning as much as the viewer. I’m very excited about it.
Jenny: Restaurant concepts are reinventing themselves, neighborhoods are changing and fitness methodologies are changing. We’ll be learning new things about a city that we think we know pretty well.
Abby: What is your reaction to the way Boston is growing and changing?
Jenny: It feels to me like Boston has become more fully formed. We’ve grown into a place where we really fit the mold we were supposed to be.
Billy: I was born in Cambridge and to watch the city explode and become the major city that it is, I take it personally. I was here when areas like Faneuil Hall and the Seaport were ghost towns. I don’t know of any ghost towns left.
Abby: When did the two of you begin working together?
Jenny: I started as one of Billy’s associate producers right out of college. We had great chemistry and Billy said let’s see what it looks like with you on the other side of the camera.
Jenny and her husband spent the first night together after their wedding at the Lenox Hotel.
Billy: Jenny, do you remember the name of your first segment ever?
Jenny: The “Jenny Cam.”
Billy: I created the “Jenny Cam” for Jenny to find new, cool things in the city. The reason it was such a great idea then is the same reason we think Meet Boston should be told from all different demographics today. Jenny had a different perspective on the city at that time than I did.
Jenny: Billy, that’s the best comparison! I learned from the consummate entertainer. I literally have the very best, most talented teacher.
Billy: Excuse me while I reach for the tissues.
Photography by: COURTESY OF THE BRANDS; CHRISTOPHER SMITH
