The Early American Diet
This week, we rewind back to the Great Depression, which forced millions of Americans to find new recipes and get creative with the limited number of ingredients they could afford.
Food and Nutrition Sub-categories:
I Spy Delicious Pie
Just because Thanksgiving and all-things pumpkin have passed, doesn’t mean an end to sugary holiday sweets. Viewpoints speaks with cookbook author Ken Haedrich about the prevalence of pie in American culture and how anyone can bake a delicious pie in no time.
Inside the Grocery Industry
Across the U.S., there are more than 38,000 supermarkets, each stocking thousands and thousands of distinct products. But what is the human cost of this mass consumerism?
The Hidden Gems Across Chicago & In Every U.S. Town
Suffering from a travel bug that can’t be quenched this year? Chicago writer, Jessica Mlinaric believes that if you look hard enough you don’t have to leave your community to experience something new.
The Business of Lab-Grown Meat
If the taste, texture and everything else exactly resembled traditionally farmed meat, would you try it out? Lab-grown, cell-cultured chicken, beef and pork is set to hit the mass market in just a few years. We breakdown the science and key players behind this new technology.
The Calming Nature of Tending to a Garden
Fresh produce, flowers and herbs, as well as a renewed connection to nature are just some of the benefits of this increasingly popular outdoor hobby.
Exploring The World of Wine One Glass at a Time
It’s true that wine is complex. However, if you’re interested in finding out more about the refreshment, you have to start somewhere. Expert sommelier Elizabeth Schneider joins Viewpoints this week to give us an introduction to all things wine.
The Many Firsts Throughout History
We discuss the many firsts throughout history and the bold civilizations who uncovered these discoveries.
The Inner Tolls of Working in Dining – A Feature With Chef Iliana Regan
Iliana Regan has worked in the restaurant industry for more than two decades in almost every position imaginable. From fast service to high-end fine dining, she's a self-taught, Michelin-starred chef that's known for her ability to create masterful dishes using naturally sourced and foraged ingredients. As her career has skyrocketed up, she's also had …
The Rise of Coffee Capitalism
Even as Americans shelter-in-place, coffee consumption is up in the first four months of 2020. Why is coffee a drink that is so popular across the globe? The drink was first consumed by Sufi monks in the fifteenth century as part of a religious ceremony, but quickly gained popularity across the Middle East where it then eventually spread to Europe. …
From Luxury Ingredients to Food Styling: The Quirky Inner Workings of the Food Biz
Could you ever imagine that some imported white asparagus could cost upwards of $250? Neither did we. This week on Viewpoints, we delve into the niche world of luxury ingredients and roles within the food industry you’ve probably never heard of.
To Eat or Not to Eat? The Processed Food Conundrum
Complex ingredients like maltodextrin and ferrous sulfate can seem scary, but are they actually bad for you in the long-term? We speak with chemist and author, George Zaidan about how food processing took hold throughout early human history and what to keep in mind when building a healthy diet.
Deploying School Meals to Those Who Need Them Most Right Now
On a typical day, the National School Lunch Program serves 20.2 million free lunches to students in need, according to the USDA. With sweeping school closures across the U.S. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of students are going hungry. Viewpoints discusses the new reality foodservice workers face and the balance between staying safe and …
Redefining Sugar: Enjoying Sweet Treats Without the Guilt
It can still be hard to avoid the cookies and cake if you’re craving something sweet. Viewpoints Radio speaks with baking blogger, Elif Yamangil and cookbook author, Jennifer Tyler Lee about the importance of limiting sugar in your diet and how to do so without completely restricting yourself and still indulging your sweet tooth.
Inside Look: Holiday Baking Championship
A quick look into Viewpoints producer, Annie Krall's festive conversations with Holiday Baking Championship judge Lorraine Pascale, Season 4 champion Jen Barney and Season 1 champion Erin Campbell.
Tips and Tricks For Holiday Cooking Success (2019)
Cooking during the holidays can be a major source of stress – but it doesn’t have to be. Viewpoints speaks with cookbook author Julia Turshen to get some insider tips & tricks on how to quickly pull together a successful holiday meal with basic cooking skills and ingredients that are most often already in your pantry.
Culture Crash: The Joys of ‘Junk Food TV’
Sometimes you want to watch an expertly written and produced hour of television with central themes and a commentary on modern life - and sometimes, you just want to shut your brain off and watch something easy. This is about those latter experiences.
The Plight of the Strawberries
Strawberries are ubiquitous across the U.S. Supermarkets in every town stock cartons of fresh strawberries year round at a reasonable price. But this widespread availability may come to a halt in the near future as the industry faces several big challenges: labor shortages, climate change, sustainable farming legislation, etc. We discuss the history of the …
Inside Look: The Summer of Spiked Seltzer
Viewpoints producer Annie Krall interviewed the founder of Samuel Adams, Jim Koch to learn about his Boston Beer Company’s mindset for the spiked seltzer TRULY. She also spoke with Anheuser Busch’s Vice President of their Beyond Beer portfolio to understand the marketing that goes into a spiked seltzer like Bon Viv. Natasha Swords, Editor in Chief of DrinkMe …
The Summer of Spiked Seltzer
If you were at a beach or barbecue this summer, there was probably a box of White Claw, Truly or Bon & Viv spiked seltzers somewhere in the vicinity. These canned, around 100-calorie alcoholic beverages have been the hottest drink craze of 2019 and beverage industry experts predict that the hype isn’t going to end anytime soon. Viewpoints spoke with Jim …
The Boom of Fast-Food & It’s Deep-Rooted Ties to American Culture
Most of us point to McDonald’s as the founding of fast food as we know it. But the American staple actually began nearly a hundred years ago with two chains, White Castle and A&W. We speak with Adam Chandler, journalist and author of Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America’s Fast-Food Kingdom about the events that fed into the rapid …
Plastic, Where Does It All Ultimately End Up?
Around 90 percent of the plastic we use is left unrecycled and dumped in a landfill. Over time, this waste seeps into our oceans, harming its ecosystems and creating massive islands of floating garbage. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now more than twice the size of Texas. What small steps can we each take to reduce plastic consumption and get …
How New Concepts Are Increasing Access To Nutritious Food
You want to eat healthily, but sometimes that’s not always possible. There’s nothing around that’s quick, affordable and above all, hits the spot. We cover how new models are creating a greater number of nutritious options and the challenges that comes with sustaining the profitability of these new systems.
Not Your Grandma’s Co-op
How we buy our food has drastically changed throughout the decades. We discuss the evolution of the grocery marketplace from local grocers to big-box retailers and how this has affected the production chain. More so, how food co-ops operate and aim to help support local farmers and communities.
