♪ ♪ >> LIDIA BASTIANICH: As the pandemic continues to take a toll across the nation, I've mourned the loss of life, as well as my ability to share my food and my table with others.

♪ ♪ As Grandma says... >> BOTH: Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

>> LIDIA: I also endured the passing of my beloved mother.

She was always part of my life till the very end.

She died at 100 years, in my arms.

♪ ♪ As the nation struggles to fully reopen, I'm excited to set out across the country once again.

Hi.

>> How are you?

>> LIDIA: Hi, Tony.

>> How are you?

>> LIDIA: All right.

Oh, my goodness.

This time to meet individuals who, like my mother, have faced enormous obstacles in the past and have managed to overcome them.

Two years we spent as a family in this camp.

We'll meet Maria, who lost her home.

>> I said, "Oh, my God, that's my house."

It was so bad.

>> LIDIA: Yannick, his mobility.

>> I was in denial on how difficult this injury was.

>> LIDIA: Tony, his job.

>> I started losing business and started getting depressed.

>> LIDIA: Kristen, her family.

>> There's this sense of loss and of a life that you expected to live.

>> LIDIA: And Jarrett, his freedom.

>> I think that a lot of times, you don't know how strong you are until your strength is tested.

>> LIDIA: You knew you were innocent.

Please join me for a remarkable adventure.

>> I know that I'm worthy of love.

(laughing) >> LIDIA: It's all coming up next, on "Lidia Celebrates America: Overcoming The Odds."

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: In the 1940s, my family lost everything.

Hundreds of thousands of people fled my home of Istria, which was part of the Italian peninsula until becoming part of Communist Yugoslavia in the wake of World War II.

My family wanted to leave, but could not.

My mother was pregnant with me.

We got caught behind the Iron Curtain.

We whispered in Italian at home.

My grandmother would take me to church now and then.

My parents wouldn't dare, because they would be incarcerated.

♪ ♪ When I was ten, my parents couldn't stay any longer.

We fled to Trieste, just over the border in Italy.

Coming into Italy, because we had no papers at that time, they placed us in a refugee camp.

This brings back an awful lot of memories, emotions, sentiments.

We lived for two years in the San Sabba Political Refugee Camp.

So, that window up there.

Years later, I went back to visit.

That was our room, that little window.

There was another family next to us, and there was a whole floor, all full of families.

When we first came, they separated my father, separate my mother, and the children separate.

They quarantined us, undressed us, disinfected us.

So all of those things to a child of ten was traumatic.

And it was most frightening, because we had a little window, like a prison window, that we looked on the courtyard, and my brother and I were peeking, hoping to see my father, because we were wondering where he went.

We were afraid that we wouldn't be reunited.

Eventually, we were granted refuge in America.

The Catholic Relief Services brought us here, supporting our family until my father found a job.

They found a little home for us in New Jersey.

It was an extraordinary resetting our roots, restabilizing us.

And 30 years later, I opened my first restaurant.

Though it had once seemed impossible, now I was living what I always imagined was the American Dream, and sharing my table with many.

♪ ♪ As part of my journey, I set out to meet others who overcome great hurdles in their own lives.

Yannick Benjamin recently opened a barrier-free restaurant in Harlem.

Buongiorno!

>> Signora!

>> LIDIA: How, Yannick, oh, my goodness, what a pleasure to see you.

How good you look!

>> Thank you so much for coming.

>> LIDIA: All right, and this is... >> This is it.

>> LIDIA: Your baby, huh?

>> This is it.

>> LIDIA: Wonderful, wonderful.

Show me around.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> LIDIA: There's little differences here, I see.

You know?

>> Exactly, yeah, yeah.

>> LIDIA: Show me, show me.

Yannick was this handsome, young sommelier, very talented, when he came to work at Felidia.

>> One thing that we did was, with my situation, I'm in a wheelchair, we really want to make this barrier-free, this restaurant, right?

And now I can have a meal.

There's nothing obstructing me, nice and comfortable.

>> LIDIA: And all of these chairs can be removed.

When he was only 25, Yannick was involved in a near-fatal car accident.

It's taken almost 20 years, but this summer, he realized his dream of opening his own restaurant, and I couldn't wait to visit.

>> And that's my lovely wife right there.

>> LIDIA: Who's that?

>> (laughs) >> LIDIA: Introduce me-- hi.

>> Hi, I'm Heidi.

>> LIDIA: Hi, Heidi.

Oh, congratulations to you.

When the accident happened, I couldn't catch my breath, just in thinking, this young man, this tragedy could have happened to him.

This is the entrance, you come in here because you got to come behind the bar.

>> It's really wonderful that I can get behind the bar comfortably, making cocktails, because it's something that I really love to do.

>> LIDIA: So, if Heidi is not available or something... >> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: You can get behind here and get working.

>> I can get behind...

Yes, yes, yes, for sure.

>> LIDIA: Good.

>> She puts me to work, she makes sure, she's, like, I, you know... >> LIDIA: That's a good wife.

>> Yeah, she's a great wife.

From an early age, I wanted to follow into my father's footsteps, and that was the world of hospitality.

That concept of making people happy, sharing whatever resources that you've been blessed with, was something that was always instilled in me.

Being a by-product of the '80s, there was "Cheers," and I said, "Oh, that's the guy I want to be.

"I want to be like Sam Malone, I want to be behind the bar "and all my friends are coming to visit me, and I'm serving them good drinks and I'm serving them good food."

I knew that's what I wanted to do, and that's where I wanted to be down the road.

♪ ♪ How does the grief work after you're told that you're paralyzed?

It was probably the first time in my life that I actually, like, dealt with, like, real grief.

Saying, "Wow, like, I need to accept this."

(breathing rhythmically) I did not know how drastically different my life was going to be.

I knew physically that it was going to be very challenging.

♪ ♪ I didn't know how challenging it was going to be from a social aspect.

From going to restaurants, and then there's three or four steps, or they tell you that there's a bathroom that's accessible, but it really isn't.

All right, thank you, have a good day.

And so, it's incredibly challenging and stressful to travel when you have a disability.

For people with disabilities, they feel like either they're being rushed or they're sort of a hindrance.

So here at Contento restaurant, the most important thing is that we're not trying to be the first restaurant to have this concept of a barrier-free restaurant, but we definitely don't want to be the last.

So if there are other restaurants, they hear about us, and they're saying, "Oh, wow, look at that business model.

It's actually working."

>> LIDIA: So show me, what did you do here?

>> Yeah, so over here, you know, as opposed to you coming, sitting up here, right?

And I've got to look at you here and you've got to look at me down here... >> LIDIA: Sure.

>> Now, you know, you'll sit over here and we're going to look eye-to-eye.

That's one thing that, I think that's truly important.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

>> The other thing that we did over here, we built the bathroom.

So this is a sliding door over here, and everything that's in the bathroom is touchless.

So people that are, you know, that have limited upper body function, they can come here, all they have to do is swipe their hands.

They have, like, the napkins, the garbage, everything.

So trying to keep it as easy as possible.

>> LIDIA: Hospitality, at the core, is very basic.

And I think that Yannick, having people offer him hospitality in a different way, just the physical needs that he needed, made him realize ever more, maybe that that's what he wanted to continue.

That's what he wanted to do and share and give pleasure via a restaurant.

Is it as expensive to do something like this as people think?

One thinks, "All this costs extra money."

>> We have done our metrics, and it does not.

What we have seen in return is that people are so intrigued, they see what we're trying to do as far as change... We're not just a restaurant, right?

As you know, restaurant means to restore, right?

>> LIDIA: Yes.

>> So people are coming here to restore, to come and feel, and forget about all their troubles.

>> LIDIA: Chef?

Oscar, are you the chef?

>> Yes, nice to meet you.

>> LIDIA: Well, pleasure meeting you.

What a pleasure, huh?

The kitchen is not very big, but it seems like you have all the equipment you need.

>> We have the basics, everything that we need for a small restaurant, to keep everybody contento.

>> LIDIA: Oh, Contento is the name of the restaurant.

Look at the beautiful name right there.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: Contento.

So in Italian, it means happy.

>> Same in Spanish.

>> LIDIA: Spanish, happy.

>> Lo mismo.

>> LIDIA: So, lo mismo.

So that means that everybody should be happy here.

I am very contenta to be here.

>> (laughs) ♪ ♪ >> We have three new wines.

The Rkatsiteli, which is going to be poured by the glass... After my car accident happened, there were certainly moments where I thought that I was never going to work in this industry, because logistically, it wasn't going to happen.

But also trying to find the right people who were going to believe in me and give me that chance to be able to work in hospitality, to do what I love.

>> LIDIA: Yannick's focus on accessibility is not just about people with physical limitations.

He has created a low-price menu, with a wine list featuring socially conscious winemakers.

>> So the first one that Heidi's going to pour for us is a little rosé.

>> LIDIA: Oh, Heidi.

Okay, hi, Heidi.

>> All of the proceeds from this wine goes to three charities, one of them being Wheeling Forward, that I'm proud to be part of.

>> LIDIA: Now, Wheeling Forward is something that you initiated, is it not?

>> Yes, that's correct, yes, that's correct, exactly.

>> LIDIA: Tell me a little bit about it.

>> Yeah, Wheeling Forward was started in 2012.

And myself and my dear friend, we were so blessed to have such incredible love, care, and support from our friends and family, that we wanted to create a small, hands-on organization, where we can help other people, particularly those with physical disabilities, and help them financially, or even help them emotionally if needed, and provide them with the right resources, so they can, we can help them achieve their objectives and their goals.

>> LIDIA: He had this strength and this vision and this tenacity, if you will, to go ahead for himself, but also, in his wake, bring other people that have the same needs.

>> Here we go.

>> LIDIA: Oscar!

Wow, that looks delicious-- what is this, Oscar?

>> We have here ceviche clasico.

It's leche de tigre, tiger's milk in English.

That's the base of the ceviche, what we... >> LIDIA: What's tiger's milk?

Tell me.

>> Tiger's milk is always made with citrus juice, chili-- ají-- cilantro, and onion.

There's different variations, depends on the area in Peru.

Like every place, they have different styles, and some people put celery, some people put ginger, some people put garlic.

>> LIDIA: So these are ingredients from Peru, all of them?

>> Yes, yes... >> LIDIA: Okay, should we taste?

>> Please.

>> LIDIA: Go ahead.

>> You, please, by all means.

You have to go first.

>> LIDIA: No, no, no-- okay.

So I get a little bit of everything, right?

>> Yes.

>> LIDIA: When I found out that he's opening a new restaurant, Contento...

Delicious.

...your heart swells up, you get this feeling of, "Gee, God, he made it, he did it."

♪ ♪ His restaurant is barrier-free.

>> Cheers.

>> LIDIA: Customers that are blind, he has a Braille menu.

♪ ♪ So barrier-free also in price.

Finding those delicious wines, on a world platform, but still very accessible to people.

♪ ♪ >> The hospitality industry needs to be inclusive.

We have not done a good enough job to keep the door open, to have a seat at the table for everyone with a disability.

Those days are over.

There are 61 million Americans that have a disability, one out of four, and we know we've been able to prove, here at the restaurant, that people with disabilities, when you build it, they will come.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: Next, I travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to meet a young woman who aged out of foster care without having been adopted.

♪ ♪ >> I did not have the life skills or the know-how to be my own parent.

And so when I aged out and it was real life, and not just a trial run, I ended up becoming homeless and living in my car for quite a while.

So friends of mine got me into mountain biking, and it's actually really challenging and scary.

Doing a drop for the first time or a bridge can seem almost impossible, and you're shaky and you're nervous, which I think is a big testament to overcoming other obstacles in my life.

Just taking one thing at a time and just choosing to have courage, and to ask for help when needed it.

>> LIDIA: A woman from her church gave Kristen the help she needed.

>> I was able to live with an incredible lady, who really encouraged me to pursue education.

And once I was able to graduate with my bachelor's, I decided that I wanted to start fostering myself.

I found this organization called One Simple Wish.

I wanted to gather as much resources as I could for the kiddos that would be in my home.

>> LIDIA: Danielle Gletow is the founder of One Simple Wish.

>> And one of the things that I noticed was, no one was ever really asking these children, "What is it that would bring you joy?

What is something that you want?"

>> LIDIA: One Simple Wish posts the wishes of foster and former foster children on their website.

>> Here's a wish from a young man named Braden.

He's 16 years old and he lives in Florida.

Braden has a wish for a heated blanket.

>> LIDIA: Wow.

>> Which will help him, like, self-soothe, and it says here that he was, he had been adopted, but then returned to the foster care system.

These are the kinds of wishes that we get.

>> LIDIA: Wow.

>> Which is very simple, right?

So this is... >> LIDIA: It's so simple, but it's a wish so telling.

>> Mm-hmm, yes.

They are, they're so telling.

The wishes really do, I think, humanize statistics, but when you take it one child at a time, it feels like you really can make a difference.

>> LIDIA: Absolutely.

The electric blanket this young man wanted, he wanted the warmth of somebody in bed, and that was the blanket.

And I think that individual who has been neglected, be it by the family, be it by the system, to have somebody listen to them and respond directly is very meaningful.

>> There's over 100,000 kids in America right now, legally free to be adopted, that do not have adoptive homes.

Sadly, we see that a lot of children end up spending the rest of their childhood in foster care and aging out, usually at 18 or 21.

>> LIDIA: And facing life... >> On their own.

>> LIDIA: On their own.

Kristen made her own wish.

>> I wrote in a really silly wish for cooking classes.

It wasn't anything like I saw on the website, so I didn't really think it would be granted, and they loved the idea.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: I met Kristen at her friend's house with a large open kitchen.

So, Kristen... >> Mm-hmm.

Tell me about your one simple wish.

>> I love food, but I'm a little afraid of it.

And so I wanted to learn how to make it healthy and tasteful.

>> LIDIA: Right.

>> I really wanted cooking classes, because I knew I was not great at cooking, and I wasn't comfortable cooking.

Vegetables and chicken and things like that seemed so foreign me.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: I want to show Kristen how to make a panzanella salad with Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and kale.

>> I have to admit, I'm a little scared of kale.

I like it in smoothies, but I've never cooked with it.

I mean... >> LIDIA: Taste it.

(laughs) >> It's tough.

>> LIDIA: Bite on it.

>> Mm-hmm, it's a bit bitter.

But it's tasty.

>> LIDIA: Getting a lot of good flavors?

>> (laughs) >> LIDIA: One of the most moving things is the lack of family tradition in her life.

She was missing that, and she was working very hard in setting the roots for her to have her own history in life.

So take the, the mixing, the fork and... >> Okay.

>> LIDIA: And toss it.

Some oil.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: And all you need is to give them a little flavor, a little bit of dressing like that.

>> It already smells amazing.

>> LIDIA: Yeah, you see?

How does it feel when you want a home, when you want somebody to take you in?

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: How does that feel?

>> I felt like in my time in foster care, there was almost this expectation to be the best you can be, so that you're desirable, that you're wanted.

And aging out, after trying so hard to be desirable, it was hard.

And I know that I am worthy of love, and I know anyone who has aged out of foster care is worthy of love and... (laughs) >> LIDIA: Oh, you're worthy of love.

>> And I have created this beautiful life now that I have around me, full of community and full of people who see me and love me for who I am.

So I do have family.

>> LIDIA: So, you built your own, and you did find that connection.

>> It was hard, though, it took a long time.

>> LIDIA: This young woman really felt the need to viscerally connect, because food is visceral.

It is ingested with the people that you love.

You give them something that they make part of themselves.

You have a sense that you reached somewhat of a healing point.

>> Yeah.

Well, it took a lot of people coming into my life and putting their finger on healing spots and showing me fun.

I mean, cooking is just fun, and I think there were so many moments in my childhood that were just so hard.

And so finding the little moments, having people over, have me over for dinner, or just going to parks, doing things that, you know, just made me feel like I belong.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

Put a little salt in each.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Add a little more.

>> A little more.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

And we're going to put it here and roast it.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Just spill it out.

Okay, I'll take this.

Okay.

You put them in the oven.

After graduating from college and getting a job, Kristen decided she was ready to become a foster parent.

>> I realized that I had this beautiful home and this beautiful life I was creating in this wonderful community, and I wanted to offer that to other kids who had been in the system that needed that extra support from somebody who also gets it.

>> LIDIA: So here it is, hot stuff.

So we're looking at this, this looks pretty good.

Now, there are some little things that are, that look like they're burnt... >> A little toasty.

>> LIDIA: They're toasty-- no, do you like them?

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

So fish all of this, put in the, in a dish.

>> LIDIA: She recently began the process of adopting one of those children.

>> So I've had a few children come through my home, and this last one just really captured my heart.

She was 16 when I first met her.

>> LIDIA: Wow.

>> I just knew right away there was something special about her.

And then last year, she was available for adoption.

So I bought a home and I brought her home, and we started the process right away.

>> LIDIA: So you are a family now.

>> We are a family, the... We've already taken our adoption trip to Disney, we're just making it final in the courts in the next couple of months.

>> LIDIA: How wonderful.

She wanted to construct a family.

She wanted to construct a heritage for herself and her newly adopted daughter.

So, you have the cranberries.

Okay.

And you put the nuts, the walnuts.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Put in the bread.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: And now the kale goes in here.

>> Okay.

Just right on top?

>> LIDIA: Yeah, yeah.

Right on top.

I'm going to put a little bit of oil for the kale.

A little bit of vinegar for the kale.

A good salad needs a good mixing.

♪ ♪ There's the soft, the roasted vegetables.

There's the freshness of the kale.

>> Right, I thought you were going to soak it, but you didn't, it just literally sat there for, like, what, 30 seconds, and it was, like, perfection.

>> LIDIA: Yeah, but you know what?

Also, the warmth of the vegetables and all that kind of wilts a little bit the kale.

>> Oh, my God.

>> LIDIA: So now you go home with your daughter.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LIDIA: And we're eating together.

You know, when you share food together, you're family.

So we are family.

>> Yes.

>> LIDIA: Okay?

>> I love it.

>> LIDIA: Buon appetito!

I asked her, "Why, Kristen?

Why cooking?"

She said, "Because I want to give love to the people "that I love, to the family that I'm going to create, "and I want to be able to gather in the kitchen and cook."

♪ ♪ >> Gosh, this smells amazing.

So what do you think?

Is it decent?

>> It's really good.

>> Yeah?

>> Yeah.

>> This is a win?

>> Definitely a win.

>> (laughs): Yay!

♪ ♪ So you're doing dishes, right?

(laughs) >> Sure!

(laughs) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: Next, I visit Houston, Texas, which experienced devastating flooding when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017.

♪ ♪ >> The night of Harvey, I was not home.

I was at my daughter's apartment, babysitting.

>> This is a Category Four hurricane now.

>> There was a lot of hurricane notices going off on the cellphones.

I had to put my grandkids in the tub two times, because it sounded like a freight train.

It just poured and poured and poured.

So I called my daughter and said, "When are you coming home?"

>> And that's when my mom started calling and was saying, "Okay, now we got to try to get the kids out."

The streets were flooded.

I could not drive my car through that.

So my husband walked through different levels of water to get to my parents and our children.

♪ ♪ >> I was looking at the news and I saw the helicopters in this neighborhood, taking people on boats.

And I said, "Oh, my God, that's my house."

I could see it on the news.

That's how I knew that it was pretty bad over here.

>> LIDIA: It took ten days for Maria and Marco Peña to get back to their home.

>> When we walked into the home, my parents' faces were just, they just fell.

Just disbelief and amazement that it got so bad.

I could see in their eyes, "What are we going to do now?"

>> (speaking Spanish): >> On the outside, it looked okay.

It looked like, you know, it was still standing, but once I walked into the door, it's just so much mold and everything was wet.

We were not able to save any of the furniture we had in here.

We started taking the sheetrock off and the insulation, just everything out, to air out the house, to try to save the most of it, so we didn't have to knock the house down.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: My experience at San Sabba refugee camp taught me a lot about the importance of home.

Having a home, a place, a door that you can close, that your family stays in there, when that disappears, being left without a place to stay as a family, it's very disconcerting.

>> I've lived in Houston many years and gone through other hurricanes, that sometimes I thought they were worse, but nothing like Hurricane Harvey.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: The family tried to manage their building effort themselves for two years, but in 2019, they reached out for more help.

>> When you just don't have that financial means behind you, I mean, it's so hard.

And it was so hard to ask.

I didn't know who, I didn't know what to do.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: They connected with an organization called Team Rubicon, started and mostly staffed by military veterans.

>> We've built an organization that's centered around helping others and being of service to your country.

And many veterans left the military and they didn't necessarily leave behind their desire to serve, and so we give them that opportunity to do it within Team Rubicon.

>> LIDIA: I meet Jake Wood, who founded Team Rubicon with a group of fellow former Marines.

You serve two purposes here.

You are actually helping people in need, disaster zones, and at the same time, you are forming this bond and this need of the servicemen to continue their dedication.

It's a two, two-pronged service here.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

We call, you know, we talk about having a singular mission, which is responding to disasters, but having this other impact.

And we've almost thought of it as a great positive unintended consequence, which is the impact that we have on the lives of the people doing the service.

>> LIDIA: By the time the Peñas reached out, Team Rubicon was ready to help.

>> All right, guys, so you see, we're making some pretty decent progress in the house, got a couple of hold-ups, but we're absolutely looking forward to turning this home over to you.

If you want to walk with me... >> My dad was excited when we saw the team in the house.

>> This insulation that we use, guys, is a little different, so we're going to talk about that.

>> I think for my father, at least, because he did work in construction for so many years, that was the best part for him.

>> This insulation, unlike traditional pink fiberglass, when it gets wet, retains its heat value.

So we can dry it back out, put it back on the wall.

It's reusable.

>> Seeing the different material was exciting.

>> These wall panels are completely waterproof.

Water doesn't affect these at all.

>> Every time we would come in and see the progress that they'd done, it was just, like, "Wow, look at what they've done in a week, in a day."

>> (gasps): Oh, my God.

>> I'm excited for them to be able to walk into their home, for them to be able to cook in their kitchen and just be at peace.

>> LIDIA: It has been four years since Maria has been able to host her family for the holidays.

This year, she will.

>> Like, this one's the best one.

>> I love it.

>> It's deep inside and they close by themselves like so.

>> We're all excited to celebrate the holidays here.

Everyone's excited for that.

>> Isn't that cool?

>> That's cool.

>> Because I don't have a actual pantry, but this one works beautifully.

>> It's a good pantry.

It is.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: Seeing Maria in her new house reminds me how it felt for my family to finally have a home again.

Mom and Dad had the key.

We had a room.

Mom could cook on our stove.

To feel, finally, that this was our home, that we were all together, was an extraordinary kind of feeling of comfort.

>> Thank you for the opportunity to be out here, and this is true from the heart.

>> Thank you.

>> You guys have made it easy.

Mr. Marco, you've been amazing coming, and, you know, you cheer us up.

He cheered us up when he pops in.

>> You're all going to make him cry.

>> No.

Aw... >> Thank you, thank you.

>> Good to see you.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: Moving on to Los Angeles, I am meeting a man who spent nearly ten years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

>> This is a picture of me in 1998 graduating from high school.

And I am looking up because I can hear my mother screaming my name, because she wants to take a picture.

And this was three months before my life would change instantly and forever when I was arrested.

>> LIDIA: Jarrett Adams was 17 when police asked him to come to the station to answer a few questions about a party he'd attended.

>> I just had the belief that, you know, you just tell the truth, everything will work out.

And the thing is, it was instilled in me.

My grandmother, my mom, my aunts, you know, respected authorities.

And so little did I know that I was going into a situation where young Black boys in police stations are never believed.

I was falsely accused by a white accuser, in front of an all-white jury, and that alone, with not being able to afford an attorney, that led to my wrongful conviction.

>> LIDIA: Eight years into his 28-year sentence for sexual assault, Jarrett was exonerated with the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

>> When I was in prison, I was studying for my case to get out.

I assisted heavily in my case.

The Innocence Project took my case, litigated it.

We were able to obtain evidence that was withheld from us by the police, and that led to my conviction being reversed, record expunged, and I was released.

When I got out is where I said to myself, "You know, I might be good enough to get other people out."

>> LIDIA: After his release, he went back to school, became an attorney, and dedicated his life to fighting for justice for others.

>> This next picture is a picture of me in court in the first case that I was ever able to be successful and get overturned.

The criminal justice system can make you feel so un-human, so unworthy.

And now, I'm back in the same state, in court.

Where they didn't look at me before, they have to acknowledge me as Attorney Jarrett Adams.

>> LIDIA: I meet Jarrett at his home to hear more about his story and to cook with him.

What a pleasure meeting you.

And, you know, yeah, we should be maybe in a court, maybe we should be in a lawyer's office, but we are in a kitchen.

>> Well, I'm a huge fan.

I love to cook, so if-- and I say this a lot-- if I wasn't an attorney, I would be a cook.

And so this is my passion.

This is my release from the courtroom.

And I am just, I'm just, I'm tickled right now to be on with you.

So thank you so much.

>> LIDIA: Let's put the pasta.

(speaking Italian) We say in Italian.

Throw the pasta in.

Put about two tablespoons of salt.

I'm sharing one of my favorite pasta recipes.

Keep on pinching.

Bucatini with pancetta, tomatoes, and onions.

All right, okay.

So the time that it's going to take to cook the pasta, we're going to make the sauce.

Don't break the pasta!

Oh, good.

>> I did not-- I did not.

>> LIDIA: I thought you were going to break the pasta.

You know, as Italians, that's a, that's a criminal offense.

>> Yes, I just left it as is.

>> LIDIA: Good, good.

And now you slice those onions.

So you're in the kitchen a lot?

>> So, I am.

This is my release.

So, when I'm in court all the time and I'm doing work, this is how I do my thinking, right?

And my releasing and my relaxation, it's in the kitchen.

>> LIDIA: Food is absolutely that.

>> I grew up in this house where it was a pot always on the stove.

My grandmother, we stayed on a busy street.

So in order to keep me out of trouble, and to keep me from getting hit by a car on this busy street, she would have me in the kitchen with her helping, you know, telling me, "Hey, grab that paprika."

So at a very early age, I knew what different ingredients were.

When I was going through what I was going through, it was a horrible, you know, moment in my life.

So in order to get through it, I thought about the, the happier times, the times that comfort me.

And it was that kitchen that always popped in my mind.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: So now let's go to the bacon, and you cut again.

Take the bacon that you have, and that's pancetta, and cut strips just like the onions.

Go right in, that's it, just go across.

Perfect.

Perfect.

When I met Jarrett, every word, every second word that he says, "Oh, my grandmother would do this and that."

So he goes back.

I think what gave him strength to survive those ten years were his family.

So, mix the pasta now.

You don't want the pasta to stick all together, so give it a mix.

How are the onions doing?

Mix the onions.

>> The onions look great and they smell great.

>> LIDIA: So, in the onions, you can throw now three whole bay leaves.

If you have fresh bay leaves, sometimes they're even better.

You can add the bacon in there.

That's it, spread it apart.

So I think it's time to add the tomatoes.

So add the tomatoes in there, the whole thing.

So Jarrett, this book, "A Redeeming Justice," it's your story from your heart.

How did it feel to put it all down in writing and now to share it with America?

>> It was a difficult process.

It was a process where it took two years to do this book.

And what I, what I realized was, I got the law degree, I started to represent people, and I saw the same things over and over again that were the hallmark in my wrongful conviction and so many others.

And so I realized that me thinking that I was going to be able to save everyone or fix all of the evils that are in our criminal justice system, it wasn't reasonable.

So I needed to inspire others to pick up the fight.

And so that was the whole idea behind writing "Redeeming Justice."

>> LIDIA: I think that he realized he was given an opportunity to come back out into the world, and he wasn't going to waste one minute of it.

He knew that there was work for him to do there for other people that would be caught in the same situation.

>> We just need more mentors to go into these communities and show kids what to do.

I can't tell you how much of an effect someone like yourself would've had on me as a kid who grew up in a kitchen.

You know, I probably could have been a Black Gordon Ramsay right now or something like that, right?

Who knows?

>> LIDIA: Let me tell you, you have the, the Gordon Ramsay moves, you know?

I can tell you that.

>> (laughs) >> LIDIA: All right, so how's the sauce doing?

Is it perking away?

>> The sauce looks good.

I think, I think it's ready to go.

It looks good.

>> LIDIA: It looks good.

So now, what I want you to do with your tongs, take out one strand of pasta and taste it, and see for, if it's done.

Just right?

>> It's ready to go.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

So now fish it out with your tongs.

You know, I don't like pasta when it's rinsed, because it takes away the little stickiness.

This looks great.

Go ahead, put all of the pasta.

>> Not a pasta to spare.

>> LIDIA: You have the moves of the pasta.

You've handled spaghetti before.

(laughs) >> Yes, my wife loves spaghetti, so I cook it often.

>> LIDIA: He likes spicy pasta, she doesn't.

He sort of deferred and put the spiciness on the side.

So it's consideration for the person that you want to nurture, love, and cook for.

>> Dear, dinner's ready!

(laughs) >> LIDIA: That's what cooking is all about, loving somebody.

>> Look, and you see how fast she comes, right?

>> LIDIA: Hi, Joy.

How are you doing?

>> Hi.

It's so nice to meet you.

>> LIDIA: A pleasure meeting you.

Thank you for inviting me in your home.

And he, boy, is he a good cook.

Forget about everything else he did in life.

>> That's why I married him, Lidia.

That's why I married him.

>> LIDIA: That's part of it, you see?

And now, go ahead, do what you always do.

How do you ... >> All right, that's it.

So... >> Looks delicious.

>> LIDIA: Joy, you like pasta?

>> Oh, Italian is my favorite food.

>> LIDIA: All right.

Well, you know, in Italian, we say, "Buon appetito," enjoy.

And Joy, I want your comments.

I want your critique on the chef.

>> Absolutely, he gets them all the time, so, yeah.

>> This was good, quick, and easy.

>> Oh, this is delicious.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: So, cin-cin?

Toast?

Salute.

>> Cheers.

Thank you, Lidia.

>> LIDIA: Love this.

I love this.

All the best.

>> Likewise, thank you so much.

>> LIDIA: Ciao.

♪ ♪ I head to Harlem to meet a man who turned job loss into a thriving network of urban farms, and the young student who was the inspiration behind the idea.

Hello!

>> Good morning.

How are you?

>> LIDIA: Hi!

Hi, Tony.

>> How are you?

>> LIDIA: All right.

>> This is Nevaeh.

>> LIDIA: Hi, Nevaeh.

How are you doing?

>> I'm good.

>> Welcome to our farm.

>> LIDIA: Well, thank you for inviting me.

This is so amazing.

>> I was in business.

Life was great.

2010, the financial crisis caught up with me, like millions of others, and I started losing business and started getting depressed.

My wife would go to work at, like, 6:30 in the morning.

I'd be on the couch playing video games.

She'd get home 7:00 at night.

I was still on the couch in my pajamas playing video games.

And she said, "Dude, you got to do something."

>> LIDIA: He decided to volunteer in a school as a lunch monitor.

How did you get this idea, Tony?

>> It was a kind of convoluted thing.

I started working in the school across the street, and you could see firsthand a lot of the challenges of communities such as this, especially when it comes to food and nutrition.

>> LIDIA: And so, the idea of growing vegetable, how did that get?

>> This was an abandoned community garden, and the kids across the street all referred to this as the haunted garden.

>> When I was little, we used to call this the haunted garden, because of the junk in the garden.

And, like, before that, we didn't really have no... Me and my friends didn't really have no place to play in.

>> So after weeks and weeks of cleaning it out, we had a suggestion from some little girl... >> LIDIA: (laughs) >> ...on, why don't we plant something?

>> LIDIA: She was little, huh?

Ten years ago.

How old are you now?

>> 14.

>> LIDIA: 14.

So four or five, huh?

I think what instigated Tony's idea was this little girl, Nevaeh, and she planted the idea by telling Tony, "Why don't we plant a seed?"

And a seed was planted.

>> This is where it first started.

So this is the first... >> LIDIA: Oh, this is the first corner?

>> This is the first corner.

>> LIDIA: All right.

>> Because the soil was contaminated.

So we got a load of organic soil and dumped it right here.

>> LIDIA: Ah.

Look at, look at that big butternut squash.

>> We got squash.

>> LIDIA: That would make enough of delicious soup, a big pot of soup, enough to feed ten people there.

>> Yeah, here we only have squash.

We have cucumbers.

We have our tomatoes and beets.

>> LIDIA: You have sage, rosemary.

>> So much lemon balm and mint.

>> LIDIA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> So much of it.

>> LIDIA: Tony realized that a garden was just what the school and the community needed.

>> You see the habits, you see the dietary choices.

You see what I never saw before.

Because in addition to the 14 homeless shelters in a four-block radius of here, we have 55 fast food restaurants in a three-block radius, coupled with 29 pharmacies and not one affordable food option.

The majority of our children are living on food stamps.

So where do you eat healthy?

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: But Nevaeh, do you remember what was the first thing you planted here?

>> The first thing I planted here was basil.

>> LIDIA: Basil, and it grew, and it smelled delicious, and so on, and it gave you the courage to continue, huh?

>> Yeah, it was all herbs in here.

And most of the kids have never eaten vegetables, greens before, but when they planted it, they started nibbling on the leaf, saying how delicious it was.

>> My favorite fruit is tomato.

So I really enjoyed planting that and then watching it grow and then getting to take it home.

>> Good job.

Something magical happened when children plant their own plant.

Some of them took an ownership that I have never seen before on something so simple.

They were coming after school to visit their plant.

They would bring the parent on the weekend to show them their plant.

>> LIDIA: The chickens!

I had chickens with my grandmother, and it was my duty to go and get the eggs.

>> Yep, well, we do that here, as well.

>> But there are some eggs over there.

>> LIDIA: Let's see how many eggs.

Oh, nice!

How many chickens do you have?

>> Nine.

>> LIDIA: Nine.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

One of them laid two eggs.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: All right.

Who's this?

>> My mom.

>> I'm Miss Assanah around here.

>> LIDIA: Miss Assanah, Nevaeh's mom, huh?

>> Yeah.

When my daughter was starting her first year elementary school, one of the vegetables she took home, and I was, like, "You brung a vegetable home from school?

"That don't sound like Harlem, "and that don't sound like the Harlem I'm living in.

So let me see who's this Tony and where's his garden."

>> LIDIA: Because I understand that you got in charge, and initially, you weren't so sure.

>> No, I wasn't so sure, but this farm life end up becoming my life.

And we took on his dream, and we come doing his dream better than what he could it.

>> LIDIA: Eight years after starting as a volunteer, Miss Assanah is now the farm's agricultural director.

She takes me to the Harlem Grown greenhouse.

>> So here in the greenhouse... >> LIDIA: Wow, look at this.

>> Yes.

>> LIDIA: What do you have here?

>> So we have Swiss chard.

We starting off with Swiss chard.

I like to... >> LIDIA: My favorite.

>> I like to put something here where it pops the eyes.

Tony was, like, "Hey, I need someone to be here in the greenhouse."

So I'm, like, "Hey, I don't know anything "about hydroponics.

"Don't know about plants.

"Don't know about anything, but if you show me, I could do the best I can."

So I like to put stuff with colors, too, like to get the kids... You know, sometimes it's not always the adults.

Sometimes you want to get the kids' attention.

>> Miss Assanah was tough in the beginning.

A lot of questions, you know, as she should be, but then she started coming around quite a bit, as well.

And that's kind of where the light bulb went off to really kind of disrupt this cycle.

It's not the vegetables.

It's the people.

>> LIDIA: It's been ten years since the first seeds were planted, and today, Harlem Grown gives away 6,000 pounds of food a year to its neighbors.

It was extraordinary to see what grew in that garden and what the neighborhood really benefited.

So a mother two doors down, if she wanted to cook something fresh for her children, could come and get that Swiss chard, get a few eggs from the chicken, and make a nourishing meal for her family, because of Tony's idea.

My God, they're looking for bugs.

What did you find?

>> Here's a huge one!

Oh, my.

>> LIDIA: If you give that to the chicken, she's going to eat it.

That's going to be breakfast for the chicken.

>> When you plant a seed in the ground, you wait for it to grow.

But when you plant a seed in a child's mind, they're always growing.

And that's why I reference growing healthy children.

Because it's not just about health.

It's about life.

>> LIDIA: Go and look for more bugs and bring some more food.

>> (laughing) >> LIDIA: Let's get you in uniform here.

After hearing so many inspiring stories, I want to celebrate, albeit in a smaller, more COVID-friendly way than usual.

>> This is adorable.

>> LIDIA: It's cute.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: Okay, it's yours.

You know, we want it nice and fine like that.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

Cut it.

It's my turn to cook, and I ask Kristen to join me in my kitchen.

That's it.

Okay, that's good.

Being here reminds me of all that my own mother taught me about cooking.

What you have, you have here the teacher of all teachers.

>> Go ahead.

>> LIDIA: All right, a little more.

>> That's it.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

>> Good girl.

>> LIDIA: (laughs) She was always part of my life.

She always lived with us, so I can go out and do the work that I did.

If you put too much, they become too hard.

As she became older, we began to take care of her.

And even then, you know, her pearls of wisdom, her fortitude, her energy in life, she was always positive.

You put them all to one side.

>> Yeah, and squeeze them good.

Okay, I usually... >> LIDIA: I am honored to have the opportunity to share my mother's wisdom.

And you put it all in a big bowl.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: We are making a chopped salad, starting with escarole and chicory.

Now, you got to get into the food.

You got to feel the food.

>> Yes.

>> LIDIA: And let's continue with our vegetables.

We add parsley.

Throw it right into the salad.

Are you crying already?

>> (laughs) >> LIDIA: Red onion.

Oh, come on... That's it.

All right, good.

Roasted red peppers.

So now you can collect them with your dough scraper.

All right.

So next, we are on the cheese and the salami.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

You can collect this and put it in.

That's good, so let's get that into the salad.

Okay.

Watch your finger.

And one of my favorite flavors: fennel.

All right.

So, let's, we, all the ingredients, all that's left is to dress it.

So let's... A dressing with oil, vinegar, mustard, and eggs.

Whenever you dress the salad, you don't throw all the dressing at once.

A little bit at a time.

Go ahead, keep on mixing it.

Like those muscles.

Now I am going to put some pepper.

We didn't put any pepper.

You keep on mixing.

>> Okay.

Okay.

(pepper mill grinding) >> LIDIA: Okay, so you know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to take one leaf, and you can do the same... And taste it.

The dressing is fine.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LIDIA: Does it need a little salt?

>> Mm-hmm.

Absolutely.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

I'm going to give you salt.

You toss it.

>> Okay.

>> LIDIA: Go all the way to the bottom.

Okay, you think that's enough salt, right?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LIDIA: I think that the salad might be ready.

What do you think?

>> It's beautiful.

>> LIDIA: Okay.

We'll clean up and then we'll present it.

>> Very good.

>> LIDIA: Good job!

>> Thank you.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: With the salad finished, I make myself at home at Contento.

With COVID restrictions limiting the size of gatherings, I decide to prepare a family-size meal, similar to what Maria Peña is excited to cook in her new kitchen.

Baked rigatoni and zucchini that remind me of Jarrett and Joy.

A chef's salad that reminds me of the bounty of Harlem Grown.

And to honor my story, a dessert display with some of my Italian favorites-- baba au rhum, tiramisu, cannoli, chantilly al cioccolato, fruttino al lampone.

All reminiscent of what I used to serve at my very first restaurant.

Now that it's all ready, time to welcome the guests who are able to come.

>> Hello.

>> LIDIA: Well, welcome!

>> Thank you.

>> LIDIA: Welcome to Contento.

I took over your restaurant.

How's that?

>> I love it.

>> LIDIA: You like that, huh?

>> Oh, my God.

>> LIDIA: You're going to sit down and eat.

>> I love it.

>> LIDIA: Heidi, how are you doing?

Yannick and Heidi come from the Bronx.

So how do you like this?

I take over.

I got the food.

>> Yes.

>> LIDIA: You were responsible for the wine.

What did you choose?

>> So what I chose for you, because, you know, I know you're the maestro of Italian wines here in New York, but I decided to go a little bit, you know, off the beaten path.

I chose a Riesling from the South Island of New Zealand called Rippon.

>> LIDIA: I don't know much about New Zealand wine, so... >> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: I'm pleased.

I'm pleased.

You're going to... >> Crack it open and we're gonna make this happen.

>> LIDIA: Absolutely.

Okay, Heidi, go for it.

>> All right, just go around?

>> Yeah, just go around, yeah.

>> LIDIA: Yeah, go around.

Hi, Kristen.

Kristen flew up from North Carolina.

Nice to have you here.

>> Thank you.

>> LIDIA: For, for this wonderful meal.

George.

>> Hello there.

>> LIDIA: Welcome to your restaurant.

George, the co-owner of Contento, is also joining us.

Make yourself comfortable.

>> Thank you.

>> LIDIA: All right.

Welcome, welcome to Contento.

As well as Chef Oscar.

The chef of the Contento.

Today, you sit down.

No white coat.

>> Awesome.

>> LIDIA: Make yourself at home, and I'm going to mine.

All right.

How, how beautiful this table is.

For me, the sum of it all is at the table with friends and family and some sharing some good food.

This goes a little bit beyond.

I really want to thank you.

Thank you all very much.

And if I saw anybody face this adversity with tenacity and getting over and going on with life, it is you guys.

So thank you very much for sharing that.

Continue that strength, continue that eating and drinking, as well.

(laughing) All right?

And as we say in Italian, "Buon appetito, e tutti a tavola a mangiare."

Everybody to the table and eat, and also with a good glass of wine, salute.

Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> LIDIA: To all of us.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

♪ ♪ >> Thank you.

There you are.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: As I looked around the table, it felt very good, very simple, very happy.

We have a chopped salad.

Everybody... >> Well, I want to thank everybody for making this a glorious, glorious meal.

This was much needed.

It was an incredible, stressful time to have to open up a restaurant during COVID, but we did it together, collectively, friends and family.

I want to toast you, Chef, because you have had a deep and profound effect on me.

>> LIDIA: I felt so good being at that table.

So good seeing old friends, meeting new friends, people that had enormous adversities in life.

>> (laughing) >> LIDIA: I got to know about a lot of people, and their difficulties, and ultimately, how they move on and share it with others.

♪ ♪ For me to be there in a sense and acknowledge that and thank them for it was a special gift to me.

Okay.

>> Cheers, my friend.

>> LIDIA: Cheers.

Cheers.

Salute.

(glasses clinking) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ For recipes, video, behind- the-scenes photos, and more, go to pbs.org/lidia.

"Lidia Celebrates America: Overcoming the Odds" is available on Amazon Prime Video.

♪ ♪