For Consumers

Chefs A’Field: Culinary Adventures That Begin on the Farm

Season 2 Episodes (Premiering spring 2005 )

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Chef George Schenk-American Flatbread: Waitsfield, Vt.
Chef Matt Littledog-Simon & Seaforts: Anchorage, Alaska
Chef Suzanne Goin-Lucques/A.O.C.: Los Angeles, Calif.
Chef Todd Gray-Equinox: Washington, D.C.
Chefs Debbie Gold & Michael Smith-40 Sardines: Kansas City, MO
Chef Sam Hayward-Fore Street: Portland, Maine
Chef Holly Smith-Cafe Juanita: Seattle, Wash.
Chef Jacques Pepin-Sunburst Trout: Canton, N.C.
Chef Karen DeMasco-Craft: New York, N.Y. and Costa Rica
Chef Greg Atkinson-Canlis /Islandwood: Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Chef Dan Barber-Blue Hill: New York, N.Y.

Chef George Schenk-American Flatbread: Waitsfield, Vermont
Filmed during a heavy snowstorm in early April, Chef Schenk ventures into a forest of snow- covered maples to learn how to tap the trees for their sugar. Farmer Easty Long guides him up Sugarbush Mountain to find the perfect grove, then back down to make maple syrup in his steamy "sugar shack." Afterwards, Chef Schenk heads back to his kitchen, where in a hand-made wood-fired earthen oven, he makes his nationally renowned American Flatbread pizza with a secret ingredient--you guessed it--Pure Vermont Maple Syrup.
RECIPES: Flatbread Maple Syrup Tomato Sauce; Flatbread with Organic Sausage; Smoked Salmon & Asparagus Flatbread; Rasberry-Maple Syrup Vinaigrette

Chef Matt Littledog-Simon & Seaforts: Anchorage, Alaska
Filmed in July when the sun never sets, our cameras traveled the icy waters of Alaska's rivers and seas. Home to the world's only certified sustainable salmon fishery, Alaska's salmon are simply the best. Standing chest deep in the rivers where the salmon spawn, and then in the fiords cut into the Katmai Mountains, Chef Littledog guides us through the remarkable story of the wild salmon. The chef also introduces us to some the State's biggest fish fans--grizzly bears. He is filmed fly fishing right next to hungry bears as they dive for fish--in his words, one of the best moments of his life.
RECIPES: Wild Salmon Stuffed with Bread Pudding & Mushroom; Risotto Encrusted Wild Salmon Steak

Chef Suzanne Goin-Lucques/A.O.C.: Los Angeles, California
Suzanne Goin is L.A.'s hottest chef. Featured on the cover of a recent Gourmet magazine, her secret is fourth generation farmer Phil McGrath who grows the best fruit and vegetables in California. But before we get to work on the farm, it's "surfs-up" as McGrath catches a few waves before work. On the farm we pick organic strawberries, tomatoes, squash, and beans, and in the kitchen Chef Goin prepares a mouth watering dish as an ode to her favorite farmer.
RECIPES: New World Pork & Beans; Kobocha Squash & Radicchio Salad

Chef Todd Gray-Equinox: Washington, DC
There are flashier chefs in Washington, DC, but none are better than Todd Gray. His impressive resume includes tours of duty with classicist Robert Greault and modernist Jean-Louis Palladin as well as a seven-year stretch heading the kitchen at Galileo, during which time Roberto Donna's restaurant first won national prominence. What Gray absorbed from his mentors was an understanding of the techniques of classic, modern, and rustic cooking, all of which he has applied in developing his updated interpretation of Piedmont regional cooking. Chef Gray takes our cameras on a sailing adventure in the Chesapeake Bay to catch one of his favorite ingredients--soft shell crab. Our waterman on this adventure is Beatrice Taylor, a fiesty 75-year- old who has been crabbing her entire life, and who is also the mayor of Irvington, VA.
RECIPES: Soft Shell Crab with Anchovy Butter; Melon & Watercress Salad

Chefs Debbie Gold & Michael Smith-40 Sardines: Kansas City, Missouri
Husband and wife cooking team Debbie Gold and Michael Smith roam the countryside in search of the best local ingredients. This dynamic duo is renowned for innovative menus that revolve around the seasons offering twice the spice. Filmed in June during the season's first harvest, our cameras visit the old-world workings of a Mennonite farm where chefs and farmer pick tomatoes, squash, and potatoes. Then it's off to the new-age Campo Lindo farms to meet the locally renowned hens who have a weekly by-line in every carton of eggs.
RECIPES: Poached Egg Soup with Squash Blossoms & Tomatoes; Chicken Breast with Sour Cherry's & Asparagus Salad

Chef Sam Hayward-Fore Street: Portland, Maine
Sam Hayward and his Fore Street restaurant are renowned for being New England's best. "Simple and delicious" is his mantra and he pours all his profits into buying the best local ingredients available. Shot during the peak of fall color, Hayward and farmer Lee Straw sail off the coast of Maine to secret islands where they herd sheep and watch them graze on salt grass and seaweed. Back in the kitchen our chef prepares salt lamb over a wood fired spit. "The smoke coupled with the unique sea and salt flavor of the meat offers a taste that is the essence of Maine," says Hayward.
RECIPES: Turnspit Roasted Leg of Lamb; Grilled Rib - Chop of Lamb with Matsutaki Mushrooms & Kale; Hard Cider Baked Beans

Chef Holly Smith-Cafe Juanita: Seattle, Washington
As the rising star at Kirkland's Cafe Juanita, Holly Smith combines Northern Italian cuisine with local seasonal ingredients just a few steps from her door. Most of her vegetables come from neighbor and friend Andrew Stout at Full Circle Farms. Located in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains, Full Circle Farms has volcanic soil so rich, the organic crops burst with flavor. Chef Smith complements these amazing vegetables with old-word sausage she makes by hand with Armandino Batali, owner of the award-winning Italian charcuterie, Salumi. He is the father of Mario Batali and he taught his son everything he knows--even how to make it big in the Manhattan restaurant and television world.
RECIPES: Ripe Cantaloupe with Priscutto; Octopus with Green Sauce & Olive Oil Poached Potato; Fotochino with Lentils & Chipolinni & Agridulce (Good Luck Winter Sausage)

Chef Jacques Pepin & Sunburst Trout: Canton, North Carolina
Have you ever heard of Sally's American Caviar from Sunburst Trout Company? Nestled in the hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, pristine springs feed streams where trout flourish in a perfect environment. Sally Eason harvests these trout the same way her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather did--handpicking only the best fish and quickly preparing them for market. Once picked, nothing goes to waste--the meat is smoked, eggs are used for caviar, and the rest is recycled. Sally's trout are some of the most sought after in the world. America's favorite French chef is a huge fan. Jacques Pepin hikes the hills and wades the streams with Sally to find out were the trout come from. In the kitchen we film Pepin preparing mouth-watering dishes with smoked trout, caviar, and seasonal ingredients.
RECIPES: Poached Trout with White Wine, Horseradish & Mushroom Sauce; Sunburst Caviar on Potato Pancake

Chef Karen DeMasco-Craft: New York, New York
Costa Rica Sugar is the most common ingredient in a pastry chef's kitchen, but it was not until pastry chef Karen DeMasco tasted freshly harvested organic sucanat that she realized, "sugar can have a deep and complex taste--it's not just about sweetness." In this episode, New York's most celebrated pastry chef takes us to the root of her sweet desserts in beautiful Costa Rica. Chef DeMasco takes a step back in time on an adventure to Costa Rica where she and farmer Philippe Ortuno plant, harvest, and process pure, organic, unrefined sugar cane by hand. With dance-like precision, each stalk of cane is harvested by machete, stacked by
hand, and transported by ox cart to the mill. Crushed for its sweet sap, the sugar is merely boiled to a concentrate--100% pure, organic, unrefined sugar cane. RECIPES: Sucanat Candied Macadamian Nuts; Brown Sugar Cake

Chef Greg Atkinson-Canlis /Islandwood: Bainbridge Island, Washington
Chef Atkinson, a James Beard Award winner, presides over an oasis of 255 acres of forests, marshes, ponds, estuaries, and beautifully designed "green" buildings at Bainbridge Island's Islandwood. This ecological refuge is a learning center and camp for children. "Our goal was to create the very best place in the world for children to learn about the environment," says Atkinson. Here he conducts cooking classes for school children and has created a culinary program based on the seasons and local farming. His classes always begin in Islandwood's organic garden providing a hands-on primer on where food comes from. For additional ingredients, the chef takes our cameras just over the bridge to harvest oysters in Puget Sound's Hood Canal. Here, Bill Taylor, whose family has been in the oyster business for over 100 years, shows Atkinson how to raise and harvest the world's finest oysters--while caring for the environment and community.
RECIPES: Kumamoto Oysters with Rhubarb Minionette; Steamed Pacific Oysters with Sweet Wine Butter Sauce; Fried Oysters in Nettle Sauce

Chef Dan Barber-Blue Hill: New York, New York
Chef Barber began cooking for family and friends at Blue Hill Farm in the Berkshires of Massachusetts as a teenager. The farm has been in his family for four generations. He fell in love with growing and cooking farm-fresh ingredients so he opened his restaurant, Blue Hill, in New York City. His philosophy of cooking with only local ingredients coupled with his considerable culinary talents have enabled him to expand his restaurant from a casual neighborhood joint to a fine dining (James Beard Award winning) experience. Our cameras tag along as Chef Barber harvests crops from Blue Hill farm then visits his neighbors farms for tips on growing and diversifying his crops. Then we follow him into his Manhattan restaurant where he prepares a feast from the farm.
RECIPES:


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