Into The Fields
Spending the morning getting to know NC farmworkers on the powerful and moving Into The Fields blog, written by saf-unite doc interns.
During our second interview, Demetrio showed us pictures of his newborn son who still doesn’t have a name. He seemed proud and sad at the same time. We asked about what he wondered and at first, he said he didn’t ask himself or wonder anything, but after we explained the prompt again and gave a few examples, he said he wondered everyday if the rest of his life would be like this, separated and away from his family. The room felt dense, almost like you could feel the weight that he carries. It’s not just that he has to miss big and important family moments like the birth of a child, but it’s knowing everyday his children are growing up, trying new things and learning about themselves and the people that they want to become, while he’s not there to see or influence it.
- Catherine Crowe, 2015 SAF Fellow
PBS Online Film Festival
Grab some chicharrones and a bottle of jarritos — it's film festival time!
From now until July 17th you can watch and vote for the Vittles short film Un Buen Carnicero in the PBS Online Film Festival. After kindly casting your vote for Tolo and Cliff, consider taking some time to enjoy some of the other 25 films in this wonderful curated festival. Our short list includes Sugarless Tea and Isabelle's Garden.
PARTY ON
It wouldn't be a film festival without a party. Join us for a toast at Motorco Music Hall on Friday, June 26th as UNC-TV hosts an evening screening party for UBC and two other North Carolina films, Kilroy Was Here and Helpless. Following the screenings there will be live music and plenty of drink and food options. Free and open to the public - 8PM
Shameless post script: you may vote once a day, every day. Ain't that nice?
WATCH & VOTE
CLAM DAMN THANK YA MA'AM
Over 30lbs. of NC littleneck clams from Locals Seafood were enjoyed on a bed of Pie Pushers magic.
Wow, y'all know how to show the love.
The smell of freshly cooked clams drifted thru the The Cookery on a beautiful Spring evening as over 100 contestants shouted for their favorite ugly fish to make them a lucky bingo winner. Research your next ugly fish recipe on the new NC 10% Pinterest page. Food industry tastemakers and local food system organizers helped fill the room with neighbors, long-time Vittles supporters and the seafood curious alike to watch a screening of "Collards In The Cafeteria" and the premiere of "Freshly Retired."
Following the screening, special guest Chef Kris Reid offered a stirring testimonial on the reasons she devotes herself to the immense challenge of bringing local, real food into the institutions responsible for the young, old and unwell. She encouraged guests to share and use the Vittles / 10% Campaign film series to start the conversations within those institutions we have personal connections with and to seek out opportunities to volunteer, offering Food Corps as an example. The NC 10% Campaign team was also on hand to help folks plug into and commit their food dollars within their extensive partnership network.
We are so very grateful to all those who came out to take part in the fun and help underwrite this continuing film series, along with our dear friends at Pie Pushers and The Cookery, which donated the space and all of their bar proceeds from the evening. Big thanks also to all of our Ugly Fish Bingo prize donors; The Counting House, Parlor, Lil' Farm, Local Seafood and the Scrap Exchange—where you too can find an awesome trophy to help share the love.
The wild, weird and wonderdul fun of an impromptu bingo tiebreaker in which contestants channeled their inner ugly fish to the delight of all.
Our custom ugly fish bingo trophies found new happy homes, including this special "Bad Ass of The Year" for special guest Chef Kris Ried.
Vittles Chief Raconteur D.L. Anderson offers encouragement to Firsthand Foods Co-CEO Tina Prevatte as she takes on the persona of her favorite ugly fish, the black drum.
All photos by Victoria Bouloubasis.
CLAM JAM BINGO BAM!
90% of North Carolina seafood is shipped ELSEWHERE.
Help keep more of it here by learning to love the lesser known, perhaps even ugly, but still quite tasty fish of the NC coast during our next screening event at The Cookery in Durham on Thursday, May 14th, 6:30 - 8:30pm / $10 Admission.
We'll premier our short film, "Freshly Retired," about 320 grandparents and a rad chef who blew up their frozen food kitchen—she'll be there to tell you why and lead a conversation on what you can do to help bring more local, fresh food into our larger institutions. This film is part of a series we're producing with the NC 10% Campaign focusing on local food heroes. Watch our first installment "Collards In The Cafeteria" now. Proceeds from this event will underwrite our next short film about Locals Seafood.
In the spirit of the sea, Pie Pushers will be on hand with a special NC little neck clam slice (along with their usual selections) to go with a wide variety of libations from the Front Room bar. Finally, to introduce you to all those lesser-known fish (and give you a chance to win prizes) we'll play Ugly Fish Bingo—it'll be a bonafide Clam Jam Bingo Bam!
"Freshly Retired" (8:00) is an entertaining look at the clashing of two worlds as a sustainably minded chef is recruited to bring local, fresh food into a wealthy retirement community that relies heavily on frozen meals yet wishes to meet the needs of their growing “foodie” population. It’s the second in a series of films created to further the impact of the NC 10% Campaign, a bold initiative from the Center For Environmental Farming Systems that aims to have all North Carolinians commit 10% of their existing food dollars to local producers.
Following the film screening, the main subject and all-around badass Chef Kris Reid will share her honest and often hilarious insights on the unique challenges facing larger institutions wishing to offer more local foods. We'll have several feedback opportunities to seek out your input as we continue developing strategies for putting these films to work in bringing real food change to our state.
to the coast!
Your admission, a portion of any pizza and drink purchases, along with any tax-deductible donation, will help the 10% Campaign underwrite our best efforts to tell the story of how a deep love for ugly, fresh and tasty fish is supporting coastal fishermen, increasing traceability and keeping one of North Carolina’s greatest resources local.
ANOTHER WAY TO SHOW US LOVE
If you're unable to make it to the jam, but still wish to support our endeavors, please consider making a tax-deductible donation online, today. Any amount helps, but in total we're trying to raise $2,500 to help underwrite our next short. Please indicate that you are giving in support of Vittles under the OTHER GIFT INFO menu.
Donors giving $500 or more will be listed as Associate Producers in the credits. They'll also receive a unique gift from the coast (one clue - it's not a wall-mounted ugly fish).
FAQs
What are my parking options at the event location?
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?
No. Bring the kids, but please help us keep things quiet during the screening and feedback session.
Can I purchase tickets / gain admission at the door?
Yes, but ticket holders can breeze on in and head straight to the bar instead of waiting in line. If you're still planning on purchasing tickets at the door, please indicate that you plan to attend via our facebook event page. Thanks.
What in the world is Ugly Fish Bingo?
There's a whole multitude of fish on the NC coast that are unfamiliar or ugly to look at even though they can be quite delicious to eat. A key part of increasing local fish consumption is educating the public on those more unfamiliar varieties. That's exactly what we hope to be do by replacing the numbers on a bingo card with unfamiliar fish names like White Grunt, Dog Fish and Round Head. It's nothing like our game of Chicken Sh!t Bingo.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No. We'll have a record of all the purchases if you can bring your name.
What's the suggested attire?
Casual is good. If you want to get into the spirit, try on some linen and tropical prints.
Indie Grits & Spinach
The Anderson family loaded up the car and journeyed to Columbia, S.C., to take part in Indie Grits — a wonderful festival of films, tech, music and art. Kavanah and D.L.'s short Grace's One & Only Casseroni was selected to screen in the people portraits showcase; which included some other captivating character profile shorts such as Sandorkraut and Crooked Candy. One of the highlights was taking in the installation art works at Tapps and the puppet slams, a A bit thank you is in order for Indie Grits programmer Pedro LopezDeVictoria and the Hospitably Coordinator Kellane Kornegay, who hooked up a lovely little place to stay with May and Bentz (and their dog Banjo).
Lions & Lambs
Ari Picker, bandleader for Lost In The Trees, by the banks of the Haw River. Photo by D.L. Anderson
Mr. Ari Picker, a wildly gifted composer and Vittles contributor (Grace's One & Only Casseroni, Un Buen Carnicero) has been commissioned by Duke Performance to create a new work inspired by Book of Hours, Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry masterpiece. An superb ensemble of indie rock and classical musicians will be performing the world premiere on March 27th and 28th at Duke University. We'll see you there.
Learn more and order tickets today.
Last Night | Kitchen Patrol Benefit and Screening
Get Him to Lantern - Cliff Collins catches up to the group after running into yet another friend on his way to a screening of "Un Buen Carnicero" at Lantern in Chapel Hill.
Nearly four months after the completion of Un Buen Carnicero, Cliff Collins had yet to see the Vittles short documentary about his namesake butcher shop. "I seen parts of it here and there, on a phone, but not the whole thing. Not like this," said a very pleased Collins following the screening event at Lantern just down the road in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Director Victoria Bouloubasis personally walked Collins from the shop to Lantern, stopping often so he could catch up with all the familiar faces along the way.
Chorizo empanadas are plated as Chef Bill Smith, of Crook’s Corner, and Andrea Reusing, of Lantern, catch up prior to the screening.
Collins and fellow butcher Tolo Martinez , joined over 50 ticketed guests to benefit Kitchen Patrol, Lantern's weekly cooking class for local children to help them discover the skills and inspiration they need for a lifetime of cooking and eating good food. "A very significant portion of our small budget was raised tonight," said Kitchen Patrol coordinator Vera Fabian. Chef Bill Smith, in attendance with members of the Crook's Corner kitchen staff, will be next week's guest chef at Kitchen Patrol, teaching students to make green gumbo and Atlantic Beach pie. If, like us, you're suddenly wishing to be back in elementary school, take a moment to enjoy this wonderful NPR Found Recipes segment on Smith's renowned pie.
Guests enjoy a screening of the Vittles film “Un Buen Carnicero” at Lantern in Chapel Hill, N.C., March 16, 2015.
Thank you to Lantern Chef Andrea Reusing and her incredible staff for making the time and effort to create a special evening to share our work. Thanks also to Collins for making the long walk and to the fine folks at the Southern Foodways Alliance, for helping to make this film possible.
Our next Vittles benefit screening event will be May 14th, at The Cookery in Durham, where we'll premiere a new short doc produced in partnership with the N.C. 10% Campaign. There will be one-of-a-kind Pie Pushers pizza, beer and bingo, stay tuned for more details.
Dancing Does A Body Good
Sweaty, feverish dancing and a glass of cold milk usually do not go well together. One exception is the documentary The Last Barn Dance, where both of these life enriching things become inextricably tied to one another; weaving an incredible story of hardship, joy and a truly remarkable tradition that is trying to live on in a North Carolina barn loft. Directors Ted Richardson and Jason Arthurs are currently pursuing an Indie Go Go campaign to help raise funds to put the finishing touches on the film and to ensure a broad release and community screening effort. To further illustrate their fundraising needs, check out this wonderful graphic;
As a fellow Southern Documentary Fund project, all donations made to the film are 100% tax deductible, not to mention all of the sweet rewards tied to this campaign. Watch the trailer and see for yourself. As of this morning, they're almost three quarters of the way there—let's keep 'em dancing and save that glass of cold, locally made milk for your next bowl of cereal.
Announcing Our Soup-Weather Internship
Are you presently engaged in the craft of documentary film, photography or journalism? Do you have an interest in promoting food justice issues and developing audience engagement ideas? How about a deeply held conviction that there's an incredible bowl of soup and a story to match somewhere out there? If so, keep on reading.
What We're Looking For
Are you presently engaged in the craft of documentary film, photography or journalism? Do you have an interest in promoting food justice issues and developing audience engagement ideas? How about a deeply held conviction that there's an incredible bowl of soup and a story to match somewhere out there? If so, keep on reading.
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 15th
What You Get
You'll gain experience in strategic marketing efforts; help to plan and execute events for a wide range of audiences; and assist in producing rich, thought-provoking content and commentary focused on contemporary issues surrounding food and the South.
The internship includes a competitive stipend and will last three months from hire date (Mid-March to sometime in May) with the expectation of contributing roughly 8 hours a week.
Responsibilities
You will work with a collaborative team of filmmakers, journalists, marketing and food systems professionals to conceptualize and implement strategies for reaching out to and engaging a diverse community.
Including:
• Working with a team to plan and execute upcoming events to showcase Vittles' work and bring together audiences to communicate, collaborate and share.
• Meeting with staff; contributing thoughtful ideas about ways in which to engage audiences; helping to bring these ideas to life.
• Implementing content-heavy marketing strategies that will include social media and blogging. This means you should already be interested in staying abreast of what's happening within the documentary and food communities.
EXTENDED DEADLINE | MARCH 15th
APPLY TODAY
Questions? write us
Timing not right? That's cool, we'll be having a Watermelon-Shake-Weather Internship as well.
EVENT | Chorizo & Fresh Films For The Kids
Join us at The Lantern Restaurant on Mon., March 16th, as we screen two of our newest short films and raise funds for Kitchen Patrol, Lantern's rad project to help children discover the skills and inspiration they need for a lifetime of cooking and eating good food. Admission includes a Negra Modelo at the door and house-made snacks, including Tolo's famous chorizo (in process above). Un Buen Carnicero and Collards In The Cafeteria will be screened starting around 7:00. There are a limited number of tickets available now.
Hard Numbers & Farming Siblings
Alix Blair, Co-Director of Farmer Veteran, wanted to know just how many farms had gone under in the South in recent years. Working with the USDA Farmland Census, which listed farms by state, she extrapolated the numbers by hand and came out with a pretty sobering number for the broader region ; close to 50,000 Southern farms have disappeared in just a five year window (from 2007 to 2012).
Alix Blair, Co-Director of Farmer Veteran, wanted to know just how many farms had gone under in the South in recent years. Working with the USDA Farmland Census, which listed farms by state, she extrapolated the numbers by hand and came out with a pretty sobering number for the broader region ; close to 50,000 Southern farms have disappeared in just a five year window (from 2007 to 2012).
Listen to Blair's recent podcast exploring this issue through the story of two brothers who started farming for two very different reasons following their time in the military. The piece was produced for an episode of GRAVY, a remarkable compendium of original stories commissioned by the Southern Foodways Alliance. Their gorgeous printed quarterly by the same name is reason enough to join the member-supported non-profit, which has also helped underwrite and promote several Vittles projects.
Meat + American Dream
Our newest documentary, Un Buen Carnicero (A Good Butcher), goes behind the courtesies of the butcher’s counter at Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro, N.C., on the eve of Independence Day to explore the complex realities of immigrant life. This bilingual short film, produced in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance, celebrates a unique, small town institution with an ever evolving clientele and butcher staff. As owner Cliff Collins says, “Getcha a fifth for the fourth on the third.”
Hot Damn!
Hot Damn! What a spread. Honored to screen our newest short Un Buen Carnicero for the bi-annual Stir The Pot event at CAM Raleigh to benefit the film’s supporters, the Southern Foodways Alliance. Big thanks to all who brought a dish (catfish patê you say?), the folks at ONE for infusing figs and rye whiskey, John T. for the kind words and A.C. for the love and steadfast support. We’ll keep you posted on the film’s rollout.
Friday Lunch Special | The Gap
THE GAP; By Ira Glass, Directed by Daniel Sax (frohlocke)
On The Menu - A beautiful 2:18 short that illustrates an inspirational monologue by “The American Life” host Ira Glass about the gap that exists between one’s taste and one’s skill over the course of a career.
May We Suggest - Irregardless of how you feel about Ira’s on-air delivery, TAL has set an amazingly high bar for creative and meaningful ways to share true life stories. This short offers tremendous perspective and wisdom for anyone looking to improve their craft, even outside of the creative industry. - D.L. Anderson
David Shiyang Liu’s version of this same monologue was the inspiration for Mr. Sax’s new take on it. Creatively feeding creativity. Hopefully this will feed yours.
The Friday Lunch Special is an serial endorsement of the films and filmmakers we are inspired by, shared by a Vittles producer.
Friday Lunch Special | Bayou Maharajah
Bayou Maharajah; The Tragic Genius of James Booker, Directed by Lily Keber
On The Board - Bayou Maharajah explores the life and music of New Orleans piano legend James Booker, the man Dr. John described as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.”
May We Suggest - Early in my tenure at the Independent Weekly, Editor Richard Hart introduced me to the stunning brilliance of James Booker. It was around this time of year, Mardi Gras, that Hart, a New Orleans native, could hardly contain his excitement as he began to tell me about Booker’s unbelievable story and talent. He gave me a copy of “GONZO: All the 45’s” and was hooked. I mentioned learning about Booker to my friend, and another brilliant pianist, Phil Cook (@phillygardner) and his excitement was even more amplified, his arms flapped. We had to sit down. “Oh man. Have you seen him play?” We pulled up You Tube and watched a live performance of “True” at Montreux. Wow. I was laid out flat. Who the hell was this guy?
Over the course of this wholly engrossing 90 min. documentary, filled with lush archival footage of Crescent City street scenes, Lily Keber deftly crafts a grand lyrical space for Booker to reveal himself in full. Only the very best parts of illuminating interviews with a wonderful cast of musicians that shared space with him are used. Concert footage and recordings are allowed to play in their entirety. In this way, Keber offers a remarkable contribution to the documentary music profile form and, more importantly, finally gives this legendary “Black Liberachi” his due. - D.L. Anderson
Ready to Order? - This weekend, as a part of the not-to-be-missed Mardis Gras celebration Hey Pocky Way in Durham, N.C., there will be a special screening of Bayou Maharajah at the Pinkhook at noon on Sunday, March 2nd. Order Your Tickets or show up with $5 and be prepared to be amazed and possible cry in your beer.
The Friday Lunch Special is an endorsement of the films and filmmakers we are inspired by, shared by a Vittles producer.
Strange Beauty Film Festival
It’s time to submit your film to Durham’s weirdest local film festival- The Strange Beauty Film Festival. @StrangeBeautyFF
The guidelines are the same as always—30 minutes or less, any shape or form, strangely beautiful, beautifully strange, or some combination thereof.
The festival has shifted dates to June 12 - 14 at Manbites Dog Theatre so the deadline is now March 1, 2014. Plenty of time to get that new piece finished, right?
'Cook School' Screening This Weekend!
Nancy Gould’s food service course is one of the most popular within the North Carolina State Prison system, but will her class be able to pull off a fine dinning experience for 60 volunteer patrons behind the gates of Orange Correctional Center? The five-month course is administered by Piedmont Community College and graduating inmates earn 16 credits toward a degree if they can stand the heat. ‘Cook School’
The Vittles short will screen at the 11th Annual Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi Friday, Feb.7 at 4:00pm and Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2:00pm. Sign up here.
Spending a magical week at Made In NYC / IFP Labs w bacon wallpapered theater. #ifp @farmer_veteran