What’s cooking

Davia Nelson (left) and Nikki Silva

For 30 years, the Kitchen Sisters - Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson - have provided some of the most consistently inventive and insightful features on American Public Radio.

Their documentary series are often broadcasting landmarks - the Twin Towers ‘Sonic Memorial Project' built an audio monument to the stories of people associated with the World Trade Center.

Their on-going series 'Hidden Kitchens' delivers portraits of individuals from around the world through their association with food and cooking.

The Kitchen Sisters' signature style is to enable people to tell their own stories through word, music and sound.

Nikki and Davia rarely step out from behind the microphone, but for this pair of documentary-portraits they speak to British feature-maker Alan Hall about the origins of their collaboration.

Programme one captures Davia at the duo's production office in Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope building in San Francisco.

And travels south to glimpse Nikki on the commune where she lives and where their radio stories take shape.

First broadcast Friday 20 February 2009

Please note, due to copyright restrictions, a download of this documentary is unavailable.