Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie

Join us as we experience the flavors that define South Indian cuisine. We'll visit the home of an award-winning author where she savors the enduring recipes and aromatic spices that connect her to family and an ancient past. Next, we'll visit a tiny farming community where local farmers cultivate indigenous ragi grain without the use of pesticides. We'll also travel along the western Malabar coast where a distinguished chef makes a local favorite using the region's abundant seafood and coconuts.

With about 10,000 miles of rugged, unspoiled coastline and relative isolation from the rest of the world, New Zealand is the perfect place for growing fresh, organic fare. We'll travel across the country and meet producers of artisanal honey, hand-crafted goat cheese, single-vineyard wines, and farm-raised venison. Join us as we learn how local products and the natural bounty of the land influence cuisines around the world.

Bread: a simple staple at the center of almost any meal, on every table, across the globe. We'll travel through the bustling streets of Paris to learn the secret to a beautifully baked French loaf, and then head to Italy where an Italian baker shares the story of Tuscan bread. We'll also spend time in the Adirondack Mountains with a baker who sees bread as a way of life. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we'll get a taste of a legendary recipe for savory brioche from Richard Bertinet.

We'll take you on a tour of Hong Kong's private kitchens, hidden storefronts, and other secrets known only to the most devoted foodies in Hong Kong. We'll meet chefs at these hideouts and discover the experimental approaches that make what they do so extraordinary. We'll also visit a family-run factory where soy sauce is made using an ancient method. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we're cooking with oyster sauce, a cornerstone of Asian flavor.

We’ll show you what southern cooking is all about, and it’s not just grits and gravy. We’ll travel to North Carolina where we see the old-style tradition of barbecue come alive with legendary pitmaster Ed Mitchell. Next, we’ll visit an eco-friendly trout farm in the Appalachian Mountains and experience the unique combination of Asian and barbecue cuisine at The Lantern, a famous restaurant in Chapel Hill. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’re sharing a recipe that no one can resist: okra fritters.

We’ll travel to Baja, the peninsula south of California in Mexico that is fast becoming an epicenter in the culinary world. We’ll meet a chef who has built a destination restaurant using fresh herbs, vegetables, and seafood for his restaurant Laja. We’ll also travel to a wine school in the fertile valley of Guadalupe, then visit a French chef who runs a five-diamond resort restaurant in Los Cabos. Join us as we show you why this Mexican hotspot is compared to the major gastronomic regions of France. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’re sharing a savory recipe for Mongolian stewed garlic.

Four stars of the blogging world share their opinions on all things edible, teaching us how to go incognito on the outskirts of Hong Kong and how to gather the sweet goods on the streets of Paris. Join us as we visit bloggers who know that creating a culinary tale is not just about the food, it’s about the adventure along the way. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, Ruth Reichl shares a blog-worthy recipe for apricot pie.

Join us as we travel across the globe to visit chefs who are redefining the art of grilling. In Panzano, Italy, one of the world’s greatest butchers shows us how a perfectly prepared steak begins and ends with the dry heat of an open flame. Next we’ll travel to Morocco to experience an ancient method of cooking that uses the intense heat of the fire in a communal bathhouse. Then, at a Fourth of July barbecue in Massachusetts, a great chef stays up all night to demonstrate an entire range of grilling traditions and techniques. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’re sharing tips for easy grilling in your own backyard.

A new generation of culinary talent is ignoring tradition and experimenting with techniques, reinventing French cuisine. Come with us to meet these young masters: One is changing the face of the French bistro at his restaurant, Le Chateaubriand; another is taking the organic movement in new directions on his farm in the south of France. And we’ll visit a restaurant in a premier art museum, where the chef is creating iconoclastic dishes based on classic ingredients (foie gras and celery rémoulade with popcorn, anyone?). Join us to find out why France could be on the verge of another revolution. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll see another innovation from French chefs: the Silpat, which has revolutionized pastry-making.

Join us as we visit the rugged region of Southwest Tuscany, where semi-wild Maremmane cattle inspire a local specialty called bollito. Next, we’ll travel to Morocco to experience freshly made Beldi butter, and we’ll also try chocolate milk from the American heartland. From Italy to Upstate New York, we’ll show you how cows influence cuisines around the world. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’re spicing up a basic cut of meat with a flavorful dry rub and homemade barbecue sauce.

Can a great meal be based on deception? Trompe L’Oeil means “fooling the eye,” and some chefs and experts are doing just that. In this episode, we’ll meet a chef who’s been figuring out ways to fool diners for 45 years, feeding them whimsical creations like “scrambled eggs” made out of scallops. Then we’ll travel to New York City to visit a cake-making “studio” where edible foods replace tubes of paint. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you how to create a slice of “watermelon” that looks exactly like the real thing—with seeds made out of chocolate.

Join us for a look at the fishing industry through the eyes of some of the world’s best seafood chefs and most forward-thinking fisherman. First, chef David Pasternack of Esca in New York City takes us fishing in the Long Island Sound. Next, we’ll travel to New Zealand, where a fisherman limits his catch of native Paua abalone to help guarantee the survival of this prized export. And in Italy, a traditional fisherman is changing his ways to ensure that there will still be seafood left in the future. Come travel the world to learn about the latest in sustainable fishing practices. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you what to look for when you buy seafood.

Curious about the most advanced gadgets in the 21st century kitchen? Come along and meet the people who are pushing the art of cooking to new heights. First, former chief technology officer of Microsoft shows off his incredible home kitchen, which is full of high-tech gizmos. Next we’ll travel to France to meet the man who coined the term “molecular gastronomy,” and discover why he thinks everyone should be a chemist. Finally, in Chicago the genius behind the “anti-griddle” shows us his latest inventions. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll give you a few tips to inspire your inner inventor.

Come along with us as we discover the unique and little-known cuisine of Chile, a fascinating cross-pollination of native ingredients and European technique. In the charming city of Quintay, we find some of the best seafood in Chile featured in a family-run restaurant that offers just-out-of-the-water-fresh dishes. We also visit the birthplace of potatoes, where we meet a woman who has dedicated her life to preserving Chile’s unmatched potato diversity. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you how queso fresco can create an easy, hearty, and very delicious stew.

How did a kid from Milwaukee become one of America’s finest chefs? Join us as Paul Bartolotta, one of the first chefs in America to elevate Italian cuisine to four-star status, shows us the fresh ingredients and the classic techniques behind his wonderful, deceptively simple cuisine. Then we’ll travel to Italy to discover some of Bartolotta’s inspirations: The age-old craft of making Parmigiano-Reggiano, and one of the most important fishing ports along the Adriatic. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll mix Italian ingredients with French techniques to amazing effect.

Who says fast food can’t be superb? Join us as we visit chefs around the world who are redefining the very concept of fast food. Chef David Chang of Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City turns out a spectacular meal in next to no time. In Florence, Italy, a vendor of tripe sandwiches shows us the glories of the city’s oldest form of fast food, while in Hong Kong we visit a local wonton noodle shop that has gained widespread fame for its recipe, which fans consider to be perfect. In the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you how to make Steak Diane in a flash, using a very unexpected ingredient.

Sweet doesn’t necessarily just mean dessert—it is a basic flavor element in all types of food in cultures around the world. We’ll attend a traditional Moroccan tea ceremony, complete with amazing sugared pastries, then travel to Shanghai to sample a sweet meat dish. From Morocco to Vietnam to Shanghai, we’ll discover the many uses of sugar and learn why it’s an ingredient we simply can’t live without. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll share the gooey goodness of a homemade marshmallow.

Come with us as we fan out across the world to meet with chefs and scientists who are exploring the importance of aromas, proving that the fragrance of a dish does not come only from the ingredients it contains. At the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, we talk with a “taste scientist” who demonstrates the crucial role that aromas play in our enjoyment of food. In the French countryside, we meet a chef who enlivens the dining experience with a wide range of aromas from the plants in the garden just outside his door. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’ll show you how to keep your kitchen smelling delicious, even when you cook fish.

Join us on a trip to the incredible country of Vietnam, where fine cuisine is utterly simple. In a remote fishing village in the waters of Ha Long Bay, we’ll experience one of the most popular dishes in Vietnam: Canh Chua Ca (Sweet and Sour Fish Soup). Next we’ll take a caffeine-buzz tour with a food blogger to the many coffee houses in Hanoi. In Tay Ninh, the local rice paper at a family-run factory is so special that cooks come from all over Vietnam to stock up. Back in the Gourmet kitchen, Clay Pot Pork combines sweet, salty, and spicy in a single easy-to-make dish.

Come along as we travel the globe to discover the exciting and flavorful world of spirits, looking into the slightly wacky world of mixology and meeting the cocktail artists who are raising the bar for bartenders everywhere. In the field of molecular mixology, risk-taker Tony Conigliaro is known for blending some of the most innovative cocktails in the UK. In India, we’ll watch Keralan coconut climbers make fresh liquor from the sap of a coconut tree. We’ll also visit a micro-distillery in New York, the first to produce bourbon, rye, and vodka in the state since Prohibition. And in the Gourmet kitchen, we’re reinventing the multi-layered Pousse-Café.