When I became a parent, I became passionate about the environment and how the food we eat impacts the health of my children and the planet. That concern became worry and it started to keep me up at night, feeling that any small actions I was taking were just a drop in the proverbial bucket. I felt increasingly depressed about the state of our industrial food chain. How could we possibly change the course of history at this point?
As luck would have it, my neighbour and friend, Allison Savage of RadishesandRhubard is a real “foodie”- a fantastic cook, an advocate of the local food movement and a food blogger. She lent me her copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and it has revolutionized the way I think about food and made me realize that there is a lot I can do in my own corner of the universe- from growing my own vegetable garden, buying seasonal produce from farmer’s markets and buying naturally-raised meat.
The more we discussed and researched this “local food movement”, the more resources we found available to us right here in Toronto. And in our journey, we came across this fantastic documentary produced in the States called FRESH. Allison emailed the producer and 3 months later, she and I have pulled together a week-long event of workshops, tastings and farm-to-table dinners that culminates in the Toronto premiere screening of the movie on August 26, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at The Bloor Cinema (followed by a panel discussion moderated by Wayne Roberts, food activist and former chair of the Toronto Food Policy Council).
I cordially invite all of our readers to attend the Toronto FRESH Event. For details and schedule of events, please visit http://www.radishesandrhubarb.blogspot.com/fresh-the-movie.
The workshops and related events are going to be fun and educational- and are filling up quickly. The movie is an amazing call to action. Come out and be inspired! I promise you that you will feel energized, hopeful- and maybe even a little hungry.
About the movie
FRESH is more than a film; it is a reflection of a rising movement of people and communities across America who are re-inventing our food system. FRESH celebrates the food architects who offer a practical vision of a new food paradigm and consumer access to it. Encouraging individuals to take matters into their own hands, FRESH is a guide that empowers people to take an array of actions as energetic as planting urban gardens and creating warm composts from food waste, and as simple as buying locally-grown products and preserving seasonal produce to eat later in the year.
Throughout the film, we encounter the most inspiring people, ideas, and initiatives happening around the country right now. At the Growing Power urban farm in Milwaukee, Will Allen is turning three acres of industrial wasteland into a mecca of nutrition for his neighborhood. In Kansas City, we witness David Ball revitalize his community, turning the modern concept of the Supermarket on its head by stocking his stores with produce from a cooperative of local farmers. And, we journey to Joel Salatin’s farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to witness his methods for closing the nutrient cycle, allowing cows, chickens, pigs and natural grasses to flourish and produce without ever an ounce of chemical fertilizer or industrial animal feed.
FRESH tells the stories of real people, connecting audiences not with facts and figures or apocalyptic policy analysis, but with examples of personal initiative and concrete ways to engage in a new food model.
About the event
- Toronto FRESH Event runs from August 15 to August 30, 2010
- The event encompasses a series of farm to table dinners, tastings and workshops designed to highlight the myriad of local and sustainable food resources available in the GTA
- The event will culminate in the screening of FRESH the movie, a new film by Ana Joanes, that examines the cost of our industrial food system and offers a practical alternative for how we grow, buy and eat our food.
- The Toronto Premiere Screening of FRESH the movie is on August 26th, 2010 at 6:30pm at the Bloor Cinema
- A panel discussion will follow immediately after the August 26th screening, moderated by Wayne Roberts, food activist and former chair of the Toronto Food Policy Council.
- The panelists include Chef Brad Long of Veritas and Restaurant Makeover, Debbie Field, Executive Director of FoodShare, Chris Wong of Young Urban Farmers and Tammara Soma of Sustain Ontario and the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council.
