In this episode, David heads to Waverly, Georgia, to visit Grassroots Farms, where farmer Brandon Chonko is building a regenerative farm from the ground up. Using heritage livestock, rotational grazing, and low-input methods, he transforms raw land into fertile soil. This story explores sustainable farming, rare breeds, and the grit it takes to grow food in South Georgia.
Join David at Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia, where agriculture, innovation, and live fire cooking come together. You meet Jon Jackson, a veteran helping others heal through farming, and Ray Palermo, creator of the Quad Grill. Discover how open flame cooking, heirloom ingredients, and a Georgia-made invention are redefining backyard barbecue and farm-to-table cuisine.
Join David on a visit to Creature Comforts Brewing Company in Athens, Georgia, and explore how craft beer can bring people together and drive meaningful community impact. You will hear how the brewery sources local ingredients, partners with the University of Georgia, and leads initiatives like Get Comfortable and Brew for One. Discover how Creature Comforts blends brewing, storytelling, and philanthropy into a model for community-focused business.
Muscadine grapes are a true Southern staple, and Paulk Vineyards in South Georgia is helping bring them to a wider audience. In this episode, we explore how this family-run farm grows, harvests, and transforms muscadines into award-winning wines, juices, and health products. Discover why muscadines thrive in Georgia’s climate and how Paulk Vineyards is shaping the future of this uniquely Southern crop.
Georgia citrus is on the rise, and one South Georgia farm is helping lead the way. In this episode, we visit a family-run citrus nursery growing satsumas, lemons, and more while teaching customers across the country how to plant and care for their own trees. Learn how Georgia-grown citrus is expanding into a thriving agricultural industry rooted in community, education, and innovation.
How do you get kids excited about fruits and vegetables? In this episode, we visit Drew Charter School in Atlanta to see how Small Bites Adventure Club is helping students try new foods through hands-on cooking and classroom experiences. You will hear how educators are using simple, practical tools to teach healthy eating habits, build kitchen confidence, and turn picky eaters into curious young chefs.
Join David on a visit to The Chai Box in Marietta, Georgia, where authentic chai is brewed with purpose and care. What began as a family ritual has grown into a nationally recognized business rooted in sustainability, cultural education, and bringing people together one cup at a time.
In this episode of the Fork in the Road podcast, you meet the founders of HIBO, a Georgia-made energy drink crafted from hibiscus. Traveling to Bishop, Georgia, we explore how Clayton and Phoebe Oetting set out to create a clean, great-tasting alternative to traditional energy drinks. From food science roots to national ambitions, this is a story about patience, family, and super simple energy.
In this episode, we visit EM Farms in Salem, Georgia, where owner Kaneisha Miller is cultivating fresh produce, preserves, and a sense of community on land that generations of her family have worked. You will hear how EM Farms blends tradition, creativity, and local support to build a sustainable small farm rooted in legacy and resilience.
Join host David Zelski as he travels the state to bring you the personal stories from Georgia’s farmers, fishermen, merchants, artisans, chefs, and others who help provide Georgia-grown products to folks in the Peach State and beyond. You can also watch the Fork in the Road TV show on GPB and on demand at GPB.org as David Zelski takes you across the state in a lively half-hour program.
David takes you to Savannah’s Bull River to meet Perry and Laura Solomon of Tybee Oyster Company, the pioneers behind Georgia’s first floating cage oyster harvest. They show how flip-farm baskets, smart stocking, and coastal science produce clean, meaty half shells while building habitat and easing pressure on wild reefs.
We visit Providence Farmstead in Demorest, Ga., where the Russell family raises American Wagyu by crossing full-blood Wagyu sires with Jersey cows. You hear how careful nutrition, low-stress handling, and family teamwork shape beef prized by chefs across the Peach State.
From a farmers market kettle to supermarket shelves, Corks Popcorn founder David Cork shares how a weekend side hustle in Statesboro became a full-time Georgia Grown brand. In this episode of the Fork in the Road podcast, you’ll hear how oil-popped mushroom kernels, local grit, and a lot of patience turned simple ingredients into a small-batch success story featured at the Masters Tournament in Augusta.
Let's visit Nashville, Georgia, in Berrien County to see how cold-hardy satsuma mandarins are reshaping local agriculture and school nutrition. You'll hear from growers and packers who walk us through varieties, frost protection, and the journey from orchard to classroom lunch trays. Discover why cultivars like Xie Shan, Brown Select, Owari, Kishu, Cara Cara, Sugar Belle, and Shiranui are taking root across South Georgia.
David takes you to White Sulphur Farms just outside Gainesville to meet the Reynolds/Hemmer family and see how they raise Belted Galloway cattle and heritage Tamworth pigs on land first settled in 1802. You hear how the farm’s spring gave the community its name and why the family is committed to keeping the core acreage in agriculture for generations to come. Expect history, livestock know-how, and a true farm-to-table ethos rooted on the banks of the Oconee River.
Let's meet Biram Chapman of St. Catherines Island Seafood, the small Georgia business turning shoppers into “shrimp snobs.” We follow his week from coastal boats to Middle Georgia coolers to the Grant Park Farmers Market and hear why wild-caught Georgia shrimp tastes different. You learn the family history that ties Biram to St. Catherines Island and how buying local supports shrimpers in a tough import-driven market.
Let's visit Dahlonega Resort and Vineyard for a mountaintop meal with Executive Chef Madeline Medon, whose upscale rustic menu pairs Georgia-grown wines with Southern comfort. You’ll hear how barbecue, fried chicken, and red-wine-cured salmon meet Dahlonega Plateau AVA bottles, plus why a quiet porch and wooded trails make this Blue Ridge retreat an easy getaway from Atlanta.
In this episode, we visit Savannah Bee Company in Savannah, Georgia, for a tour of its honeys, mead bars, and conservation work. Founder Ted Dennard shares how a Peace Corps detour became a lifelong calling, why flower sources define honey, and how The Bee Cause Project puts observation hives and bee curricula in schools. You also meet the team teaching mead’s ancient roots and modern flavors.
Step into the Lake Rabun Hotel in Lakemont and feel the mountain craftsmanship at once, from cedar fretwork to a stone fireplace built by local hands. We visit owner and preservationist Gwen North, the restaurant team, and the bar to explore a true farm-to-table tradition that champions Providence Farms beef, Benton’s bacon, local trout, and Moonrise Bourbon. You hear how thoughtful restoration, pet-friendly fish camp cottages, and Forest Lodge events invite you to slow down, put away screens, and reconnect in Georgia’s farm-to-table capital.
At the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Hometown Harvest turns the historic Vickery House into a garden and outdoor classroom that serves the UNG food pantry and Lumpkin County Schools. You hear how students, faculty, and community partners grow tomatoes, onions, berries, and more, preserve heirloom seeds, and deliver fresh produce to salad bars and neighbors in need.
