KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY CREDITS ROBERT DE NIRO FOR HIS WILD DESSERT ORDER

Keegan-Michael Key is a man of very specific food opinions.

On the latest episode of SNACKS!, the comedian and actor reveals that one of his most cherished dessert orders actually comes from an unlikely source: Robert De Niro.

Key says he’s been ordering apple pie with melted cheese since he was a teenager, all because of a memorable moment in the 1976 drama Taxi Driver. He remembers Robert De Niro’s character ordering the dessert and admits, “I don’t know why that stuck with me.”

According to Key, one small detail from the film never left him. He remembers De Niro’s character mentioning that he had “a slice of apple pie with cheese melted over the top,” and says the order became part of his own identity.

In fact, it stuck with him so much that, as a teenager, he started ordering it himself whenever he went to diners.

“When I was in high school…I would go to the restaurant, the diner, and go, ‘Can I have a slice of apple pie, please, with some cheese?’”

Honestly? It’s not the strangest dessert pairing in the world. Sweet and salty is a proven combination, and warm cheddar over apple pie has deep roots in parts of the Northeast and Midwest. Key even jokes that the only thing that would make the dessert better is pairing it with a margarita, another of his very strong food passions.

But the pie confession isn’t the only unexpectedly wholesome food detail Key shares.

Elsewhere in the conversation, he reveals that his wedding was catered by New York City’s beloved Second Avenue Deli because his wife is a longtime fan of the institution. The tradition has continued long after the ceremony, with the couple apparently turning to the deli for holiday parties as well.

“Our wedding, but also every holiday party we have, Second Avenue Deli,” Key says.

The spread sounds exactly like what you’d hope for, too: pastrami, corned beef, whitefish, tongue, Russian dressing, and plenty of classic deli staples.

Between the old-school deli loyalty and a decades-long commitment to apple pie with melted cheese, Key might just be one of the most unapologetically nostalgic food people we’ve had on SNACKS!. And let’s be real, if Robert De Niro told us to put cheese on dessert, we’d probably at least give it a shot.

You can listen to full episodes of SNACKS! on Spotify and Apple or watch them on YouTube. And make sure to follow SNACKS! on Instagram and TikTok for updates on new episodes every week.

2026-06-10T13:09:01Z