Seasoned

We’ve wanted to hook chef Reneé Touponce for an interview for a long time! She’s the executive chef at Oyster Club and The Port of Call, a nautical-themed cocktail lounge and restaurant in Mystic. She’s also the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s “Best Chef” of 2022 and a James Beard Award-nominee. She joins us to talk about her approach to cooking seafood and how it serves as a creative muse. P...

Do you smell smoke? It’s our annual live episode celebrating all things grilled, smoked, and barbecued. The pitmaster behind Hindsight Barbecue in Waterbury and West Hartford is our guest for the hour. Plus, local pitmaster Darryl Thomas of Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop in Manchester shares the inspirations behind his recipes and answers your barbecue questions too. Where is your favorite barbecue joint...

We look at foraging from two perspectives in this episode of Seasoned. What approach do chefs take when foraging? Chef Plum forages for fiddleheads in northwestern Connecticut along the Housatonic River with chef Chrissy Tracey. She explains why she believes foraging is sacred. After their harvest, the chefs head back to Chrissy’s kitchen to sauté the fiddleheads in garlic and lemon. And, Seasoned...

Seasoned producer Katrice Claudio speaks with food writer and cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor about her book Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations . Plus, get to know chef Macarena Ludena Jimenez of Coracora in West Hartford. Connecticut Public reporter Maricarmen Cajahuaringa sits down with Macarena to discuss the cultural importance of Peruvian food and ce...

Three of the state's best mixologists join Chef Plum in studio to talk about seasonal drinks, both spirited and zero-proof, as we slide from spring into summer. Guests make, taste, and give the backstories of cocktails from their bar menus they're most excited about right now. GUESTS: Tim Cabral : Restaurateur and a co-owner and bartender at Ordinary in New Haven and Bar Piña in Hartford. His new...

Cookbook author Terry Walters discusses her new book, Nourish , as well as the benefits of fermented foods in a gutsy conversation with Chef Plum. Then, Terry turns from guest to contributor and helps us get to know her very good friend, the beloved local baker, Kevin Masse. Small State Provisions , one of our favorite bakeries , is about to go big, everybody! Terry talks with Kevin about his pers...

Seasoned is exploring tea this episode, but we're going beyond a Tea 101 because we're interested in experiences that make tea a balm for the body and mind. How do communities come together around tea? In what ways are tea and wellness linked? And, how might tea be a social good? We talk with Frank Kwei, tea master from the cultural and humanitarian center Grace Farms in New Canaan about tasting t...

MMMMM, doughnuts. Where is your favorite doughnut shop in the state? Are you a classic cake-y or a fluffy yeasted doughnut person? Glazed or frosted? Sprinkles or plain? Of course, jelly, right? This week on Seasoned, we're celebrating everybody’s favorite breakfast treat during a live listener call-in show. Guests: Jodi Burns: Owner/doughnut maker at Blazing Fresh Donuts in Guilford, Conn. (BFD i...

Chef Plum realizes a lifelong dream in the latest episode of Seasoned . Jacques Pépin sits down for a conversation about his life, his career, and his artistic muse: the humble chicken. Plus, meet the local nurse-turned-farmer behind Oui Charcuterie and get tips for assembling a simple charcuterie board with local salami and cheese, like the one Chef Plum created to share with Jacques. GUESTS: Jac...

A selection of Georgia O’Keeffe’s personal recipe collection is on display at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. We talk with its curator about what the iconic American artist was cooking and eating when she wasn’t painting giant flowers, skulls, and landscapes. And, there’s a new restaurant in Bridgeport we’re excited about. We sit down with chef Damon “Daye” Sawyer to talk about...

Hearst Connecticut Media’s Leeanne Griffin co-hosts this episode of Seasoned, where we talk with the families behind three local restaurants that have stood the test of time, The Griswold Inn in Essex (pictured), Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford, and The Glenwood Drive-In in Hamden. Plus, the content creator behind the “Preppy Kitchen” brand wants to help you prep for cooking succ...

Chef Plum and co-host Tagan Engel of The Table Underground head to Atticus Bakery in New Haven to delight in a warm Rosca de Reyes. Baker Selene Tepatzi is our guide to the traditional Mexican bread made to celebrate Three Kings Day. Later, Chef Plum and Tagan toast to friendship with Ony Obiocha and Adam Bitker and learn some basics about natural wine. You’ll also hear Tagan’s conversation with c...

Welcome to the new season of Seasoned! Each month, you’ll get to know local chefs and farmers who grow and cook our food as Chef Plum and special guest co-hosts visit the people and places that make our state such a delicious place to live. To kick off the second season of Seasoned, Chef Plum teams up with someone near-and-dear to so many hearts in our local food world:  Winter Caplanson , founder...

Apple cider is having a moment. This week on Seasoned, we watch the apple press at work during a visit to Hogan’s Cider Mill in Burlington, Conn. Owners Chet Dunlop and Theresa Clifford Dunlop make cider at the mill the way the farm’s original cidermakers did 100 years ago. And while the craft may be rooted in the past, Chet and Theresa are looking toward the future. Their daughter, Margaret Borla...

We’re celebrating the craft of pasta making this week on Seasoned. We talk with chef Missy Robbins about her new book,  Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food with Recipes . And, we visit the New England Pasta Company in Avon, an inclusive workplace where the motto is “everyone belongs.” Plus, we talk with the chef behind Peters Pasta -- he became famous on TikTok for making fresh pa...

We talk with a food scientist Julian McClements about what we might eat in the future. Think: tastier, healthier versions of plant-based eggs, seafood, and meat. . .and fun stuff, like 3-D printed meat. Plus, we learn about meat grown from the cells of animals still mooing and clucking at the farm. COO Amy Chen of Upside Foods in California joins us. We also talk with Chase Purdy, author of Billio...

You probably know James Beard Award-winning chef Scott Conant from Food Network, but did you know he was born and raised in Connecticut? This hour, we talk with Scott about how his Waterbury roots shaped his approach to cooking and about how he cooks at home. His latest cookbook is Peace, Love & Pasta . Plus, we had a session with a nutritional psychiatrist from Harvard. She’s a chef, too! Dr....

Second only to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. But for something we drink so much, we know surprisingly little about it. This week on Seasoned, we learn about tea from local experts. We talk to two tea importers in the state about what tea is, the characteristics of different types of teas, and how to savor the experience of drinking great tea. Plus, we talk to two herbal te...

The 2022 James Beard Awards in June were a triumph (welcome back, food world!). We were lucky enough to talk with three authors about their (now!) James Beard Award-winning cookbooks. This hour on Seasoned, we listen back to our conversations with Hawa Hassan , Gregory Gourdet , and Joanne Lee Molinaro (aka The Korean Vegan). We’ll get to know them through their personal stories, culinary journeys...

We’re taking a deep dive on how to prep and cook seafood with David Standridge, executive chef of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic. You’ll get advice for buying fresh seafood at the market, as well as tips for grilling, roasting, and searing fish like a pro. Plus, local cookbook author Mike Urban shares some of his favorite fish markets and seafood shacks in our region. Guests: David Standridge...

Nothing quite says summer like a beautiful ripe tomato, and in our region, we love our tomatoes. This week on Seasoned, we talk to husband-and-wife tomato farmers Trout and Jennifer Gaskins about growing their many varieties of tomatoes on the farm. We also talk to horticulture scientist Harry Klee about his mission to sequence the genomes of hundreds of tomatoes in order to breed flavor back into...

Summertime is the time when we crave healthy, juicy, cooling foods. . .and the fresher, the better! This hour on Seasoned, we’re celebrating the foods of summer and talking with local author, Terry Walters. Terry’s books include Clean Food , Clean Start , and her latest, Eat Clean Live Well . Terry explains what clean eating means to her and offers advice about eating seasonally for optimum health...

This hour, we’re celebrating our 100th episode of Seasoned. That’s 100 hours of interesting, fun conversations with people in the food world we respect: food writers and cookbook authors, home cooks, chefs, farmers, restaurant and market owners, and drinks experts. This week on Seasoned, we’re listening back to a few of our favorite conversations from the last two years. Guests: Pati Jinich: Three...

Get to know one of the most exciting chefs in America—and how he expresses himself and honors his multicultural culinary heritage through cooking. James Beard Award-winner Kwame Onwuachi joins us to talk about the follow-up to his memoir. It’s a cookbook: My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef . Plus, have you been watching PBS’s cooking competition The Great American Recipe? We have! We talk...

Queer spaces are a haven for the LGBTQ community. We’re exploring a few of the state’s LGBTQ bars and cafés, including 168 York Street Café, one of the oldest gay bars in the state. Plus, we hear from the co-founder of Dyke Beer and learn about how the Queer Food Foundation strives to promote, protect, and fund queer food spaces. Guests: Joe Goodwin: Owner of 168 York Street Cafe in New Haven, Con...