St.

CLOUD THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE COME TO St.

CLOUD.

>> Eric: ON MONDAY, TWIN CITIES PBS PREMIERED THE SIXTH SEASON OF THE FOOD AND CULTURE SHOW "RELISH."

WITH CHEF YIA VANG.

ALL EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON THE PBS APP AND TPT.ORG.

WE'RE GOING TO SIT DOWN WITH THE SHOW'S PRODUCER IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT HERE'S A LITTLE APPETIZER FOR YOU.

>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ABLE TO COOK TOGETHER, GATHER TOGETHER IN THIS INTERGENERATIONAL GROUP?

>> CHAOS.

[ Laughter ] >> BUT THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT.

>> FOR YOU LIKE GROWING UP, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE FASTING, HERE'S ALL THIS WONDERFUL SMELL AND EVERYTHING.

>> YOU FAST, SO YOU CAN HAVE THE SAMBUSA.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICED WAS ALL THE HANDS THAT WERE INVOLVED.

>> WHEN YOU MAKE THINGS TOGETHER, THE BOND BECOMES EVEN STRONGER.

>> GROWING UP THEN, DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU LIVED IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS?

>> I DID.

IT'S ONLY GOING UP, YOU TRULY EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU LIKE.

I LOVE FRENCH FOOD.

>> OH, MY GOSH.

>> WHEN YOU IMMEDIATELY LOOK AT THE PLATE, IT IS THE ESSENCE, IT IS THE MELTING POT.

>> DUDE!

IT IS DEFINITELY NOT TUNA FROM A CAN.

>> HAWAIIAN STYLE, THEY LIKE REAL NICE THICK CHUNKS.

>> CUT IT LIKE THIS.

♪♪ >> COULD I USE THE BOARD?

>> YEAH, YOU CAN USE THE BOARD.

>> YES, OKAY.

♪♪ >> WHEN HE GETS A LITTLE BIT OLDER, HE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT HIS DISH, AND HE'S GOING TO THINK ABOUT THESE MOMENTS, AND HE'S GOING TO REFLECT BACK AND GO, YEAH, I'M GOING TO PASS THIS DOWN.

>> ANOTHER ONE.

>> HAVE ANOTHER ONE.

>> DO YOU EVER GET SICK OF THIS?

>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN, EATING?

>> EATING SWEETS, DOING ALL THIS.

>> NO.

>> DO YOU?

>> NO.

>> ERIC: JOINING US NOW IS ONE OF THE SHOW'S PRODUCERS BRITTANY SHRIMPTON.

EAGLE-EYED FANS OF OUR SHOW MIGHT RECOGNIZE HER FROM "THE WRAP" AS A GUEST AND GUEST HOST.

YOU OVERCAME THAT, YOU'VE GONE ON TO GREAT SUCCESS.

>> I MEAN, THEY REALLY HAVE TO BE EAGLE-EYED TO GET THAT REFERENCE.

>> Eric: JAMES BEARD MEDIA AWARD.

SHOW IT TO THE CAMERA THERE.

>> Cathy: CONGRATULATIONS, BY THE WAY.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS?

>> SO WE SUBMITTED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A JAMES BEARD MEDIA AWARD.

AND A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WE WERE NOMINATED AND INVITED TO THE CEREMONY, AND WE WON!

WHICH WAS A HUGE THRILL.

>> Eric: YOU WERE AGAINST SOME IG-NAME TALENT.

>> YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ASKED US BEFORE WE WENT TO THE CEREMONY, OH, YOU'RE GOING TO THE JAMES BEARD MEDIA AWARDS, HAVE WE -- DO WE KNOW YOU?

HAVE WE SEEN YOU?

AND I SAID, I MIGHT BE SURPRISED, BECAUSE WE WERE IN CHICAGO, AND THEN WE SAID, BUT WE'RE UP AGAINST SOME PEOPLE YOU KNOW, LIKE TOP CHEF AND LYDIA, WHO'S A PBS LEGEND, AND I THINK THEY WERE SHOCKED WHEN THEY CALLED OUR NAME, OF COURSE.

SO, YES, I THINK EVERYONE ELSE WAS TOO.

>> Cathy: CONGRATULATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: SO, SIXTH SEASON, WOW!

I REMEMBER WHEN THIS WAS KIND OF LIKE AN ONLINE-ONLY THING.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: YES.

>> WE STARTED SIX YEARS AGO, IT WAS CO-CREATOR AMY MELIN AND I AND CHEF YIA VANG, AND WE STARTED IN HIS MOM'S KITCHEN, WE WERE FILMING, DOING, AUDIO, EDITING, ALL OF THAT.

SO HE TOOK A GREAT LEAP OF FAITH WITH US AS DOING EVERYTHING.

AND E STARTED WITH VERY HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SHOW?

>> YOU KNOW, WE REALLY HOPE THAT BY SHARING THESE STORIES OF OTHER MINNESOTANS THAT PEOPLE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEIR COMMUNITIES, IT'S SUCH A GREAT ENTRY POINT FOR US.

YOU KNOW, IT'S A WAY TO OPEN UP CURIOSITY AND GET TO KNOW MORE PEOPLE.

>> Cathy: SO IT'S NOT JUST A COOKING SHOW.

>> I MEAN, WE HOPE NOT.

WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO IT.

MAYBE THEY'LL O OUT AND TRY SOME NEW PLACES.

>> Cathy: I HOPE SO.

SO, HOW DO YOU BOOK YOUR GUESTS?

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT A GOOD GUEST WOULD BE FOR RELISH?

>> THAT'S SUCH A GREAT QUESTION.

WE HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING FOOD COMMUNITY HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

AND IN MINNESOTA.

THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.

AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF GREAT CHEFS.

HOME COOKS CHEFS, AND, SO, THERE'S REALLY AN ENDLESS, AN ENDLESS LIST OF PEOPLE.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE FIND OUT ABOUT THEM THROUGH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THROUGH OUR OTHER STAFF MEMBERS, OUR TEAM.

AND ALSO BECAUSE OUR FOOD COMMUNITY IS SO GENEROUS, CHEFS THAT WE'VE ALREADY WORKED WITH, YOU KNOW, SAY TO US, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON?

DO YOU KNOW THIS STORY?

YOU SHOULD TALK TO THIS PERSON.

SO REALLY -- IT'S A REALLY GIVING COMMUNITY, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS THAT WAY IN EVERY CITY.

OR IN EVERY PLACE.

>> Eric: DO MINNESOTA DINERS GET THE ULTICULTURAL OR DO YOU HAVE TO THROW IN SOME NORTHERN EUROPEAN STUFF?

>> WELL, I MEAN, THAT'S CULTURAL, TOO, RIGHT?

>> Eric: SURE, OF COURSE IT IS.

>> MEAN, WE ALL HAVE STORIES.

WE TAKE THAT AS A CHALLENGE, LIKE, OKAY, WHERE HAVEN'T WE FEATURED FOOD YET AND LET'S FIND THOSE PLACES.

>> Cathy: WELL, OKAY, MISS PRODUCER, WHERE YOU HAVEN'T FEATURED FOOD?

IT'S ON THE LIST.

>> WE HAVEN'T FEATURED FOOD IN A LOT OF COUNTRIES, BUT WE HAVE TRIED TO FEATURE A LOT OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE REALLY PROMINENT IN THIS STATE.

YOU KNOW, AS YOU GUYS JUST SAW, SAMBUSAS, SOMALI SAMBUSAS.

>> Cathy: LOVE THEM.

>> WITH MIRIAM ND HER FAMILY FROM HOYA SAMBUSA.

AND THEN OTHER HMONG CHEFS BESIDES YIA AS WELL, HE DOES FRENCH FOOD, REALLY TALKING ABOUT IDENTITY IN THAT AS WELL.

SO MANY OTHER.

>> Cathy: SO GLAD YOU DID HAWAIIAN PLATE LUNCH.

>> LOVE, LOVE.

>> Cathy: SO GOOD.

>> WARREN AND JESSA AT HAWAIIAN PLATES ARE JUST FANTASTIC PEOPLE.

>> Eric: THAT TUNA LOOKED AMAZING.

HOW DID YOU GET IT?

>> PLEASE, I MEAN, CHRIS HAD THAT FLOWN IN THE NIGHT BEFORE.

NOT PUBLIC MEDIA DOLLARS.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYIN'.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYIN'.

BUT, YOU KNOW, HOW AMAZING.

AND TO LEARN ABOUT THE PLATE LUNCH TRADITION THAT CAME UP THROUGH THE PLANTATION ERA IN HAWAII.

AND THEN ALSO HAWAII REGIONAL CUISINE, WHICH CHRIS TALKED ABOUT LATER IN THE EPISODE.

>> Eric: ARMED WITH THIS, WHAT'S NEXT?

>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING READY FOR ANOTHER SEASON, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING.

AND -- >> Cathy: SEASON 7.

>> SEASON 7.

>> Eric: THIS OPENS DOORS, DOESN'T IT?

>> I HOPE SO.

>> Eric: OR DO YOU HAVE DOORS THAT NEED OPENING?

>> I HOPE IT OPENS MORE DOORS.

I HOPE IT OPENS A BIGGER AUDIENCE TO THESE STORIES AS WELL.

A NATIONAL AUDIENCE.

BEYOND WHAT WE CAN DO ONLINE.

SO, -- >> Cathy: OH, WAIT, DID YOU SAY NATIONAL AUDIENCE, DO YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE A NATIONAL PBS SHOW?

>> I MEAN, IF THEY'RE LISTENING.

WE'LL TAKE IT.

WE'LL TAKE IT.

SO, YOU KNOW.

>> Eric: WHAT A WONDERFUL BREAK FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH.

COME BACK AND SEE US.

CONGRATULATIONS.

>> THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.