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BY GEORGE DICKIE With the holiday season in full swing, Lidia Bastianich comes forth with a tribute to our troops that's as uplifting as any conventional Christmas special. In "Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes," airing Friday, Dec. 15, on PBS (check local listings), the chef, author and self-styled "food ambassador" travels across the country to places such as California, Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia and upstate New York to meet military veterans who have turned to farming after returning from active duty to help them assimilate back into civilian life. "One of the things that was amazing that came out in each one of them," Bastianich explains, "was the fact that they said, 'You know, we were in two, three, four deploy- ments and we saw a lot of death and we saw a lot of destruction. And when we were there, that was our duty and we did it with all our heart, giving all of ourselves. But I'm interested now to see things regrow, the birth of new things.' "So it was amazing how these young men and women returning home, they feel com- fortable returning … literally to the land, to the dirt, and make it happen." Each of the eight men and women profi led have their own unique challenges, be they emotional trauma, battle scars or physical limitations. With the help of the Farmer Vet- eran Coalition, they were able to get up and running in areas such as growing food, beekeeping, raising livestock and maple sugaring. And as it turns out, many of the skills and traits developed through military train- ing – hard physical labor, teamwork, perseverance, seeing a mission through to its conclusion no matter how diffi cult – also apply to farming. Combined with the fact that farming also gives a sense of purpose to people who often exit the military without one, and it's easy to see that this is an ideal marriage. "They still give and in a sense nurture these people that they protected," Bastianich says of the veteran farmers, "and now they're back here home and they're still nurtur- ing. They still have that need to take care of somebody." "There's no greater purpose than growing food to feed another person." Lidia Bastianich Bastianich meets veterans who turned farming in 'Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes' What book are you currently reading? "It's an old book … 'Lady Chatterley's Lover.' … One of my friends gave it to me. … So I just began on that one." What did you have for dinner last night? "I was in Kansas City at Lidia's Kansas City and we did a dinner for my latest book. ... And so we did a whole dinner from my book … and one of the offerings was a turkey breast … and I did it with an apricot sauce. So I had a little bit of sliced turkey with apricot sauce and I had acorn squash and I had some salad, a nice Caesar salad with kale." What is your next project? "I'm actually writing a memoir and the memoir is coming out in May, I think. ... It's all fi nished, so it's in the actual last editing." When was your last vacation, where and why? "My last vacation, I was in Italy, actually. … I was with my family in Cividale del Friuli in Northern Italy. We have a home and a winery there ... and a little B&B and a little restaurant, so I have a lot of fun. The kids come and we cook and we have fun." Page 8 December 11 - 17, 2017 PICK UP y o u r c o p y a t : t h e h A R T Your source for arts, entertainment and culture news in Elkhart County On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday Advertise Here! (574) 533-2151

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