Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes

(Rochester, NY) - Join Lidia Bastianich to celebrate our homegrown heroes–veterans who now cultivate the land they fought to defend. For many vets, farming is therapy for the wounds of war. Lidia farms and cooks with them, then gathers with them for a holiday dinner in Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes, airing Friday, December 15, 2017 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Internationally-acclaimed chef and food ambassador Lidia Bastianich again pays homage to the men and women of our military and all they’ve sacrificed for this country. In Homegrown Heroes, Lidia looks at veterans who return home and find farming to be a path back to civilian life.

Seven poignant veterans’ stories take Lidia from the heart of Appalachia in Loom, West Virginia to Richmond, Kentucky and Anaheim, California, and prove that farming, beekeeping, and raising livestock can help people reconnect in a meaningful way to the community.

Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes is part of WXXI’s Veterans Connections initiative that is designed to help bridge military and veteran needs with community support and awareness.  Through special TV, radio and online programming, documentary films, group discussions, news features, and a comprehensive web site (WXXI.org/veterans), Veterans Connections works to create a community platform to raise awareness and connect veterans with valuable resources.

Pictured: Host Lidia Bastianich hosts a celebration for veterans and their families.
Credit: Courtesy of Meredith Nierman/WGBH