A view behind-the-scenes reveals the hot and cold of curing ham. At a New York dinner party hosted in her honor, Vivian serves up a gift of NC seasoning meats –the pig tails, ham hocks, and fatback that give Carolina cuisine its quintessential kick. While in the Big Apple, a visit with her publisher reveals an itinerary certain to make for an ambitious autumn.

Vivian holds a mayo blind taste test and a surprise brand takes top prize. After a new chef takes the reins, her diminishing role at the restaurant becomes clearer. Vivian's long-held vacation plans are stifled by a series of strange events.

Vivian's plate is full of everything–except tomatoes. As Chef & the Farmer turns 10 years old, Vivian embarks on a fruitless search for the season's first ripe tomatoes to serve at the restaurant's birthday party. For the celebration that brings back familiar faces and dishes, she concocts a menu that represents a decade of professional growth, and then seeks the wisdom of Mrs. Mary and Ms. Lillie to prepare an old school tomato dish that "kills hungry."