The Connected Table Live

Paula Lambert, Founder of The Mozzarella Company in Dallas, truly is The Big Cheese. She founded her business in 1982 with the goal of bringing the fresh-made mozzarella cheese she learned to make while living in Italy to the U.S.A. The Mozzarella Company offers more than 30 artisanal cheeses, all made by women. The company is also 100% women-led. In 2023, Lambert sold her business to her employee...

Dr. Liz Thach MW is the 7th woman in the USA and first in California to become a Master of Wine (May 2011). She has a PhD in Human Resource Development. Dr. Thach has received more than 30 awards and accolades, presented at more than a 100 conferences, published more than 200 articles and written nine books on wine topics. At Sonoma State University she taught management and wine business classes...

Chef Isaac and Amanda Toups' New Orleans restaurant, Toups' Meatery, reflects the Cajun heritage of Isaac's family. Locally sourced beef, pork, duck and venison and Gulf seafood dishes are served in generous portions. Signatures include double cut pork chop, lamb neck, boudin, cracklins, wagyu beef burger, couvillion (his grandmother's fish stew), marinated crab claws and spicy fried oysters. The...

June is Awards Season in the Restaurant Industry. Food and travel journalist and registered dietitian, Carolyn O'Neil, and TCT's Melanie Young discuss the results of the 2024 World50 Best Awards and James Beard Foundaton Awards, including revised JBF Awards criteria, the evolution of the global kitchen, heritage cooking and food advocacy. Also on the menu: immersive dining experiences and a new ge...

Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from the Emilio-Romagna region of Italy, is a versatile red to chill and serve. It's ideal for summer dining. Alicia Lini's family has produced Lambrusco sparkling wines since 1910. Fanny Heucq's great grandfather started Champagne André Heucq in 1936. The domain is located in the Vallée de Marne, an important growing area for Pinot Meunier. Heucq's cuvées are Meuni...

Want to discover under-the-radar restaurants throughout the USA or read up on what and how we are eating? Brett Anderson has been covering food and restaurant industry topics for The New York Times since 2019 and, prior, as restaurant critic and features writer for The Times-Picayune, New Orleans. Anderson’s award-winning reporting has addressed food culture and dining, restaurant industry labor i...

A 2024 Wine Market Council study shows that Millennials (ages 28-43) are drinking more wine and trading up to spend more per bottle. Sales of white wines are soaring and reached $42.1billion in 2023. The 2024 BMO Wine Market Report reveals the U.S. Wine Industry surpassed $107 Billion in sales in 2023. Health & wellness are driving sales of low alcohol RTDs and wines. Yet, the World Health Org...

W. Blake Gray is a prolific wine writer covering industry topics that often generate plenty of commentary. Currently U.S. Editor for Wine Searcher, Gray was previously Wine Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and Food Editor for SF Weekly. In 2013 he won the Louis Roederer Award for Best Online Wine Columnist. He discusses topics he's covered from the state of Israeli wines to trends in zero-al...

Only one percent of the world’s wines make it to the U.S.A., and VeroVino represents the smallest slice, according to Sheila Donohue, founder. VeroVino is an import company focusing on small-production, eco-friendly wines and olive oils made from artisan farmers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Austria and California. Donohue worked in fintech in Italy where she earned her sommelier cert...

Preferabli is a pioneer in sensorial AI for wine, spirits and food. Pam Dillon, Co-founder and CEO, tells the story of why Preferabli was built and how the patented software works like a human expert at scale. Dillon explains how the software helps retail and hospitality businesses provide truly personalized discovery and recommendations, one person at a time. Dillon shares how consumers can use t...

James Clesi began serving his signature pop-up crawfish boils at venues around New Orleans in 2013 and expanded. Clesi’s Seafood Restaurant & Catering offers award-winning boiled crawfish, shrimp, fresh and chargrilled oysters and popular Louisiana fare like blackened redfish with dirty rice, jambalaya and fried catfish in a casual setting year-round. In 2024, Clesi’s was invited to be the off...

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is called Scenic City thanks to its location on the Tennessee River and its expansive mountain vistas. Popular with outdoor enthusiasts and Civil War history buffs, the city offers many family-friendly attractions. Chattanooga is also an historic Snack City where both Moon-Pies and Little Debbie Snack Cakes in nearby Collegedale were created in the early 1900s. Melanie grew...

Roussillon in SW France produces 80% of France’s vin doux naturels (VDNs). The centuries-old process for making these fortified sweet wines, known as "mutage," occurs when a spirit is added to stop fermentation early, enabling the wine to retain its natural sugars. Roussillon AOP vin doux naturels include Banyuls, Maury, Rivesaltes, and Muscat de Rivesaltes. Eric Aracil, co-director & export m...

Vouvray is a white wine made with Chenin Blanc grapes in the Central Loire Valley district of Touraine. Vouvray’s range of expressive styles runs from dry to off dry to sweet, sparkling and still. Alexandre Monmousseau is a fifth-generation vigneron who founded Alexandre M in 2020 after many years working in the business. His focus is small production, hand-crafted cuvées. These include a sparklin...

Looking for an off-the beaten track wine glamping getaway in Italy? Consider Abruzzo. Azienda Agricola Cirelli is an organically farmed winery located in the Gran Sasso Park, home to one of the highest peaks in the Appennine Mountains. Stay in one of two well-appointed cabins surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and jaw-dropping views. Founder Francesco Cirelli is a talented "new generation" Abruz...

Alabama and Mississippi are both rich in music culture, notably the soulful sounds of the blues. TCT Hosts Melanie Young and David Ransom take you on a driving road trip from The Shoals of Alabama to Tupelo, Mississippi, to the visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Then, on to Oxford for a literary and dining stopover before heading to Highway 61's Mississippi Blues Trail. Here, they drive from C...

Charles Massoud grew up in a family of fine wine importers in Lebanon and dreamed of making his own wine. When his career brought him to the U.S.A. in the 1970s, he saw the potential of Long Island to make wine. In 1983 Charles and wife, Ursula, founded Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue on the North Fork to produce fine wines from estate-grown vinifera grapes. The family-run winery has won The New Y...

Caterina Dei continues the legacy of her grandfather, Alibrandi Dei, who planted his first vineyard, Bossona, in Montepulciano in 1964. Cantine Dei is now a leading producer of DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in Tuscany. Cantine Dei is a stunning winery built from travertine marble, conceived by Caterina’s late father, Glauco Dei. Honoring his memory. Caterina created Madonna Della Querce, a sin...

The noble Brandolini d’Adda family were respected military leaders serving Venice back to the 1600s. Vistorta, their 19th century country estate and winery in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, is known for its world-class gardens, Merlot wines and local varietals like Fruliano. Fourth generation family member, Brandino Brandolini, graduated Texas A&M and worked at Château Greysac before taking the reins...

Located between the Veneto and Friuli, Casa Paladin is a stately winery born from humble origins. At age 16, Valentino Paladin lost his parents He supported his family by farming, baking bread, and opening a grocery. In 1962 he founded Casa Paladin. Today, the Paladin family also owns Bosco del Merlo, Friuli; Castello Bonomi, Franciacorta; Casa Lupo, Valpolicella; Castelvecchi and Poggio Petroso,...

There's a world of wine to enjoy and many choices. As the executive wine editor for Food & Wine and the wine & spirits editor for Travel + Leisure, Ray Isle has access to many wines to recommend for his column “What to Drink Next.” In his book, "The World in a Wineglass: The Insider's Guide to Artisanal, Sustainable, Extraordinary Wines to Drink Now," (Scribner 2023) Isle spotlights indepe...

Transparency is key in what we drink and eat. People want products made with all natural ingredients and no additives that taste great, says KLYR Rum Distiller Lexi Close. Hand-crafted in Pennsylvania, KLYR is the vision of three friends who wanted a clean tasting rum with zero grams of sugar, zero grams of carbohydrates and fewer calories. KLYR rum is distilled 12 times and filtered 18 times with...

The name Biondi-Santi is synonymous with the Brunello wines of Tuscany’s Montalcino. At Biondi-Santi family estate, Tenute Il Greppo, Ferrucio Biondi Santi first barrel-aged 100% Sangiovese Grosso in 1888, naming it “Brunello di Montalcino.” In 2017 family owner, Jacopo Biondi-Santi, sold the winery to French firm EPI. Many wondered what would change. Biondi-Santi CEO Giampiero Bertolini is a wine...

Stevie Kim is Managing Director of Vinitaly International, the world’s largest wine expo held in Verona where she's based. A self-proclaimed Italian Wine Evangelist, her impact spreading the gospel of Italian wine is widespread. Stevie has helped evolve Vinitaly from a trade fair to a global brand spearheading the Vinitaly International Academy, Wine2Wine Business Forum, Italian Wine Podcast and O...

Champagne Palmer was established in 1947 by seven grower families passionate about quality and sharing a vision to create a Grande Marque. Based in Montagne de Reims, Champagne Palmer encompasses 500 acres of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards throughout 40 crus. Champagne Palmer’s elegance and richness are enhanced by consistent blending and longer sur lie aging says Oenologist and Managing Director...