Chestnuts

Somebody, somewhere, can’t get enough of chestnuts. Even though chestnuts seem to have phased out of American culture over the last hundred years or so and we don’t think of them as a big part of our diet anymore, farmers seem to be selling out of chestnuts year after year. In this episode, we’re going in search of the communities that can’t get enough of chestnuts. Our explorations will take us to a chestnut orchard, a kitchen where we’ll make chestnut soup, and an Italian restaurant on The Hill in St. Louis where a renowned Italian chef recalls his first teacher in the kitchen: his grandmother. This episode takes us on a magical food adventure to explore what it is that makes chestnuts a cultural cornerstone. And yes, in spite of producer Lauren Hines-Acosta’s best efforts to keep it out of this episode, you will hear that iconic holiday song. You know the one.