Highlights Archive

CREATE Showcase: Memorial Day BBQ with Steven Raichlen • WXXI-CREATE

Fire up the grill and get ready to sink your teeth into mouthwatering barbecue dishes with tips and tricks from Steven Raichlen.

CREATE Showcase: Memorial Day BBQ with Steven Raichlen airs Friday, May 31 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 2 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.

Steven Raichlen (Barbecue University, Primal Grill, Project Smoke) returns for an insightful exploration of contemporary grilling. Innovators of live-fire cooking join Steven to share revolutionary techniques that elevate the backyard barbecue experience — from ember-roasting and salt slab grilling to fire-heated iron and high-tech rotisseries.

Project Fire introduces new foods — from unfamiliar cuts of steak to eco-friendly seafood — and twists on popular classics — from breakfast to paella to clambakes. And, as usual, Steven features a collection of new tools and fuels for the avid griller.

An Evening with Rashaad Parker • The Little Theatre

The Little Theatre’s One Take Documentary Series presents four short films from Rochester filmmaker Rashaad Parker.

Join The Little & One Take for An Evening with Rashaad Parker on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at The Little Theatre.

The evening includes a post-screening discussion with Rashaad followed by the screening of his four short films. Click here to purchase tickets.

The films include:

BLACK LIVES MATTER, A Sanctuary for Daniel Prude (18:35) Captures the Black Lives Matter Movement protests in Rochester, NY from May 2020 to January 2021.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 1 (17:18) June 13, 2020; In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020 by Minnesota police officers, today we are conducting street interviews during a Black Lives Matter protest rally that started on location at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park in downtown Rochester, NY.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 2 (21:09) Interviews during a Black Lives Matter protest rally at City Hall in Rochester on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 3 (24:56) In this episode of ROC CITY SPEAKS the news from the street is coming from some of the international students as well as those originating from the United States currently enrolled at the University of Rochester.

The films will also screen on Saturday, May 25 at 3 p.m.

American Masters – Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir • WXXI-WORLD

An intimate portrait of the groundbreaking writer.

American Masters – Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir airs Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Writer Amy Tan’s hit debut novel, “The Joy Luck Club” (1989), catapulted her to commercial and critical success, spending over 40 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. With the 1993 blockbuster film adaption that followed, which was selected for the National Film Registry in 2020, as well as additional bestselling novels, librettos, short stories and memoirs, Tan firmly established herself as one of the most prominent and respected literary voices working today. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is an intimate portrait of the groundbreaking author that interweaves archival imagery, including home movies and personal photographs, animation and original interviews to tell the inspiring story of Tan’s life and career.

The last completed film from director James Redford (1962-2020), Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir features new interviews with Tan; fellow writers Kevin Kwan, Isabel Allende, Dave Barry and Ronald Bass; actors from “The Joy Luck Club” including Lisa Lu, Rosalind Chao, Tamlyn Tomita and Kieu Chinh; friends and family. Tan opens up to Redford with remarkable frankness about traumas she’s faced in her life and how her writing has helped her heal. The film traces her meteoric rise from the point when she picked up fiction writing as a mental break from her heavy freelance business writing schedule and was offered three book deals after completing only three short stories.

Caption: Amy Tan • Credit: WNET/American Masters

CREATE Showcase: Flavors of Asia • WXXI-CREATE

Savor the flavors of Asia with Create chefs Ming Tsai, Martin Yan, Christine Cushing, and Ed Kenney.

CREATE Showcase: Flavors of Asia airs Saturday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.

These create chefs explore food traditions from across the East.

Simply Ming – The James Beard and Emmy-nominated Simply Ming features mouthwatering recipes, celebrity appearances and culinary road trips. Each episode kicks off with a technique demonstration, followed by two dishes — one prepared by a nationally renowned guest chef and one by host Ming Tsai.

Yan Can Cook – The beloved chef takes viewers on an exciting adventure to Chengdu, the “Panda Capital of the World,” in Yan Can Cook: Spice Kingdom. Immersing himself in Chengdu culture, Chef Yan learns about bamboo, samples a few of the country’s estimated 30,000 hot-pot restaurants

Confucius Was A Foodie – Celebrity chef and former Food Network host Christine Cushing takes viewers on a voyage of discovery, uncovering the fascinating traditions, philosophies and history of Chinese culinary culture and its surprising influence on food around the world.

Family Ingredients – A culinary travel series, hosted by acclaimed O‘ahu chef and sustainability hero Ed Kenney, tells unique stories by tracing the origins of a Hawaiian dish to its roots around the world. Not quite a documentary, not quite a cooking show, it is a joyful ode to farmers, food producers and families.

Get to Eleven • WXXI-TV

Based on Padraic Lillis’ award-winning one-man show, this special blends live performance elements with narrative cinematic storytelling in an intimate conversation about suicide, addiction, and the importance of sharing stories in our darkest moments.

Get to Eleven airs Thursday, September 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

On stage in performance, among friends in conversation, and in the streets and subways of New York City, Lillis offers his own story, and empowers his audiences to deepen their own relationship with life, mental health, and mortality.

Lillis is the Founding Artistic Director of The Farm Theater whose mission is to cultivate early career artists through workshops, productions, and mentoring. He has been awarded: New York Innovative Theatre Outstanding Director, NY International Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence in Directing, Best Director at United Solo Festival, and Best Short film at the Milan International Film Festival. Lillis was the Humana Visiting Scholar and Artist in Residence at Centre College. His film, Get To Eleven, that addresses mental health, suicide ideation, and recovery premiered at The Big Apple Film Festival, screened at the Reel Minds Film Festival in Rochester, NY, and has been awarded Best Feature at the Inwood Film Festival.

Lillis is the host of The Farm Theater’s Bullpen Sessions podcast. He is a mental health advocate, member of the Labyrinth Theater Company and a lifelong Yankee fan. Lillis is a native Rochesterian and graduate of Fairport High School.

Photo: Padraic Lillis talking with colleagues/ Credit: Photo provided.

Great Performances: Purlie Victorious • WXXI-TV

Starring Leslie Odom Jr., this comedic play tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner.

Great Performances: Purlie Victorious airs Friday, May 24 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play, the Emmy-winning performing arts series Great Performances announces the addition of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch to its Broadway’s Best lineup in May. Starring Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr.—newly Tony nominated for his performance in the play along with his co-star Kara Young—Great Performances: Purlie Victorious the revival of Ossie Davis’ groundbreaking 1961 play also received 2024 Tony Award nominations for Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon), Best Costume Design of a Play (Emilio Sosa), and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Derek McLane).

The comedic play tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner. Written by Kennedy Center honoree Ossie Davis with direction by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun”), this first Broadway revival was recorded live at the Music Box Theatre on January 24-26, 2024. Purlie Victorious made its original debut on Broadway in 1961 and starred Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Godfrey Cambridge, Sorrell Booke and Beah Richards.

Photo: Leslie Odom Jr. • Credit: Marc J. Franklin

CREATE Showcase: Celebrating with Family Ingredients • WXXI-CREATE

Venture to the islands of Hawai’i and beyond with Chef Ed Kenney as he explores the foods that bring family and friends together on Family Ingredients.

CREATE Showcase: Celebrating with Family Ingredients airs Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, May 19 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.

Every dish has a story, and every family has a dish. Family Ingredients is a culinary travel series that tells these unique stories by tracing the origins of a Hawaii dish to its roots around the world. Not quite a documentary, not quite a cooking show, Family Ingredients is a joyful ode to farmers, food producers and families. Hosted by acclaimed O‘ahu chef and sustainability hero Ed Kenney, the story begins in the Hawaiian Islands, where big things are happening in the state’s dynamic culinary scene. Beautifully filmed, Family Ingredients showcases Hawai‘i’s small town communities, diverse cultures, and exhilarating experiences that cross the Pacific Ocean. Engaging, authentic, funny, even a bit quirky, Ed is the perfect host to trace these dishes around the globe. He takes off with guests to explore Okinawa, Tahiti, California, Japan, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands, showcasing how cuisine can profoundly unite cultures, communities and families.

Photo: Chef Ed Kenney
Provided by CREATE

National Memorial Day Concert 2024 • WXXI-TV

A special concert that honors our country’s veterans, servicemen and women and military families.

National Memorial Day Concert 2024 airs Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The concert unites the country in remembrance and appreciation of those who gave their lives for our nation and serves those who are grieving through the mission put forward by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”