Lidia Celebrates America

U.S. Army Veteran Jenine Chance lost her brother Jesse 12 years ago in Afghanistan War. Since 2003, she has volunteered with 'Operation Gratitude,' sending care packages to military personnel. She continues this tradition to keep Jesse's memory alive, and now they are also sending care packages to Frontline workers in the U.S. Lidia adds her own letter of thanks to a care package.

Lidia reflects on what it takes to be an Emergency Medical Technician on the front-lines, as she spends time virtually with the Station Chief for Emergency Medical Services, Captain Jennifer Ison, and Lieutenant Dwight Scott of FDNY EMS Station 17 in the South Bronx. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the job of EMT especially challenging.

Sisters Connie and Francesca Zapella are firewomen in the Jersey City Fire Department. They talk with Lidia about what it's like to be female in a male-dominated profession.

Jacob Mual was a chef for 22 years, but in 2015 he started volunteering with the local fire department. Over a Zoom call, Lidia oversees, as Jacob prepares Chicken Alla Pitocca, a recipe she's contributing to the cookbook he's writing. Jacob talks with Lidia about how firefighters cook for each other at the stations, and what it's like to risk your life for a job.

Chef, cookbook author, and former police officer Eddie McNamara talks with Lidia about his experience working during the aftermath of 9/11, and how cooking has helped him through the PTSD that he's suffered as a result. As Lidia watches via zoom, Eddie prepares his special meatballs, which she is then able to taste, since he has had some delivered to her house.

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 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.

Watch the preview for Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans. Join Lidia Bastianich this holiday season, as the renowned chef, author and food ambassador journeys across the country to explore how food artisans and artisanal crafts are gaining momentum in the U.S.

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 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.

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.

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.