Quest for the Fresh

On Cooking Channel's Quest for the Fresh, Claire Robinson is setting out to find and cook with ingredients when their flavors have reached their pinnacle. Whether facing angry herds of ostriches or swarms of honey bees, she's looking to get the freshest ingredients at the source.

Quest for the Fresh

Claire Robinson is out to dig up, dive into, pick, milk or steal ingredients when their flavors have reached their pinnacle. But from angry herds of ostriches to swarms of honey bees, the journey may have a few roadblocks.

The Science Barge, NY

Claire's first visit is a floating farm that teaches people how to sustainably grow produce in small spaces.

Seeds of Science

There is no dirt in this farm; all the produce is grown hydroponically, which allows the plants to grow much quicker and without any pesticides. It takes a full head of lettuce only six weeks to grow from seed.

The Waldorf Astoria, NYC

The renowned five-star hotel has housed everyone from Herbert Hoover to Marilyn Monroe, and now it's also the residence of 300,000 bees on its roof.

Hive Haven

Each hive houses about 50,000-70,000 bees. The nearby Central Park provides plenty of pollinating opportunities for the bees.

Roaming Acres Ostrich Farm, NJ

The New Jersey farm is home to 400 ostriches. The closest living relative to dinosaurs can grow up to eight feet tall and weigh 300 pounds. One ostrich egg is equivalent in size to 24 chicken eggs.

Very Big Bird

The ostrich is red meat poultry with fewer calories and fat than skinless chicken or turkey breast. Claire also discovers that though an ostrich hatching out of its egg is pretty cute, a newborn ostrich learning to walk is even cuter.

Mosefund Farms, NJ

Mangalitsa pigs are one of the rarest breeds in the world. This farm has 200 of the hairy hogs that can grow to weigh 300 pounds.

Fine Swine

The pigs yield an incredible meat called lardo, which is fatback cured with rosemary and other herbs.

Valley Shepherd Creamery

The farm makes 30 to 35 types of quality-controlled cheese from sheep's milk, which is richer in vitamins and minerals than cow's milk.

Miraculous Mass-Milking Machine

The rotating milker can milk 600 sheep in two hours, or about one sheep every 10 seconds. It takes 400 pounds of milk to yield a single wheel of cheese.

Claiming Clams

Claire meets up with Captain Phil and his Chesapeake Bay retriever to learn a Native American technique called tredding to dig up clams.

Salt Assault

The Amagansett Salt Co. harvests salt straight from the ocean through solar evaporation. They haul in 100 gallons of saltwater for every 20 pounds of salt.

Fresh Feast

Tune in to the two-part Quest for the Fresh on Cooking Channel to watch Claire use all the amazing ingredients she sourced to make simple dishes you can re-create at home that let the food shine.