America's Heartland
is made possible by....

They make up a small
part of our population,

but have a huge impact
on all of our lives.

They take business risks
that few others would tolerate

all on our behalf.

They're American farmers

who feed, fuel
and clothe the world.

Monsanto would like
to recognize them

for all they do
for the rest of us,

because ultimately our success
and everyone else's

depends on theirs.

....and by
the American Farm Bureau

Federation
- the voice of agriculture.

Hi, I'm Sarah Gardner.

When it comes
to expansive and sometimes

exotic dining,
the bounty of the heartland

is well represented
on cruise ships like this one.

We're setting sail
to sample

some farmland favorites afloat!

Hi, I'm Jason Shoultz.

Think about serving
millions of meals each year

and dishing up dinner
at 35 thousand feet in the air!

Coming up,
I'll take you

to one of the busiest
airline kitchens

to see how
the best of the heartland

takes wing!

Hi, I'm Akiba Howard.

When you sit down
to lunch or dinner

on America's
cross country trains,

it's a chance to sample
heartland favorites

in the heartland.

We'll get on track
for some unique meals.

It's all coming up
on this special edition

of America's Heartland

♪ You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man ♪

♪ in America's Heartland
living close to the land. ♪

♪ There's a love
for the country ♪

♪ and a pride in the brand ♪

♪ in America's Heartland
living close, ♪

♪ close to the land. ♪

( plane engine roar,
train chugging,

and ship's whistle blow)

Jason: Americans
spend billions of dollars

on vacations each year.

And for many people,
sampling new foods

or regional favorites
is a significant part

of their holiday experience.

Travelers have a chance
to sample seafood

from Maine
or the Pacific Northwest,

bite into breads and pastries
made from heartland grains,

raise a glass of wine,
or just enjoy an ice cream cone

in their favorite flavor.

And what about how you travel ?

Well in that case,
your choice can give you

some significant options.

(ship's whistle)

Sarah: The popularity
of cruise vacations

has increased dramatically
over the past 20 years.

More than ten million people
a year

set sail on holidays at sea.

And many of them will tell you
it's the dining experience

that has them coming back again
and again.

Sarah: For many people,
cruising is the ultimate

vacation experience.

Escaping your cubicle
for adventure on the high seas

serves up some options
you won't find on dry land.

You unpack once,
go to several ports of call,

and you have lots
of entertainment options

just a few steps
from your stateroom.

Jeff: Cruise vacations?

Well, you've got everything
included right here on the ship:

many, many dining options
and all types of nightclubs.

We've got shows for you,
usually a couple of shows

each day.

We've got a variety
of activities and events to do,

and it's kind of neat
because everything is literally

within five minutes
walking distance.

Sarah: Since 1970
the number of vacationers

taking cruise vacations
has risen by close

to ten percent a year.

A dramatic increase
in the number of ships

is one reason for the jump.

But passengers onboard
the Carnival Paradise

have their own ideas
why cruising works for them.

....being on the water,
looking out at the ocean,

people-watching,
dancing,

eating, drinking....

Food is great!

Entertainment is great
and the lovely.

Weather is marvelous.

This is my 4th cruise.

Sarah: So what keeps you
coming back?

The food, ha-ha.

Sarah: Sure, the scenery
may be spectacular,

but the cruise vacation decision
for many folks

hinges on the delightful
delicacies of culinary mastery!

Simply said: We like to dine.

The food is fantastic!

I'm obsessed
with the all-you-can-eat

frozen yogurt.

(laughs)

I visit it about 10 times a
day.

There's so many
delicious things.

I try to get a little bit
of everything to taste it.

There's just
too much food, basically.

And you can have
almost anything you want.

Sarah: Great meals
have always been

a draw for cruise vacationers.

But these days,
guests onboard ships

like the Carnival Paradise
have a dizzying array

of food choices
from the heartland.

Kevin: Many years ago,
the Lido deck,

which is our relaxed dining,
would've been burgers,

hot dogs, coleslaw,
and potato salad.

If you go there today,
you'll find a 24-hour pizzeria,

a deli bar,
a Mongolian station,

you know, the rotisserie.

There's the expectations
of what we produce

and what we offer our guests
are now much higher than many,

many years ago.

Andriano: We're changing
because now

we are more becoming
like a floating resort

and less like a ship.

Sarah: More than 500
crew members

make up the ship's
food and beverage department,

the largest section on board.

For the ship's passengers,
that means something

to sample all the time, anytime.

Ganesh: If you want
the room service,

it's open all the time.

And then we have the Pizzeria
which is around the clock.

We have different dining rooms.

We have a formal dining room
where you have regular seating

and assigned seating.

And then we have....

....this is the casual
dining room.

But breakfast is going on
until 12 for the late risers.

Then bistro dinner
is from six o'clock onwards

until 9:30.

And then after that,
the midnight buffet

comes around 11:30, 12 0' clock.

Sarah: Once a week in home port,
the Paradise

replenishes provisions
for the next sailing.

It's a finely orchestrated dance
getting heartland food favorites

from the port warehouses
to the ship's galley.

Kevin: And the supplies
come onto the pier,

and our storeroom manager
and the sous chef, or the chef,

will be out on the pier
checking the quality,

checking the amounts
that we've ordered

were received correctly.

It'll be brought on board
and go to the storeroom

facilities
where we have vast expanses

of refrigeration and storage.

Erwin: Most of the foods....

....our fresh produce
is all homegrown in America.

We have cheese,
cheese from Wisconsin,

potatoes from Idaho,
and all the other parts

of America.

Most of the food is homegrown.

Sarah: And even before the ship
sets sail on the next cruise,

the kitchen
is working full-time.

That means those homegrown items
from the heartland

are being fashioned into meals
for the ship's

26 hundred guests.

Ready for some numbers?

41 thousand eggs,
35 thousand shrimp,

55 thousand hamburgers,
3000 pizzas,

600 racks of lamb,
10 thousand tomatoes,

20 thousand potatoes,
and more than 11 thousand

bananas
along with a thousand

fresh pineapples!

And that's just the tip
of the iceberg :

26 hundred heads
if you're talking lettuce.

Erwin: The most important thing
on a seagoing vessel

is we need to see that....

....all what is needed
to be served on the menu

are onboard
before we sail

because just like a restaurant,
you cannot go out

to the supermarket
and buy something.

So we've got to see
that everything that is ordered

is onboard
according to the right quality,

quality that we can
serve our guests.

That is the most important thing
is seeing that all food

is onboard before we sail.

Ganesh: The challenges
I would say,

most of the times
we all are very well organized.

We are organized
by the restaurant side.

We are organized
by the chef side.

When we have....

....all the food,
the appetizers,

the soup,
the salads

are very well made in advance.

And you know,
we are ready for the show.

Sarah: Tonight is formal night
in the dining room.

And the featured item
on the menu

is a cruise favorite: lobster!

360 pounds
of the cherished crustacean

will be prepared,
plated, and served to diners.

Guys, please enjoy.

Bon appetite!

Erwin: A guest orders a lobster,
and if twelve guests

on the same table
order a lobster,

all the twelve lobsters
need to look identical.

So that is part
of our specification

that we follow
so that every guest....

....if you come after
another six months

and eat a lobster again,
it will be exactly the same:

prepared, cooked, and presented.

Sarah: Trying new offerings
with established

heartland favorites,
the food and beverage staff

hopes that guests
will enjoy foods

they've never tasted before.

In addition,
they work to appeal

to the taste buds
of the next generation

of passengers.

Kevin: Gone are the days
of the hotdog's

and burgers for the kids.

I mean, you know,
there's a lot of salad stuff.

It's much healthier
for their families as well.

And this is why families
come to us

because we, you know,
we can take care of

their child's needs.

So the parents can get
a little bit of a break

away from their kids as well.

Sarah: On the downtime
between meals,

guests try their hand
at activities

as they sail
to the next port of call,

activities which may
even help them burn

a few calories.

Jeff: As a Cruise Director,
well I get to bring everybody

the fun.

I get to bring them the shows
and the activities

and the live music
and the nightclubs,

that type of thing.

And to see guests out there
just enjoying themselves,

it's really fantastic.

Sarah: Family cruise vacations
look to be a growth area

for the cruise industry.

More than a million
and a half youngsters

were on cruise vacations
in 2008.

And cruising, in general,
has proven to be a boom

to heartland producers
providing those homegrown

products
from grains to vegetables,

meat, poultry and fish.

The cruise industry
generated spending

of more than 18 billion dollars
in goods and services

in 2007 with job creation
and purchases

in all 50 states.

And if you sample passengers
on their experiences,

most surveys show
that setting sail

continues to be
a favorite holiday choice.

That's some very positive
food for thought

for those on board.

Narrator:
While we talk vacations,

some people
go right to the source

for their food
from the heartland.

A wide range
of farm and ranch

stay vacations
give visitors a chance

to do hands on farm labor
during their holidays,

or just sit back
and soak up

the pastoral pleasures.

Many states have links
to farm stay vacations

through their departments
of agriculture

and state departments
of tourism.

Jason: Still ahead,
dishing up dinner

with some of the heartland's
best foods at 35 thousand feet!

I'm Akiba Howard.

Still ahead,
we're heading for a vacation

by rail
to sample some Amtrak

food favorites
from the heartland.

♪♪

Hi, I'm Paul Robins.

And here's something
you may not have known

about agriculture.

Since we're talking travel,
we thought we'd mention

a bit about
those settlers moving west

to open new farm lands
as the country expanded.

No holidays here!

And getting there
was not half the fun.

That's because
crossing the country

meant bringing everything
with you:

farm equipment,
farm animals,

seeds for planting,
and tools to cut into the soil.

And since there were no
fast food joints along the way,

you were limited
in what you could eat.

The average covered wagon
carried bacon for fats and meat,

dried jerky,
flower of course,

and dried beans
for making main meals

and soup
assuming you had enough water.

We should mention
that no one

was going anywhere fast.

Your day started before dawn.

You loaded up the wagon,
hitched up the horses,

and roared off
to cover maybe ten

to fifteen miles a day,
even less on rainy days.

Let me put it in perspective:
those folks took

5 to 7 days
to travel the distances

that our cars can cover
in about an hour.

(plane engine roar)

Jason: When commercial
airline service

took flight in the 1930's,
meal options were pretty

bare bones.

We're talking about
maybe a sandwich

and a cup of hot coffee.

But that expanded
throughout the century.

And of course,
recently domestic flights

have seen a reduction
in the amount of meal service.

You have to fly
on some far flung flights

to international destinations
to really experience

the heartland's best fare.

Jason: The takeoff
on any vacation

or business trip
gives travelers an opportunity

to share in new experiences.

One of those is food.

And with new offerings
of in-flight meals,

you can start enjoying
that opportunity

even before
you reach your destination.

But providing
the heartland's best

to airline passengers
begins well before

the plane pulls up
to your departure gate.

Sidney: We follow specifications
very closely.

We want to make sure
that we meet the requirements

and the expectations
of the customer.

We assign specific employees
to help us produce

the different types of cuisines
that we have here.

It's a very talent
group of people here!

Jason: Sidney Ho is a manager
with Gate Gourmet ,

a culinary catering operation
that serves

some three dozen airports
all across the United States

as well as kitchen operations
overseas.

Jason: For years people joked
about airline food.

Oh, airline food!

But when I look
at this stuff here,

it looks pretty good.

Sidney: We pay close attention
to quality.

Quality is very important.

From the time
that we receive products,

there are critical
control points

throughout the process
that we follow closely.

We monitor temperatures.

We monitor the quality of food.

Jason: Think about
the challenges

of producing
large numbers of meals

attractive to both the eye
and the palate!

First of all,
you need detailed organization,

food that is prepped,
fully cooked,

quickly cooled,
transported to the runway,

and loaded on board.

And depending
on your destination,

special menus
demand special attention:

Asian favorites,
regional European cuisine,

appetizers and desserts.

And if you think
it's all done

in large quantities,
think again.

Jason: Here,
you are preparing it

in a frying pan, right?

Jimmy: Yes, we make it fresh.

You want to make it fresh
so it goes....

Jason:....and then where does it
go from here?

Jimmy: After we cook,
we check the temperature,

make sure it's
all the way cooked.

(sizzling food)

Jimmy: It's all,
it has to reach over 165.

I make sure
it very well done cook,

and then we take out
and put in a flash chiller

down in the cooler to below 40.

Jason: It looks like
it's about done to me.

Jimmy: Yes, sir.

Jason:
The competitive marketplace

in airline travel
means that carriers

have to produce
passenger amenities

that bring people onboard.

Food is a universal attraction,
and freshness is critical.

Jason: How important
is it as a chef

to have fresh items
instead of frozen?

Ronny: It's the key.

I mean especially like going,
coming from the kitchen,

to have it plated down
on a plane.

Everything is being color-coded
and within 24 hours.

We're using dry ice
to keep it nice and crisp

and fresh.

And the freshness is key.

Jason: Heartland harvests
give chefs the ingredients

to turn out millions of meals
each year:

beef and seafood
from the open range and ocean,

dairy products from the Midwest,
and peaches from the south.

And here
at their San Francisco facility,

produce that comes from farms
is just a short drive away.

We have a great market here,
Salinas, down the street.

Ronny: We have Gilroy here
in California.

Again, everything's fresh.

We got it citrus.

Jason: California citrus right
here, right?

Ronny: That's right!

Sidney: I believe the menus
that are planned out

are better menus.

Most of the airlines
are looking

at healthier alternatives
for their passengers.

So we see a big improvement
in that.

Jason: The advantage
of working

with the airline industry
gives you access

to heartland foodstuffs
that can be flown in

from across the country.

Jason: It's not every day
you see lobster

on an airline flight, right?

Ronny: Yeah, we have....

....this is a rock lobster.

We use also Maine lobster,
different airlines again.

Jason: That's for
your first-class passenger?

Ronny: That's correct!

About like in a month ago,
we actually did

a very important charter
for the president of Taiwan.

And they all wanted
fresh lobster

on the entire flight.

Jason: And while all of this
is headed for passengers

on flights around the world,
we should note

that crew members
have special arrangements

when it comes to the food
that they'll eat onboard.

Ronny: And then also
an interesting fact.

For example the pilots,
they cannot have seafood.

And also,
if there are two pilots,

they have different meals,
just, you know,

so if something happened.

Jason:
Given the global marketplace

in travel today,
special menus

from heartland harvests
must be tailored as well

to special dietary needs.

That can mean anything
from meatless meals

to religious considerations.

Ronny: We have a lot of like
special meals,

kosher meals,
child meals,

Muslim,
Hindu,

and gluten-free.

Jason: So you have to keep track
of all those things?

Ronny: We have low fat,
low salt,

I mean, all those.

We have,
as you know,

a separate station for that.

Actually,
I on daily base,

I actually sign off
like a gluten-free.

I personal check the meals
before they get out a door.

Jason: You personally check
the gluten-free meals

before they go out the door?

Ronny: And then
I sign off on those, yep.

Jason: And that's because
it's such a significant

health issue for folks, right?

Ronny: Yeah!

It's uh....

....or allergies.

For example,
peanuts:

a lot of airlines
have peanut-free.

Jason: As with any business,
meeting those demands

means setting up systems
to deliver meals

in a timely
and efficient manner.

Sidney: We have, of course,
many different stations

in our kitchen.

It's a large facility.

We have
a marinade station, as well.

Jason: After the preparation,
packing, and cooling,

the airline meals are stored
until called up for delivery

to dozens of planes
on the concourse.

And as you might expect,
airlines compete

for culinary honors.

Celebrity chefs
bring award winning talents

to the kitchen competition.

Jason: Tell me about
the awards you've won.

Jimmy:
Oh, I'm working a gold medal

in the Asian last year, yes.

I'm working this company
20 - 27 years.

Jason: Twenty-seven years, wow!

Jimmy:
Yeah, that should be done.

Jason: That looks done to me.

Very good!

Jason: Specific meals
for specific destinations,

first class
and main cabin meals,

appetizers,
desserts and snacks....

Using the heartland's
finest ingredients

is all part of an effort
to reinvent fine dining

in the sky.

Or to put it another way,
bon appetit

at 30 thousand feet .

Sidney: I think
it's the passions

that the chefs have to want
to produce a good product.

It's the challenge
of producing

high volume products
and having quality

built into it.

I think the chefs here
do have a passion.

And they do have
a culinary flair

to want to do a good product
for the passengers.

Narrator: Food and fun
were the focus

for Ancient Romans on vacation.

The power elite
of the Roman Empire

often took their holidays
along the Bay of Naples.

Fisherman served up delicacies
from the ocean.

And wine
from the Roman vineyards

completed
their heartland harvest menus.

That is
until Mount Vesuvius erupted,

covering the region
with ash and lava in 79 A.D.

All aboard!

Akiba: When you think about it,
travel by train

really kicked off
the American

vacation experience.

In the 19th century,
travelers stopped for meals

at stations along the way.

Later,
on-board kitchens

offered gourmet offerings.

And today,
Amtrak is keeping

that tradition alive
with some unique meals

on some special trains.

Akiba: These are the familiar
sights and sounds

of train travel,
the power and energy

of the huge engines,
the beehive

of passenger activity
at the station,

the all aboard
and sheer anticipation

of the coming adventure:
riding the rails!

But this is the part
most train travelers never see.

The sun's barely up.

And already,
dozens of Amtrak employees

have been working for hours
loading these trains

with everything
from vegetables to juices,

dinner items to dessert.

Each year
Amtrak buys

close to 50-million dollars
worth of food

and beverage products
to satisfy

its 28-million passengers.

Thomas: When that train
is stocked in the morning,

we load over 45,000
individual food and beverages

onboard that train.

Akiba: Amtrak's Thomas Hall
says trucks deliver

those food supplies
from farms and factories

to 13 different warehouses
in major American cities

like this one in Los Angeles.

From the warehouse,
it's loaded on the dining cars.

More than 300 Amtrak trains
depart from stations

across the U.S. each day
carrying close

to 80-thousand passengers,
a lot of hungry riders!

Thomas: For instance,
we buy over 200,00 gallons

of fruit juice a year,
120,000 quarts of milk,

over 800,00 hamburgers a year,
300,000 chickens....

Akiba:....not to mention
300-thousand steaks,

660-thousand hot dogs,
a half-million tomatoes,

and about 200-thousand
freshly-made salads!

Thomas: I think what Amtrak
does best

is provide American comfort food
Amtrak style .

Akiba: Daniel Malzhan,
Amtrak's executive chef,

says there's
a new effort underway

to select only the freshest,
best-quality food products.

And for Amtrak,
that usually means

buying American.

Daniel: I think America
produces certainly

some of the absolute
best food in the world.

There's no question about that.

Great food can only spring
from great ingredients.

Thomas: It supports
the American economy.

And I think it also gives us
the highest quality

of products available
for our customers

onboard the train.

Daniel: We do design
and tailor the food

to specific routes.

And we have some
vibrant partners

that we work with
in the process.

I'll have
the Angus steak burger, please.

Akiba: Those partners
may include

Colorado cattle ranchers,
Michigan cucumber growers,

and crab cakes
from Maine fishermen.

On this Coast Starlight route
from Los Angeles to Seattle,

passengers may dine
on Washington state salmon,

Oregon and California cheeses,
and lettuce and tomatoes

grown in fields
right outside their window.

Lorie: I'm definitely surprised
at the quality.

When we took the airplane,
we didn't get anything

but this package of trail mix.

But this is fantastic!

Akiba:
David and Patricia Englehardt

are regular Amtrak riders.

The Delaware couple
is celebrating

their 50th wedding anniversary
by enjoying Amtrak's

restored parlor car
with its 5-star

restaurant atmosphere.

Patricia: Quality-wise,
it's just as good and faster !

Thomas: When they walk through
the dining car,

and they smell the breakfast
in the morning

or in the afternoon,
they smell

the fresh-roasted chickens
in the ovens down below,

it really gives a sense
that they're at a fine

dining establishment.

Dave: Chardonnay sounds good.

Chicken special sounds good.

Akiba: To please
all these particular

passengers,
it's a balancing act literally:

preparing gourmet meals
in a tiny galley

on a moving train,
hundreds of meals

three times a day.

Little wonder
folks are surprised

at how tasty it all turns out.

Daniel: In the food business,
going back to the beginning,

it's all about the product.

And the American farmer
is responsible for bringing us

these great selections.

Sarah: And that's going to do it
this time.

Thanks for traveling with us
on this special edition

of America's Heartland .

Jason: We're always pleased
that you can join us.

And remember,
there's much more

on America's Heartland
at our website

including video on the stories
from today's show.

Just log onto
americasheartland-dot-org.

We'll see you next time
right here

in America's Heartland .

Narrator: To order a copy
of this broadcast,

visit us online
or call 1-888-814-3923.

The cost is $14.95
plus shipping.