Ep 2. The Next Generation

Weekends with Yankee season 3 episode 2, titled "The Next Generation," takes viewers on an exploration of the future of life in New England. In this episode, co-hosts Richard Wiese and Amy Traverso embark on a journey to discover innovative and exciting ways that new generations are carrying on the traditions of New England.

The episode begins with a visit to the seaside town of Essex, Massachusetts, where Richard and Amy meet up with a couple who are creating new and unique ways to preserve the local culinary traditions. They visit a greenhouse, where the couple is growing unusual herbs, vegetables, and spices, such as wasabi, mustard seed and fennel pollen. The herbs and spices are then used to create artisanal products like marmalades and hot sauces which are sold under the “Three Oaks” brand. Viewers get an eye-opening experience of how new generations are taking the Suffolk Coastline farming traditions to a whole new level, modernizing it for the present while maintaining their roots in the local food system.

Next, Richard and Amy travel to Portland, Maine, where they explore how the city’s young chefs are pushing boundaries and reshaping New England’s traditional cuisine. They meet with Jesse Bania, a young chef who is blending the traditional seafood catch of Maine with global flavors to create his own unique cuisine. He shows them around his bustling kitchen and shares his passion and motivation for bringing new flavors and tastes into the New England culinary scene.

As the episode progresses, Richard and Amy head over to the Vermont countryside to explore the world of agrotourism, an industry that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. They meet with a young couple who have created a modern farm-to-table experience that is welcoming visitors from all over the world. They run The Inn at Weathersfield, a working farm that provides them with fresh produce, meat, eggs, and honey to serve to their guests. The couple shares their love for the farming lifestyle and how others can experience it too.

Finally, Weekends with Yankee season 3 episode 2 concludes with Richard and Amy heading back to Massachusetts, where they visit the coastal town of Marblehead to watch a new generation of scuba divers go on a quest to uncover a historical mystery. They join up with a family-run dive shop that is training a group of young divers to find a centuries-old shipwreck buried somewhere off the coast. The team is determined to preserve the history of their local waters and uncover the mystery of the lost ship.

Overall, "The Next Generation" is an enlightening and fascinating look at how the new generation is shaping the traditional New England way of life with a modern take. From the agrotourism industry to the culinary scene, the episode is a celebration of how young innovators are carrying on the rich heritage of New England while introducing it to new audiences. Watchers will find themselves enlightened and inspired by how these young entrepreneurs are creating new opportunities to share the region’s heritage with the next generation of people.