Episode 55: California Wine Country

Award-winning chef John Ash brings us an insider's guide to the California wine country. John tells of the humble beginning of the now famous region, where, in the fields, gardens, wineries, and kitchens a revolution is occurring, inspired by global influences and dramatic changes in wine-making and the pairing of wine with food. John shares his not-to-be-missed picks of restaurants in Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa, and you'll want to try his recipe for New World risotto from his book, From the Earth to the Table, a winner of the IACP/Julia Child Book of the Year Award. Jane and Michael Stern take us to Arkansas for BBQ; fruit sleuth David Karp goes exotic with sapote; Angela in Wisconsin tries to Stump the Cook; and our grocery guru and stumpmaster, Al Sicherman, takes a look at greens showing up in the lettuce section of supermarkets - iceberg, move over! As always, Lynne will take your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• March 7, 1998 (originally aired)

• October 10, 1998 (rebroadcast)