Short and Rough

We recently applied for an award from KEEN footware, and had to submit a short video piece. This was my first attempt at editing using iMovie, quite the user-friendly yet annoyingly limited application. I did it quickly, and of course this is not representative of our real trailer, which we will be posting soon (oh so soon!). But please, enjoy.

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This is a video blog done by Jay and Ryanne, over at Ryan is Hungry about the happenin's over at the Alemany Farm. I'm so glad they came out and did this piece, it gives me hope that I can do well on the OTHER side of the camera!

Readying to Roll

So,

Things are getting started in a serious way:
We bought some Lavelier mics for some good quality walk and talk sound capability.
We were recently given an excellent primer on video blogging by Ryan and Jay over at Ryan is Hungry.
We have many, possibly too many, dates booked in January.
We have three cameramen, an editor, and various associate producers lined up to support the production over the two month tour.
We finished (and showed) the trailer, and are working on the 3rd cut, which we will be distributing on the tour. If you'd like a copy to host a screening/fundraiser, let us know!

This is supposed to be vacation time, holidays and the like.
But there is so much to do!

Stay warm, eat well...

Menu for 12/15

saltbush-young golden beet-blossom bluff fuyu-pomegranate-cave aged marisa-filbert-pedro ximenez
~~~~~
soup of dirty girl cannelini shelling beans, carola potato, golden turnip, celeriac, and baby mustard
~~~~~
tahini/porcini cauliflower-rapini and rainbow chard with chanterelles and wild rice-brussel sprouts with knoll horseradish
~~~~~
roasted delicata-shallot/apple/yam puree-chestnut-seed brittle
~~~~~
maple/buckwheat gingerbread-spiced quince-quince/bourbon redux-cranberry creme fraiche-candied pecans
~~~~~
mignardise

Chef: Leif Hedendal

This celebration of the local fall and winter harvest is a benefit for 'In Search of Good Food', a documentary series in the making, which explores the emerging "sustainable" food system in California by traveling the state, interviewing those who are working hardest to bring ecologically friendly, socially just, and straight up tasty food to your plate.

Saturday, December 15
7:00
Million Fishes Art Collective
2501 Bryant St. @ 23rd in the Mission
BYOB
Sliding Scale Donation of $40 to $100 per person

We will be showing the trailer to the film and enjoying the music of Divas de Los Muertos and Hannah & Raven.

and please RSVP to insearchofgoodfood@gmail.com promptly to reserve seats. Space will fill up quickly.

Recent Interviews...

I know I should be trying a little harder to update this blog with all the interesting stuff that's been happening around this project, but I have a hard enough time just keeping up with emails!

Here, at least, is a list of some of the folks we've interviewed for the movie so far. Hopefully I'll give them a more in depth treatment in the near future...

Yesterday, Harald Hoven, director of the Raphael Garden at the Rudolph Steiner College in Fair Oaks gave us a walk and talk tour of the garden, explaining the basics of biodynamics. Friendly dude, no doubt.

The day before, I worked with Sam Franzen (Jesse was at work!), a Straus Creamery Ice Cream fan and HDV cameradude, to tour the Straus plant and interview Albert, the brains and motivation behind Straus' ascendence to organic dairy product greatness. I love their vanilla yogurt, personally, but tried to remain journalistically neutral in this encounter (yeah, sure).

Others we've talked to:
-Temra Costa (of Community Alliance with Family Farmers)
-Amy Vanderwalker (of Environmental Justice Coalition on Water)
-Guillermo Payet (founder of Localharvest.org)
-Mark MacAfee (owner of Organic Pastures, the largest raw milk dairy in the state)
-Rebecca Spector (of the Center for Food Safety)

Really, I'll give them all their proper exposition soon enough.
For now, you'll just have to google their names and figure it out yourself!

Take care, eat well,
Antonio

Events in December!!

Come out and support Good Food, at a series of benefits for the film project In Search of Good Food! In Search of Good Food is a documentary series in the making, which explores the emerging “sustainable” food system in California by traveling the state, interviewing those who are working hardest to bring ecologically friendly, socially just, and straight up tasty food to your plate.

Three events offer options to express your support for this project:
Thursday, December 13th at El Rio (3158 Mission St) will feature three musical guests: Cotillion, Psychedelic Folk featuring members of the Botticellis and Bright Eyes, Conspiracy of Venus, an all-female a cappella choir, and Jeremy Dalmas & You, interactive musical experimentation. The trailer to In Search of Good Food will also be shown. This is an early show (5-9pm), so if you have plans to continue on rocking into the late night, why not start it off here? And if you don’t have plans, stick around for the BraziLive dance party that starts at the stroke of nine!

Saturday, December 15th 7-11pm at Million Fishes Art Collective (2501 Bryant St), will present you a 5-course fully organic meal courtesy of celebrity chef Leif (pronounced “life”). Enjoy musical accompaniment by Hannah the Raven and Divas de Los Muertos while you chow down (slow food style) and digest happily while watching the trailer to the film. Only 45 spaces are available, so RSVP to reserve a ticket (which are $40-$100).

Sunday, December 16th 2-4pm visit the film’s director/producer Antonio Roman-Alcalá at San Francisco’s largest farm, the Alemany Farm. Antonio will be presenting the concepts behind the film and conducting a tour of the farm to describe how his work at Alemany Farm inspired his quest to seek answers about who and what really is the “sustainable food system”. This event is free, but donations will be graciously accepted.

Call 415 571 6660 for more info.
To RSVP write insearchofgoodfood@gmail.com

For information on event locations (all in San Francisco), check out:
Millionfishes.com
Elriosf.com
Alemanyfarm.org

description

In Search of Good Food…

As a gardening activist living in an urban wonderland located in one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world, where options for diverse cuisine abound, I have often found myself wondering “where is all this food coming from?” Are most people in the city eating sustainably produced, locally and ecologically grown organic foods? This doesn’t seem likely. While much headway has been made in the mainstreaming of organic foods, what exactly is the state of California’s emerging “sustainable” food system? After mulling about the idea for a food system tour, I linked up with filmmaker Jesse Sabin and, with the fiscal sponsorship and support of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), I have decided to make a documentary film on the topic. Jesse and I will be traveling the state during the first 3 months of 2008, interviewing players in this food system. Included will be farmers, farmer’s market organizations, watershed and farm-land advocacy groups, university buying departments, educational organizations, non-profits of all sorts, established and emerging grassroots groups, government regulators and politicians, county extension agents, and the many others who form various arms of this movement to ensure an ongoing supply of healthy, ecologically and locally-produced, economically affordable food for all Californians.

The questions asked will generally be these (but each interview will of course be tailored to each interviewee’s unique position):

1) What do you do?
2) How do you envision California’s “sustainable food system”? Can such a food system reliably produce enough food to support our urban populations?
3) What role do you see yourself or your organization playing in such a food system? What is your capacity? What are your limitations?
4) What might help you fulfill that capacity with your project?
5) What methods/strategies have and haven’t worked for you?
6) What are the obstacles you see facing the realization of the sustainable food system?
7) Who do you see as having much influence over the food system?
8) What information would you like consumers to be more aware of?

My intention is multi-faceted: to gather information on the food system; to seek ideas on how to improve and apply sustainable practices and models (from those already doing it themselves); to gather information on what emergent organizations need to build their capacity (and pass this info onto the California Food and Justice Coalition, who will use it to direct their organizational-support programs), and finally, to gather footage to use in the film, entitled “In Search Of Good Food”.

If you, your organization, or someone you know would like to be included in this film, please contact me as soon as you can.

Thank you,
Antonio Roman-Alcalá
(415) 970 0321
2715 22nd St SF CA 94110
insearchofgoodfood@gmail.com
www.foodsecurity.org