Food is just the appetizer

>> 1982. RONALD REAGAN IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE. ED KING ON BEACON HILL AND THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE DEVON WHITE OCCUPIES BOSTON CITY HALL — KEVIN WHITE OCCUPIES BOSTON CITY HALL. TED KENNEDY IS 20 YEARS INTO HIS 47 YEAR RUN. IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL IS UNVEILED. AT HOME, THE CELTICS FLYING HIGH WITH A FRANCHISE BEST WINNING STREAK. >> SALLY RIDE IS POISED TO BE THE FIRST AMERICAN FEMALE IN SPACE WHILE SPILBORGHS ET — STEVEN SPIELBERG CT LANDS HERE ON EARTH. AND CATS DEBUTS ON EARTH — BROADWAY. >> — IS BORN. >> SO IS USA TODAY. >> CABLE TELEVISION IS IN ITS INFANCY. >> TIME MAGAZINE’S MAN OF THE YEAR IS A MACHINE. THE COMPUTER. 1 ON — ANTHONY: ON JANUARY 25, 1982, AN EXPERIMENT IN LOCAL TELEVISION IT’S THE LOCAL AIRWAYS. >> WELCOME TO CHRONICLE, THE NEW ENGLAND NEWSMAGAZINE. SHAYNA: WE HAVE BEEN GOING STRONG EVER SENSE. ANTHONY: GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. THE SET HAS CHANGED, THE FACES HAVE CHANGED BUT THE MISSION OF “CHRONICLE” HAS NEVER CHANGED. TO BRING OUR VIEWERS THE STORIES OF NEW ENGLAND. SHAYNA: MORE GEMS FROM CHRONICLES FOUR DECADES ON THE AIR INCLUDING OUR FASCINATION WITH FOOD. ERICA TARRANT EXPLAINS HOW IT ALL BEGAN. ERICA: FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD. CHRONICLE HAS BEEN DOCUMENTING PEOPLE’S APPETITE SINCE WELL BEFORE THERE WAS A FOOD NETWORK. IT STARTED IN 1991 WHEN STAN LEVEN HAD WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A DELICIOUS IDEA. >> PIZZA. PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA. >> I HAD THE IDEA THAT WE COULD DO A FULL >> HALF HOUR ON PIZZA. YOU ARE WONDERING — >> A FULL HALF HOUR ON PIZZA. >> YOU ARE WONDERING. >> I’M TELLING YOU IT’S EASY BECAUSE PIZZA IS A REAL SLICE OF AMERICA. >> MOVE OVER MICKEY D. SHAKE A LEG, COLONEL SANDERS. PIZZA IS A HOT CUISINE. >> YOU LIKE WORKING WITH FISH? >> FISH IS GREAT. >> CHRONICLE STRUCK A NERVE AND THERE WAS NO LIMIT TO EDIBLE SUBJECTS. A WHOLE SHOW ON DOUGHNUTS? NO PROBLEM. >> NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THE SANCTITY OF DOUGHNUTS MORE THAN THE GOOD FOLKS AT CANES IN SAUGUS. >> THAT IS OUR DADS RECIPE. IT IS THE REAL DEAL. I WILL KNOCK YOU OUT OF THE PARK EVERY TIME WITH CANES HONEYED. >> THE FOOD BEAT WAS MORE ABOUT SATISFYING — MORE THAN JUST SATISFYING SWEET AND SAVORY TASTE BUDS. >> SHE IS A CHEF IN BOSTON AND IT IS BASED ON WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT. SINCE THEN, IT WAS A FIRESTONE. — FIRESTORM. >> THERE WERE STORIES ABOUT BUSINESSES, NEIGHBORHOOD HUTS, BAKERIES. >> FRESH AND IN THE STORE. >> WOW. >> A WORLD OF FLAVORS WAS OUR OYSTER FROM THE HUMBLED DINER TO THIS CLASSIC SCENE IN A JEWISH DELI. >> A CORNED BEEF SANDWICH SO HIGH YOU NEED A SHOEHORN TO FIT IT IN YOUR MOUTH. A BOWL OF CHICKEN SOUP WITH A BALL THE SIZE OF A SHOTPUT. ERIKA: THEN THERE WAS THE RISE OF THE CELEBRITY CHEF. >> WE ARE NOT HOLLYWOOD, WE DON’T HAVE MOVIE STARS. WE HAVE OUR SPORTS FIGURES. WE HAVE ARROWSMITH AND BEYOND THAT, WE HAVE OUR CHEFS. AND I THINK CHEFS HAVE BECOME OUR SUPERSTARS IN THE CITY. LYDIA SHIRE, TIFFANY FAISON, MICHAEL SLOUGHED, CAN ORANGE HER. IT HAS BECOME A GREAT EATING CITY. I THINK THERE IS NOT A KITCHEN IN THE CITY THAT WE HAVEN’T BEEN IN. PEOPLE LOVE TO SEE THESE FOOD SHOWS. OH MY GOD, LOOK AT HOW GOOD THAT LOOKS. ERIKA: HE LIKENS IT TO THEATER. >> THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY PUTTING ON A SHOW. EACH NIGHT IS BRAND-NEW AND NEW PEOPLE COME IN. IT IS LIKE GOING TO THE THEATER. STRETCH AND TURN, STRETCH AND TURN. ERIKA: AS FOR PIZZA, WE HAVE INDULGED MANY MORE TIMES. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH PIZZA. >> AFTER NEARLY FOUR DECADES SHARING THE STORIES OF NEW ENGLAND, WE THOUGHT WE HAD SEEN IT ALL. ALONG CAME A MARCH OF 2020 AND A CHALLENGING NEW CHAPTER. — CAME MARCH OF 2020, AND A CHALLENGING NEW CHAPTER. IT CHANGED THE WAY WE TOLD STORIES AND THE STORIES WE NEEDED TO TELL. >> FOR ME, IT MEANT A TEMPORARY RETURN TO MY NEWSROOM. >> IN WORCESTER, NICOLE ESTHER FONG, WCVB NEW CENTER FIVE. >> TED RHEIN STEIN AND ARE CHRONICLE PHOTOGRAPHERS JOINED THE DAILY NEWS B. BRINGING US LASTING IMAGES OF A SILENT CITY. >> IT IS STRIKING TO WALK DOWN A STREET NORMALLY TEEMING WITH TRAFFIC AND BEING ABLE TO STOP AT A INTERSECTION AND STAND THERE. >> THE CHRONICLE TEEN WENT MOSTLY REMOTE. THE OCCASIONAL DAY IN THE OFFICE, EERILY QUIET. FOR LONG, WE DID WHAT CHRONICLE HAS DONE FOR 40 YEARS. TELL YOUR STORIES, INCLUDING THE IMPACT OF THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC. >> I HAVE CRIED AFTER SHIFTS, CRIED BEFORE SHIFTS. WENT INTO THE CLOSET AND CRIED. >> IT IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE BEEN TRULY UNEMPLOYED SINCE I WAS 14. >> LITTLE GRACIE WILL HAVE A STORY TO TELL. WE ALL WILL, ABOUT FINDING THE SILVER LINING IN UNCERTAINTY. >OUR TRAVELS KEPT US CLOSER TO HOME. REDISCOVERING FAMILIAR PLACES. THE RESTAURANTS THAT HAD INVITED US IN SO OFTEN, NOW WITH A NEW STORY TO TELL. >> I REMEMBER THINKING THAT WAS GAME OVER FOR US. >> LIKE YOU, WE GOT CREATIVE. WHY NOT A VIRTUAL ART CLASS IN ANTHONY’S GARAGE? >> THESE ARE OUR FINISHED PRODUCTS. >> DRIVE IN MOVIES, OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITS, NEW ENGLAND SWIMMING HOLES. AND LIKE YOU, WE FOUND COMFORT IN FOOD. SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN SHAYNA’S KITCHEN. >> FEELING LIKE A TRUE CHEF RIGHT NOW. >> THE NEW NORM FOR INTERVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS STRANGELY SILENT. A PHONE INTERVIEW THROUGH A SHUTTERED WINDOW. >> HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN ABLE TO GET WHAT YOU NEED? >> I ORDER A LOT OF STUFF FROM AMAZON. >> DESPITE THE GLOBAL UPHEAVAL, ONE THING DID NOT CHANGE. THE MISSION TO CHRONICLE YOUR STORIES, YOUR JOYS. >> EXCITED DOESN’T EVEN BEGIN TO CAPTURE IT. >> AND SORROWS. >> IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, PEOPLE PROVED HOW MUCH THEY LOVED THIS PLACE. >> INDOORS AND OUT.

40 Years of Chronicle: Food is just the appetizer

Before there was a Food Network, there was Chronicle on WCVB

Updated: 8:00 PM EST Dec 23, 2022

In 1991, Senior Producer Stan Leven pitched the idea to do an entire half-hour show on pizza… and the rest is history! Yes, we’ve had a lot of fun at restaurants over the years, but it’s not just about food. Chronicle is committed to bringing you the stories of the people behind the restaurants, the chefs behind the line, the business owners taking a chance. (And yes — it’s about the food, too!)

In 1991, Senior Producer Stan Leven pitched the idea to do an entire half-hour show on pizza… and the rest is history! Yes, we’ve had a lot of fun at restaurants over the years, but it’s not just about food. Chronicle is committed to bringing you the stories of the people behind the restaurants, the chefs behind the line, the business owners taking a chance. (And yes — it’s about the food, too!)