BUCKET-LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS NEW SEASON, NEW … · BUCKET-LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS Outdoor Escapes for All Ages. Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston’s Studio Six

I N S I D E R S ’ G U I D E

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NEW SEASON, NEW ADVENTURES

BUCKET-LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

Outdoor Escapes

for All Ages

Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston’s Studio Six. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Laurie Donnelly SERIES HOSTS: Richard Wiese and Amy Traverso Series funding for Weekends with Yankee is provided by State of New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism, Emerald Waterways, Maine Office of Tourism, and The Vermont Country Store.

WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE INSIDER’S GUIDE EDITORMel Allen MANAGING EDITORJenn Johnson SENIOR FOOD EDITORAmy Traverso DEPUTY EDITORIan Aldrich SENIOR DIGITAL EDITORAimee Tucker ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITORKatherine Keenan VP, PUBLISHERBrook Holmberg MARKETING DIRECTORKate Hathaway Weeks SALES MARKETING MANAGERValerie Lithgow MARKETING ASSOCIATEHolly Sloane NEW MEDIA DESIGNERAmy O’Brien VP, SALESJD Hale NATIONAL MARKETINGRoslan & Campion Public Relations

Cover photo by Mark Fleming

Copyright 2020 by Yankee Publishing Inc.; all rights reserved.

WELCOME TO WEEKENDS WITH YANKEEYankee readers have never been shy about letting us know what stories they like best. And over the past few years, a lot of their letters and online comments have been about Weekends with Yankee, our travel and lifestyle public television series made in partnership with WGBH in Boston. These sentiments—even from people who live outside New England, which half of Yankee’s readers do—all share the same idea: They feel that the show brings them home.

That was our inspiration from the start. Public television has a celebrated history of producing story-driven programs that both inspire and educate, and New England has long been fertile ground for characters and narratives with the power to make people everywhere feel connected to this region. Through Weekends with Yankee, we’ve been able to showcase the stories of our six states in a visually exciting half-hour show. With Season 4, which debuted this past April, the connection it provides to people is stronger than ever, given how many of us have been seeking new ways to learn and explore in an era of self-quarantine and restricted travel.

The show’s reach will also be expanded by the publication you’re reading now. Just as stories from Yankee have inspired many of the segments on Weekends with Yankee, the show has influenced what we at Yankee do, both online and in print. With this special Weekends with Yankee: Insiders’ Guide, we’ve brought together for the first time stories connected to all four seasons of the show.

We sit down with comedian and author John Hodgman to talk about his Massachusetts roots, and we catch up with Maine chef Erin French for a peek at what it’s like to run the Lost Kitchen, where dinner reservations are some of the most coveted in the nation. We offer viewers a virtual tour of New Hampshire’s best summer adventures—including a White Mountains hike once tackled by Weekends with Yankee cohost Richard Wiese—then head south for a taste of the magical region of Rhode Island and Massachusetts known as the Farm Coast. Cohost Amy Traverso, Yankee’s senior food editor, explores the flavors of New England and spotlights the region’s tastemakers, including elite chef Jacques Pépin and famed baker Joanne Chang.

So come along on a journey into the heart of New England led by the folks who know it best. And as always, please do let us know what you like about the show—and which adventures you’d like to see us take on next.

—The Editors

LETTER FROM THE EDITORSI N S I D E R S ’ G U I D E

WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE INSIDERS’ GUIDE2

CONTENTS4 BEHIND THE SCENES

A chat with Laurie Donnelly, executive producer of Weekends with Yankee

6 MEET THE COHOSTS: AMY TRAVERSO

8 MEET THE COHOSTS: RICHARD WIESE

10 CLIMBING THE KNIFE EDGE This heart-stopping trail draws hikers from across the globe to Maine’s highest mountain, Katahdin

13 COME SAIL AWAY Leave your cares on land with one of these breezy New England escapes

14 Q&A: JOHN HODGMAN The humorist, author, and actor talks about his Massachusetts roots and the challenges of middle age

15 SOAK UP THE LOCAL COLOR Make the most of foliage season with these easy to moderate fall hikes

16 GET IN ON THE ACTION From hang-gliding to surfing, summer adventures abound in New Hampshire

18 COLD CALLING When snow hits Vermont, the fun is just getting started

20 Q&A: PATRICK AHEARN The award-winning Martha’s Vineyard architect shares his thoughts on building a cohesive community

21 OUT & ABOUT Festivals and events to help inspire a future New England getaway

23 Q&A: WHIT PERRY The maritime preservation expert discusses the legacy of the Mayflower

24 SWEET SUCCESS How Joanne Chang came to be Boston’s most beloved pastry chef

26 BRANCHING OUT A New Hampshire family brings ingenuity and entrepreneurship to their rural farm

27 Q&A: BARTON SEAVER The Maine seafood expert weighs in on sustainability (and the right way to make a lobster roll)

28 IN THE KITCHEN WITH JACQUES PÉPIN The world-famous chef shares a favorite New England seafood recipe

30 Q&A: ERIN FRENCH The chef-owner of Maine sensation The Lost Kitchen looks back on her unexpected path to fame

31 THE ULTIMATE BLUEBERRY PIE The Portland, Maine, bakery Two Fat Cats shows us how it’s done

32 FEASTING ON THE FARM COAST This picturesque region of Rhode Island and Massachusetts is a foodie haven

35 THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE For recipes, videos, travel tips, and more, head to WeekendsWithYankee.com

36 TUNE IN TO SEASON 4 Your complete episode guide to Weekends with Yankee’s latest discoveries and destinations

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

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As the camera rolls on Weekends with Yankee, cohost Richard Wiese (right) heads out into Nantucket Sound for a sail on the tall ship Lynx.

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BEHIND THE SCENESMeet Laurie Donnelly, executive producer of Weekends with Yankee

O ver her long career in public television, Emmy-winning producer Laurie Donnelly has worked on several innovative shows, from Gourmet’s Diary of

a Foodie to This Old House to Food Trip with Todd English. Today, this California native turned New Englander oversees Weekends with Yankee, a WGBH collaboration with Yankee magazine that saw its fourth season premiere on public television stations nationwide this past April. Here, she shares some insights on Weekends with Yankee, as well as her own personal take on New England.

What inspired you to partner with Yankee for this television show?Yankee is a New England institution that has been telling this region’s story for decades, which means that there is no better partner to capture the people, places, and stories that make up New England. Yankee’s stories resonate not only with New Englanders but with people across the country.

What does being a New Englander mean to you? New Englanders are straightforward, honest, and resilient—and they are all, in my experience, proud to be from New England. People who live here tend to not leave, and if they do, they are drawn back again at some point in their lives. It’s a place that really feels like home.

What is it about lifestyle programming that has such broad appeal?We can take viewers to places they might never go. We inspire them. It’s aspirational and inspirational, and it takes them away from the grind of their daily lives. We always try to push the envelope in introducing them to content, people, and ideas they may never have seen before.

What are some of the surprising places that your career with WGBH has taken you? Through our programs we are given access to worlds that we might otherwise never see, whether it is a front-row seat at Carnegie Hall, as with From the Top … or following in the footsteps of people on spiritual journeys guided by Bruce Feiler in Sacred Journeys … or traveling around the world alongside a National Geographic photographer as he tries to save one endangered species at a time in our series Rare: Creatures of the Photo Ark, with Joel Sartore. Through these journeys, I have had unique access to some of the most breathtaking, engaging, and inspirational places around the globe.

Weekends with Yankee is a celebration of all the wonderful things people can experience in New England. What are some of your personal New England favorites?Eating Duxbury oysters, taking the cog railway up to the top of Mount Washington, and having tea on Mount Desert Island—there’s nothing like it. I also grew up sailing, and there is no better experience to take you away from it all than a windjammer cruise around the Maine islands. While I also am a tremendous foodie, it’s hard to pick among my “children”—New England is loaded with great restaurants! But give me a lobster roll anytime, and I’m a happy camper.P

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MEET THE COHOSTS: AMY TRAVERSOYankee’s senior food editor has a knack for showcasing

New England’s innovative chefs and iconic foods

A s Weekends with Yankee’s resident food expert, Amy Traverso introduces viewers to New England flavors and recipes, as well as the farmers, chefs, and food producers who enliven the region’s food and dining scene. Amy is the senior food editor for Yankee, and she brings the magazine’s insider knowledge to life and shares it with

viewers nationwide. Previously, Amy was food editor at Boston magazine and associate food editor at Sunset. Her work has also been

published in Saveur, The Boston Globe, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and which won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category. She was also the editor of Yankee’s Lost and Vintage Recipes.

Today Amy lives with her family in Greater Boston, which is home to no shortage of fine restaurants. But lately another city has been giving Boston a run for its money in terms of New England’s hottest dining scene. On the next page, Amy shares some of her favorite places to eat in the foodie mecca of Portland, Maine. P

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AMY TRAVERSO’S TOP 5 PORTLAND DINING PICKS1. EVENTIDE OYSTER CO.: “Lobster shack classics are given a creative spin with Asian and Middle Eastern accents at this nationally acclaimed seafood haven. I’m especially fond of their brown-butter lobster roll. You can also sample Maine’s growing roster of oyster varieties from the raw bar.” eventideoysterco.com

2. THE HOLY DONUT: “All 20-odd flavors at this Portland icon use Maine-grown potatoes in the dough, producing a dunker so light and moist, you’ll wonder why anyone makes doughnuts without them. Don’t miss the dark chocolate sea salt doughnut.” theholydonut.com

3. CENTRAL PROVISIONS: “An always-packed restaurant/bar in a 19th-century former storehouse, Central Provisions brings small-plate dining to delicious new levels. My advice: Order a few plates at a time, retain a menu on the table, and keep going until you can’t eat another bite.” central-provisions.com

4. MIYAKE: “The flagship of Masa Miyake’s mini empire—which includes the noodle-centered Pai-Men Miyake—offers not only some of the best sushi in New England but also some of the most affordable.” miyakerestaurants.com

5. DUCKFAT: “For those in search of gourmet comfort food, Duckfat does it all. There are excellent renditions of panini, salads, charcuterie, and milkshakes, but you’re really here for the Belgian-style frites fried in the flavorful fat that gives the restaurant its name.” duckfat.com

Clockwise from far left: Seafood delicacies at Eventide Oyster Co.; Amy and Richard chatting with Leigh Kellis, founder of The Holy Donut; a stack of The Holy Donut’s addictive pastries, which get their signature lightness from Maine potatoes.

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BEFORE YOU GO: Since many restaurants may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, please call or check online before making travel plans.


MEET THE COHOSTS: RICHARD WIESEThough he’s spent years traveling the world, he still loves finding adventure right here in New England

A s a world-class explorer, Richard Wiese brings a seasoned traveler’s curiosity

and appetite for discovery to his role as Weekends with Yankee cohost and expert guide through New England. Richard is also host of the Emmy-winning television series Born to Explore and author of the guidebook Born to Explore: How to Be a Backyard Adventurer. The youngest person ever to be named president of the Explorers Club, Richard has traveled to all seven continents and participated in numerous projects, including two expeditions to Antarctica, a cross-country skiing trek to the North Pole, and the largest medical expedition ever conducted on Mount Everest.

But even though Richard has made his name as a global traveler, he loves spending time in his hometown of Weston, Connecticut. On the next page, he shares some of his favorite adventures in the Nutmeg State. P

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RICHARD WIESE’S TOP 5 CONNECTICUT ADVENTURESHIKING: “Trout Brook Valley Preserve in Weston is a great place to hike and admire nature, with a nice variety of in-terrain difficulty. It’s also home to my favorite spot to cross-country ski during the winter. The 1,756-acre Lucius Pond Ordway/Devil’s Den Preserve, in both Weston and Redding, is another favorite for outdoor exploring.”

CAMPING: “Macedonia Brook State Park in Kent is a beautiful park where you can camp right along the brook. Silver Hill Campsite in Cornwall Bridge offers scenic backcountry seclusion along with great sunrise views of the Housatonic. Finally, Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam is a cool state park with interesting rock

formations known as Scotland schist. Camp near the park’s scenic waterfall in one of 21 wooded campsites.”

FAMILY FUN: “Bring the family to a Norwich Sea Tigers game at Dodd Stadium in Norwich for a fun minor league baseball experience. If you like the thought of catching a ball game —maybe with a hot dog and cold beer?—on a summer night, this is tough to beat.” milb.com/norwich

FLY FISHING: “The Saugatuck River, which flows from above West Redding to the Long Island Sound, is a perfect spot; the mammoth trout that dwell in a stretch just off Ford Road in Westport are a well-kept secret.”

SKIING: “Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall is Connecticut’s best—and most affordable—ski mountain resort. It’s ideal for beginners and just big enough to keep advanced skiers interested, too.” mohawkmtn.com

Clockwise from left: Chapman Falls at Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam; Richard gets ready to throw out the first pitch at a minor league ballgame in Norwich; after foliage season is over, it’s time to don skis and hit the slopes at a peak destination like Mohawk Mountain.

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BEFORE YOU GO: Since many parks and venues may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, please call or check online before making plans.


A hiker on the Knife Edge Trail, a dramatic mile-long trek between Pamola Peak and Baxter Peak on Maine’s Mount Katahdin.


Y ou’ve probably heard of Mount Washington, New England’s highest peak and “home of the

world’s worst weather.” But one state over and 200 miles away there stands a mountain that tempts adventurers to the lush forests of Maine’s Baxter State Park and trails that seem more like a high-stakes game of hopscotch. It’s Mount Katahdin, one of the great pinnacles of New England hiking.

The size and beauty of Katahdin does, of course, make it a very popular destination. There are multiple campgrounds and trailheads at which to park, all requiring online registration weeks ahead of time. Reservations are held until only 7 a.m., though, so if you go in peak season, plan on arriving early enough to make it through the line of cars.

Katahdin actually encompasses several peaks, with Baxter Peak, at 5,267 feet, being the tallest as well as the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. There are a number of ways to get to the top—all of them strenuous—but for true adrenaline junkies, nothing beats the Knife Edge Trail.

While running just 1.1 miles from Pamola Peak to Baxter Peak, the Knife Edge is an intense, often technical climb. And first you have to get there: From Roaring Brook Campground, the Helon Taylor Trail starts out as a classic moderate trail with several areas of climbing. Above the tree line, though, it quickly becomes rocky, requiring careful footing and some hands-and-knees scrambling. You’ll gain 3,413 feet of elevation over the 3.2-mile trail, which leads to Pamola Peak.

CLIMBING THE KNIFE EDGE

This heart-stopping trail draws hikers from across the globe to Maine’s highest mountain

The view from Baxter Peak, the summit of Mount Katahdin and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Explore New England’s highest peak, Mount Washington, in Weekends with Yankee season one.

Here, the Knife Edge Trail hike begins with a steep descent down jagged boulders, only to be followed by a steep ascent before flattening out into a narrow, rolling ridge of rocks that often exposes hikers to fiercely windy conditions. It’s tough, even scary, and requires focus, smart movement, and physical fitness. Some spots are as narrow as four feet, with 2,000-foot drops on either side (and yes, the trail has claimed numerous lives over the years). Proper equipment, weather preparedness, and good decision-making are a necessity, even for just that one-mile stretch.

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If you’re prepared and careful, however, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The 360-degree view of the rocky trail, piled loose and high like Mother Nature’s delicate one-mile cairn, and the inner basin, rimmed with thousands of gray-toned rocks casting shadows into the bowl of thick forest beneath, is a sight that relatively few people get to see.

While not quite as rough, the rockiness of the hike does not ease up after summiting Baxter Peak. It’s possible to descend to the Chimney Pond Trail and Roaring Brook Campground via either the Saddle Trail or Cathedral Trail. Saddle is longer, but not quite as steep, and has loose-rock terrain. Cathedral is very steep with tough terrain, but a shorter distance. Either one takes about the same amount of time to connect to Chimney Pond. Once you reach the Chimney Pond Trail, the hiking eases up considerably, with flatter terrain and lovely bridges.

Four trails, nine miles, two peaks. In the end, it’s not just about going up and down, or even across, over, above, and below. It’s pausing on a teetering boulder just to feel balance. It’s stopping to look at a never-ending landscape you wish could be a permanent

TRAVEL RESOURCES• Staying at one of the campgrounds in Baxter State Park will get you

closest to the trails on the day of your hike. baxterstatepark.org• The New England Outdoor Center is about a 45-minute drive from

the park and offers a range of cabins and lodges to stay in, plus plenty of other outdoor activities and a view of Millinocket Lake and Mount Katahdin. neoc.com

• In the town of Millinocket, about an hour away from the park, you’ll find a number of inns, cabins, lodges, camping, and bed- and-breakfasts. millinocket.org

Note: Since many parks and businesses may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, call or check online before making travel plans.

The expansive view from Baxter Peak, the 5,267-foot summit of Mount Katahdin.

mental imprint. It’s sitting at the summit and just breathing. And then, it’s eating a delicious snack when you’re all done and feeling thankful you know that, just like life, hiking is less about the ups and downs, and more about the nuances in between. P

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COME SAIL AWAYLeave your cares on land with one of these breezy New England escapes

O f all the ways we’ve harnessed elemental forces to carry us from place to place, sailing is most exhilarating … and serendipitous. You can let go of

the need for an itinerary. Embrace the all-hands-on-deck camaraderie, or be as idle as you’d like. Here are some of our favorite sailing cruises to get you started.

AMERICA’S CUP CHARTERS | NEWPORT, RIAs America’s Cup winners or contenders during the ’60s and ’70s, these sailboats were born to race. You might reach 10 knots on a cruise aboard Intrepid, American Eagle, Weatherly, or Nefertiti, and it’ll feel like flying. americascupcharters.com

MOMENT SAILING ADVENTURES | PROVINCETOWN, MAIdeal for a proposal, a “weddingmoon,” or just a few hours of gliding around Provincetown Harbor, the Moment is a classic Stevens 47 that’s tailor-made for charters. Up to six people can enjoy a two-, four-, or six-hour cruise; one or two couples can book a 48-hour jaunt that includes time ashore in Wellfleet and Plymouth. momentsailing.com

MYSTIC WHALER CRUISES | NEW LONDON, CTFew boats undertake a more diverse lineup than the Mystic Whaler, modeled after a late-1800s cargo schooner. A sunset, lobster dinner, or Sunday brunch cruise is an easy way to hit the water, while two-to-five-night trips with ports of call like Block Island and Jamestown make great “sailcation” options. mysticwhalercruises.com

WHISTLING MAN SCHOONER CO. | BURLINGTON, VTDuring a two-hour tour of Lake Champlain aboard the Friend Ship, you can dangle your feet in the water and listen to tales of battles fought on Champlain before, during, and after the American Revolution. Never mind that a rumored sea monster lurks beneath the surface: You’ll feel carefree and inspired as the sun sinks behind the Adirondacks. whistlingman.com

TUNE IN FOR MOREExplore the sailing capital of New England—Newport, Rhode Island—in Weekends with Yankee season three.

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BEFORE YOU GO: Since sailing tour operators may be adjusting their schedules in light of COVD-19, please call or check online before making travel plans.

MAINE WINDJAMMER ASSOCIATION | ROCKLAND & CAMDEN, ME In all the world, there is no collection of boats quite like this: Four are National Historic Landmarks; the newest windjammer, Heritage, was hand-built in 1983. From a three-day jaunt to a 10-day voyage, they’ll carry you into Penobscot Bay and back to a more romantic era. sailmainecoast.com

Crew at work aboard a Maine windjammer.


Q&A

JOHN HODGMANThe humorist and actor chats about his New England roots and the challenges of middle age.

John Hodgman has enjoyed fame on several fronts—as a Daily Show regular and a comic bit player in movies and TV shows—but it was as a humorist that

he first broke through, starting with his 2005 almanac of fake facts, The Areas of My Expertise, and continuing with a string of best-selling books, including 2017’s Vacationland and 2019’s Medallion Status. We recently caught up with him in the town where he grew up, Brookline, Massachusetts.

Vacationland is about a lot of favorite haunts in Maine and Massachusetts—which makes us in New England feel special, you know?I’m glad it made people in New England feel special, because people in New England have a moral difficulty with feeling good about themselves. It was a strange thing moving to New York City and realizing what a friendly town it is. I show up and I’m like, “Why are people smiling at me? I’m not used to this at all. I’m from New England!” But yes, Vacationland was about growing up in Brookline, spending a lot of time as an adolescent

and young grown-up in Western Massachusetts, and then transitioning more recently to coastal Maine, where my wife has family and where we’ve begun spending a good chunk of our year.

What do you appreciate about living in Maine?It’s a perfect place to start feeling older, because going through the beginnings of middle age is similar to swimming in Maine. It’s a very cold experience, it’s a very lonely experience, and you wish it were not happening to you. The difference between getting older and going swimming in Maine is that going swimming is a dumb choice you made; you didn’t have to do it. As with all new experiences, it’s really uncomfortable, but then your body numbs and adjusts, and then it’s kind of a glorious, fun thing to do, and you’re better because you’ve gone through it.

Does aging bring with it a constant denial of reality?At times you feel this complete connection to your younger self, and you cannot believe you are the person you see in the mirror. I want to say it takes your breath away, but not in a good way. In the panic-attack sort of way.

I woke up the other day and I had, for the first time in years and years, this very vivid memory of my first day in high school. Not only where I was sitting that day, but the feeling I was having at the time, long lost to time in my brain. But I think because my son just started high school, it came back up, and it truly was a not-comfortable experience to feel the breadth of time.

But if you were to not have those uncomfortable moments of breaks with the past, you’d be a terrible person. You’d be Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for Amy’s interview with John Hodgman in Weekends with Yankee season four. T

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John Hodgman with cohost Amy Traverso


SOAK UP THE LOCAL COLORMake the most of foliage season with these easy to moderate fall hikes

S ummer may be prime time for most kinds of outdoor fun, but when the leaves change color, nothing beats the thrill of hiking up to a beautiful

autumn view. Here are our picks for terrific fall hikes in every New England state.

SLEEPING GIANT TOWER TRAIL | HAMDEN, CTThis scenic trail starts at the picnic area across from Quinnipiac University and is a 1.6-mile hike one way to the summit of Mount Carmel, where you will find a stone observation tower with a fantastic view of Long Island Sound and New Haven. ct.gov/deep

MONUMENT MOUNTAIN TRAIL | GREAT BARRINGTON, MAThis 3-mile loop trail is very popular in summer, so a fall trip is often a great escape from the traffic. Some areas of the trail are steep, but a few scrambles afford you a wonderful view of the Housatonic River Valley and the southern Berkshires at the summit. thetrustees.org

RATTLESNAKE MOUNTAIN | RAYMOND, MEDon’t be deterred by the reptilian name! Rattlesnake Mountain via the Bri-Mar Trail is a moderate 2.4-mile out-and-back hike that—while steep in some places—is dog-friendly and kid-appropriate. Look for a great shot of Panther Pond just half a mile in. raymondmaine.org

PAWTUCKAWAY STATE PARK | NOTTINGHAM, NHThis state park is a beautiful 5,500-acre preserve that includes a popular lake, 195 campsites, and about 15 miles of hiking trails. An easy-to-moderate 2.4-mile hike to the fire tower on top of South Mountain offers stunning vistas. nhstateparks.org

ROME POINT TRAIL | SAUNDERSTOWN, RIThis 2.4-mile loop in the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve is perfect for hikers and walkers of all skill levels (and their leashed pups). The trail starts inland and leads out to the bay, and the constant scenery change makes for an exciting quick trip. riparks.com

STERLING POND TRAIL | JEFFERSONVILLE, VTThis moderate trail in Smugglers’ Notch State Park is about 2.8 miles out and back, and while steep in some portions, the path is well maintained and leads to gorgeous views—and Vermont’s highest-elevation trout pond, to boot. Sterling Pond has been described as “idyllic” and is a great escape during the quieter fall months. vtstateparks.com

TUNE IN FOR MORE Meet Yankee’s resident foliage expert, Jim Salge, in Weekends with Yankee season two.

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BEFORE YOU GO: Since many parks and recreation areas may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, please call or check online before making plans.


ATV riders take the path less traveled by in New Hampshire’s North Country.

GET IN ON THE ACTIONFrom hang-gliding to surfing to hiking,

outdoor summer adventures abound in New Hampshire

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New Hampshire is an outdoor playground all year round, but in summer it has more than enough thrills to fill a calendar—and then some. Here are

some of our favorite ways to get the adrenaline pumping in the Granite State.

REV UP AN ATV | PITTSBURGHOf the four main ATV tours at northern New Hampshire’s Bear Rock Adventures, the full-day ride to Dixville Peak is the one that repays both beginners and advanced riders with million-dollar views. bearrockadventures.


HIKE TO THE TOP | CARROLLThe nation’s oldest continuously maintained hiking trail, the 8.2-mile Crawford Path still delivers the rugged but accessible adventure its creators envisioned. It concentrates the White Mountains experience—steep ascents, sun-soaked plateaus, boulder-strewn peaks—before culminating atop majestic Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak. fs.usda.gov

FLY ABOVE THE TREES | BRETTON WOODSIf you like going along for the ride, consider zip-lining 165 feet above the ground at speeds of up to 30 mph in the heart of the White Mountains. The three-hour tour at Bretton Woods offers a little excitement, a little education, and a lot of incredible views. brettonwoods.com

SADDLE UP | JACKSONAt Black Mountain Stables you can cowboy up for trail ride to the top of Black Mountain, with stunning views of the surrounding Whites. There are also overnight forays that include a 45-minute ride to a remote cabin, where a barbecue dinner and s’mores await. blackmt.com

GO HANG-GLIDING | CHARLESTOWNSituated on the Connecticut River, Morningside Flight Park offers sweeping views of New Hampshire and Vermont, while its gently sloping terrain makes it ideal for beginners as well as experienced flyers. Lessons are offered for kids and adults; you can even take a tandem flight with a licensed instructor. flymorningside.kittyhawk.com

FLOAT UP, UP, AND AWAY | DERRYFor more than 20 years, Tony Sica, the owner and chief pilot of High 5 Ballooning, has taken thousands of passengers from around the globe on unforgettable

TUNE IN FOR MORE Gear up for rock climbing thrills in the Granite State in Weekends with Yankee season four.

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Soaring through the skies at Morningside Flight Park in Charlestown.

BEFORE YOU GO: Since many parks and recreation areas may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, please call or check online before making plans.

aerial tours of southern New Hampshire. The elevated offerings continue after the hourlong trip concludes, with free mimosas and a picnic lunch. high5ballooning.com

CYCLE A RAIL TRAIL | LEBANON-BOSCAWENThe longest rail trail in the state (and still growing, thanks to its devoted volunteers), the 58-mile Northern Rail Trail glides past farms, orchards, lakes, mill sites, and covered bridges, with possible moose sightings in Grafton and Orange. ufnrt.org

BREAK INTO SURFING | RYEThe surf shop Summer Session boasts a staff with more than 60 years of surfing and teaching experience, which means you’ll be hanging 10 in no time. Owners Ry and Ty McGill offer private and group lessons at the shop overlooking Rye Beach. newhampshiresurf.com


COLD CALLINGWhen the snow starts to fly in Vermont, the fun is just getting started

A state famous for its kaleidoscopic foliage in the autumn, Vermont also knows how to make the most of winter. From thrill-inducing snowmobile tours to idyllic cross-country ski trails, the Green Mountain State is home to some of the best winter action in New England.

SKATE AWAY | FAIRLEELake Morey is a favorite among pond hockey enthusiasts and is also home to a 4½-mile groomed ice-skating trail, the longest in the country. Lake Morey Resort maintains the trail and rents Nordic skates, whose blades are topped with bindings that snap right into regular cross-country skiing boots. The skates are designed to navigate bumps and cracks without catching a tip—which means you’ll be racing along the ice in no time. lakemoreyresort.com

GLIDE INTO THE WOODS | CRAFTSBURYA nationally recognized outdoor retreat, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center maintains more than 105 kilometers of

groomed cross-country trails that whisk skiers through a collage of Vermont farmland, fields, and forest. Head out on your own, or draw on the center’s coaching staff to take your skiing to the next level. craftsbury.com

THROTTLE UP | OKEMO-KILLINGTON-MOUNT SNOW-STOWEThe Vermont Association of Snow Travelers maintains more than 5,000 miles of snowmobile trails across four of the state’s largest winter resorts. There’s terrain for any level of rider, and guided trips, including ones exclusively for kids, are also on offer. Ride your own machine or rent from one of several local dealers. snowmobilevermont.com

The chance to skim along the longest ice skating trail in the U.S. draws

outdoor enthusiasts to Lake Morey.

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GO FISH | BURLINGTONVermont has 40 large lakes open to ice fishing, but its biggest body of water—Lake Champlain—is its top spot for winter anglers. Landlocked salmon, lake trout, northern pike, yellow perch, white perch, walleye, and crappie are all here. Guided trips available. vtfishandwildlife.com

HOT-DOG IT | LAKE ELMOREAlong with his multitude of Siberian huskies, dogsledding pro Ken Haggett has been leading guests through Vermont’s beautiful Worcester Range since 2006. Tours run twice daily on the weekends and last about two hours. Spots sell out quickly, so be sure to book early. peacepupsdogsledding.com

TUNE IN FOR MORE Catch the thrill of World Cup skiing in Vermont in Weekends with Yankee season four.

A Peace Pups dogsled team in action near Lake Elmore.

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BEFORE YOU GO: Since many businesses and recreation areas may be adjusting their operations in light of COVID-19, please call or check online before making plans.

SKI THE GOAT | STOWE“Gnarly” doesn’t even begin to describe this double-black run, which earned its name after a hiker remarked that only a goat could successfully make the climb. With an average pitch of 36 degrees, this 2,150-foot route features a double fall line, boulders, moguls, and streams, as well as a 50-degree chute that will humble even the most experienced racers. stowe.com

RIDE A TUBE | WEST DOVERMount Snow is home to one of the state’s largest snow-tubing hills, which has no fewer than eight downhill lanes to choose from and a Magic Carpet lift to return you to the top. Make a day of tubing or just add it to your post-ski experience, and finish up at the Main Base Lodge for a hot drink or two. mountsnow.com

HIT TO THE HEIGHTS | RUTLANDVermont boasts some of the best ice climbing in the Northeast, and Adventure Tours’ guides work with climbers of every stripe as they lead trips to Smugglers’ Notch and Lake Willoughby. Private guiding and group ice climbing programs are also available. vermontadventuretours.com


Q&A

PATRICK AHEARNThe award-winning architect chats about New England architecture and building a cohesive community.

P atrick Ahearn may have grown up in suburbia—Levittown, Long Island—but he made his name in the 1980s as a leading player in the revitalization

of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Today he’s best known for helping to transform the Martha’s Vineyard community of Edgartown. We recently caught up with him during a walking tour of some of his most noteworthy island projects.

What are the origins of New England architectural style?When the Pilgrims arrived, they had to adapt English designs to a colder winter with more snow, so the steep pitch of the roof became a signature design element. The indigenous material was wood, and glass was difficult to get or make, so windows were small. Then they needed a large center fireplace to heat the house. So there’s your basic saltbox design. And if the farmstead grew, then maybe the barn was eventually incorporated into living space and they built another barn. So the ensemble of buildings we think of as classic

New England architecture is really reflective of 400 years of history, of uses changing.

How did you get started working with traditional architecture?After graduate school, I moved to Boston and ended up working in the Architects Collaborative, founded by Walter Gropius. So I know how to do modern houses. [But] in Boston there was this rich architecture, albeit falling into disrepair. I started looking at these abandoned houses in Back Bay and saw you could make condominiums out of them so young people could afford to buy into these neighborhoods.

What drew you to Martha’s Vineyard? My wife knew James Taylor’s father, Ike, and when we visited with him on the island, we went to look at real estate. I found a little house in Edgartown that was in foreclosure. For the first five years, it was just a retreat. But I began to understand the community and saw an opportunity to get rid of the T-shirt shops and neon lights and revive it as a commercial and residential district. Since then, I’ve done more than 200 houses in 12 square blocks.

How did you achieve a coherent look among that many projects? It’s complicated. Zoning dictates design. But I don’t give up—that’s my Long Island upbringing. If it’s not plan A, then it’s plan B, or C, or D. I also try to represent what’s best for the town. It’s not just about what the client wants, but the collective whole. What’s the style of the houses on the block? What’s the right scale for the streetscape? How can you allow a neighbor to retain their water view without compromising the design?

How would you describe a perfect day on Martha’s Vineyard?[Laughs.] Not having to go in front of the zoning board.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit with Patrick Ahearn in Weekends with Yankee season four. P

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WATERFIREPROVIDENCE, RIOn select dates from spring to autumn, as many as 80 bonfires are set ablaze along Providence’s three rivers, creating a free, one-of-a-kind light show that lasts from just after sunset until about 12:30 a.m. The lightings are often accompanied by outdoor concerts, street dancing, and other entertainment. This Rhode Island treasure is said to lure some 1 million visitors to downtown every year, making it one of the state’s most popular events. waterfire.org

MAINE LOBSTER FESTIVALROCKLAND, MAINE | AUGUSTGorgeous Rockland Harbor is the backdrop for this five-day lobster blowout and Midcoast tradition since 1947. Some 25,000 pounds of lobster—all freshly caught by local lobstermen—will be served to hungry festivalgoers, who can also amble through maritime displays, browse arts and crafts, take a harbor cruise, and enjoy live entertainment. Look for the crowning of the Maine Sea Goddess on opening night! mainelobsterfestival.com

OUT & ABOUTFestivals and events to help inspire your New England getaway

Frozen water makes for an ethereal scene at Ice Castles in New Hampshire. Photo: A.J. Mellor

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BEFORE YOU GOSince many events and

venues may be adjusting their schedules in 2020 out of concern

for public health, please call or check online before

making travel plans.


VERMONT CHEESEMAKERS FESTIVALSHELBURNE, VT | AUGUSTWith the highest number of cheesemakers per capita, Vermont is justifiably proud of this industry’s deep roots within its borders. Historic Shelburne Farms provides the backdrop for this daylong celebration of the finest offerings from 40-plus Vermont producers. There will be cheesemaking and cooking demos and workshops, and lots of goodies to sample, from every kind of cheese imaginable to Vermont-made specialty foods, beer, wine, and spirits. vtcheesefest.com

CONNECTICUT MARITIME HERITAGE FESTIVALNEW LONDON, CT | SEPTEMBERThis nautical party on New London’s waterfront offers four days of free, all-ages fun. Over 60,000 visitors are expected to show up for tours of Navy and Coast Guard ships and historic schooners, a chowder cook-off, live music, family fun and learning zones, and more. Don’t miss the burning of Benedict Arnold by costumed reenactors. ctmaritimefest.com

OPEN LIGHTHOUSE DAYMAINE | SEPTEMBERSponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), and the Maine Office of Tourism, this event draws upward of 15,000 visitors each year. The attraction? More than two dozen historic Maine lighthouses, open to the public and ready to be explored. Check the ALF website for full list and locations. lighthousefoundation.org

CIDER DAYSFRANKLIN COUNTY, MA | NOVEMBERWhen other spirits were hard to come by, resourceful New Englanders made hard cider with their abundant apple crop; today, microbrew aficionados, wine lovers, and foodies are rediscovering cider’s charms. This two-day event celebrates all things apple with cidermaking workshops, orchard tours, apple pressing and cooking demonstrations, community suppers, and a “Cider Salon” featuring ciders from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. ciderdays.org

ICE CASTLESNORTH WOODSTOCK, NH | WINTERThis art installation/tourist attraction sparkles with caverns, slides, and other fun formations carved from approximately 25,000 pounds of ice; at night the entire property becomes an aurora borealis, lit from within in a rainbow of colors. Note: The weather dictates the start and end of each display (recent seasons have run from mid-December until early March). icecastles.com/new-hampshire

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WHIT PERRYThe maritime preservation expert talks about the allure of historic ships and the legacy of the Mayflower.

A fter a three-year, $9 million restoration at Mystic Seaport, the Mayflower II—a full-scale replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims across the Atlantic in

1620—returns to Plimoth Plantation this year. Presiding over this ambitious project is Whit Perry, director of maritime preservation and operations for Plimoth Plantation. We recently sat down with the Massachusetts native to get his thoughts on resurrecting the past.

How did you get involved in restoring boats?From an early age, working on boats felt like a natural thing to me. The more I did it, the more I got interested in doing more of it. [When] my wife and I got married on Squam Lake’s Church Island [in New Hampshire], she rode out in my family’s 1927 Fay & Bowen, a gorgeous 27-foot long-deck launch. A guy saw me working on the boat and asked if I’d restore his. I was like, “Really? You’re going to pay me to work on a boat?” That’s how it all started.

Why is the Mayflower II restoration project meaningful to you?Besides just having a ship to look at and talk about, we’re keeping alive the old-time crafts. Listen to that [Perry points to the yard, where a shipwright is tapping oakum, a traditional caulk, between the Mayflower II’s planks]. That’s a sound that has been ringing out over shipyards for hundreds of years. And I guarantee you the mallet he’s using is at least a century old.

All this other history went into making this project happen. We repurposed the beams from a pier in Groton, Connecticut, that was built in 1897; the wood is this beautiful longleaf yellow pine that you really can’t find anymore. The trees were probably saplings when the Pilgrims came over. The white oak we used for some of the other planking came from a managed old-growth forest in Denmark—the quality is unheard of for anything you could get domestically. I keep telling the younger guys, “You’ll probably never see wood like this again.”

How has this project made you think about the Pilgrims’ 1620 journey?Sometimes I’ll stand on the [midlevel] deck of the ship and think about the 102 people who had to sleep in that little space during their 66-day journey. They had to make their way on this small boat as they sailed across the Atlantic to a new life they knew nothing about. But when you’re on the boat and start to sense what life must have been like for them, you begin to appreciate their wants and needs to look for something better.

At some point this ship will have to be restored again. How are you planning for the next Whit Perry to lead the work?We’re documenting everything and we’re making improvements where we can, so that in 60 or 80 years, whenever the ship needs another overhaul, the next crew will be able to see what we did and go, “These guys knew what they were doing.”

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TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit with Plimoth Plantation’s Whit Perry in Weekends with Yankee season four.P

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Meet Joanne Chang: cookbook author, entrepreneur, and 2016 James Beard Award winner as the nation’s most outstanding baker.

SWEET SUCCESSHow Joanne Chang came to be Boston’s most beloved pastry chef

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To understand Joanne Chang as a baker, you need to picture her in an earlier life, as a young

management consultant laying down clean bedsheets on the floor of her studio apartment in Boston as she prepares to make 400 hand-decorated sugar cookies using a galley kitchen that’s so small she can barely turn around in it.

It’s a December evening in 1992, and she rolls and cuts, mixes and bakes, late into the night, setting the cookies on the floor to cool before starting the next batch. When all the cookies are cool, she kneels to paint them with garlands, stars, branches, and sleighs. By morning, she’ll have made enough sugar cookies to generously treat every one of the 90-odd employees at the consulting firm where she works.

This isn’t Joanne Chang’s first all-nighter. She’s fresh out of Harvard with a degree in applied math and economics. But even as her friends are applying to business school, she knows that consulting is just a day job. All she wants to do is bake. Within six months, she’ll leave the firm and snag an entry-level job making less than $8 an hour in the kitchen at Lydia Shire’s landmark restaurant, Biba.

Cooking isn’t just a passion for Joanne Chang—it’s a vital form of self-expression. “Everybody struggles to connect with the world in some way or another,” she says, nearly 30 years later. “Some people are extroverts and make friends easily. I’ve always been much more introverted. Baking gave me an arena where I could share what I thought was delicious in the same

way that an artist might share an emotion.”

As Chang says this, she’s sitting just outside one of her Flour bakeries, and customers turn and stare at the woman they recognize from television (she famously beat Bobby Flay in a sticky bun competition) or from media and charity appearances around town. She may be an introvert, but she greets every employee and many regular customers by name.

Today, Chang presides over a mini empire of eight Flour bakeries, for which she won a James Beard Award in 2016, and Myers + Chang, an acclaimed “Asian-ish” restaurant. If you consider the success of her eateries and the perfection of her sticky buns, pies, and cookies, she may be Boston’s most beloved entrepreneur. Add the surprise career pivot, and her success story is exactly the kind that people love to tell.

Lucky for Bostonians, her food is also exactly the kind that people like to eat. She describes her

style as “American with French overtones,” owing to the time she spent baking at New York’s famed Payard Patisserie. Every Flour display counter is loaded with croissants, chocolate brioche swirls, blondies, cookies. And there’s always pie: lemon meringue, Boston cream, coconut cream.

The recipes for all these treats have gone into Chang’s four cookbooks, the most recent of which is Pastry Love. “I love to teach and I love writing recipes,” she says. “These days, writing a cookbook gives me an excuse to be in the kitchen and not in a meeting.”

As with many success stories, hers led away from the job that she first loved and into the role of founder. But the recipes bring her back.

To get Joanne Chang’s recipe for Best Boston Cream Pie, go to WeekendsWithYankee.com.

A close-up look at some of the goodies on offer at Joanne Chang’s Flour Bakery + Café.

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TUNE IN FOR MORE See Joanne Chang in Weekends with Yankee season four.


BRANCHING OUTA New Hampshire family brings ingenuity and entrepreneurship to running a rural farm

Sarah Heffron is standing in her kitchen, breading thinly sliced green tomatoes that she’s just picked from the hoop house on her family’s property,

Mayfair Farm, in Harrisville, New Hampshire. It’s late in the season, which means the tomatoes wouldn’t have ripened on the vine before the first frost, but a quick turn in a hot skillet will make them crisp and delicious.

There’s a ham in the oven, also from the farm. “I used to say I was the only Jewish vegetarian pig farmer in my neighborhood,” Sarah says with a laugh. “But I think I hold that title in a wider area.”

Right outside the kitchen door, a small staff is preparing for a harvest feast in the barnlike event space

that Sarah and her partner, Craig Thompson, built to diversify Mayfair’s offerings.

As Sarah gets ready for the dinner, the Weekends with Yankee crew is filming a segment here that highlights the beauty of this sylvan corner of southwestern New Hampshire. It’s a place of hilly pastures, lakes, and forests lined with old stone walls. Mayfair Farm sits

just up the road from Harrisville Pond, and, like many successful family farms in New England, it’s an amalgam of businesses: an orchard, a vegetable garden, an Airbnb cottage, and a farm store that sells maple products, prepared meals, and baked goods (their almond cake won a 2017 Yankee Editors’ Choice Food Award). There are pigs in pens, and lambs up on the hill. And there’s this Instagram-ready event space, where Sarah and Craig host weddings and community farm dinners spring through fall.

“My mom is a chef, so I grew up around her different food businesses,” Sarah says. “I tried to do different things. I rode horses for a long time; I got a master’s degree in school counseling. But my first love was really

food, and I just kept coming back to it.”As part of the harvest feast, Sarah made sweet potato

fritters—a recipe she also shared with Yankee. Inspired by Indian vegetable pakoras, the fritters are sweet and deeply savory, with just enough warming spices to make them an excellent appetizer as the weather turns cold.

To get the recipe, go to WeekendsWithYankee.com.

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Mayfair Farm owners Sarah Heffron and Craig Thompson with their

children, Fiona and Cal.

Sarah Heffron’s sweet potato fritters.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit to New Hampshire’s Mayfair Farm in Weekends with Yankee season three.


Q&A

BARTON SEAVERThe Maine seafood expert weighs in on sustainability (and the right way to make a lobster roll)

B arton Seaver spent his early career as a Washington, D.C.–based chef focused on seafood and sustainability. But shortly after Esquire named him

“Chef of the Year,” he left the restaurant world for a National Geographic fellowship, studying how human appetites were changing the oceans. In 2012, Seaver moved to New England to head up Harvard’s Sustainable Seafood and Health Initiative, settling in his wife’s home state of Maine. There, he continues to teach and write about seafood and has written eight books, most recently The Joy of Seafood.

How did you go from being a restaurant chef to working for National Geographic?National Geographic used to do a lot of its entertaining at my D.C. restaurants because of the environmental bent to the food there. I learned that it was launching an oceans initiative, so I asked for 10 minutes of the president’s time and presented my case that the initiative could be

augmented by having someone solely focused on seafood and people and our relationship with the ocean. The response was “Great, you’re an explorer now.” And I said,

“Cool, what does that mean?” and he said, “You tell us.” And so I figured it out, as explorers do.

How does seafood factor into a sustainable diet?Seafood as a center-of-the-plate animal protein simply has a “fin up” when it comes to sustainability, because these animals live underwater in a more gentle environment, thus requiring less bone and less connective tissue. That’s not to say that properly raised land animals should not be a part of our diet, but when we’re looking at how we feed billions, we should always be looking to efficiencies, and seafood has those in abundance.

But what about the dangers of overfishing?In the U.S. and New England, specifically, we have the leading global example of fisheries done right. Not that we can’t always improve, but it is widely recognized that the systems by which the U.S. manages its seafood are sustainable. Plus, there is a broad diversity of species that fit our current culinary preferences. They’re caught in fisheries but do not come close to reaching their capacity in terms of production. Whiting, dogfish, haddock, pollack, hake, mackerel, Acadian redfish—each of these represents a major opportunity. It’s on us as consumers to create the market.

Why did you choose to move to Maine?It’s delicious, for one. And Mainers have a particular cadence to their lives, to their humor, that we particularly like. Life is calm. People don’t give a damn about who you are or what you’ve done. They care first about the fact that you’re their neighbor. That’s what matters most.

Lastly, the lobster roll question: cold with mayo or hot and buttered?I appreciate both but prefer mayo. Come on! Hot with butter is as much New England as rooting for the Yankees.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit with seafood expert Barton Seaver in Weekends with Yankee season four.P

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JACQUES PÉPIN’S MOULES AU GRATIN (MUSSELS GRATINÉE) RECIPE, NEXT PAGE

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IN THE KITCHEN WITH JACQUES PÉPINThe world-famous chef shares a favorite New England seafood recipe

F rom the moment the Weekends with Yankee crew arrived at Jacques Pépin’s home studio in Westport, Connecticut, he was off like a shot, racing around

his property in search of wild mushrooms and taking names on the boules court. This is the man who once won an Emmy cooking alongside Julia Child, and who out-wisecracked Letterman on his own show (while preparing a lovely salmon terrine). With guests like this, the trick is to simply keep up.

The high energy carried over into the kitchen, where he whipped up some dishes using fresh mussels from Bangs Island in Casco Bay. He began with roasted mussels in the style of escargots, with lots of butter and garlic, then used the cooking liquid to make a creamy soup called billi bi.

He slowed down only at the very end of our visit, when everyone sat down to eat. There, on the table, was a scrapbook of sorts, a hand-illustrated collection of menus (among his many talents, Pépin is an accomplished artist) that form a vibrant record of meals with friends and family that he’s been keeping for the past 50 years.

On this day, he pulled out a pen, turned to a fresh page, and wrote: August 11, ’18 / Pour Amy / Moules au Gratin / Billi Bi / Cheers! And just like that, we became part of his culinary legacy—and we had enjoyed one of the most memorable meals of our lives in the bargain.

JACQUES PÉPIN’S MOULES AU GRATIN1½ pounds fresh mussels in their shells (about 36)1 cup white wine1 slice white bread, processed to make ¾ cup bread crumbs2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons olive oil¼ cup loosely packed parsley2 cloves garlic, peeled18 hazelnuts3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature½ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the mussels and wine into a large Dutch oven, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook until the mussels open, about 2 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then arrange the mussels in their shells on a cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, stir the bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Set aside. Place the parsley, garlic, and hazelnuts in a food processor and process to a fine mixture. Add the butter, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper and process until smooth. Top each mussel with about 1 teaspoon of butter mixture and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Place the mussels about 5 inches below a broiler on high heat and broil, watching carefully, until bread crumbs are nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit with Jacques Pépin in Weekends with Yankee season three.

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Q&A

ERIN FRENCHThe chef-owner of Maine sensation The Lost Kitchen shares her unlikely story of success

In 2014, having newly returned to her tiny hometown of Freedom, Maine, Erin French opened a restaurant in a restored 19th-century gristmill. “A lot of people didn’t

think it was a good idea,” says French. “They were sure it would fail.” But in creating something uniquely her own, she also created one of the most sought-after restaurant experiences in the country. Open from early May to New Year’s, The Lost Kitchen takes reservation requests only during the first two weeks in April. In recent years as many as 20,000 hopefuls have vied for spots (winners are chosen at random). We recently caught up with French, who is scheduled to publish a memoir in winter 2021.

What do you think of the fame you’ve achieved?There are parts of it that I look back on and think, I miss the quiet days. Again, this was never anything I asked for or dreamed of happening. But I’m also trying to balance how to be a mother, and how to have a home that I care about and make it feel warm and welcoming to my family.

In 2018 you changed your reservations process so that people had to mail in a card rather than call the restaurant. What was the thinking behind that?We had to make a change [from the phone system], but I never wanted it to be a computer system, because in two seconds the whole season would have booked out. There’s also something about that power of pen to paper. Over the years I’ve received little letters in the mail from people—strangers from all over the place—and I’ve kept them all. I’ve framed some of them. They are my reminders that what I’m doing is something that makes people feel good or even inspires them.

Do you think you’ll open another restaurant, so more people can have access to your cooking?No, I don’t. I don’t know if that’s selfish or not. One thing I realize is that I’ve created something that is completely unsustainable business-wise. Because if I get sick, the restaurant closes for the night. I have put so much of what has to happen in an evening on my plate and on my shoulders. I know that’s not a wise decision, and I know that nothing will last forever. But the last thing I want to do is have some offshoot that other people are running, trying to make it look like me when it’s not me.

What excites you about the start of a new season?Spring cooking. I just love getting back into spring. Like right now, I’m sitting in a parking lot outside a greenhouse. I was here with a friend, and we are starting our edible flower seedlings. I’m also excited to see people come through the front door again, to work with my friends again. Every woman I work with there, I spend my spare time with. They’re my best friends, they’re like family, and it’s really fun to be all together when we haven’t been all together since the end of the season.

Editors’ note: As of late May, The Lost Kitchen had not yet announced an opening date for the 2020 season.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit with Maine chef Erin French in Weekends with Yankee season two. P

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THE ULTIMATE BLUEBERRY PIEThe Portland, Maine, bakery Two Fat Cats shows us how it’s done

Portland is arguably New England’s best bakery town, and Two Fat Cats is one of our favorites. It’s the kind of classic bakery where you buy your kids’ birthday

cakes, where the pie can cure whatever ails you, and where you stop on a whim for a simple but unimprovable chocolate chip cookie. But they also make an outstanding blueberry pie, which is why Weekends with Yankee cohost Amy Traverso spent an afternoon baking with their team as part of a segment on Maine blueberries for season three. The crew filmed the blueberry harvest in Machias, Maine, then returned to the Two Fat Cats kitchen to make the ultimate pie.

Co-owner Stacy Begin recommends baking this pie with unthawed frozen berries for two reasons: Freezing sets the berries’ pigment, which makes a prettier filling, and the cold fruit keeps the fat in the crust from melting before it hits the oven.

TWO FAT CATS’ WILD MAINE BLUEBERRY PIE

2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting1 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling¾ teaspoon table salt8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces6–8 tablespoons ice water2 tablespoons milk, for brushing4½ cups wild Maine blueberries, frozen (do not thaw)1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice2 tablespoons tapioca starch

2⁄3 cup granulated sugar½ teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

First, make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the butter and shortening over the dry ingredients and use your fingertips to gently rub them into the mixture so that they form flakes and small lumps. The dough will begin to take on a pale yellow color and look a bit like lumpy cornmeal. Add the ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough holds together but isn’t sticky or wet. Divide into two equal parts. Wrap each in plastic wrap, press into disks, and chill for at least one hour.

Now, make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the berries and lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the tapioca, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the fruit and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then mix again.

Preheat the oven to 375° and set a rack to the lowest position. Remove the first disk of dough from the refrigerator. On a clean, floured surface, roll it out to a 10-inch circle. Transfer this to a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess hang over the sides. Pour the filling into the pan.

Remove the second disk from the refrigerator and roll it out to a 10-inch circle. Lay it over the filling. Pinch the bottom and top dough edges together and crimp firmly. Make three 1-inch steam cuts in the crust, then brush with milk and sprinkle liberally with sugar.

Bake on the bottom rack until the top is browned and the juices are bubbling through the vents, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our visit to Two Fat Cats in Weekends with Yankee season three.P

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FEASTING ON THE FARM COASTThis picturesque corner of New England is a haven for food lovers Photos by Mark Fleming

Even for those who have lived in New England for decades, the Farm Coast can be a revelation: beautiful beaches, atmospheric farm stands, sunlit fields running down to the water … it’s like a postcard of favorite things.

The region stretches from Tiverton down to Little Compton in Rhode Island, then east into Massachusetts, to include Westport and Dartmouth. It includes a beautiful agricultural preserve, a thriving art scene, and one-of-a-kind shopping scenes.

But one of the biggest lures is its array of terrific farm stands and restaurants, which make the most of the Farm Coast’s land-and-sea bounty. On the next two pages, we highlight a few of Weekends with Yankee cohost Amy Traverso’s favorite refueling stops.

BEFORE YOU GOSince many restaurants

and markets may be adjusting their operations out of concern for public health, please call

or check online before making travel plans.


Gray’s Ice Cream, Tiverton, RI

Farm & Coast Market, South Dartmouth, MA

The Red Dory, Tiverton, RI


THE BACK EDDY | WESTPORT, MAWith harbor views all around, this seafood mainstay could get by on location alone, but the corn-and-clam chowder and chouriço-stuffed clams point to a kitchen with real ambition. thebackeddy.com

THE COMMONS LUNCH | LITTLE COMPTON, RIOld-school classics such as meatloaf, western omelets, fried clams, and grapenut pudding draw a multigenerational crowd of happy diners. On Facebook

EVELYN’S DRIVE-IN | TIVERTON, RIFrom its perch overlooking lovely Nanaquaket Pond, this waterside eatery (complete with boat parking out back) is the place to go for fluffy fried clam cakes with a cup of Rhode Island–style clear-broth chowder. evelynsdrivein.com

FARM & COAST MARKET | SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MAServing next-level pastries, salads, and sandwiches, this market-café is the kind of

local hangout every town should have. For breakfast, don’t miss the smoked salmon sandwich or fruit-filled breakfast bowl [pictured above]. farmandcoastmarket.com

GRAY’S ICE CREAM | TIVERTON, RIOf all the ice creameries on the Farm Coast, Gray’s wins for its rich, custardy base and giant scoops. The go-to flavor is coffee—a natural choice in the state that invented coffee milk. graysicecream.com

LITTLE MOSS | SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MAThis chic boîte spins local produce and seafood into gorgeous small plates, pastas, and charcuterie boards. Come for a cocktail; stay for dinner. littlemoss.com

THE RED DORY | TIVERTON, RISteve Johnson is the Farm Coast’s top chef, and his Mediterranean-inspired eatery boasts top local produce, excellent pastas and ceviches, and sunset views of the Sakonnet River. reddoryrestaurant.com

TUNE IN FOR MORE Look for our trip to the Farm Coast in Weekends with Yankee season four.

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THE ADVENTURES CONTINUELOVE WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE?

THERE’S EVEN MORE WAITING FOR YOU AT OUR WEBSITE

Go deeper into the stories you see on Weekends with

Yankee with a visit to the companion website, WeekendsWithYankee.com. Packed with videos, articles, and extras, it has everything you need to plan a visit to New England —or just bring a taste of it home, wherever you are. Among the highlights:

TRAVEL IDEAS, such as how to spend a summer weekend in midcoast Maine, foliage expert

Jim Salge’s favorite quiet New England fall foliage drives, and Yankee food editor Amy Traverso’s guide to the best apple orchards in New England.

RECIPES, including a Vermont cheddar-ale dip inspired by our visits to Hill Farmstead Brewery and award-winning cheesemakers Grafton Village Cheese and Jasper Hill Farm.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES EXCLUSIVES, like Q&As with preeminent white shark researcher Greg Skomal and award-winning New Hampshire chef Evan Mallett.

TIPS FROM YANKEE EDITORS, from how to cook a lobster like the pros, to advice for a home-run

visit to Fenway Park, to inspiration for New England holiday food gifts.

VIDEOS from all four seasons of Weekends with Yankee, ranging from engaging sneak peeks to full episodes (for subscribers only).

PLUS, an easy-to-use station finder that shows you where to find Weekends with Yankee in your local broadcast and cable TV lineups.P

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TUNE IN TO SEASON 4Your episode guide to Weekends with Yankee’s latest destinations and discoveries

EPISODE 1: “DEEP ROOTS”Cohost Amy Traverso heads to Boston’s Chinatown with celebrity chef Joanne Chang and learns to make her signature dumplings. At the Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, Rhode Island, Amy and cohost Richard Wiese enjoy both natural beauty and culinary delicacies at this four-star destination. In Tiverton, Rhode Island, we explore the hidden gem known as the Farm Coast.

EPISODE 2: “ARTS AND THE SEA”At Yale University in Connecticut, we meet the oldest a cappella group in the United States, the Whiffenpoofs, before heading to Salem, Massachusetts, to experience the grand-scale outdoors murals of the Punto Urban Art Museum. Amy visits with Barton Seaver, a Portland, Maine, chef who combines his passion for food with his commitment to sustainability. Richard takes us on a tour of the PEZ factory in Orange, Connecticut.

EPISODE 3: “WALK ON THE WILD SIDE”Richard tours Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium, where he gets to be an animal trainer for a day. Up in Gray, Maine, we visit a sanctuary for injured and orphaned wildlife, including the majestic moose. Amy hunts for invasive green crabs along the New Hampshire seacoast, and then cooks her catch into a mouthwatering seafood stew with Brendan Vesey, chef of Botanica Restaurant in Portsmouth.

EPISODE 4: “TREASURES FROM THE EARTH”In Woodstock, Vermont, Amy visits master craftsman Charles Shackleton as he teaches people how to build tables by hand using sustainably sourced wood from a local forest. In Maine, Richard unearths the state’s prized gemstone, the tourmaline. Amy heads to Cape Neddick, Maine, where chef Justin Walker puts a modern spin on the traditional Maine bean-hole supper. P

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EPISODE 5: “TO THE TOP”Amy joins up with best-selling cookbook author Dorie Greenspan at her home in Connecticut to whip up a delicious triple-layer parsnip and cranberry cake. Richard treks to Rumney, New Hampshire, to test his skills at one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the world. In Martha’s Vineyard, renowned architect Patrick Ahearn shows off his island home through the lens of his favorite preservation projects.

EPISODE 6: “ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT”Amy travels to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where chef David Vargas brings his Mexican heritage to his restaurant Vida Cantina with tortillas crafted from local corn. Staying in New Hampshire, we head north to Lisbon, where Richard rides an ATV through foliage country. After a stop at Morningside Flight Park in Charlestown, New Hampshire, for a sunset hang-gliding experience, we experience Martha’s Vineyard’s Grand Illumination Night, a 150-year-old celebration in which residents decorate their historic cottages with paper lanterns.

EPISODE 7: “HANDMADE IN NEW ENGLAND”Amy travels to the tiny town of Barnard, Vermont, where winegrower Deirdre Heekin tells the story of the region’s unique soil and climate with her wines. We head to Swans Island Company in Northport, Maine, where sheep’s wool is hand-dyed and handwoven to create one-of-a-kind blankets and scarves, with designs inspired by Maine’s coastal beauty. Just in time for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing in the New World, Richard visits Mystic, Connecticut, where the Mayflower II is being restored.

EPISODE 8: “OCEAN TREASURES”In Salem, Massachusetts, we check out the fabled House of the Seven Gables. At the Luke’s Lobster flagship restaurant in Portland, Maine, we learn how a tiny lobster roll shop grew into a sustainable seafood company that prepares about 32,000 pounds of lobster every day. Richard and Amy journey to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to discover why this Cape Cod town is such a beloved destination.

EPISODE 9: “DELICACIES FROM NEW ENGLAND”Amy heads north to the Thompson House Eatery in Jackson, New Hampshire, where husband-and-wife team Jeff and Kate Fournier are continuing the restaurant’s legacy as a community landmark. In South Kingstown, Rhode Island, Richard meets up with Perry Raso, owner of Matunuck Oyster Farm and Bar. At Wiggly Bridge Distillery in York, Maine, we find David Woods and his son, David Jr., creating small-batch spirits in their handmade copper stills.

EPISODE 10: “TOURING WITH THE LOCALS”Richard travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to chat with maritime treasure hunter Barry Clifford, whose discovery of the wrecked pirate ship Wyhdah became one of the greatest undersea finds off the Atlantic coast. In Portland, Maine, we tour the iconic B&M Factory for an insider’s look at how it makes a uniquely New England treat: brown bread in a can. Amy heads to Providence, Rhode Island, to learn about some only-in-Rhode-Island foods.

EPISODE 11: “A BREATH OF FRESH AIR”In Bartlett, New Hampshire, Richard ice-climbs Cathedral Ledge and takes in its views of the White Mountains. We head to New England’s largest outdoor sculpture park, the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire, for a tour of its 80-plus works of art. Amy sits down with humorist and author John Hodgman in his hometown of Brookline, Massachusetts, to discuss how growing up there shaped his brand of comedy.

EPISODE 12: “JOIN THE CLUB”Amy heads to Freedom, New Hampshire, where Lucie Villeneuve of Outdoor Escapes gives her a primer on outdoor survival. On Martha’s Vineyard, we take a dip in the ocean for a workout with the Inkwell Beach Polar Bears, then visit a stop on the island’s African-American Heritage Trail. Richard goes to South Hamilton, Massachusetts, to see a match at the Myopia Polo Club, the oldest active polo club in the country.

EPISODE 13: “HEADING NORTH”Richard treks to Killington Resort in Killington, Vermont, for the Women’s Ski World Cup, where he chats with Olympians Diann Roffe and Edie Thys Morgan. We pay a visit to Twin Farms, an exclusive resort in Barnard, Vermont, that’s steeped in romance and history, and then explore José Clemente Orozco’s monumental murals at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. At a frozen lake in Walpole, New Hampshire, Richard meets painter Eric Aho and learns about his famed “Ice Cut” paintings.


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COMING THIS FALL TO CREATE TV: THE COMPLETE NEW SEASON OF WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE

Watch the Create TV showcase starting July 17, including Season 4 sneak previews

Check local listings at WEEKENDSWITHYANKEE.COM or CREATET V.COM/SCHEDULE

SE ASONS 1–3 ARE AVAIL ABLE TO DOWNLOAD ON AND

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BUCKET-LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS NEW SEASON, NEW … · BUCKET-LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS Outdoor Escapes for All Ages. Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston’s Studio Six