Family Tree Food Stories

How Our Hunt For The BEST Cake Keeps Us on The Road! 🥕 What if a single bite could change your life? In this Family Tree, Food & Stories episode, you’re invited to join Nancy and Bob on a 36-year quest to rediscover the flavor that made their wedding day even more sweet.  A delicious and magical carrot cake from a special bakery in Fairfield, Connecticut, their quest to recreate that per...

How a Glass of Wine and a Cold Night in a Bar Became One of This Mom’s Favorite Story. This Family Tree Food & Stories  episode is a delightful blend of humor and fun reflection as Sylvia recounts an unforgettable night in Duluth, Minnesota. What starts as a simple mother-son bonding watching the “big game” at a local bar turns into an unexpected tale of personal embarrassment and tr...

What Might be Cooking at President Trump's Inaugural Ball? Lessons from presidential plates past and present. 🎙️In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely dish up a banquet of stories and foods that have graced inaugural balls throughout U.S. history. From George Washington’s solitary dining to Lincoln's midnight chaos, this episode reveals how these m...

How a pre-colonoscopy walk turned into a wild surprise and a mysterious roast thief! 📌In this next episode of Family Tree Food & Stories - What do you get when you mix a colonoscopy prep, an overexcited Goldendoodle, and a "found"three-pound beef roast in the middle of a walking trail? It's a story that’s almost too wild to believe! In this episode, Co-Host Sylvia Lovely recounts a chaotic jo...

Could There be Gold in that Pork Roast and Doom in the Chicken? New Year's Foods to eat for an extra plateful of good luck. Welcome to 2025! In this special New Year’s edition of Family Tree Food & Stories , Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely kick off the year with some quirky traditions.🎉 Did you know eating chicken 🐔 on New Year’s could potentially give you a bowl of bad luck ? Or that a sauerkra...

How to Eat Your Christmas Tree and Create a Deliciously Unusual Holiday Tradition 🎄 What do you do with a leftover Christmas tree? Toss it? Compost it? Nope—how about eating it ? Yes, you heard that right! In this Family Tree, Food & Stories episode , we’re setting the table with a new way to turn your bedazzled Christmas tree into a gourmet treat. From sweet pine syrups to pine needle tea, b...

From Stinky Food Stuck in a Tree to Finger Licking Christmas Traditions in Japan: This holiday episode will have you asking for a second helping. 🎄✨What’s the story behind the quirky German Christmas pickle? And why do families in Japan celebrate the holidays by licking their fingers? Join co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Sylvia Lovely as they dive into the heart (and stomach) of Christmas and fami...

What happens when a small-town girl becomes a college Freshman with ambitions? This episode is one every parent, and Freshman will learn from! In this episode of Family Tree Food and Stories, join co-host Sylvia Lovely as she recounts a pivotal moment in her life that intertwines ambition, family expectations, and an unforgettable dining experience. Raised in a humble background where college wasn...

What's the best way to make pasta? It's all in the drying. 🍷🍝What do an old kitchen table, a cozy wood-burning fireplace, and a lucky (and we mean lucky) pig have in common? They’re all part of this next episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, where Nancy May and show guest Bobby Hedglin-Taylor , a man of many hats, dive into some rich country Italian family-food stories rooted in the heart...

What happens when a fake waitress, a wannabe on-air actress, tries to save the day? 🤦‍♂️ In this episode, you'll want to join Sylvia Lovely, co-host of Family Tree Food and Stories , for a show filled with unexpected twists and turns. When Sylvia's boyfriend Bernie, a radio host 📻 in Moorhead, Kentucky, finds himself without a guest for his show, Sylvia steps up with a daring plan intertwined wi...

Surprising Ways to Give More Thanks and Create a Better Thanksgiving Together. Join co-hosts  Nancy May  and  Sylvia Lovely  in this next episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories,  which focuses on Thanksgiving secrets, traditions, history, and more.   Ever wonder why presidents pardon turkeys? Or why cranberry sauce sparks family feuds? This Family Tree Food &...

The people who make a restaurant a family. A Chef, a Friend, and a Legacy of Kindness. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show for an excellent reason. Sylvia, Co-Host of Family Tree, Food & Stories, and her husband, Bernie Lovely, the owners of Restaurant Azure and Patio in Lexington, Kentucky, recently woke to a phone call telling them of the sudden and unexpected passing...

From Adam and Eve's First Bit to Tailgating, Hot Dog Pie, and More: Pull your chair up to the table and listen in to this next episode. What do hot dogs, tailgating, and a centuries-old food tradition have in common? More than you might think! In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories , Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely, your co-hosts, take you on an unexpected journey through the quirky, funny,...

Ghosts that belly up to the bar and join you at the table. What might happen next? Why do so many ghost stories start at the dinner table? In this special Halloween edition, Nancy May , co-host of Family Tree Food & Stories , joins forces with her and Sylvia’s friend and fellow podcaster, Leo York (AKA James) , from The 13th Floor, to investigate the haunted pasts of America’s most iconic rest...

Recipes From My 90-Year-Old Mom, and so Much More! With our special guest, Freda Meriwether. In this episode of the Family Tree, Food & Stories podcast, Co-Host Sylvia Lovely reconnects with her good friend, Freda Meriwethe r, who shares captivating and colorful food tales of her 90-year-old mother, Gloria Polly Medea Rice . The conversation spans Gloria's rich reputation as a 'character' in h...

Are there such things as lucky foods? Have you ever wondered why your mom always tossed salt over her shoulder, whether it spilled or not? Or why did your grandmother say NEVER to cut spaghetti noodles? In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories , co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely pull the kitchen curtain back on some of the weird and most interesting food superstitions that still sneak...

Favorite Final Food and that Important Story What unexpected request could transform a bittersweet farewell into a heartwarming celebration of life? Tune in to discover a touching tale that reveals the powerful bond between family, a daughter, a stranger, love, and the foods that bring us back home. Episode Summary: In our inaugural episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories , co-host Nancy May re...

What Do Hot Dogs and Adam & Eve Have in Common? More Than You Think!” In this debut episode of Family Tree Food and Stories , co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely kick off the show with surprising food traditions and stories that connect us with family and friends. How do hot dogs, candy corn, Adam and Eve, and the Civil War be linked? The answers might surprise you  as Nancy and Sylvia r...