In this premiere episode, Vivian explores America's love affair with cast iron skillets, from hunting vintage treasures with Warren Brothers at Copper Mill Mercantile in Kinston to visiting Charleston's Smithey Ironware Company to learn how modern cast iron and carbon steel cookware are crafted. Along the way, she debunks cleaning myths, whips up a skillet shakshuka in her church kitchen, and bakes a cornmeal blueberry coffee cake that bridges the traditions of cornbread and cobbler.
Episode 1: Cast Iron
Episode 2: Pasta
Vivian explores how pasta stretches small amounts of flavorful meat into satisfying meals, a practice that spans cultures and centuries. Joined by "noodle man" Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful and creator of the cascatelli pasta shape, she embarks on a Charleston noodle crawl that includes stops at Top Chef finalist Shuai Wang's King BBQ and her own restaurant Lenoir. Vivian meets nutritionist Christine Byrne to settle the whole grain versus regular pasta debate before heading home to prepare pantry-friendly recipes like anchovy spaghetti and a modern Hamburger Helper.
Episode 3: Fats
Roots are the original comfort food. Long before butter or cream, they fed us, filled us, and kept well when nothing else would. Vivian argues that roots still show up for us today—steady, affordable, and quietly beautiful when flashier produce fades. With a quick relish of raw beets and sweet potato, she even makes store-bought hummus feel party-worthy.
With nutritionist Christine Byrne, Vivian digs for overlooked roots and explores how color connects to nutrition. Following the sweet potato, she visits chef and entrepreneur Jenny Brulé to see how an instant version comes to life and to ask what it really means for food to be “processed.”
Back in the church kitchen, Vivian gives roots the indulgent treatment usually reserved for potatoes with a cheesy, multi-root gratin.
Vivian explores cooking fats, one of the most misunderstood ingredients in the kitchen, from her mother's saved bacon grease to perfectly dressed salad greens. Nutritionist Christine Byrne debunks myths about seed oils, saturated fats, and which oils work best for frying versus finishing at the grocery store. Vivian visits Corto in Lodi, California—America's largest olive oil producer—to see olives become oil and decode what makes the good stuff great. Back home, she goes full fat-forward, frying fish to golden perfection in peanut oil and serving it over a generous swipe of homemade mayo.
Episode 4:
ROOTED VEGETABLES
Stay Tuned for The final episode
Episode 5: PICKLES
Vivian takes a low-hanging approach to food waste—starting with fruit that still has plenty left to offer. After confessing that she often packs apples for her kids only to unpack them brown and uneaten, she shows how to give those apples a second life in the form of oatmeal her kids will actually eat.
In Charleston, Vivian and her nephew, Sam Levine, get creative together at her restaurant, Handy & Hot, using ginger peels and apple cores, for simple syrup to spin it into a matcha drink.
Back in Kinston, Vivian teams up with the Li Sisters, who literally wrote the book on food waste, as they turn “less-than-perfect” produce into something smart and delicious.
Back at the church, Vivian brings it all home with a sheet pan dinner of bratwurst, Brussels sprouts, and smooshy grapes—a reminder that a little imagination can save a lot of food.
Let’s be clear: pickling isn’t just for the brave or seasoned—anybody can do it. In this episode, Vivian shows how a bag of mixed salad and a little elbow grease turn into DIY kraut that tastes great and saves money.
With nutritionist Christine Byrne in the grocery aisle, she walks you through the pickled section—what to pick, what to skip, and why fermented pickles are seriously good for your gut. Then it’s off to the Mt. Olive Pickle Festival for competitive pickle-eating and pickle talk of all kinds. Back in the church kitchen, Vivian keeps it practical with her “Red Weapons” quick-pickled tomatoes, a staple ingredient in almost everything she cooks.
Episode 6: FRUIT
Episode 7: RICE & BEANS
Vivian gives beans and rice the credit they deserve—reliable, nutritious, and far more versatile than we think. She starts with a fresh take on Hoppin’ John, tossing canned peas and cooked rice in a hot bacon vinaigrette that makes pantry staples feel brand-new.
At Piggly Wiggly, Vivian and nutritionist Christine Byrne break down dried vs. canned beans, the many kinds of rice, and why this pairing fuels so many cultures. Vivian then heads to Tidewater Grain in Oriental, NC, to see a modern rice revival taking root. A search for cranberry beans leads her to J&J Martin Produce, a black-owned Century Farm in Mt. Olive where deep traditions continue.
Back in the church kitchen, a Bojangles drive-thru detour inspires a pinto bean, sausage, and rice bake that proves this humble duo has endless directions.