(upbeat music) - Hey everyone, I'm Buki Elegbede and we are back for season two of "Table For All."

This season we are diving deeper into the rich cultures that make New Jersey and the Tri-State area so diverse.

And oh, the places we're gonna go.

A little Jamaican kick.

- Yeah, it's got a little kick.

(bright music) - Show me how to bust to a move, Nicaraguan style.

- Okay, here we go.

- We are turning up the volume on what we have always known, that everyone always has a seat at our table.

(bright music fades) - That guy is good.

That's Buki Elegbede who is host and executive producer of "Table For All."

Kicking off the second season on the great NJ PBS.

Buki, how you doing?

- I'm doing well Steve, how are you?

- I'm great, are you living the dream?

When you see that promo and I've watched so many of the, by the way checkout "Table For All" on NJ PBS.

When you're doing the show, you living the dream?

- I really am, I can't even deny it.

I can't even be, you know, shy about it.

When we're filming, when we're in the thick of it, we are literally living the dream.

And, you know, eating amazing food along the way.

- And, you know, for someone who has such a basic palette otherwise known as my wife says, "boring," I watch you and I'm thinking "he's got guts and he'll try anything."

And go back for a second, the creation of the series Buki, talk about it.

- Oh well so it's a little bit of a story.

I've always worked in television, I've always worked behind the scenes and on air doing other things.

And I took a job at NJ PBS and while I was working there just saw that there might be a little hole for something like this, so I pitched the idea to everyone who would listen and thankfully my wonderful Wizard of Oz, Joe Lee, loved the idea and green lit it, and here we are.

- And Joe Lee, the general manager at NJ PBS and also Buki, one of the contributors who books terrific guests for us, he was easy to book on our end because you're watching this show, you just you gotta love it.

Let me ask you this, I actually texted you the other day, 'cause I was going through some of the shows and I saw you at Giant Stadium for the tailgating.

How wild is the tailgating scene at Giant Stadium?

And then by the way, I think the next day I'm not sure when was it, the next week, you went to a Jets thing it wasn't tailgating it was inside.

It was much more fancy, let's say.

- Yeah that was the sweet life which I was born for.

But yeah, lemme tell you, those Giants fans they know how to party.

It was loud and chaotic and crazy.

And we wanted to start off the season with that episode because I mean, it really is a culmination of everything that we're talking about.

When you're a football fan, when you're a Jets fan, a Giants fan, they don't care where you come from, who you worship, what you're doing in the bedroom, as long as you're rooting for that team, you are family.

And that is a culture that we all can get behind.

- Have you always loved food?

- You know what's actually funny?

I like to cook more than I like to eat.

It's just something I've always grown up with.

I was always in the kitchen so I would rather cook than eat.

And I'm trying to lose all these COVID pounds from three years ago so I'm really trying to like not do it.

- By the way, no one's gonna buy that, but that's okay.

Food and culture make the connection.

- So, it's the reason why we started this show.

I mean food is a through-line of connection.

I mean, in Italy they're called zeppoles, but in Nigeria it's called puff-puff, it's all fried dough.

We all have a connection through food We all have a connection through food and it's a way to learn about each other.

I may not understand who you worship, I may not even understand your language, but I understand that your food is incredible.

And that's how we start building those bonds and bridges.

- And just to be clear, we're starting a series simply called "Food for Thought" about all different aspects of food in the state of New Jersey.

And Buki's program and NJ PBS is a big part of that.

Cultures you've covered, first of all, it says different countries and then it says football.

Football, philanthropy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Jewish food, Nigeria, West Indian.

Eclectic, I gotta ask you this, because I started out by telling how boring I am and my palate, are you ever reluctant to try something?

- No, I mean, I grew up in a Nigerian household and we were eating everything from chicken feet to cow foot, tripe, and people would, you know, they would yuck my yum.

So I love tripe, but a lot of people.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.

They would what?

- They would yuck my yum.

So if you like something and somebody doesn't really appreciate it you say, "don't yuck my yum, 'cause it's delicious to me."

So, I understand that it's delicious to you, so I'm not gonna yuck your yum.

So of course I'm gonna respect you enough to try it.

- I love it.

Hey, when you're out there with a great team and I know the team behind the scenes never gets enough credit but they're out there with you.

Some of the toughest challenges you face out there.

- The funny thing is that people wouldn't know this, but I eat a lot of cold food because we're trying to set up the shots and get the lights together and everything and by the time that all happens, the food is cold.

But we still have to shoot it anyway.

It's a lot of back and forth.

It's a lot of planning it takes to get into Giant Stadium to get and do these things.

And also too, we want to be as respectful as possible to people's traditions and cultures.

And we don't wanna encroach or we don't want anyone to feel like they're being used or anything like that.

So, I feel like those are the challenges.

To really balance the respect but to really also try to get the job done.

- How open are people?

I mean you obviously let people know beforehand.

But then it strikes me as I watch it that some of it's on the fly, some of it's happening in real time.

How receptive are people to you just going up and talking to them about their food?

- I mean, I feel like people are very receptive.

I mean, you know, that's our job.

We have to settle those walls and we have to really get the core of what it is and be approachable.

And it's more so if I'm open, they'll be open.

- What can we expect this season on "Table For All" on NJ PBS.

By the way, when is it shown?

So everybody knows.

- Wednesdays at 8:00 and you can also see it on NJPBS.com and your PBS app.

- By the way, we'll put up the website as we talk here.

What can we expect this season, Buki?

- You can expect a whole lot of fun, a whole lot of food, a whole lot of culture and learning.

My favorite part about this show is that a lot of people come up to me and say, "oh, I never knew that before, that's something I just found out."

So a lot of history.

We give you history, we give you culture we give you food and we give you understanding.

And we hope that it just opens up your heart a little bit more.

- Your confidence to be so bold, just go right up and do your thing and a series like this, which is so groundbreaking comes from where, your confident?

- That's a really good question because I was a very shy child.

I used to literally grab onto my mom and hold on for dear life.

I don't know, I just think when you find something that really is in line with who you are and it just flows, that the confidence comes.

- Yeah, hey Buki, you are a treasure to the public television family and I want make sure everybody checks out "Table For All" on NJ PBS.

We thank you very much.

And to Joe Lee and the team there and for signing off on the show second season as we speak.

Thank you Buki.

- Thank you Steve.

- Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Delta Dental of New Jersey.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

RWJBarnabas Health.

NJM Insurance Group.

PSEG Foundation.

The New Jersey Education Association.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

Prudential Financial.

And by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Promotional support provided by BestofNJ.com.

And by ROI-NJ.

Hey, kids, PBS Kids and Delta Dental want you to have a healthy smile.

So here are some tips for you to remember.

Number one, eat plenty of crunchy fruits and vegetables.

Number two, brush your teeth after eating sugary snacks or drinking sodas.

And number three, drink lots of water to wash away food particles.

When your teeth are happy, all of you is happy.

From PBS Kids and Delta Dental.

Have a healthy smile.