Kentucky’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, at 34, is the youngest statewide elected official in the USA. He brought his young, fresh view on sustaining Kentucky’s agricultural economy to the WLXU studios. Listen to learn how Commissioner Quarles sees Kentucky growers distinguishing themselves in the worldwide agricultural economy.

Carolyn Gahn has acted, farmed for others and for her own family, founded food production companies and organized Kentucky farmers. She recently began a new position as Sustainability Manager for UK Dining Services, which Aramark manages. In this episode, Carolyn talks about her path into caring deeply about food and its provenance. She describes UK/Aramark’s goals for buying locally grown foods—a subject of ongoing interest in Kentucky’s food and sustainability community—and explains future plans. Enjoy Carolyn!

Carolyn Gahn has acted, farmed for others and for her own family, founded food production companies and organized Kentucky farmers. She recently began a new position as Sustainability Manager for UK Dining Services, which Aramark manages. In this episode, Carolyn talks about her path into caring deeply about food and its provenance. She describes UK/Aramark’s goals for buying locally grown foods—a subject of ongoing interest in Kentucky’s food and sustainability community—and explains future plans. Enjoy Carolyn!

We first featured African American White House chefs on Hot Water Cornbread in early 2016. Ouita’s research on enslaved chefs who served George Washington and Thomas Jefferson left us amazed and interested in more. This week we talk about new work by Adrian Miller, author of The President’s Kitchen Cabinet, and Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene. These authors move forward our shared understanding of the leading role African American culinary professionals have played historically and continue to play in American cuisine. Ouita also continues our “Just Cook” theme by describing pan searing, pan steaming, and braising for weeknight home cooks.

We first featured African American White House chefs on Hot Water Cornbread in early 2016. Ouita’s research on enslaved chefs who served George Washington and Thomas Jefferson left us amazed and interested in more. This week we talk about new work by Adrian Miller, author of The President’s Kitchen Cabinet, and Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene. These authors move forward our shared understanding of the leading role African American culinary professionals have played historically and continue to play in American cuisine. Ouita also continues our “Just Cook” theme by describing pan searing, pan steaming, and braising for weeknight home cooks.

Cooking is good for so many reasons — except when it seems too unfamiliar or too hard. This week’s show concentrates on helping you form a cooking habit. Weeknight cooking requires very little special equipment, ingredients or techniques—or time—to be delightful and nourishing. We offer suggestions for cookbooks, recipes, and ingredients to form the basis of your family’s commitment to regular, frequent cooking.

Cooking is good for so many reasons — except when it seems too unfamiliar or too hard. This week’s show concentrates on helping you form a cooking habit. Weeknight cooking requires very little special equipment, ingredients or techniques—or time—to be delightful and nourishing. We offer suggestions for cookbooks, recipes, and ingredients to form the basis of your family’s commitment to regular, frequent cooking.

Janice D’souza leads a remarkable life. In addition to work, family and civic commitments, Janice is dedicated to using Kentucky foods to cook the dishes of her native Mangalorean region of south India. In this episode, Janice describes what her family ate for breakfast, lunch, chai break and dinner as she grew up, and how she makes many of these foods now in Lexington, Kentucky. Janice and her husband subscribe to the Teal Tractor CSA. Cooking with vegetables she had never seen before—rutabaga, kohl rabi, squashes—Janice makes pakoras, for example: vegetable fritters. As part of of her life commitments, Janice chooses to cook from scratch, using local ingredients. Enjoy Janice!

Janice D’souza leads a remarkable life. In addition to work, family and civic commitments, Janice is dedicated to using Kentucky foods to cook the dishes of her native Mangalorean region of south India. In this episode, Janice describes what her family ate for breakfast, lunch, chai break and dinner as she grew up, and how she makes many of these foods now in Lexington, Kentucky. Janice and her husband subscribe to the Teal Tractor CSA. Cooking with vegetables she had never seen before—rutabaga, kohl rabi, squashes—Janice makes pakoras, for example: vegetable fritters. As part of of her life commitments, Janice chooses to cook from scratch, using local ingredients. Enjoy Janice!

Melanie Blandford and Sherry Maddock met for the first time in the Lexington Community Radio studio when we broadcast this episode. Their meeting held magic. Listen as these two wonderful leaders toward new food systems talk about their connections to plants: they may be sister “plant empaths,” humans gifted with particular sensitivities to plants’ lives. In more traditional terms, Melanie Blandford is the Executive Director of Marketing for the Kentucky Deparment of Agriculture, and leads the acclaimed Kentucky Proud branding and marketing program. Sherry Maddock recently moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she is at work establishing an entity that connects people facing difficulties with opportunities and hope as they nurture plants in an urban setting. While in Lexington, Sherry played a leadership role in a network of urban gardening and job development initiatives, including 4th Street Farm, the London Ferrell Community Garden, Seedleaf and FoodChain.