California Foodways: The Winemaking Monks of New Clairvaux

Aired on The California Report Magazine on April 3, 2015:

http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/04/05/california-foodways-winemaking-trappist-monks

and on NPR's Morning Edition April 9:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/09/398339770/these-vintner-monks-turn-wilderness-into-the-divine-gift-of-wine

In a tiny Northern California town called Vina, there's a winery that's definitely off the beaten track. That might be because this region's better known for olive groves and cattle ranches than grapes. For these, vintners, though, it's spiritual work.

California Foodways: Chinese Border Food

Aired on The California Report Magazine March 28, 2015.

http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/03/28/california-foodways-the-chinese-mexican-cuisine-youll-find-only-along-the-border

If you ask people in the city of Mexicali, Mexico, about their most notable regional cuisine, they won’t say street tacos or mole. They’ll say Chinese food. There are as many as 200 Chinese restaurants in the city. North of the border, in Imperial County, the population is mostly Latino, but Chinese restaurants are packed. There are dishes in this region you won’t find anywhere else, and a history behind them that goes back more than 130 years.