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BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Carol Erickson
Carol Erickson ran the iconic Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years. Now, as host of "Beyond the Plate with Carol," she sits down with the people behind New England's food and hospitality scene. From chefs and restaurant owners to entrepreneurs and local personalities, Carol shares the stories, journeys, and communities that go far beyond what's on the plate.
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- Yesterday1h 20m
Did You Ever Resent It? Growing Up at the 24/7 Red Arrow Diner
What was it really like growing up at one of New Hampshire's best-known 24-hour diners? Carol Erickson sits down with her son Tyler for a rare, personal episode of Beyond the Plate with Carol -- and Tyler remembers it all, from Christmas at the Red Arrow Diner to the famous virgin bell, overnight customers, celebrity encounters, and the kind of hospitality you learn by living it. In this special conversation recorded at The Studio at The Beacon in Manchester, New Hampshire, Carol recalls reopening the Red Arrow Diner at age 23 in 1987, discovering an old handwritten recipe book, and deciding to make the diner smoke-free in 1998. Tyler shares what it was like working third shift, playing Mo the mascot, watching his mother turn a meal into an experience, and later putting those lessons to work in his own Portsmouth restaurant. Together they remember Adam Sandler, Barenaked Ladies, loyal regulars, longtime employees, and a mother-son bond built in the restaurant world. The episode arrives Thursday, November 5, just ahead of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association's 2026 Stars of the Industry Awards on Monday, November 9, when Carol will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The conversation itself is a celebration of people, community, entrepreneurship, and New England hospitality -- not an awards interview. Carol Erickson & Tyler -- Manchester, New Hampshire More about the 2026 NHLRA Stars of the Industry Awards: nhlra.com/stars2026 Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to the people who helped shape New Hampshire hospitality. It’s not just about the food -- it’s about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com A special Thursday episode! New Beyond the Plate conversations normally drop Tuesdays -- subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss one. Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Beyond the Plate 0:12 - A special guest: Carol's son Tyler 1:06 - Full circle from Episode 1 1:42 - Growing up at a 24-hour diner 2:22 - A late-night emergency call 7:10 - The famous virgin bell 9:50 - Barenaked Ladies and diner songs 12:03 - Famous faces and campaign visits 20:23 - What Tyler learned working there 24:00 - The characters of third shift 26:58 - Learning to respect everyone 29:42 - Carol took a chance at 23 31:11 - A handwritten recipe book 34:32 - Adam Sandler and Hollywood stories 42:00 - Tyler's secret life as Mo 47:48 - Belmont Hall sponsor message 50:21 - Keeping the diner's history alive 51:33 - Going smoke-free in 1998 58:11 - The employees and customers 59:06 - Memories marked on a wall 69:08 - What Carol should be proud of 72:25 - Holidays were diner days 74:02 - Why Carol loves the podcast 76:54 - Tyler's restaurant experience 79:43 - A mother-son moment to remember
- 3 days ago54 min
12-Hour Pork in a Convenience Store?! | Mi Familia Kitchen
How the heck are they making food THIS good in the back of a convenience store? In Manchester, New Hampshire, husband-and-wife team Ron and Tyra Torres have turned a tucked-away kitchen inside Parkside Convenience into Mi Familia Kitchen -- a destination for Puerto Rican comfort food, family recipes, and people who keep coming back. In Episode 79 of Beyond the Plate with Carol, Tyra traces her cooking journey to age five, seasoning rice and beans alongside her grandmother. She went on to study culinary arts, work as a sous chef, and help run a restaurant in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Ron shares how they purchased Parkside Convenience in September 2022, spent two years developing the kitchen, and built a business where customers are treated like family. Then there's the food. Carol puts T's Cubano in her "STUPID" category -- her highest praise. The shredded pork shoulder cooks for 12 hours. Ron and Tyra also break down their fresh chicharron (fried pork belly), pernil, mofongo, tostones, potato balls, tripleta, yellow rice, daily sofrito, desserts, catering, and why Puerto Rican cuisine is loaded with flavor without having to be spicy. Their commitment to sharing meals with local kids and neighbors is the part of the story you won't forget. Mi Familia Kitchen at Parkside Convenience -- 675 Hooksett Road, Manchester, NH 03104 Website: mifamiliakitchen.com Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to the people creating something special in unexpected places. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it's promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com New episodes drop every Tuesday -- SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you don't miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Beyond the Plate 0:13 - Meet Ron and Tyra Torres 1:23 - Tyra's grandmother and first recipes 2:01 - Culinary school and Lawrence restaurant 3:03 - Ron's behind-the-scenes role 4:10 - Five kids and a family business 6:54 - Carol's Cubano word-of-mouth moment 7:33 - From Massachusetts to Manchester 8:22 - The convenience-store kitchen idea 11:02 - Two years building the kitchen 13:11 - Ron and Tyra's love story 15:07 - Introducing Puerto Rican food to newcomers 18:52 - What's on the Mi Familia menu? 21:05 - Fresh mofongo and tostones 22:07 - Chicharron and fried pork belly 23:00 - T's Cubano and the 12-hour pork 25:04 - Mac and cheese and new specials 26:10 - Rewards-card idea and custom meals 27:06 - Catering for parties and events 28:05 - Feeding kids and giving back 29:34 - Why people travel for the food 30:03 - Puerto Rican flavor, not heat 32:10 - Why hospitality comes first 37:08 - Teamwork, marriage, and the kitchen 47:42 - Address, kitchen, and lightning round 51:05 - Tyra's fresh daily sofrito 52:08 - The pork chop plate to try 53:10 - Final thoughts and where to visit
- 1 weeks ago1h 18m
Dave LeBlanc of The Omelette Factory: Roosters & a Big Leap | Ep. 78
Dave LeBlanc spent about 30 years coming back to The Omelette Factory in Ogunquit, Maine. In spring 2025, he and his wife, Sara LeBlanc, longtime Vermont childcare entrepreneurs, bought it -- their first restaurant, and the fourth ownership chapter for the Route 1 breakfast spot that first opened in 1982. On this episode of Beyond the Plate with Carol, Dave sits down with Carol Erickson right in the restaurant to talk about the leap from Vermont to the Maine coast, why they kept a once-seasonal breakfast restaurant open year-round, and the banker's advice that shaped their pitch: "Tell him the story. Don't show him the number." You'll hear how the house-made corned beef, the homemade strawberry jam, the thick French toast and about 40 omelettes came to define the menu, plus the story behind the meat-sauce Red Hots hot dog Carol called "stupid good." Then there are the roosters. One became two, then four, then 26 -- until the town stepped in and the Roosters of Ogunquit turned into a community project with big plans for autism awareness and a youth nature camp. Add a lean first winter, a Lightning Round with a New England clam chowder question, and a hospitality story about strangers looking out for strangers, and you have one of the most heartfelt conversations about family-owned restaurants in Ogunquit, Maine, and all of New England. 📍 The Omelette Factory -- 422 Main Street (Route 1), Ogunquit, ME. Open 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, seven days a week. 🔗 omelettefactoryme.com | Instagram: @omelettefactoryog | Facebook: @omelettefactoryme | Roosters of Ogunquit: @roostersofogunquit Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to first-time owners like Dave LeBlanc. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering #BeyondThePlate #NewEnglandFood #MaineEats #TheOmeletteFactory #Ogunquit 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Intro 0:39 - Welcome to Dave LeBlanc, fourth owner of The Omelette Factory 1:48 - From Vermont childcare to the Maine coast 3:13 - "There's no bad weather" 7:27 - The for-sale sign 8:31 - Staying open year-round 10:00 - "Let's be better humans" 13:31 - The Skinny Pancake years 18:01 - House-made corned beef, jam and French toast 22:01 - What came off the menu 22:46 - The Red Hots arrive 24:48 - "Stupid good" 35:36 - A word from Belmont Hall & Restaurant 36:24 - How the rooster story started 39:40 - The voicemail that changed everything 43:48 - The board of appeals 49:28 - Plans for a charity and a youth nature camp 54:23 - A free perk for small businesses: 603 Perks 57:23 - "Tell him the story" 62:06 - The first winter, 2:15 a.m. 64:14 - Lightning Round 66:38 - The date night spot with the fire pit 72:44 - Red Hots taste test 75:41 - Hospitality story 77:27 - Closing thoughts
- 2 weeks ago39 min
5 Recipes Later, They Started a Cinnamon Roll Business
Welcome to Episode 77 of Beyond the Plate with Carol Podacst! This week, Carol sits down with sisters-in-law Brylie Murphy and Kylie Murphy, the duo behind Daily Dough Co., a homemade cinnamon roll stand in Manchester, New Hampshire! It started with one cinnamon roll recipe. Then another. Then about five. By June 2026, sisters-in-law Brylie and Kylie had turned their shared love of baking into Daily Dough Co., a small home-based cinnamon roll stand on Front Street in Manchester, New Hampshire. Carol first discovered their Saturday setup thanks to a friend's recommendation. In this episode, she invites the women behind the rolls to The Studio at The Beacon in Manchester, NH to find out how a family-supported first-week sellout grew into a much bigger local following. The turning point? A surprise message from Joey the Roaming Foodie, who found their Facebook Marketplace post and later shared their story. They talk blueberry and cookie butter cinnamon rolls, rotating specialty flavors, peach cobbler and chai, Friday baking after full-time jobs, and why the 3 a.m. wakeups had to go. Kylie works in drafting and design, while Brylie teaches sixth grade and even brings cinnamon-roll making into her school's Franklin Fridays program. You'll also hear the meaning behind the Daily Dough name, how faith shapes their packaging, why their stand is seasonal, and whether a Thanksgiving or Christmas pop-up might happen. Plus: an unexpectedly serious fluffer-nutter cinnamon roll debate, a Manchester-area coffee recommendation, and a heartfelt conversation about hospitality and ROCA Kids. Daily Dough's regular Saturday stand had finished for the season at the time of recording. Holiday drops were discussed as possibilities, not confirmed events. Follow Daily Dough Co. directly for announcements. 📍 Daily Dough Co. -- Front Street, Manchester, New Hampshire 🔗 Look for Daily Dough Co. on social media for availability and updates. Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to rising creators like Brylie and Kylie of Daily Dough Co. It’s not just about the food -- it’s about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Brylie and Kylie 1:15 - Carol finds the Front Street stand 2:27 - Sisters-in-law and housemates 3:16 - How Daily Dough began 4:33 - Deciding to start selling 5:15 - First-week sellout 6:00 - The Saturday stand routine 6:35 - Three flavors and porch pickup 7:28 - Why they stick to cinnamon rolls 8:03 - Cookie butter, blueberry and chai 8:46 - Preorders and full-time jobs 10:00 - Designer and sixth-grade teacher 11:06 - Rolling in the Dough at school 11:52 - Seasonal closing and holiday hopes 13:17 - When momentum took off 13:53 - Joey the Roaming Foodie discovers them 15:30 - The story behind the name 17:01 - From 3 a.m. baking to better routines 19:04 - What makes their partnership work 21:29 - Where new flavors come from 22:52 - Belmont Hall and 603 Perks messages 24:05 - Baking science and sourdough 29:55 - Lightning round begins 32:15 - The fluffer-nutter debate 33:19 - Baking without a playlist 33:40 - A local coffee hidden gem 36:20 - Hospitality and ROCA Kids 38:20 - Closing and possible holiday drop
- 3 weeks ago1h 28m
Phil Meyer of Nourish New England: Cyber Warfare to NH Eats | Ep. 76
Phil Meyer grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa, joined the Air Force at 18, and worked his way into cyber security before becoming the volunteer CEO of Nourish New England, the man behind New Hampshire Eats, and the Farmboy Foodie. In Episode 76, Phil is back on Beyond the Plate with Carol for a redo of his first interview, and it kicks off with a chai latte taste test between Williams & Sons Coffee and Mocha Pot at the Studio at the Beacon in Manchester, New Hampshire. Carol Erickson and Phil trace how a farm kid whose family could taste when milk was going off went from Air Force satellite communications and Lincoln Laboratory to running food communities across New England, including New England Eats, Vermont Eats, and Rhode Island Eats. Phil explains how New Hampshire Eats grew from a small Southern New Hampshire group into a Facebook community with over 212,000 members, why "be nice or be gone" is the rule, and how the group has helped change the trajectory of New Hampshire restaurants. Along the way: the Greek restaurant boom along the 93 corridor, Phil's New Hampshire well done pizza theory, his top three barbecue picks, his burger rankings, the One of Everything Social Club, and a story about a donkey cart full of watermelons in Turkey. Phil also shares a first taste of Nourish New England, the food insecurity nonprofit he and the New Hampshire Eats community created, plus the upcoming New Hampshire World Christmas Market on December 12 and 13 at Owl's Nest Resort in Thornton, New Hampshire. Then it's the lightning round and Phil's hospitality story about turning leftover food into a way to fight food insecurity. 📍 Nourish New England and New Hampshire Eats -- New Hampshire, serving all of New England 🔗 Find New Hampshire Eats on Facebook | Nourish New England Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to community builders like Phil Meyer. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH #BeyondThePlate #NewEnglandFood #NHEats #NourishNewEngland #manchesternh 0:00 - Intro 0:25 - Welcome back, Phil 1:02 - Why we're doing a redo 1:37 - The chai latte taste test 3:13 - A farm-raised palate 5:30 - Mocha Pot's chai 7:43 - From cyber warfare to foodie 12:34 - The donkey cart full of watermelons 😂 14:39 - How New Hampshire Eats started 17:43 - The no-negativity rule: be nice or be gone 21:17 - Beyond New Hampshire: the Eats network 24:08 - Restaurants New Hampshire Eats has changed 27:48 - Greek food on the 93 corridor 33:04 - How Phil recommends a restaurant 35:20 - The great pizza debate 38:30 - "New Hampshire well done" 52:39 - Top three barbecue joints 55:40 - The One of Everything Social Club 58:31 - Favorite burgers 1:02:05 - A taste of Nourish New England 1:09:01 - The Pickity Place adventure 1:15:15 - Lightning Round 1:23:22 - Phil's hospitality story 1:25:07 - New Hampshire World Christmas Market 1:25:32 - The Farmboy Foodie reveal
- Oct 6, 202654 min
$95k From the City, $1.2 Million to Run: Why Manchester’s Animal Shelter Needs a Gala | Ep. 75
On Friday, October 23, 2026, Manchester Country Club turns into the Emerald City. The Wizard of Pawz Gala -- There's No Place Like a Furrever Home -- is the annual fundraising gala for Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter, and in this episode Carol Erickson heads to 490 Dunbarton Road in Manchester, New Hampshire to find out what it pays for. She sits down with Judie Brown, Vice President of the Board of Directors, Executive Director Michael Constance, and Director of Operations Hannah Hurley. Here is why the night matters. The shelter gets roughly $95,000 a year from the city of Manchester and costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. Last year's gala helped pay for phase one of the shelter expansion, which the team had just moved into when Carol visited. This year's gala pays for phase two and helps raise the money for phase three. Judie Brown walks through the whole evening -- a red carpet, a twister, an Emerald City ballroom, a live band and a live auctioneer -- along with tickets ($200), tables of 10 ($1,500), sponsorships for small businesses and the auction items they are still looking for. You will also hear what that money does. Michael Constance explains cruelty cases, where New Hampshire law treats an animal as property and one recent case kept a dog in limbo for more than two years at a cost of about $25,000. Hannah Hurley tells the stories of Reader's Digest, the dog whose wheelchair was funded on Facebook within a few hours, bonded seniors Millie and Bella, Cooper the black cat who has been waiting since July 2025, and Droplet, the stray whose original family spotted him on the shelter's website. Plus how to volunteer, the NH pet food pantry, low-cost spay and neuter clinics, and their favorite local places to eat. 🎟 Wizard of Pawz Gala tickets, tables and sponsorships -- give.manchesteranimalshelter.org/event/manchester-animal-shelters-wizard-of-pawz-gala-theres-no-place-like-a-furrever-home/e822485 📍 Manchester Animal Shelter -- 490 Dunbarton Road, Manchester, NH 🔗 manchesteranimalshelter.org -- adopt, volunteer and donate | Instagram: @fmasnh Carol Erickson spent nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry as the longtime owner of the Red Arrow Diner before turning her attention to Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to community organizations like Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering Restaurant and small business owners -- Carol partnered with 603 Perks, and it's completely free for businesses. All you have to do is give a perk. Sign up at 603perks.com 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Intro 0:11 - Carol at the Manchester Animal Shelter 1:18 - Why Michael Constance took the job 2:52 - A day in shelter operations with Hannah Hurley 3:55 - What the board actually does 4:34 - Cruelty cases and the two-year wait 8:04 - What phase one fixed 9:49 - Why the expansion is not just more kennels 11:26 - How fostering works 12:12 - Reader's Digest, the dog who got a wheelchair 13:57 - Judie Brown on watching it get built 15:32 - Carol's 603 Perks shout-out 16:00 - The small animal room and 50 guinea pigs 17:27 - Millie and Bella 19:48 - Ramona and Cooper 22:57 - $95,000 from the city, $1.2 million to operate 24:24 - The Wizard of Pawz Gala and what it pays for 25:31 - Mutt Strutt 26:25 - Tickets, tables, sponsors and auction items 29:19 - What gala night looks like 30:11 - What a successful gala means 30:52 - How to volunteer 32:42 - What to donate and the blanket apocalypse 35:50 - The dog that changed how Michael sees the work 37:20 - The moment that never gets old 38:20 - What they wish people understood 40:31 - A shelter is public health too 41:33 - Lightning round 45:26 - Favorite local food spots 48:00 - One word for the shelter 48:17 - Hospitality stories: Droplet and the cat from Florida 53:27 - How to help and outro
- Sep 29, 202640 min
Travis Greene of The Lake Estate: Banquet Chef to Executive Chef in 11 Months | Ep. 74
Being executive chef was always the dream for Travis Greene -- he just never expected to find that kind of fine-dining opportunity in the Lakes Region. He started as a first-year culinary student at Lakes Region Community College, plating baked haddock for the public at a student-run cafe. Now he's the Executive Chef at The Lake Estate on Winnisquam, one of New Hampshire's newest luxury resorts, running a Dining Room, a Bar, a poolside grille, a wine cellar, and four event spaces that hosted roughly 500 guests in a single weekend. From Hart's Turkey Farm in Meredith to Steele Hill, five years in dining services at Plymouth State University, Hermit Woods Winery, and The Common Man's Lakehouse Grille, Travis built almost his entire career ten minutes from where he grew up in Northfield, New Hampshire. He joined The Lake Estate's opening team as Banquet Chef alongside Chris Viaud and Aaron Millinghaus, and stepped into the Executive Chef role eleven months later. In this episode, Travis talks about competing in the 2025 New Hampshire Food Bank Steel Chef Challenge alongside Marcus Samuelsson, breaking down a whole red snapper live on stage, earning a 2026 NHLRA Chef of the Year finalist nod, and building dishes like Brussels sprouts with lemon-chili ricotta and a crispy skin chicken with Carolina Gold rice and Aleppo honey jus, sourced from Vernon Family Farm in Newfield and Row 7 Seed Company. He also opens up about raising two kids in the Lakes Region he calls home. 📍 The Lake Estate on Winnisquam -- 725 Laconia Road, Tilton, NH 🔗 thelakeestatenh.com Carol Erickson spent nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry as the longtime owner of the Red Arrow Diner before turning her attention to Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to rising creators like Travis Greene. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Intro 0:12 - Welcome to Chef Travis Greene 0:31 - The 2012 culinary student article 1:49 - Getting his GED, finding his path 2:28 - What LRCC taught him 3:11 - This winter's kitchen training program 4:06 - From Hart's to Steele Hill to Plymouth State 5:02 - Becoming Banquet Chef at The Lake Estate 5:40 - Guest plug: Chef Travis Greene 6:24 - 2025 Steel Chef Challenge with Marcus Samuelsson 7:22 - 2026 NHLRA Chef of the Year finalist 8:04 - Banquet Chef to Executive Chef in 11 months 9:00 - Building the opening kitchen team 9:30 - A day in the life at The Lake Estate 13:27 - Why he loves the expediter role 14:54 - Dining Room, Bar, Folly Grille, and the winery 16:01 - The Brussels sprouts dish 17:01 - Crispy skin chicken and Sean Brock 20:26 - What "New Hampshire food" means to him 24:00 - Chasing the cabbage trend 28:11 - Staying close to home in the Lakes Region 30:23 - Family life and two kids 33:34 - Cooking for the NH Food Bank 37:06 - Five-year goals and James Beard 39:10 - A hospitality story from Hermit Woods 40:18 - Outro
- Sep 22, 20261h 1m
Jenny Cyr: She Quit Macarons to Feed Cancer Patients Instead | Ep. 73
Jenny Cyr of Live Life Bites never planned any of this -- she was 14 years old washing dishes at a small bakery, and now her protein bites are feeding cancer patients at a treatment center affiliated with Dana-Farber. In this episode, Jenny sits down with Carol to trace the whole path: a Pastry Arts degree from Johnson & Wales, staging in NYC kitchens under Bobby Flay and Todd English, burning out and becoming an art teacher in Hampton, NH, and nine years bartending at 900° in Manchester just to stay close to food. During COVID, Jenny started selling French macarons out of the trunk of her car -- $1,200 in sales her first December alone. She and her husband Mitch soft-launched Lemon + Lavender Pastries at the Kittery Farmers Market in June 2023, and by 2024 they'd built Live Life Bites, a line of clean-ingredient protein bites that's grown from nine bags at their very first market to roughly 550 bags a week, sold in almost 40 locations across Maine and New Hampshire. Two weeks before this recording, Jenny retired the macarons for good to go all-in on the bites -- including a new wholesale partnership with New England Cancer Specialists, whose “Food Is Medicine” Passion Project sent 200 bites through a treatment center in under two weeks. 📍 Live Life Bites -- founded in Buxton, Maine, sold throughout Maine and New Hampshire (including Exeter, Manchester, Bedford, Portsmouth, and Rye) 🔗 livelifebites.com Carol Erickson spent nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry as the longtime owner of the Red Arrow Diner before turning her attention to Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to rising creators like Jenny Cyr. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Intro 0:12 - Welcome to the studio -- meet Jenny Cyr of Live Life Bites 0:51 - Two brands, one story: Lemon + Lavender vs. Live Life Bites 3:16 - Pastry school, Johnson & Wales, and life in Europe 6:08 - Her first wholesale accounts -- a flower shop, then a Portland hotel 6:28 - Why an active, outdoorsy couple built a protein bite instead of a cookie 7:26 - The “ghetto bag” protein bites that sold out in 5 minutes 😂 9:46 - 40 locations, two states -- and retiring the macarons for good 10:18 - Where the name “Live Life Bites” actually came from 11:36 - Staging in NYC under Bobby Flay and Daniel Boulud 17:36 - What “staging” even means -- and bumping into an executive chef 😂 29:46 - This episode is powered by Belmont Hall & Restaurant 31:14 - The new wholesale deal: New England Cancer Specialists 32:19 - “Food is medicine” -- why this partnership hit different 37:40 - From 9 bags to 550 bags a week 38:04 - Cafe Luna and Foley’s -- their first big believers 48:53 - Pushing into New Hampshire: Warrior Yoga, McKinnon’s, Portsmouth 55:20 - Her favorite farmers market vendor (and the drink that started it) 56:28 - The hospitality story: Mel Harrington’s Sunday Supper 1:00:39 - Closing thoughts
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About BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL
Carol Erickson ran the iconic Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years. Now, as host of "Beyond the Plate with Carol," she sits down with the people behind New England's food and hospitality scene. From chefs and restaurant owners to entrepreneurs and local personalities, Carol shares the stories, journeys, and communities that go far beyond what's on the plate.
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