Fil-Am chef hosts docuseries on America’s cultural grocery stores
Host Chrissy Camba, a former ‘Top Chef’ contender, and her guests visit international grocery stores across the US on ‘The Grocery List Show’ and cook together, showcasing how food can forge cultural connections. CONTRIBUTED
NEW YORK — A new documentary series is bringing the flavors and stories of America’s cultural grocery stores to the screen.
“The Grocery List Show,” hosted by former “Top Chef” contender Chrissy Camba, explores the vibrant communities and culinary traditions behind five unique markets across the United States.
The five-part docuseries, which premiered this spring, follows Camba as she shops and cooks with store owners, employees and local regulars in Chicago, Brooklyn and New Jersey.
Chef Chrissy Camba | CONTRIBUTED
Each 10- to 13-minute episode features a different store, highlighting the migration stories, family legacies and signature dishes that define the neighborhoods they serve.
Camba, a Chicago chef known for her Filipino-inspired cuisine and appearances on “Top Chef,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Chopped Grill Masters,” brings warmth and curiosity to each episode.
“These stores aren’t just places to shop,” Camba said in a statement. “They’re living archives of culture and care, and I’m honored to help share their stories.”
The series opens at Seafood City in Chicago, a Filipino supermarket where Camba prepares a nostalgic crab torta with her husband after joining a spirited group for Sunday bingo.
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Later episodes transport viewers to Balady Market in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a Middle Eastern grocery run by three brothers; Labay Market in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a Grenadian-owned hub in Little Caribbean; Piccolo’s Gastronomia Italiana in Ridgefield, New Jersey, a family-run Italian market; and La Placita de Brooklyn in Sunset Park, a Latin American store bridging the neighborhood’s Latino and Asian communities.
Each episode pairs a behind-the-scenes look at the stores with a home-cooked meal, often featuring family recipes and local guests.
In Brooklyn, Camba learns about halal traditions at Balady Market and cooks mansaf, a traditional Palestinian-Jordanian dish, with matriarch Ferial Masoud.
In New Jersey, she makes fresh mozzarella and puttanesca pasta with Piccolo’s co-owner Nancy, sharing laughs and homemade wine as the sun sets.
Director Emily Strong, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, describes the series as a “love letter” to cultural grocery stores and the communities they sustain.
Emily Strong is an award-winning filmmaker who tells unique stories that explore humanity through food and culture. She was a DOC NYC 40 Under 40 honoree, produced ‘Keep Moving Forward’ (Big Sky Documentary Film Festival), and ‘A Letter for Sang-Ah’ (Loni Ding Award for Social Justice). Her directorial debut is ‘Tasting Heritage.’ CONTRIBUTED
“For me, it’s more than a show; it’s an expression of how I experience the world,” Strong said. “These stores carry the legacies of migration, memory and the capacity of the human spirit.”
The production team includes Academy Award-nominated producer Diane Quon (“Minding the Gap”), editor Brent Bandemer, line producer Grace Sin, composer Noah MacNeil, director of photography Sebastian De Silva and others.
Academy Award-nominated Diane Quon is an independent producer whose documentaries include the Oscar-nominated “Minding the Gap” (aka Mr. Chow), Emmy Award-nominated “Finding Yingying,” “Wuhan Wuhan,” Oscar short-listed “Bad Axe,” “Breaking the News” and “Surf Nation.” CONTRIBUTED
“The Grocery List Show” blends documentary storytelling with the intimacy of a home kitchen, serving up a celebration of food, family and cultural resilience.
Whether preparing Grenadian Oil Down for customer appreciation day or revisiting a grandfather’s garnachas recipe in Brooklyn, Camba and her guests find connection in the simple act of sharing a meal.
The series will be available to stream on PBS Food’s YouTube channel starting May 28.
