Hey there, fellow passengers. Thought I should give you all an update on what's going on with me, with the show, and with the world. Since March 15, I shuttered my restaurants and recalibrated them to serve 7,000 meals a week to those in need, both emergency workers and underserved communities. So that has kept me busy. I'm not traveling, obviously, and so a travel show is not, shall we say, pertinent to the current state of the world. So for the time being, I'm going to focus on doing the good that I can do, and we'll be hitting "pause" on The Passenger for right now. We'll be back. Until then, take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and wash your hands. If you want to keep up, follow me @hughacheson on Twitter and Insta. Thanks for listening.

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As we hit the one month mark for the growing COVID-19 pandemic, we find both increasing uncertainty and devastation, but also small things to find some hope in—the CARES Act to provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic will provide some relief and means that some folks in the restaurant industry may get to reopen. But the hospitality industry is just that—an industry, with supply chains and connections which reach further than the dining room and the kitchen. So this week I'm talking to Molly Chester. She's co-founder, farmer and chef at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, California. Her and her husband John are dedicated to biologically diverse and sustainable farming and I wanted to find out how this pandemic was affecting their work.

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We are in strange times, my friends. You know what the deal is — COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus is spreading, infecting and killing people on a scale we're entirely unprepared for. And on the front lines of its commercial victims, anyway, is the hospitality industry. My industry. Strange and scary times, indeed. So while we can't travel or even be within six feet of other people, we're going to shift our focus to the matter at hand. I'm bunkered down at home in Athens and while I'm here, I'll be talking to colleagues to try to figure out the scope of this thing and a way forward. This week, I'm talking to James Beard semi-finalist Chris Wilkins of Atlanta's Root Baking Co., about these shutdowns we are both still reeling from and figuring out, and what it could mean for the restaurant industry as a whole.

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Hey Passengers, thanks for checking in with us this week. Things are upside down right now as you probably know. We are taking this week off to attend to the many fires that need extinguishing and when we return, we hope to bring you conversations on what is happening now.

Take care of yourselves, wash your hands, we'll be back soon.

In the meantime you can keep up with me on Twitter and Instagram @hughacheson

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Living in our hometowns and going to work and living our lives day-to-day, it's easy to forget just how enormous North America is and the wide range of places and experiences it holds. We have a lot of opportunities here to see something different within a short flight, and one of those places that really holds something different and special is a place I used to live in my teens and early 20s, and that's Montreal, Quebec, in Canada. It is an amazingly international and chic, artistic city that's easy to get around on foot. And with its mix of cultures, its open air markets, its architecture and scenery, it may be the closest thing North America has to a European city. And it's right next door.

This episode, I'll also talk to Paul Harry Touissant, executive chef of Agrikol, a Haitian restaurant owned by another pair of Montreal celebrities, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of the Arcade Fire.

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Havana, Cuba is a place you should try to get to and if you do get there, be ready to be immersed in a culture that is all about getting by. In this episode, I'll talk about some of my — let's say eccentric experiences there and the sort of things you should be, yes, prepared for, but also just as importantly, open to, from restaurants facing shortages of supplies, to very limited internet service, to getting hustled for cigars. It's all a part of this larger picture of a people who, despite what they lack, are happy and friendly and welcoming.

Speaking of hustle, I'll also talk to Afro-Cuban sensation Cimafunk about recording in France and where he likes to grab a drink when he's home.

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Being that The Passenger is a travel show, one might expect us to highlight exotic, far-flung locales. And we will get to those. But it's equally important to look at places you may not have considered and really dig into their culture. And that brings us to Boise, Idaho, an unlikely international city with a rich cultural life full of music, food, and the great outdoors. I'll give you my take on what to check out, and I'll talk to Dave Yasuda of Snake River Farms about the Treefort Music Fest and why you should give finger steaks a try (or not).

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The tech boom and tourism over the last decade plus has meant massive growth for Texas' capital city. In this first episode of The Passenger, I search out the pockets of culture that link Austin's past to its present and maybe its future, from legacy barbecue spots to revitalized hotels and beyond. I'll also talk to Chris Bilheimer, Creative Director of the Alamo Drafthouse, and find out why he thinks the slogan "The Right Lane Is Closed" might be an apt update of the motto "Keep Austin Weird."

Keep up with me on Twitter and Instagram: @hughacheson

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