- [Buki] Today on "Table for All," it's Canine and Teacher Appreciation Day, as we celebrate the powerful impact of our four-legged friends [group cheering] and teachers changing lives one recipe at a time.

♪ In this great, big world [cheerful music] ♪ World - Dogs.

Man's best friend.

Canine companion.

However you refer to them, dogs have snuggled their way into our hearts and created a culture I was unaware of.

That is, until I recently became a dog dad myself.

Meet my black lab, Rockefeller.

Today we're covering the culture of dogs, and you're gonna be my cohost.

Now, don't be nervous.

Everybody's gonna love you.

Let's go!

Let's go!

As a new dog father, I'm finding out the community surrounding these four-legged friends is unmatched.

Descendants of the gray wolves, dogs came onto the scene tens of thousands of years ago.

The first domesticated animal in history, dogs have been by man's side virtually since the beginning.

So Rockefeller and I set off on an adventure to explore the best of canine culture, starting, of course, with the food.

Chateau le Woof in Queens, New York, is believed to be the first dog cafe in the US, so we stopped in to get a taste of their special brunch menu.

A menu just for dogs.

[dog barks] Owner Natassa Contini started Chateau le Woof in 2015.

Her inspiration?

Her 19-year-old red nose pit bull, King.

- One day I tied King outside to go get a cup of coffee, and someone started walking away with King.

I went bananas, [Buki laughs] jumped on the guy's back.

- I bet.

- And that really was inspiration.

That incident happened, and I had a dream, and I was sitting in a dog cafe with King.

I woke up in the morning, and the first thing out of my mouth was Chateau le Woof.

I've never been to Paris, and, like, I'm not French, but it just happened.

And I opened up with a dollar and a dream.

- [Buki] And now that dream has turned into Natassa's own personal bliss.

And since opening, Chateau le Woof has expanded to offer grooming, pet supplies, puppy and human birthday parties, and what they're known for: dog brunch.

- The need for dog meals and the desire and the seating all kind of happened at the same time.

Now we're balls to the wall with brunch.

Dog parties are where it's at.

[group cheering] - Has the craving for better, fresh, wholesome food for dogs exploded over the last couple of years?

- Absolutely.

And as of recently, right?

In the past 5, 10 years, really just people knew kibble and didn't know anything else.

And we are now giving our dogs freeze dried raw shrimp and trachea and peanut butter pancakes.

I mean, so many of my customers, their dogs eat better than they do.

But it's really nice to see because our dogs are living longer, they're healthier.

So we've come a long way.

- King was able to see Natassa's dream come true, but, like all dogs, went to heaven in 2022.

If you could ask King one question, what question would that be?

- Oh, wow!

I would ask him if he enjoyed his life and how he spent it with me and what he thought of me, right?

Sorry.

- It's okay.

- Yeah, it's been two years, so I think about him often.

It's funny, I feel like they kind of stick around us.

King was like my husband and my son wrapped in one, I've never felt so connected to another living being.

- How does it feel to be building that community and connection?

- It's incredible, we all take care of one another's dogs.

There's something really special about this community in Astoria, it is a true community.

If I were to go out tomorrow, I would feel fulfilled, like I did something, right?

I left something behind and created joy for people, like, pure joy.

- Mm-hmm!

What also creates joy is this food, so how about we get a couple of things on the table?

- I would love to.

- Let's do it.

Rockefeller wasn't gonna miss this, so he joined me at the table.

It's brush time!

- I could not resist.

- Ooh!

What's this?

- Oysters Rockefeller for Rockefeller.

[Buki laughs] - [Buki] Through the love of one dog, Natassa created an entire community dedicated to making that connection for all pet lovers.

It doesn't get much better than that - [Natassa] Second course.

- Second course!

Rockefeller decided to be greedy and not share any of his pancakes with me, but mine were outrageously good and gives a whole new meaning to a five-star Yelp review.

And he didn't even offer me any.

Selfish.

[chuckles] In this family, we reach for excellence, and Rockefeller is no exception.

And nothing says excellence more than the Westminster Dog Show.

Established in 1877, The Westminster Kennel Club is the oldest organization dedicated to the show and sport of dogs.

It's also the longest-running televised dog show in history, making its first live national broadcast in 1948.

Ah-ah, we're at Westminster!

Pay attention.

Over 3,000 dogs from around the world descended on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Rockefeller and I arrived, and he dragged me like a kid at Disney World to meet the top-performing pooches.

We met the supermodels in the Breed Showcase tent that were primped and sheared to perfection.

And then it was on to the athletes of Dock Diving, Herding, and mine and Rockefeller's favorite, the incredible bobbing and weaving, jumping and leaping of the Agility Competition.

Rockefeller sniffed out the man responsible for the show, Westminster Kennel Club President Donald Sturz, who told me the waggish way his journey with dogs began.

- Where it all started was actually was my sister was afraid of dogs, and my parents thought that the best way to get her past that was to bring a dog into the family.

And that's how we got our first dog.

And we were invited to a puppy match, and I was elected to be the family member to go in the ring with the puppy, and I just loved it, like, kinda got bit by the bug, so to speak.

And it kinda came along at a really great time, 'cause unfortunately for me, I was one of those kids who got bullied in school a lot, and so school was not necessarily fun.

And having this dog, this puppy to come home to every day and train and work with and prepare for the shows and then starting to go to the dog shows and being in a place where actually, like, I had friends and people respected me and people valued me, it just brought a whole new aspect to my life.

- And since that first showing at age 10, Donald hasn't missed a single Westminster competition.

He traveled all over the world and won top honors.

He became a judge and has crowned many a Best in Show Winner.

He took the reins as president in 2023 to further the legacy of this elite dog community.

Do you miss being out there?

- I do.

I've been doing this my entire life, I've won the biggest events in the world, I've judged Best in Show at Westminster, and yet that moment of working with a puppy, raising them, training them, and having that success and that winning moment, like, is still what is actually at the heart of this for me, that's what floats my boat.

- [Buki] There's something about dogs.

What is that?

- The world is very in a sense of divisiveness now in so many ways.

The love of dogs brings people together, and I think people do crave that.

And so the Westminster Dog Show is kind of that moment.

You know, we're walking around the ground, so you can feel it, right?

People are happy, people are excited, and it's all about the dogs.

The minute the dog comes up to you, everybody starts smiling.

- So what does it take to judge the Best in Show?

Every breed has a standard, it's kinda like the blueprint.

You're looking at an individual dog and evaluating them to the standard, and then you're stepping back and looking at the whole class and having to sort them, right?

So this dog is first because it has the most virtues as related to the standard, this dog is second 'cause it has the second most virtues.

- [Buki] Does Rockefeller have the virtues to win Top Dog?

I asked Don to take a judge's look at my little guy.

- Let's take a look at Rockefeller, let's give him a go-over.

[Rockefeller barks] So first, judge is gonna look at the head, the ears, the eyes, and check the teeth.

- We brushed this morning.

- Yeah!

Nice, clean, white tea.

[Buki laughs] That's really important.

He's got a well-constructed front.

So we always look at that angle of the shoulder to the upper arm, and that's really nice on him.

He's got beautiful feet, he's got a really nice coat texture for a Labrador, which is really important 'cause he's a hunting dog.

They need that to protect them in water.

Overall, no question he's a Labrador, and he's clearly a champion in our heart.

[laughs] - You're best in show in my heart.

- Good boy!

[laughs] - The Best in Show Winner at the 148th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the miniature poodle.

[audience cheers and claps] - The folks at Westminster make it look too easy, but let's get real here.

Training a dog is not easy, so I needed to introduce Rockefeller to some aspirational pooches.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

And when it comes to doggy do-gooders, you can't beat a seeing eye dog.

The Guide Dog Foundation was founded over 75 years ago to provide guide dogs and training free of charge to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities.

I heard about these life-changing dogs, so Rockefeller and I headed to their Long Island campus to meet Cristina, one of their expert trainers.

As all dog parents know, forget about us, let's introduce you [Cristina laughs] to the man of the hour, this is Rockefeller.

- Hi!

Oh, he's beautiful!

Hi, Rockefeller!

- He's four and a half months.

And Cristina, I need you desperately.

[Cristina laughs] This man needs some training.

- All right!

- So I wanna know what it takes.

To train the perfect dog takes three steps.

Step one, puppyhood.

Do I hear puppies?

[puppies yipping] [gasps] Ooh!

- [chuckles] Welcome to our puppy socialization room.

- [Buki] They're all mini Rockefellers!

- So it looks like it's just a room full of toys, but actually what's happening is these puppies are learning how to be comfortable with different types of textures and sounds because our guide dogs need to be really comfortable in all different types of environments.

They also like fingers really well too.

- Yes, he loves it.

[Cristina laughs] - So here at the Guide Dog Foundation, we do what's called purposeful breeding.

So we breed for a reason.

We are looking more for temperament.

We wanna make sure that our dogs are confident and really adaptable to all different types of situations.

[puppies yipping] - [Buki] Once the puppies are 10 weeks old, they're placed with volunteers who will raise them till 18 months.

Then they're brought back for a 12-week formal guide dog training.

This is make or break for every trainee.

Cristina introduced us to star student Didi.

- So Didi's main things to learn are to avoid obstacles.

That includes overhead obstacles, like a flag or a low hanging branch, as well as low obstacles, so, like, a crack in the sidewalk or a root, and finding things as well.

She can find the handrail to a stair, she can find doorknobs.

- Things that we all take for granted.

- Exactly, then they're also taught to be calm and relaxed, like Didi is showcasing right now.

- What you need to learn!

[both laughing] So what is it about dogs that have people just mesmerized?

- I honestly think it's just their innocence and their love for us, that no matter what kind of day we have, they just love us.

Their whole world revolves around us, right?

Like, you come home, and I'm sure he's super excited to see you.

And I think it's that love that we don't always get from people that we can get from an animal.

Right?

- Aw!

- Yeah!

Good boy!

- Well, now you're doing good for her.

Traitor!

[both laughing] Only 70% of trainees make it to step three: graduate.

Once the 12-week training is complete, each guide dog is placed with a client that will fit his or her lifestyle.

And we met one graduate who helped his owner go the gold-medal distance.

Meet superstar Anastasia Pagonis and her guide dog, Radar.

- Good boy, Radar, forward.

- [Buki] Anastasia is a gold-medal-winning and three-time world champion swimmer.

[inspirational music] Not only is she one incredible athlete, she's also an advocate, reaching her millions of social media followers to change the way the world sees the visually impaired.

- If you put your fists together and, like, hold it up in front of your eyes, like, nose distance.

That's how I saw the world until I was 14.

- [Buki] Mm!

Anastasia began losing her vision at 11 years old.

After years and several misdiagnoses, she and her mother never gave up.

They eventually found a specialist.

She was diagnosed with autoimmune retinopathy as well as a genetic disorder that would take the rest of her usable vision.

- As you can imagine, that was very hard for me, so I kind of went through a dark depression for between six and eight months.

It was hard for me to, like, shower, like, basically doing anything, 'cause I felt like I was a burden to everyone.

I think it really had to come from me to get out of that place, and it did take a while, but I was able to shine a light on it instead of dull myself and share myself with the world.

- You share so much on social media, but I'm sure there's also trolls and hate.

- Of course.

- And I even heard that some people are saying that they don't even believe that you're actually blind.

- Yeah, I have a lot of people that are very ignorant on social media, and I think that that's due to not enough people with disabilities being out there and the way that Hollywood portrays blindness, which is probably someone wearing dark sunglasses walking with a cane like a zombie.

And I wanna break down that stereotype and show people, no, you don't have to put me in that box.

I can be a professional athlete, I can wear makeup, I can dress cute, like, I can be that girl.

- And Anastasia is definitely that girl.

The dark-haired beauty shows off her extraordinary life for her millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, everything from makeup to her love of swimming, all the while educating us on how she navigates the world as a blind person.

Tell me what the process is in terms of actually swimming, how do you navigate the waters as an athlete?

- In my classification, we all wear completely blacked-out goggles because blindness is a spectrum.

Some people see nothing, some people see through a pinhole, some people can see shapes and shadows, so it kind of just depends.

So we all wear blacked-out goggles.

- To even the playing field.

- Exactly.

- And when we are swimming, we use something called a tapper, which is a pole with a pool noodle, like, on the end of it.

And people who are trained will be on each end of the pool, and they will give me a little tap on the head, and that's how I know that the wall is coming up.

- But aside from that, it's just swimming.

- [Anastasia] Yeah, exactly.

- And then, of course, your partner in crime, Radar.

- Yeah.

- Who's there every step of the way.

How has he just changed it for you, I mean, when you first got him?

- Yeah.

I feel like it was very hard for me as a teenager going through the process of losing my vision and not having that independence of, like, being able to go to the mall with my friends by myself.

And once I got Radar, I had all of my independence back, which was something that is worth something you could never imagine.

I'm able to do basically everything, not by myself but with my best friend.

[chuckles] - [Buki] Anastasia and Radar are truly a perfect match, and their inspiring story made me wish I could walk a mile in her shoes, if only for a moment.

So trainer Cristina invited me to take part in a blindfold walk, a rite of passage for every trainer to get a sense of how these incredible dogs lead their owners out in the big, wide, unpredictable world.

- Let's do this, you're gonna tell her, forward.

- Forward.

- Good.

- [Buki] Dogs, especially Rockefeller, can be wacky, unlimited balls of energy, but they are so much more.

- And you're gonna tell her, halt.

- Halt.

- [Cristina] Good job!

- And we're done?

- We're done!

Yay!

- What?

- These dogs today are truly changing, shaping, and saving lives every day.

They teach us patience, kindness, and unconditional love for everyone.

In essence, they are some of the greatest teachers we have.

Excuse me, sir!

Did you have a good time?

You never forget a great teacher.

For me, it was my third grade teacher, Ms. Nesbihal.

Great teachers inspire you, challenge you, and leave you wanting to do more and better every day.

And there's no better teacher than The New York Times.

[bright music] Started in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, The New York Times has been there, on the ground, teaching and informing about the world around us, from the sinking of the Titanic to uncovered corruption in Washington, all from their iconic newsroom in Midtown.

And we can't forget about the Sunday crossword, which can be harder than the SATs.

And when it comes to food, the NY Times' cooking team teaches millions of home cooks with their easy-to-find, easy-to-make recipes and content.

Emily Weinstein of the New York Times, - Hi!

- How are you?

- Welcome.

- I got an inside look at their studio where they create photos and videos of each delicious dish.

Hosted by cooking and food editor-in-chief, Emily Weinstein, the genius behind the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter.

I mean, you are a home cook, so you are the audience.

- I am a home cook, that's right, I am not a professional chef.

And I always sort of thought that was one of the secrets to NYT cooking and why I feel it's great, is that there are people who actually work on these recipes who are not thinking about it like a chef.

Like, you should see a chef chop an onion.

- Yes.

[chuckles] - Like, I'm never gonna do it, I'm never gonna do it that fast.

- And we'll be in the ER.

[both laughing] You said you wanna decenter our opinions on food and recipes, what does that mean?

- I think historically, big food publications in this country, you know, they had a certain person in mind, right?

When they were publishing recipes.

- Sally from Wisconsin.

- Exactly!

Sally, right?

[Buki chuckles] And I think we understand that the world is a lot more interesting than that, right?

We wanna publish things that get them to try something they might not have cooked before, eaten before, or, in some cases, even heard of before.

- How does it feel to know that you are teaching people all around this world how to cook?

- Publishing this kind of work, doing this kind of work is actually sort of an intimate thing.

You're in somebody's kitchen with them, right?

They're making a decision to spend that time with you.

There's a lot of trust there.

You don't wanna do all that for something that's not gonna taste good.

It's a lot of investment, and it really is a privilege to be with people in their lives in that way.

I don't take that for granted.

- And we don't take this kitchen for granted at all.

[Emily laughs] When I walked in, I was like, I'm going to live here.

[both laughing] - Oh, this is our prop wall- - Ooh!

- For our video and photo shoots.

- [Buki] If you're anything like me, you live for great kitchenware, so Emily had to take me around to see the pots and pans, gadgets, and doohickeys.

- [Emily] This is our pantry and appliance area.

- I call this my candy, because I have everything going on in here.

Once a recipe is developed, it is tested multiple times.

Once it gets the NY Times' seal of approval, it's time to present it to the masses, which is where food styling comes in.

- So this is Rebecca Jurkevich, she's one of our brilliant food stylists for NYT Cooking.

- Yeah, and you are styling this.

[Emily chuckles] - [Emily] And this is a rhubarb macaroon tart by Samantha Seneviratne, who is a baking genius.

- Is this full coconut crust?

- It is.

- Wow!

I think a lot of people, when they think of food styling, they think of magic tricks, they think of, like- - Yeah.

- Spray tan on the Thanksgiving turkey.

But for the New York Times, we're taking photos of the food according to how the recipes are written, so what you see is what you get.

You know, there's no Hollywood trickery with the food.

- But I will shine it up with some of the poaching liquid that we cook the rhubarb in.

Do you wanna try some?

- [Buki] I'll work for a piece.

I think she's ready.

- [Samantha] Should we bring her to set?

- [Buki] Absolutely.

- Okay, the hardest part.

[all laughing] Don't drop it.

- Has that actually happened?

- [Samantha] Uh, maybe!

- Now that is a perfect model for food photographer Johnny Miller to work his magic.

[camera clicks] And with that, the New York Times teaches millions of cooking fans, myself included, how to make this vibrant spring treat.

This is a photo finish.

Samantha Seneviratne, we salute you, we appreciate you.

This coconut crust is out of control.

And down the street in Lower Manhattan, there are more teachers teaching the recipe to success.

Finding a job is difficult for everyone, but for those with disabilities, it can be impossible.

But things are looking up.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, the employment population ratio for people with disabilities rose to 37%, thanks in no small part to organizations like AHRC.

AHRC is short for Advocacy, Humanity, Reimagination, and Change.

They are fiercely committed to achieving equity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New York.

Today AHRC supports over 15,000 people annually with a multitude of services, including their culinary training program to help train and place students in culinary jobs.

I met Chef Daniel, who moved from a career in fine dining to help these extraordinary people.

- For me, it was inspiration.

I was always looking for inspiration in the kitchen.

So when I stumbled upon a program like this and they gave me the opportunity to be a skills instructor, I jumped right on it.

- How does the program work?

- We're advocates, so, you know, we wanna get our students jobs, so we wanna find what they can actually do and turn that into a hard skill and also teach them life lessons as well.

- [Buki] AHRC was started in 1949 by mom of the century, Ann Greenberg, after doctors told her to institutionalize her son.

Instead, she put an ad out in the New York Post for parents of mentally disabled children to come together to form a daycare group.

But I don't think even Mama Greenberg will be ready for this lesson from Chef Daniel.

- We got a twist today for class, we gonna do a secret ingredient challenge, I know you guys know what you're doing, but we gon' step it up, we gonna show 'em some skills, right?

Secret ingredient is mushrooms, green tomatoes.

You have to incorporate these two ingredients into your dish, right?

Do it however you want.

Be creative.

You guys ready?

- [Students] Yes!

- All right, let's go!

- And, they're off!

The competition was fierce, and I was impressed at how fast and focused the students were as they cooked.

- [Student] Come on, guys.

- [Buki] But it hasn't been an easy road for any of these students.

So how hard is to find a job in these circumstances?

- It's very, very hard.

I mean, the odds are stacked against them.

You know, the world walks right past them every day.

We wanna give them life skills, we're preparing them for work.

Confidence, that's what we're doing here, giving them something that they know that they can take with them, and that's not just with cooking.

- These students clearly didn't need my help, but I decided to jump in and scope out the competition.

First up, Team Red.

Amy, Susanna, Trayvonnie, and team leader Devon.

What are you guys making?

- So we're making chili, and what we have in it, we have zucchini, we have beans, we have a little bit of liquid smoke.

- Liquid smoke?

- Yes, sir.

- Okay, you guys are not playing around.

[Devon laughs] Okay!

I cannot wait to taste this amazing chili.

- Okay.

- Thank you, Devon.

Thanks, Team Red.

- You're welcome!

- [Buki] Next up, Team Black.

Nautica, Donovan, and team leader Peter.

- This is a prawn stir fry with carrots, chopped peppers, the green tomatoes, and also some of the mushrooms.

- Okay!

Peter, I hear you already got a job.

- Oh, yeah!

- You've already rocked this whole program out.

- Yes!

I graduated, got my ServSafe, and I worked at Cafe Joyeaux.

So I've been training with the chefs with baking and stuff and also training to use the espresso machine.

- I mean, you guys are cooking up a storm here.

I cannot wait to try all this amazing goodness.

[dramatic music] Team Red's veggie-packed chili and Team Black's shrimp stir fry were plated up.

And Chef Daniel and I were joined by AHRC team member Andre to taste what the students cooked up.

Judges, I mean, friends, [chuckles] let's taste.

[mysterious music] This is delicious!

All right, you guys did me proud, all right, Team Red, congratulations.

Team Black.

- Yes!

- Here we come.

[student laughs] Okay, Team Black!

- Yeah.

- Okay, I see what we're doing here.

Each one of these dishes was knock-your-socks-off good, but who won wasn't the point.

I'm sure the teacher supreme over here is very proud of the work you guys have put on here.

- Very proud, very proud of you guys.

- Hold on, I'm just gonna... [all laughing] None of these students have had it easy, but it's how they use the skills they learn to work together as a team that struck me the most and how Chef Daniel truly teaches with love, proving that with the right teacher, everyone is a winner.

We've all been shaped in some form or fashion by a teacher, whether on four legs, in the glossy pages of a magazine, or in a classroom.

Teachers come in every shape and size and teach us lessons we'll never forget.

And as Ms. Nesbihal taught me all those years ago, there's always room at the table for you.

[bright music] [bright music]