- [Michael] Tonight on "WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories," we're back in the kitchen with Johnny Spezzano.

He joins forces with Carolina Chuck to kick out flame-grilled pork chops and savory cornbread casserole.

Plus, June 5th is World Environment Day.

Discover how the city of Watertown commemorates this day.

And Christopher Citro's edgy poetry targets today's workforce.

Your stories, your region, coming up right now on "WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories."

(gentle inspirational music) - [Announcer] "WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories" is brought to you by... (gentle upbeat music) - [Narrator] When you're unable to see your primary care provider, the Carthage Walk-in Clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and healing close to home when you need it most.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Narrator] North Country Orthopaedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports-related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next-day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopaedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] We are the North Country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are, and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the North Country strong at claxtonhepburn.org today.

- [Announcer] And the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

Additional funding from the New York State Education Department.

- Good Tuesday evening, everyone, and welcome to this edition of "WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories."

I'm Michael Riecke.

If you missed Earth Day, then worry not, because World Environment Day is just around the corner.

We know trees provide oxygen, shade, and beauty to our communities, but many of us don't realize that there are even more benefits to trees.

We visit with Watertown city planner Michael DeMarco, whose love for trees is spreading roots across the entire community.

(gentle music) (birds chirping) - We don't just plant trees, but we maintain them.

- [Samantha] For city planner Michael DeMarco, urban forestry isn't just his job title, it's his passion.

- This is a really, really interesting tree.

This is ginkgo biloba.

- [Samantha] Not only can he identify these trees, he can tell you all kinds of fun facts.

- They look like little crab apples, and they smell like rotten Limburger cheese, okay?

- [Samantha] DeMarco's passion for trees is contagious, and it can really inspire others to be mindful of the beauty and importance of them.

- This is tulip trees, so around June, this tree will have these teacup-sized flowers.

Just really, really beautiful.

- Wow.

- Yeah, this is Osage orange.

Osage orange is from the Midwest, so you'll find this in Oklahoma.

- [Samantha] It's easy to overlook the trees we pass by every single day.

They give life to the city of Watertown in many ways.

But DeMarco says they have a huge impact on the city's water and storm drainage issues.

- Trees are a big help with the city's water quality issues that we're having.

They help to slow down stormwater from reaching our sewer systems and making their way to our treatment facility.

They collect stormwater on their leaves, twigs, and branches, and such, and trees equal water quality.

- [Samantha] It's a win-win benefit for the community.

Trees soak up and catch excess water from the sky, and their roots keep sediment from reaching streams and absorb nutrients that would otherwise pollute waterways.

And, in return, they grow and thrive in the moisture and nutrients.

- [Michael] We're always trying to educate our public on trees.

People like the arboretum.

It's an interesting way to learn about trees.

- [Samantha] The Downtown Arboretum aims to show residents and visitors the unique variety of trees located in the downtown area.

And anyone can stroll through to learn more about the history of these trees, and the impact they will continue to have for years to come.

- Look to my left, this is one of my favorites, this is dawn redwood.

There's over 38 species in our Downtown Arboretum, and around the year 2000, members of Tree Watertown said, "Hey, we have a unique thing here.

We have over 35 species of trees, over 100 different specimens.

So we should really highlight this and show people what we have here."

And so far it's been a success, we're getting requests for tours.

It's been pretty cool.

- It's been pretty cool.

- That's awesome.

- Arbor Day and the volunteer planting events that happen throughout the season, our community really has grown to expect it.

And I think there's nothing more rewarding as a volunteer than getting a chance to see what you do impact the community, and you can really see that with trees.

You can plant a tree, years later, "Wow."

Like, "Wow, you know, we did that."

So it's an amazing thing, especially when you can plant, you know, a few dozen trees all at one time and really make an impact.

- [Samantha] Volunteer planting events, like the Arbor Day celebration, happen throughout the seasons and bring the community together over their shared love of trees.

- We typically celebrate a person or a place and highlight the importance of either the individual or the space that we're celebrating.

But really it's a moment where the city of Watertown pauses and celebrates trees for all the great things that they do for us, and the way that they impact our community.

It's a real special day.

A really fun way that citizens can get involved, get their hands dirty, and make a difference in the community, is joining Friends of Thompson Park for their monthly, sometimes bimonthly, events at Thompson Park, where we're doing things like removing brush, doing cleanup.

And it's just a wonderful program, and we work toward a sustainable urban forest, and a resilient urban forest for the future.

- [Samantha] Whether it's Earth Day, Arbor Day, World Environment Day, or any day, residents can make a difference no matter the time of year.

In Watertown, for "WPBS Weekly," I'm Samantha Keeney.

- To get involved and plant your own tree, you can visit the Facebook page of Friends of Thompson Park or Tree Watertown.

Well, if you love pork chops and cornbread, you are in the right place.

Johnny Spezzano of The Border, joins forces with Carolina Chuck, of FX Caprara, to fire grill pork chops in the kitchen for a savory meal you can't deny.

This is an episode of "Johnny on Fire" you don't want to miss.

Take a look.

(gentle music) - Hey, come on!

(upbeat rock music) Welcome to "Johnny on Fire."

How you doing?

I'm Johnny Spezzano.

This is the 17th "Johnny on Fire" we've done.

And my guest is Carolina Chuck.

- What's happening?

- I don't know if you know Carolina Chuck, I'm gonna introduce him to you a little bit more, but he's a local fixture right now, a local car salesman.

And I said, "Chuck, we need a little southern attitude for 'Johnny on Fire.'"

- Yes, sir.

- So we're gonna make Carolina Chuck's cornbread casserole and pork chops.

- Let's do it.

- All right, so where are you from originally?

- I'm from South Carolina.

I was born in Columbia, but I spent most of my life right under Charlotte, North Carolina, so you can call me Carolina Chuck, it'll be good.

- All right, Carolina Chuck.

We like it, so here's what our ingredients are, let's go over these, obviously we've got our delicious pork shops.

- Oh yeah.

- Okay.

And we've got, what are these?

- Those are collard greens.

Now every southern meal you got to have the collard greens.

That's a staple of our, you know, traditions.

- All right, collard greens.

And then, we're gonna make this cornbread casserole.

So we got a box of Jiffy mix.

- Yes, sir.

- All right, what is this?

- That's cream style and whole kernel.

- Okay, cream style corn, whole kernel corn.

- Yep.

- Sour cream.

- Sour cream.

Some butter and cheese.

- Some butter and cheese.

You ready to get started?

- Yes, sir.

- All right, let's make Carolina Chuck's cornbread stuffing first.

All right, we'll move these pork chops to the side.

Have you ever cooked on fire before?

- I have not.

I'm pretty excited about it.

It is hot on my back, I like this.

- All right, good, we're gonna have some fun with this.

Now I've never been to the south.

I think Binghamton, does that, is Binghamton?

No, that doesn't count, I don't think Binghamton counts.

- Yeah, Binghamton doesn't count.

- But that's as far south as I've been.

So this cornbread stuffing sounds like it's gonna be awesome.

- It really is, 'cause to me, you know, cornbread's a big thing down there, but it's kind of boring.

You know, I wanted to excite it up.

So I started making it like this.

It makes it a little more juicy and gives it some flavor.

- So what are we gonna do first?

- We're gonna dump that in there.

- I'll let you do it.

- Yeah.

- All right, we're gonna open up.

Just rip it.

- Just rip it.

- We're just gonna open up this cornbread mix.

- It's Jiffy too.

- It's a Jiffy mix.

- Mhmm.

(package ripping) - [Johnny] There you go, buddy.

- [Chuck] All right, let's get that in there.

- [Johnny] Add it to our bowl.

Oh, we're gonna do half or the whole box?

- [Chuck] No, we're doing the whole box.

- Whole box.

- I usually double it up 'cause I got a big family, but we're gonna keep it simple this time.

- All right, what's next, Chuck?

- All right, so we can start with the corn.

- Okay, just canned corn.

- Yep.

- [Johnny] Everybody's got it in their pantry at home.

- [Chuck] Yep, get that in there.

- [Johnny] Chuck, did you bring along some sweet tea?

- Oh, you know it?

- [Johnny] All right, we're gonna have some sweet tea later.

- I would've made it on the show, but my wife, Christie Joe, makes the best sweet tea I've ever had in my life.

- Hi, Christie Joe.

Say hi to Christie Joe.

So that's creamed corn?

- That's cream-style corn.

- Cream-style corn.

- Sweet cream style.

- Okay.

- I like my stuff sweet.

- All right.

- And we're gonna put all this, this is the sour cream.

- All right, it's about a cup, cup and a half sour cream.

So one can of the corn, one can of the creamed corn, cup and a half of sour cream, and a box of Jiffy mix if you wanna make this at home, okay?

All right, Chuck, you don't have to be dainty and a southern gentleman here.

- [Chuck] I wanna clean it up a little bit for you.

- Just get it out there.

We're gonna stir it?

- Yep.

- All right.

All right, actually, I got this a spoon right here.

I wanna use this one.

So we're gonna mix this all together?

- Mhmm.

- All right, I love it.

(bowl knocking) Ooh, look at that come together.

- Yeah, its fun.

- It makes like a batter.

- [Chuck] It's fun to make, yeah.

- All right, so because we're doing this in the wood-fire oven, we thought it would be good to throw it in some cast iron.

So what I'm gonna have you do, Chuck, I'm gonna have you prep the cast iron with a stick of butter.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause butter makes everything better.

- Yes, sir.

(Johnny laughs) - [Johnny] Ah, this smells really good.

Give it a couple of quick whips.

(spoon knocking) - About ready for me.

Let's get rid of that.

- Chuck, he's such a gentleman.

Me, I just get in and just mess everything up.

Look at this.

- Look at that.

- Just get it right in there, okay.

We'll just throw that to the side.

We're gonna add this right in here?

- Yep.

- Okay, okay.

Dude, this looks good.

I have never made anything like this before.

- [Chuck] Just wait until it's done, you're gonna be blown away.

- Ooh, look at that.

Flatten 'er down, Chuck?

- Yes, sir, flatten it down.

- That looks good.

All right, what are we gonna do now?

- All right, so typically in a oven, it takes about 45 minutes for it to be done.

But this thing's pretty hot, so what we're gonna do is stick it in there and wait until it kind of rises up and it's crispy brown on top.

And then, we're gonna add a little cheese to it.

- All right, sounds good.

So we're gonna put this in the wood-fire oven.

(upbeat music) So we added a little cheese to the top of the casserole.

- Yes, sir.

It's cooking quick, so we're gonna have to grab it out of there.

- Yeah, we're gonna grab this Carolina Chuck cornbread casserole right now.

Bring it out, Bob, and take a look.

Ooh.

- Ooh, we.

Ooh, that's money there.

- That looks real good.

It smells amazing too!

So easy, bro!

- Yeah, very easy.

- So easy, people north of Binghamton don't make this.

- Yeah.

- I like it.

All right, now let's get our pork chops ready.

I'm just gonna move this out of the way 'cause it's gonna be a little hot.

We'll let it rest, okay, right there.

All right, now we're gonna add some salt and pepper to these.

All right, so that's what I'm gonna have you do right now, okay?

- Mhmm.

- And while you're doing that, I'm gonna get our little cast-iron Tuscan grill ready back here, 'cause we want a good sear.

So what do you think about living here in the North Country?

I mean, it's a lot different than the Carolinas.

- It is, and the food is different, but, I mean, hey, the pizza's gourmet around here.

- You like the pizza here?

- Yeah, heck yeah.

I've been eating, what I would call, fast food pizza my whole life, until I came up here.

- You eating the real stuff now.

- Yes, sir.

- So we're gonna just salt and pepper up these pork chops nice.

- [Chuck] That's all you need is salt and pepper.

- All right, we'll give 'em a little flip and do it again.

(shaker clicking) Little more sea salt, great.

Okay, now we're ready to sear 'em up.

(upbeat music) All right, hey, pork chops are ready to come out.

All right, so.

(pork chops sizzling) Ooh.

(pork chops sizzling) - Wow.

- They look good, bro.

- Yes, sir.

- Can't wait.

Now we're gonna throw our collard greens in, okay?

- Yes sir, we gotta get them in.

- All right, you get those ready, and we'll just push this right back here like that, and we'll just slide 'em right in.

(upbeat music) Oh, you know it's time for some sweet tea.

Where'd this come from?

- Listen, my wife earned my last name by making this sweet tea right here, this is some good sweet tea.

- All right.

What makes a good sweet tea?

- A lot of sugar.

(Johnny and Chuck laughing) - Is it honey or sugar?

- It's sugar.

- It's sugar.

- It's sugar, sugar.

- Sugar, sugar.

All right.

- Try that out.

- Okay.

That's good.

That's real good, Chuck.

I never had sweet tea like that before.

That's real good.

- Yes, sir.

- So how did you end up in the North Country?

- Well, like I was talking about my wife, she's from up here.

- Okay.

- Her dad is first cousins with Billy and Charlie Caprara.

- Oh, great people.

- Yeah.

And, basically, I came up here on a summer vacation and talked to Billy.

I was kind of in between jobs, kind of.

I mean, I was working, but I wasn't making the money I was used to.

And came up here and they said, "Hey, we'll put you on the sales floor."

And I've been a sales guy my whole life, so they put me on the sales floor.

They said, "You sound different, so let's put you on the radio."

That's when I ran into you.

- Yeah, we put you on the radio and people went crazy.

Give me an example of what people have done since they've heard your radio ads.

- Man, I'm gonna tell you, I've signed my first autograph.

That was pretty wild.

(Johnny and Chuck laughing) I'm coming up with Stump Jumper T-shirts, by the way.

- He's got a couple of slang terms about pickup trucks.

What do you call 'em?

- Stump Jumpers.

- Right, and you always reference sweet tea.

- Yeah, I always reference the sweet tea.

I mean, that's a staple.

- I'm working up a thirst in front of this fire.

I'll tell you what, Chuck, these pork chops look good, and this Carolina Chuck cornbread casserole looks amazing.

- It does.

- You wanna dish it up?

- I'm ready.

- Okay.

Now our collard greens should be ready back there.

So I don't want you to burn yourself, but here's a mitt.

Pull 'em out, okay, just grab 'em and set 'em right here.

I'll get us some plates.

I'll get us some plates here.

All right.

Yeah, right there is fine.

Woo, mmm, smells good.

- Yes, sir.

- All right, so let's dish.

Again, we checked the temperature on the pork chops, so we're good to go.

- Mhmm.

- Okay.

One for you, one for me.

All right, wanna dish up the casserole?

- Yeah.

- All right.

Yeah, try to, there you go.

- Oh, wow, look at that.

- Like a pie almost.

- Like a pie.

- Look at that.

- Oh.

And it's supposed to be a little creamy, right?

'Cause you've got your corn, look at that.

- Look at that.

- Oh.

- Yeah, see, I always thought my mom's cornbread, now she's gon' see this, but I always thought it was a little dry, so that's why I started making the cornbread casserole, 'cause I like mine a little creamy like this.

- I see you took more.

- Yeah.

- All right, that's okay.

- I'm bigger than you.

(Johnny and Chuck laughing) - All right, that looks really good.

Now some collard greens.

- Yep.

- Now do we need applesauce?

- Yeah, man, applesauce goes good with everything.

- I don't have any applesauce.

- Well, you said you had it.

(Johnny laughs) - All right, so some greens, some for you.

That enough?

- Oh yeah.

- [Johnny] You don't get this that often up here, right?

- Nope, I had to go to two stores to find it.

- Fork, knife.

Okay, here we go.

This is Carolina Chuck's cornbread casserole.

So easy to make, you can make it at home.

And I'm gonna take my first bite, I've never had this before in my life.

Here we go.

That... - That's pretty good.

- I'm gonna make that with every meal now.

- Mhmm.

- That is so delicious!

- That's really good.

- So delicious.

We're gonna dig into these pork chops too.

Thank you so much for being a part of this today, Carolina Chuck.

- Yeah, thank you.

- Bringing a little southern experience, a little sweet tea to our lives.

- Yes, sir.

- And you can find Carolina Chuck, you've started a podcast.

- Yep.

And I'm doing a lot of Facebook, I'm on TikTok, and gonna be all over the podcast.

- All right, and he recently was in the Battle of the Badges boxing event.

- Yes, sir.

- And how was that?

- That was awesome.

Anything I can do to get out there and in front of the local people and meet people- - Be part of the community?

- Yeah.

- I love that, Carolina Chuck.

This is good, all right, I'm gonna try the pork chops, but thank you so much for tuning in.

Another great episode of "Johnny on Fire."

You can, of course, find my podcast and listen to me on the radio on The Border 106.7.

And don't forget all the episodes are online at wpbstv.org.

We'll see you next time, let's try this pork chop.

- Yeah, let's try that one.

- That's perfect.

Woo, okay.

Mm, so good, wood fired good, collard greens.

Should we put anything on the collard greens?

- No, let's roll with 'em.

- All right.

(upbeat music) Oh, excellent, a little southern living.

Thanks a lot for joining us, and thanks for cooking with fire.

See you next time.

(upbeat music) Bro, I can't believe how good this is.

- It's good, ain't it?

- It's sweet, it's delicious.

It's a little bit like dessert.

- [Chuck] It is a little bit like dessert.

- [Johnny] Mm, and that cheese on the top, so good.

- Crisp it up.

- If you're looking for more great fire-grilled recipes from Johnny, visit wpbstv.org and scroll through our library.

Also, if you'd like to be a guest on the segment, drop us an email at WPBSweekly@wpbstv.org.

Make sure you include your name and fire-grilled recipe idea.

Well, we wrap up this evening with a bit of local poetry.

Allow us to introduce you to Christopher Citro, a central New York resident with a different poetic edge.

Here he is with his, and you're gonna love this title, "You Can Keep Your Employee of the Month Award."

(gentle music) - Hi, my name's Christopher Citro, and I'd like to read you a poem.

This poem is from my second book, "If We Had a Lemon, We'd Throw It and Call That the Sun."

This is a work poem.

I had a job a few years ago in Syracuse.

I don't have that job anymore, but I do have this poem.

It's called "You Can Keep Your Employee of the Month Award."

"I need to work out a way to keep my rowboat with me, even at work.

Double the amount of productivity you expect me to crank out.

Sure, if I can do it standing in my rowboat, looking off into the distance for a heron nest inside the cottonwoods.

Am I working quickly enough?

Let me know when you get the chance.

I'll be floating along the shore watching midges form new constellations against a sky so blue, it makes your eyes squeak.

I'm going to have to clock in at the start of my day, and clock out before leaving.

Just make sure the button can be operated by one end of an oar with me holding onto the other, leaning out of, but still firmly seated in, my rowboat.

Dreaming of Lime Trees is the name I've just decided my boat will be called.

I'm probably 1,000 miles from the nearest lime tree, but the sparkling water I just sipped is lime flavored, and that got me thinking, 'You'd never accept that sort of nonlinear thinking from an employee,' but I did it on my break, paddling out toward the open water, enjoying my muscles, waking up inside my shirt.

The tang of fresh air forcing its way into my nostrils.

In 15 minutes, I'll be back.

I know you find that hard to believe, at my desk, in my chair, at my computer, with my eyes doing what you pay me to have them do, I will.

And when I wobble a little, it's because a rowboat in an office is going to wobble a little."

- Before we wrap things up tonight, here's a look at what's happening in your community on both sides of the border.

(gentle music) (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music ending) That does it for this Tuesday night.

We take a break next week so we can come to you and ask for your financial support, your membership dollars help keep your favorite programs on WPBS TV.

Join us in two weeks for a fresh look inside the stories.

Producer Luke Smith, sits down with local children's author Laura Lavoie.

Discover how her ideas are born and how puns are a big part of her work.

And discover the Q Center at ACR Health offering a safe space and support for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Plus, we take you into the spontaneous world of improv theater.

Discover how Improv Kingston shows people, of all ages, how to act on the fly.

Meantime, if you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we'd love to learn more.

Drop us an email at WPBSweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for tonight, everyone.

We hope to see you real soon.

Have a great night, take care.

(gentle bright music) - [Announcer] "WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories" is brought to you by... (gentle upbeat music) - [Narrator] When you're unable to see your primary care provider, the Carthage Walk-in Clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and healing close to home when you need it most.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Narrator] North Country Orthopaedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports-related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next-day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopaedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] We are the North Country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are, and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the North Country strong at claxtonhepburn.org today.

- [Announcer] And the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

Additional funding from the New York State Education Department.

- "Am I working quickly enough?

Let me when you get the chance.

I'll be floating along the shore watching midges form new constellations against a sky so blue, it make your eyes squeak.

I'm going to have to clock in at the start of my day."

(gentle music)