Ep 8. A Road Trip for Rice

In A Chef's Life season 1 episode 8, titled A Road Trip for Rice, chef and host Vivian Howard embarks on a journey to learn about a pivotal ingredient in Southern cuisine - rice.

The episode begins with Vivian and her husband Ben packing up their car and hitting the road to visit Anson Mills, an historic rice mill located in South Carolina. There, they meet Glenn Roberts, the founder of Anson Mills, who has made it his life's work to restore and preserve heirloom varieties of grains, including rice, that date back to before the Civil War.

Vivian and Glenn take a tour of the mill, where they see the beautiful and complex process of turning raw rice grains into the product we know and love. They learn about different varieties of rice, each with its own unique flavor and cooking properties, and reminisce about the role of rice in Southern cooking.

Next, the couple visits local farmer Brandon Phillips, who grows Anson Mills' Carolina Gold rice on his family farm. They get to see the rice growing in the fields and learn about the challenges and rewards of rice farming.

The episode then takes us back to Vivian's kitchen, where she prepares an array of dishes featuring rice, including a savory rice and ham croquette, a traditional Lowcountry pilau, and a perfect pot of Japanese-style sushi rice.

Throughout the episode, Vivian reflects on the importance of rice in Southern cuisine, both historically and in the present day. She considers its connection to the land and the people who cultivate it, and how it has shaped the culinary traditions of the region.

As with all episodes of A Chef's Life, viewers not only get a glimpse into the world of Southern cooking but also get to know the people and stories behind the food. A Road Trip for Rice is a beautiful and enriching journey that highlights the beauty, complexity, and tradition of a truly iconic ingredient.