Roadfood

>> One, two, three, go!

And they're off!

It's the first time here out at Barberton Speedway for both these drivers here.

(wheels screeching) >> MISHA COLLINS: The wheels screeched!

(laughs) In order to justify this for Roadfood, I'm going to eat this chicken while I bank around the fourth corner.

(tires screeching) In the 1970s, a young couple set out on the most epic road trip of all time.

Jane and Michael Stern were on a mission to discover every regional dish in America, and over four decades, they burned through 38 cars and published ten editions of their iconic guide, Road Food.

Now I'm picking up where they left off, exploring what makes America's communities unique and what binds us all together.

And it's delicious.

>> Major funding for this program was provided by: >> Yours is a front-yard family.

Because out front... >> How're you doing?

>> ...is where all the neighborhood is.

And your neighbors know you well.

>> Mario, what's up?

>> They've seen your robe, your run, even your bathing suit.

>> (laughing) >> They also know your home turf stays open to the whole street.

So you stay out front.

We'll stay real-brewed.

And the world just might get a little golder.

Gold Peak real-brewed tea.

(shade rustles) (doorbell rings) >> (softly): Yes!

>> Hey, man, how you doing?

>> COLLINS: Good.

Hey, I'm just getting into town.

Where should I, where should I find you?

Are you around now?

>> Yeah, I'm around now.

You want to meet me at the Coffee Pot?

>> COLLINS: Okay, awesome, man.

That's David.

David is a friend of mine.

And when we decided to do an episode in Barberton, Ohio, I was, like, "Wait, that sounds familiar."

It's because my friend David happens to live here.

(people talking in background) Hey!

>> Hey, there, how you doing, man?

>> COLLINS: Good, how's life?

>> Eh, life's okay.

Yeah, welcome to my town.

>> COLLINS: It's so bizarre... >> (chuckles) Yeah.

>> COLLINS: That you live in this little town.

You're going to have breakfast today?

>> Well, what are you drinking, first of all?

>> Um, do you have iced coffee?

>> COLLINS: Can I ask what the cheese sauce is?

>> It's homemade, it's really good.

It's like a blend of American and Swiss.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

I'm going to have a vegetable omelet.

>> Yeah.

>> For you?

>> I'll do the corned beef hash omelet.

Got to be healthy, right?

>> I'll be back with that coffee.

>> COLLINS: I don't know.

>> What are you doing here?

>> COLLINS: Well, when we were conceiving of the show, we looked at the map of the U.S., and we knew we wanted to come to the Midwest.

We knew we wanted to come to Ohio.

And Barberton emerged as a place to explore because of the world-famous Barberton fried chicken.

At one point, it was the fried chicken capital of the world, apparently?

And at the same time, I've been interested in exploring who are the folks who are switching from being dyed-in-the-wool union Democrats to being Trump supporters, and why, and how is the Rust Belt transforming and where is it going.

Those are, you know, questions that I'm interested in exploring, and Barberton checked all the boxes.

And then when I found out that you lived here... >> Oh, is that what it was?

Yeah.

>> COLLINS: It was like putting a bow on it.

>> The reason why they went to where they go is because the Republicans are the only ones who were talking to them-- the only ones.

You know, so you have Donald Trump looking straight into a camera, and he's, like, "I got your back.

I am here for you, no one else is."

And on the Democratic side, they're not really talking the same way.

They're not speaking the same language.

So someone like here, who's resentful, you know?

Who has gone through so much and so much economic destruction, you know, they hear what he's saying.

>> COLLINS: Can you describe this town?

And, and, you know, like, what's the good and the bad of Barberton, Ohio?

>> Well, I mean, we used to be called the Magic City-- industry was thriving, factory, manufacturing jobs, all that stuff.

And, you know, they did really well for a long time.

The city that I grew up in isn't the city that we're in today.

The good is that there's just really good people here.

You know, they take care of each other.

They work together.

But then, you know, you get, you know, this anger, this, this, you know, underneath, because everybody's gotten screwed.

Everybody has, you know, and they've all felt it.

And in the city here, you know, it's, uh... We've watched all the other towns around us pass us by.

>> COLLINS: Do you have friends who are steelworkers?

>> Mm-hmm, oh, yeah.

Yeah, one of my buddies, Jamie, which, you should meet him, he's a good dude.

And, uh, union guy, you know, salt of the earth.

You know, one of my, actually, mentors in life.

>> COLLINS: Really?

>> Yeah.

I mean, he gets politics, he gets what's going on.

>> COLLINS: Thank you.

>> Welcome.

>> This is the Coffee Pot.

And this is a Barberton institution.

It's been here since long before I was born.

>> COLLINS: Is this a thing, the cheese sauce on the omelet?

>> I'm not sure, I've never had it before.

>> COLLINS: Well, this is quaint little duck pond.

>> Lake Anna's is probably the nicest area of town.

>> COLLINS: Hi, are you Jamie?

>> Yes.

>> Hey, buddy.

>> COLLINS: You left me hanging there.

>> How are you?

Sorry.

>> COLLINS: I'm good, how are you?

>> Good, >> So, Jamie, this is Misha, my buddy.

And Misha, this is my mentor, buddy, friend, confidant.

>> COLLINS: I was talking to David and he was, like, right away, like, "Oh, I know who you have to talk to."

>> He's running on the bikes-- you gonna take him biking?

You guys going to do it?

>> If he knows how to ride a motorcycle, I'm all up for it.

>> COLLINS: Wait, are you saying... >> I gotta make a couple of phone calls.

>> COLLINS: Are you saying I could, you could take me on a motorcycle tour?

>> Absolutely.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> That's probably a way to see the town.

>> COLLINS: This was a genius introduction.

>> Yeah, there we go.

>> COLLINS: I am psyched.

>> Yeah.

>> COLLINS: And no, I don't know how to ride a motorcycle, but I can certainly look up a YouTube video and figure it out.

>> Tell you what, take care of my buddy here.

>> COLLINS: All right.

>> You guys have fun.

>> COLLINS: Very nice to meet you.

>> Hey, appreciate you.

>> It's always a pleasure.

>> COLLINS: Left me hanging again!

(laughs) >> Always leaving you hanging.

>> COLLINS: All right, buddy, I'm going to give you a hug.

>> Yeah, I appreciate you, have fun.

Thanks for coming to my town.

>> COLLINS: We're right downtown in Barberton.

We just got here, and there's a farmers' market, which we weren't expecting.

I'm giddy with excitement, because I love nothing more than farmers' markets.

>> Hello.

>> COLLINS: Hi, how are you?

>> Doing good.

>> COLLINS: How did you come to sell this particular assortment of items?

>> Gourds that came from our, our garden.

My daddy grown those many, many years ago.

And the cookie cutters, that was just something in the house.

These are Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans.

>> COLLINS: I have children, so I could afford to get some cookie cutters.

>> Awesome, yeah, they are very useful for making sugar cookies.

>> COLLINS: Well, they're good for cookies.

>> Oh, yeah.

You need a bag for that?

>> COLLINS: No, I don't.

I have deep pockets.

And I don't mean that figuratively.

>> Okay.

>> COLLINS: What's your name?

>> Say "Luca."

>> COLLINS: High five.

>> Oh!

You're too slow!

>> Gotta be fast.

>> COLLINS: Hey, hey, ah!

>> You got it, huh?

>> COLLINS: So this is your, your farm that you're peddling the apples of?

>> Yes!

Yep, we have, we grow over a hundred varieties of apples.

And today I have 15 of those, and probably the majority of them you've never heard of.

>> COLLINS: I love apple varieties that I've never heard of.

What have you got?

>> It's a heirloom apple.

These were picked yesterday.

Melrose is a cross of Jonathan and Red Delicious.

And you think it'd have prettier skin for a Red Delicious parent, but they're... >> COLLINS: That's an excellent apple.

I'm meeting the mayor with two apples in my hand.

>> (laughs): How you doing?

>> COLLINS: How are you?

>> Good.

Yeah, thank you for coming to our city.

>> COLLINS: Thank you for coming to talk to us.

>> Yeah, definitely.

>> COLLINS: How long have you been mayor?

>> This is my tenth year.

>> COLLINS: Holy smokes.

How would you describe the character of this city to the outside world?

>> So Barberton's always kind of been that blue-collar, hard-working city.

Very resilient.

A very giving community, very safe city.

Pulling yourself up by the bootstraps is a community thing here, and it's hard work.

It's all those attributes that you kind of get when you live here and you grow up.

>> COLLINS: What's your favorite chicken place?

You probably can't say that... >> That's a loaded question, you can't... >> COLLINS: You can't say that.

>> You're getting me in trouble now.

>> COLLINS: I know, but I've...

There's got to be some way that I can get this out of you.

>> I grew up near Belgrade's.

I still live near Belgrade's and that's where I worked.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> Each restaurant has a little different flavor with their dishes.

>> COLLINS: That seemed like a subtle plug for Belgrade's.

>> I said each, each business is a little different.

>> COLLINS: I know, but I'm going to take it as you saying that your favorite is Belgrade's.

>> (laughs): I didn't, no, I... >> COLLINS: (laughs) Okay, so we're going to meet Milos, who runs Belgrade Gardens.

Belgrade Gardens is famous and important because it was the first restaurant in Barberton to serve this Serbian-style fried chicken.

Hi!

>> Welcome!

>> COLLINS: Thank you!

>> Welcome to Belgrade Gardens.

>> COLLINS: Are you Milos?

>> I am Milos.

>> COLLINS: Hi, nice to meet you.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> COLLINS: I'm Misha.

>> Misha, nice to meet you.

>> COLLINS: So this is where it all started, huh?

>> Yes.

>> COLLINS: This is ground zero for Barberton chicken.

>> These are the founders of what is known as Barberton-style fried chicken.

My maternal grandparents.

At one time, we were serving 30,000 chicken dinners every week in the 1970s and '80s.

>> COLLINS: (mouths) That is a lot of chicken.

>> Yes.

>> COLLINS: God, this was a really dangerous community to be a chicken in, huh?

>> (laughs): Very much so.

You didn't get out of here alive.

This is our kitchen.

This is where everything starts.

>> COLLINS: But my understanding is that the Barberton chicken, the Serbian-style fried chicken, is actually very simple.

There's not a lot of secret ingredients.

>> That's correct.

>> COLLINS: Are you able to share with me what the process is of making that?

>> Certainly, certainly.

We use a, between a two-and-a-half and two-and-three-quarter-pound bird.

>> COLLINS: Oh, real small.

>> Yes.

We cook the chicken very low temperature.

It seals all the natural juiciness of a young bird.

>> COLLINS: Mm-hmm.

>> So when you taste it, it's very succulent, very moist.

>> COLLINS: Right.

Smells delicious.

Boy, there has been a lot of anticipation building up to this moment.

Better live up to my expectations.

>> I think you will enjoy it.

>> COLLINS: That might be the best fried chicken I've ever had.

>> I'm glad.

>> COLLINS: Honestly, that's really... >> I'm glad you think it.

>> COLLINS: ...remarkable-- this is the hot rice?

>> Yes.

>> COLLINS: What's the story with this?

>> This is a traditional recipe that my grandmother learned from her mother, and her mother learned from her mother.

The two biggest ingredients are tomatoes and onions.

>> COLLINS: That's so yummy.

If you had told me that dipping fried chicken in what looks like tomato rice soup was a good idea, I would say no.

>> Yeah.

>> COLLINS: But that is a delicious flavor combination.

And texture combination.

>> They kind of... One enhances the other.

>> COLLINS: Which is what you want.

>> Absolutely.

>> COLLINS: In a condiment.

Delicious.

Thank you for having me into your kitchen.

>> You're very welcome, Misha, anytime.

>> COLLINS: Thank you for the sample.

>> Please come again.

>> COLLINS: This is really exciting.

We're at the Slovene Club.

And the most exciting thing about the Slovene Club is that I have no idea what it is.

Someone told us to come here.

And so we are.

Come this way, friends.

(polka music playing) This looks like a combination of a, a polka retirement community and a smattering of Supernatural fans who appear to have found out that I was coming.

(laughs) Do you know how to polka?

>> I do know how to polka.

>> COLLINS: Will you tell me how to do it?

>> I don't know, I can't... (people talking in background) >> COLLINS: I don't know how to do this, so tell me what to do-- am I... >> Okay, so... (music playing) Two... Now you got it.

(cheers and applause) >> COLLINS: Oh, that's easy enough.

(polka music playing) >> Okay, now move forward.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> (laughs) >> COLLINS: You're leading.

You have the longest-running polka television show in the history of polka television shows.

>> I have heard that rumor, and it was by accident, because years ago, I was taking accordion lessons from Frankie Spetich here in Barberton, who did a radio show on an FM, on an FM station in Akron.

And I said, "Frank, we have a TV station in Wadsworth "where you can do free TV.

Why don't you do a polka show?"

And Frank, in his eminent wisdom said, "Why don't you do it?"

(chuckles) >> COLLINS: And that fateful decision led to 1,400 hours of polka played on television.

>> Absolutely.

And I'm especially proud of the 17 that we did perfectly.

>> COLLINS: (laughs) Going to get some fried chicken at DeVore's Hopocan Gardens.

Don't know why it's called that.

And we're meeting up with Steve, who is a former wrestler, the Green Hornet.

He's now the announcer at the speedway here in Barberton.

So he's a jack-of-at-least- two-trades.

Are you Steve?

>> I'm Steve.

>> COLLINS: Hi, Steve.

I'm Misha.

>> Hey, good to meet you.

>> COLLINS: Nice to meet you.

I have so many questions for you.

How did you, how did you come to be the Green Hornet?

>> Well, I started in 1973.

>> COLLINS: Was that the early days of WWF?

>> That was the Championship Wrestling days.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> That was before the WWF.

I brought some stuff in, just to show you this.

I was on the cover of the Beacon Magazine.

>> COLLINS: That's amazing.

Do you see this?

That's good theatrics.

>> Because I've done so much charities in my lifetime in wrestling, the fans, these were the kids in my life that I never had.

(voice breaking): So I gave my heart to 'em.

>> COLLINS: Yeah.

>> And in my lifetime being a professional wrestler, I've raised $780,000 for charity and children with autism.

>> Somebody order some chicken?

>> COLLINS: Oh, man.

>> Yeah, this is Brian Canale.

He's the owner of Hopocan Gardens.

>> Misha?

Brian Canale.

Nice to meet you.

>> Very, very great friend of mine, been many years.

>> COLLINS: You want to sit down and join us here?

>> Yeah.

Is Steve showing you his wrestling pictures?

>> COLLINS: Uh-huh.

Will you just tell me what we have here?

>> Okay, this is our legendary Barberton chicken.

It's Serbian-style chicken.

It's all-natural.

No seasoning.

A little bit of salt.

>> COLLINS: Well, I'm going to try it before it gets cold.

Delicious.

It's nice and hot.

And very simple.

And Barberton is about 25,000, is that right?

It's amazing to me that there are so many fried chicken restaurants supported by a town that's that small.

>> Barberton was a heavy industrial town.

And we had about 20,000 factory jobs.

And generationally, they would come down and get Barberton chicken on Sundays.

A four-piece dinner, hot sauce, coleslaw, and French fries were a dollar, kids' dinners were 50 cents.

>> Yeah, so I'd like to invite you guys to come out to Barberton Speedway.

>> COLLINS: Is that far from here?

>> Uh, ten minutes.

>> COLLINS: That sounds super-fun, great.

>> Five different owners there's been to the track and I've worked for every one of them.

>> COLLINS: Are there any cars here that I could drive around the track?

>> No.

Everybody has their own stock car.

>> COLLINS: We have a rental minivan.

(laughs): Pablo, you want to race?

>> (slowly): Yeah.

>> COLLINS: (laughs) That sounded like a lot of hesitation.

>> Um, there's reservations with this, but I'm not going to get a second chance about this, right?

So yeah, I want to race.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> Here you go, Sergio.

Okay.

>> COLLINS: Okay.

>> Testing, one, two.

>> COLLINS: I'm, I'm worried about ruining Steve's car.

>> On your mark, get set, go!

(engines revving, tires squealing) >> COLLINS: This feels very fast.

>> Outside in the van, it's close!

It looks like he's gonna, that van's going to take that Malibu.

>> COLLINS: Oh!

The dark horse.

>> Misha's not giving up.

He's coming down the straightaway, kicking that turbo charger in.

>> COLLINS: Oh, man.

He's overtaking us.

>> And they're still trying to race, matching it here at Barberton Speedway.

Coming out of turn two, he's taken the lead.

>> COLLINS: Pablo's good on the straightaway.

>> No, the black van takes the checkered flag.

>> My filmmaker career right there.

>> COLLINS: (laughs) This is a residential neighborhood.

It's a little bizarre.

There's someone who's buckled into the driver's seat of that truck who looks like he's passed out.

(clears throat) Hello?

Hi.

>> How are you?

>> COLLINS: Good.

>> This is, this is Steve and Tony.

>> How's it going?

>> COLLINS: Hi.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> COLLINS: Hi, sorry.

(laughing) What is this?

This is, like...

I never... >> Barberton Social Club.

>> COLLINS: ...in a million years would have guessed that there was anything here, because it... >> It's kind of like a Moose or an Elks or... >> COLLINS: Oh, like Elks Club, okay.

This was, like, solid Democrat territory for a long time, right?

And now Ohio went, you know, ten points for Trump, right?

I mean, by a...

It was a landslide.

It was like a landslide.

What, how... What do you think accounts for that?

>> They're looking for a way out, no matter which way it is.

So Obama had two terms, and then... And then Trump, Biden.

It's, it's going back and forth.

Everybody's looking for just somebody to solve problems.

>> Yeah, but it's been going on for a lot longer than just the last eight or nine, ten years.

Like, a lot of our friends, for example, think they're Democrats.

(laughing): But in all reality, they have really tight conservative views.

They all believe in gun rights.

They all believe in less government.

They believe in a lot of these things that...

But old-school Democrats-- old-school Democrats-- really truly believed, you know, still had those values.

Those values are starting to just leach away.

The left has turned so far left, it's actually scary in some respects.

So, I think that's why we're seeing the big swing like that.

>> COLLINS: That, I mean, one of the things that people have told us about Barberton is that it's a community where everyone, everyone...

Someone used the phrase earlier today.

"Everyone lifts each other up by the bootstraps."

Like it's a community effort.

Which, of course, when you say that, that sounds like a Democrat, like, platform, right?

>> And that's why I don't understand how buddies like this can be die-hard Republicans.

Because again, the, the core values...

He talks about core values, but the core values are Democratic.

>> COLLINS: (laughs) >> No, they're not!

>> COLLINS: I love that you're saying the same thing about each other.

You're saying core values are Republican.

You're saying core values are Democrat.

I'm saying, and I'm saying, "Let's go for a motorcycle ride."

>> Let's do that.

>> Absolutely.

(laughing) >> COLLINS: This vacant lot was a factory.

How many jobs do you think?

>> I would estimate about 100 with salary and everything else.

>> COLLINS: There's lots of buildings that have been taken down.

Lots of buildings that are vacant.

>> Yes, sir.

>> COLLINS: This is a recently abandoned building.

(bell dings) I'm here picking up our takeout order from Whitehouse Chicken.

I have done a very scientific sampling of Barberton residents.

And so far, this has been the most popular chicken in town.

>> Hi.

>> COLLINS: Hi, I think I'm picking up that possibly big order.

An order of chicken.

What do you think makes your chicken stand out in town?

A lot of people have said that this is their favorite.

>> They're all good.

>> COLLINS: They're all good.

>> I mean, ours is the best, though.

>> COLLINS: (laughs) Are those ours right there?

>> They are.

>> COLLINS: All right.

I'm going to take them.

>> Okay.

>> COLLINS: Thank you.

>> Have a good day!

>> Yes.

>> COLLINS: You, too!

Thank you.

I like that they're letting us do takeout to another restaurant, but... >> Right.

>> COLLINS: We'll pretend that's normal.

>> We're pretty accommodating around here.

>> COLLINS: Is...

Does this exist anywhere else?

But it's lo...

The rice addition is a local addition, right?

>> I believe so.

>> I don't...

I don't know.

>> I can't be 100% sure.

>> I've never had it anywhere else.

>> Yeah, I've never had it anywhere else.

>> COLLINS: I love that we all don't know.

That's great.

Well, what do you agree on?

>> A lot.

>> There's, there's a lot of common ground between he and I.

Our party differences set us apart, but he believes in a lot of the same things I believe in.

I think because he's into unions and I'm more or less non-union, I think that kind of molded him in the Democrat Party.

And then I pushed myself in the Republican Party because I was looking at ethics and values and things of that nature.

>> COLLINS: What's the most important thing that you think you can pass on to your kids?

>> Yeah, just be your own person, is the best thing I guess I could put out there.

Tell the truth.

Find out on your own, and have your own opinion.

(clears throat): And, and be willing to stand up for it.

>> I would say work value.

Nobody's going to hand you anything.

You got to go to work.

You got to find your own way.

>> What do I want to pass on to him?

Life isn't always beautiful, but it's a beautiful ride.

(laugh) >> COLLINS: That's a great soundbite.

>> Tell him every day.

Tell him every day.

>> So you heard from all of us.

What would you pass on?

>> COLLINS: I don't like being interviewed.

I want to interview!

>> They can edit this out.

It's all good.

(laughs) >> COLLINS: I'm kind of aware of, like, the position of privilege that, that my kids are coming from.

Like, everything is... Everything is kind of set up for them.

And I'm, I'm wary of that when I'm talking about this, but I want them to feel like the world is a safe place, and they can venture out into it, and... And, and make their creative visions come to life.

That's what I want them to feel.

I want them to be self-sufficient.

>> Right.

>> COLLINS: But I want, I just want them to be happy people.

I want them to be happy, whole people.

>> Well, that to me is success.

>> COLLINS: Yeah.

>> Success is not defined by how much money you have or how much gloat you have.

It's about being happy about, you know, life in general.

That's, to me, is success.

>> COLLINS: All right.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

That was, that was quite poignant.

Thank you very much.

If you want to see extended footage of these conversations, or of me spilling food on my shirt, or if you want to know more about the restaurants and recipes from this episode, go to roadfood.com.

We're pulling into Detroit, Michigan.

We're going to be exploring soul food in Detroit.

>> The Boogaloo Sandwich was created back in the late '60s.

>> COLLINS: Is there a strategy for approaching this sandwich?

>> Attack.

(both laugh) >> COLLINS: I'm going to go face first.

>> It's a huge sandwich.

>> COLLINS: I need to get more vertical here.

>> Ooh, let me help you out.

Can I get some more napkins?

>> COLLINS: He's reaching for it.

Thank you.

This is a team effort.

>> (laughing) >> Major funding for this program was provided by: >> Yours is a front-yard family.

Because out front... >> How you doing?

>> ...is where all the neighborhood is.

And your neighbors know you well.

>> Mario, what's up?

>> They've seen your robe, your run, even your bathing suit.

>> (laughing) >> They also know your home turf stays open to the whole street.

So you stay out front.

We'll stay real-brewed.

And the world just might get a little golder.

Gold Peak real-brewed tea.

(shade rustles) (doorbell rings) >> (softly): Yes!