Connecticut Public is Taking a Bigger Bite Out of Food Content

About Connecticut Public Connecticut Public is home to Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Together, Connecticut Public serves nearly one million citizens each month through Connecticut Public Radio and Connecticut Public Television, as well as through our many digital and online platforms. Through our mission to inform, educate and inspire the people of Connecticut, we connect people of all ages to high-quality journalism, storytelling, education and experiences, and amplify the voices of our diverse communities. Connecticut Public is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with a $22 million annual budget, funded primarily through community support from individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors.

HARTFORD [September 6, 2022] Connecticut Public will be making menu changes to its food-related programming to give audiences more of what they love and on more platforms.

Beginning this fall, WNPR's weekly radio broadcast, Seasoned, will move to a monthly podcast. Chef Plum will remain the host of Seasoned, and his co-host for each episode will be a rotating cast of foodies, food-makers and food writers from across Connecticut. Current Seasoned co-host, Marysol Castro, will move on to pursue new opportunities, including co-hosting New York Living, a PIX11 lifestyle show.

The monthly Seasoned podcast will be a part of a new and expanded food package, including:

• A new monthly newsletter with recipes, reflections and more from the Seasoned team
• A new digital video series, Chef Plum in the Kitchen with a Knife, featuring cooking tips and tricks
• The continuation of the video series, Restaurant Road Trip returning for Season 2 in 2023 
• The continued weekly gardening program, Connecticut Garden Journal with Charlie Nardozzi.

“Connecticut Public wants to offer our audience more local food content," said Catie Talarski, Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming. "Transitioning Seasoned to a podcast will allow us to spend more time telling in-depth, sound-rich stories of local food makers and restaurant owners in Connecticut, as well as to lean into the seasonal food trends in the state.”

Starting in October, Connecticut Public Radio will air The Splendid Table on Thursdays at 2 p.m. Hosted by award-winning food journalist Francis Lam, The Splendid Table has been celebrating the intersection of food and life on public radio for more than two decades. The new Seasoned podcast will air in that same timeslot the first Thursday of every month, starting December 1^st.

Robyn Doyon-Aitken will continue as Senior Producer, focusing her work on the monthly food podcast, as well as supporting an effort to create more digital-first podcasts at Connecticut Public.