Get your grill ready and crack open a cold one. We’re talkin’ about beer can chicken with PBS host and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Steven Raichlen. The host of Project Smoke, Project Fire, and Planet Barbeque on PBS, talks about his latest book, Beer-Can Chicken.   Steven shares tips for imparting both a subtle or more pronounced beer flavor, how to be sure your chicken stays upright and other non-beer drinks that you might want to plop your chicken on for grill-roasting....

We’re celebrating a few things at The Port of Call with chef Renee Touponce and bar manager and mixologist, Jade Ayala: Pride Month, a second James Beard Award nomination for Renee and Renee's birthday. We’re also gonna eat. . .and dance along with the Sea Queens during a drag performance at The Port of Call. It’s a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign to protect LGBTQ+ rights – something Renee and Jade are passionate about. Drag brunches and dinners aren’t usually about the food, but...

Janusz Domagala is one of your favorite bakers from The Great British Bake Off, or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known here in the U.S. We were cheering for him right through to the semi-finals of Season 13 in 2022. This hour, Janusz talks about his debut cookbook, Baking with Pride. Plus, he describes the joy of baking in the Bake Off tent, the importance of showing up as his authentic self, and how some of the recipes in his book honor LGBTQ+ history. Plus, we talk with a...

Vegan chef Chrissy Tracey sits down with producer Tagan Engel to talk about the basics of foraging and how to incorporate wild plants and mushrooms into delicious meals. They discuss recipes for "lobster" rolls, Chrissy's riff on strawberry Pop Tarts, bagel sandwiches with carrot lox, and herby drinks from Chrissy's debut book, Forage & Feast. Plus, backyard chicken keeping expert Kathy Shea Mormino describes realities of caring for the only pet that gives us food, backyard chickens....

We begin the show by talking with (pinch us!) food writer and reporter Priya Krishna of the New York Times. She shares some of the stories behind her new book, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures. It’s a cookbook for kids! And, Priya talks about some of her most meaningful reporting for the Times to date: her video series On the Job, where she shines a light on the unseen workers of New York City’s food scene. Priya also previews Chefs!, the Connecticut Forum’s live, unscripted panel discussion...

This hour, we get the scoop on some of the state’s best ice cream shops from two people devoted to local ice cream. We talk with Craig Behun, the ice cream lover behind the Instagram @cticecreamtour and Shahan Kukreja of Micro Creamery. Since 2015, Craig’s been posting about his adventures trying ice cream shops all over the state. And Shahan takes the micro brewery concept and applies it to ice cream. You’ll find more than 70 local ice cream flavors in the shop. Plus, Sweet Claude’s in...

Organic horticulturist and farmer, Renée Giroux, of Earth’s Palate Farm in Warren talks about her approach to organic farming, Korean natural farming and Shumei farming, and shares her experiences as a young farmer working with Sal Gilberte of Gilbertie's Organics and the late chef, David Bouley in New York. Renée also explains the role small family farms play in offsetting climate change, and she talks about the ways the NW CT Food Hub connects farmers with customers like schools, chefs and...

This week on Seasoned, we’re talking with people connected to our state’s libraries who mix their work with a passion for food, drink and community. The downtown branch of the Hartford Public Library may be closed for renovations, but that hasn’t stopped Andréa Hawkins and Doug Barber from opening up a coffee shop on the light-filled first floor of the library. They talk with us about how the shop fosters community. And, pairing wine with cheese and charcuterie is too obvious. What wine...

It’s maple syrup season! We visit The Independent Day School in Middlefield where students learn the art and science of maple syrup-making starting in kindergarten. Science teacher Xander Lowry is our guide as we tap trees, gather sap, split wood and make syrup with local students. Students in third, fifth and eighth grades describe what they love about the process and the ways making maple syrup brings the community together. And, when Seasoned spoke to James Beard Award-winning chef Sherry...

This week on Seasoned, we talk with content creators in the food space. Kat Ashmore is the chef (and "Hungry Lady") behind Kat Can Cook on Instagram and TikTok. We’ll talk with her about her first cookbook, just out! Big Bites: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun. And if you're a #ctfoodie, you likely follow David Milton's @thedamgram and @thedamtok for new restaurant alerts and to get David's picks for "the best" everything from empanadas to chicken...

This week on Seasoned, we’re spending the hour talking about—and tasting—chocolate. We'll get a history lesson and follow cacao's journey from a bitter drink for wealthy Aztecs to the delicious thing it is today. Plus, if you care about where your food comes from and how it impacts the people who grow and harvest it, as well as the planet, we're recommending four chocolate bars that are certified organic, Fair Trade and Fair for Life. First, you’ll meet Benoit Racquet of BE Chocolat in...

We all have different opinions on dining alone. Some people relish the experience. Others would rather eat a bowl of bees than feel vulnerable at a table for one. . .perhaps thinking to themselves - are people judging me?  This hour, producer Katrice Claudio reflects on solo dining and how it can actually be a way to connect — with yourself, and others. Katrice talks with writer Alissa Wilkinson. She’s a movie critic for The New York Times, and the author of the book, Salty: Lessons on...

Olive oil is a thing of beauty—and essential in so much of our cooking. Olive oil sommelier Tassos Kyriakides teaches us how to better appreciate olive oil – both for its flavor and its health and ecological benefits. And, producer Meg Dalton reports on one Connecticut organization using Palestinian olive oil to educate the community about the region. We’ll also hear from Wafa Shami, a Palestinian food blogger, about the importance of olive trees. Plus, we talk with James Beard...

Before we go full-speed ahead on 2024, this week on Seasoned, we’re listening back to some of our favorite conversations of 2023. You'll hear moments from our episode celebrating local restaurants that have stood the test of time, an Indigenous chef who made James Beard Award history, chefs we’re cheering for (always!) and people supporting their communities through food and farming. GUESTS: Frank “Wayne” Stone: Owner of the Glenwood Drive-In in Hamden, Conn. (@Glenwooddrivein) Kelly...

Roya Shariat and her mother, Gita Sadeh are co-authors of the new cookbook, Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family. You’ve likely seen Gita on Roya’s TikTok and Instagram, where she’s famous for flipping the most gorgeous tahdigs and picking the right-sized container for leftovers 100% of the time (there are some nail-biters and you will root for her ‘til the end). In our conversation, Roya explains why it was important for her to document her mother’s recipes in a book, and...

This week on Seasoned, real talk from the authors of the podcast—and now book—Food, We Need to Talk: The Science-Based, Humor-Laced Last Word on Eating, Diet, and Making Peace with Your Body. Juna Gjata and Dr. Eddie Phillips join producer Katrice Claudio to unpack ideas about diet culture, weight loss and what it means to be healthy. GUESTS: Juna Gjata: Co-host of the podcast and co-author of the book, Food, We Need to Talk. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in cognitive...

Don’t you just love a good secret? Here’s one: baking isn’t any harder than cooking. You don’t have to stress about preciseness, food science or perfection. Samantha Seneviratne is a baker, a contributor to the New York Times, and the host of Everyday Cooking on Magnolia Network. She’s also a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and her latest book is Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours. We talk with Sam about her book and get her to spill those secrets so you can bake...

This hour, chef Raquel Rivera, a cooking teacher and owner of A Pinch of Salt, and Jason Sobocinski, a local food entrepreneur, share tips for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey with all the fixins’. And intern Lateshia Peters talks with her mom Nicole Lewis about why their Thanksgiving meal is centered around the food of her Grenadian heritage. Think: Caribbean-spiced salmon, fry-bakes, and cocoa tea. Plus, producer Tagan Engel speaks with Hi’ilei Hobart, a professor of Native and Indigenous...

Stacey Mei Yan Fong dreamed up the most delicious way to learn more about the United States, her chosen home. We talk with Stacey about her first cookbook, 50 Pies, 50 States; the immigration story that inspired it; and the pure joy that pie brings. Stacey created the 50 Pies, 50 States project while applying for permanent residency in the United States. She researched each state, developed a pie recipe inspired by the state, and dedicated the pie to a friend or special person connected to...

In this hour of Seasoned, you’ll get to know Brooklyn-based writer, recipe developer, and food stylist Yewande Komolafe. In her work for The New York Times and elsewhere, she’s a champion for West African cuisine. Producer Tagan Engel talks with Yewande about her first book, My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora. Then Tagan brings us a story from Reservoir Community Farm in Bridgeport — where Green Village Initiative is feeding its community and empowering the next...

Rahanna Bisseret Martinez was a contestant on Top Chef Junior, and she’s cooked at some of the best restaurants in the world, including Dominique Ansel Bakery, Chez Panisse, Broken Spanish, Emeril's and Tartine Bakery. Rahanna is the author of the cookbook, Flavor + Us. And she’s still in college! Producers Katrice Claudio and Tagan Engel talk with Rahanna about her book, her busy life and her love of food from all over the world. And, we meet a New Britain family who turned their lawn into...

This week on Seasoned, we’re thinking about ways coffee spurs connection and builds community. You’ll hear stories about two very different coffee experiences. Producer Katrice Claudio talks with Elijah Hilliman, the co-founder of Semilla Cafe + Studio in Hartford. Semilla is a coffee shop, but it’s also a neighborhood living room serving as a creative space “rooted in intention and reclamation” for Connecticut’s BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities. Plus, Producer Tagan Engel attends an Eritrean...

This hour, we get the scoop on some of the state’s best ice cream shops from two people devoted to local ice cream. We talk with Craig Behun, the ice cream lover behind the Instagram @cticecreamtour and Shahan Kukreja of Micro Creamery. For years, Craig’s been posting about his adventures trying ice cream shops all over the state. And Shahan takes the micro brewery concept and applies it to ice cream. You’ll find more than 70 local ice creams in the shop. Plus, Sweet Claude’s in Cheshire is...

Richard Myers and Shawn Joseph are on a mission. This hour of Seasoned, get to know the farmers behind Park City Harvest in Bridgeport. Aside from keeping their farm productive and making candles, teas, and pikliz from their crops, the entrepreneurs are authors, too. Seasoned producer Tagan Engel tours the farm with "Farmer Rich" and "Farmer Shawn" and cooks a recipe from their book, Grow to Eat: A Vegetable Growing Guide/Cookbook. Plus, we’re sharing some highlights from Where We Live’s...