The FOOD SQUAD - FALL EDITION 2019! 
The Food Squad is a rotating crew of food lovers from all backgrounds, they show up, a few at a time, at The Table Underground to dish on food finds, eating adventures, food justice, personal stories, recipes and so much more... this is the joy of food in life and community, every community, and it's delicious, fun and definitely not your average food show.  

Today’s squad:
Stephen Ross - a long time New Haven area Chef involved in restaurants such as Cast Iron Skillet, Anchor Spa, and most recently Bomb Wings & Rice Bowls. 

Babz Rawls Ivy - Editor in Chief of The Inner City Newspaper, Radio host, and foodie extraordinaire. 

Frankie Douglas - The marketing manager at CitySeed, a recent grad of Johnson and Wales culinary school, and a New Haven native who’s passionate and thoughtful about food and cooking. 

Tagan Engel - Host of The Table Underground, 25 + years work in food as a chef, baker, food justice activist, community builder, and life long food lover.

Today’s Fall Show touches on ways that food, cooking, and gathering with others, help each of us to be our best selves. Frankie shares on the joys of fall food adventures in her healing from depression and trauma, and her first trip to an apple orchard. We taste an inspired version of chicken and dumplings from Chef Steve, and Babz tells us about her new home, and the joys and importance of front porch living aka #Porching in the hood. Host Tagan Engel squeezes in a little bit about her recent fall food adventures, the joys of talking to strangers, and how that resulted in a recent dosa making lesson in VT of all places, and some heirloom apple munching.  

Some snapshots of what we gabbed about: An heirloom Mountain Rose, pink fleshed apple from Scotts Farm Orchard in Dummerston, VT where they grow 130 varieties of heirloom apples. Frankie on her first trip picking apples in CT and her fab jaco-o-lantern. She shared about the ways fall food adventures sooth her soul and helps with her depression, as well as some of the challenges of witnessing suffering in her community, and being a young black queer woman in white spaces. Babz and friends on her front porch where she’s been hosting hang outs, drinks, dinner, soups and more, bringing folks together, getting to know neighbors, and digging the vibrant energy of the Black neighborhood of Newhallville, in New Haven, CT. Some delicious chicken and sweet potato dumpling soup from Chef Stephen Ross, who feels most happy in the kitchen. He loves cooking up soup, especially in the fall, and this Black American classic (with his own sweet potato twist and collards) reminds him of Sunday dinners in his grandparents kitchen. The Dosas and a gorgeous cookbook from the Dosa Kitchen Food Truck in Brattleboro, VT including the New England twist on this classic Indian street food, the dosa with apple chutney, VT cheddar, and greens. The VT foods were the result of host Tagan Engel’s adventuring in food, and talking to strangers along the way, often resulting in meaningful connections and delicious experiences.

NOTE: Recipe for Chicken and Sweet Potato Dumplings - coming soon!

Ep. 61 — The Table Underground — Nov 1, 2019