The new, all-Missouri season of tasteMAKERS, with St-Louis-based host Catherine Neville, brings you makers who started small and made it big. The seventh generation of the Adam Puchta family now helms the oldest family-farmed winery, Yoli makes tortillas using traditional methods, Foeder Crafters creates casks in St. Louis for breweries and wineries across the globe, St. Louis’s own StilL 630 distills gin from a botanical library, Castor River Farms cultivates rice using regenerative agriculture, and Askinosie crafts bean-to-bar chocolate.
Nine PBS was the presenting station of tasteMAKERS, Seasons 1 and 2 when it debuted on public stations across the country. The series is now distributed nationally by American Public Television.
Episodes air Mondays at 7:30 pm, Tuesdays at 1:30 pm; Thursdays at 10:30 pm; Saturdays at 6:30 pm; Sundays at 11:30 am. The dates below reflect the premiere date of each episode.
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Season 4 Episodes
Adam Puchta Winery | April 1
Founded in 1855, Adam Puchta Winery is the oldest, continuously owned family farmed winery in the U.S. Seven generations have worked the land in the American Viticultural Area of Hermann, MO. In this episode, you’ll meet Parker Puchta, who, after his father’s sudden passing, helms the historic winery. Today, he is building a legacy for his own son and the generations to come.
Yoli Tortilleria | April 8
In this episode, you’ll meet a woman born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, who is honoring her history while crafting James Beard-winning flour and corn tortillas in the heartland. At Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO, they use local ingredients and traditional techniques like nixtamalization, where dried corn is cooked and soaked in an alkaline solution, creating masa, the dough that’s pressed into corn tortillas.
Foeder Crafters of America | April 18
Foeders (pronounced FOOD-er) have been used to store and age beverages for centuries. They are traditional, large-scale wooden casks typically used to age beer, but can be used for wine and spirits as well. At St. Louis-based Foeder Crafters of America, they handcraft these massive barrels out of Missouri white oak, customizing each one for makers across the globe, from Japan to St. Louis.
StilL 630 | April 22
In the shadow of the Gateway Arch, Dave Weglarz, a river-guide-turned-bonds-trader-turned distiller is hard at work, handcrafting Missouri bourbon, rum, brandy, and thoroughly unique botanical-forward gins that have been ranked among the top spirits in the country.
Castor River Farms | April 29
Rice is one of the most widely cultivated crops in the world, and most rice is grown using a massive amount of water. At Castor River Farms, Dexter, MO, they sow the rice directly into the soil and focus on regenerative practices to care for the soil above all else. No tilling, no burning, no flooding, no chemicals; cover crops are key to this unique farm’s approach.
Askinosie Chocolate | May 9
At the heart of Springfield, MO-based Askinosie Chocolate’s mission, aside from hand crafting bean-to-bar chocolate, is the desire to impact the lives of cacao farmers across the globe. Through direct trade, the team at Askinosie is helping to create economic opportunities for farmers, who are seen as not simply suppliers, but partners.
