Take a food and farm journey

Fall 2024 California Bountiful magazine

California Bountiful TV shares stories from throughout the state

Story by Linda DuBois
Photos by Lori Fusaro

A visit to an expansive gourmet food hall housed in a 100-year-old former packing facility, a sturgeon farm that produces caviar, popular restaurants owned by celebrity chefs, and a date garden and café where date shakes originated: Viewers of the California Bountiful TV show will travel along to these locations and many more when new episodes debut in October.

A television program produced by the California Farm Bureau, California Bountiful TV takes its viewers behind the scenes to farms, ranches, markets, restaurants, wineries and more throughout the Golden State. In the 30-minute episodes, viewers can discover how food and fiber are grown and raised, the farm families behind them and how these agricultural products get to market. There also are gardening tips, nutrition tidbits and cooking demonstrations from some of California’s best chefs.

“I’ve learned so much about agriculture and I’m still learning,” says host and executive producer Aubrey Aquino. “I think the biggest thing that sticks out is the people in agriculture are incredibly passionate, smart and dedicated to what they do. It’s a 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year job, and they really take their responsibility to feed and clothe people very seriously.”

After working in front of and behind the camera in broadcast journalism in cities throughout the country, Aquino, a Northern California native, took over the California Bountiful TV reins in the summer of 2022. Aquino works closely with Brian Farinas, the Farm Bureau’s full-time videographer and editor, whom she says “adds his visual expertise to make each and every show segment pop.”

Episodes may have upwards of four to five segments each, and in the past two years, since Aquino has joined the team, more than 30 all-new original episodes have been produced, including holiday specials. What might surprise some viewers is how much time and behind-the-scenes work it takes to prepare each show.

“What people see is that pretty four-to-five-minute segment, but we were probably onsite for two to three hours to get that,” Aquino says.

Also, while viewers know Aquino as the host, her job goes far beyond what people see on camera. As the executive producer, she finds and researches and then sets up stories, writes the scripts, oversees Farinas’ video editing and ensures the episodes are properly delivered for broadcast and online platforms. She also creates TV show promotions for social media, manages the budget and seeks out and maintains relationships with show partners and sponsors.

“This is a show that I want people to watch, that I feel great about sharing,” Aquino says. “Because agriculture is so important, we can’t take it for granted. It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you come from or if you’re male or female. We are all dependent on ag.”

Linda DuBois

Getting 'more eyeballs on the show'

“Nowadays, it’s so hard to get people’s attention,” says California Bountiful TV host and executive producer Aubrey Aquino. “You have to be creative in how you present content so people stick with it and give it more than five minutes. I’m always looking for unique angles, what’s new and fresh, what’s going to resonate with people and what they’ll find interesting.”

She’s also seeking ways to expand the show’s reach. Now, viewers can watch episodes over the air on partner broadcast TV stations and on YouTube (@cabountiful). But Aquino says it may be time to broaden the options.

She’s noticed that, especially with younger generations, people today expect to be able to quickly find and watch an episode any time on their smartphones.

“The way people watch TV is different than it used to be, so we are making a bigger push into streaming services. That may be how we can get more eyeballs on the show,” she says. “Just like farming has all these technological advances, we’ve got to keep up with the times too.”

Chefs play supporting role on CBTV

Story by Barbara Arciero

Aubrey Aquino has interviewed thousands of people in her career. But now, as host of California Bountiful TV, her attention is often focused on chefs. She says they inspire her—and viewers of the show—to try California’s agricultural bounty in new and different ways.

Marcel Vigneron is among the chefs providing that inspiration in the show’s new season. Vigneron is the executive chef of the Lemon Grove restaurant, located atop the historic Aster Hotel in Hollywood.

The well-known chef—he’s competed on cooking shows ranging from “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef” to “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Last Chef Standing”—describes his style as modern California cuisine.

“I just wanted to pay homage to California and to Los Angeles and recognize how diverse our culture is here and showcase that in the food that we create,” he says.

Miso honey salmon is a relatively new dish on Lemon Grove’s menu that Vigneron says is “getting a lot of love.” He calls himself “a big fan of salmon,” perhaps not a surprising claim coming from a former commercial salmon fisherman.

Vigneron shares his recipe, which he says requires several steps but is relatively easy to prepare. “I think the complexity lies within the combination of the flavors,” he says. Tip: The salmon needs to marinate for at least 24 hours—so plan ahead.