‘Somewhere South’ with Vivian Howard Premiere

From the venue:

Celebrity chef, author and restaurateur Vivian Howard, who previously hosted the award-winning series A CHEF’S LIFE, returns to PBS in a new six-part series, SOMEWHERE SOUTH. A culinary tour exploring the dishes that are uniting cultures and creating new traditions across the American South, SOMEWHERE SOUTH premieres Fridays, March 27-May 1, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. With SOMEWHERE SOUTH, Howard serves as both student and guide, exploring cross-cultural dishes through the professional and personal relationships she has with Southerners of many backgrounds. Each episode examines the connectivity of a single dish — from dumplings to hand pies, porridge and more —  and the ways people of different cultures interpret that dish while expressing the complex values, identities and histories that make up the region. Along the way, she meets new friends and teachers, and discovers “how breaking bread and sharing a meal can create a comfortable place to have meaningful, memorable conversations.” With each episode, Vivian finds that although we’re different, our appetites are very much the same. She explores hand pies, the original convenience food that workers could take into coal mines, factories or fields, and its various iterations — from applejacks to pepperoni rolls to empanadas. A discussion with Korean American chefs leads to the realization that while they all understand what a dumping is, they can’t define it. She takes a deeper look at the funk and acidity of pickles, discovering that they’re not only a way to preserve food, but culture and traditions as well. She learns the unexpected ways that meat can be smoked, pit-cooked or wood-fired, and how traditional barbecuing techniques are being reinvented by Japanese American brothers in Texas who pair brisket with bento boxes, and sisters who add a Tejano touch to their barbecue joint menu. From the Carolinas to Kentucky, Georgia to Mississippi and beyond, SOMEWHERE SOUTH explores the unique people and delicious foods that bind and define the new American South.