Samantha Brown's Places to Love

– Samantha: Food, glorious food... [ Mumbles indistinctly ] ...is there a more powerful way to connect to this world?

It brings joy, sparks conversation, and gathers family, friends, and most importantly, strangers, around the same table.

For travelers, it's never just a meal, but a doorway into culture, history, and daily life.

as the clatter of markets, the buzz of a kitchen at work, and the sinking of teeth into something delectable brings us closer to understanding our place in this big, beautiful world.

This "Places to Love" is all about food.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world, and I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my Places To Love.

Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

– Announcer: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines, and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

– Announcer: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket-list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, a Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers, and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

– Announcer: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

-Announcer: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River, or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons, or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab, and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

– Samantha: Let's begin this food journey in the Land Down Under, where in the city of Melbourne, Australia, food is enjoyed everywhere, from open counters along hidden laneways to inside grand historic markets.

I definitely ate well in this city, especially in this 70-year-old institution, Pellegrini's David: You in the mood for some Italian food today?

-I am so in the mood.

Is the spaghetti bolognese -- Is that the dish to have?

-We do the traditional bolognese or beautiful homemade lasagna.

-See, spaghetti bolognese is my favorite dish of all time.

-One Bologna, please!

-So, that is the menu.

It looks like it hasn't changed in a long time.

-No, you're quite right.

Everything here is in its original form, as was built in the 1950s.

So, it should feel comfortable, like you're coming back to Grandma's place.

Ah, here we are!

Perfect, grazie, Rosa.

You got a beautiful spaghetti here.

-Thank you.

Grazie mille.

Oh, my God.

– David: Perfecto.

Everything is cooked in the kitchen by Nonna.

-There's still a grandmother cooking all of this?

-Yes!

– Sauce starts about 6: 00 in the morning, and I just cook slowly for hours, and hours, and hours, do other things.

We'll bring our food menu in around 11:30 because we're busy cooking the sauce.

-Mmm!

-[ Laughs ] And of course, of course, you have a mouthful.

-[ Mumbles indistinctly ] -David: Perfecto.

– Samantha: Now, I have heard that the espresso machine here at Pellegrini's was the first one in Melbourne and is basically what gave birth to the coffee movement here!

Which is pretty... -We are credited with the original coffee machine in Melbourne, yes, but interestingly enough, you were required to have a boiler's license back in the day because it is a small boiler, to use the coffee machine.

– Samantha: Times have changed.

Baristas no longer need boiler operator licenses -- that would be a very busy office nowadays -- and this is a much newer machine.

-Alright, very importantly, Samantha -- beautiful apple strudel, made in-house.

– Samantha: Topped with a scoop of heaven.

Oh, my gosh!

-Just nice and easy to go with the coffee.

Many of our guests will just come in in the afternoon just to have a little coffee and a cheeky piece of cake with us.

-You have spoiled me.

-[ Laughs ] We hope so!

-You have spoiled me.

If you love great food, a strong sense of place, and a warm welcome, look no further than in Morehead City, North Carolina, where Friendly Market is a slam dunk.

– Mindy: This business is 100% this community, and it has grown to be a place of... where you come to get local foods.

You come to get what's new and what's in season.

I am Mindy Fitzpatrick and I am the co-owner of the Friendly Market in Morehead City.

I've always been into sports, I was fortunate enough to play at the University of South Carolina.

I am a Lady Gamecock.

Everything that's happened to me has been because of sports, the lessons I've learned on the basketball court or surfing.

This is exactly like a sport to me.

[ Cheers and applause ] It's fun to play together, it's fun to work together, just like we would in a real basketball game.

So, it's been very good for me.

– Samantha: I'm joining the fun by helping Mindy make tomato pie, which has been a Friendly Market staple ever since they opened.

-My mom was... this was her recipe.

This is how I remember how she made it.

-And now it's an absolute local, if not regional, favorite.

-This pie built this corner.

– Samantha: Mindy's staff prepares 80 to 100 of these pies a day, which all get sold.

And they are built in layers, almost like a flower arrangement.

First, Roma tomatoes, next, sharp cheddar cheese and onions.

-And then, what we're going to do to combine it and keep it really kind of neat and fun is we're going to add mayonnaise.

– Samantha: I love a woman who understands mayonnaise is fun.

– Mindy: You're just gonna take a handful.

And we want to make sure that we get it a little bit everywhere, and covering that tomato.

– Samantha: Fresh basil is added for beauty and taste.

Now, you were saying, out of all of these ingredients, this fresh basil is the key.

-And it makes all the difference in the world in this pie.

– Samantha: And it's time for its first pass in the oven.

30 minutes later, everything is cooked and melted.

But there's one more signature step that really clinches its reputation.

– Mindy: This is basically crackers and some butter.

– Samantha: Yeah?

-We crush it up really good.

We melt the butter and mix it in, and what you're going to do is just cover it pretty good.

– Samantha: Yeah, so, you're going through that nice, oozy cheese and the bright tomatoes, but then, you've got this buttery cracker topping.

I would really like to get to the eating stage, too.

Was that a part of this?

-Yes, it is.

-Okay.

[ Laughs ] -Mindy: I can't wait to try the one you made.

– Samantha: Oh, okay!

This is amazing.

Look at that.

Ohh!

[ Cheers and applause ] And now, we head over to Germany, where in the medieval town of Rothenburg, it doesn't take long to notice that it has a beloved treat -- the Schneeball, or snowball.

Its size and shape begs two questions -- One, how does one eat it?

And two, how is it made?

I got to join Florian Striffler at his nearly 100-year-old family bakery, and the process and craftsmanship will surprise you.

-Normally, this is our dough.

And from this dough, we get 30 pieces.

It's very important to make it very thin.

And then, you make stripes.

– Samantha: Okay.

So, you don't disconnect them?

– Florian: Don't disconnect them.

– Samantha: Okay.

Four, five, six... -Florian: Because... -Samantha: Oh!

– Florian: You make a little ball like this and put it here.

– Samantha: So, it's not a solid mass of dough.

It's actually strips of dough kind of cobbled together to create the ball.

– Florian: Perfect.

– Samantha: Am I hired?

-Mm-hmm.

That's very good.

-Yes!

Excellent.

Florian is a sixth-generation baker, and he's passionate about making his great grandparents' schneeballs.

Even the iron molds have been in the family for generations.

Oh, look at that.

[ Bubbling ] Ohh... -Florian: When you hear that sound... -Samantha: Yeah, yeah.

– Florian: ...that's perfect.

-That's the sound you're listening for?

– Florian: Yes.

– Samantha: That translates to about 12 minutes.

And when time's up... Ohh!

– Florian: Be careful, this is very hot.

– Samantha: Yes, yes.

-It's very important that they are hot because the sugars melt on it and they get a special taste.

– Samantha: While there's a huge variety of flavors to choose from out in the cases, the cinnamon sugar and the powdered sugar are the favorites.

So, now that I know how to make them, I have a better idea about how to eat them.

And just pull off the strip by strip.

– Florian: Yes, perfect.

-Oh, this is perfect.

Good job.

[ Both laugh ] I love artisanal chocolate and I've enjoyed it in many places, from Switzerland, of course, to Wiesbaden, Germany, and even Dallas, Texas.

But to experience chocolate in Costa Rica is to taste one of the world's most beloved foods at its source.

At Chocolate Sibaeli, the story begins with the land itself.

Costa Rica's diverse geography and tropical climate create a unique terroir that shapes every step of the process.

Here, visitors can see how this family-owned plantation crafts chocolate organically, starting with their own trees.

[speaking Spanish] [Juan speaking Spanish] [Samantha] Whoa!

That's...muchos muchos!

[Juan speaking Spanish] [Samantha] One of the first things Juan Carlos taught me is that cacao is ready to harvest when the outer shell is orange.

And one of those wasn't hard to find.

[Speaking Spanish] -Oh, I see.

"Maduro" is ripe.

Okay.

"Naranja," orange.

Nice, okay.

[Juan speaking Spanish] [whispering] Oh, es muy bonita.

-La pulpa.

Pulp.

-Mm-hmm.

Mmm!

Mmm!

[Juan speaking Spanish] Oh!

S, s.

Digestion.

Alright.

But the good stuff is inside the seed.

That is the cacao.

– Juan Carlos: Yeah.

-Ohh.

Pray, bow down.

[ Both laugh ] Me gusta chocolate.

Every step of making chocolate is done on premises.

Once the cacao is ripe, the seeds are harvested and fermented to begin to develop the flavor and aroma.

Then, it's on to roasting.

[Juan speaking Spanish] -Esta bueno?

-Mm-hmm!

-S!

– Samantha: Cacao has been cultivated in Costa Rica by its indigenous tribes for thousands of years, and is still considered a sacred beverage.

– Juan Carlos: Es caliente.

Una bebida caliente.

Ancestral.

-Okay.

Gracias.

-Con mucho gusto.

[Juan speaking Spanish] -Samantha: Ladies and gentlemen, this is an episode dedicated to food, and New Orleans has officially entered the chat.

People here take food seriously and joyfully.

I've enjoyed snowballs recognized by the James Beard Association, sunk my teeth into a hot, fluffy beignet that was both big and easy, and needed elbow support to properly eat the iconic New Orleans sandwich, the po' boy.

That New Orleans loves food is news to nobody, but this shop on Magazine Street is still going to surprise you.

For just about everyone buying coffee, you walk into your local supermarket or your coffee shop, and you buy a bag of beans, and that's it.

But this shop really puts that coffee lover in control of everything that makes their coffee unique.

We get to be a part of the process.

– Catherine: Right.

Current Crop is really all about whatever your preferences are, whatever coffee you like, whatever roast level you like.

It's all about whatever the customer wants.

-Now, that's a lot right there because we don't know what we want!

Because for us, it's sort of this different language.

And it all begins here with the roasting level.

-Yes.

So, this is really a progression of the roast from light, medium, and dark.

So, it's a great place to start so we know, kind of, once you find the coffee that you want to try, which roast level we're going to shoot for.

-Okay.

– Catherine: So, this is what we call our bean library.

We've got about 78 different coffees from all over the world spread out through the library.

-I love this!

Oh, my gosh!

It's sort of like in a wine shop where you see, "Oh, there's where the Italians are.

That's where, you know, Brazil..." -Catherine: Right.

-The best coffee I've ever had in my life was in Nicaragua.

– Catherine: Oh, yes.

– Samantha: Cupping notes help guide you to your perfect bean.

So, what's next?

I get to pick these bags, and in every bag, there are just green beans, and now, I'm going to be the roaster.

– Catherine: Yes.

– Samantha: Another one of Catherine's roles is to lead roasting lessons and cuppings all week.

And if you're wondering why Current Crop is in New Orleans, it's because its port has been a major importer of coffee beans for over 300 years.

I brought the Burundi and the Yemen, and I picked them purely because I've never seen these countries represented in any supermarket or even coffee shop I've gone to.

So, I want to try something that I've never tried.

-Yeah, this is a favorite of mine.

-I've chosen my beans, and they're from anywhere in the world, and the roasting really is where we bring in our own personality as a coffee drinker.

Does that make sense?

-Yes.

-Okay.

Am I saying that right?

-Very much so.

– Samantha: It's time to roast, and Catherine recommends a medium.

I'm pouring the green, raw coffee beans into a machine that basically acts like a popcorn popper.

And in roughly 8 minutes, the green turns into the dark brown that we know.

And it's time to bag.

-Perfect.

The last thing you have to do is write your roast date on there.

– Samantha: How important is that roasting date?

– Catherine: Home roasting or roasting your own coffee, you really only roast what you need for the next two weeks and you always have fresh coffee.

– Samantha: While driving Route 66, I made sure I had the best food, from extra-thick concrete shakes to batter-fried Cozy Dogs.

And I still have dreams about that fried onion burger at Sid's Diner.

But in Tulsa, Oklahoma, there was a stop I wasn't expecting.

And that was the Mother Road Market, a non-profit food hall.

Katy: Mother Road Market is one of the programs of Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation.

So, they started the Launch program, which was a 12 to 15 week program that allowed food businesses access to industry experts, how to create a business plan, how to create a marketing plan, what kind of license do you need to be able to operate successfully?

We are able to be here for these businesses to take recipes to reality.

-Hi!

-Hello, how are you?

-Good!

How are you all?

-Good!

I'm just kinda taking a look at what I want to eat.

How long have you been here?

-So, we're part of the residency program, which means we're a pop-up.

We get to stay here about a week.

But we got lucky this month, and it's Asian-American Heritage Month, so we got the opportunity to stay here for 2 whole weeks, so we're here until this Sunday.

-Who's we?

-My mom and I. It's our food concept here called Sobahn 82.

"82" in Korean is a slang for "fast."

And before that, we used to own a restaurant in South Tulsa, and it was called Sobahn.

So, it's a fast-casual concept of our old restaurant.

But the selling point is when the food comes out and people smell it, and they're like, "Whatever you got, I want that."

– Samantha: How did the foundation help you?

How did it help you in a way that, if you didn't have it, you wouldn't be here right now?

-Being part of a community of people who are teaching you how to start a food business and other people who are also passionate about starting their own food business, it really helped me out a lot because I felt like I had people I can lean on in every single process.

And then, after that, I got to be part of this, like, pop-up process that I get to introduce food to people in Tulsa and outside of Tulsa all the time when they come by.

-I love that.

I think I'm going to try a few things, if you don't mind.

I remember those... I don't know how to pronounce it.

They're like little dough... -Oh, tteok-kkochi.

-Tteok-kkochi!

Thank you!

-Yeah!

The rice.

You're good!

– Samantha: Ice cream here knocks it out of the park.

Sami Cooper of the Big Dipper takes something we all know and love to the next level.

Roasted strawberries?

-Roasted strawberries.

We use strawberries that are grown locally.

We go out and we pick a bunch of strawberries, and then we roast them en mass and add them to our ice cream.

-Oh, my gosh, that is incredible.

-We make everything from scratch.

So, everything that we do is made in one ice cream machine, small batch ice cream machine.

We make all of our own jams, all of our own inclusions, like our brown butter ganache, our raspberry jams.

We make all of that from scratch.

-You're not buying jam in a jar and then putting it in your ice cream.

-Never.

-Wow!

Alright.

I will never know how to pronounce this in Korean, so I'm just gonna... She's right.

The smell.

Oh, my gosh.

– Katy: Everybody here is a small, local, independent restaurant.

So, when you stop and get Korean, or fried chicken, or gumbo, or ice cream, you're supporting a local entrepreneur.

-And you know, I would imagine, in 1939, you couldn't get kimchi.

-I don't think so.

-So, it's nice that this is sort of taking Route 66 to that next step.

– Katy: Yeah, bringing it into the next century.

-Samantha: The American steakhouse is an iconic eating establishment.

And in Tampa, Florida, Bern's Steakhouse has been an institution for over 70 years.

Do most people who come to Bern's have this sense of... pilgrimage that I have, finally sitting at this bar and eating a steak?

-Pretty much.

Pretty much.

A lot of people come from all over the world just to come here.

-All over the world!

-All over the world.

With the wine list that we have and the experience that we provide.

-The steakhouse is an all-American... thing, entity, right?

-And it's iconic.

-And then, this restaurant is... -Absolutely.

-...one of the greats.

The steakhouse itself, from the outside, you don't think it's a steakhouse, right?

It kind of throws you off.

– Nate: We're like Vegas.

We don't want you to know how long you've been here, right?

-That was an amazing bite, and I just wanted to take a moment of silence for... for that bite of steak that I just had.

Again, just perfection.

So, this is my first time here.

-Okay.

-And I believe, Nate, that I get one tour.

-Well, if you can stand up after eating all this food, we can get you on tour.

-Challenge accepted!

I met that requirement!

Guests can actually tour the Bern's Kitchen.

And even better... -Welcome to the wine station at Bern's.

This is our red wines by the glass.

This is just reds.

– Samantha: This is all the wines you offer by the glass?

– Brad: Yes, ma'am.

-Oh my gosh.

And this is just the reds.

-The reds!

We'll do the whites downstairs.

Normally, you'll see 6 or 7, sometimes 8 wine stewards that are just pouring wines by the glass.

They grab wines for the 30 servers we have on at night, plus the four sommeliers.

-Wow.

-They have to pour everything by the glass.

And we give tours all night to any guests that would like to see the wine cellar.

-And who doesn't want to see the wine cellar?

This is unbelievable.

This is just the working cellar, actually, street level, with close to 70,000 bottles of wine.

-But there's about 500,000 or more in the warehouse across the street.

-500,000... -At least.

The way it works is there's about 9,000 bins down here.

Each bin holds 15 bottles.

-Sure, okay.

-So, that's a case plus three.

So, if the guys are working at night here and we get down to less than three bottles, they put it on the "get list."

-Okay.

Then, like, in a... you'll see them coming pretty soon.

-Like a runner.

-Yeah.

They'll go across before service and then restock this.

– Samantha: I've never seen bottles wrapped in plastic bags.

[ Whispering ] Oh, this is the rare room?

– Brad: This is the rare room.

-I started whispering.

-[ Laughs ] It's secret.

It's our oldest and obviously most expensive wine.

It's about 50, 55 degrees, which is colder than the normal cellar.

But we still have so much old wine that, by dropping the temperature and keeping it cold, it slows the aging process down.

-Okay.

-And I still have vintages going back to the 1820s.

-Oh, my -- And still drinkable?

-Yes.

Some of them.

– Samantha: Why are they all in bags?

– Brad: Well, sometimes, when you, you know, by 9:00, 10:00 at night after, you know, 500 people... -Oh, sure.

-...it can warm up a little bit and you'll get condensation.

-I see.

-So, the plastic protects the labels.

-What are the wines that get you really excited, as the sommelier?

-I tell you, Bern, our founder, he would go over to Burgundy and Bordeaux and Champagne and buy the great wines.

But then, he would go to, you know, wine regions like the Rhone region, which was not a big deal, or California was not considered world-class, and he would go out there and he'd recognize, "Wow, these wines are amazing.

They're world-class, but they're cheap."

And so, he would load up on them.

And when you can find something like that that is, you know, that you just don't expect it to be great, from regions I never even dreamed of.

– Samantha: Well, here's an example for you -- Traverse City, Michigan.

As a first-time visitor here, I loved sailing on Grand Traverse Bay, running down sand dunes at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, and enjoying cherries in as many ways as possible.

But its vibrant, wine-growing region with over 50 vineyards might be its cherry on top.

And does it have a wine for you!

I've never had cherry wine.

-Well, here's a cheers and a toast to your first experience.

-Oh.

Oh, that's delightful.

-It's 100%, actually, tart cherries.

-Tart cherries!

-Made into a sweet-style wine with a little hint of cinnamon and some baking spices.

It's a unique wine, for sure.

– Samantha: Wow.

Marie Chantal Dalese is president, CEO, and daughter of the founders of one of the first established wineries on what's known as Old Mission Peninsula.

Chateau Chantal's location up on a hill is a perfect place to enjoy a summer day while sampling something created by winter.

You're also quite famous for your ice wine.

-That's right.

-And that's a real rare type of wine here in the United States.

-Well, to make a good ice wine, you actually need to be in a climate that will allow for a deep freeze, about 15 degrees, that will freeze the grapes solid on the vine.

Usually, December or January.

-Oh!

Oh, wow!

-Oh, yeah.

-Okay.

-Sometimes, the snow is waist deep, and sometimes, you pick on Christmas Day.

You pick them by hand, immediately bring them to the cellar, start to warm up, and as the juices are released and then fermented, you end up with this very delightful dessert wine that is a very special item.

-I mean, the amount of fruit and sweetness, but totally, beautifully balanced.

-That's what's so unique about our climate.

You've got water surrounding us, giving us a special microclimate here.

Natural beauty plus natural ability to grow makes for a spectacular location.

– Samantha: It's true that spectacular locations lend themselves to experiences with food that make travel unforgettable.

But let's be honest, we'll go anywhere, halfway across the world and down hidden lanes, through thick, tropical forests and busy city streets, to connect to the people who grow, harvest, roast, hand make, and serve up fantastic food that, alone, has the power to make a destination a Place To Love.

For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

– Announcer: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines, and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

– Announcer: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket-list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, a Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers, and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

– Announcer: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

-Announcer: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River, or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons, or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab, and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."