Spooky Season 2026 with Jeff Belanger and Katie DeCapria

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Monday, October 5, 2026

It's officially October, which means it's time to dim the lights, pull up a chair, and explore the two things making this time of year irresistible: the stories that haunt us and the treats we wait all year for.

First, Christina is joined by Jeff Belanger, one of the most fascinating voices in the world of folklore, legends, and the unexplained. An author, adventurer, podcaster, and longtime storyteller of all things strange and supernatural, Jeff has spent years travelling in search of the stories that live inside old places.

What happens when those stories meet hospitality? You have an in-depth conversation on haunted restaurants, historic inns, ghost stories passed down through generations, and why the places we eat, drink, sleep, and gather often have some of the best stories to tell.

Then from tricks to treats, Katie DeCapria of Hershey's returns to Culinary Confidential to discuss the world of Hersheyween and everything that goes into America's love affair with Halloween candy - the trends, traditions, nostalgia, what we're reaching for this year, and how Halloween has grown from one night of trick or treating into an entire season.

Because some of our strongest food memories aren't made around a dinner table, it can be made running from house to house with a pillowcase full of candy.

Ghost stories, haunted hospitality, Halloween nostalgia, and of course, candy. Spooky Season has never been more back.