Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans

Lidia takes a tour of American Spoon Jam, in Petoskey, Michigan. American Spoon offers a rigorous training program to teach workers how to produce the finest fruit preserves while remaining committed to using centuries-old cooking techniques.

In Madisonville, Tennessee, Lidia catches up with Allan Benton, of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams, who has spent 45 years mastering the art of curing meat and making traditional country ham, slow-smoked bacon and sausage using century-old techniques rather than modern technology—customs that spring from his Appalachian upbringing.

In Denver, Colorado, Lidia pays a visit to the Comal Heritage Food Incubator, where budding chefs can take their family recipes and elevate them for public consumption through a restaurant and catering business. Vian Al Nidawi, an Iraqi-Syrian refugee, is on the line as the lead chef.

In Denver, Colorado, Lidia pays a visit to the Comal Heritage Food Incubator, where budding chefs can take their family recipes and elevate them for public consumption through a restaurant and catering business. Erika Rojas is a recent graduate of the program who has started her own food truck business.

In Napa Valley, California, Lidia meets Ramiro Herrera, one of only a few dozen master coopers in the world. Herrera, of Caldwell Vineyard shows Lidia how he assembles American oak into barrels by hand, and also demonstrates the complex art of toasting a barrel.

Sara Dahmen at House Copper in Grafton Village, Wisconsin is one of the only female coppersmiths in the world. She created her own apprenticeship opportunity by reaching out to a local craftsman preserving a dying art—creating tin, iron and copper cookware using centuries-old techniques.

At Ironbound Farm in Asbury Township, New Jersey, Head Chef, Gunnar Bentley, shows Lidia how to cook mushrooms as well as chicken on what they call the “mother fire,” an incredible 30-foot-tall outdoor grill. Opened as a cidery only a few years ago, the Farm has a big mission: training members of chronically underemployed populations with valuable farming skills to bring back to their communities.

Lidia hosts a dinner at Ironbound Farm in Asbury Township, New Jersey in celebration of the Artisans who opened their doors, and their lives to show Lidia how food artisans and artisanal crafts are gaining momentum in the U.S. After a beautiful rendition of 'Amazing Grace', performed by Ironbound employees, Lidia raises her glass in a toast.

In Petoskey, Michigan, Lidia joins Justin Rashid foraging for mushrooms with his grandson. Justin was a pioneer in the American farm-to-table movement.