The Connected Table Live

For the first time in its history, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans has a woman chef leading the kitchen. Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford has called Commander’s Palace her culinary home since 2008 and was named Executive Chef in 2020. She discusses the restaurant’s Haute Creole menu, whose ingredients are 90% locally sourced. Lally Brennan, family co-proprietor of Commander's Palace with cousin, Tí Ade...

Be the Change is a virtual job fair for the wine, spirits & beer industry that supports diversity, inclusion and equality in hiring and helps streamline the job search process. Launched in December 2020 with a second fair April 22, 2021, Be the Change has formed a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide job opportunities for its graduates. Rania Zayyat, Cofounder of Be The C...

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Delia Viader is founder of family-run Viader Vineyards & Winery, located on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. Established in 1986, Viader produces critically acclaimed small lot Bordeaux blends. Viader’s first bottled vintage was 1989 with 1200 cases. Its 1997 vintage was named #2 in The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines. The following year, Viader’s 1998 red b...

“Vinum Falernum,” the ancient wines of Campania, were considered grand cru wines of their era, produced from indigenous Aglianico, Piedirosso, Falanghina and Greco di Tufo varieties. Salvatore Avallone, Co-CEO of Villa Matilde Avallone (with sister, Maria Ida), discusses the significance of Falernum wines and his father’s research on the subject to start Villa Matilde, located at Falerno del Massi...

Who doesn't dream of moving to France to immerse in its food and drink culture? Susan Herrmann Loomis moved to France to study cooking. She landed a job working with Patricia Wells and now runs a French cooking school. She is author of 14 cookbooks, including the recent, Plat Du Jour: French Dinners Made Easy. Forest Collins moved to France to study the language. She runs 52 Martinis, a cocktail a...

Virginia winemakers Rachel Stinson-Vrooman and husband Nathan Vrooman oversee production at their family wineries. Rachel and father, Scott Stinson, oversee Stinson Vineyards in Crozet (Monticello AVA). They make small lot wines using vinifera grapes in an old 3-car garage-turned winery. Nathan Vrooman oversees winemaking at his family's Ankida Ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains (Amherst County). A...

New Orleans is known for its po’boys and muffuletta sandwiches made with signature breads, many of which are baked by 125- year-old Leidenheimer Baking Co. George Leidenheimer emigrated to New Orleans from Germany and founded his namesake bakery in 1896. Fourth generation family members Robert J. Whann, IV, ("Sandy") and sister, Katherine Whann, now oversee Leidenheimer Baking Co. and its time-hon...

In a city of great meals, Katie's in New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood is that casual restaurant on the corner you return to often for consistently good food and generous portions. Opened in 1984 and named after the founder's grandmother, the Craig family took over Katie's in 1994. Executive Chef/Owner Scot Craig discusses his creative spin on the menu from po'boys and pizzas to heaping platters...

New Zealand native Natalie Christensen is Chief Winemaker at Yealands in the Marlborough appellation of the South Island. Before attaining her oenology degree, Christensen earned a Master's in music and is an accomplished double bass player. She discusses Yealands' location, wines, and sustainability. New Orleans native Adam Yellin is executive chef/co-owner of Local Catch Bar & Grill in Santa Ros...

Michael Twitty explores the links between food, cultural identity and ancestry in his award-winning book, The Cooking Gene, which documents his own genealogical search from the USA to Africa. A scholar on both Judaic and Afro-American culture and heritage, Twitty writes the food blog, Afroculinaria. After two decades working in hospitality and experiencing marginalization, Lia Jones founded Divers...

At age 30, André Hueston Mack was named Best Young Sommelier by a prestigious culinary group, the first African American to achieve this honor. His career path led him to Napa to become sommelier at Chef Thomas Keller's French Laundry and to New York as head sommelier for Per Se restaurant. In 2007, Mack started Maison Noir Wines in Oregon, focusing on terroir driven wines with eye-grabbing labels...

Theodora Lee leads a dual life as a senior partner at Littler Mendelson, specialists in employment law, and owner of Theopolis Vineyards in Mendocino County's Yorkville Highlands. A native Texan used to farm life, Lee acquired land to plant vines in 2001 and released her first estate bottled wines in 2014. Theopolis Vineyards' Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir have received awards and top ratings, earni...

Florida's Gulf Coast is an important source for fresh seafood. For years, the region supplied 90% of Florida's oysters and 10% of the nation’s. Jeff Tilley and son, Reid Tilley, are partners in Oyster Boss, located in Florida’s Panhandle. Tilley explains the differences in wild vs farm oyster cultivation and processing and discusses challenges the Florida oyster industry faces, sustainability, bes...

The Massoud family has contributed to the culinary landscape of New York State since the early 1980s. Ursula and Charles Massoud founded Paumanok Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island in 1983 to produce fine wines from estate-grown vinifera grapes. They later acquired Palmer Vineyards. The family run winery includes sons Kareem, Nabeel and Salim. Nephew Philippe Massoud is owner and executive...

Chef Philippe Feret and wife, Marissa Feret, own Hilton Head Social Bakery, a must-visit spot for breads, pastries and other baked goods in Hilton Head Island, a top U.S. destination. Born and raised in Normandy, France, where he worked in his father's patisserie, Philippe served as Exec. Chef at legendary restaurants Windows on the World and Tavern on the Green. The couple discusses their popular...

Alpana Singh made news as the youngest woman and first South Asian to become a Master Sommelier. Inspired by her parents, Fijian-Indian immigrants who worked in food & restaurants, Singh pursued a hospitality career in wine and became a restaurateur. She is owner of Terra & Vine in Evanston, Il. Wine industry pros Rebecca Hopkins (founder) and Cathy Huyghe (co-curator) discuss A Balanced Glass, a...

The Cattin family has made wines in a village near Colmar since 1720, when Swiss-born François Cattin settled in Alsace in northeast France. Domaine Joseph Cattin is one of Alsace’s largest family-owned wineries,a leading producer of food-friendly white wines and Crémant d’Alsace. Jacques and Anaïs Sirop Cattin discuss why ancestor and winery namesake, Joseph Cattin was a respected viticulture pio...

As President of One Fair Wage & Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley, Saru Jayaraman has spent 20+ years organizing and advocating for raising wages and improved working conditions for restaurant and other service workers. In 2020, One Fair Wage issued a report on increased sexual harassment against tipped restaurant workers during the pandemic, undersco...

Georges Lorentz, 7th generation & president at Maison Gustave Lorentz, discusses his family's history and Alsace culture, cuisine and wines. Crémant d’Alsace sparkling wines and Alsace grands crus like Riesling and Pinot Gris offer versatile year-round pairings, from classic choucroute and onion tart to Asian curries, spicy salads and ceviches. Gustave Lorentz practices organic & biodynamic viticu...

Vintner, physician, mom and "the face of Argentine wine" all refer to Dr. Laura Catena, managing director for her family's winery, Bodega Catena Zapata, and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine. She talks about her dual life on two continents both as a preeminent wine producer and working as an emergency room doctor. Catena discusses the family's approaching to selecting vineyards, researching...

Celebrating 260 years in 2020, Lanson Champagne has served as the official champagne for Britain's Royal Court since 1900 and is the official Champagne for Wimbledon tennis. Cellarmaster Hervé Dantan discusses Lanson's heritage and signature cuvees. Planet Cheese Editor Janet Fletcher has curated a selection of artisan American cheese boxes for Victory Cheese, a great gift idea that supports small...

We visit the Niagara (NY) Wine Trail with Cynthia West-Chamberlain , who celebrates the 10th anniversary of her founding Black Willow Winery. Winner of numerous accolades for her wines, mead and business acumen, West discusses her journey from tech executive to vintner. Daniele (Dani) Nierenberg, cofounder of Food Tank, addresses global food insecurity and food waste. Nierenberg is the 2020 recipi...

Who doesn't the scent of fresh-baked pie? Food52 Baking Expert Erin Jeanne McDowell discuss the art and techniques for pie baking, from "The Book of Pie." Curious about crust? Looking for phenomenal filling ideas, both sweet and savory? McDowell has you covered. In her first cookbook, "Live Life Deliciously," Tara Bench (a.k.a. Tara Teaspoon, also the name of her popular food blog) shows readers h...

Wine has played a fascinating diplomatic role in the U.S. White House, from state dinners to giving toasts. Author Frederick J. Ryan Jr. compiled extensive historical information, photos and menus in his book, "Wine and The White House: A History." Italy's Mazzei family dates to the 1400s in Tuscany and today owns three estates: Castello Fonterutoli (Chianti Classico), Belguardo (Maremma) Zisola (...

Considered the chefs' chef, Dan Kluger, owner of Loring Place restaurant in New York City, shares his thoughts on balancing flavor, texture and color in dishes. His cookbook is "Chasing Flavor" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Jim Law, founder of Linden Vineyards, has been called the godfather of Virginia wines. He shares what inspired him to start his winery in the early 1980s. Linden Vineyards in no...