Season One
Left Bank Butchery
In a tiny unincorporated town in the gentle, rolling landscape of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, there is a butcher who partners with one hog farm and one cattle operation and practices what he calls “ultimate transparency” to craft charcuterie, steaks and chops of unparalleled quality.
Honeychild’s Sweet Creams
How do you go about changing the food system? If you’re Kathleen Morgan, you make frozen custard, of course. With dual in business and animal science degrees and a lifetime spent on her family’s ranch outside of Houston, Kathleen saw launching Honeychild’s sweet Creams as a way to make a sweet impact on the local food system.
Peconic Escargot
People have been eating land snails for roughly 30,000 years… Heliculture, a fancy word for snail farming, is a practice that is gaining traction here in the US as chefs increasingly search for unique local products. Peconic Escargot is hand raising snails on foraged greens and chefs are creating dishes that highlight the mollusk’s delicate flavor.
Edible Alchemy
In an age when we are beginning to truly understand the positive and negative impact food can have on our overall health, many are turning to fermentation. This ancient preservation technique turns out to have tremendous side benefits and in this episode, you are going to meet the team behind Edible Alchemy. They are crafting from-the-farm ferments using fruit and vegetables sourced directly from San Diego farmers.
Jack Rabbit Hill Farm
A biodynamic farmer approaches the farm as its own diverse organism, with each element — plants, insects, animals and soil — contributing to the whole. At Jack Rabbit Hill Farm in Hotchkiss, Colorado, Lance Hanson is crafting biodynamic wines that express his farm’s mountain terroir along with eau de vie, cider, gin and other beverages that reflect the character of western Colorado.
Penn Cove Shellfish
Over half of the proteins we eat come from the oceans, and we are harvesting seafood faster than nature is replenishing the supply. Unlike many other types of farmed seafood, shellfish farming is clean and sustainable. The methods employed by Penn Cove Shellfish do not require any added feed or chemicals. Farmed mussels, clams and oysters are a sustainable seafood choice and that’s good for you as well as the environment.
Oliver Farm Artisan Oils
From deep-frying to a drizzle on salad, oil is a critical component in cooking. We are all familiar with the beautiful flavor found in olive oil, but there’s a world to explore beyond standard EVOO. In this episode, you’re going to meet Clay Oliver of Oliver Farms Artisan Oils. His culinary oils and flours have become some of the South’s most sought-after ingredients.
Green Dirt Farm
In the rolling hills north of Kansas City, there is a dairy that develops flavor in its cheeses from the ground up. There are very few sheep’s milk diaries in the US, and in this episode, you’re going to visit one of the best. Green Dirt Farms’ cheeses begin in the pasture, with well-tended soil that grows a range of prairie grasses which develop seasonal flavors in the cheeses depending on what’s in the field.
Orchid Island Brewery
In this episode of tasteMAKERS, we’re meeting the couple behind Orchid Island Brewery in Vero Beach, Florida. They straddle the region’s past and present by crafting modern beers that celebrate Indian River County’s citrus history.
Freight Farms
You’ve heard of houses and restaurants being built out of recycled shipping containers, but farms? Yes. In Boston, the team at Freight Farms is building self-contained hydroponic farms from old shipping containers that can be controlled with an app and make growing food anywhere, in any climate, possible.
Broken Arrow Ranch
Hunting is a time-honored tradition throughout much of the United States, and in an era when we are seeking out free-range meat from animals who lived their best life, wild game should be on the menu. At Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas, Chris Hughes and his team harvest game in a humane, sustainable way and process the animals on site using a unique mobile processing unit. Strap yourself in. In this episode of tasteMAKERS, we’re on the hunt!
Phoenix Bean Tofu
People have been turning soybeans into tofu for about 2000 years. It originated in China and is made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the curds, much like making cheese. In this episode, you will meet Chicago entrepreneur Jenny Yang, the woman behind Jenny’s Tofu and Phoenix Bean Tofu. She has become an important player in this city’s renowned culinary scene.
Louismill
Back in the day, America was dotted with mills that ground grain and corn for local farmers. Today, freshly milled whole grain is making a comeback. At Louismill in Louisville, Kentucky, there is a baker who works directly with farmers to source grain and corn that he stone grinds into flour and grits, some of which he backs into breaks and pastries or tosses into pizza crusts.