Food Is Life explores the people, places, and stories behind great food.
From unforgettable food destinations and regional specialties to outdoor cooking, barbecue culture, comfort food, and culinary adventures, we celebrate the flavors, traditions, and experiences that make food one of life's great pleasures.
Join us as we travel in search of hidden gems, learn from chefs, pitmasters, and food personalities, and discover the recipes, techniques, and stories that bring great food to life.
Whether we're exploring a city's food scene, cooking over open fire, visiting backyard barbecue setups, or sharing memorable meals with remarkable people, every episode is about the joy of food and the people who make it worth remembering.
New episodes every week.
Food Is Life is produced by Principal Media and features authorized releases of licensed programming.
Food Is Life
You've probably seen a Cajun crawfish boil. But have you ever seen a HMONG crawfish boil? 🦞🔥
Yia Vang heads to Minnesota, where invasive crayfish are causing trouble for local lakes. His solution? Catch them, cook them, and give a classic seafood boil a completely different spin!
It's a lakeside feast inspired by the flavors Yia grew up with.
Watch the new episode of FERAL!👇
5 days ago | [YT] | 1
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Food Is Life
Got a couple of hours to relax? We've got your next fishing marathon! 🎣🔥
Join chef Yia Vang for over TWO HOURS of FERAL — six complete adventures featuring giant fish, wild catches, outdoor cooking, and some seriously incredible meals.
From catfish caught by hand to prehistoric river monsters, it's all here in one big marathon.
Put your feet up, get comfortable, and enjoy the adventure!
▶️ Watch the full FERAL marathon here:
1 week ago | [YT] | 1
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Food Is Life
Imagine waking up to find wild hogs have destroyed your entire watermelon crop.
That's the nightmare facing one Southern farmer — and Yia Vang is determined to do something about it.
What starts as a battle against destructive invasive hogs ends with an incredible outdoor feast: wild pork chops, smoky ribs, and a blackberry sauce made with fruit from the very farm the hogs have been raiding.
Sometimes the best way to fight a problem is to put it on the grill. 🔥
Watch the new episode of FERAL now!
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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Food Is Life
It's beautiful. It's venomous. And it's taking over parts of America's coastal waters.
So what happens when Yia Vang tries turning invasive lionfish into dinner?
First, he'll have to confront his fear of deep water. Then comes a seafood feast featuring whole grilled lionfish with coconut curry and fresh lionfish ceviche.
The newest FERAL is here:
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Food Is Life
Two days in the New Mexico desert. Plenty of rabbits. Not much luck catching one.
Yia Vang discovers that rabbit hunting is harder than it looks — but his hosts at Taos Pueblo make sure there's still an incredible meal waiting.
Traditional rabbit stew, fire-grilled rabbit with jerk spices and mango salsa, and a few lessons in food traditions that have survived for generations.
Watch the newest FERAL here:
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 2
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Food Is Life
They're in our parks, on our golf courses, and sometimes blocking the sidewalk. But have you ever thought about eating a Canada goose?
Yia Vang heads into the snow for a very unusual goose hunt — complete with an underground hideaway that's more comfortable than you'd expect.
Then it's time for goose katsu and a Philly cheesesteak made with wild goose instead of beef.
The newest FERAL is here:
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Food Is Life
Beavers are flooding a farmer's fields. Yia Vang has an unexpected solution: dinner.
After learning how these animals can reshape the landscape, Yia joins experienced trappers before trying his hand at cooking beaver for the very first time.
On the menu? Beaver fajitas and a Hmong-inspired braise with ginger, garlic, warm spices and bourbon.
The newest FERAL is a wild one.
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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Food Is Life
Yellowstone has an invasive fish problem. And the solution might be delicious.
Lake trout are threatening the park's native cutthroat trout, so Yia Vang heads onto the water to learn what's happening — and why putting these fish on the dinner table might actually help.
The newest FERAL combines a Yellowstone fishing adventure with an incredible lakeside feast.
Watch here:
1 month ago | [YT] | 7
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Food Is Life
Squirrel for dinner?
Yia Vang grew up eating it in his Hmong household in Wisconsin. Now he's learning to hunt it himself — before joining two experienced country cooks for fried squirrel, smoked squirrel and dumplings, and his own family-inspired stew.
Different backgrounds. Surprisingly similar comfort food.
Watch the newest FERAL episode here:
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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Food Is Life
Even duck hunters don’t always want to eat this one.
Mergansers have a reputation for being oily, fishy and difficult to cook. So Yia Vang decided to put that reputation to the test.
The newest FERAL turns one of the least-loved ducks into an open-fire feast.
Is the merganser’s bad reputation deserved?
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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