At this point, saying Nashville is a food destination is a given, like saying it’s the home of country music, or has the best public television station in the nation. We know this, right? We also know public television is one of the best places for food shows. Julia Child was on PBS! Which is why we’re particularly excited about our program schedule this fall, which brings new food shows, new seasons of favorite food shows, and even some with strong Nashville ties. Among the highlights are a primetime slot for the second season of Mind of a Chef, starring Husk’s Chef Sean Brock and partly focusing on Southern cuisine, Sing for Your Supper, a mashup of music and cooking taped at the Ryman Auditorium, and A Chef’s Life, starring Chef Vivian Howard, who left the big city for eastern North Carolina.
Here’s a rundown of what’s coming and when:
MIND OF A CHEF
Tuesdays, beginning October 10 at 8:30 p.m.
The Mind of Chef combines travel, cooking, history, science, and humor into an unforgettable journey. In the first eight episodes of season two, Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk in Charleston (and now with a Husk outpost in Nashville) spotlights southern cooking with heritage varieties of rice, beans and grains. We profiled Husk, along with Prince’s Hot Chicken, in the first episode of our web series with Under the Guise, You Ought to Know Nashville. In the second half of the season, Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig fin New York City follows up with an innovative, refreshingly straightforward take on food. Brock is perhaps the best-known spokesperson for both expanding and preserving the integrity of traditional Southern foodways. His cuisine shines the spotlight on the untold varieties of rice, beans and grains that once made America the envy of the world. Brock’s obsessive and ever-growing collection of seeds and recipes, along with countless hours of research, help to ensure that these long-forgotten heritage varieties are resurrected. In short, Sean Brock is on the front line of restoring the South to its former culinary glory. British-born Bloomfield owns and operates three restaurants in New York City — The Breslin, John Dory and Salvation Taco — and is in the process of opening Tosca in San Francisco, her first spot out of New York City. Over the course of eight episodes, watch her wrestle with the demands of opening a restaurant, test menu ideas, obsess over ingredients and techniques, and cook with her mentors and contemporaries.
Watch a preview of Mind of a Chef:
A CHEF’S LIFE
Tuesdays, beginning October 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Join Chef Vivian Howard’s personal and culinary journey from the top restaurants in New York to her return to North Carolina’s Low Country as she explores the rich bounty of farm fresh cooking, family and community. Each episode follows Vivian out of the kitchen and into cornfields, strawberry patches and hog farms as she hunts down the ingredients that inspire her seasonal menus. Episodes include “Pimp My Grits,” “Cracklin’ Kitchen,” and “Tomatoes … You Say Heirloom, I Say Old-Timey.”
Watch a preview of A Chef’s Life:
A Chef’s Life teaser from A Chef’s Life on Vimeo.
SING FOR YOUR SUPPER
Saturdays, beginning November 2 at 1:00 p.m.
The first culinary series to film on the historic stage of the Ryman Auditorium, Sing for Your Supper is a unique cooking series hosted by Chef Bob Waggoner (Executive Chef of Watermark) combining cooking and music. Each episode will feature a music star and their special guest along with a sommelier, and the episode’s guest chef, chosen from our studio audience. Chef Waggoner will teach his Audience Chef how to prepare a French-influenced, Southern entrée while also discussing wine pairings. Then the Audience Chef will present their dish to the musical guest, who will gladly “sing for their supper.” Musical guests slated for the series include Jana Kramer, Lauren Alaina, Sarah Darling, Love and Theft, Amy Grant, Brandon Heath, Erin McCarley, Escondido, Lelleigh Bannen, Craig Morgan, Brett Eldridge, Dailey & Vincent and The Mavericks.
Watch a preview of Sing for Your Supper:
PRIDE & JOY: A SOUTHERN FOODWAYS ALLIANCE FEATURE FILM
Tuesday, November 26 at 8:00 p.m.
In this hour-long documentary, director Joe York on behalf of the Southern Foodways Alliance focuses on the tradition-bearers of Southern food culture. The film presents intimate portraits of people and places while asking important questions about our common culture.
Watch a preview of Pride & Joy:
PRIDE & JOY: A Southern Foodways Alliance Film Project from Southern Foodways on Vimeo.
Continuing on Saturday Mornings/Afternoon
Cooking with Nick Stellino, 11:00 a.m.
Each episode opens with Nick visiting some of his favorite grocers, butchers, cheesemakers and fishmongers. While on location, he happily shares his tips and tricks for selecting the ideal ingredients and the best culinary tools for the everyday cook. After each shopping trip, Nick returns to his sparkling new set, modeled after his own home kitchen. With the home cook in mind, he prepares elegant yet easily recreated recipes — from savory soups to authentic pasta and rice dishes to delectable desserts — in step-by-step fashion.
Cook’s Country, 11:30 a.m.
Cook’s Country From America’s Test Kitchen features the best regional specialties — from potluck dinners and holiday favorites to simple suppers and lost recipes. The Daytime Emmy®-nominated series takes the same practical, no-nonsense and scientific approach as Cook’s Country magazine by providing home cooks with foolproof recipes and cooking techniques developed through rigorous investigation and careful testing. With chefs Bridget Lancaster, Julia Collin Davison and Erin McMurrer and host Christopher Kimball.
America’s Test Kitchen, 12:00 p.m.
The most-watched cooking show on public television, and a 2012 Daytime Emmy® winner, uses a common-sense, practical approach to solve everyday cooking problems and help viewers save time and money. Host Christopher Kimball and test kitchen cooks Bridget Lancaster, Julia Collin Davison and Rebecca Hays reveal the basics of home cooking while preparing dozens of tried-and-true recipes, including prime rib and French-style pot-roasted pork loin, pasta all’Amatriciana, Sichuan stir-fried pork in garlic sauce, grill-roasted turkey, classic chicken salad, French apple cake, carrot layer cake and raspberry sorbet. The popular segments include food tastings with Jack Bishop, equipment testing with Adam Ried, gadget reviews with Lisa McManus and food science with Guy Crosby
Mexico – One Plate at a Time, 12:30 p.m.
The ninth season of chef Rick Bayless‘ cooking and travel series explores the cuisine and culture of Oaxaca — Mexico’s fifth-largest state — from its capital, Oaxaca City, to the small coastal town of Puerto Angel. Rick explores regal ruined cities, craft villages, colorful markets, and beloved old churches and town plazas; paddles through wildlife-rich coastal mangrove lagoons and hikes tropical rainforest trails; visits off-the-beaten-path restaurants and food stalls, and takes in the stunning Day of the Dead festivities. In every episode, Rick meets Oaxaca’s artisans, including weavers, potters, small-batch mescal producers and boutique cheese-makers. He also cooks — and occasionally fishes and hunts for wild game — alongside Oaxaca’s finest chefs, home cooks and market vendors.
Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, 1:00 p.m.
Inspired by the eponymous best-selling book,Martha Stewart’s Cooking School will give home cooks a culinary master class with Martha herself. Each week, she will demonstrate classic cooking techniques and basics. Using her signature step-by-step, how-to teaching process, Martha illustrates cooking fundamentals that everyone should know: from roasting and poaching to braising and blanching. In addition, Martha shares tips in every 30-minute episode, inspiring and educating home cooks everywhere.
Martha Bakes, 1:00 p.m.
Learn to create the finest desserts and goodies in your own home. Martha Stewart shares the best baking tips and techniques, giving you the confidence to create delectable baked goods — from scratch — in your own kitchen. Martha’s updated versions of the classics set the standard, while her uses of flavors and ingredients add new angles to some familiar favorites.