Seasoned

We usually fill your earbuds with talk about food—people food. But, this is Seasoned , and this is the season for staycations and day trips. Have you been to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo yet this summer? This week: find out what are our furry, scaly, and feathered friends at the zoo are eating. We talk to the zoo educators and animal care specialists who feed them, and we get up close a...

Planning a 4th of July cookout? We’re sharing ideas and inspiration for celebratory food for outdoor gatherings. Martie Duncan, of Food Network fame talks with us about ways to take the party outside. Plus, we tour the Hummel Bros. hot dog factory and talk to Miki Sudo, seven-time Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champ. Join the conversation on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,&nb...

Add ice cream to the list of local Connecticut food we should be especially proud of. You’ll find shops making great-quality ice cream in every city and town in the state. One of the most beloved of those shops is Grassroots Ice Cream in Granby. Ice cream maker Eliza Florian is our guest for the hour. Listeners can call and talk to Eliza about where she finds inspiration for offbeat flavors...

Thirsty? Let’s taste the drinks of summer 2021. Sommelier Erin Swain shares her top rosé picks and Robert Simonson of T he New York Times explains the allure of mezcal and shares recipes from his new book, Mezcal + Tequila Cocktails . Plus, Chef Plum tastes the award-winning gin at Fifth State Distillery, because a G&T is always a summer classic. Join the conversation on  Fac...

You probably know chef Gregory Gourdet from TV’s Top Chef. He was a finalist on the show, and he’s a frequent guest judge. What you might not know is that the James Beard Award-nominee is a dozen years into recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Gregory writes about his wellness journey in his new cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health . We talk with Greg...

Hosts Marysol Castro and Chef Plum talk with Liz Wluka, Director of Sports Nutrition at UConn, about how athletes fuel their performance—both on the field and in the classroom—with food. She also dispels several nutrition myths bound to help us all make better informed food choices. Plus, former NFL safety-turned-personal trainer Stevie Brown describes his diet as a professional athlet...

Stick your nose outside this weekend, and you’ll likely smell burgers, steak, chicken or ribs cooking in backyards everywhere. This week on Seasoned: We’re live—and taking your calls about cooking with fire. Do you have a question about setting up a grill? Maybe you have a strong opinion about the optimum number of times to flip a burger. Let’s talk about it! Christian Stev...

Grab your tote bags and let’s head to the farmers’ market! This week on Seasoned, we bring you a preview of the 2021 farmers’ market season. Lori Cochran-Dougall offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Westport Farmers' Market, and we stroll through the Durham Farmers' Market as their season kicks off. We talk to market masters, local farmers and artisans, and the commissioner of...

Anna Francese Gass is the author of Heirloom Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and Family Stories from the Tables of Immigrant Women . Anna’s mother, an immigrant from Italy, is a phenomenal scratch cook. And although Anna trained at the French Culinary Institute and immersed herself in the world of food and recipe testing, she was embarrassed to admit that she didn't know how to make her mother&rsq...

When we think about our most prized local foods, honey is at the top of the list. This week on Seasoned, Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey in Weston teaches us how honeybees make honey through their amazing coordination and communication. We also talk to Sarah Taylor, the founder of Huneebee Project , a social enterprise bringing beehives to community gardens and vacant green spaces in New Haven. B...

The pizza community in New Haven and beyond mourns the loss of pizza maker Gary Bimonte. Gary was the grandson of Frank Pepe and a third-generation co-owner of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana . Do you have a story to share about Gary or are you a loyal Pepe’s pizza fan? Colin Caplan, pizza historian and the producer of the documentary Pizza: A Love Story , joins us live to celebrate Gary&rsqu...

Part of the joy of cooking comes from winging it. Sam Sifton of The New York Times and New York Times Cooking joins us to talk about ways home cooks can rely less on recipes and more on skill. You can cook! And you don’t always need a recipe. Sam’s got a career’s worth of tips to offer and plenty of guidance for pulling meals together from a simple ingredients list, no measuremen...

This week: some of our all-time favorite interviews to date. You’ll hear selections from our conversations with Ina Garten, Marcus Samuelsson, and Connecticut’s own vegan chef Chrissy Tracey and pizza historian Colin Caplan. Join the conversation on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Instagram , and  email  at  seasoned@ctpublic.org . Robyn Doyon-Aitken and Catie Tal...

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...

Beloved food writer and activist Julia Turshen talks with us about her new cookbook, Simply Julia , which describes her efforts to disentangle herself from diet culture and emerge a more centered, mindful eater. When her wife, Grace, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, it changed the way Julia cooked forever. Now the couple enjoy Julia's "healthy comfort food," and we can, too. We learn that comfo...

Connecticut farmer Patti Popp of Sport Hill Farm in Easton joins us live—and we take your calls about planting and cooking the harbingers of spring: asparagus, peas, new potatoes, ramps, and garlic scapes—everybody wonders what to do with garlic scapes! We invite you to shout out your local farms and farmers, too. Farming is unbelievably hard work and we want to celebrate their efforts...

Get to know local chef and entrepreneur Chrissy Tracey. Chrissy owns a catering company, a healthy meal-prep service, and she’s just been hired by Bon Appétit to host cooking videos for their Test Kitchen series. We talk with Chrissy about what inspires her cooking and her quest to perfect the vegan pizza. She’s working on it! Plus, Charlotte Druckman’s anthology, Women On...

Hunger is a problem that can be solved. This hour, we talk to people devoted to ending food insecurity. Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Food Bank/Foodshare, joins us to talk about the ways the organization has mobilized to feed the more than 540,000 people at risk of hunger in our state. We’ll also talk to two organizers of Middletown Community Fridge, a project of the Mid...

Anna Francese Gass is the author of Heirloom Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and Family Stories from the Tables of Immigrant Women . Anna’s mother, an immigrant from Italy, is a phenomenal scratch cook. And although Anna trained at the French Culinary Institute and immersed herself in the world of food and recipe testing, she was embarrassed to admit that she didn't know how to make her mother&rsq...

Who needs a hot toddy when Connecticut breweries are making such great winter brews? Who is crafting your favorite beer in the state right now? Like many restaurants, local breweries have found ways to bring their beers to you safely. Let’s celebrate them. This week on Seasoned, we’re live with the master brewer from Black Hog Brewing in Oxford and New Haven, Tyler Jones. Tyler talks w...

Acclaimed chef and TV star Marcus Samuelsson ’s latest book, The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food , celebrates Black excellence in the food world. This week on Seasoned: A conversation about what motivated Marcus to write The Rise , which is so much more than a cookbook. Marcus and co-author Osayi Endolyn profile chefs, writers, historians and activists. Of course, we get into...

Love is in the air. Where is your favorite romantic restaurant in the state? Marysol Castro and Chef Plum share their picks and shout-out your recommendations from CT Public’s Instagram. Craving chocolate? At Thorncrest Farm and Milk House Chocolates , you’ll find some of the most swoon worthy chocolate on the planet—never mind the state. And it all starts with the cows on this w...

South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea—do you know the predominant flavors of the eight countries that make up the backbone of the spice trade? Likely not. Hawa Hassan and co-author Julia Turshen are changing that through their book, In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries That Touch the I...

Connecticut restaurants have been honing their take-out game for a year, and it’s high-time we celebrate the spots that have really given us something to look forward to each week. This week on Seasoned: the best take-out in the state. Leeanne Griffin, Food and Consumer Reporter at Hearst Connecticut Media, joins Marysol Castro and Chef Plum to dish about the restaurant beat (is there a bett...

Ask any chef or home cook what ingredient they can’t live without, and we bet they’ll say onions. So many delicious things start with cooking onions. Onions are the foundation of the world’s great cuisines. In this episode, we celebrate the onion. . .the most essential ingredient in the kitchen. Kate Winslow, author of the book Onions Etcetera , shares recipes and onion wisdom. P...