Heirloom Beans, Low-Mercury Tuna, and ways to make sure none Get’s Wasted:  Steve Sando, Founder, Rancho Gordo, Source for literally Hundreds of Varieties of Heirloom Beans, Napa CA, www.ranchogordo.com; Sean Wittenberg, Co-Founder, Safe Catch, Canned Tuna, Tested 100% for Mercury Content – also Delicious, Sausalito CA, www.safecatch.com; Dana Gunders, Scientist, Natural Resource Defense Council, Berkeley CA, www.wastefreekitchen.com, Waste Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money by Wasting Less Food.

Everything Tacos, Beer and Hot Chicken: Alex Stupak, Chef-Owner, Empellon restaurants in NYC, www.empellon.com, Tacos: Recipes & Provocations; Andrea Slonecker, Beer Bites, Beer Bites: Tasty Recipes and Perfect Pairings for Brew Lovers; Timothy C. Davis, Nashville TN, The Hot Chicken Cookbook.

A Program about Unusual Beverages & their Sources: Mark Bitterman, Owner, The Meadow shops, Portland OR & NYC, www.themeadow.com, Bitters & Amari, Field Guide to Bitters & Amari; Cathryn Fritz-Jung, Importer, Singani Los Parrales, Distilled in Bolivia, Silver Spring MD, www.singaniusa.com; Andy Barker, Sales Director, & Bill Batchelor, Winemaker, Martin Ray Winery, creating incredible wines in Green Valley CA, www.martinraywinery.com.

Diana Kennedy, a newly revised edition of her classic Nothing Fancy: Recipes & Recollections of Soul Satisfying Food, to be released in April; Dobra Bielinski, Chef-Owner, Delightful Pastries, 3 locations in Chicago IL, www.delightfulpastries.com, Traditional Polish Pastries & their association with Mardi Gras & Lent; Hussein Dekmak, London UK, The Lebanese Cookbook: Delicious & Authentic Recipes from a Top Lebanese Chef.

An Event for Truffle Afficianados, The Napa Truffle Festival, January 15-18 in and around Napa CA, www.napatrufflefestival.com; plus Two Very Special Chefs now in Print: Michael Solomonov, Chef-Owner, Zahav, Philadelphia PA, http://www.zahavrestaurant.com, Zahav: a World of Israeli Cooking; and Joe Ray, Co-Author, with Chef Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn, Lummi Island WA, http://www.willows-inn.com Sea & Smoke: Flavors from the Untamed Pacific Northwest.

Happy New Year to all our Listeners around the world.  We wish you happiness and prosperity in 2016!!  Today’s program is wholly dedicated to British Gin, from its origins to the current revival in Artisinal Expressions--a period of over 400 years: Mark Dawkins, Charter Brands, Langley’s Number 8, http://www.langleysgin.com/; Sam Galsworthy, Sipsmith's, London, http://www.sipsmith.com/; Kate Harrison, Quintessential Brands, Opihr, Bloom & Greenalls, Warrington, http://www.quintessentialbrands.com/

Meat AND Veg!  Elias Cairo, Founder, Olympia Provisions, Artisan Charcuterie & two Restaurants, Portland OR, www.olympiaprovisions.com, Olympia Provisions: Cured Meats & Tales from an American Charcuterie; Nancie McDermott, Author, Chapel Hill NC, www.nanciemcdermott.com, Southern Soups & Stews: More than 75 Recipes from Burgoo and Gumbo to Etoufee and Fricasse; Charles Stahler, Director, Vegetarian Resource Group, Balto MD, www.vrg.org.

OTM finds interesting innovations in our home town, Pittsburgh PA--a great new bar, the Restaurant it grew out of, a Distillery named for an 18th Century Character who defied the Whiskey Tax, and a Boutique Hotel in the vibrant East End:  Spencer Warren, F&B Diretor, Chief Bartender, Rye Bar; Rick DeShantz & Tolga Sevdik, Partners, Butcher & the Rye,(rerun from 2014) http://butcherandtherye.com/; David Harries, Distiller, Wigle Whiskey, www.wiglewhiskey.com; Jordan Bartles, General Manager, Hotel Indigo  http://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/pittsburgh/pithb/hoteldetail.

Thinking “Down-Under” – the 2016 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Voices from our 2008 visit to the Festival plus innovative new luggage to pack for the long journey: Natalie O’Brien, Executive Director, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au; Philippe Mouchel, Chef Extraordinaire, currently Dejavue, Melbourne, www.dejavue.com.au, and Neil Perry, Chef-Owner, Rockpool, Sydney & Melbourne, http://www.rockpool.com/rockpoolbarandgrillmelbourne; David Kao, Founder, Oregami Luggage, Portland OR, www.oregamiluggage.com.  

Three go-to books: Florence Fabricant, Food Writer, NY Times, City Harvest: 100 Recipes from Great NY Restaurants; Sara Foster, Foster’s Market, Durham NC, www.fostersmarket.com, Foster’s Market Favorites: 25th Anniversary Collection; Russell van Kraayenburg, Chasing Delicious, Houston TX, www.chasingdelicious.com; Making Dough: Recipes & Ratios for Perfect Pastries.

OTM explores unusual Beverage Stories:  Matthew Rowley, San Diego CA, www.whiskeyforge.com, Lost Recipes of Prohibition: Notes from a Bootlegger’s Manual; Kristina Richens, Minister of Commerce, Republic of Tea, Novato CA, www.republicoftea.com. Chamomile Honey Tea – a Charitable Partnership with the Xerces Society, www.xerces.org; Gary Eberle, from Pennsylvania College Football to California Winemaking, Paso Robles CA, www.eberlewinery.com, Deb Mortillaro, Partner, Dreadnought Wines, www.dreadnoughtwines.com, Pittsburgh.

OTM explores fermenting, cooking with Cannabis, and the elusive Paw Paw:  Charlotte Pike, Gillingham Dorset UK, www.charlotteskitchendiary.com, Fermented: a Beginners’s Guide to Making your own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kimchi & More; Melissa Parks, Boulder CO, http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/chef/melissa-parks, Herb: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis; Andy Moore, Pittsburgh PA, Paw Paw: America’s Forgotten Fruit.

A REALLY SWEET PROGRAM!!  Edd Kimber, PastryChef, TV Personality, London UK, http://www.theboywhobakes.co.uk/,  Patisserie Made Simple: From Macarons to Millefeuille & More; Bernard Laurance, Paris France, www.lacuisinedebernard.com, Baklava to Tarte Tartin: A World Tour in 110 Dessert Recipes; Amy Guittard, San Francisco, www.guittard.com, Guittard Chocolate Cookbook: Decadent Recipes from San Francisco’s Premium Bean to Bar Chocolate Company.

Exploring Truffle Products, Food Writing as Linguistics and Literature: Vittorio Giordano, Urbani Truffles NYC, www.urbani.com; Dan Jurafsky, Linguist, Stanford University, Palo Alto CA, The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu; Sandra Gilbert, Berkeley CA, Eating Words, A Norton Anthology of Food Writing.

Hello Graham Elliot, Co-Host, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and “Craziest Restaurants in America”, Chicago IL, http://www.grahamelliot.com, Cooking like a Master Chef: 100 Recipes to make the Everyday Extraordinary; Cappy Lawton, Restaurateur, La Fonda on Main, et al, San Antonio TX, www.lafondaonmain.com/, Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex; Craig Prebie, Corporate Chef, Chicago IL, http://www.craigpriebe.com/home The United States of Pizza: Americas Favorite Pizzas, from Thin Crust to Deep Dish, Sourdough to Gluten-Free.

Timely insights about how to create wonders in a homemade kitchen, make world-class pies, understand how to use Maple Syrup, and Prepare a Sunday Dinner to die for:  Alana Chernila, W. Mass, www.eatingfromthegroundup.com. The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure; Holly Ricciardi, Philadelphia PA, www.iluvmagpie.com, Magpie: Sweets & Savories from Philadelphia’s Favorite Pie Boutique; Kate Webster, in a Vermont Maple Wood, www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com, Maple: 100 Sweet & Savory Recipes Featuring Pure Maple Syrup; Bridgette Lacy, Raleigh NC, Sunday Dinner, a Savor the South Cookbook.

A Program dedicated to Exotic Ingredients, Exotic Recipes and Exotic Destinations:  Adnan Durrani, Founder, American Halal/Saffron Road, Stamford CT, wwwsaffronroadfood.com/; Natasha MacAller, London UK, www.dancingchef.net, Vanilla Table: the Essence of exquisite cooking from the World’s Best Chefs; Jessica Cole, Lonely Planet, London UK, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/, From the Source Cookbook Series, Italy & Thailand (more to follow in 2016 and beyond).

Jacques Pepin, celebrated Chef, Author, TV Personality, Madison CT, http://www.pbs.org/food/chefs/jacques-pepin/; Jacques Pepin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen; Andrea Chesman, Ripton VT, http://andreachesman.com/, The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-how; Meredith Doherty, Marketing Director, The Grommet, Boston MA, https://www.thegrommet.com/.

More Highlights from Nashville and the Music City Food & Wine, interviews at Harvest Night and Grand Tasting.  And a Southern Beverage to End.  Jonathon Waxman, Adele’s - Nashville, Barbuto – NYC, www.barbutonyc.com, http://adelesnashville.com/; Mike Lata, The Ordinary, Charleston SC, http://eattheordinary.com/; Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, http://www.restauranteugene.com/; Marcus Samuelson, Red Rooster NYC, http://redroosterharlem.com/; Andrew Zimmern, http://andrewzimmern.com/; Chris Bianco, Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix AZ, http://www.pizzeriabianco.com; Aaron Sanchez & Chef Miles, Johnny Sanchez, NOLA, http://chefaaronsanchez.com/ & http://www.johnnysanchezrestaurant.com. Pit-Master Pat Martin, Martin’s BBQ Joint, Nashville & Morgantown WV, http://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/; Pano Karatassos, Kyma, Atlanta, https://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/kyma/chef/; Daniel Herget, Little Octopus, Nashvillle, http://www.popnashville.com/littleoctopus/; Cara Graham, Lockeland Table, Nashville, http://www.lockelandtable.com/; Jay Flatley, Tavern, Nashville, http://mstreetnashville.com/restaurants/tavern; And to End on a “High” Note, Fred Minnick, Bourbon Curious: a Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker.

Highlights from Nashville and the Music City Food & Wine Festival – first of 2 programs: Trevor Moran, Executive Chef, Cat Bird Seat, https://thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com/; Alex Grainger, Executive Chef, & Clay Greenberg, Partner, SILO, http://www.silotn.com/; Matt Bolus, Executive Chef, & Travis Brazil, GM, 404 Kitchen, http://the404nashville.com/; Scott Conant, Chopped” Television series, plus numerous restaurants & cookbooks, http://scottconant.com/

Bread is the “Staff of Life”, Baking the Science of Making Bread – in today’s program three Exponents of Bread & Baking: Rick Easton, Owner-Baker-Chef, Bread & Salt, Pittsburgh PA; Alice Medrich, Berkeley CA, http://alicemedrich.com, Flavor Flours: a New Way to Bake with Teff, Buckwheat,  Sorghum, Other Whole & Ancient Grains; Jane Hornby, Oxford UK, www.janehornby.com, What to Bake & How to Bake it.

Terrific Meat & Cheese, made in America, especially the USA:  Herb Eckhouse, La Quercia, celebrating 10 years of making “American” Prosciutto in Des Moines IA, www.laquercia.us; Griff Foxley, COO, Lone Mountain Wagyu, "Japanese Cow," breed of the famous Kobe Beef, but born & raised in Golden NM, www.lonemountainwagyu.com; Tom Kooiman, Past President, American Cheese Society, www.cheesesociety.org, discussing world-class.American Cheeses and the ACS' annual cheese competition.

Revisiting Sharelle Kraus, Dry Soda, Happy 10th Anniversary, Seattle WA, www.drysoda.com; Jim Beagle, Grapery--Great Grapes Table Grapes: Moon Drops, Cotton Candy, Witch’s Fingers, Schafter CA, www.grapery.biz; Food & Literature with Cara Nicoletti, Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks her way  through Great Books

Just in time for the High Holidays, Amelia Saltsman www.ameliasaltsman.com, The Seasonal Jewish Cookbook: A Fresh Take on Tradition; Pierre Thiam A Fascinating Exploration of Senegalese Food Traditions & Recipes; Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes From the Source to the Bowl; Monica Van Cleve, Van Cleve Seafood,  highlighting an Historic Recipe for Crab Pies, a favorite of Robert E. Lee’s Plantation Kitchen, Spotsylvania VA, http://vancleveseafood.com.

Nashville knows how to party!  Upcoming September 19-20 Music City Food & Wine Festival  is the 3rd version, and organizers promise it will be better than ever.  We talk to Tim Love, one of those who invented and now arrange the event.  Go to www.cheftimlove.com. & www.musiccityfoodandwinefestival.com/ for more details – and look for OTM there. OTM Loves Octopus, especially from Gullo Specialty Foods, Hicksville NY, www.gulloseafood.com. Then Everything You Need to Know about Home Beer Brewing, Randy Mosher, Home Brewing Expert., Chicago, www.radicalbrewing.com, Mastering Homebrew: The Complete Guide to Brewing Delicious Beer.