This week it's a show of American iconoclasts starting with winemaker Randall Grahm of Boony Doon Vineyard. His latest book is Been Doon So Long, A Randall Grahm Vinthology. We then meet the true originator of the no-knead bread technique, Jim Lehey of New York City's famed Sullivan Street Bakery. His book is My Bread, The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method.
This week we'll get you ready for the Thanksgiving feast with chef Eric Ripert, author of Avec Eric. Grace Young brings us the very American story of Chinese immigrants in the Mississippi Delta. Her latest book is Stir-Frying To the Sky's Edge. And we get stuffing strategy from the New York Time's Melissa Clark, author of In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite.
We discuss the cuisine of Portugal with David Leite author of The New Portuguese Table. Jane and Michael Stern have found stellar Creamed Chipped Beef at The Breakfast Shoppe in Severna Park, MD, plus we check in with the Hungry Scientist society, and we'll get a few tips for traveling on the cheap from the frugal traveler.
This week we have a look at school lunch programs, from a lunch lady's eyes. Our guest is Jean Ronnei of the St. Paul, MN public schools. Mario Batali addresses the issue of family meals, and the Sterns are eating soul food in the Arizona desert at Mrs. White's Golden Rule. Plus, we get a guide to making simple cured meats at home from Karen Solomon author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other Cooking Projects.
What makes man, man and an ape an ape? According to Richard Wrangham it is not one's ability to fashion tool, but rather the ability to cook. He is the author of Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human. The Sterns are in LA eating a French Dip at its origin, Philippe's French Dip Restaurant, and there is a new movement sweeping across America group canning sessions.
We're looking at the art of the Asian pickle with Alex Hozven creator of the Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkely, CA, the Sterns are visiting Moonlight BBQ in Owensboro, KY, Fred Plotkin teaches us how to take an eaters vacation without a rental car, and Amy Stewart author of Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities introduces us to the darker side of Mother Nature.
What does a chef consider the most important tool in the kitchen? Chef and writer Daniel Patterson has a surprising answer for all of those who love to cook. He is the author of Aroma. Jane and Michael Stern are looking at the phenomenon of the "slider" and Elizabeth Karmel author of Soaked, Slathered and Seasonings, fills us in on the latest developments in outdoor grilling.
This week we have lessons in greening your kitchen with Kate Heyhoe, author of Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen. New York Times columnist Melissa Clark gives us a lesson in blended summer soups, and cheesemonger Steve Jenkins explains the real cost of artisan cheeses. The Sterns are dining at (probably) the best delicatessen in America, and Lynne answers your calls.
We're in Lynne's kitchen to learn about one of our most elusive immigrant cuisines, that of the Hmong people of Southeast Asia. Our guides are the authors of Cooking From the Heart: the Hmong Kitchen in America. Jane and Michael Stern are eating pancakes near the fountain of youth at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill in De Leon Springs, FL, and we get the perfect summer sauce from Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio: The Simple Codes Behiond the Craft of Everyday Cooking.
We're talking to food activist Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food about the intersection between sustainable foods, and our real life pocketbooks. Jane and Michael Stern have been researching the green chile cheeseburger in New Mexico and we look at the origins of the American potato chip with Dirk Burhans author of Crunch, A History of the Great American Potato Chip.