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Private Notes
Family, food and music is everything to the Ponce Family in Queens, NY. When Andrew joins them for dinner, they hand-roll tortillas, make fresh salsas and share rib-eye tacos straight off the grill while enjoying authentic Mariachi music.
In Stowe, Vermont, the von Trapp family, known from the movie "The Sound of Music," shares with Andrew the ways they honor their Austrian heritage through their dinner traditions.
The Brundidge motto is, "Happiness is a choice," and it is a choice they try to make every day. Shawn loves cooking up childhood staples and New Orleans classics that help the family make new memories around the dinner table.
The Biegels have been growing cranberries on their marsh in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, for five generations. Caring for cranberries keeps them busy year-round, but they always make time for family meals on Sundays.
New Jersey sisters Sarah and Kaitlin Leung missed their childhood meals when their parents moved to Beijing in 2013. Together, they started a food blog featuring traditional Chinese recipes to keep the family connected.
Helen and Al Arends of Willmar, MN, love feeding people and with eight kids, they have a crowd before anyone else shows up. When work on their family farm ends on Friday, everyone makes a point to be home for favorites like Helen's Russian pelmeni.
The Cataldos have run their family pork store for generations in Massapequa, New York. Now that Emily and Sam's children are living nearby, the whole gang comes home on Monday nights to catch up and enjoy a traditional family meal.
The Steffans are a Midwestern family who realizes the importance of food when it comes to keeping their blended family close in good times and bad. Recipes are named after family members, and even the serving bowls hold cherished memories.
The Leons are Miami restaurateurs who work together at their Cuban eatery. They love to unwind with family dinners several times a week and always have enough delectable food for their friends in the neighborhood.
The Terrys are members of the Ho-Chunk Nation -- a Native American tribe that, according to oral history, has lived in Wisconsin prior to two ice ages. They believe that food nourishes the body and reconnects them with their land and their ancestors.
There is a feeling of nostalgia behind every African dish the Adeniyi-Taiwo family cooks and eats together. Every Sunday means family dinner at Melody and Hakim's house, and to them, sharing their food and culture is sharing love.
The Zuber family has roots dating back to the founding of Amana Colonies in Iowa by German immigrants. Everyone is family in Amana and Andrew quickly learns that though many residents leave, they always find their way home.
For the DiBernardo family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, dinner together is an institution as three generations carry on traditions established in their Sicilian grandparents' home. Their legendary dishes include Grandma's pork red sauce and handmade pasta.
Family meals are a source of strength and pride for Laura Rodriguez, a mom who sacrificed everything to make a better life for her family in the United States. Every dish they make, including birria and handmade tortillas, is a nod to their Mexican roots.
For the Beevas family of Minneapolis, food is healing in every way, and they're known for serving and sharing food with the people in their community. Every meal Tomme Beevas makes shows his Caribbean influence and is a nod to his Jamaican roots.
When family isn't nearby, quality time with friends becomes extra important. Minneapolis couple Jon and Laurel have friends who work in the food industry, so their shared meals are top-notch and big enough for all who drop by.
The Palmer family shares their love for all things maple at their family sugar shack in Shelburne, Vermont, much like Grandma Palmer did in the 1940s. From hot dogs to desserts, every recipe includes a little maple syrup.
Jerome Smallwood and his wife, Brianna, share a passion for cooking soul food at their home in Cedar Rapids, IA. Jerome learned the majority of the recipes he makes from his mom, Vivian, who taught her kids the importance of cooking for themselves.
The Petrillo family landed in Florida after a family vacation from New York and never left. The passionate family has an appreciation for southern Italian cooking, love sharing old and new recipes and entertaining their friends in the Miami heat.
The Pinheiros are a large Portuguese and Brazilian family who gather most weekends to cook traditional dishes like picanha and octopus. Then, they enjoy a "loud" dinner in the basement, the only place they all can fit, and end the day with a dance party.
After generations in New Jersey, Krissi Sayegh and her family moved to sunny Arizona. Together they celebrate and honor their Polish-Ukrainian heritage with regular family dinners of perogies, stuffed cabbage and more.
Jamaican sisters Charmaine and Donna Lewis prepare traditional Caribbean Sunday dinners with their friend and St. Lucia native Delia Calixte to connect with memories of home and their heritage.
From epic family dinners to her specialty sweets, Joansie Bergman elevates classic recipes and makes incredible memories with her family. Like an artist, the dinner table is her canvas to infuse her signature style into every element of the meal.
Bob Baldino grew up clamming, fishing and cooking with his Italian grandma in Rhode Island. He and his wife, Lauri, raised their family in California and keep Bob's East Coast traditions alive with their three kids through cherished Sunday suppers.
Brothers Jeff and Dan Major are modern day hunters, gatherers and growers. With their wives, they've raised their families to believe resources are precious and nothing should be wasted. When it comes to family dinners, they focus on what's in season.
The Ugapo family often prepares large feasts for their extended family, combining foods from Mese's Samoan heritage with Anna Marie's American comfort favorites, but nightly dinners with their six kids are most important.
The Doffos believe the family that plays together stays together. Whether running their family winery, racing motorcycles or enjoying an Argentine feast, this energetic family finds joy in everything they do.
Brian and Van Pichler, and their kids, are passionate about sharing authentic Vietnamese family dinners. Van's mother, who emigrated from Saigon, created a cookbook of cherished family recipes that Brian uses to prepare the family’s authentic cuisine.
Ella Hoskins and her daughters, Gina and Tina, host the Capers-Willis family's treasured Sunday dinners. They gather to celebrate their Gullah Geechee heritage with menus rooted in Lowcountry foods with African influences.
The Ganem-Poppell family honors their Lebanese traditions by gathering with extended family for dinners that take an entire day to prepare. Now, the next generation is keeping their cherished family dinners alive, one stuffed grape leaf at a time.
The Hill Booker family learned the joy of Sunday dinners while spending summers at their grandparents' house in Mississippi. Sisters Jennifer and Erin carry on the tradition with their own kids, cooking Southern classics while making lasting memories.
For the Evans family, Sunday mornings are for church and afternoons are for family. Despite their busy schedules, they gather once a month for Sunday dinners and honor their late mother by preparing her favorite family recipes.
Jamila Norman brought her passion for eating healthy to her urban farm where she grows her own produce. She combines farm-fresh ingredients with Trinidadian and Jamaican family recipes for meals that are fresh, healthy and filled with family history.
The Adler family welcomes in the Sabbath with their weekly Shabbat dinner.
The Smalley family makes mealtime together a priority, no matter what.
The Garner family honors their mom by carrying on family dinner traditions.
The Union Fire Department redefines the meaning of family dinner.
For NFL player Jordan Hicks and his wife, family dinner helps create home.
Summers at the lake house are sacred for the Wetherbee family, and so is spending time on the boat; between their family's easy-to-make bars and casserole dishes, they've perfected a lake life dinner menu.
The Kwon family immigrated from Korea to North Carolina 40 years ago, bringing their traditional Korean recipes with them; today, family dinners are a fusion of those Korean dishes with other cultural cuisines.
Growing up in rural Minnesota, the nearest neighbors were miles away and family dinner was a nightly occurrence for the Lassen siblings; they still come together for home-cooked meals with their favorite recipes passed down by their family.
Kim Ratcliff followed in her father's footsteps by leaving corporate America to work on the family ranch in Texas; Kim has also taken over in the kitchen since her mother's passing and keeps her spirit alive by making the family's favorite recipes.
Kelly and Nancy Stirn have run the R Lazy S dude ranch for 35 years, raising their sons Matt and Will to become the next generation of ranch owners; while their season keeps them busy, they treasure family dinners and time together.
Mema Pat was a profound presence for everyone in the Goss family and especially influenced Becki Shepherd's passions and career goals; Becki gained her love of cooking from Mema Pat and honors her through family dinners.
Wood's great-grandparents immigrated from Italy to Cumberland, WI in the 1880s and brought their Italian dinner traditions with them; her grandparents continued hosting "pasta sunday" dinners, and now her mother has taken the reins.
The Devine family have been seafood purveyors for decades and it's a lifestyle that makes its way to their dinner table, too; Nancy Faidley Devine and her family seek to spread love and happiness for generations to come through her renowned recipes.
The Fraser's are a chosen family bound by history, love for each other and shared appreciation for spending time together; their dinners are a mix of generational recipes and favorites that they've created together.
The McConville family are culture keepers who honor their Native American ancestors by passing generational traditions to their children; among their traditions are the meals they prepare from resources provided by the land and river in Oregon.
Marlynn Schotland grew up cooking with her grandmother and family dinner was a nightly occurrence. Along with her parents, Marlynn is passing on her family's Filipino traditions and favorite recipes to her own kids.
