Professor Jim Anderson talks wheat on popular cooking show "Relish"

CFANS professor Jim Anderson was recently featured on Relish, the Emmy-nominated and James Beard Award-winning food show from Twin Cities PBS. Hosted by local chef and restaurateur Yia Vang, the episode—Sourdough Bread and Banana Tart—takes viewers on a journey from grain to plate, beginning in a wheat field on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

Anderson, a wheat breeder in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, shared insights into wheat breeding and crop development, highlighting how CFANS research supports farmers and bakers alike. The University of Minnesota has played a leading role in wheat innovation for more than a century—its researchers helped shape the success of hard red spring wheat in the US, fueling both agricultural progress and the rise of American baking.

The segment offers a hands-on look at wheat harvesting, including a joyful moment when Vang hops aboard a combine with researcher Susan Reynolds to help harvest the crop. The episode continues with a tour of a micro flour mill, then lands in the kitchen with chefs who turn freshly-milled flour into sourdough bread and delicate pastries.

Watch the full episode of Relish (Season 6 Episode 5) now on the PBS app and Twin Cities PBS YouTube channel.