Seasoned Connecticut Public

This hour, we get the scoop on some of the state’s best ice cream shops from two people devoted to local ice cream. We talk with Craig Behun, the ice cream lover behind the Instagram @cticecreamtour and Shahan Kukreja of Micro Creamery. Since 2015, Craig’s been posting about his adventures trying ice cream shops all over the state. And Shahan takes the micro brewery concept and applies it to ice cream. You’ll find more than 70 local ice cream flavors in the shop.

Plus, Sweet Claude’s in Cheshire is an ice cream shop we love; get to know its owner Kelly Anne Pearce.

And finally, Dr. Steve Zinn, UConn professor in the Department of Animal Science, talks about the cows we have to thank for the milk used in the excellent ice cream served at the UConn Dairy Bar (@uconndairybar).

GUESTS:


Craig Behun: Ice cream lover, creator of @cticecreamtour
Shahan Kukreja: Co-owner of Micro Creamery in Woodbridge and Milford, Conn. (@microcreameryofct)
Kelly Anne Pearce: Owner and ice cream maker, Sweet Claude’s in Cheshire, Conn. (@sweet_claudes)
Dr. Steve Zinn: UConn professor in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR); previously department head of Dept of Animal Science

Your Picks: Thank you to everyone who shared ice cream shop recommendations with us! We compiled all your shout outs here, including every shop that was mentioned during our round table discussion with Craig and Shahan.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, and Meg Fitzgerald, with help from Sabrina Herrera on Social. It originally aired September 21, 2023.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organic horticulturist and farmer, Renée Giroux, of Earth’s Palate Farm in Warren talks about her approach to organic farming, Korean natural farming and Shumei farming, and shares her experiences as a young farmer working with Sal Gilberte of Gilbertie's Organics and the late chef, David Bouley in New York. Renée also explains the role small family farms play in offsetting climate change, and she talks about the ways the NW CT Food Hub connects farmers with customers like schools, chefs and food pantries.

And, cook and recipe developer Susan Spungen (above) will get you excited about spring cooking. Fun fact: Susan was the culinary consultant on the films Julie & Julia, It's Complicated and Eat, Pray, Love. She’s the author of the cookbook, Veg Forward.

Plus, Karyn Bigelow (below), the founder of Beekeeping While Black, a virtual platform for building a community for Black Beekeepers in the U.S., talks about her beekeeping experience and what motivated her to start the platform. Karyn also describes the mental health benefits of engaging with nature and beekeeping.

GUESTS:



Renée Giroux: Organic horticulturist and farmer, co-owner of Earth’s Palate Farm in Warren, Conn. (@nourishingplants) (@warrengrown)



Susan Spungen: Author of Veg Forward: Super-Delicious Recipes that Put Produce at the Center of Your Plate. (@susanspungen)



Karyn Bigelow: founder of Beekeeping While Black. (@Beekeeping.While.Black)



FEATURED RECIPES:

Bucatini with Pea Pesto, Ricotta and Shaved AsparagusSugar Snap, Cabbage, and Radish Slaw with Buttermilk DressingStrawberry Tartlets with Goat Cheese Filling

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, and Meg Fitzgerald. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez, Martha Castillo, Katherine Jimenez and Janae Spinato are our Social team.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Seasoned, we’re talking with people connected to our state’s libraries who mix their work with a passion for food, drink and community.

The downtown branch of the Hartford Public Library may be closed for renovations, but that hasn’t stopped Andréa Hawkins and Doug Barber from opening up a coffee shop on the light-filled first floor of the library. They talk with us about how the shop fosters community.

And, pairing wine with cheese and charcuterie is too obvious. What wine might pair with Virginia Woolf’s Orlando? How about Madame Bovary or Anna Karenina? Shannon Barillari, of the Russell Library in Middletown, talks with us about how she pairs wine with books.

Plus, how does Youth Services Librarian Kristen Slepecki get kids excited about the library's Teen Test Kitchen program? "I bribe them with food," she says. "Sugary treats are, for sure, the way to go." We talk with Kristen and Christine Michaud, the Durham Library's director, about the intrinsic value of the library's Cookbook Club, which is part book discussion, part pot luck.

Also, some city and town libraries in our state have what's called a Library of Things. Home cooks, ask your librarian if you can borrow a Barbie cake pan, cookie cutters, an air fryer, rice cooker or pizza oven! Bridget Quinn, President and CEO and Head Librarian at the Hartford Public Library describes the awesomeness of the Library of Things.

GUESTS:



Andréa Hawkins and Doug Barber: Co-owners of Berkins on Main, the coffee shop on the first floor of the Hartford Public Library. They also own Berkins Blend Cafe in Glastonbury, Conn.



Shannon Barillari: Head of Digital and Emerging Technologies, Russell Library, Middletown, Conn.



Christine Michaud: Director of the Durham Public Library and the leader of the library’s Cookbook Club.



Kristen Slepecki: Youth Services and Teen Librarian at the Durham Public Library. She runs the Teen Test Kitchen program, where teenagers participate in fun taste tests and make edible experiments.



Bridget Quinn: President and CEO, and Head Librarian, of the Hartford Public Library.



Interested in the book and wine pairings Shannon Barallari suggests?



The Guest by Emma Cline - Bajta



Kerouac by Ann Charters - Château Redortier, Beaumes de Venise 



Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Chateau Thivin (producer) Cote de Brouilly (one of the twelve appellations in Beaujolais) – Les sept vignes



T. R. The Last Romantic by H.W. Brands (Teddy Roosevelt Biography) - Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey



Orlando by Virginia Woolf - Bodet-Herold Crémant de Lorie Physis



This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Tagan Engel, and Meg Fitzgerald. Scout Raimondo is our intern. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez, Martha Castillo, Katherine Jimenez and Janae Spinato are our Social team.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s maple syrup season! We visit The Independent Day School in Middlefield where students learn the art and science of maple syrup-making starting in kindergarten. Science teacher Xander Lowry is our guide as we tap trees, gather sap, split wood and make syrup with local students. Students in third, fifth and eighth grades describe what they love about the process and the ways making maple syrup brings the community together.

And, when Seasoned spoke to James Beard Award-winning chef Sherry Pocknett this past summer, she told us that the maple syrup coming out of the Mashantucket Sugar Shack was “the best in all the land.” Of course, that made us want to see, smell and taste for ourselves. Producer Tagan Engel takes a walk in the forest to visit the maple sugar operation guided by Jeremy Whipple, a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and executive director of the Tribal Department of Agriculture. Jeremy is the project manager of the Mashantucket Sugar Shack. Jeremy explains maple syrup’s significance to members of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and how he and his team make the Pequot Maple Syrup–using modern technology while drawing on hundreds of years of ancestral tradition–at the Mashantucket Sugar Shack.

Plus, Tagan shares a recipe for Maple Rosemary Glazed Pecans.

GUESTS:



Xander Lowry: Science teacher at The Independent Day School in Middlefield, Conn. (@theindependentdayschool) (with special thanks to Jim Rumberger, Director of Facilities at The Independent Day School)



Third, Fifth and Eighth Grade Students from The Independent Day School



Jeremy Whipple: Executive director of the Tribal Department of Agriculture and the project manager of the Mashantucket Sugar Shack. Learn more about how the Pequot Maple Syrup is made.



This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, and Meg Fitzgerald. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez, Martha Castillo and Janae Spinato are our Social team. Our interns are Scout Raimondo and Shanice Rhule.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Hungry for more? Subscribe to the Full Plate newsletter for show updates, gardening tips and recipes from cookbooks we love. And, visit our dedicated Food page for more seasonal recipes and food news.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Seasoned, we talk with content creators in the food space. Kat Ashmore is the chef (and "Hungry Lady") behind Kat Can Cook on Instagram and TikTok. We’ll talk with her about her first cookbook, just out! Big Bites: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun.

And if you're a #ctfoodie, you likely follow David Milton's @thedamgram and @thedamtok for new restaurant alerts and to get David's picks for "the best" everything from empanadas to chicken sandwiches to mochi donuts and ice cream. (We appreciate his "3 Meals for under $20 series, too).

David makes videos on-site that make people hungry and he uses his platforms to uplift the people and places making delicious things all over our state. Producer Katrice Claudio talks with David about how and why he shines his light (literally) on the mom-and-pops you love and shares the videos with his thousands of fans and followers.

Plus, producer Tagan Engel visits a brand new coffee shop in New Haven called MOTW Coffee and Pastries. Its larger organization, Muslims of the World, began on Instagram with a mission around illuminating "the lives of Muslim individuals through their own stories. This digital space blossomed into a haven, celebrating resilience, faith, and the shared humanity that binds us all." Tagan speaks with the sibling co-owners about the shop and their specialty: traditional Yemeni chai.

GUESTS:



Kat Ashmore: author of Big Bites: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun (@katcancook) (Kat on TikTok)



David Milton: Content creator behind @thedamgram and @thedamtok.



Usama Aslam, Bilal Aslam and Zainab Aslam: Sibling co-owners of MOTW Coffee and Pastries in New Haven, Conn. (@MOTW.Coffee)



Featured Recipes: Chimichurri MeatballsSweet Potato Cupcakes with Salted Maple FrostingMediterranean Chopped Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender and Meg Fitzgerald. Scout Raimondo is our intern. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez and Shanice Rhule are our Social team.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Seasoned, we’re spending the hour talking about—and tasting—chocolate. We'll get a history lesson and follow cacao's journey from a bitter drink for wealthy Aztecs to the delicious thing it is today. Plus, if you care about where your food comes from and how it impacts the people who grow and harvest it, as well as the planet, we're recommending four chocolate bars that are certified organic, Fair Trade and Fair for Life.

First, you’ll meet Benoit Racquet of BE Chocolat in Fairfield. This master chocolatier is not just making artisan chocolates, he’s designing a tasting experience.

And, we talk with food historian Ramin Ganeshram about the evolution of cacao and chocolate. "So these individuals working with cacao for this world market—for colonizers, for their enslavers and those who'd indentured them—were skilled artisans," Ramin said, "they were agriculturalists, they were food scientists, and people I think don't realize that."

Finally, in between bites, Tagan Engel and Westport chocolatier Aarti Khosla recommend ethically made store-bought bars you can feel good about buying. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. Tagan prefers a tall, thin Theo, and both agree it has a good snap. One of Aarti's top picks is from Tony's Chocolonely, one of the original chocolate makers working toward a 100% exploitation free chocolate.

GUESTS:



Benoit Racquet: Master chocolatier and co-founder of BE Chocolat in Fairfield, Conn.



Ramin Ganeshram: Executive Director of the Westport Museum for History & Culture. She’s also a food historian, a professionally trained chef, a journalist and the author of the book, The General’s Cook, a novel which tells the story of Hercules Posey, the chef enslaved by President George Washington.



Aarti Khosla: Chocolatier/owner of Le Rouge Chocolates by Aarti in Westport, Conn.



Chocolate bars you can feel good about buying Tagan and Aarti tasted the following bars during their segment. All are readily available at markets or pharmacies and sell for between $3.00-$6.00.



AlterEco (Brown Butter Dark, Organic, Fair Trade)



Theo (Cherry Almond, Organic, Fair for Life)



Tony’s Chocolonely  (Caramel Sea Salt, Fair Trade, Traceable Cocoa Beans)



Divine (85% Exquisitely Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar, Fair Trade, Ghanian farmer co-owned)



Learn More: Visit the Slave Free Chocolate website.The Fine Chocolate Industry Association is working on a glossary to help define the terms used for ethical and sustainable chocolate.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.