"Maria's Portuguese Table," season two, has been provided by Rhode Island PBS Foundation.

Rhode Island PBS, engaging viewers of all ages since 1967.

- [Announcer] "Maria's Portuguese Table" is made possible by the generous sponsorship of BayCoast Bank, providing services and financial solutions for the people and businesses of Southern New England since 1851.

(cheerful music) - [Announcer] Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table," season two, has been provided by... (cheerful music continues) (upbeat music begins) - [Maria] On today's edition of "Maria's Portuguese Table," we explore my hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, home to one of the largest fishing fleets in North America.

I will get to learn more about the seafood industry and make a dish with the freshest scallops you've ever seen.

- [Chef] This is as fresh as it's gonna get.

- Also, we explore our Portuguese roots on the South Coast by exploring the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

I did not know all of this existed right here.

Then we get an inside look at America's largest Portuguese feast, just days before the festivities begin.

Literally a feast for the whole family.

- It is.

- It is.

- [Maria] All this and more on "Maria's Portuguese Table."

(cheerful upbeat music begins) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ (relaxing instrumental music) - [Maria] New Bedford, Massachusetts was home to the Native American people known as the Wampanoags.

In 1652, the English Colonists bought the land from the Natives where Martindale, New Bedford now stands.

The harbor spills out to Buzzards Bay, which gives way to the Atlantic and to one of the best fishing grounds in the world.

The families tied to the fishing community go back generations, and the industry is still much the fabric of the community.

The Whaling City Seafood Display Auction is where buyers go to purchase the freshest seafood on the market.

It was started by Cassie Canastra's father and uncle to allow the fisherman to get a fair price of their hard-earned catch.

Today, Cassie runs most of the day-to-day operation, and she is kind enough to show us around.

- This is actually the start of our day.

- Oh!

- So once the auction happens in the morning, everything comes out of the cooler that's been sold, and I gear up to unload for the next day's auction.

But through the course of the whole night, all night long we're unloading boats.

- So all of this becomes filled?

- Yes.

- [Maria] A typical scallop boat can haul anywhere between 15 to 40,000 pounds of product to market.

The auction allows the fishermen to get the most for their catch.

How did you get started in all this?

- So my dad was a scalloper back in the '80s, and he at the time was kind of really sick and tired of unloading his product and not having a fair market.

He went to one off-loader and they took the entire trip.

So it's a display auction so all the product is on display.

So in theory, if your product is great, it should speak for itself.

You get the fair market value.

- [Maria] Cassie's father was not too keen on his daughter getting into the industry.

But unlike him, Cassie grew up in the industry.

It's in her blood.

And with the determination, she positioned herself right in the middle of the family business.

- [Cassie] My dad didn't really want me to be involved.

- [Maria] He didn't?

- No.

There's not many women in the industry, so I don't think he could see how that would work, but I kinda weaseled my way in there and said, "You know what?

I wanna take over the business.

I've been passionate about it."

I'm proud of my dad and what he did, what he started.

- [Maria] Yes!

- And what I hope to continue.

So I don't have a boat unloading right now, but I do have a boat I've arranged to come here.

- [Maria] Oh!

- For you to go on.

It's a scallop boat.

- I've never been on a boat.

- Whoa!

You're gonna go on the boat.

- Okay.

I'm gonna go on the boat.

All right.

We head to the dock just in time to see a scallop boat pull up, and what a vessel!

Up close, these boats are huge and very intimidating and Cassie was determined to get me on board.

I'm not going on the boat?

- Oh, you're going on the boat.

- I am not going on the boat.

No.

- You have to.

How else are you gonna meet the captain?

- Oh my God!

I am not going on the boat.

You do know I don't know how to swim.

- I'm not asking you to swim.

(Maria laughs cheerfully) - [Maria] Despite growing up in New Bedford, I've never been on a commercial fishing boat.

But Captain Rui was kind enough to show me around.

- You wanna see the boat?

- I'd love to see the boat.

- Let's go.

- Okay.

- We'll start inside and work our way up.

All right, Maria, come on in!

- Oh!

And this is the kitchen!

- This is the kitchen.

- [Maria] For the time that you're out there, how many people are on the boat with you?

- [Rui] Seven, including myself.

- Okay.

And then everyone takes a turn cooking?

Or?

- No.

You're looking at him.

- Oh!

(laughs) But what do you make?

What's your specialty?

- My favorite is a Portuguese steak, I'm not gonna lie, when it has to have an egg on top.

- Oh, nice.

And then where do you eat?

- Let's check out the dining area.

- [Maria] Oh and this is the dining area?

- This is it.

Like, this is beautiful.

The boat's not moving.

- No.

- That's why we have this.

- Yeah.

- So nothing goes flying.

When you're eating, and this is my place to eat.

- Yeah.

- And I'm eating and I can't see what's going on, and the boat takes a roll, this is what happens.

(plate scrapes) - Oh!

(laughs) Our tour takes us to the most important room on board, the wheelhouse.

Oh, I like this place.

I like it up here.

And does that really work?

- Yes.

- It does?

- Yes.

Go ahead.

Turn it.

- [Maria] You always feel like, you know?

- [Rui] You're turning that helm.

Go ahead.

- Oh!

- [Rui] See the numbers?

- Oh, yes.

Yes, yes, yes!

- You're turning, - When Rui is not being the captain or sleeping or cooking, you can find him shucking scallops, just like the other crew members.

So this is where you do the shucking?

- This is where I do the shucking.

The scallops come here, I grab my knife.

(cheerful music begins) - [Maria] Yeah.

- [Rui] And I just cut into a bucket.

And on a good day, you see me like this, working like this.

On a bad day, we have seat belts.

- Oh my goodness!

- [Rui] Check this out.

(belt clangs) - [Maria] So that you stay in place!

(Maria gasps) - [Rui] Maria, I'm not going anywhere.

- Oh wow!

I knew I wouldn't escape this boat without having to do some type of chore, and Rui has just the assignment for me.

- So the ball line is actually very important when we're tying up.

When the wind direction is not favorable.

- Yeah?

- The wind will grab the boat and spin her around really fast.

- [Maria] Oh my!

- So whoever has this job, has a very important job.

You're gonna do that job for us.

- I'm gonna do this?

(laughs) - Yes, you are.

It's gonna be like a lasso cowboy.

- Las!

(laughs) Lasso cowboy?

- [Rui] You're gonna give yourself- - [Cassie] Don't get tied into it.

- Yeah, I was like, "Oh!"

- You're gonna give yourself a lot of room.

- Okay.

- [Rui] Two, three turns, you're gonna come on this side.

- Yeah?

- And you're just going to throw it over.

(rope clangs) - [Maria] Oh!

- [Rui] Don't worry.

It's only the ocean.

- Don't worry?

- And then as soon as he puts it on the cleat, make sure that it's good.

You're gonna wrap it.

- Oh, I have to wrap it too?

- Yes.

- [Maria] Oh my God.

- You're gonna look at the captain and go, "It's on."

(Cassie and Maria laugh) And then when he gives you the okay.

- Yeah?

- You're gonna coil it.

Here you go, Maria.

- Okay.

- [Rui] It's all yours.

- It's all mine now?

(laughs) - All yours.

- Good!

- [Rui] Good luck.

- All right!

- Now you're gonna pull it all in.

- I'm gonna pull it all in.

- Two, three turns.

Put the rope on your right hand.

- Okay.

- And just go, "Here you go.

Take it.

It's all yours."

- Okay.

- On three.

One, two... - It's coming for you.

- Three.

Go, Maria, you can do it!

(Maria screams) Good job!

Good job.

- Yes!

(laughs) - Okay.

Finish it.

Tying it.

- Oh, oh!

- Tie it.

Pull it in, Maria.

Pull it in!

- [Maria] Oh, oh, oh, oh.

- Crisscrossed.

Yep.

Over.

Yeah.

Under.

Yep.

Hey, good job!

There you go.

Captain's proud of you.

- [Maria] Thank you, Captain.

- You passed the test.

- [Maria] I passed the test.

Thank you.

- Good job!

- I was okay?

Yeah?

(Cassie and Rui clapping) - You did it, Maria.

Good job.

- Oh!

(relaxing music begins) My time on board the Elizabeth & Niki was fascinating.

It thrills me to see third generation Portuguese fishermen continuing the tradition that put New Bedford on the map.

These brave seamen head out to the harbor into unforgiving waters of the Atlantic, to provide a living for their family and bring scallops to the world market.

It's a dangerous way of life and to families like Rui, it's the only way of life.

(relaxing music continues) With my feet finally back on dry land, it's time to quit talking about scallops and it's time to cook some.

To do that, we head to Cassie's family kitchen, where I get to learn a simple but delicious way to prepare scallops.

Cassie is going to show me how she makes her scallops.

- Scallops.

(laughs) - Scallops!

I know, I keep messing that up.

I keep messing it up.

First thing first, get the scallops washed and dried.

- Because scallops are mostly moisture.

- Yeah?

- When you cook them, you do not want them to be wet because it's just gonna fill the pan with water and you're not gonna get that sear you want.

You want them to be as dry as possible.

- [Maria] Okay.

- So we're gonna pat dry them.

- Our ingredients for this recipe are simple.

Start with some butter and garlic, a little rosemary, some fresh scallops, and start searing them.

The best recipes are quick and simple.

- And you wanna taste the scallop.

You wanna enjoy it.

- You want to, yes.

- I mean, I like a scallop casserole.

That's how my mom likes to make it.

- I do like that too.

I do like that.

- But I think this is the best way to really like appreciate the scallop and the taste.

- [Maria] I'm surprised to find out that Cassie doesn't come from a multiple generation of fishing family.

It was her father and uncle that were drawn to the lifestyle, and they carved out so much more for their families.

- My dad just decided to go fishing to make a living, and that's how he got into it.

So we don't come from a fishing family.

- I figured, oh, your grandparents.

- Nope!

- I think just being in this area, you know, that's the biggest industry so a lot of times people just got involved.

- He knew he'd make money, and that's kinda how we started.

- But that is the Portuguese American success story.

- Right.

(butter sizzling) - Simple, simple, simple.

That is all I can say about this way of preparing scallops.

Oh my goodness.

All I can smell is the butter and the rosemary.

- [Kyler] And the rosemary.

- Every scallop with a little bit of that butter, garlic, we already put in there.

- Oh, that's beautiful.

(laughs) - This won't be long on the other side.

These are quite... - [Maria] Oh yeah.

- [Cassie] There.

- [Maria] Look how beautiful that is.

- Yep.

- [Maria] Nice.

- I'd say we are good to go.

- Very nice!

All right, I'm going for this little one right here.

- Perfect.

That's a good one.

- A good one.

Oh, it's amazing.

- [Cassie] Mm-hmm.

- Oh, and of course I can taste all the butter, the garlic.

- [Cassie] Yep.

- And the rosemary right at the end.

- [Cassie] Right.

- Amazing.

- It's nice and crispy too.

- Yeah, and crispy on the sides, isn't it?

- [Cassie] Mm-hmm.

- [Kyler] Oh yeah.

(laughs) - It really is one of the best scallop dishes I've ever had.

Yeah, no, it's fantastic.

- I figured I had to get this down as the Scallop Queen.

If I couldn't cook a scallop I'd be in trouble.

- [Maria] Oh, this is truly the best.

(gentle instrumental music) During the early 19th century, New Bedford was one of the world's most important whaling ports and made it one of the wealthiest cities per capita.

The rise of the whaling industry also attracted immigrants to the South coast, especially Portuguese sailors and fishermen looking to earn a living on these whaling vessels.

To learn more about this connection, I head to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

- [Paulina] Maria!

- Paulina!

(speaking in foreign language) Welcome to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

- Thank you for having me.

- [Paulina] Pleasure to have you here.

- This is quite impressive, isn't it?

- [Paulina] It is.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum ignites learning through the experience of history, which is history of the whaling and of the South Coast.

We have science now, science related to whales.

We have culture because we are interest of the people of the South Coast.

And art.

- [Maria] The connection between the Portuguese and New Bedford began in the 1880s with the whaling industry.

As the whaling ships would leave Buzzards Bay, the winds and currents would take them to the Azores, where they would resupply and bring on new crew members.

For many of these Portuguese immigrants, it was a chance at a better life.

- There was a lot of poverty.

People were looking for opportunity.

They had families, families to feed, and America is right here.

- [Maria] The Azorian Whalemen's Gallery is a very special part of this museum, and it tells the story of not only the Azorian Whaler, but it also is the story of the rise of the Portuguese community here in the South Coast.

- The reason that this whole story began of connection between New Bedford and the Azores is because of the whaling industry.

So from 1824 through 1925, there were 363 voyages that were captained by either Portuguese or Portuguese Americans.

The ship owners wanted these men on their ships because they knew how to sail, and they worked very, very hard.

- The centerpiece of the Whaling Museum is the half scale model whaling ship, and Paulina is kind enough to take me on board.

You get a sense of what life would've been like for the captain and his crew on board of these ships.

You know what really blows my mind is that they would bring not only their wives, but their children.

- [Paulina] They would.

Some of them would bring.

- In a very dangerous spot for everyone in there.

- Imagine they would have these whales tied to the side of the boat while they were processing the whales, and it would take days.

It was a hard life and people did it because they could make a lot of money.

- [Maria] Oh yeah.

- [Paulina] And you can make a fortune- - [Maria] You could make a fortune.

- [Paulina] In one trip, or you can lose everything.

- [Maria] I timed my visit to the museum perfectly because during my time there, a very special art collection was on display in an American museum for the very first time.

- Well, I have a treat for you.

I'd like to bring you into an exhibit about the most famous of all the Azorian painters.

- [Maria] Yeah?

- [Curator] Domingos Rebelo.

In fact, we have, I think, 54 pieces all from private collections that were brought here by his grandson, George.

- I am completely humbled to be in the same room with the artwork of, hands-down, the most famous of all Azorian artists.

To be able to stand so close to some of his best work is a magical experience.

The Whaling Museum was a wonderful experience and now I am ready to explore a little more of New Bedford.

The historic district is as quaint as you can get, cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and roads that all lead to the famed New Bedford Harbor.

But if it's something good to eat, or if it's that time for an espresso, there's only one place to go.

Hey honey, how are you?

- Good.

How are you?

- Oh, sweetheart.

We're gonna have fun in the kitchen.

We're cooking together.

- Yes.

We're gonna be making Bob's favorite.

- Oh!

- The bacalhau a bras.

- Perfect.

Well, that means I have to make it more.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- For him now, doesn't it?

Okay.

All right.

Hey, I'm ready.

(gentle cheerful music) The bacalhau a bras at Tia Maria's European Cafe is not only my husband Bob's favorite recipe, it is a recipe handed down to Jessica from her mother, and I'm excited to learn how to make it.

- Everyone makes it differently.

- [Maria] Yes.

- This is how we make it.

And this is one of our best sellers.

So we have the bacalhau, so it's salted cod, one large onion, three eggs.

We use parsley and then we also put in white pepper.

And then we also work with Portuguese- - [Maria] Olive oil?

- Olive oil.

Before you came, I actually took a moment to fry the potatoes.

- Oh!

Okay.

- So we thinly fry the potatoes where that's where we're gonna mix everything together.

We can get started.

I'm gonna- - [Maria] Yeah, yeah!

Let me go.

- All right.

So we wanna keep the heat at a low temperature.

- Yep!

- You're gonna be adding olive oil and you're gonna cover the whole base of the pan.

So that's good.

- [Maria] This is great.

- [Jessica] So we're letting the oil warm up.

- [Maria] Yep.

- So next we're gonna actually add in the onion.

- [Maria] Oh, okay!

- And then we're just gonna be stirring it.

And the onion gives it such good flavor.

Onion, garlic.

- Yeah.

I mean, all of those flavors are just the star of every Portuguese dish, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- It's olive oil, it's onions, it's garlic, and then everything else, you know?

- So the codfish, you wanna just stir it in?

- [Maria] All right.

- [Jessica] I can drop it for you.

- [Maria] Perfect.

- And you're just gonna mix it all together.

- [Maria] This is beautiful.

- So while that is cooking, we're actually gonna prepare our eggs.

(spoon scraping) And then we're going to work in parsley.

And then we're also going to add white pepper to that.

- [Maria] Okay.

- So now we're gonna add our potatoes to the cod fish.

- [Maria] To that?

- [Jessica] Yep!

- Okay.

- And we're gonna mix it.

- [Maria] Beautiful.

Wow.

- [Jessica] So you just wanna mix it all together.

- Okay.

Jessica guides me along on how to make one of their best selling dishes, and I'm doing my best not to make a mess and I am failing.

I'm making a mess here.

- It's okay.

A few more stirs.

- [Maria] Oh!

Oh my God.

- [Jessica] It's okay.

- Sorry guys.

I'm really making a mess.

(Jessica laughs cheerfully) Once the garlic goes in a pan, that's it.

Game over.

It just smells so great.

- It does.

And tastes good.

(laughs) - And tastes amazing.

Yes.

This meal is truly an authentic Portuguese dish.

Something you would see wherever there are Portuguese people.

- It's a nice traditional Portuguese dinner.

- [Maria] Yeah.

- You'll find this at most Portuguese restaurants, especially in the mainland.

- [Maria] Yep.

- [Jessica] And even in the islands.

- [Maria] As I put the final garnishes of parsley and peppers, Jessica informs me that we aren't just making this for us.

We actually have special guests, very special guests waiting for this meal.

There it is!

- Yeah.

- Wow!

This is wonderful.

We're gonna serve?

- We're gonna serve it to my mom and dad.

- [Maria] Oh.

- [Jessica] They're the ones that taught me, so let's see if we pass the taste test.

- Oh!

(laughs) And there.

- Looks beautiful.

- Beautiful?

Oh, thank you.

- Yeah, looks nice.

- Looks nice?

- I hope so I like.

- You hope you like it?

I hope so too!

I'm so nervous as they plate their dishes, just waiting to hear what they think.

(somber music) Did we do okay?

- Yeah.

- [Maria] We did?

- Very nice.

- [Maria] Oh good!

- Oh, okay!

At first I wasn't sure.

- Yeah, 'cause they were being very quiet.

- Thank you, Maria.

- [Maria] Oh, thank you.

- You do a good job.

- Oh!

Thank you.

I love how the freshness of everything in it, the onions, the garlic, you can taste the garlic.

And then of course the parsley on top of it.

You think it's just for making it look pretty, but it actually puts a whole freshness into the dish that's really wonderful.

- Yeah, adds flavor.

- And then the olive oil, you can taste that.

It's all good.

It's so good.

How proud are you?

(Jessica laughs) - I think I'm enjoying my best time in my life.

- Oh!

- Right now.

Because I see my daughter care about this business.

- [Maria] Yes.

- In the restaurant.

- Yeah.

- I see it.

She's got a success in the business.

- That's right.

- That's why I'm very happy.

Plus- - Oh!

He didn't think this was gonna work.

- Have the baby too.

- That's right!

You have the baby too.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- That's my favorite time of my life, I think it's right now.

- Oh, how wonderful.

There is a reason why this dish is so popular at Tia Maria's European Cafe, a recipe handed down several generations and perfected over time.

What started off as just a cafe serving coffee has turned into one of the best eateries in all of New Bedford.

Tia Maria's European Cafe and Jessica are a testament to the bond of a Portuguese family, willing to pitch in whenever there is a need to get work done.

Salute!

- Cheers.

- Salute.

(cheerful music) Growing up Portuguese in New Bedford consisted of wonderful years and every summer I looked forward to one of the best weekends of the year.

It was the weekend of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, an event I remember going to with my friends and having some of the best times.

Today I head over to Club Madeirense and meet John and Steve as they, and the rest of the group, get ready for this year's feast.

- Well, we have a day planned for you.

- You have a day planned for me?

- Well, we're gonna go take you to the Bolo do Caco, where you're gonna be making our own Bolo do Caco.

We'll take you to the Santana House where we serve our famous Madeira wine.

- Oh!

That's good.

- But we welcome you here to the Museum of Madeiran Heritage.

- Yes!

- And we are so proud to have you here into this wonderful site.

- [Maria] What started out in 1915 by several Madeiran immigrants who were looking to give thanks for a safe voyage to America, this celebration has grown into the largest Portuguese feast in the world and has something for everyone.

- Every small town or city in Madeira has a Feast of the Blessed Sacrament.

That's why that became the feast here for all Madeirans.

- Right.

- People from all the island.

- But we wanna take you inside and show you our tradition and heritage of Madeira.

- [Maria] To learn more about the founding of this feast, I meet the museum curators who are gracious enough to give me a quick tour.

This museum holds so much history, not just for the local organizations, but for the island of Madeira itself.

The island's rich culture and people are represented here.

You get a sense of what it means to not just be Portuguese, but Madeiras.

One of the staple foods at the feast is a very simple but delicious bread that its history dates back to the early settlers of Madeira.

And John and Steve have arranged for me to see how it's made in the club's kitchen.

- And here is where we make the famous Bolo do Caco.

- I've heard!

I mean, who doesn't know about Bolo do Caco?

- Oh!

(laughs) - I mean!

To make the Bolo do Caco, you start with the flour, yeast, some salt, oil, and some sugar.

Since John and Steve are making this bread for thousands of people over the festival weekend, they are used to this industrial sized mixers.

This is the stages that we're gonna be going through on how to make it.

It is a very time-consuming thing to do, but it is the taste of home.

So now that it's in the proof box, now we've gotta wait between 15, 30 minutes, depending on how quickly the dough will rise.

With nothing more than a sprinkle of flour, the dough is put in the metal forms to maintain its shape on the griddle over a very low heat.

- On the weekend, you see a lot of people "Ah, give me 10, give me 15," to take it home.

(Maria laughs cheerfully) - Yeah, 'cause it's not something you have all the time.

- Yeah.

You don't see these around.

- You don't.

After spending time on the stove, they are put above and rotated to get the sides baked as well.

The result is simple, yet wonderful circular loaf of bread that tastes of home from the Madeiran people.

It's delicious.

It's warm, it's soft inside.

There's a little crunch on the outside.

Not too sweet.

It isn't.

There isn't sweet.

- No, it's not sweet, no.

Not sweet at all.

- It's more savory 'cause you've got the butter with the garlic, the parsley.

Oh, that's delicious.

- And then you go for a little bit of Madeira wine.

- I plan on that.

(laughs) - That's why when you drink a Madeira wine, make sure you eat something too.

- [Maria] Another staple at the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is the Madeira wine.

And come festival time, the wine flows like water.

The feast goes through so much wine that it is shipped directly from Madeira Island to New Bedford in wooden casks, especially made for the festival.

And now I get a crash course on this special wine.

- So the big difference between port wine and Madeira wine, a lot of people don't realize, the process is very similar.

It's a fortified wine.

- Right.

- It's they add brandy to it.

(relaxing music begins) When you add the brandy, it stops the fermentation cold.

The alcohol content goes up, but it retains its sweetness.

That's why it's 19% alcohol.

There you go.

- [Maria] All right, so that's your three year?

- This is the three year, and this is the one that's served typically at the feast.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

(glasses clink) - [Maria] Ooh.

- Isn't that good?

It's very smooth.

- Oh, that's so good.

It's so smooth.

It's sweet.

It's just... - Has a little nutty caramel flavor to it.

- [Maria] Yes, yes!

- [Fernando] So now we'll try the ten.

- [Maria] Darker.

- Little darker.

- A little darker.

- The aging process.

- Okay.

Cheers.

(glasses clink) (relaxing music continues) Ooh!

- [Fernando] Notice the nuttiness coming out?

- Yes!

- Those nuts and dates, flavors all coming out.

- Oh yeah.

It's richer.

- Richer.

- Much richer!

- Yes.

Smoother, rounder.

- Yes!

- Rounder.

Madeira wine is basically right from the founding of the country.

It was the preferred drink of the Founding Fathers.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, all those folks, John Adams, they all loved Madeira wine.

Madeira wine is as American as apple pie.

- And there you go.

(Fernando laughs) Look at that.

- And it goes great with apple pie too.

(laughs) - It does too!

It goes with everything.

It goes with everything.

But what a wonderful history is that?

It's lunchtime, and the guys have been preparing another popular cuisine for the feast, carne de espeto.

I'm doing okay?

- For the first time.

(laughs) - For the first time.

I'm doing okay.

Carne de espeto is usually made with chopped sirloin chunks of meat, prepared with black pepper, garlic, sea salt, and bay leafs.

At the festival, attendees use six foot long skewers and cook over an even larger pit.

Now that it's lunchtime, all the volunteers that have been working to get ready for the festival all come together to enjoy a meal together.

But what does it take?

What does it take to get all of this going?

- It takes a village.

- It takes a village.

- It really does.

- I think what really makes it work in the last, especially two weeks, 10 days, is that we are all family.

And I mean that literally.

We're friends.

- Yeah.

- Steve's grandparents and my grandparents were friends.

Steve's mother and father and my mother and father grew up together.

- Isn't that beautiful?

- We're here together.

- Yeah.

- And when we each come, we bring all our cousins.

We work with each other as families.

And the people that we meet here become as close as relatives as you can really imagine.

- My time with everyone here is so endearing, it renewed a place in my heart for this festival, and it has instilled in me the desire to go to Madeira and experience the magic myself.

To the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament!

- Success.

- [Maria] The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is for everyone.

But just know that after experiencing it, you may find yourself a little bit more Madeiran than you were before you arrived.

- Madeira!

I love you.

- And that's a wonderful thing.

Thank you, New Bedford!

You've been amazing!

(relaxing cheerful music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ - [Announcer] Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table," season two, has been provided by Rhode Island PBS Foundation.

Rhode Island PBS, engaging viewers of all ages since 1967.

- [Announcer] "Maria's Portuguese table" is made possible by the generous sponsorship of BayCoast Bank, providing services and financial solutions for the people and businesses of Southern New England since 1851.

(cheerful music begins) - [Announcer] Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table," season two, has been provided by... (cheerful music continues) (upbeat guitar music)