Restaurant Road Trip on Connecticut Public Television
edible Nutmeg recently got the chance to catch up with an old friend, edible Nutmeg on the Road’s old host, Chef Plum! It turns out that he’s still on the road, this time with Connecticut Public Television for their newest show, Restaurant Road Trip. We sat down with Plum to get the story behind his latest adventure.
What’s the inspiration for the new show?
Connecticut is often thought of as a drive-through state. But we have incredible talent — and they deserve recognition. Through Restaurant Road Trip (RRT), we hope to offer places that would not normally get visibility the opportunity to be recognized for all of their hard work. We totally recommend trying every restaurant that we feature. You may find a new place that you love! Draw yourself a roadmap and bring everyone you care about along for the ride.
What’s it all about? What does the show mean to you?
As a chef for over 30 years, I have had so many fortunate things come my way — national commercials, Food Network and Amazon Prime features, and more. These opportunities have helped to give me a platform of visibility. I am always happy to offer my network to others so that they too can show the world the great things that they do with food. I also enjoy finding new places that my family and I can enjoy!
What are some of your favorite moments from the series?
Every episode has a favorite moment! But the trip to Match Lobster in Westport was definitely one of my favorites! The ending is epic. It was also great to feature Good Ole Days Pizza, a restaurant in my home town of Newtown. The fat kid in me can’t get enough of their pizzas and the good dad in me is happy that they serve delicious salads that my kids will actually eat.
Did the impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry cause any hurdles for the series?
Absolutely. It put us on a hiatus. Thankfully our partners at Connecticut Public really liked the content and brought the show back to life. It's been wonderful to work with them. Stay tuned for season 2!
What's it like to make RRT?
It's been fun producing RRT along with my incredible team. Dan Fish from Full Send Productions and Jeff Purrrazzi from PlumLuvFoods, along with our former producer Ryan Kristopher who is now at Good Day NY are incredible, so we had some big shoes to fill. Truthfully, all I do is make jokes and eat food. These guys make it look like I know what I am doing. Oh...and I get to meet some incredible people along the way. I am very lucky!
One of the best parts about RRT, is trying to recreate the meals that some of these great chefs make. Or even using some of their techniques in my own culinary adventures. I love trying new things, and it's great to have the opportunity to work alongside so many talented people.
Want to watch? Restaurant Road Trip will premiere on Connecticut Public’s platforms as a series of digital shorts on ctpublic.org/roadtrip. The video shorts, up to five minutes each and shot in high quality 4K, will drop weekly on Thursdays beginning April 28, 2022. There will also be three 30-minute TV episodes premiering on CPTV at 8PM on Thursdays on May 5, June 2, and July 7, 2022, respectively. Go to: CT Public YouTube channel, and the CPTV streaming platform video.cptv.org or ctpublic.org/roadtrip.
