Chocolate Factories, French Food and Friends: You Can Go Home!

The Hidden Power of Everyday Food Rituals to Connect Family, Friends, and Colleagues

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Sylvia Lovely turns interviewer and invites Nancy May to reflect on and share her experiences in going home to New York and Connecticut. The interview turns into a food story about going home and finding new friends, while creating new memories and connections

Through treats (think chocolate) and meals shared with colleagues, long-time friends, and family, the conversation explores how shared meals create continuity between past and present—bridging professional spaces, personal history, and the comfort in knowing "you can go home" after all.

From a meeting in a New York chocolate factory with new collaborators, to a French dinner with a childhood friend, and tea with a mentor celebrating her 90th birthday, each experience and story illustrates how food serves as both anchor and bridge. Whether through the aroma of smoked mushroom risotto, the aroma of handmade chocolate, or the simplicity of a perfectly seasoned burger, each moments shared is is done so to help remind you that food and stories can awaken our senses and enrich every moment of your day.

Throughout the episode, Nancy and Sylvia share how awareness enhances connection—how important it is to slow down to notice the sounds, really taste the flavors (even of the day) and truly listen to the rhythm of conversation. Chance encounters can also transform the simplest moment of shopping into a new friendship and lasting memory.

As Nancy revisits the familiar towns of Connecticut, some she shares with her host, who had never experienced the region of New Preston, CT, from her new home base in Florida, she shares how the food shared throughout her trip enhanced every food becomes a way to re-engage with both past identity and present relationships.

This discussion underscores a central idea: food stories are professional, personal, and historical connectors. They link the boardroom (from her speaking event) to the kitchen table, the old neighborhood to new beginnings, and the act of eating to the art of listening.

Key takeaways:

• Food can strengthen even professional relationships: business and professional relationships are strengthened with a surprise introduction to the Moderne Chocolate factory and an introduction the founder, Joan Coukous and her husband, in New York City.
• Pay attention to the sensory details with each experience. From the smell of chocolate (in this episode example) to the rich taste of smoked mushroom risotto, at La Rivage, and a reconnection with a childhood friend. The episode highlights how sensory awareness transforms food from the action of eating into an act of mindfulness
• Food stories preserve legacy and strengthen belonging: Through recipes like syrup cake or transparent pie, hear how personal family food stories reinforce our understanding of family and friends.

🎧 Listen now at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com — and in the kitchen with family and friends again - and, remember that every meal tells a story, and every story is a feast!.

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Episode Links:

• Modern Chocolate
• Thorncrest Farm Milk House Chocolates
• Le Riage NYC
• Thai restaurant Georgetown CT Bannock Thai
• New Preston, CT
• New Preston Cafe: The Smithy Cafe at Nine Main.

About Your Award-Winning Hosts: Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely are the powerhouse team behind Family Tree, Food & Stories, a member of The Food Stories Media Network, which celebrates the rich traditions and connections everyone has around food, friends, and family meals. Nancy, an award-winning business leader, author, and podcaster, and Sylvia, a visionary author, lawyer, and former CEO, combine their expertise to bring captivating stories rooted in history, heritage, and food. Together, they weave stories that blend history, tradition, and the love of food, where generations connect and share intriguing mealtime stories and kitchen foibles.

"Every Meal Has a Story and Every Story is a Feast." (tm) is a trademark of Family Tree Food & Stories podcast and the hosts.

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