Episodes

Planning a wedding doesn’t have to feel like you’re scaling Mount Pinterest? At its heart, weddings are really all about celebrating a love story—yours, or another person you care about. In this F amily Tree, Food & Stories episode, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely pop the champagne and dive into the wild world of weddings with the ever-wise Sara Barton— AKA their Wedding Whisperer and planning guru. Here you’ll go beyond the bouquet toss and dive into the quirky, forgotten, and freshly minted ...

The Farmer’s Market Hustle: What They Don’t Want You to Know, and Why. What do Boston’s Little Italy, bourbon-pickled beans, heirloom tomatoes, and escaped snails have in common with today's farmers' markets? Well, you're about to hear the answer and more in this next episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories ! Nancy May and Sylvia roll up their sleeves and dig deep into the quirky, gritty, and delicious history and evolution of farmers’ markets. From 1600s bartering stalls to today’s “authentic...

What does watermelon have to do with Memorial Day? And how many pounds of hot dogs do we consume over Memorial Day weekend? In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories , Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely take you from old Civil War battlefields to your backyard barbecue. You’ll discover the surprising origins of the Memorial Day holiday when it was first known as Decoration Day, explore the wartime roots of today’s most iconic summer foods—like hot dogs, cornbread, and SPAM—and even a shared...

Aged to Perfection: The Bourbon Episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories! Ever wondered how bourbon became such a staple in old-fashioned American family gatherings and even recipes? In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories , co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely take you on a journey through the rich history and personal family stories of bourbon. Here they'll take you on a journey of some very interesting "spirited" origins of iconic distilleries like Buffalo Trace, delve into the ...

Mother's Day Celebrations, Meals, Traditions, History, and Stories to Last a Lifetime ! Are you looking for some inspiration to make this Mother's Day 2025 a bit more special? In this next episode of Family Tree Food & Stories , Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely delve into the lost stories behind how Mother's Day food and family traditions, some sweet and others wild and wacky. You’ll learn some lesser-known facts about Mother’s Day, like how the celebration as we know it today originated in a We...

The 151st Kentucky Derby: Foods, Traditions, and Stories You Might Not Know About! Hold onto your hats—or your fascinators—because in this Family Tree Food & Stories episode, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely are taking you to the 151st Kentucky Derby, The Run for the Roses, or Mint Juleps if you prefer! Picture this: You’ve got your mint julep or bourbon in hand, and you’re surrounded by ladies in big hats, and 150,000 of your closest friends, who are all cheering for their favorite horse to win th...

In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, Sylvia Lovely learns that after owning a restaurant for 20 years, how to cook a “simple lasagna”. Her experience in the kitchen takes a few unexpected twists and turns, from battling uncooperative pasta to creating a "lasagna disaster piece" that’s now legendary. Her candid, self-deprecating tell-all may be a dose of reality for some of you who’ve tried to make the perfect lasagna and had your disasters along the way. But all are worth a good laug...

Food, Faith & Acts of Kindness: Father Jim's Spiritual Journey Have you ever considered how deeply food connects to our spiritual lives? In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely sit down with Father Jim Sichko, a priest, who tells an extraordinary story of how food became an important part of his ministry. Father Jim shares the story of his mother's weekly tradition of cooking meals for garbage collectors, whom she served at the family's formal dining room tab...

How food changed the career direction of this law-school-bound college student. Have you ever wondered how the foods we eat shape who we are? In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely pull their mic up to the table with renowned Kentucky chef Ouita Michel, who takes us on a journey through her culinary heritage – from a community garden to owning eight celebrated restaurants rooted in local tradition. For those unsure of their career direction, you'll hear how ...

A Story for Tracie, and What to do With Leftover Easter Egg Shells. What do a five-year-old’s Easter tale, a magical sugar egg, and a kitchen full of hard-boiled chaos have in common? They’re all part of one rather unforgettable spring food-related memory — a story of how love, loss, and a little imagination helped one family hold on to hope. In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, co-host Nancy May shares a personal story from her childhood, when she was trying to make sense of her yo...

Learn to discover traditions you might not even know you've got! In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, Nancy May, co-host, helps her guests Heather Dyer and Erin Walker of the Three Kitchen's Podcast discover that they have been unwittingly nurturing new family food traditions. Throughout the episode, they uncover in subtle yet significant ways that their treasured memories—like old-fashioned savory, sweet, sticky candy sticks at roadside gift shops or planning comforting meals around ...

Spring Food Traditions You'll Want to Eat In this next episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely explore rather different and interesting springtime traditions, sharing some foods that you might never have heard about before. Have you ever wondered if jelly beans could be part of a balanced diet? Or are you curious about the story behind white asparagus that led to a carpool mishap? And what on earth do muskrats, alligators, and beer have to do with Lent? Na...

The Ultimate Guide to Irish Traditions Worth Knowing This St. Patrick's Day Join Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely for a fun-filled St. Patrick's Day special on Family Tree, Food & Stories! This episode takes you beyond the green beer and shamrock decorations to explore different traditions that make Irish culture and St. Patrick’s Day unique. ☘️Ever heard of "drowning the shamrock"? You’ll learn about this quirky tradition: place a shamrock in the bottom of your beer mug, drink it down, and then tos...

This is a Chilling Episode about Food, Family and Refrigeration: Join Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely as they take you on a cool adventure through the history of refrigeration in this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories about the "Refrigeration Revolution: From Ice Blocks and Straw to TV Dinners." As with each episode, there's always a wild food and family story, but in this show, you'll also learn some really cool things,s including how refrigeration changed food storage, from ice blocks and c...

This episode is dedicated to February and all things F in the kitchen and around the table. What happens when food, family, and February collide? In this Family Tree Food & Stories episode, Nancy stirs up a pot F-related and a few unexpected fiascos. 🧀 This episode explores family, food, and traditions starting with the letter F. From fondue nights to adventures with friends, and a fiery mishap, each story shared shows you how food brings us together, can spark a new tradition, and create memo...

"I'm not a bad cook—I just don't cook!" Can a Self-Proclaimed Non-Cook Create Meaningful Mealtime Traditions? What does a wedding gift of handwritten recipes, family memories, and a self-proclaimed non-cook have in common? In this Family Tree, Food & Stories episode, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely share these details and more with Meredith Plant. This episode shares how our recollections of the past can help us find new strength and joy. Yes, you can even meditate on a recipe you want to add to o...

Dive into a decadent world of desire as Family Tree, Food & Stories hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely unwrap the mysteries behind Valentine's Day's most seductive treats. Join chocolate expert Norma Taylor as she reveals how to get thousands of chocolate-covered strawberries out to lusting customers. Nancy and Sylvia dive under the covers to reveal some interesting and lesser-known history and traditions of how those silk heart-shaped chocolate boxes even include a little black lace. Remember t...

One Waitress, One Microphone, a Whole Lot of Regret, and a Story That Became a Family Legend. This true Family Tree, Food Story begins with a simple radio interview that soon spirals into a chaotic comedy of errors. Here, your Co-Host Sylvia Lovely recounts a college indiscretion that involved a local Moorhead restaurant and a disastrous on-air performance that threatened a financial loss and derailment of her boyfriend's career (and possibly their relationship forever!). What started as a see...

How Our Hunt For The BEST Cake Keeps Us on The Road! 🥕 What if a single bite could change your life? In this Family Tree, Food & Stories episode, you’re invited to join Nancy and Bob on a 36-year quest to rediscover the flavor that made their wedding day even more sweet. A delicious and magical carrot cake from a special bakery in Fairfield, Connecticut, their quest to recreate that perfect bite has taken them from New York to Florida, California to Canada, and beyond. Their quest has done more...

How a Glass of Wine and a Cold Night in a Bar Became One of This Mom’s Favorite Story. This Family Tree Food & Stories episode is a delightful blend of humor and fun reflection as Sylvia recounts an unforgettable night in Duluth, Minnesota. What starts as a simple mother-son bonding watching the “big game” at a local bar turns into an unexpected tale of personal embarrassment and triumph. With a mix of wit and warmth, Sylvia shares how even the most humiliating moments can become one of those ...

What Might be Cooking at President Trump's Inaugural Ball? Lessons from presidential plates past and present. 🎙️In this episode of Family Tree, Food & Stories, co-hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely dish up a banquet of stories and foods that have graced inaugural balls throughout U.S. history. From George Washington’s solitary dining to Lincoln's midnight chaos, this episode reveals how these menus reflect presidential personalities, American culture, and even our own family mealtime tastes. You...

How a pre-colonoscopy walk turned into a wild surprise and a mysterious roast thief! 📌In this next episode of Family Tree Food & Stories - What do you get when you mix a colonoscopy prep, an overexcited Goldendoodle, and a "found"three-pound beef roast in the middle of a walking trail? It's a story that’s almost too wild to believe! In this episode, Co-Host Sylvia Lovely recounts a chaotic journey to wrestle a juicy roast from her dog’s jaws—all while enduring the delightful side effects of he...

Could There be Gold in that Pork Roast and Doom in the Chicken? New Year's Foods to eat for an extra plateful of good luck. Welcome to 2025! In this special New Year’s edition of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely kick off the year with some quirky traditions.🎉 Did you know eating chicken 🐔 on New Year’s could potentially give you a bowl of bad luck? Or that a sauerkraut shred might be the key to riches? In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, we're spilling the bea...

How to Eat Your Christmas Tree and Create a Deliciously Unusual Holiday Tradition 🎄 What do you do with a leftover Christmas tree? Toss it? Compost it? Nope—how about eating it? Yes, you heard that right! In this Family Tree, Food & Stories episode, we’re setting the table with a new way to turn your bedazzled Christmas tree into a gourmet treat. From sweet pine syrups to pine needle tea, baking with your tree's bark (and a treat you can bite), and even pine-infused ice cream, Nancy May, co-hos...