Connecticut Public to Spotlight Connecticut Restaurants, Beginning in Fairfield County

After enduring two challenging years due to restrictions imposed by COVID, restaurants across Connecticut are regaining momentum and increasingly seeing customers return.  Now, they are about to get another boost, courtesy of Connecticut Public broadcasting. 

Later this month, Connecticut Public will be launching a new digital and television series, Restaurant Road Trip, showcasing a variety of restaurants and eateries in the Nutmeg State. Chef Plum, co-host of Connecticut Public Radio’s show and podcast Seasoned, will share some of the best and most unique breakfasts, lunches and dinners in fun and engaging profiles of local restaurants and their offerings.

The new program – and related videos - will kick off in Fairfield County, where Connecticut Public’s recent coverage expansion offers increased visibility on television and accessibility on radio.

“I am over the moon excited to have Restaurant Road Trip on Connecticut Public's platforms,” says Chef Plum. “I have always made it my personal mission to lift up and promote local restaurants and having Connecticut Public as a partner is honestly a dream come true. We cannot wait to show viewers some of the best our state has to offer. CT is sandwiched between two culinary meccas in NYC and Boston, and they are great, but on Restaurant Road Trip we show that sometimes the best is in your backyard!”

Restaurant Road Trip will premiere on Connecticut Public’s platforms as a series of digital shorts on ctpublic.org/roadtrip. The video shorts, up to five minutes each and shot in high quality 4K, will drop weekly on Thursdays beginning April 28, 2022.

There will also be three 30-minute TV episodes premiering on CPTV at 8 PM on the first Thursdays of May, June and July. There will be additional rebroadcasts on CPTV and SPIRIT. The episodes will also be available to stream beginning May 5 at ctpublic.org/roadtrip as well as on Connecticut Public’s YouTube Channel and CPTV’s streaming platform.

Funding for Restaurant Road Trip is provided by Presenting Sponsor Downtown New Haven, with additional support from US Foods and Ergo Chef Knives.

Digital shorts of the restaurant visits will be distributed weekly online via ctpublic.org/roadtrip, the CT Public YouTube channel, and the CPTV streaming platform video.cptv.org.  Leading off the series will be Gruel Britannia (Fairfield) on April 28, followed on successive Thursdays by Good Ol Days Pizza (Newtown), El Segundo (Norwalk), Oar & Oak (Stratford), Hoodoo Brown (Ridgefield), Match Burger & Lobster (Westport), Brewport (Bridgeport), Judy’s Bar & Kitchen (Stamford), Washington Prime (Norwalk), Nouveau Monde (Newtown), Grounds Donut House (Danbury), and Kawa Ni (Westport) on July 14.

The monthly 30-minute television series will air on Thursdays at 8 PM, on May 5, June 2 and July 7 on CPTV; SPIRIT; the CT Public YouTube channel, and the CPTV streaming platform video.cptv.org. They can also be accessed via ctpublic.org/roadtrip. Each program will feature a handful of the short features. 

“Restaurant Road Trip will be an energetic and fun show that shines a light on more than just extraordinary food cooked up in our state. We’re pleased to also be able to share the stories of the people behind our local restaurants,” says Tim Rasmussen, Chief Content Officer at Connecticut Public. “Chef Plum strives to bridge the gap between chefs and food lovers, in such a dynamic and charismatic way. People are really going to enjoy the energy of this series.”

Connecticut Public is home to Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Together, Connecticut Public serves nearly one million citizens each month via television and radio, as well as through digital and online platforms.

Photos courtesy Connecticut Public: Chef Judith Roll’s creativity and fearlessness in the kitchen of her Stamford restaurant, Judy’s Bar & Kitchen, is on full display for a duly impressed Chef Plum; Chef Plum’s electric personality sparks with another livewire, Chef Dan Kardos of Oar & Oak in Stratford, and restaurant co-owner Peter Massey (seated in booth to Plum’s left); Chef Plum brought his friend Chion Wolf (host of Audacious on CT Public Radio) to Danbury’s Grounds Donut House where they sampled the audacious creations of owners Nick Terrana, Jimmy Lyons and Mauro Tropeano.