From the comforting resilience of root vegetables to the health power of beans and rice, Vivian invites viewers to rethink what they cook, why it matters, and how a little knowledge and a lot of joy can transform everyday meals.
Saturdays, beginning October 11, at 3:30 pm on Nine PBS and livestream.
Stream on the PBS app.
#101 - Cast Iron
Vivian celebrates cast iron skillets—from scouring antiques with Warren Brothers to touring Charleston’s Smithey Ironware. She debunks cleaning myths, compares cast iron and carbon steel, cooks shakshuka, and bakes a cornmeal-blueberry coffee cake—honoring cast iron’s enduring role in American kitchens past and present.
#102 - Pasta
Vivian uses pasta to explore a global tradition: stretching small amounts of meat into meals. Nutritionist Christine Byrne helps her weigh whole grain pasta’s value while Dan Pashman joins Vivian for a noodle crawl in Charleston featuring meaty spins on classics. She returns home to make two pantry-friendly dishes—spaghetti with anchovy and breadcrumbs, and a modern Hamburger Helper with bowties, beef and cabbage.
#103 - Fat
Vivian explores fat’s misunderstood role in the kitchen, from saved bacon grease to salad toast with olive oil. At the grocery store with Christine, she breaks down cooking oils, storage tips and fat myths. In California, a visit to Corto reveals what makes great olive oil and how olives compare to other crops amid climate change. Back home, Vivian fries fish in peanut oil with a bold mayo smear.
#104 - Rooted Vegetables
Vivian reclaims root vegetables as comfort food icons. With nutritionist Christine Byrne, she browses Walmart’s produce aisle, exploring roots’ colors and health benefits. She visits a lab where chef Jenny Brûlé develops instant sweet potatoes, then heads to her church kitchen to elevate hummus with raw beet relish and wow meat lovers with a decadent multi-root gratin.
#105 - Pickles
Vivian breaks down the basics of pickling, turning bagged salad into kraut and saving money while supporting digestive health. With Christine, she explores vinegar options and debates fermented vs. vinegar pickles. A trip to the Mt. Olive Pickle Festival offers laughs and quick pickle insights. Back in the kitchen, Vivian shares her essential pickled tomato recipe—aka Red Weapons.
#106 - Fruit with More to Give
Vivian tackles food waste by focusing on fruit that still has more to give. She turns her kids’ uneaten apples into oatmeal, makes syrup from scraps with her nephew at Handy & Hot, and learns from the Li Sisters as they cook with imperfect produce. Back at the church, she whips up a sheet pan dinner with smooshy grapes, bratwurst and Brussels sprouts—making the most of what’s on hand.
#107 - Beans & Rice
Vivian gives beans and rice the credit they deserve as affordable, shelf-stable staples. With Christine at Piggly Wiggly, she explores dried vs. canned beans and rice varieties, learning why together they form complete proteins. She visits Tidewater Grain's rice revival in Oriental, NC, suggesting bean crop rotation. A Bojangles stop inspires her pinto bean, sausage and rice bake.
#108 - Freezer
Vivian celebrates freezers as kitchen workhorses, from family "lockers" storing garden spoils to mom's meal prep soup batches. She transforms Mexican takeout into frozen burritos, shops frozen vs. canned with Christine at Piggly Wiggly, and makes upside-down turkey veggie rice bowls for her kids. In Paris, she discovers Picard, France's beloved frozen food store.
