BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL

What was it really like growing up at one of New Hampshire's best-known 24-hour diners? Carol Erickson sits down with her son Tyler for a rare, personal episode of Beyond the Plate with Carol -- and Tyler remembers it all, from Christmas at the Red Arrow Diner to the famous virgin bell, overnight customers, celebrity encounters, and the kind of hospitality you learn by living it. In this special conversation recorded at The Studio at The Beacon in Manchester, New Hampshire, Carol recalls reopening the Red Arrow Diner at age 23 in 1987, discovering an old handwritten recipe book, and deciding to make the diner smoke-free in 1998. Tyler shares what it was like working third shift, playing Mo the mascot, watching his mother turn a meal into an experience, and later putting those lessons to work in his own Portsmouth restaurant. Together they remember Adam Sandler, Barenaked Ladies, loyal regulars, longtime employees, and a mother-son bond built in the restaurant world. The episode arrives Thursday, November 5, just ahead of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association's 2026 Stars of the Industry Awards on Monday, November 9, when Carol will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The conversation itself is a celebration of people, community, entrepreneurship, and New England hospitality -- not an awards interview. Carol Erickson & Tyler -- Manchester, New Hampshire More about the 2026 NHLRA Stars of the Industry Awards: nhlra.com/stars2026 Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to the people who helped shape New Hampshire hospitality. It’s not just about the food -- it’s about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com A special Thursday episode! New Beyond the Plate conversations normally drop Tuesdays -- subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss one. Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Beyond the Plate 0:12 - A special guest: Carol's son Tyler 1:06 - Full circle from Episode 1 1:42 - Growing up at a 24-hour diner 2:22 - A late-night emergency call 7:10 - The famous virgin bell 9:50 - Barenaked Ladies and diner songs 12:03 - Famous faces and campaign visits 20:23 - What Tyler learned working there 24:00 - The characters of third shift 26:58 - Learning to respect everyone 29:42 - Carol took a chance at 23 31:11 - A handwritten recipe book 34:32 - Adam Sandler and Hollywood stories 42:00 - Tyler's secret life as Mo 47:48 - Belmont Hall sponsor message 50:21 - Keeping the diner's history alive 51:33 - Going smoke-free in 1998 58:11 - The employees and customers 59:06 - Memories marked on a wall 69:08 - What Carol should be proud of 72:25 - Holidays were diner days 74:02 - Why Carol loves the podcast 76:54 - Tyler's restaurant experience 79:43 - A mother-son moment to remember

How the heck are they making food THIS good in the back of a convenience store? In Manchester, New Hampshire, husband-and-wife team Ron and Tyra Torres have turned a tucked-away kitchen inside Parkside Convenience into Mi Familia Kitchen -- a destination for Puerto Rican comfort food, family recipes, and people who keep coming back. In Episode 79 of Beyond the Plate with Carol, Tyra traces her cooking journey to age five, seasoning rice and beans alongside her grandmother. She went on to study culinary arts, work as a sous chef, and help run a restaurant in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Ron shares how they purchased Parkside Convenience in September 2022, spent two years developing the kitchen, and built a business where customers are treated like family. Then there's the food. Carol puts T's Cubano in her "STUPID" category -- her highest praise. The shredded pork shoulder cooks for 12 hours. Ron and Tyra also break down their fresh chicharron (fried pork belly), pernil, mofongo, tostones, potato balls, tripleta, yellow rice, daily sofrito, desserts, catering, and why Puerto Rican cuisine is loaded with flavor without having to be spicy. Their commitment to sharing meals with local kids and neighbors is the part of the story you won't forget. Mi Familia Kitchen at Parkside Convenience -- 675 Hooksett Road, Manchester, NH 03104 Website: mifamiliakitchen.com Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to the people creating something special in unexpected places. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it's promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com New episodes drop every Tuesday -- SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you don't miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Beyond the Plate 0:13 - Meet Ron and Tyra Torres 1:23 - Tyra's grandmother and first recipes 2:01 - Culinary school and Lawrence restaurant 3:03 - Ron's behind-the-scenes role 4:10 - Five kids and a family business 6:54 - Carol's Cubano word-of-mouth moment 7:33 - From Massachusetts to Manchester 8:22 - The convenience-store kitchen idea 11:02 - Two years building the kitchen 13:11 - Ron and Tyra's love story 15:07 - Introducing Puerto Rican food to newcomers 18:52 - What's on the Mi Familia menu? 21:05 - Fresh mofongo and tostones 22:07 - Chicharron and fried pork belly 23:00 - T's Cubano and the 12-hour pork 25:04 - Mac and cheese and new specials 26:10 - Rewards-card idea and custom meals 27:06 - Catering for parties and events 28:05 - Feeding kids and giving back 29:34 - Why people travel for the food 30:03 - Puerto Rican flavor, not heat 32:10 - Why hospitality comes first 37:08 - Teamwork, marriage, and the kitchen 47:42 - Address, kitchen, and lightning round 51:05 - Tyra's fresh daily sofrito 52:08 - The pork chop plate to try 53:10 - Final thoughts and where to visit

Dave LeBlanc spent about 30 years coming back to The Omelette Factory in Ogunquit, Maine. In spring 2025, he and his wife, Sara LeBlanc, longtime Vermont childcare entrepreneurs, bought it -- their first restaurant, and the fourth ownership chapter for the Route 1 breakfast spot that first opened in 1982. On this episode of Beyond the Plate with Carol, Dave sits down with Carol Erickson right in the restaurant to talk about the leap from Vermont to the Maine coast, why they kept a once-seasonal breakfast restaurant open year-round, and the banker's advice that shaped their pitch: "Tell him the story. Don't show him the number." You'll hear how the house-made corned beef, the homemade strawberry jam, the thick French toast and about 40 omelettes came to define the menu, plus the story behind the meat-sauce Red Hots hot dog Carol called "stupid good." Then there are the roosters. One became two, then four, then 26 -- until the town stepped in and the Roosters of Ogunquit turned into a community project with big plans for autism awareness and a youth nature camp. Add a lean first winter, a Lightning Round with a New England clam chowder question, and a hospitality story about strangers looking out for strangers, and you have one of the most heartfelt conversations about family-owned restaurants in Ogunquit, Maine, and all of New England. 📍 The Omelette Factory -- 422 Main Street (Route 1), Ogunquit, ME. Open 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, seven days a week. 🔗 omelettefactoryme.com | Instagram: @omelettefactoryog | Facebook: @omelettefactoryme | Roosters of Ogunquit: @roostersofogunquit Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to first-time owners like Dave LeBlanc. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering #BeyondThePlate #NewEnglandFood #MaineEats #TheOmeletteFactory #Ogunquit 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Intro 0:39 - Welcome to Dave LeBlanc, fourth owner of The Omelette Factory 1:48 - From Vermont childcare to the Maine coast 3:13 - "There's no bad weather" 7:27 - The for-sale sign 8:31 - Staying open year-round 10:00 - "Let's be better humans" 13:31 - The Skinny Pancake years 18:01 - House-made corned beef, jam and French toast 22:01 - What came off the menu 22:46 - The Red Hots arrive 24:48 - "Stupid good" 35:36 - A word from Belmont Hall & Restaurant 36:24 - How the rooster story started 39:40 - The voicemail that changed everything 43:48 - The board of appeals 49:28 - Plans for a charity and a youth nature camp 54:23 - A free perk for small businesses: 603 Perks 57:23 - "Tell him the story" 62:06 - The first winter, 2:15 a.m. 64:14 - Lightning Round 66:38 - The date night spot with the fire pit 72:44 - Red Hots taste test 75:41 - Hospitality story 77:27 - Closing thoughts

Welcome to Episode 77 of Beyond the Plate with Carol Podacst! This week, Carol sits down with sisters-in-law Brylie Murphy and Kylie Murphy, the duo behind Daily Dough Co., a homemade cinnamon roll stand in Manchester, New Hampshire! It started with one cinnamon roll recipe. Then another. Then about five. By June 2026, sisters-in-law Brylie and Kylie had turned their shared love of baking into Daily Dough Co., a small home-based cinnamon roll stand on Front Street in Manchester, New Hampshire. Carol first discovered their Saturday setup thanks to a friend's recommendation. In this episode, she invites the women behind the rolls to The Studio at The Beacon in Manchester, NH to find out how a family-supported first-week sellout grew into a much bigger local following. The turning point? A surprise message from Joey the Roaming Foodie, who found their Facebook Marketplace post and later shared their story. They talk blueberry and cookie butter cinnamon rolls, rotating specialty flavors, peach cobbler and chai, Friday baking after full-time jobs, and why the 3 a.m. wakeups had to go. Kylie works in drafting and design, while Brylie teaches sixth grade and even brings cinnamon-roll making into her school's Franklin Fridays program. You'll also hear the meaning behind the Daily Dough name, how faith shapes their packaging, why their stand is seasonal, and whether a Thanksgiving or Christmas pop-up might happen. Plus: an unexpectedly serious fluffer-nutter cinnamon roll debate, a Manchester-area coffee recommendation, and a heartfelt conversation about hospitality and ROCA Kids. Daily Dough's regular Saturday stand had finished for the season at the time of recording. Holiday drops were discussed as possibilities, not confirmed events. Follow Daily Dough Co. directly for announcements. 📍 Daily Dough Co. -- Front Street, Manchester, New Hampshire 🔗 Look for Daily Dough Co. on social media for availability and updates. Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to rising creators like Brylie and Kylie of Daily Dough Co. It’s not just about the food -- it’s about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH 0:00 - Welcome to Brylie and Kylie 1:15 - Carol finds the Front Street stand 2:27 - Sisters-in-law and housemates 3:16 - How Daily Dough began 4:33 - Deciding to start selling 5:15 - First-week sellout 6:00 - The Saturday stand routine 6:35 - Three flavors and porch pickup 7:28 - Why they stick to cinnamon rolls 8:03 - Cookie butter, blueberry and chai 8:46 - Preorders and full-time jobs 10:00 - Designer and sixth-grade teacher 11:06 - Rolling in the Dough at school 11:52 - Seasonal closing and holiday hopes 13:17 - When momentum took off 13:53 - Joey the Roaming Foodie discovers them 15:30 - The story behind the name 17:01 - From 3 a.m. baking to better routines 19:04 - What makes their partnership work 21:29 - Where new flavors come from 22:52 - Belmont Hall and 603 Perks messages 24:05 - Baking science and sourdough 29:55 - Lightning round begins 32:15 - The fluffer-nutter debate 33:19 - Baking without a playlist 33:40 - A local coffee hidden gem 36:20 - Hospitality and ROCA Kids 38:20 - Closing and possible holiday drop

Phil Meyer grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa, joined the Air Force at 18, and worked his way into cyber security before becoming the volunteer CEO of Nourish New England, the man behind New Hampshire Eats, and the Farmboy Foodie. In Episode 76, Phil is back on Beyond the Plate with Carol for a redo of his first interview, and it kicks off with a chai latte taste test between Williams & Sons Coffee and Mocha Pot at the Studio at the Beacon in Manchester, New Hampshire. Carol Erickson and Phil trace how a farm kid whose family could taste when milk was going off went from Air Force satellite communications and Lincoln Laboratory to running food communities across New England, including New England Eats, Vermont Eats, and Rhode Island Eats. Phil explains how New Hampshire Eats grew from a small Southern New Hampshire group into a Facebook community with over 212,000 members, why "be nice or be gone" is the rule, and how the group has helped change the trajectory of New Hampshire restaurants. Along the way: the Greek restaurant boom along the 93 corridor, Phil's New Hampshire well done pizza theory, his top three barbecue picks, his burger rankings, the One of Everything Social Club, and a story about a donkey cart full of watermelons in Turkey. Phil also shares a first taste of Nourish New England, the food insecurity nonprofit he and the New Hampshire Eats community created, plus the upcoming New Hampshire World Christmas Market on December 12 and 13 at Owl's Nest Resort in Thornton, New Hampshire. Then it's the lightning round and Phil's hospitality story about turning leftover food into a way to fight food insecurity. 📍 Nourish New England and New Hampshire Eats -- New Hampshire, serving all of New England 🔗 Find New Hampshire Eats on Facebook | Nourish New England Carol Erickson ran the Red Arrow Diner for nearly 40 years, and today she hosts Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to community builders like Phil Meyer. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant. Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years. belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering This episode is brought to you in part by 603 Perks -- free for local businesses to join. Want to put your business in front of more people? With a featured listing, Carol personally visits and creates a video that captures what makes your business special -- then it’s promoted through 603 Perks and Beyond the Plate with Carol. 603perks.com 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH #BeyondThePlate #NewEnglandFood #NHEats #NourishNewEngland #manchesternh 0:00 - Intro 0:25 - Welcome back, Phil 1:02 - Why we're doing a redo 1:37 - The chai latte taste test 3:13 - A farm-raised palate 5:30 - Mocha Pot's chai 7:43 - From cyber warfare to foodie 12:34 - The donkey cart full of watermelons 😂 14:39 - How New Hampshire Eats started 17:43 - The no-negativity rule: be nice or be gone 21:17 - Beyond New Hampshire: the Eats network 24:08 - Restaurants New Hampshire Eats has changed 27:48 - Greek food on the 93 corridor 33:04 - How Phil recommends a restaurant 35:20 - The great pizza debate 38:30 - "New Hampshire well done" 52:39 - Top three barbecue joints 55:40 - The One of Everything Social Club 58:31 - Favorite burgers 1:02:05 - A taste of Nourish New England 1:09:01 - The Pickity Place adventure 1:15:15 - Lightning Round 1:23:22 - Phil's hospitality story 1:25:07 - New Hampshire World Christmas Market 1:25:32 - The Farmboy Foodie reveal