State Plate

This week he tastes his way across…you guessed it…Wisconsin! Go along for the ride, as he milks a cow to make squeaky fresh cheese curds, grinds pork and makes bratwurst with a local bratwurst legend, and visits a facility that produces more sauerkraut than anyone else in the world. Taylor also serves up a huge pot of chicken booyah and makes his own unique version of the delicious fruit-filled kringle pastry.

Did you know ice cream sundae was given its name in Evanston, Illinois? Well, this week, singer and entertainer Taylor Hicks enjoys a few scoops of the creamy confection as he tastes his way across Illinois looking to discover the state’s most emblematic foods. Come along as he visits the cornfields that produce the official state snack: popcorn. He also learns how to bake the perfect bread for the famous Italian beef sandwich, and he heads to the windy city to get the low down on deep-dish pizza and the Chicago-style hot dog.

Join him as he herds Churro sheep, plants tepary beans, discovers the surprising birthplace of the chimichanga, and more! Then sit down to Arizona’s finest, a meal of tender lamb stew, versatile Navajo fry bread, crispy chimichanga, tasty tepary beans and sweet prickly pear cactus candy. Hungry? Get ready for a plateful of Arizona cuisine filled with a heaping side of stories and legends behind the state’s tastiest foods.

Join him as he heads to the mudflats to go digging for soft-shell clam “steamers,” works with a horse to hill potatoes in the field, and learns how to cook authentic bean-hole beans over hot coals. Then it’s out to sea, as he also goes lobster fishing to get to the main ingredient of Maine’s famous lobster roll. The Maine menu wouldn’t be complete without dessert! Taylor finishes it off with a slice of fresh blueberry pie.

From the sandy beaches to the…well, swampy swamps, host Taylor Hicks hits the road to The Sunshine State seeking out Florida’s most popular and emblematic foods! With the help of iconic actress Maureen McCormick, Taylor uncovers the stories and legends behind the Sunshine State’s traditional cuisine. Not only do they enjoy some tasty tidbits, but they also dive into some unique Florida experiences. Join Taylor as he learns how to harvest a local favorite called swamp cabbage, and Maureen heads out to sea to fish for stone crab. They also sample alligator bites and a Florida fruit that is almost as popular as the orange: the Kumquat. And, of course, they can’t leave the great state of without indulging in Florida’s a savory slice of key lime pie.

The man who has his own barbecue joint is in for some BBQ—Texas style! Taylor Hicks is not only in show biz, but he’s in the restaurant business, as well, and he knows his barbecue! In the Lone Star State he saddles up, lopes off on a cattle drive and chows down on some tender, spicy barbecue brisket, and makes cowboy-style pan de campo over a campfire. The Texas state food is chili, so the pressure is on when Taylor judges a chili cook-off between two legends of the chili world. Then he makes a sweet onion casserole at the largest onion farm in America. Can’t go without dessert! Taylor learns a family’s cherished recipe as he helps bake a big ole Texas sheet cake. It’s a heaping plateful of savory cuisine, as big as Texas itself, filled with the stories and legends behind the state’s tastiest foods.